Contemplative fishing

I have been obsessed with fishing since I was three years old, that's almost 43 years now.... but I still sense the same boyish excitement with every trip. The extension of my fishing adventures to include exploration travel has led me to a different appreciation of it nowadays; the landscapes, water, weather, ebbs and flows of nature all get noticed more. I am lucky to live in a part of the world that abounds with places that are just beautiful to fish. The fishing in these locations can be spectacular but I would still travel there regardless of whether the fish were there or not. Although I never go off bushwalking or rafting without a rod, the fishing is sometimes a distraction. I often find myself drifting about, calm and contemplative, just listening and looking, the chase forgotten. I am sure the distractions of nature mean I catch less fish, it does not seem to matter though, it makes me a worse fisherman but a better person. I feel with some unease that we are going down the path we are on for the last time and to experience peace and tranquility is becoming increasingly a rare experience. Fishing gives me such experiences.... and the occasional fish