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BLUEGILLS & WARLORDS

16 Feb

What does a fly fisherman catching a bluegill and a  Daimyo (Warlord) ordering a Samurai to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) have in common? They are both affected by perception.

During the extremely hot summer months in the Valley of the Sun (Arizona) fly fishing can be summed up in one word – tough. “Low” temperatures often hover in the mid-ninety degree range and high temperatures, more often than not, exceed one hundred and five degrees. To make matters worse, my favorite river, the Lower Salt River, is held captive by numerous two legged water users that float the river on every floatation device known to man, ranging from elaborate kayaks to simple rubber tubes.

It is during the extreme summer months that the Arizona Urban Lake System provides a daily respite from the scorching sun and beer-filled river users. I fish one of several of the lakes daily in the pre-dawn hours before the sun scorches the surface of the Earth. Though an occasional largemouth bass can be found in these extreme conditions, the most plentiful species that can be lured to a fly is the omnipresent bluegill. When fishing for bluegill, I adjust my fly tackle accordingly. I fish an ultra-light fly rod (my favorite being a six foot Fenwick Ferrulite that weighs only 2 5/8 ounces) and a light leader, usually with a 7x or 8x tippet. Catching bluegill in this manner is productive and fun; with each bluegill released, my smile broadens and my mood relaxes more and more.

My suffering through the summer pays dividends in the late fall when temperatures finally return to a level that is humanly tolerable. It is at this time that Arizona Game and Fish embarks upon an aggressive rainbow trout stocking program. While I continue to fish the Urban Lakes daily during the week, the water users (and abusers) are gone from my treasured Lower Salt River which means I can regularly fish this flowing gem each weekend. My quest is for the lucent shimmering magnificence that is the rainbow trout. During my quest, it is inevitable that a bluegill will also be caught. It is somewhat disingenuous to the bluegill species that so delighted me during the summer that hooking one now brings a thought of, “Ah, only a bluegill.”

What is different? It is still the same bluegill species that had me smiling all summer. It is still just as much fun to catch. But, it is not a rainbow trout. It is only a matter of perception. My perception of catching and releasing a bluegill has been altered.

As I pound the keys of my laptop forming these words, I am exiled to the cold, snowy state of New Jersey. The thought of perhaps getting out on the water on any given Sunday sparks a ray of light in the deep primordial recesses of my mind. The dimness of my mood is enlightened by thoughts of fishing the waters of my youth. Maybe this Sunday, I can fish the Big Flatbrook, or the “Musky” (the Musconetcong), or even one of several lakes. As I daydream about these waters, a thought springs forth that bursts a brilliance into my mind. Maybe I can once again simply feel a bluegill tug at the end of my leader. Ah, perception once again exalts the status of the bluegill.

Perception affects not only how we technically fly fish but also how we absorb the overall fly fishing experience. The ancient sages and shaman knew the power of perception. In fact, oral traditions and myths told of the ramifications of how perception shapes our world.

Here is but one mythical tale from the oral traditions of Shihan DeFelice’s Goshin-Do Karate Do Dojo that illustrates how perception can alter the manner in which you perceive a current event. The next time you fish, think of the tale and the manner in which perception affects your fishing reality. It is called the Daimyo and the Samurai.

In feudal Japan there was a powerful daimyo, a warlord. Amongst his many retainers, the daimyo had an extremely loyal Samurai whom he favored. The samurai had accompanied the Daimyo to the Shogun’s Court in far off Edo, many days journey from their home. One day the samurai received an urgent message advising that his father, also a very distinguished samurai loyal to the daimyo’s family, had fallen gravely ill. Being in a hurry to attend to his dying father, the samurai desired to mount his horse and rush home. The samurai found that his horse had become lame and could not make the long journey home. Worried about seeing his ill father, the samurai made use of the daimyo’s favorite horse. This was a serious crime punishable by beheading.

When the daimyo heard of the samurai’s use of his horse, he declared, “The samurai and his father are loyal retainers of my family, what a devout samurai to be so concerned with the welfare of his father that he risked his own life so as to attend to his ill father.”

Business at the Shogun’s Court had concluded and the daimyo returned home to his castle. The samurai went to see his master and they walked in the daimyo’s gardens. The samurai saw the most lovely cherry blossom. He picked it and offered it to his master as a token of his appreciation, saying, “Amongst flowers, the cherry blossom; amongst men, you, my Lord and master.” The other samurai that were in attendance were shocked that he dared to pick a cherry blossom from the daimyo’s favorite tree. The daimyo took the proffered cherry blossom and praised the samurai for his generosity.

As happens in all human relationships, the daimyo and the samurai eventually had a falling out. The daimyo angrily and publicly chastised the samurai, “You impudent servant, you disgraced me by making use of my horse.” “You insulted me by picking my own cherry blossom and giving it to me as a present.” In the presence of the daimyo’s court, the samurai was ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). (See Endnote #1).

Samurai seppuku

I hope you enjoyed the tale and the within exploration as to how perception is a key ingredient in your fly fishing repertoire.

In closing I remain, open to my perception of my world and wishing I could cast a fly into clear water and find a bluegill at the end of my leader.

Sensei John

ENDNOTES:

1. I had heard this fable several times in the Dojo. I was able to locate a similar tale, which you may also enjoy reading. It is called “The Thief Of The Peach” and may be found in: Furuya, Kensho, Kodo: Ancient Ways (Lessons In The Spiritual Life Of The Warrior/Martial Artist (O’Hara Publications, Inc., 1996)   p. 48.

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A GOOD DAY OF FISHING???

16 Nov

I went fishing early this morning to clear my mind.

I wanted to placidly revisit this article. I hoped to transform a straightforward  tale of a good day spent on a river into a melody of words worthy of all who cast feathery little flies with the hope of seducing nature’s magnificent creatures to our offering. This was the result; “A good day of fishing?”

I arrived at a favorite fishing location along the Lower Salt River here in Arizona. Prior to casting, I stood upon a rock outcropping and performed my form of moving meditation, to wit: several Goshin-Do Karate Kata

The rock outcropping on top of which I performed Kata.

I performed several Kata with exotic names, Sanchin (Three Battles), Seienchin (Walk far to quell and conquer), Nami Kiribi (Cutting wave), Chinto (Crane on a rock) and Hakutsuru (White Crane). I finished. I was physically and mentally sound. This state of being reminded me of a quote by Ernest Hemingway, “All I must do now was to stay sound and good in my head until . . . I can start to work again.” (See Endnote # 1).

Being “sound and good in the head” I set about fly fishing. Then it happened. A simple mental glitch. Clarity of thought was invaded by clouds of a once slumbering sentiment awakened. In the end,  all that remained was a haunted shadow of a poem, a tanka. So, I’ll simply relay Sensei Bob’s dazzling fishing journey and leave you with the tanka. Maybe after enjoying Sensei’s Bob’s good day on a river, you can figure out the rest.

FLY FISHING DOJO’S New Jersey Contributor, Sensei Bob had recently spent a bountiful day on the Ramapo River. He had previously fished a certain location on the river to no avail. After several visits to this unfruitful location, he once again cast into its seemingly barren depths. Drawing upon his martial arts induced tenacity and his instinctive feel for nature, he knew this location would bear fruit. This past Saturday was the day. In less than thirty minutes he had caught and released three shimmering rainbow trout. All exceeded fifteen inches in length.

One of three of Sensei Bob's magnificent rainbow trout.

Sensei’s tenacity and instinct bore fruit; it did not fail him. I know Sensei felt a sense of natural redemption. A feeling that nature inured him with the ability to enter its domain and leave fulfilled with a pure sense of satisfaction. It was a good day of fishing on the Ramapo River.

I had hoped that my own fishing sojourn would intuitively formulate the words that would breath life into Sensei Bob’s day. Words that would coalesce into phrases that would capture the essence of triumphing over frustration; eventually seducing three majestic rainbow colored trout. Those words failed me. All I was left with is this tanka.

  • On a river
  • In a barren desert
  • A trout rises; a fly is cast.
  • A fisherman recalls
  • A moment in time
  • Best left forgotten.

In closing I remain, shrouded in the cocoon of thought, perhaps to be forgotten on another day, on another river. Another “Good day of fishing?”

Sensei John

ENDNOTES:

1. Lyons, Nick, Hemingway On Fishing, (The Lyons Press, New York, NY, 2000) p. 78 excerpting “The River” as appeared in A Moveable Feast.

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THE FLY FISHERMAN AND THE SATORI FISH

7 Nov

The following is my fly fishing inspired revisitation of an infamous Zen tale. The traditional tale is known as “The Woodcutter and The Animal Satori” (See Endnote # 1). To those who are not familiar with the term Satori, the name of the animal, Satori, is loosely defined as a Zen state of enlightenment. I call my tale “The Fly Fisherman and The Satori Fish.”

In a far-off, bleak, industrialized land there lived a common worker. The worker’s life was devoid of pleasure; save for one. The worker loved to escape the blandness of his existence by fly fishing. Once a week, the worker would escape the banality of his life and drive three hours to the one river that still contained fish. Each week, the worker would quietly pursue his passion. Although the lush environment provided the worker a respite from the bleak landscape in which he lived, the worker fished many months without luring a fish to his fly.

On a day when the worker was sure, he would abandon his fly fishing oddessy, he again ventured forth and drove to the river. Once he arrived, he dutifully donned his waders and set up his fly fishing rod. To the end of his leader, he tied on his newest, fanciest dry fly. It was a fly pattern called a “Great Expectation”, size 14. He was about to cast when he noticed a beautiful silver streak in the water. The worker could not believe his eyes. He blinked as if to clear both his vision and his mind. The silver streak remained and defined itself. The silver streak was in fact the mythical Satori Fish.

The worker focused his attention on the Satori Fish and began to cast. The Great Expectation gently kissed the surface of the water. The cast was perfect, the fly floated high on the water. Satori turned its gaze upward and with a swift, powerful stroke of its tail, swam upwards. The workers heart beat fast as his focused his attention and tensed his muscles. Surely Satori would be seduced to take the fly. Had the worker’s Great Expectation actually seduced Satori? No, instead of Satori engulfing the Great Expectation, Satori brushed it aside and swam downward. Satori was again laying peacefully at the bottom of the River.

“Damn”, thought the worker, “Surely, I must change my fly.” The worker checked his box of flies. Thinking that Satori could be tempted with a delicate, subsurface fly, he selected a fly tied in a pattern known as an “emerger.” He selected a size 16 “Emerging Intention.” Again the worker cast upstream. He diligently watched the end of his line for the slightest indication of a strike. Again, the Satori Fish eluded his offering. The worker’s frustration heightened.

The worker cursed his luck. So many months and not even a hint of a fish within the currents of the river. Now, this magnificent silver river dweller spurned his offering. The worker’s desire to feel that magnificent silver Satori tugging at the end of his fly line heightened to a frenzy. He angrily dug into his fly box and tied on a larger, hopefully, more appetizing fly. This time he selected an “attractor” pattern. The fly was garish, brightly colored and multi-feathered. It was a size 10 “Temptress.” This fly was designed to appeal to the worker’s perception that the Satori fish would attack the fly. The worker imagined that Satori would attack the brightly colored “Temptress” out of instinct and a desire to protect its territory within the river. This time the worker cast the fly across the river and retrieved it with a fast stripping action of his line. The worker’s mind was filled with a burning desire to hook Satori. He wanted nothing more from life this day than to hold the shimmering silver mass of Satori flesh within his hands. He would possess Satori. Once caught, the worker would keep the Satori fish. He would mount it as a magnificent possession on the wall of his dim home. He would possess Satori for all the rest of his days. The worker saw the Satori burst towards the “Temptress.” Instead of engulfing the proffered fly, Satori merely swam past it. Satori turned and watched the worker. By now, the worker had had enough. He was done. To Hell with Satori. Satori was not for him.

He walked out of the river and sat on the bank. He cut the Temptress off his leader and tied on an bland, simple fly, a # 12 “Bare Bones.” He cursed and put his rod down on the bank. He sat angrily on the river bank and realized that he was hungry. He had pursued Satori all morning without eating. He opened his pack and retrieved a thermos and a sandwich. “To Hell with Satori”, thought the worker. “I will eat my sandwich and leave this stretch of the river.”

As the worker ate his meal, he noticed that the “Bare Bones” fly was in the river. He did not pay attention as he put his fly rod down and the fly fell into the current. It was drifting downstream, a few feet from the bank. The worker did not want the unattended fly to get tangled in the waters. He put down his sandwich and picked up the fly rod. Instantly he felt a tug. He cursed his luck for he was sure the fly was tangled below the water’s surface. As the worker sought to free the fly from the tangle, he noticed that the line was moving. He began to fight the weight at the end of the line. As he did so, the water erupted. A silver flash momentarily glistened in the sun light and disappeared into the river.

A few minutes later, the worker was holding the Satori Fish gently in his hands. So as not to harm Satori, the worker held the fish gently just below the surface as he unhooked the fly from its lower jaw. Satori was free. It did not swim away. Satori remained gently cradled in the worker’s hands. The worker smiled. He caressed the side of Satori as if it was the check of a lover. Satori gently swam from the workers hands. Satori turned to face the worker. For the briefest of moments, the worker’s world stopped. No longer independent of Satori and nature, all was one; the worker knew Satori and Satori knew the worker. Each then turned; Satori to the depths of the river, and the worker to his car. For the worker the three hour ride home was, perhaps, not so long, to a not so bland city, to work at a not so boring job and life in a a not so bleak home.

Sensei John

ENDNOTES:

  1. The tale was told in the Goshin-Do Karate-Do Dojo as part of oral tradition. In the tale, the Woodcutter sought to kill the animal Satori. Satori had telepathic abilities and frustrated the woodcutter’s murderous attempts by reading his mind. Thus, one was to act without intending, a precursor to a state of mind known as Mushin (pronounced “Moo-shin”). I submit Mushin is also a desired state of mind for fly fishing. I was able to find a written account of the traditional version tale in, Suzuki, Daisetz, Zen & Japanese Culture, (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ 1970) p. 129.

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FLY FISHING MONSTERS

27 Oct
With Halloween soon upon us, I thought I would submit an article on Fly Fishing Monsters. The within concerns the manner in which we battle the day-to-day stress, our internal monsters, through the art of fly fishing. There is a maxim of Friedrich Nietzsche which can assist us in understanding this point.
 
 You may be familiar with the following, oft quoted, commentary by Friedrich Nietzsche, “when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” The popularity of this comment overshadows Nietzsche’s preceding sentence which many fail to appreciate. It is, “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.” (See Endnote # 1).

Friedrich Nietzsche, Circa 1875.

 

We all use the art of fly fishing to battle monsters that lay deep within us. The pressures of daily life, including, work pressures, family, school, dictates of relationships all impose a burden upon our sense of well being. Emotions such as stress, anger, frustration are counter productive to our desire for physical and emotional comfort. These negative situations and emotions are like monsters that seek to invade our sense of being. Through fly fishing we can keep those monsters at bay. More often than not, a day spent on the water can perform wonders for our sense of self. I say, “more often than not” because, we must keep Nietzsche’s maxim in mind as we seek the calming effect of casting a fly to a fish. Many months ago, I had a day on the Lower Salt River here in Arizona that reminded me of the import of Nietzsche.

It was the beginning of another hot, almost inhuman, summer in the Valley of the Sun. Two to three months of unbearable heat, exceedingly high ultra-violet indices, and air quality alerts lay ahead. The prospect of the hellish summer had put me in a real bad mood. I sought to quell my mood; to do battle with this emotional monster. I went fly fishing in the cool, swirling, bountiful waters of the Lower Salt. The only problem was that in seeking to do battle with the monster, I became the monster. I let my foul, fetid mood destroy my fly fishing. I had seen fish lurking below the waters surface. My mood should have instantly improved. When I started fishing, it became apparent that my fly fishing technique was infected by my mood. I waded the waters with the grace of a hobbled Frankenstein monster. My casting technique was so vicious that not only did I foul hook a few bushes, I snapped two flies off the leader. The more I tried to relax the more angry I became.

It finally dawned on me that I was now the monster I sought to cast off. I took a deep breath and performed a Goshin-Do Karate Kata known as Sanchin. (See Endnote # 2). I then put my fly rod down and sat on the gravel bank letting the sound of the river quiet me. The last remnants of a cool breeze blew through the canyon flowing past my face. I finally began to expel the monster of anger. Had I not realized that I became the monster I sought to battle, the day would have been lost.

So, when you turn to fly fishing to escape the “monsters“ of daily living, keep Nietzsche in mind.

To assist you in enhancing your fly fishing experience, you may wish to review two articles previously posted on this weblog. Both are filed in the category “Fly Fish Like A Karate Master”. They are: Improve Your Fly Fishing With Proper Breathing and Fly Fishing Using The Mushin State Of Mind.

Until the next article, I hope we all can be on our favorite waters, in nature, casting a simple fly in pursuit of our favorite quarry, successfully battling our internal monsters and avoiding becoming the monster ourselves.

Sensei John

ENDNOTES:
1. Nietzsche, Friedrich, Beyond Good And Evil, Part Four: Maxims And Interludes, Number 146.
2. Sanchin is a Goshin-Do Karate Kata that combines deep abdominal breathing, physical movement and a quiet state of mind called Mushin. It takes less than four minutes to perform and is physical refreshing and mentally rejuvenating. For more on Sanchin please see my martial ideology weblog and click on the “Sanchin Book” page tab. WWW.SenseiJohn.Wordpress.Com.
 
 

 

COMING SOON

8 Jul

WELCOME  

To the newest Blog by Sensei John entitled Fly Fishing Dojo. 

This Blog will explore the “Do”(pronounced “Doe”) or “Way” of fly fishing. 

There will be numerous topics exploring fly fishing from various standpoints, including BUT NOT LIMITED TO:   

Fly-fishing Do - Fly-fishing as a way of life,  

Fly-fishing Jitsu - or, the Art of Fly-fishing - Concepts, ideology and physical mechanics derived from the martial arts as they apply to fly fishing, 

 Sensei John’s a fly fishing journal,  – Sensei shares his fly-fishing experiences, and  

Sensei John’s Reviews - Sensei reviews various products related to fly-fishing.  All designed to enhance your fly fishing success and experience as you enjoy this wonderful past time. 

Expected start date is August 1, 2010. 

In the meantime, please feel free to visit Sensei John’s Jiriki Kata-Do Blog exploring martial ideology, lessons, protocol and concepts as they apply to daily life. WWW. SenseiJohn.Wordpress.Com.   

July 4th 2010 I was fly fishing on the Lower Salt River, AZ when a small herd of wild horses came down to drink.

Sensei John's offical Hanko seal to be used to authenticate all submissions.

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