I learned about the concept of fly fishing through Truman Capote’s story, Handcarved Coffins. In the story, in a remote rural community in the American Midwest, a series of ingenious and cunning murders took place, and the sheriff asked Capote for help in investigating. There was no clear motive for the deaths of the victims, only that the killer acted based on observation - a deep understanding of each person’s behavioral habits. Finally, Capote, without any evidence, came across the man he believed was the killer. The man was fly fishing. Sitting by a stream, the man talked about “the will of God”. With my limited knowledge of this subject, I implicitly understood that only murderers were good at fly fishing.
In a larger sense, fly fishing is a discipline of the mind, of things invisible to the eye. While preparing for my trip to Älvdalen, the mecca of fly fishing in Sweden, I searched the internet for stories about the sport. Surprisingly, many people spoke of fly fishing as a personal, even spiritual quest, to mend relationships, or to clarify some troubling issue in their lives, or just to find peace of mind. Somehow, fly fishing makes all of these wishes possible.
Älvdalen - the fly fishing mecca
Micke, Giulio, and I took a trip to the Älvdalen Fishing Center. Micke is a local guide who runs the global fishing service Anglerman Fishing Adventures. Giulio is an architect from Milan, Italy, who fishes with Micke every year. Micke's family has lived here since the 16th century. He speaks several languages, including Avdelska - a local language that is a mix of Old English, Old German, Old Swedish, and Old Icelandic, and is incomprehensible to most people.
At Micke’s shop, I was fitted for boots and waterproofs. We then took off down a highway, turned onto a dirt road, and soon found ourselves deep in the dark woods; I realized it was almost impossible to find on a map or navigate via GPS. Then we came to an area surrounded by small rivers. Micke and Giulio stood silently on the bank and watched, looking for fish jumping up to feed on plankton.
“When I was young, my goal was to catch a lot of fish. Then it was to catch big fish. And now I find it fun and exciting to teach and help others experience fly fishing,” Micke shared.
The next morning we moved on to another location, down the stream to a small island. Micke and Giulio fished patiently in a few spots without success, then we moved on to another stretch of river. This continued over and over again all day.
Micke Nyborg's family has lived in the Älvdalen area for nearly 500 years, and he has been fishing all his life.
fishing is also meditation
“Fly fishing requires total concentration. The mind is focused on one thing only, here. Nowhere else,” say both Giulio and Micke.
Fishermen are very sensitive to sight, sound and smell. Fish are the same, they can sense the presence of humans regardless of whether the stream is still or rippling. Bubbles and other traces can help fishermen locate fish. With a flick of the wrist, experienced anglers can easily cast their line to the right spot. However, the angler must really concentrate because even the slightest movement can distract them.
The quiet space in the forest is really suitable for fishing. “The intense concentration will fill your senses. The coolness of the calm water, the sound of water flowing over rocks and from the mountain crevices, the smell of water from the stream mixed with the smell of pine trees… will make you really comfortable when you are in nature, and like going through a real mindfulness meditation session", Giulio shared.
"Fishing helps me restore my energy. Sometimes I just want to go fishing. I also try to do other things to divide my time for the remaining half of the day, but I don't feel the same abundant and positive energy as when I'm quietly fishing in that cool green forest." Giulio affirms that if you try fly fishing once, you will definitely not be able to stop and never want to stop.
