Fool's Paradise by John Gierach Blog 1

In Chapter I, "Trips", Gierach has this paragraph:

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"And then there's the fishing itself. Even if its a familiar fish in a recognizable setting, there are bound to be regional quirks. On the Namekagon River in Wisconsin the smallmouth bass were exactly where I'd expect them to be and they'd eat the same commercially tied deer-hair bugs I always try first, but they were noticeably partial to the yellow-belly version instead of the otherwise identical white-bellied ones I brought from home. Fishing is full of those minute details that actually matter."

Preceding this paragraph, the author has talked some about how the fishing is just part of the experience, but the force that drives the fisherman into that experience. Here he makes the transition into the fishing part. The last sentence of the paragraph is the one that caught my attention. Isn't that the truth? Fishing is full of those minute details that actually matter, but it often seems like there are so many, and figuring out which of them ARE the ones that matter is most of the battle.

Do you ever wonder, especially right after a battle with a big fish that has broken you off, does it really help using that delicate tippet so the fish cannot see your line? When you have changed to a new fly, do you wonder when you catch a fish right away whether it was the fly, or did you cast a bit different, or did the fish just "turn on" right at that same moment?

Of course fishing isn't the only venue where our mind goes through these gyrations. As a classroom teacher, I am constantly asking myself similar questions. Was it something I did, or was it something else. It just takes time to figure things out. Being systematic can help, but that process is tough for me. I have a feeling that many times I miss those minute yellow or white belly details.