Breathing: Why Fly Fishers Catch & Release

Breathing. Real, true breathing. No, you can’t breathe inside your house staring at a television. No, you can’t breathe sitting inside a man-made office building staring at a computer. No, you can’t breathe riding in your car. No, you can’t breathe shopping for more and more stuff that you don’t need. You get the idea. It’s pretty hard to breathe in the society we live in today. All of that stuff takes the breath out of you and makes you older, weaker, and more tired. That is why it is so important to escape and experience the Real World, no not the real world that your teachers tell you about in school, I’m talking about the only Real World that’s out there. Yes, Nature’s world. Being a fly fisher for trout, you get to experience some of Nature’s most beautiful wonders. Taking you to places you otherwise wouldn’t even know existed. Allowing you to take deep, true breaths with each trout held in your hand.

A great short film was created by RC Cone and presented by Imago Fly Fishing that really captures this need in all of us to breathe. This need only becomes more and more pronounced as the world we live in becomes more and more fake. RC Cone put it real well when he said:

“When I lift a fish from the water to admire it, I realized I was borrowing a breath from the fish, or borrowing some of its wild energy, to rejuvenate myself and help me take my next steps. It is an amazing thing that a fish can do that through its sacrifice of 5-10 seconds of no-breath to push me forward in my life. That fish’s sacrifice, so close to death, helps me live. I thought that concept was profound and realized how important deep, meaningful breaths are.”

All of my non-fly fishing friends ask me countless and repetitive times why in the world would I go fishing and keep but few trout compared to the sheer number caught. Breathing, my friends, breathing. They are what keeps me alive, what brings happiness, what brings meekness, what brings awe, what brings appreciation, and what brings inspiration. Would you kill something that had such a profound impact and purpose to your life if not in need?

It takes so much sacrifice, dedication, motivation, and determination to become successful at fly fishing that once you finally reach that level, it is no longer just about hauling in a ton of trout. You’re much more invested and connected. It then becomes about the experience, the journey, the breaths.

Yes, here at Spirit Streams, we’re all about breathing. Taking true, deep breaths. Staying alive and flying free.

– Spirit Streams

Tags: Breathing, Catch & Release, Essence of Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing, Imago Fly Fishing, RC Cone, Spirit Streams Fly Fishing, The Spirit Streams Experience, Trout