by Mike Buss, Virginia Coastal Fly Anglers
This month let’s talk about giving thanks. November is usually thought of as a month for giving thanks, especially on Thanksgiving. I thought it might be a good idea to think about all the things we fishermen and women should be thankful for.
First, we should be thankful for the opportunity to live in the best country on earth with freedom to fish when and just about anywhere we would want. That is not the case in many areas of the world with very restrictive use of the waterways in many countries. In many of these countries you need to be a very rich person to even get on the water, let alone fish there.
Here we can fish just about anywhere we wish with few exceptions. In fact, you can drive along a river, drive over a bridge, park your car, and walk down to the bank and start fishing. If you see a farm pond, most of the time all you need to do is drive into the farmer’s lane and ask permission to fish his pond. If you sweeten the request by offering to share some of your catch with the farmer, you will very often be given permission to fish the pond. Be thankful for that!
Here in the Tidewater area we should be thankful that we live in one of the most productive fishing areas on the East Coast. The Chesapeake Bay is full of fish and they usually are very willing to grab a well-placed fly. Be thankful we live close to the route big stripers take every spring to spawn in the upper areas of the Chesapeake Bay, and close to the areas these same fish spend their winters getting fat for that spring spawning run.
The state of Virginia is blessed to have some of the best smallmouth bass rivers in the country. Be thankful we live within a short driving distance of these great fishing rivers and the chance to catch a trophy smallie!
The western part of Virginia is striking in its beauty, with picturesque mountains containing streams filled with native brook trout. And, the Virginia Game and Fish folks add even more trout with their stocking programs. Be thankful for all of this!
As fly fishermen and women, we should be thankful we live in a time of every expanding fly fishing opportunities with improvements in rods and lines being introduced every year. New fly tying materials seem to pop up overnight with the resulting new patterns just waiting to be tried on your favorite water. Be thankful!
But probably the biggest thing to be thankful for is the simple act of swinging your feet over the side of the bed every morning and feeling them touch the floor and being able to live for another day!
Yes, we really do have a lot to be thankful for! This month let’s all take a little time to give thanks for all the things that make life worth living. Thanks and tight lines,