Fly fishing the Merced River in Yosemite National Park I'd rather catch two trout on the road less traveled than a basket full of trout on a river full of anglers. For me, fly fishing is the best way to clear my mind and feed my soul. When it comes to opening day for fishing season, there are two places that come to mind, the Fire Hole River in Yellowstone National Park and the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. Both rivers have their good and not so good qualities, just like in life, it's about choosing the option that provides the best balance. There's the choice between one vs. many, the need to post a monster catch and connecting with our true purpose for fly fishing. All of these carry their own weight and in the end, it comes down to what we believe is best for our selfs and the type of angler we want to become.
Six years ago, I was on the Fire Hole River for opening day in Yellowstone National Park. My buddy and I got to the river an hour before the early morning rays of the sun. We had been scouting our spot for a few weeks and determined that this one particular section would produce the most rewarding catch. As we pulled up to the river on opening day, we seen three other trucks parked at our destination. This was disturbing because we lived in the park; we were locals and we figured we would have home stream advantage, it turns out that we were sadly mistaken. Anglers were already putting on their waders and tying on flies. We found the same result when we drove to our second location. We ended up parking in a pullout that only had two cars and hiking up river to a not so favorable spot. Even when a blizzard tried to reclaim the river, there was an angler every 100 or so yards, for 15 miles. I caught 5 decent Rainbows and my buddy caught 8, all in all, it was a good day.
Swim forward to this year on the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. I pulled up to my chosen spot two hours after the sun was on the water. I had gotten a late start this year because of a heavy over night storm that knocked out our alarm clock. I figured, I would again be scrounging for a spot to get my line wet and was pleased to find that no other anglers had decided to fish at my location. When I got to the water, I was greeted by a slight downpour. I know trout still enjoy eating when it's raining so I tied out a size 10, yellow stimulator and proceeded to stalk my pray. The morning session was tough fishing, three thrown flies and one missed rise, but their wasn't one other angler on the river to share my misgivings with, a quality all of its own. My end of the day tally was, 5 thrown flies, 3 missed rises and one 13 inch native Rainbow. Upon returning home, my wife asked me how my day was and I replied, "Amazing." I told her that I fished over 10 miles of river that day and didn't see one single angler on the water, it was as if I had reserved the whole Merced River to myself for opening day.
Two opening days, two very different results. On the Fire Hole River, I did catch more trout, but today my memory creel is full of the 300 other anglers I had to compete with in order to acquire a decent fishing location and catch a fair amount of trout. Compared to this years opening day on the Merced River in Yosemite, I caught only one wild trout but I will forever remember my quite private lunch by the river, the memory imprints of seeing nothing but beautiful scenery and the feeling of complete solitude. In our day and age, we are continually bombarded with egotistical wants and needs. There's something to be said about removing the need to post a monster trout on your social media page for all your angling buddies to comment on and fly fishing to fly fish, not "fly catch".
Next time you tell someone that your were out fly fishing, pay attention to the first question they ask you. I'm almost certain that it will be, "How many fish did you catch," or "did you catch anything?" Regardless of my daily catch, I always like to quote Henry David Thoreau and tell them, "Many people will fish their whole life without ever realizing that it's not the fish they are after." We are fly fishers, not fly catchers. We should stop focusing on how many fish we're catching and start focusing on catching quality experiences. Fly fishing has provided me with a life time of memories, and they're not memories of fish. They're memories of beautiful scenic locations, high quality time with friends and family and a strong connection with Mother Earth.
Participating in opening day for football or baseball season can feel like you're a caddis fly stuck in the clutches of a wild, chaotic eddie. The same can go for fly fishing on some of the most popular rivers for opening day of fishing season. When next years count down starts for opening season, try to remember that there are hundreds of rivers that are less traveled, that hold splendid fly fishing memories. Escape from the crowds and get lost in a place that feeds your imagination. Don't focus on the picture you're going to post when you hook into a large, monstrous trout and try to remember your reasons for engaging in the art of fly fishing. Why try and stand out in a crowd when you can stand alone in a wild, scenic river?
Written by
Yosemite Fly Fishing Guide
http://flyfishyosemite.com
Six years ago, I was on the Fire Hole River for opening day in Yellowstone National Park. My buddy and I got to the river an hour before the early morning rays of the sun. We had been scouting our spot for a few weeks and determined that this one particular section would produce the most rewarding catch. As we pulled up to the river on opening day, we seen three other trucks parked at our destination. This was disturbing because we lived in the park; we were locals and we figured we would have home stream advantage, it turns out that we were sadly mistaken. Anglers were already putting on their waders and tying on flies. We found the same result when we drove to our second location. We ended up parking in a pullout that only had two cars and hiking up river to a not so favorable spot. Even when a blizzard tried to reclaim the river, there was an angler every 100 or so yards, for 15 miles. I caught 5 decent Rainbows and my buddy caught 8, all in all, it was a good day.
Swim forward to this year on the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. I pulled up to my chosen spot two hours after the sun was on the water. I had gotten a late start this year because of a heavy over night storm that knocked out our alarm clock. I figured, I would again be scrounging for a spot to get my line wet and was pleased to find that no other anglers had decided to fish at my location. When I got to the water, I was greeted by a slight downpour. I know trout still enjoy eating when it's raining so I tied out a size 10, yellow stimulator and proceeded to stalk my pray. The morning session was tough fishing, three thrown flies and one missed rise, but their wasn't one other angler on the river to share my misgivings with, a quality all of its own. My end of the day tally was, 5 thrown flies, 3 missed rises and one 13 inch native Rainbow. Upon returning home, my wife asked me how my day was and I replied, "Amazing." I told her that I fished over 10 miles of river that day and didn't see one single angler on the water, it was as if I had reserved the whole Merced River to myself for opening day.
Two opening days, two very different results. On the Fire Hole River, I did catch more trout, but today my memory creel is full of the 300 other anglers I had to compete with in order to acquire a decent fishing location and catch a fair amount of trout. Compared to this years opening day on the Merced River in Yosemite, I caught only one wild trout but I will forever remember my quite private lunch by the river, the memory imprints of seeing nothing but beautiful scenery and the feeling of complete solitude. In our day and age, we are continually bombarded with egotistical wants and needs. There's something to be said about removing the need to post a monster trout on your social media page for all your angling buddies to comment on and fly fishing to fly fish, not "fly catch".
Next time you tell someone that your were out fly fishing, pay attention to the first question they ask you. I'm almost certain that it will be, "How many fish did you catch," or "did you catch anything?" Regardless of my daily catch, I always like to quote Henry David Thoreau and tell them, "Many people will fish their whole life without ever realizing that it's not the fish they are after." We are fly fishers, not fly catchers. We should stop focusing on how many fish we're catching and start focusing on catching quality experiences. Fly fishing has provided me with a life time of memories, and they're not memories of fish. They're memories of beautiful scenic locations, high quality time with friends and family and a strong connection with Mother Earth.
Participating in opening day for football or baseball season can feel like you're a caddis fly stuck in the clutches of a wild, chaotic eddie. The same can go for fly fishing on some of the most popular rivers for opening day of fishing season. When next years count down starts for opening season, try to remember that there are hundreds of rivers that are less traveled, that hold splendid fly fishing memories. Escape from the crowds and get lost in a place that feeds your imagination. Don't focus on the picture you're going to post when you hook into a large, monstrous trout and try to remember your reasons for engaging in the art of fly fishing. Why try and stand out in a crowd when you can stand alone in a wild, scenic river?
Written by
Yosemite Fly Fishing Guide
http://flyfishyosemite.com
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