Any angler who is being completely honest with themselves will acknowledge that conversing with others about fishing is a balancing act.

One the one hand, most people who fish have at least some desire to share their knowledge and experiences. On the flip side, we are generally protective of our spots and various secret sauces that lead to our success. When interacting with other anglers, these competing sides present a constant struggle.

Nathan’s note: I wrote this story in early August of 2018. Originally, I didn’t have a place to host it. Looking back, it made sense to me to share it with all of you here.

Tonight, I found myself in need of some serious decompression. So I decided to unwind with a trip to one of favorite stretches of river in my hometown.

I had it all planned out. There was no messing around. I packed my best flies, my $30 Fleet Farm fly rod and was going straight to my best spots. It’s been a tough week, but nothing that a couple hours of catching fish wouldn’t cure.