Is Fly Fishing the World’s Most Complicated Hobby?

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr

There’s no denying that fly fishing is enjoying a surge of popularity right now. It started during the pandemic, but the interest in what was once an overlooked sport has continued longer than many of us probably thought it would.

As an example, a columnist for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, UT, recently wrote about his experience learning to fly fish. Collin Leonard grew up in the Rockies, but never fished, according to his story. But this past summer, he took it upon himself to learn the ropes.

We’ve seen a lot of these “first attempt at fishing” stories lately (including an awful one in a large national magazine) but I thought Leonard’s was the most heartfelt. He certainly came closer to articulating some of what we love about the sport than other first-timers have. “I wanted to feel eternity dripping down my elbow as I pulled a rainbow trout from the streams of time,” Leonard writes.

Yes, fly fishing is a complicated endeavor, but Leonard’s story does the sport justice. You can read his entire story here.