OUR MENTAL HEALTH IS GETTING WORSE:
There’s an old saying that a bad day’s fishing is better than a good day at work. It’s much more than that though, especially where fly fishing is concerned. There’s something unique about the rhythm of casting a fly, the focus on fishing and outwitting the fish, and being one with nature that can produce an almost zen like state. Norman Maclean, author of “A River Runs Through It” (later made into a memorable film with Brad Pitt that won an Oscar for Cinematography) remarked “one great thing about fly fishing is that after a while nothing exists of the world but thoughts about fly fishing”.
Brad Pitt in the Oscar winning 1992 film “A River Runs Through It” (credit: Columbia Pictures)
Today’s digital world is fast paced, always on and it’s made our lives better in many ways, but it’s also made us more stressed. Witness the rise of yoga, meditation, wellbeing apps, therapists, mindfulness and such like as an antidote to our deteriorating mental health. According to the British Medical Association, mental health services in England received a record 4.6 million referrals during 2022 (up 22% from 2019), and there simply aren’t enough doctors to match it.
YOUR OBJCTIVE ISN’T THE ENDGAME:
So how exactly can fly fishing help? Firstly, catching fish isn’t that important. If you wanted to catch a fish, there are more effective ways than fly fishing. These days the majority of fly fishers now practise catch and release, and personally speaking I much prefer the satisfaction of safely releasing a fish than actually catching it. Another American, author Zane Grey, said “if I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago”. So if it’s not to catch fish, why do we do it? There is a myriad of reasons here, however in broad terms I think they can all be narrowed down to one simple answer – how it makes you feel.
Fishing at sunrise…one of the reasons why we do it
ONE LONG JOURNEY:
One of the things I love about fly fishing is that you never stop learning. You can get familiar with the basics of casting and fishing reasonably quickly, but the art and science of fly fishing takes time to master. Fly fishing provides a lifetime of learning and improving, of challenging yourself, trying different things until you work out what works. And what works one day doesn’t always work the next. Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher from around 500 BC, said “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man”. But that’s the fun of it, the constant learning, the variety, the challenges, pitting your wits against the fish and the conditions. Fly fishing can be as all-consuming as you want it to be. It’s a hobby and passion that can be with you throughout your life, an ever giving partner, an endless source of enjoyment, despite whatever else is going on. It’s one long journey that makes you feel good.
Not the same river…a section of the author’s home beat on different days late and early season
MANY SHORT JOURNEYS:
A fishing trip can be split into 3 parts: anticipation, enjoyment, recollection. There are two types of anticipation for me. Firstly, the months and weeks leading up to the opening of the trout river season, a time of checking over tackle, replenishing fly boxes and wondering how the river might have changed, what tactics I might use and when. Then there is the giddy anticipation the day before an actual fishing trip, getting your gear packed, keeping an eye on the weather and water conditions, and if you’re fishing with a friend usually a healthy exchange of eager WhatsApp messages full of hope. Then of course there’s the actual enjoyment of the day itself. A great cast to a tricky place, the satisfaction of adapting tactics to outwit an unwilling quarry, watching a fish released, a nice lunch by the riverside, damsels dancing in the air, the flash of a kingfisher swooping past, plucking a blackberry from the brambles that caught your fly when casting, the sounds of the countryside, not thinking about work or life, just being in the moment in a place of beauty. And when it’s over, then there are the happy recollections, not just later that day as you smile thinking back, but also the amazing moments and memories that keep you going through the winter months. Anticipation, enjoyment, recollection. Every time you go fishing. Many short journeys that simply make you feel good.
Fishing on one of the Arundell beats
FISHING AS THERAPY:
In 2021 fishing was officially prescribed by the NHS to help people suffering with anxiety and depression. Farlows sister brand Sportfish, which runs the Sportfish Game Fishing Centre with two spring-fed crystal clear trout fishing lakes, is now an approved supplier and partner for the Get Fishing For Wellbeing program from the Angling Trust, the national fishing governing body (Get Fishing for Wellbeing – Angling Trust). Fishing as therapy is nothing new – for decades there have been fly fishing charities supporting military veterans to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and combat fatigue. A new feature film called Mending the Line starring Brian Cox is now available on Netflix, about an old Vietnam veteran and a young Afghanistan one finding healing for their traumas through fly fishing and friendship.
Actors Brian Cox, Sinqua Walls and Perry Mattfeld in the new film “Mending the Line” (image credit: Blue Fox Entertainment)
The BBC’s hugely successful TV show “Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing”, now in its 6th series, is all about fishing as therapy. Its origins lie in Paul Whitehouse discovering Bob Mortimer wasn’t going out anymore following his triple heart bypass surgery and inviting him out fishing. Mortimer loved it and later said “I’ve never felt anything like it. There comes a moment when you realise that you’ve said nothing for an hour and a half. I haven’t thought about anything else. I haven’t worried about the past, or future”.
(Image credit: BBC)
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE WELLBEING:
According to The Royal College of Psychiatrists there are 4 key areas as to why fly fishing is so beneficial for your health:
1. It involves a therapeutic engagement with nature and green-blue spaces, leading to a positive effect on your subjective happiness, satisfaction, relaxation levels and overall emotional wellbeing
2. It can support personal development, including new resilience and coping skills, and provide a sense of purpose and a network of positive relationships to improve psychological wellbeing
3. It provides opportunities to join clubs, participate in social events, take on new responsibilities, and engage in volunteering or coaching, all integral to social wellbeing
4. It requires various levels of physical exertion from walking, wading and repeatedly casting, which can increase physical wellbeing
When fly fishing, you’re concentrating solely on what you’re doing and the beauty of where you’re doing it. For hours, all the pressures of work, home life and the modern world are forgotten. This leads to lower stress levels, and studies show this reduction in cortisol (stress hormone) can have a positive effect for up to 3 weeks. With an opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people in both a sociable setting and have some tranquil time with just yourself in nature, it’s no surprise there’s a new generation using fly fishing as a form of meditation and a means to support their physical and mental wellbeing. Especially given these days neither the kit nor the fishing itself needs to be expensive, and good fly fishing can be found pretty much everywhere. Especially at the Arundell.
Focusing on the beauty of an Arundell beat
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING:
For some it’s hiking, cycling, jogging or something more extreme that helps their wellbeing. For a huge amount of us (last year nearly one million rod licences were sold by the Environment Agency in England and Wales), it’s fishing. Some words from legendary Arundell fishing guide David Pilkington:
“I had been busy all day teaching a couple of beginners, and finally found time to have an hour or two on the river Ottery, which is fortunately enroute for me as I journey home. The sedges were fluttering over the water, and the trout were rising. I caught a few nice wild brownies on a dry sedge pattern, missed a few others, and was reminded of that lovely quote from Howard Marshall, at one time editor of the Fishing Gazette, and a very accomplished fly fisherman. In his classic fishing book ‘Reflections on a River’, Howard said ‘we are all potential bunglers’. As my head touched the pillow later that evening, this went through my thoughts – yes, I had bungled a few fish, but by heck I had enjoyed it all, and my sleep that night was sound and totally contented. I awoke the next morning a better person.”
David guiding
Regular Arundel guest Mike Murray summarised it neatly below:
“Fly fishing at the Arundell Arms is my perfect getaway from the daily grind. It’s where I can switch off, relax, and lose myself in the beauty of Devon’s streams. There’s no better therapy than fishing for crafty wild brown trout, soaking in the peace of nature, and sharing it with great friends. I feel lucky & privileged to have fly fishing as my escape.”
A cracking Arundell wild brownie
When I last stayed at the Arundell in May this year, I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely gentleman called JP, who offered me this:
“Each year at the Arundell I cast my line into the river and wade away from the noise and pressure of my daily life in the City. My passion for fly fishing, the beauty of the Devon countryside and the Arundell hospitality are just about the best mental therapy for a stressed mind. In these quiet hours I rediscover balance and clarity. It’s all about tight lines and peaceful minds”.
It’s a sentiment also shared by the two co-owners of the Arundell:
“From the moment I pack the rod and waders into the car, and head to the river, I can feel the stresses of everyday life dissolving. The peace and calm of what lies ahead. The added excitement of not knowing what the day will produce. A kingfisher, a dipper, and possibly even that magnificent wild brown on a dry fly. I am in a state of subconsciousness. At that moment there is nothing to consider but my surroundings, and the gliding and winding river ahead of me. The Arundell is a truly special place for me, and always will be.” (Simon Village)
“Fly fishing really does have a unique way of connecting me with nature. The serene beauty of the Arundell streams is a perfect backdrop for those peaceful moments. It’s great how the rhythm of casting allows for a meditative state, helping me to unwind and truly appreciate the surrounding environment. It’s like therapy in motion that destresses and reenergizes. I love that place!” (Mark Bristow)
Connecting with nature at the Arundell
They are not alone. When we asked our Farlows customers in a recent online survey, 97% of them said that fly fishing significantly improves their mental health and 98% said it significantly improves their general wellbeing.
For some though there’s another aspect, less about fly fishing allowing you to put your concerns and worries temporarily aside, more about putting them into place. Fly fishing author John Gierach puts it best when he says: “they say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they’re just not such a big deal anymore.”
I wrote earlier about if fly fishing isn’t really about catching fish, why do we do it, and that we do it for a whole bunch of reasons, all of which can all be narrowed down to one answer – how it makes us feel. It’s that simple. Go fishing, feel better.
The marvels of nature can help you feel better…a salmon leaping on an Arundell beat of the River Lyd