A Zen momment

Tom's first day fishing

I remember starting this blog a few years back when we had a couple of spinning rods and reels, a cheap carbon fly rod and a cheap sports-shop fly reel. We were in a transition from bait fishing to artificial fly fishing. I recall looking at expensive equipment and laughing at the prices whilst wishing I could get my hands on some of it to use on the rivers and lakes.

Over the years I've built up a little collection of gear: classic fly rods, reels and a few new carbon rods. I have learned to cast reasonably well and I've caught plenty of fish. What I have realized though is that good equipment really does help you to progress and ultimately enjoy the hobby more. The quality of each item purchased has slowly gone up along with it's price.

In the old days before carbon and glass fiber, cane rods were the best that money could buy and offered the fisherman great sport and a reasonably light rod compared to other wooden rods and fishing poles. To try and appreciate the old cane and get into the spirit of it all, I've spent a couple of days fishing with cane rods. After a while, they do get heavy. Switching to a light carbon rod allows you to be more accurate, fish for longer and land bigger fish. Even though cane is aesthetically much nicer, the carbon is much more efficient. It is a technical progression.

The Evoissons river at Conty

So what about the Zen of fishing? What is the Zen of fly fishing? For me, it is approaching a task with a specific method and doing it well. Not just casting a hook, line and sinker and hoping for the best, but going out to catch a fish using a specific rod and tackle. Some scenarios:

- I have a little brook nearby, it is only 10 to 15 foot across - even smaller than the river pictured on the left. I don't need to cast more than 20ft if I see a little trout or greyling. A 7'5" brook rod, 4wt line is fine. It does the job without fuss.

Ron Thompson carbon rod

- We have some lakes not far away that allow us to cast 40ft casts if you can see a trout rising. 8ft or 9ft graphite rods do the job perfectly. The one on the right is a good example of a relatively cheap, but extremely functional rod with excellent casting characteristics.
- A sunny summer's day down on the river with a few friends and a couple of old cane rods and Hardy reels makes for some interesting conversation. You can be guaranteed that other fishermen will come over and want to have a go with the old gear. I gladly let them have a few cast. I take at least one cane rod on every trip I make, just in case I feel the urge to go retro.
- And now in the winter months in Europe, no river fishing for a few months, I'm thinking of doing some saltwater fly fishing, either here or aboard. No fishing licenses required. So one would expect to use the correct equipment for this. A good rod with rustproof fittings, a saltwater reel, line and of course the right flies for the job.

So getting back to the Zen of things, I've recently bought a new saltwater rod, reel and line and I was wondering if I had just spent too much on it all in a few combined acts of craziness. I tell myself that these pieces of fishing kit are the best currently available and so justify to myself the spend. I'm not going to go backwards and get some second-rate kit to fish in some estuary for sea-trout or salmon, struggling with a cranky rod and reel. I'm going to do it as best I can and not be limited by the equipment. The only limit will be me, myself and I.