I know I am blessed, living out West. It isn’t too hard, most often, finding space. And, because of that, when I am standing shoulder to shoulder in some cluster f@&k of a fishing experience my mind grates like the gears of an old machine. I need space. It defines the underlying purpose of the experience in the first place.

To endure the crowds for the sake of ‘fish on’ cannot sustain me. I will momentarily enjoy it, but then look upstream or down stream for open space, or across the lake for room. Mental health.