You’ve probably been there before. Lying in bed, the night before a fly fishing excursion. You have thoughts. Questions, actually. You might attempt the counting sheep equivalent of visualizing heavy trout coming to the net. But, for analytical minds like many fly anglers possess, that practice gets one thinking about hypotheticals and other situational what-ifs.

So, there you are; awake. With a litany of issues, pertinent and inconsequential, running through your head.

Will my alarm wake me up?

Should I try fishing a new creek?

Is there gas in the car?

Did I remember to pack a reel?

Will I be the first person to the parking lot?

If you don’t get out a lot, you don’t want to mess this one chance up. It would be awful to blow a fishing trip because of poor planning.

Do I have enough flies for what should be hatching?

What am I going to get for breakfast?

Will the weather hold up?

Do I have enough layers?

Am I going to get too hot?

If you are always on the water, there are that many more variables to factor in. You are mentally breaking down game film in your head pertaining to casts, fly selection, or playing fish.

Should I just fish where I am familiar?

Should I have packed a second… or third fly rod?

What if it rains?

What happens if I get skunked?

Are my polarized sunglasses in the car?

Hours before your put your hat on in the dark and head out to the river, these questions can really do a number on getting a decent rest.

What am I going to do for lunch?

What if the stream was fished really hard yesterday?

Is my license in my pack?

When was the last time I went fishing?

Will I be able to fall asleep?

Something might stir you to get up, get decent, and head out to the car to check the trunk. Or, you might stare at the glow of your cell phone in bed. Ultimately, sleep will win. The jolt of that alarm will come before you know it. The initial reaction will probably be one of drowsy dejection. Quickly, you will remember that this is for fishing. You’re up and at ‘em. You’re ready to face the day. And, chances are, you’re not thinking about all of the things that you were thinking about five or six hours before.

Because you’re going fishing, and that is the answer.