In terms of a first cause, anglers are drawn to water because of the fish. The lure of hooking and landing trout or bass reels people into the outside. Once there, the enchantment of nature works its way quickly through the sporting pursuit and deep into the psyche. The result is an affinity for the wild places.
A narrative without a defined setting is abstract and bland. Catching fish can’t be separated from the places fish are caught from. The water walked and plumbed by fly fishers is, in many ways, more important than the fish. Both the quarry and the angler need water, and even when the two don’t have contact the water is essential. A fishless day can be frustrating, but the water is always therapeutic in its own manner.
It is no surprise then that water elicits a visceral response for fly fishers. Tracing blue lines on maps, passing over bridges, or hearing the names of familiar waterways triggers memories and emotions. When the angler is away from these places, words draw more than the pull of a fish.
Every fly fisher has specific recollections tied up in the proper names of waters, but even the general cartographic descriptions hold significance. Consequently, even just hearing of heretofore unknown places can form images and ideas.
There is power and strength in a river. The largest arteries cut through the continent, dwarf the individual, and conceal untold mysteries. Wide, deep, and unfathomably long, rivers, and the fish they contain, tame the angler. At the same time, they frequently yield astonishing catches and even more majestic panoramas.
Smaller, creeks feel more comprehendible. Paradoxically, the perceived knowability of these slighter waters is shattered as they humble even the most savvy of fly fishers. Their approachable quantity is not indicative of their dynamic quality – in perspective and in fish. A stream is intimate, yet it carries the complexities of intimacy.
A branch denotes that the water is part of something larger. A decision was made. Although related and linked, the fly fisher must choose one over the other. Tributaries flow into a greater body but have immense value unto themselves. The interconnectedness is a constant reminder of the bigger picture; a viewpoint that migrating fish navigate without thought or chart.
Run, kill, brook, slough, or some other regional synonym might provoke a reaction. From roaring rapids to diminutive trickles, words take us places. The familiar holes and haunts of local waters flash through the fly fishers mind as their names are read or heard. More than that, the mental tapestries of the wild places are woven together with a simple word. There is power in the words of water.