Cut essentially from the “same cloth”, both seek solitude and beauty.
Over the years, I’ve met many photographers who were also avid fly fishermen. It seems the proportion of people sharing both passions is abnormally high.
“Trout don’t live in ugly places.” I can’t remember where I heard this quote, but it stuck in my head when I heard it. We moved to Jackson Hole back in 1986 for exactly the same reason. We wanted to live in some place best described as “beautiful”. The Grand Teton range rises from the valley floor not far from my home in town. There’s not a better backdrop! Jackson Hole has some of the best wildlife and landscape photography in the U.S. and some of the best fishing to boot! If that’s not enough, within a relatively short drive, I can be in Yellowstone or other “Blue Ribbon” fisheries.
Many of the people I’ve met come here for the same opportunities. Some are quite serious about both! Getting up long before sunrise wouldn’t phase either. Neither would staying out late into the nigh. Both “hope” for a fantastic day, yet are more than willing to accept only a good day. On days when the fish aren’t biting or the light and clouds are not cooperating, they are will to concede the day was still great if only because they got to spend it outside in such a beautiful place. Standards are not etched in stone, you know!
Most fly fishermen and photographers become good at either by paying attention to details. Fly fishermen are watching for hints of a pending hatch. A swirl in the water can indicate fish are seeing and feeding on tiny insects floating under the water, while noses out of the water might indicate they are feeding on flies in the surface film. Bubbles after a take can mean they are taking flies on the surface. A photographer, tuned to the surroundings, might be changing lenses or settings simply because they heard the distinctive honk of a nearby Trumpeter Swan. They can be clicking off shots while others are just beginning to change lenses. A photographer might drive by an area and notice peeled branches where a porcupine has been feeding. Most people would drive by and never see the clues—much less know to be looking for the barbed critter.
Cutthroat Trout aren’t generally known to be early morning feeders. Perfect! A photographer has a chance to take images of the morning sunrise and even a few moose before the first hatch. On most days, the water warms slightly around 10:00 am to even 11:00 am, initiating an insect hatch. Fishing can be great for an hour or two. During the heat of summer, terrestrials like grasshoppers can get blown into the water and bring nice fish to the surface. As the sun drops in the sky, photography usually gets better all the way to sunset. Caddis flies typically emerge later in the day, sometimes at sunset. It’s the one time of the day when the photographer/fisherman has to “pick a side”. For me, a fiery sky trumps rising fish!
Solitude and Beauty: Most photographers and most fly fishermen I’ve met have spent time on the ski slopes at some point. They’ve chosen the solitude of a babbling brook and vista views over feeling like cattle being herded into chutes on the mountain. It’s not that they are anti-social, but simply made a lifestyle choice that suites them better. I am a “catch and release” fisherman. In some areas, like in GTNP, that’s a requirement. There are a few areas of the valley that allows taking a couple of fish within certain size slots. Aside from those places, a fisherman normally comes home “empty handed”…and usually with a few less flies in the vest than when they left. They bring home memories of the day, some of which have a tendency to grow in size over time. Photographers, on the other hand, normally come home with a card full of images that permanently document their outing—for better or worse. The antlers can’t get larger, but the details of how difficult it was to get the shots can get hazy or embellished over time!
A Green Drake hatch can bring big fish out of the shadows and feed with reckless abandon. A decent cast with the right sized fly on the line often yields great results. Those days don’t happen too often, so when a fisherman gets to experience one, they’ll remember details of the day for a long time. Timing is everything! I experience much the same feeling when I see a big bull moose approach a stream in evening light. They stop to take a drink and then slowly make their way across the stream. With every click of the camera and every step the bull makes, I know in the back of my head it is an experience to be treasured. Once the bull disappears into the brush on the other side, I get to take a deep breath and understand why I live here and why I make it a point to be out as often as I can! >>MJ
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