There's No Such Thing as "Normal"

I spoke at a Trout Unlimited meeting recently, and afterwards, a gentleman asked me, "What flies do you normally fish this time of the year?"  I thought for a second, and then replied that I fish flies that imitate the nymphs and adult flies that are most active this time of the year - in my head though, I thought; it hasn't been a normal year, and I haven't fished as much as I normally do most years and its anyones guess when we might return to fishing as we normally do in a normal year. The reality is that no two years are alike when it comes to fishing, let alone two days, even when conditions are seemingly identical both days. 

Did you ever get so lost in what you had on your mind that you forgot where you were?  The other day I was in New York, and after working for 6 straight hours, I drove to a burger joint, got out of the car, and while I was walking through the parking lot looking around I thought, This is weird, look at all these cars with New York license plates.  I kept walking and continued to think how crazy it was that all these New York cars would be in the same lot at the same time in New Jersey................yep, by the time I got to the sidewalk I realized those cars belonged there. That normally doesn't happen, does it?

There has been a lot of discussion in the town I live in about the deer and what we should do with them because they are eating many shrubs  they normally left alone, and even eating the needles of the pine trees that they can reach.  Normally, or at least until recently, deer did not eat evergreen trees.  Some folks think they are doing what they normally do, so they should be left alone, while others think they are eating everything they can because they are not doing what they normally do. Do we know what deer normally do when we create perfect habitat for them so they procreate like mice and decimate the forest under story?

And finally, I received the following inquiry:   

My name is Steve. I live outside Houston, TX. I have been following you blog and tying videos for a number of years. I really appreciate your instruction and overall participation in the sport. We don’t have a lot of good quality freshwater fly fishing around Houston, so I enjoy seeing the videos. I’ve turned to fishing the coast but do miss my fly fishing roots from North Carolina where I grew up.

My question:

Some of the video’s show fisherman standing side-by-side, standing in pools close to one another, etc. Generally, fishing the same water, in a very crowded manor. Is this normal? Just curious.

Thank you again,

Steve
Tomball, TX

I think it is safe to say that the only thing that is normal, is change, and even that depends on one's point of view.  Maybe the guys fishing the same water think that is normal.

I'm going fishing this weekend in the Catskills with one of my favorite people to fish with, and I can't wait.  We'll be fishing the West and Main Stems of the Delaware River, which is new water for him. I hope he hooks one of the Big D's rocket-charged rainbows!  I'll be sure to report on it when I return.

Sharpen your hooks.......I normally do!