If it’s out there, there is a good chance that you can find it online. Google it has become synonymous with figure it out. With a few taps on your screen, you can get anything you want (and a lot you don’t).
But there are still some things that can’t be found on the internet. Or, at a minimum, they can’t be found easily. Believe it or not there are some people making it in this world without social media. There are businesses getting by without search engine optimization strategies. Information exists that has yet to be turned into 1s and 0s.
And some of all this has to do with fly fishing.
Where do you find this secret knowledge? Stop number one: the fly shop. Even the most tech-forward, newfangled fly fishing store will have much more to offer in person. This is true for gear selection, but to a greater degree it speaks to that which is intangible.
Sure, productive fishing spots and hot fly patterns are nice. But there is much more. Access, lodging, and intel on B-level creeks that are punching up illustrate what a face-to-face conversation can yield. Most of that data is probably online, but it might not be in the place you’d think to look.
Outside of the fly shop, you can go in plenty of directions. Guides know about more than rocks in the river and hatch schedules. Hotel proprietors like to be helpful to their clientele. Even the waitress at the diner might know a thing or two that will put you closer to fish that you wouldn’t have otherwise found with your phone in your hand.
It should be obvious, but a casual conversation in the parking lot or upon a surprise meeting in the woods is often helpful; not to mention the fact that it is always polite. You may be greeted with a somber head nod, or you may get what you need to turn your day in a great direction. Other anglers aren’t the enemy.
A few generations ago, relying upon the kindness of strangers was a big part of fly fishing. The dated guidebook only got you so far. You’d have to call the shop to book the guide, talk to the guide to learn which hotel to book, and then ask the front desk attendant where to go for a cheeseburger after a long day of fishing. It isn’t that the good old days were qualitatively better. But it all worked out and the cheeseburger was truly memorable.
Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation. In fact, see it as a challenge that rivals the chase of fishing itself. What information, what adventure, can I get into today? And does the route involve people as interesting as the destination?