Nature's Antidote: Why Fly Fishing is Good for Your Mental Health

Looking To Fly Fishing For Help

An article in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), titled "Air Methods Launches AirAnglers, a Mental Health Initiative Highlighting the Therapeutic Benefits of Fly Fishing," discusses how Air Methods, an air ambulance provider, initiated a program called AirAnglers to address the stress and anxiety experienced in the demanding and often traumatic situations encountered in their line of work.

"From extrication nightmares to futile resuscitation efforts, the cumulative stress of dealing with human trauma and tragedy on a regular basis predisposes us to burnout, compassion fatigue, PTSD and other mental health challenges. AirAnglers was launched with the goal of equipping its flight crews with mindfulness skills and therapeutic outlets through the practice of fly fishing.

The Practices of Fly Fishing Contributes to Good Mental Health

'Fly fishing requires intense presence of mind, deep focus, slowed respiration, and connection with nature – the perfect antidote for the hypervigilance and constant stimulation faced by air medical crews and those who support them,' explains AirAnglers Instructor and Flight Nurse Doug Kinney. 'It encourages conscious control of thought patterns and emotions in a way that’s incredibly restorative."

It’s Not About the Catching

The AirAngler program doesn't just take emergency workers out to catch a fish; they offer opportunities to do a deep dive into the various facets that the sport of fly fishing offers, including fly tying, fly rod building, and casting lessons. The program is about fly fishing, not fly catching.

To add to the therapeutic value of what AirAnglers is trying to accomplish, they also offer Yoga as part of the program. According to JEMS, "Together, fly fishing and Yoga offer an immersive mind-body experience that readily transfers to meaningful stress management in the field and everyday life."

My Relationship With Fly Fishing

I started out fly fishing as a kid, my sole reason, because it was fun. Now that I'm older, I understand its deeper value in my life. It's been with me through thick and thin, always consistent in its ability to make things right. I never looked at it as therapy, but man, is it therapeutic.

A Moving Meditation

Connecting fly fishing to mental health got me thinking about a lesson I once had from a teacher. The instructor explained to the class that not all meditation involves sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed and humming a sound. Athletes, especially the good ones, can be in a constant moving meditation. It goes by many names: Flow, the Zone, "Playing out of your mind." Rock climbers, pianists, dancers—anything that requires intense focus to the point of clearing your mind—is a form of moving meditation.

I think this might apply to fly fishing too. I hope so, because for the life of me I can't sit still, much less cross legged, without my mind wandering to fly fishing. That's kinda funny. When I sit to meditate and clear my mind, I think of fly fishing. When I fly fish, I clear my mind.

“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover