Flow States

   Years ago....2007 I believe, I experienced one of the most profound fly fishing experiences in my angling life. As have many of those experiences, it involved Capt. Freddy Lynch on the pole, in the storied 9 Mile Hole in the Lagina Madre. It was one of those days that stays burned into one's memory banks, when many other angling-related memories have begun to fade. That particular day I was wielding a CTS Affinity Salt 6wt., and if memory serves me correctly, we toggled back and forth between a size 2 Clouser and one of Capt. Lynch's conehead chicken flies. Between 7:30 and 2pm I took a total of 17 Redfish all sight cast to with the aforementioned 6wt. Now the number of fish, while memorable is not the thing that sticks out the most in my mind. Rather, it is how EASY it all felt that day. Wind direction didn't matter, distance didn't matter, tailers, wakers, crawlers, cruisers...I simply could not miss. In fact, at one point we actually left 9 Mile and went to pursue fish that presented more of a challenge. When I began reading about "flow states" many years ago, this particular day jumped out from the deep recesses of my memory.

In trying to find a good definition of flow states, I found that Wikipedia offered a very thorough description of the phenomenon;

"Flow in positive psychology, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time. Flow is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It requires a high level of concentration. Flow is used as a coping skill for stress and anxiety when productively pursuing a form of leisure that matches one's skill set." I know many of you have experienced this at least to some degree, and as I am sure you know, it is the ultimate in submersion and performance in one's chosen activity.

Although that particular angling event happened over 15 years ago, with every trip I have taken I find myself trying to find my way back into that mental and emotional state. Of course, it helps to have a large quantity of fish to help make that mental transition, but even during a casting practice session, I find that the pursuit of finding a flow state enhances everything about the experience.

  Hope you all are having a great week, and that you are finding your own flow state in whatever it is that brings your life meaning.

Andy