I write a lot of well-intended and admittedly somewhat preachy, how-to coastal fishing advice blogs that I hope entice readers to focus more on the art of fishing rather than the pure results of fishing. If you think of fishing as an evolutionary art that is always in a state of improvment, it changes from a random day of fishing to much more of a holistic lifestyle that encompasses everything from engaging in conservation to actually catching more fish.
My message in this post is simple: Travel. I honestly think the way to mastery of any art is travel. From practicing medicine to preparing food, there is no rubric like travel. In the case of fishing, this is imminently true. The more and diverse waters you encounter, the better you become. Fish anywhere and everywhere you can, and even if you can’t fish on a given day, there is still opportunity to look at different waters and talk to different anglers. Be it a Southern California long-range boat deck hand or the Battenkill green clad manager at a fly shop, I assure you they all have something to teach you if you engage them. Look and explore, and you will undoubtedly learn.