Scientists have now confirmed what most of us already knew, that our fly-fish addiction is akin to a drug addiction. As you’ll see, it is a cheap addiction too, with very little “drug-miles” so it’s good for the environment as well!
I recently read a book called “Wisdom” from Stephen Hall. I got it in a Kris-Kringle and as it was one of those random events where others can steal your gift, I took one look at the cover, decided I liked it, and sat on it pretending I had received an ugly vase. No-one bothered taking my ugly prentenda-vase and no-one asked me to please stand up. So at the end of the day I was in the possession of a nice – albeit slightly warmed – book on “Wisdom and Neuroscience”.
The book tells of one of the key experiments scientists have done to measure what happens in “the learning brain”. The experiment involves a game of fishing. What else could be used to reliably test for wisdom? Anyway, fisho’s were hooked to some neuro devices and every time the right action was chosen that resulted in catching fish, the brain released a spritz of dopamine. This is the stuff that gets some Tour de France riders over the mountains when they really couldn’t. The brain gets high and yells at the body:‘gimme more!’ Well, that’s no news to us fly-fishers. Let’s see… “I caught a fish and now I want to catch some more.” And they pay scientists for what?! So now you know that you are not simply fishing, you are really slowly getting high on dopamine on some pristine wilderness river or a majestic lake!
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| Proof that catching a tiny fish still releases dopamine! |
Next they found that as you keep catching fish and keep doing the right thing, the dopamine flow reduces to a mere trickle. The repeated action of success does not generate the same stimulus and we become ‘neurologically bored’! What a great label! Indeed, when you have had days where fish just keep taking the fly, you do indeed eventually become neurologically bored (I am going to use that term from now on). In that case I always start experimenting with new casting techniques, rigs or flies. Now I know why, I need more dopamine and I can’t help myself!
But wait, there’s more! Scientists kept the best for last. Apparently the brain really ‘freaks out’ when you do all the right things by learned behavior from a bucket load of dopamine, but that unexpectedly DOES NOT produce the expected result. According to scientists this is when the brain truly goes crazy. Is that news to us?! Let me think, how often did I rock up to a piece of river that I absolutely smashed last time. But 3 hours later, my expectations of triple digits shrunk to one foul-hooked fish, a couple of flies stuck in the trees somewhere and all I had was a hole in my waders. And don’t we get absolutely wild about that!! Figuring out what went wrong and how to adapt to new conditions is thus scientifically proven to be a necessary condition to learn and attain wisdom. Although I would rather have caught a bucket load of fish and left that wisdom-stuff to the Buddha!
So there you have it. Our fly-fish addiction has been scientifically proven. The beauty is that the drug is legal, you don’t have to bother a single soul obtaining it and moreover, it is homegrown, leaving a zero carbon-footprint. Oh, that sounds very fly-fish like to me! Hang on – my brain just shot me some more dopamine, gotta go and fish!
THERE’S ONE!
Mike
