Just Because We Can, Should We? Resting Our Favorite Tail Waters

I am convinced if we do not intentionally make efforts to reduce the amount of pressure on our favorite tail waters we will continue to see their deterioration.

I ponder the question: Just because we can fly fish tail waters all year long; Should we? Of course, we can go to Pueblo's Arkansas tail water any day in the winter and catch fish. We can most often catch fish in Eleven Mile Canyon, Chessman Canyon and the 'Dream Stream'. But, should we?

I propose a closed season on our tail waters for the winter. But, since this is not going to happen, I suggest we impose some type of restriction upon ourselves. And, yes, I am speaking to catch and release, barb-less, fly fishers.  

Earlier this Fall,  I posted a piece describing life on Perelandra (C.S Lewis). This is a fictional fantasy  about life on another planet. Perelandra is a perfect paradise before the fall. It is truly Eden.  On Perelandra, our relationship with the natural world and even ourselves is quite different than on earth. In the story, a  human from Earth visits this planet and experiences these relational differences. 

His name is Ransom and he lands on Perelandra.  He roams around this beautiful paradise. He becomes thirsty. He wanders through a forest and  sees these great globes of yellow fruit hanging from a tree. He accidentally pushes one of his fingers through the fruit. He puts the hole up to his mouth and drinks. The drink is wonderful and brought Ransom great pleasure. His natural reaction is to find another fruit and drink again. What is most interesting is Ransom's reaction to this pleasure. He is about to grab another fruit and drink again but he stops.  CS Lewis writes;

“He was about to pluck another one, when it came to his head that he was now neither hungry nor thirsty. And yet to repeat a pleasure so intense and almost so spiritual seemed an obvious thing to do… Yet something seemed opposed to this reason.”

What was this “something” that seemed opposed to his reason?  Is there "something" in us that  might oppose our reason to catch fish after fish when we freely can keep catching fish?   Can we ever just say no to catching fish when catching fish is "so intense and almost so spiritual ? Is there  "something" in us that makes us ask, why we need to catch fish all year? Is there something in us that might tell us that "enough is enough", and "I want to give these fish a break"?

On Perelandra, Ransom has an insight as he ponders the question of why he is not grabbing for another fruit. He realizes that on Earth he has spent most of his life "reiterating pleasures, not through desire, but in the teeth of desire".

There is a difference. There is a difference between being motivated by desire and being in the teeth of desire.  It is one thing to love fly fishing and the pleasure it brings us as we catch fish. It is quite another thing to repeat this pleasure out of  addiction, compulsion and being in the teeth of desire.

If for no other rationalism, we should give the rivers a break, as we  ponder the difference and consider the "something" that might be opposed to our reason, especially if the only reason is because 'we can'.