Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/617925
Fish Envy | fiSH ˈenve | noun (pl. fish envies) a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's fish I 'm not usually afflicted with envy or jealousy, at least not when it comes to angling. I guess I've caught enough fish over the years that I root for other folks to be successful, regardless of whether I'm sticking a few myself. Back in October, though, I fished British Columbia's Elk River with Brandon Shuler and found myself just a wee bit jealous. Before I explain, allow me to backtrack for a second. If you've read this column over the years, you know I typically write about trout, steelhead, and salmon. It's not that other fish— bass, say, or pike, or muskie, or bonefish— aren't worthy of your attention, or mine. They are. But I live in Montana, which is Trout Central. We literally have the best wild trout fishing in the Lower 48, and its hard to turn my back on such incredible angling. Brandon, on the other hand, is a neophyte when it comes to trout, but an exceptional saltwater angler with a handful of world records to his credit. While we were up in British Columbia, we started talking about the Gulf of Mexico, and about his favorite saltwater flats, and about how some of the fish he targets— tarpon and tuna being just two examples— are big enough to eat your average rainbow trout and still have room left over for dessert. To be frank, it's a little strange to hang out with a guy who, under slightly different circumstances, would refer to the largest fish of our BC trip as "bait." All of which led to a fascinating shift in my perspective. For the first time in pretty much forever, the guy pulling on his waders next to me didn't automatically share my passion for trout. He was new to the cold-water game, There's something awfully alluring about the idea of becoming a beginning fisherman again, with all the joy and uncertainty it entails. S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 9 3 Todd Tanner F l y F i s h i n g