It's an odd fact of life that whichever side of the stream you're on, two-thirds of the best water is out of reach on the other side.

Fishing in rainy conditions may make fisherman seem crazy to the great mass of unimaginative people, but then few fishermen care what they think

If people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong.

Flyfishing does have its social aspects - on some of our crowded trout streams it can get too social - but esentially it's a solitary, contemplative sport. People are left alone with themselves in beautiful surroundings to try to accomplish something that seems to have genuine value.

Okay, I'm in the tampon aisle, but I don't see it.

Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point.

I still enjoy the company of most dogs more than that of most people, because dogs are capable of uncomplicated enthusiasm.