Baseball players have a “walk-up” song as they step toward the plate. So, what’s going through your head once you’ve climbed into the waders, strung up your rod and are ready to fish?
Now… a quick note of disclaimer to say that I acknowledge that fishing with earbuds is considered more than a party foul for many anglers. I completely understand that. But then again, I remember having been dropped on a bonefish flat off Long Island in the Bahamas, knowing I wasn’t going to see another person for hours and rolling through the best of The Smiths as I looked, stalked and cast. It was magical.
I’ve found that I have several “walk-up” songs ringing in my head, minus any earphones, no matter where I fish. It just happens. And I kinda like that.
The trick is making the song in your head match the mood.
Sometimes it’s jazz. Like, Coltrane “In a Sentimental Mood.” That’s the easy, improvisational approach.
Sometimes, when I want to put the wood to them, it’s AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” or Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
Often times, it’s Neil Young. I like “Looking for a Love” (listen to the words) because when I fish, I’m always looking for a love that’s right for me.
Bluegrass often works, and I love Billy Strings because he’s a Michigan guy.
For some reason, Tom Petty resonates. Walls: “Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks.”
Grateful Dead… of course. “Ripple” is a standard but so is “Loser.” Both sum up my fly-fishing experiences well.
Sometimes it’s Steve Earle or Guy Clark. Jackson Browne is always a mellow groove.
Often, I think of songs that remind me of friends, especially those who aren’t around in body anymore, but are definitely with me in spirit as I step into the current. I think of Chris Santella when John Hiatt’s “The River Knows Your Name” pops into my head. I think Chris sends that to me.
I think of Charlie Meyers when I hear “Bluebird” by Buffalo Springfield in my head, because that was the song he and I repeated over and over as we drove home to Denver (to keep us awake) after a trip to fish around Jackson, Wyoming.
I often have Townes Van Zandt “My Proud Mountains” in my head as I fish the Colorado high country. That just happens.
Okay, I’ll date myself, but since I live in Colorado, and since I’ve seen the “fire in the sky and talked to God and listened to the casual reply” I also very often hear John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” as I fish. I actually once met John Denver, and he was a really cool dude.
John Prine. “Fish and Whistle.” Mmmmm. Gonna be a good day if that’s what you hear in your noggin as you set out to fish. “Paradise” is close second. I just drove by a strip mine, and saw Mr. Peabody’s coal train, still chugging along, hauling it away. For real.
I’ve always liked “Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. After all, hoping is part of fly fishing.
And you cannot really fish without a little bit of Jimmy Buffett going through your head. Sure, Jimmy’s music is aimed toward the flats. But I’ll take my “Tin Cup Chalice” anywhere in the fishing world and feel just fine. Thank you very much, Jimmy Buffett.