The World Looks Better in Soft Focus

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        I am near sighted, my up close reading vision is perfect but anything at distance is fuzzy and out of focus. On occasion I where prescription glasses when it is imperative that I can see; i.e. driving or watching a foreign film with subtitles. Often when I walk into town friends will wave at me from a distance to say hello but they are all but a blur to me so I put my head down and continue walking. I don't know if it is some random person or someone I might know. I usually get a text message later stating that they saw me today and they waved but I must not of seen them. Oh I saw you, well kind of, if a blurred face waving from across the street counts. 

       I have tried to where my glasses all day but everything is too crisp and clear, too perfect and vibrant for me to process at one time. I think the world looks better in soft focus sometimes. I can focus on what is in front of me and let everything else dissolve into background noise.

       In the world of fishing you can either "Sight Fish" or "Blind Cast". When sight fishing you rely on water clarity, birds working, or bait fish boiling on the surface. To me this is easy to fish because you know exactly where the fish are you just need a good cast and natural presentation. I prefer blind casting, it takes far more skill then sight fishing. If you can not see the fish you have to imagine their world and think like a fish. You have to understand subtleties like water currents and what direction they might be facing. Study their environment and look for structure and ambush spots. Then after absorbing your surroundings you can cast the lure where you think there might be fish. Its about searching, an unseen clarity where you blindly unlock their world. When you finally figure it out and get into fish it is far more rewarding. That is where the true craft or art of fishing resides. ~ Photos & Words: Scott Wyss