There are many reasons we love fly fishing.
The beautiful places it takes us — fresh or salt. The adrenaline rush of a large brown sipping that foamy you’ve been plying the bank with. The way your heart stops as you watch a tarpon turn to follow your fly. The gear. The marketing.
We talk a lot about the fish, but what about the people?
I’m coming to realize that, at least for me, the best things about fly fishing are simple: the places we go and the people we meet.
Even looking back over just the past year, this sport has connected me with the most incredible folks. From French Polynesian islanders living on a little atoll in the middle of the South Pacific, to long nights spent talking with fishing guides deep in the Alaskan brush, to sunny autumn days laughing on Montana rivers with new “old” friends, fishing brings people together.
And that may sound like a cliche, but it still stands.
We laughed about cultural references while weathering rain in Cuba. Laughed even more while learning to throw spears at coconuts in French Polynesia. Got giggly tired while trekking through Yellowstone for a photo shoot, and made unexpected friends with our park ranger babysitter.
And sat around in sweatpants in a warm kitchen tent in Alaska while talking Montana fishing politics. Thanks to the wonder / oftentimes curse of social media, we’re able to stay in touch, eagerly anticipating the next time we’ll meet up, in whatever random corner of the world that ends up happening.
Enjoy the fish. They truly are something incredible. Enjoy the places; for fishing takes you to some rare corners of the world. But most of all, enjoy the people. That’s where the memories are made.
