Meandering Angler: A shared fishing gene

Regular readers of this column know that I cannot pass a pond, lake, creek, river, bay or ocean beach without wondering if there are fish there.|

In his book “A River Runs Through It,” Norman MacLean, an avid fly-fisher, wrote: “I am haunted by waters.”

I understand.

Regular readers of this column know that I cannot pass a pond, lake, creek, river, bay or ocean beach without wondering if there are fish there. Then, I’d think about how I’d catch them.

It doesn’t stop there. The waters in which I’ve actually fished often reappear in my very best dreams. I prefer to say that I’m beguiled, rather than haunted. It’s not so much a thought, as it is a feeling. Still, I cannot not think of fishing whenever I pass a body of water. My parents told me that “fish” was the first real word out of my mouth. I’m not kidding.

How do I explain that? How does one translate a feeling? Those who have it understand each other.

Maclean comes pretty close. But recently I found another author who gets it – Mark Kurlansky. He’s written a lot of great books, including New York Times bestsellers “Cod and Salt.”

I didn’t know he was a fly-fisherman until I picked up his recent outdoor-award-winning book “The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing” at Readers Books here in Sonoma. It’s hard for me to pass up a book about fly-fishing, especially by such a talented writer. Within the first few pages, I found a passage that convinced me that he and I, and probably Maclean, share DNA from some fishing-crazed Neanderthal ancestor. I don’t know for sure because 23andMe doesn’t test for a fishing gene.

But I got a clue on the second page of his first chapter when he writes, “Whenever I see a body of water, I look for fish. When I am by the sea, I follow the bird pattern because birds follow fish. When I am by a river, I stare into the glassy still pools by the ides of swift-moving currents, examining the ripples enlivening the surface. I always ask where the fish are, and when I think I know, I want to try to catch them.”

I have spoken (and written) similar words to try to explain my addiction to fly-fishing. He speaks my language and hooked me with the opening line of his prologue, which begins with him “Stepping into the Big Wood River…”

The Big Wood, which winds through Sun Valley, Idaho, is my favorite trout stream. I’ve spent many delightful hours there and will gladly return whenever I can. His description of how it feels stepping into that pretty little river took me right there.

As soon I finish writing this column, I will return to his book and allow the feelings and images he creates to take me to where I would always prefer to be. It may be all in my head, but I feel it in my gut too.

Besides “Cod” and “The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing,” Kurlansky has also published “Salmon,” “World Without Fish” and “The Last Fish Tale,” and many other books.

I have lots of reading ahead of me.

On a more immediate note, Sonoma-based guide Patrick MacKenzie reports this week that he’s seeing some pretty good float-and-fly action on Lake Berryessa in spite of the fact that it is only at 60% capacity. He added that while Lake Sonoma is lower than he’s ever seen it, he still expects some good top-water action this month. Striped bass fishing on the Napa River has been good with lots of bait fish in the water keeping the bass active.

Patrick is a great guide and knowns the local lakes at the Napa River better than anyone. If you want a great day fishing close to Sonoma, go to his website, mackenzieonthefly.com, or call him at 707-721-6700. He’s a popular guide and his fishing days fill up weeks ahead.

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