Splash! The river’s quiet vanishes with the sound of an unsuspecting fish being caught by Senior Atticus Ige’s tempting bait and hook. For the past six years, Ige has gone fishing almost every week, improving his skills and exploring the numerous fishing spots in and around California. However, the knowledge he had accumulated was tested once he decided to learn a new angling method during freshman year: fly fishing.
“Fly fishing redefines how you fish and requires you to learn completely new tactics,” Ige said. “I took a few classes separate from my current club, and from then, it was just a matter of practicing whenever I could to retain all that I learned.”
Instead of using heavier lures and rods, a fly fisherman uses lightweight flies as bait to catch fish. These can be made from hair, fur and even feathers, and imitate a fish’s prey in order to disguise the sharp hook. Ige makes his own flies, constructing unique creations that can take up to 15 minutes to complete.
As a member of The Daniel Hernandez Youth Foundation fishing club,Ige volunteers as a teacher for new recruits, helping them learn the basics of fishing. Outside of teaching, he happily recommends fishing to anyone wishing to learn, and praises fishing as his form of therapy. Every summer, he travels to North Dakota to visit his family and fish in the state’s secluded rural areas.
“Fishing is something I do to find peace within myself,” Ige said. “I get away from the hustle and bustle of drama and the pressures of the world to find myself again.”
In the future, he plans to continue improving his skills and discover new angling spots in the waters of Alaska, where he hopes to fly fish during a salmon run.
“Catching the fish is only half the fun; just getting outside and mastering this art is the real reward,” Ige said. “In the end everyone is an angler waiting for a bite.”