Enthusiast, Fisherman, and Anglers

There is a new wave of fishing that has started to take place and some of the trends mixed in with all the different walks of life multiplied by an expanding growth ratio, and you see where I am going with this. All the thing I just covered equal more and more people fishing for steelhead. Even with all these new characters there are three main groups of people that you spot on the river.
I have take the time to closely look at all three people you might encounter on the river in a day. We will start with the Enthusiast. His age does not have to be defined or the gear he fishes. What will give the enthusiast away is the glow of excitement on his face, he or she also has an ear that can catch a good fishing conversation for well over a mile. The enthusiast loves fly fishing, he is early in his fishing career that he has no passion for any particular species but instead is ready to try and fish for anything. At this point the enthusiast will find any information on the mere subject of fly fishing great and he will make any experience a learning one. What this fly fisherman lacks is confidence he or shes lacks of time on the water which does not give them a good background of knowledge. Now this is where this person can make the jump to the next stage or if not careful they can stumble down a path that may even lead to a longer journey to the next stage or the frustration can kill their freshly budding excitement pushing the enthusiast away all together.

The next person that we will be identifying via this essay is the Fisherman. This group of people is the largest, but it has to be. A fisherman has defined that he is more than a enthusiast. He or she has taken the time to now have built up a hunger for the fish that he finds worthy of the chase. The love that the fisherman has fed and nurtured has started to define what he does on and off the river. Now his time spent on the river is never bad or held in disappointment. Now he or she is able to try new approaches and has the now knowledge filled back ground to be able to know when and where to make adjustments in the game. Their alarm clock set a bit earlier and evenings filled with fly tying or a book on the fish that they love. The fisherman now knows where in the world the best fishing for his highest pursuits are located, maybe he has even planed a trip to go or even been multiple times. The fisherman’s abilities can be at the top levels, his casts beautiful, top notch gear, and might even have that uncanny second sense if you will to find fish and fish able water. With all that the fisherman has he still can better himself in ways to be more involved in the sport that has now hopefully brought he or she so much joy. The fisherman’s at some point comes to the crossroad to make the next jump, but this jump means much more than the last one he may have made so seamlessly. This next jump is where most people cant cross, the commitment needed on the other side is usually outweighed by other things that life brings to their tables…

Now we have reached the pinnacle of the list. The man or women that has done the things need to be at the top, The Angler. The angler at first might not stand out in appearance. As their gear is looked over it may seen dulled and not anything really special, but then again it has been part of who the angler defines himself to be. The anglers age can vary greatly, the amount of money that an angler has can only really be noticed in the rig he or she drives to the river. What make the angler an angler is passion. The excitement that grew into love is now passion. The last step made from fisherman to angler can be seen on and off the river. An angler has separated themselves by making changes in he or she life to not conform to the normal flow of grid lock. The passion shared by anglers has caused huge events that have led the angler to live a life based on the things they can do to keep themselves on the river and the fish alive. The angler has a day to day relationship with the rivers and fish they love, a bond that binds to their very soul. A day spent with one of these individuals can never be overlooked. The knowledge of the river going well beyond the water. These people become guides, writers, and almost all are part of the great ideal of conservation. The anglers life as become as much a part of river or a fish as the seasons that bring and change them. So the next time you are out and identify one of these special folk, listen to what they have to say but also admire in even a small way that what they are doing even effects the future of your fishing.