Is it picking the River or the Challenge?

Call it a first world problem, but sometimes I catch myself actually thinking, where should I fish today or this weekend?  There are just too many options, how do I choose? 

 

Now before you throw down your coffee mug that reads “world’s best fly fisher (story-teller)” in disgust, I promise this is only a passing thought. I know that quality access varies greatly for everyone. I know I’m lucky living where I do. Living in the Mid-Atlantic region, I’m basically 2 hours or less from historic limestone streams to fishing in the shadows of the Jefferson Memorial. I have plenty of options for (almost) year round fishing. 

 

So when I ask myself, where should I fish, maybe what I’m really asking myself is how much of challenge do I feel up to today?  Do I feel up to driving for a few hours to possible go back home with only a few fish brought to hand? Do I feel like wading a boulder infused tailwater for hours hoping I don’t take a tumble? Do I feel like risking the chance of getting bogged down in muck along the banks of some spring creek? Do I really feel like being in photos of tourists who can’t figure out why in God’s name anyone would be fly fishing anywhere in the District of Columbia? 

 

And let’s not even go down the path of HOW should I fish. Do I take out the 7 weight to swing big streamers or do I take on the “one fly” challenge with my Tenkara rod? Again, this is a topic for another day. 

 

As I continue along the path of learning, I find it can be very easy to say to myself, if I fish river X I know will at least hook into something. The hard part is pushing myself into something new. The hard part is getting out of my comfort zone. Tom Rosenbauer did a podcast on this subject back in the summer (August 5th 2014) and I’m sure others have written extensively on the subject as well. This isn’t a new concept of course, but knowing and believing isn’t always the same thing. 

 

So with that in mind, my new mantra will not be where should I fish, but rather what challenge do I feel like today.

 

Marc Hutzell

PPTU

Mid-Atlantic Council