Swamp Things, Pt. 6

What I've related here is admittedly a story of failure and frustration. But I feel no embarrassment or regret about these episodes. If they took a bit of my ego, they also taught me a few things. One of these things was a sense of humility about the sport. Knowing every inch of the stream along my street, and very rarely failing to connect with some trout, I considered myself something of a hotshot, worthy of at least local media attention. But the Swamp Things reminded me there would always be a fish or a river that could kick my butt.

Maybe more importantly, these futile struggles dramatized emphatically that the rewards of fishing do not accumulate in proportion to the percentage of fish landed. Every encounter with a Swamper brown was exhilarating. And every time I lost one, I felt like I had imploded. When I replayed the battles in my mind days later, though, the exhilaration of the fight stood out more than the numbness following the loss; the brute power of the fish more than the snapping of my flimsy line. Thinking of all the fishing I've done since then, successful or not, the pleasures are what stand out. Some are bittersweet, but only the bitterness tends to fade.

My pursuit of the Swamp Things also provided an early lesson in the value of seeking out what is marginal, overlooked, or discounted. In much of my life away from the water as well as on it, I have gravitated toward such things, people, and places. The main stream has not often been a comfortable or satisfying place for me. I can’t honestly say that my teenage quest for big brown trout instilled that preference in me, but in retrospect it does seem like a good small scale embodiment of the life I’ve lived and the reasons for living it. In a place most of my neighbors barely knew about and probably wouldn't have gone near, I found engrossing adventure and haunting mystery. I drew from there certain understandings that shaped the way I would approach all waters and fish afterward. Likewise, things that usually escape the notice or estimation of people have often provided me with unexpected and precious sorts of joy, fulfillment, or wisdom. Some may even confront one with currents of unsettling power.

Finis