Not the passing of time. Not the marking of time. But its suspension. Actually our suspension in time while we fish.
Like dry flies on a perfect drift, we're cradled by time as it moves along in its unflagging run to the sea. We become absorbed freely in this suspension, our casts eventually rhythmical, like the slurping of a heavy brown trout moored in his feeding lane or the slapping of the water against a rock which rises above the river and, like a glacially deposited Moses, parts it. And let's not forget sometimes the stretch of river we fish is called a beat.
My rhythm, however, seems more like syncopation.
The fly fishing instructional books of Dave Whitlock or Swisher and Richards suggest we imagine the rod tip as a hand on a clock. Held perpendicular to the water's surface, therefore, the rod will be at "twelve o'clock." For the basic cast, we are told, we should lift the rod tip through an arc that is described by the concept of "one o'clock" on the backcast and "eleven o'clock" on the fore (or, for us left-handers, "eleven o'clock, one o'clock").
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tailfeathers
The essence of fly fishing, I think I've decided, is time.
Ten Questions with Tim Flagler, Fly Tyer/Cook Extraordinaire
Culinary Creations from Gordon Hamersley
GREY on the Wing
Hands clutching the wheel of a large, lumbering vehicle whose vintage and purpose partially prompted the invention of \"powering steering,\" disengaged the clutch and applied the brakes, bringing it to a stop.
James Purdey & Sons Ltd.One of London's "Best"
At the conclusion of a recent breakfast meeting of the Shrewsbury Men's Club of Massachusetts, I was packing up my show-and-tell aids after giving a presentation.
WAWAWAI
I don't chase chukars anymore, but from the time I was 16, chukar hunting had been my favorite bird hunting endeavor.
A FAIR EXCHANGE
Among the concerns faced by many small community gun clubs here in the Northeast is our inability to attract and maintain new and younger shooters.
Coming to Heel
I'n the world of gun dogs, it's not unusual that retrievers are taught to heel.
Bird Dogs - Health Matters
Avoiding Medical Mishaps on the Road
MATT HART
Matt Hart, owner, designer and artist of Hartist Metals, is a highly skilled metal sculptor based in the picturesque Catskill Mountains of New York.
Luigi Franchi Imperial Monte Carlo Extra: One of Italy's "Best" SxS Doubles
As on London’s gun-maker’s row, Italians had skilled craftsmen who made “Best” guns of superb quality