Thursday, August 30, 2012

On Mojo

When Ross and I embark upon a sporting venture it's tradition to make the first song of the road trip Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire.  I don't know if this routine makes the fishing better or the drive safer, hell I don't know why we do it, but we do. It's mojo and you don't fuck with mojo.

I haven't run into an angler yet who, if watched closely, doesn't have some superstition. The lucky shirt. A bracelet. A routine for gearing up. A brand of beer that's only consumed on a river. A fishing hat.

Pick a hat.
I went to a wounded warriors event at our local VA a few months ago. I wore a hat. A fishing hat. We shifted from one room to another to accommodate the high attendance and in all the moving and unpacking and repacking of fly tying supplies my hat disappeared.

This was an Trout Unlimited ball cap that I got five or so years ago by donating to one of their various fund raising campaigns. It was tan, well worn, sweat stained and had a ragged, orange #10 PMX stuck in the bill.

I caught my first trout on the Deerfield on that fly. It was a beautiful Brown. I kept that fly not because of the fish but because of the cast I made to get it; hard against an overgrown bank while floating down a swift riffle. Memorable. Good mojo.

I have a healthy inventory of hats but this lost hat could be found on my head more often than not when I was on the stream. Why I wore it that day to the VA, I don't know, but I regret it.

The hat is gone. While I'm not superstitious I did have a momentary pang for the lost mojo. Good memories. Good fish. Even if I wasn't wearing the hat when I caught those memories it was an important symbol.

While prepping for the trip to Wyoming a few weeks ago I packed some new hats; one from Keith at Singlebarbed and a new TU hat. I could have grabbed a hat with a bit more history but this felt like the right moment to do something new, something unexpected. I needed to a ruse to to keep bad mojo at bay.

I think it worked.

The experience in Wyoming was over the top. The fishing was good but not great. But the people were fantastic. And I got a behind the scenes look at one of the more critical conservation efforts underway in the west.

I'm still not convinced that the loss of that hat won't matter. But nothing tragic has yet happened. And I have caught a few fish.

Except for that big one I lost Saturday night.



18 comments:

  1. Feelin' your pain. Like losing an old, good friend. I have a dozen, okay, more, hats around but the weathered old Adidas is always on my head. I'd cry if it disappeared. I swear.

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    1. Well, at least I got your old friend on the trade. :)

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  2. That's a bummer, Steve. Hope your able to find one with some decent mojo to replace it.

    Ben

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    1. The two newcomers have potential, but I'm starting to think some of the old stalwarts could be moved up in the rotation. I think the rookies need more seasoning.

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  3. Do not underestimate the power of MoJo.

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  4. My blue Duluth Trading hat is always on my bald head and a cup of coffee on the way to the fishing spot. Sorry about your hat, but I liked the way it fit. Just kidding.

    Mark

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    1. You are a cruel man. You're just fortunate it's a trait I respect.

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  5. Mojo is part of the "aura" of fly fishing. Truth be told, we all have some mojo when we are successful. Interesting post would be for us all to share what our mojo is. Let's see mine is.................

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  6. I'm about as sentimental as a person can be so I understand the pang you'll feel anytime you think about that hat.

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  7. A good fishing hat is just one of those things you definitely don't mess with...I lost one two years ago, and haven't fished as well since. Damn I loved that hat.

    Hopefully your loss is forgotten quickly

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    1. The best therapy is to stand in moving water with the new hat.

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  8. None is more superstitious than the Airborne Infantryman. We tie our boots a particular way to ensure a no fail situation. Any thing to keep the epic fail spirits away. If you don't believe me maybe some day I'll explain the 'rain turtle'. Tight lines!

    AA

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    1. The rain turtle sounds like an interesting tale.

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  9. Karma-

    You wore that hat for a reason.
    It was time to usher in a new one..and now the old hat lives an eternal life as a legend as written on the world wide web...

    Damn My Eyes!!

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