Keep trying

     Yesterday we got invited to take advantage of an early springlike temperature day and hit the Bitteroot river with our friends Bryant and Hailey.  We did not hesitate in our acceptance of their invite as the weather was simply perfect!  We loaded up our gear and the four of us headed down the valley to find a good spot.  We eventually ended up choosing to go to the Chief Looking Glass fishing access site were we had to wade across the shallow back channel to get to the main river.  This was a big test for Kelli's Coach rain boots and they succeeded in keeping her feet completely dry, even though she had to tip toe across some sections.
     Once we got out there and all set up the fishing was good, not a whole lot of action but fly fishing is always fun.  Bryant had our only catch of the day, a very nice sized cutthroat, and the girls spent the majority of the day soaking up some vitamin D.  I was unsuccessful once again in my efforts to land a fish on a fly rod.
     Since we moved to the western half of the state I have began fly fishing much more since we find ourselves surrounded by phenomenal trout streams.  Having grown up a bait fisherman on the mighty Yellowstone however, I have struggled with adjusting myself to this new type of fishing.  I compare my fly fishing adventures to my early years of golfing, I've given myself personal goals and each one becomes harder and harder to achieve.  In golf this was simply lower scores at first, breaking 100, breaking 80, breaking 70, then it progressed to the achievement of certain shots, a flop shot, a knock down mid iron, and many more that I am still trying to accomplish.  With fly fishing even though the goals are much smaller, they are proving to be extremely difficult to master!  It started with the numerous knots requires to rig up a pole, then moved onto casting which continues to be a work in progress!  Now that I have the ability to keep my line tangle free while placing it on the water the next big goal is presentation, there is so much more involved in the presentation of the fly to the fish than I ever thought there would be!  And finally the biggest goal of them all is to actually land a fish.  I don't know how long it will take for me to accomplish this one but I can tell you that when I do it will be one of the proudest days of my life!  
     Every one of my personal golf goals is just me against the golf course, in fly fishing though, it is me against an elusive trout.  Trust me when I say that a 12" rainbow is much smarter than a man made golf course!  In golf I simply have to master my own mechanics and thoughts to score well, with fishing this is only half the battle.  Once I've figured out my own mechanics then I have to figure out the mindset of the fish!

     One thing is for sure, wether I am fly fishing on of the many beautiful waterways that God has cut through my home state, or playing a round of golf on one of my favorite well manicured tracts, I am never more at peace.  I find that when I am forced to focus all of my thought process to the task at hand I am completely relaxed.  So it doesn't matter to me wether I ever catch a fish on a fly rod, I just enjoy trying.  


Remember, sometimes success is achievable simply through determination and effort.