tomitrout wrote:
interesting thread. Something I'm curious about, all those who state that they need their time on stream to themselves and see their wife/gf as an intrusion on that, how often do you get out on the water? Is each outing that important that it is a burden to bring along a newbie?

Reason I ask is that something I've learned recently while teaching my girlfrined to ski is that yes, like fishing, it would be cool to have a playmate who can 'keep up', but I've found that I get just as much satisfaction from sharing and teaching a passion as I get from the actual doing. I've chased my share of dragons on skis and bikes and she knows that there are times that I need to go out and play at my level with my peers (she's a strong road cyclist, but beginner on the mtn bike and understands what the 'Sunday ride' with my buddies is all about, she doesn't expect nor desire to tag along on those). But I don't see teaching her something new in that realm as a burden. I've skied plenty of epic powder days in my time, I've fished plenty of epic hatches, etc, and so I don't mind giving one up now and then to spend a day out with her sharing those pursuits.

I'm extremely lucky in that her dad also flyfishes and we've been invited to tag along on a trip to Montana later this summer. So, yes, I will be teaching her to flyfish over the next few months and I fully expect to not fish much myself while doing so. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, and she also realizes that when I need to hit the Letort or escape to the mtns for a day of harassing brookies, that that's something I need to do on my own. Maybe someday she'll advance to that level where we can share those experiences, but I no longer feel the need for every fishing outting to be all that. Sharing with her the passion for being on the water will be enough for me that I won't feel as though I'm giving something up by having to 'deal with' her while she's learning.

Who knows, maybe she'll pick it up quick and I'll have a new fishin' buddy. If not, she'll at the least have a better understanding about what draws me to those quiet moments of solitude out on the water.