If you spend much time around anglers, you’ll hear the following questions on a regular basis.

“Catch any?”
“Fish here much?”
“What did you get him on?”
“What rod are you using?”

They’re valid questions, all of them, but they invariably steer us towards small talk and away from the heart of things.

“Catch any?” is the angling equivalent of “how’s life treating you?” It’s safe, and non-confrontational, and it shows your interest in another angler without getting too personal or inquisitive. Yet at the same time, both the person asking the question and the person answering it understand that it’s about as superficial a query as you’ll find.

There’s a place for small talk of course, just like there’s a place for a nod and a smile. Courtesy remains a gift and given the noticeable lack of good manners in modern American culture, it’s not something we can, or should, take for granted. Still, it won’t get you closer to the heart of our sport.

The real question for fly fishers starts with a “W.”

“Why?”

Why do I fish? What am I looking for? What do I hope to get from my time on the water?

Many anglers — and especially many long-time fly fishers — tend to dismiss the “why.” It’s obvious, they’ll say, or it’s unimportant, or it’s complicated, or it’s not worth thinking about, or it’s no one else’s business.

The “why,” though, is your roadmap to the heart of fly fishing. It becomes your tao; your path. It offers a way forward for anyone willing to choose a moment of introspection, and then a moment of honestly.

If I’m fishing with someone else — as opposed to fishing near someone, or next to someone — it helps to know why they’re out on the water. Is it happenstance? Are they seeking companionship? Validation? Personal growth? Relaxation? Excitement? Knowledge?

Perhaps they’re hoping to solve a puzzle. Or they’re drawn to water. Or beauty. Or nature. Or solitude. Or a challenge. Or maybe they just want to have fun.

Heck, they could even be fixated on catching fish.

There are a ton of reasons why people turn to fly fishing, and those reasons — which may or may not be mutually exclusive — can change with time. But the clearer we are about what pulls us to the river on any particular day, the easier it is to get the most out of our experience.

“Know thyself.”

Those words go back to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, and to philosophers like Plato and Socrates. They’re linked, as well, to a line from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

“To thine own heart be true.”

When we fish by rote, without taking the time to consider what we want from our angling, we limit ourselves dramatically. But when we fish intentionally, with an eye towards whatever brings us the most excitement, or joy, or satisfaction, or knowledge, or fun, then we increase the odds that we’ll be truly happy at the end of the day. That’s just the way it works.

So the next time you’re heading out with your fly rod, take a moment to ask yourself a few simple questions. What are you in the mood for today? What will put the biggest smile on your face? What do you want from your fishing? Be honest, and be specific, and then focus on what will make you happy. There are no guarantees, of course, but it’s a lot easier to hit the bullseye when you know what it looks like.

When he’s not working on conservation or writing about the outdoors, Todd Tanner teaches fly fishing at the School of Trout.