The Information Stream vs. The Real Ones (conclusion)

Online fishing forums probably serve fishermen better as gathering places for people with a shared interest than as sources for current fishing information. That's why I think the best postings on them are the ones that try to communicate the experience of fishing rather than the details of an outing. There is usually a mix of both in online reports, but I think there has been a stronger emphasis on the former as fishing bulletin boards have evolved. I've read many wonderfully evocative or funny posts that do that well on sites like The Michigan Sportsman or The Steelhead Site (see link list). Frequently, they're written by anglers with no literary pretensions whatsoever. Such posts, describing the day, recounting a memorable fight with a fish, or relaxing aound a campfire afterward, nourish the spirits of many fishers stranded at home or work.

Of course, a lot of other people peruse fishing sites looking for info only. Some decide whether or not to fish based on what they read. I've done it myself, though eventually I came to realize that someone else's hot report didn't necessarily predict the kind of fishing I would enjoy. There seems to be less tolerance on fishing sites these days for people who baldly ask whether or not the fishing is worthwhile (as shown here). It looks harsh sometimes (and the conversation I linked is a mild example), though in my view, it's not a bad development. Hopefully it will be an incentive to grow as an angler.

Reports focused primarily on the quality of the catching seem to build certain expectations for a trip. If someone says you could walk across the backs of the steelhead somewhere, or that the hex flies were dropping like hair from a dog, there's a tendency to think you're going to go out and slaughter the fish. Glowing reports put distinct ideas in some people's heads about the kind of experience they'll have and what satisfactions it will bring. Conversely, some people might postpone an eagerly awaited trip becaurse someone else got skunked. And that's sad. One realization my years of fishing have brought me is that whatever expectations you bring to a stream are likely to prove in some degree wrong. Sometimes in very pleasant ways, but often not.

We best begin almost any activity not with expectations but with a sense of possibilities. Possibilities give us certain hopes or cues to look for, but they do not presume fulfillment. If we believe in them, possibilities demand that we keep our eyes and minds open, and be prepared to act flexibly to bring them to fruition. Being provisional, possibilities leave space in our imaginations for unexpected kinds of rewards and satisfaction. For attentive and adaptive people, possibilities are likely to multiply. Expectations unmet tend to sour and breed regret.

I think that stories convey a better sense of fishing possibilities than do quantitative reports. A good fishing story doesn't just tell what happened on a fishing trip, but takes us inside the angler's head and give a sense of the hope, the excitement, and the disappointments of his or her trip. They convey some of the depth of the experience, which, usually, is what sticks with you much longer than the quantity of fish you caught, and what feeds your desire over the long winter. Aside from announcments of important conservation news, there is probably not a better use for fishing bulletin boards than the sharing of personal stories.

Here's what I thought was a great report on someone's trip to the Grayling area last weekend. Some success, to be sure, but even if he'd left out any specific references to the number or size of fish, I wouldn't be wishing any less that I'd been there myself.