Sometimes in fly fishing, it’s just the getting out that matters.
It can’t always be weekend trips, float planes, or grand vistas. It might rarely be plans. Except for the ongoing plan that you’ll go fishing when you can go fishing. To that end there is always a rod, a handful of flies, and a pair of boots in your trunk. Objectively, the fishing might not be spectacular. But in certain circumstances, even half an hour – even just down the street is like coming up for air. For most of us, the water and the fish won’t jockey for angling magazine centerfolds. Hopefully we realize how even having that option makes us fortunate.
Remnant wild trout populations and suburban sunfish don’t fill up nets. But a few in an afternoon can fill a void. Taking a detour in the middle of a busy day to alter your pace to the rhythm of a cast does wonders. Even stringing your line through the rod guides can be cathartic. Stepping into the woods and water takes you someplace else. Maybe someplace with a fish.
Although a quantitatively large fish is nice, it isn’t the aim. There are also qualitatively large fish. The native brook trout that is 8 inches. The pumpkinseed with the slightly protruding forehead. Any fish, in that stream, just because it is there. And you found it. Under that highway culvert. In that trickle deep in the forest. In that pond you saw on Google maps. You found the water, and then you found some fish.
And in one sense, that is a pure form of fishing. It is about fun. Remember fun? It is about adventure. When else do you get to go on a quest as an adult?
So you’ve gotten out: In between meetings or classes or while little league practice wraps up. If you’re ready you can be on the water. These half-hour margins, and the fish that often come with them, are refreshing. You can explore, you can play, you can fish. You might even find your water – even just down the street.
Lately, on my local adventures, I have been fishing with the Redington Butter Stick 1-weight. At 5’9″, it fits casts into the tightest spots. The taper is built for a slower action, but the material is light and responsive. This combination of length and action works: you’re still able to physically fit your rod in close quarters while carrying enough line for a decent cast.
Although “one” is close to the smallest weight you can find, the Butter Stick is a real rod capable of medium-sized trout and warmwater species. It really excels with unweighted flies, but can still handle something like a small beadhead streamer or a panfish popper. And nearly every fish I’ve encountered has put a bend into this fun little rod.
Check out the 1-weight, and the rest of the Butter Stick series, on the Redington website.