Is fly fishing truly a hobby for you? We recently read a New York Times column called “In Praise of Mediocrity,” which ripped on America’s fascination with turning every hobby into a “pursuit of excellence.” We fish less than 25 days a year; we’re not professionals. So how good should an amateur get? How should we think about our sport if casting 100 feet in 20 per hour wind is an unreachable feat. What is good enough for the time we’re able to invest in the sport? This is another fun episode in which we explore the edges of what makes our sport so enjoyable.
LISTEN NOW TO ARE YOU TOO SERIOUS ABOUT FLY FISHING
GREAT STUFF FROM OUR LISTENERS. At the end of each episode, we often include a feature called “Great Stuff from Our Listeners.” It’s the last segment of each episode, where Steve reads one of the comments from our listeners or readers. We enjoy hearing from you, and appreciate your advice, wisdom, and fly fishing experiences.
Where do you draw the line in your pursuit of fly fishing or any other hobby? What’s “good enough”? Please post your comments below.
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The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists – A “Cliffsnotes for Fly Fishers”
We’ve published a book for regular-Joe-and-Jane fly fishers called The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists: Life is short. Catch more fish.
To switch metaphors, perhaps it’s more like a handful of potato chips. It’s an entire book of lists. The goal is to help you find practical help quickly and in an easily digestible format!
Buy it today on Amazon for only $13.99!
This podcast is my favorite! Two kids ago I was buying a pitch rod, a flip rod, finess rod and arguing about the family boat that should be strictly for fishing and not for water skiing. I lost that battle (and bought a Dodge Caravan) and have since watched all sports become defined by specialized skills and equipment. Gear heads, tech Wennies, tinkara ninjas. Even magazines I once subscribed to became nothing but catalogs of specialized equipment. I believe in poetry, I believe that any fly worth tying should not take more than two minutes and I believe that a 9 foot 5 wt will fish for small mouth and trout while a 6 wt is better for bass.
This has got to be my most favorite comment ever!
Hilarious!
Thank you.
Dave
TOO serious about fly fishing? Yeah, I’ll see that as a problem as soon as I am too healthy and too rich….
Loved the podcast.
Yours truly (and still deadly serious about my fly fishing mediocrity),
Steve in Indiana
Dave, Steve,
Loved the “Are You Too Serious about Fly Fishing?” podcast.
Years ago, before I started fly-fishing, I took up the sport of golf. I was never good at it but I suppose I was average. I took lessons, I practiced, and I tried to play a few days a week. I was in pursuit of greatness, wanted to be competitive, and even enjoyed it in the first few years of playing. I ended up throwing my clubs away at the golf course dumpster after a day of pure frustration and realizing that I was not getting any better. I vowed I would never play golf again.
I am glad that I experienced that frustration of trying to take a hobby too seriously before I found my sport of Fly-fishing. Your podcast was spot on for us guys that only fish 20-30 days a year. It is tempting to fall victim to all the branding, written articles, needing to catch the monster fish in exotic locations etc.….
I recently woke up to the reality that Fly Fishing companies no longer market or produce products for the average guy like me. When I order an XXL from a famous fly-fishing company (Located in Bozeman, MT) and it looks like it would fit a 150lb skinny guy. I now realize that I am no longer in the target marketing demographic.
So when people watch me cast, miss a strike, or watch me gracefully fall into the creek, it doesn’t take me long to remember humbly, that when it comes to fly fishing skill, I am the “Cream of the Crap”, the model of mediocrity, and I am enjoying every minute of it.
Keep the podcasts coming. Love listening to them all.
This is an awesome comment. I love the “cream of the crap” phrase. That is stealable!
And you have nailed it regarding the brands and the stories of exotic fly fishing fishing for piranha, bonefish, and a fish to be named later.
This make our day. Thank you!
Always enjoy listening to your Pod Casts. Being serious is not a problem with me. I just try to enjoy the ride. Being out in nature catching the trout is just a plus. Looking forward to your Jan. presentation for Lee Wulff TU.