It seems like it’s been forever since I posted on my fishing blog. My friends, family, and students are convinced that I’m obsessed with fishing…fly-fishing in particular. When asked why I do it, I usually respond with the same basic answers that most true anglers come up with. You’re sure to hear me respond with the usual stuff about watching the sunrise, the smell of coastal air on a crisp morning and the excitement of the pursuit of a new personal best on the fly rod. These are worthy answers, no doubt, but, recently, I’ve spent more time contemplating what calls me to the sport.
For me, there’s something that’s magical about that time between the unmistakable “thump” on my fly and the moment when I set the hook. Sometimes I connect with a fish so small that my hook set sends it flying into the air like a missile. Other times I feel like I have set the hook into a stump…and then that stump starts to move. There are also times I completely miss the strike altogether. Either way, any one of these can make me giddy with excitement and I find myself laughing out loud and talking to the fish!
When I really think about it though, the most exciting experience for me is when a fish rises on a popper and explodes on the surface! It could be as tiny as a 2-inch bream or as large as a 27-inch redfish with massive shoulders and hair on its chest! There’s something about seeing a fish come out of the water and attack a lure that I fabricated myself out of cork, foam, feathers, and fur. Every strike sends a rush of adrenaline running through my veins that fills me with the excitement of an 8-year-old kid on Christmas morning!
Anyway, I have recently made it a point to be observant and really ponder what lures me to this obsession. That’s right. I don’t enjoy catching fish as much as I enjoy being “caught” myself. Non-anglers just don’t get it. I’ve also come to the realization that it’s impossible to pinpoint one specific aspect of the angling experience that keeps me coming back, so I’ve started making a list of the little things that, when experienced as a sum, make fly fishing my ultimate addiction. I will be making subsequent entries about these in the future. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures and my recent video from my pond-hopping adventures this spring.
Caught my personal best bass on the fly-rod!
Dani and Nandi did some yak fishing too.
Kayak Fishing With Kevin 