I am competitive. Not outwardly competitive. But the internal competitive that eats at your soul since you give it no release. It probably isn’t healthy to keep it inside, but since I hold all my emotions inside, what’s another on the burn pile?!
Maybe I should talk to a therapist about this? Nah. Let ‘em burn!
So, I am competitive, and fishing is inherently competitive. From world record fish to the quality of tuna meat you caught, there is a constant battle for better, bigger, more.
There is also a side of me that loves the friendship that fishing brings. Arguably a bigger side of me. A lot of that comes from the memories of catching a personal best fish or the location you are in when you are fishing. And some of it is just from being trapped in a boat with one another for hours on end.
But fly fishing doesn’t provide as much opportunity for being “trapped”. It is a very active style of fishing. And even on a float trip, you still have things to focus on as the holes can move by rather quickly.
And when you are wader fishing, you spread out at 100 ft gaps and start your march up the river… sometimes never seeing your fellow fisherman until someone rings the triangle calling everyone home for a meal.
So I used my ol’ noggin to create a way to compete and connect with my fellow wading fisherman…and aptly named it, “The Fishing Game!” (I never said my ol’ noggin was complex; there is value in simplicity).
The Fishing Game was created to measure who is the most capable, but also stand side by side and have the conversations that the river does such a good job of bringing out of us all. A perfect peanut butter and chocolate of wader fly fishing. Disclaimer: you may be able to do this in other types of fishing, but it may not carry the same levels of excitement.
Now this game was created by a fallible human. So with that I ask for your early forgiveness in adding or subtracting rules by pure mental omission. I have never written down the rules until this very typing, but I kind of imagine this is how all great games and sports were created. I mean seriously, they still can’t get travelling right in basketball. And don’t even get me started on football’s pass interference.
The basic principle of the game is a turn based system, using your choice of 5-10 casts per turn to catch the most fish. Each fish equals 1 point with the length of the game lasting as long as you would like. Play to 10, or play all day. The world is your zebra mussel (seriously though, f*ck zebra mussels).
Size only matters in one situation, and that is for largest fish, which awards the holder of this title 1 extra point.
So for example, when Competitor One catches a fish, let’s say a 4 incher, they automatically have two points (so 2-0 is the score). But then competitor two catches a 12 inch fish, so now the score becomes 1-2 in favor of Competitor Two. I probably just confused the shit out of you by writing that; if I did, just erase it from your mind?
The next rules are where more of the fun and frustration come in. Kind of like a clown at a kid’s party. Some love ‘em, and some say, “fuck clowns”. I say, “Welcome clowns! Now tie me a balloon dog.”
Rule 1: Fish have to be netted or released by hand. I think that is fair enough. “Doesn’t count if it ain’t in the boat”
Rule 2: If you catch a fish, you get a point and end your turn.
Rule 3: Snags, tangles or snapping off a fly, even if it was in a fish’s mouth, ends your turn.
Rule 4: If you catch a fish out of the same hole as the previous fisherman, you steal their point. (It is always worth a cast or two, just sayin’)
And that is pretty much it. You can add more to it, but who needs all that. This is plenty enough to get your competitive juices flowing, while enjoying the banter of the homies standing around watching your every move.
The game continues on for as long as you like. Complaining ensues about who’s dumb rules these are anyways, to which I just say “be better.” We all want better competition right?!
But then again, I will let you decide if The Fishing Game is about the competition. I am a connection guy after all.