To date, it has been a funny old spring, fishing-wise. Generally, this time of the year, fishing conditions are relatively stable, and water levels are as unlikely to alter their station as is a frenchman living next to a brothel. However, this spring weather patterns have seen more ups and downs than is normal. Late season low level snow melt combined with heavy, much needed rain murked up the river and saw it for a time flowing at summer time levels. All of this has combined to keep the water temperatures below the level required for a consistent caddis hatch. The Mother’s Day hatch, as it is called in these parts, is one of the red letter events on the western fishing calendar, drawing hopeful fishermen from near and far and injecting dollars into the local economy.
Those fishermen turning up with the expectation of balmy spring days and casting dry flies to eager, brainless fish have been offered a reminder that in fishing, as in life, things don’t always go according to plan. Bhuddism teaches us that attachment is the source of unhappiness, and consequently expectation the mother of disappointment. On the other hand, being grateful for what is, is the first step to appreciation of how much you really have.
In his highly readable and perceptive book, Pavlov’s Trout, author, psychologist and fisherman Paul Quinnett posits the theory that when ranking the reasons why men and women go fishing, actually catching a fish figures way down the list. They call steelhead “the fish of a thousand casts” on account of their elusiveness, and Quinnett, a North West steelhead fisherman, sat down one day to do some rough mental calculations. No doubt at the suggestion of his wife, he began to figure out the amount of time, money and resources he spent chasing steelhead relevant to the amount of time he spent with one actually on the line.
It rapidly became obvious to Quinnet that economically speaking at least, for a pastime he would be better off taking up bowling and tossing twenty dollar bills out of his car window as he drove around town. The same could be said for fisherman of any persuasion, be they Bubba with his bass boat, Bahamas bone fishermen, or the humble Arkansas River fly fisherman. If fishing is ever reduced to it’s economic components, it ceases to make sense. If catching a fish is the be all and end all of the endeavor, then ultimately the fisherman will be left empty handed, both literally and spiritually.
Now don’t get me wrong – I am no saint. If I didn’t catch a few every now and then, I would probably give it up pretty quickly, but sometimes, you need to go looking for the real point of the day. If you get too wound up in equating success with numbers, you often fail to realize that that vaguely irritating feeling in your nether regions was actually a good time biting you in the butt. You were just a little too wound up in the process to notice. As a guide, my heart sinks a little when I encounter the competitive fisherman, the fish counter and the “why aren’t they biting?” worrier.
Just being able, physically, geographically and materially, to spend time on the river for pure recreation puts you ahead of the vast majority of the world’s inhabitants. Sure, we all want to catch a bunch of fish, but making that the measure of success or failure is only setting yourself up for disappointment more often than not. Fortunately, on this trip, I was with kindred spirits. Spinning yarns and having a laugh were the order of the day, especially as the fish didn’t keep us, particularly me, very busy. We caught a few fish, and at least on my part, managed to botch a fair few opportunities, while some great drifts went unnoticed and unappreciated by the fish. But how bad could it be? A lovely spring afternoon, a couple of brewskis, friends and a river to float.
I dunno…..talking about jamming a pointy barb of metal in a sentient being’s mouth, then dragging it through the water to flop around gasping in the air–and comparing this experience to Buddhism? Sort of like talking about waterboarding and Christianity in the same sentence.
I du-know…. I managed to hook myself in the mouth on one occasion, it wasn’t really very painful, the guide I was with ‘released me’ and I have managed to fish many a day since. I have also noticed that often when you hook a fish they sit there without feeling a thing until you pull on the line, they they start to fight. It seems to me they are fighting for their freedom rather than because somebody or something is hurting them, I really respect them for that and make every effort to release them before they tire and certainly while they are still in the water! I’m sorry I probably love everything in the wild as much as you do however I have a totally different perspective, not wrong just different! I respect your decision not to fish, however I am more primal and I need to fish, so please allow me to be part of the “food chain”, even if you have evolved beyond it.
Hmmm…. I guess you could draw a line connecting waterboarding and forcing air into a fish’s gills. Neither is a particularly effective method of wheedling secrets it seems. Still, I would rather live in a world of fishermen reconciling catching fish to Buddhism than Christians reconciling torture.
“Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.”-Dalai Lama
I’m sorry to really disagree with you Hayden–I think that we as a species need to get beyond forms of sport or entertainment that cause death, injury or pain to other living beings. My point was that its a slippery slope from being OK with torturing one form of life to being able to torture all forms. I don’t think you can really have it both ways. To consider us as humans somehow hierarchically “above” other forms of life, and therefore able to disregard their well-being, separates us from the world in a way that leads to all kinds of problems. And putting a metal hook in a creature, especially when there are so many alternatives for food or entertainment that don’t cause suffering, is certainly disregarding the creature’s well being. That is not a Buddhist path at all.
” Actually, I agree with Mark.” – Kym Mellsop, my wife.
In light of this, I had better withdraw from this discussion while I am only marginally behind.
Interesting discussion and one I will join while simultaneously disregarding my better judgment. On a basic level, I can’t say I totally disagree with you, Mark. Catching and releasing fish for sport may not be compatible with the tenets of Buddhism. It is actually a question that I have asked myself several times, and I am currently ignoring the results of my self-query.
What I do take strong issue with is your argument. It is simply not true that “its a slippery slope from being OK with torturing one form of life to being able to torture all forms.” If that were the case, the estimated 60 million people who fish in the United States on an annual basis would have waged a very memorable swath of torture and destruction on our world while, collectively, progressing towards becoming individual versions of Hannibal Lector. That has not happened. Fishing may not be benevolent, but it also isn’t a direct cause of significant human depravity (although some fishing guides may disagree).
I also take issue with the premise that because someone fishes, they automatically consider humans superior to other creatures and disregard those creatures’ well being. History is full of examples where sportsmen (and women) and their organizations have preserved and protected habitat and species that would have been extinct otherwise. On a personal level, I regularly spend my time and money in support of conservation and habitat and I am not alone. Is there a component of self-interest in these actions? Absolutely. But they still have made a collective difference and don’t evidence a blatant disregard for the lives of these creatures.
Finally, isn’t the decision about whether fishing is compatible with the Buddhist path essentially an individual one? After all, if history teaches us that Ikkyu’s path to enlightenment contained wine and visits to brothels (in spite of the 3rd and 5th precepts), who’s to say that one cannot find satori on a trout stream? As for me, once I get all the other parts right (doubtful in this lifetime), I will take a good hard look at my fishing. As Bikkhu Bodhi once said, “with a certain degree of progress, all [ ] factors (of the Buddhist path) can be present simultaneously, each supporting the others. However, until that point is reached, some sequence in the unfolding of the path is inevitable.” After all, that is why it is called a “practice.”
And keep in mind fishing helps to reduce the staggering number of caddis fatalities each year… thus making more of the succulent little insects available to sprinkle on pizza.
Fish Pain.
http://cotrout.org/do_fish_feel_pain.ht
Relax and be here now…rare is the human being who is kind to everyone and everything no matter what their station is in life.
Doug