5 ways to Practice Patience in Patagonia
You've flown a long way, settled into the lodge and are itchin’ to get down to the water. Conditions look good. Not too much sun. Light wind. Gear is all checked out. You haven't lost or broken anything yet.
So you rush out , scramble down the bank, and rush out into the the Big Run for the just so perfect cast into the sweet spot at the head of the pool.
You spook the cows over in the next county.
Who hasn't done this? Shake head with chagrin. Raise your hand.
One of the blessings of getting older, with more miles/kilometers under your waders, and time alone on the water; is the appreciation of of the cadence, rhythm and timing inherent to fly fishing.
The need to rush is a figment of your Fly’s imagination. Your appetite not the trout’s
The virtue of patience provides its own reward.
And though its origins arose from the poetry of the 14th century, of a man in search of faith; the essential truth remains true, flowing through us; as we cast a hatch in search of something equally elusive.
Five ways that help with the practice of patience in Patagonia (or pretty much anywhere) when “walking to your spot.”
1. Mindful breathing.
2. Focus. Take a few moments to look at the wáter before beginning.
3. Look. Look up and behind. Who hasn't caught the willow or The Guide on his first cast and spent next thirty minutes in Snafuclustermuck?
4. Touch. Touch the water. Turn over a rock. Open the senses to discovery.
5. Listen. Wind, current, signs of hatch, waterfowl: all inform and whisper.
6. Look Again. Just look, at first outward then if you can, inward.
You'll be surprised what you see hatching.
