“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.” — Norman Maclean, “A River Runs Through It”
Fishing is all about time and patience. You stand on a bank or in a stream, or float along in a boat, line drifting in the water, and you wait for a fish to come to you. Maybe you tinker with your lure, try another fly, or move up and down the streambank looking for places where a fish could be lurking. But for the most part, fishing is not really distinguishable from mindfulness meditation.
While I’m waiting, I often find myself thinking about water. Water is finite, and yet…infinite. The same water has been circulating our planet in different forms since the days of the dinosaurs. The streams I wade in while casting a fly for trout could contain water that passed through a woolly mammoth or rain that touched the faces of early humans.
After the ripples run past me, the water flows to another stream, to the Hudson River, and out to the ocean. It evaporates. It falls back to earth. The cycle begins again.
We can’t contain all the water that runs past us, but we can care for it. We can send it downstream a little better than we found it, where some other angler waits patiently for a fish.
If you’re looking for a place to go fishing, I have a few suggestions:
Hand Hollow, Meizinger Lake, 451 Gale Hill Road, East Chatham. This site has an accessible kayak launch. The lake is home to bluegill, bass, and other warm-water fish.
Ooms, 480 Rock City Road, Chatham. Sutherland Pond includes several boat launches for fishing with your canoe or kayak. The lake is home to bluegill, bass, and other warm-water fish.
Schor, 58 Shore View Drive, Canaan. Jon’s Pond is regularly stocked with trout. It is also home to bluegill, bass, and other warm-water fish.
Siegel-Kline Kill, 1452 County Route 21, Ghent. A flat, grassy walk from the parking lot, the Kline Kill is regularly stocked with trout.
If you’d like to try your hand at fishing, come to Ooms April 27 between 2 and 4 p.m. for a Fish and Float event with the North Chatham Free Library! No license is necessary for this fishing clinic, and you’ll get the chance to learn from experienced anglers.
I’d love to hear about your wanderings and what you find on them. Email hello@ColumbiaLand.org or share your photos on social media – CLC is on Instagram @ColumbiaLand, and each CLC property has its own Facebook page.
Troy Weldy is the President of the Columbia Land Conservancy. Contact him at Troy Weldy@ColumbiaLand.org.