By: Alice Tesar

Too often I see other anglers within the dark magic of angling, “going to catch a big one” and acting like complete assholes to other anglers along the way.

Louis Cahill, Editor and Chief Fly Fisher of Gink and Gasoline, recently published an article Tom Rosenbauer’s 8 Tips To Becoming a Better Fly Fisher and tip #5 is an invaluable lesson: “Don’t be an asshole on the water.” You see, I’ve met plenty of assholes on the water, and while I typically chose to remain silent,  the few times I have committed a minor retaliation against said assholes, it has ruined my day. Heading back to camp or the car with the taste of yesterday’s beer and hate on my tongue is a bummer.  No matter the fish I caught in that high hole, encountering a jerk and being rude back to them makes fishing less fun. After all, most of us aren’t catching dinner we’re just on the water to create space for joy in our lives. 

I was riding the YouTube train recently and came across the most genuine fly-fishing video I’ve seen in a long time.

No long list of sponsors or fruity drone footage, it was a low budget, home-edit. Three young guys, maybe in their early 30s, who met up at “Wally World” ( aka Wal-Mart), to drive a few hours to two undisclosed tiny ponds rumored to be filled with trout. Based on their clothing, rigs, and chatter they were experienced anglers with heads on their shoulders (or at least on their shoulders enough to still want to fish with tiny flies and uber flexy rods). They used their phone cameras and maybe a Go Pro or two to document that afternoon on the water. They proceeded to catch a handful of maybe 12- to 16-inch bows and browns both from the banks and from a small pack-raft. Regardless of the massive tarpon or belly bulging PNW zombies they’d likely caught on other days this year; these three bros were having the time of their lives with each dinky little catch. Maybe it was the truth behind the rumor that led them to these lakes or purely catching all day that made them so giddy, but their hoots and hollers, their laughter, and ridiculous retelling of their catches have stuck with me. 

Too often I see other anglers within the dark magic of angling, “going to catch a big one” and acting like complete assholes to other anglers along the way. Goddamn, I love fishing; I love it for the big pigs, the creek brookies and the 10 inch bows but most of all for the shared experiences: the net jobs, the high-fives, and the beers. So, thank you Tom, and thank you to the three dudes who met in a Wal-Mart parking lot and deciding to film yourselves for reminding us to love it all. Big, little, lovely, or roughed up – catching trout and river life asshole-free make each of our lives a little better.