Why Business Leaders Like Bill Ford And Robert Rubin Find Solace in Fly Fishing
By Chris Santella
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here’s an aphorism that goes something like: “God does not subtract from the allotted span of men’s lives the hours spent in fishing.” The quote has been attributed to a number of sources, including Mohammed, the 8th century B.C. philosopher, Piscius, and an Assyrian tablet dating back to 2,000 B.C. Whether you ascribe the sentiment to divine or more earthly sources, it suggests to me that fishing has long had a certain spiritual component that transcends being merely another way of putting food on the table.
I would like to think that man and woman might get a few extra hours in their allotted lifespan for time spent fly fishing.
I’m constantly asked by my neighbors, my children’s friends and their parents and strangers in airports gawking at my expanse of gear bags what the appeal of fly fishing is. Is it the grace of casting? Is it because flies work better than lures? Did I start because of “A River Runs Through It” (what people in the industry simply call “the movie”)? I have trouble answering the question succinctly. But the question so frequently posed to me got me thinking, and got me asking my angling companions about their motivations for taking up the long rod. I was astounded by the range of responses, and how deeply the sport seemed to resonate for so many of its practitioners. Click here to read complete story […]
Chris Santella, author of the recently-released book, Why I Fly Fish: Passionate Anglers on the Pastime’s Appeal and How it Has Shaped Their Lives (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; $19.95). Santella is a regular contributor to the New York Times and the author of numerous other books on fly fishing, golf and other outdoor pursuits.
