"Having any luck?" is a phrase common to the sport of fishing, chasing trout with a flyrod is no exception. It's often the first phrase out of a fellow angler's mouth when approaching and has long implied that forces beyond the individual's control are needed to be successful.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Seneca
Seneca is known for the saying, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity." To me, this statement implies that a fly fisher can create their own luck, which doesn't necessarily match up to my experience. I've practiced, researched, even rehearsed for a particular fishing opportunity, then had to concede that I was "out of luck", when I wasn't successful.
At the other end of the spectrum, I've gone out underprepared and had that "dumb luck" of catching a hatch just right, a day of legend. I've also had the "bad luck" of shutting the car door on a favorite rod. In true sporting fashion, it feels better when I get to chalk things up to luck. So, it's not that a person has better or worse luck than others, but that some days, you just have more luck. Today was no exception.
So, it's not that a person has better or worse luck than others, but that some days, you just have more luck.
In search of reservoir trout of generous dimensions for my guests, I was lucky enough to get out on my friend Tony's power boat, lucky enough to have great weather to start the day, and not too many people on the reservoir; lucky enough to find only one other craft on a favorite "lucky" spot. Then it got weird.
The indicator flushed almost immediately, first fish on the line boiled the surface, then stripped off 100 ft of fly line and 45+ yards of backing before it stopped. Fifteen minutes later, this awesome 38" Tiger Muskie was barely fitting in the net and allowing us to snap a picture. The weird part? He was caught and landed with a 9' 5wt Orvis Helios D, 3x tippet, and #16 Zebra Midge. Never should have happened, but the stars aligned just right for a brief instant.
All for now, on my way to buy a couple of lottery tickets!