MANY SHORT JOURNEYS:
A fishing trip can be split into 3 parts: anticipation, enjoyment, recollection. There are two types of anticipation for me. Firstly, the months and weeks leading up to the opening of the trout river season, a time of checking over tackle, replenishing fly boxes and wondering how the river might have changed, what tactics I might use and when. Then there is the giddy anticipation the day before an actual fishing trip, getting your gear packed, keeping an eye on the weather and water conditions, and if you’re fishing with a friend usually a healthy exchange of eager WhatsApp messages full of hope. Then of course there’s the actual enjoyment of the day itself. A great cast to a tricky place, the satisfaction of adapting tactics to outwit an unwilling quarry, watching a fish released, a nice lunch by the riverside, damsels dancing in the air, the flash of a kingfisher swooping past, plucking a blackberry from the brambles that caught your fly when casting, the sounds of the countryside, not thinking about work or life, just being in the moment in a place of beauty. And when it’s over, then there are the happy recollections, not just later that day as you smile thinking back, but also the amazing moments and memories that keep you going through the winter months. Anticipation, enjoyment, recollection. Every time you go fishing. Many short journeys that simply make you feel good.
FISHING AS THERAPY:
In 2021 fishing was officially prescribed by the NHS to help people suffering with anxiety and depression. Farlows sister brand Sportfish, which runs the Sportfish Game Fishing Centre with two spring-fed crystal clear trout fishing lakes, is now an approved supplier and partner for the Get Fishing For Wellbeing program from the Angling Trust, the national fishing governing body. Fishing as therapy is nothing new – for decades there have been fly fishing charities supporting military veterans to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and combat fatigue. A new feature film called Mending the Line starring Brian Cox is now available on Netflix, about an old Vietnam veteran and a young Afghanistan one finding healing for their traumas through fly fishing and friendship.
The BBC’s hugely successful TV show “Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing”, now in its 6th series, is all about fishing as therapy. Its origins lie in Paul Whitehouse discovering Bob Mortimer wasn’t going out anymore following his triple heart bypass surgery and inviting him out fishing. Mortimer loved it and later said “I’ve never felt anything like it. There comes a moment when you realise that you’ve said nothing for an hour and a half. I haven’t thought about anything else. I haven’t worried about the past, or future”.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE WELLBEING:
According to The Royal College of Psychiatrists there are 4 key areas as to why fly fishing is so beneficial for your health:
- It involves a therapeutic engagement with nature and green-blue spaces, leading to a positive effect on your subjective happiness, satisfaction, relaxation levels and overall emotional wellbeing
- It can support personal development, including new resilience and coping skills, and provide a sense of purpose and a network of positive relationships to improve psychological wellbeing
- It provides opportunities to join clubs, participate in social events, take on new responsibilities, and engage in volunteering or coaching, all integral to social wellbeing
- It requires various levels of physical exertion from walking, wading and repeatedly casting, which can increase physical wellbeing
When fly fishing, you’re concentrating solely on what you’re doing and the beauty of where you’re doing it. For hours, all the pressures of work, home life and the modern world are forgotten. This leads to lower stress levels, and studies show this reduction in cortisol (stress hormone) can have a positive effect for up to 3 weeks. With an opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people in both a sociable setting and have some tranquil time with just yourself in nature, it’s no surprise there’s a new generation using fly fishing as a form of meditation and a means to support their physical and mental wellbeing. Especially given these days neither the kit nor the fishing itself needs to be expensive, and good fly fishing can be found pretty much everywhere. Especially at the Arundell.
| THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING:
For some it’s hiking, cycling, jogging or something more extreme that helps their wellbeing. For a huge amount of us (last year nearly one million rod licences were sold by the Environment Agency in England and Wales), it’s fishing. Some words from legendary Arundell fishing guide David Pilkington:
“I had been busy all day teaching a couple of beginners, and finally found time to have an hour or two on the river Ottery, which is fortunately enroute for me as I journey home. The sedges were fluttering over the water, and the trout were rising. I caught a few nice wild brownies on a dry sedge pattern, missed a few others, and was reminded of that lovely quote from Howard Marshall, at one time editor of the Fishing Gazette, and a very accomplished fly fisherman. In his classic fishing book ‘Reflections on a River’, Howard said ‘we are all potential bunglers’. As my head touched the pillow later that evening, this went through my thoughts – yes, I had bungled a few fish, but by heck I had enjoyed it all, and my sleep that night was sound and totally contented. I awoke the next morning a better person.”
| Regular Arundel guest Mike Murray summarised it neatly below:
“Fly fishing at the Arundell Arms is my perfect getaway from the daily grind. It’s where I can switch off, relax, and lose myself in the beauty of Devon’s streams. There’s no better therapy than fishing for crafty wild brown trout, soaking in the peace of nature, and sharing it with great friends. I feel lucky & privileged to have fly fishing as my escape.”
| When I last stayed at the Arundell in May this year, I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely gentleman called JP, who offered me this:
“Each year at the Arundell I cast my line into the river and wade away from the noise and pressure of my daily life in the City. My passion for fly fishing, the beauty of the Devon countryside and the Arundell hospitality are just about the best mental therapy for a stressed mind. In these quiet hours I rediscover balance and clarity. It’s all about tight lines and peaceful minds”.
It’s a sentiment also shared by the two co-owners of the Arundell:
“From the moment I pack the rod and waders into the car, and head to the river, I can feel the stresses of everyday life dissolving. The peace and calm of what lies ahead. The added excitement of not knowing what the day will produce. A kingfisher, a dipper, and possibly even that magnificent wild brown on a dry fly. I am in a state of subconsciousness. At that moment there is nothing to consider but my surroundings, and the gliding and winding river ahead of me. The Arundell is a truly special place for me, and always will be.” (Simon Village)
“Fly fishing really does have a unique way of connecting me with nature. The serene beauty of the Arundell streams is a perfect backdrop for those peaceful moments. It’s great how the rhythm of casting allows for a meditative state, helping me to unwind and truly appreciate the surrounding environment. It’s like therapy in motion that destresses and reenergizes. I love that place!” (Mark Bristow)
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For some though there’s another aspect, less about fly fishing allowing you to put your concerns and worries temporarily aside, more about putting them into place. Fly fishing author John Gierach puts it best when he says: “they say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they’re just not such a big deal anymore.”
I wrote earlier about if fly fishing isn’t really about catching fish, why do we do it, and that we do it for a whole bunch of reasons, all of which can all be narrowed down to one answer – how it makes us feel. It’s that simple. Go fishing, feel better.
| They are not alone. When we asked our Farlows customers in a recent online survey, 97% of them said that fly fishing significantly improves their mental health and 98% said it significantly improves their general wellbeing.
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