By John Blair

The Essence of Fishing Distilled into a Single Moment

Its promise was so captivating that you tossed and turned and barely slept the night before. The excitement started with your first conscious thought and strengthened hour by hour as you made your way to your favorite fishing spot and wet your line. You wait, and wait, and then in a heartbeat it happens, it is the very best that fishing has to offer, it is the definition of anticipation fulfilled, it is --- ‘The Take’!

Long after the need passes to catch the most, or the largest, or for that matter, any fish at all, there is one heart pounding thrill that remains – ‘The Take’. Whether it’s seeing a fly slurped from the surface, or feeling that first headshake from the depths, or hearing your reel zing off line from a vicious attack, ‘The Take’ has the unmatched ability to concentrate the very best of our fishing experience into a single point in time. ‘The Take’ distills a lifetime of rich memories into a single drop of pure fishing joy.

‘The Take’ marks a beginning whose outcome is still unknown. Your heart rate increases, the first feelings of excitement rise, and the tingle of adrenaline rushes to your fingertips.Even before the thoughtof the plaintive cry ‘fish on!’ crosses your mind, ‘The Take’ penetrates your inner soul with a warm sense of satisfaction. Will the fish stay hooked?; how big is it?; will I bring it to hand?; are all thoughts still to come as you savor that first emotion. ‘The Take’ is like inserting the key in the ignition of a brand new Ferrari for the start of a long ride.

In our early years of fishing, the subtleness of ‘The Take’ is often overpowered by many other sensorial fishing experiences. Seeing your rod tip quiver and bend or watching a fish leap completely out of the water, not just once but many times, or bringing a ‘fish of a lifetime’ to shore all generate their share of memories. But at some point in our fishing lives, a subtle change begins to take place. We become more aware of the beauty of our surroundings, we begin to feel the heart and soul of a fish as its character comes through the line and our rod as we play the tug-o-war game. That is when ‘The Take’ becomes the essence of fishing.

I had a large base of fishing memories banked away long before I picked up a fly rod in earnest. I was on assignment in a small town in Oregon and of course brought my arsenal of fishing gear. I knew that I had a chance of catching three different species of trout, steelhead, and salmon nearby. My first day in town found me magnetically attracted to the nearest river and as I observed the activity, every single fisherman had a fly rod in his hand.

That afternoon, with significant trepidation, I walked into the local fly fishing shop. Immediately my worst fear was realized; I was the only customer in the store, and not wanting to sound like the intimidated neophyte dummy that I was, I still managed to put my foot in my mouth with the proverbial ice breaking “what’s on the hatch” question. I think the proprietor took pity on me after I fessed up to my fly fishing ignorance. He was most generous with his suggestions about locations and techniques and a short time later I walked out with a small bag of dry flies and some 5X leader.

After an unproductive daydream-filled work day, the following evening started by tying my new size 16 March Brown pattern dry fly to an 8 foot leader. As I looked out, the slowly moving river showed no signs of life but I waded in anyway. After a couple of inept false casts, my line landed about twenty feet out and slightly upstream. The fly had floated only a couple of feet downstream when it happened. Whoosh! A fish came half out of the water, did a side flip and headed for the depths with the March Brown wedged soundly in the corner of its mouth. The rest was a common story, a lively rod bending fight meting out line and then taking it back, eventually bringing a nice 14 inch cutthroat to hand followed by a gentle release, and finally a signature splash in my face from its retreating tail action. But what hooked me was ‘The Take’. At that very moment I understood the dry fly fishermen purists have been espousing for millennia.

There are many other memorable ‘The Take’ moments as well. Having your roe and weight finish the drift and begin its swing and then feeling that gentle headshake from a large steelhead brings goose bumps just thinking about it. Seeing your float move through deep slack water and then stop because a chrome-bright salmon has decided to mouth your offering, is a thrill beyond compare. For me ‘The Take’ has become the essence of fishing.

So whether it is an ephemeral bubble forming on the glassy surface of a gently moving stream or a violent lightning bolt strike reaching through the rod to the center of your being, it is a treat to savor time and time again. ‘The Take’ is a prophetic moment that marks the culmination of all of your fishing knowledge and experience. So turn the key, rev up your engine, and start that long and thrill filled journey.

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John Blair is a lifelong fisherman, infrequent author, business consultant, and President of Fish Sponge, Inc. (www.fishsponge.com), a tackle company that specializes in steelhead and salmon. He enjoys your comments and can be reached via email at jb@fishsponge.com .