Just One Thing: Rob Worthing

In the Just one Thing series I put the question to folks “What one thing would you like to share with other anglers?” It very often expands to more than one thing though. For all of the “Just One Thing” posts click here —>> https://castingaround.anthonynaples.com/tag/just-one-thing .

---

Lately I’ve been consciously trying to just take things in and reassess my habits and ways of doing things. Part of that is paying attention to how other people are doing things and why they are doing things and being open to the possibility (or more likely the probability) that there’s a better way than mine. I’m trying to have more of a Beginner’s Mind (I posted about that a little while back ->> https://castingaround.anthonynaples.com/2019/02/beginners-mind )

This series of “Just One Thing” guest posts has been great for that. I’ve gotten some very good perspectives and ideas from some smart folks. And this guest post by Rob Worthing, (1/3 of the Tenkara Guides, LLC), is a great example of that. It resonates with me on many levels and serves as a great reminder to retain a Beginner’s Mind about things, and to be a student of the game. I’ve known Rob just about as long as any of my Tenkara World friends, and Rob is always moving forward and looking for ways improve his angling.

When looking for inspiration I often open up Ted Leeson’s book “The Habit of Rivers”. Leeson is a fantastic writer and if you have never read that book you really should. Yesterday I opened it up and read a passage that I think makes a great preface to Rob’s piece.

“To some temperaments, fishing appeals most deeply as an approach to a web of relations that give shape and coherence to the natural world. Fly fishing in particular embraces the kind of minutiae that weave themselves into ever enlarging contexts. A trout stream points backward to geology and atmospherics, to history and evolution; it leads forward to insects and fish, to hydrology and botany, to literature and philosophy … The craft of angling is the catching of fish. But the art of angling is a receptiveness to these connections, the art of letting one thing lead to another until, if only locally and momentarily, you realize some small completeness.”

Ted Leeson, The Habit of Rivers

So without further ado I turn it over to Rob ….

---

Just one thing: Rob Worthing

Rob Worthing, MD, is a guide and founding member for Tenkara Guides, LLC, and proud angler for Team Oni USA.

If I had the chance to relay only one thing to a new tenkara fly fisherperson, it would be how to become a student of the game – to become a student angler.

Japanese culture is heavily influenced by its religions. Shinto, or “the way of the spirits/gods”, is the indigenous faith, older than Japan itself. Strictly speaking, Shinto has no founder, no scriptures, and no fixed beliefs. As in fishing, there are no absolutes, no concept of perfection, in Shinto. It is a practical religion, more reflective of a value system influencing the way its people think and act on a day-to-day basis than a formal system of beliefs.

Shinto teaches that sacred spirits/gods, or “kami”, reside in all things. The role of the people is to maintain a sincere and pure mind such that the truth of each thing may be revealed by its kami. This is reflected in Japanese profession, where the professional gains great skill through a devotion to finding the truth of the material, animal, or idea that is the subject of that profession. The carpenter is devoted to finding the truth of the wood and the tools used to shape them, the potter the truth of the clay and the fire that bakes it, and so on.

Fly fishing is one such profession. To become skilled at tenkara fly fishing, we have to identify the major subjects of the profession, then prepare ourselves to learn what they have to teach us.

There are three major subjects at the heart of fly fishing:

1. Ichthyology
2. Hydrology
3. Entomology

Ichthyology is the study of fish, hydrology the study of water moving over land, and entomology the study of insects. The study of ichthyology and hydrology teaches the student angler lessons such as how fish behave, where fish are found in the water, and how the fly must be presented. Entomology teaches the student angler additional lessons on how the fly should appear during presentation. Tenkara emphasizes behavioral appearance, but visual appearance is not ignored. Size, shape, and color may all be modified to match prevailing conditions. The student angler’s study should be weighted accordingly.

To maintain a sincere and pure mind in fly fishing, the kind that is prepared to learn and build skill, consider these four principles:

1. Ignorance Prevails
2. Observation is the Enemy of Stagnation
3. Presentation Rules
4. Skill Trumps Gear

First, ignorance prevails. In order to become a student angler, you have to embrace the idea that there is now, and always will be, more to learn. There is no room for Ego in fly fishing. Second, observation is the enemy of stagnation. The student angler builds knowledge through empiric observation of the world of the trout. By seeking new observations, the student angler ensures the gradual progression of skill is not interrupted. Third, presentation rules. All things equal, the angler who emphasizes presenting a fly skillfully will trick more fish than the angler who does not. Fourth, skill trumps gear. The angler who invests in the gradual progression of skill will see a greater return on the investment than the angler who invests in the fitment of gear.

Three subjects at the heart of fly fishing, and four principles to prepare us to learn and build skill. This is how to become a student angler.

---

Masami “Tenkara-no-Oni” Sakakibara taking notes while on the stream

---

Fishing with other anglers is a good way to learn

---

For the other posts in the Just One Thing Series click the link –>> Just One Thing