Testament of a fisherman

I fish because I love to;
because I love the environs where trout are found,
which are invariably beautiful,
and hate the environs where crowds of people are found,
which are invariable ugly;
because of the television commercials,
cocktail parties and assorted social posturing I thus escape;

because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate,
my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion;
because trout do not lie or cheat but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience;

because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time,
and I for one don’t want to waste the trip;
because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters;
because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness;
because bourbon out of an old tin cup tastes better out there;
because maybe someday I will catch a mermaid;

and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because

I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant – and not nearly so much fun.

-John Voelker (Robert Traver )
(spacing/formatting added for emphasis… -GS)