Escape From Life’s Realities or Connect to The Realities of Life? You Decide!
We all have passions and pursuits in life, apart from the daily grind of work, that drive us and consume our imaginations with anticipation about our next adventure. Things we love to do, in what little spare time we have, that we think about constantly. Some of us do them to escape from life’s realities, some to actually re-connect to reality as we see and know it. For some people, it’s golf and for some, it’s hunting, for others it’s hiking, and so on. For me, it’s fishing, and more specifically, fly fishing in Western North Carolina.
Fortunately, I don’t have to go far to pursue my passion, as we have some of the best trout fishing resources that the east coast has to offer in the abundance of rivers, mountain streams, and creeks that meander and tumble through Pisgah National Forest, off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Whether you’re looking for a quick respite on a nearby stocked stream to get your fly fishing fix, or a full day, or overnight trip, hiking and backpacking into the wilderness backcountry, you can do it all here in Western North Carolina.
I was introduced to (or I should say, I found) fishing at a young age. I have always found great enjoyment and have felt a connection to the water, and all that lives in it, for as long as I can remember. When I discovered fly fishing and the challenges it has to offer, my passion became more of an addiction. From figuring out how to, “match the hatch” with the right fly, to reading the water and understanding where a fish might be feeding and why, to getting a perfect, drag free drift that fools a fish into eagerly accepting my offering, there is no lack of challenges in what is a very tactical and precise sport.
On top of the pursuit to get better and learn more, there is something naturally soothing about the look, the feel and the sound of being on, in, or near the water. I believe that we are hardwired that way. Being on a stream with a fly rod in hand is truly the one thing that I do where I totally unplug from the worries of work and plug into the natural beauty of God’s incredible creation before me. Time seems to stop even though, in reality, it passes by very quickly. It is not uncommon for me to be fishing on a backcountry wild trout stream and realize when that first hunger pang hits that it is 4PM and I have been fishing straight without a break since 8AM, or earlier. How does that happen? All I know is that I am so fully immersed in what I am doing, that everything else just falls away. I finish my day fully recharged, yet thoroughly exhausted, completely refocused and ready to get back to what I left behind but still day dreaming about the look, smells, and sounds I encountered in my brief time away. Most of all, I come away with a renewed appreciation and intense respect for all that we have to enjoy in our beautiful backyard of Western North Carolina.
You will never run out of places to explore, never run out of new things to see and experience in nature, and you will always learn something new every time out on the river that you carry with you for the rest of your life, that makes you a better angler. When I leave the stream at the end of the day, I feel like I have gained back, if only for a brief period in time, the gift of what I believe God has always intended for us to have and experience in our daily lives, a connection to His creation. And for that gift, I am forever thankful and grateful!
Will Gay lives in Asheville and is the president and CEO of Diamond Brand Outdoors and Frugal Backpacker