As 2025 gathers speed, the media is awash in stories about our favorite sports and activities. And yet in spite of its popularity with celebrities, and its ubiquity in television commercials, fly fishing receives relatively little attention. So why do more than 7 million Americans pick up a fly rod and go fishing every year? What’s so appealing about the sport? Let’s delve a little deeper.

At its heart, fly fishing offers an intimate connection to the natural world. That’s a blessing for anyone who believes that modern society suffers from too much chaos and too much stress. Standing knee deep in a gorgeous river is both a respite from the turmoil of modern life and a balm for the soul. Trout live in beautiful places and fly fishing offers an opportunity to explore that beauty on a more substantive level. In a very real sense, fly fishing is an immersion — a baptism — into nature.

Then there’s fly casting, which, as fly fishing guru John Juracek once noted, is “a pursuit both graceful and elegant.” Good fly casting combines the fluidity of Tai Chi with the poetry of a bird in flight, while skilled casters have been known to slip into a moving meditation.

Not that fly fishing is always tranquil or peaceful. There are any number of ways for the more adventurous among us to experience a jolt of angling-induced adrenaline. Sometimes that rush takes the form of a drift boat dropping through a churning rapid, or an early-morning helicopter ride to a remote river. Sometimes it’s a beautiful trout grabbing our fly and then leaping towards the heavens in its bid for freedom and salvation. My most memorable adventures — including week-long wilderness trips and close encounters with grizzly bears — were a direct result of my passion for fly fishing.

At the same time, many of us are drawn to the challenge of the sport. Contrary to what you may have heard, it’s not difficult to make a basic cast and catch a trout on a fly. But mastery is a different story. Mastery typically takes years … and even talented anglers fall short on occasion. Which, truth be told, is a blessing in disguise. A slow day on the water makes our good days seem even better by comparison, while a fish on every cast would soon turn the magic to drudgery.

Then there’s the company of other anglers. For reasons I can’t quite explain, many of the finest human beings I know are fly fishers. If you’re looking for companionship among people who share your passion for the natural world, you could do far worse than strike up a conversation on the banks of the Beaverkill, the Henry’s Fork or the Yellowstone.

On the flip side, fly fishing is not for everyone. People who lack an affinity for nature, or who are ill at ease in the great outdoors, might want to look elsewhere. There are also far easier ways to catch a trout, so a fly rod may not be your best option if putting a fish in the net is your number one priority.

Which brings us to the question de jour. Should you learn to fly fish for trout?

Let’s be frank. We live in a world where stress and anxiety rule the day. Life flies by at a hundred miles per hour and it can be hard to find effective ways to relax and rejuvenate.

Many of us are drawn to fly fishing because it’s a wonderful way to recharge our mental and emotional batteries, and to establish a personal connection with nature. We savor the beauty inherent in the sport, as well as the excitement and the camaraderie, and we embrace the challenges we experience. The trout we catch are an integral part of our angling — they’re both spectacular and enchanting — but they’re not the be-all and the end-all. It’s bigger than that. When we wade into the natural world, we delve into an endless array of possibilities. Why would anyone turn their back on the magic of flowing water? Who, deep inside, doesn’t hope to touch something far greater and more elemental than themselves?

Of course, fly fishing isn’t the only way to bring balance and beauty back into our lives. There are myriad paths that lead to a healthier and more fulfilling existence. But for those of us who dream of being outdoors, and who are willing to embrace a challenge, fly fishing is both a gift and a blessing.

Todd Tanner lives in Montana, where he runs the non-profit Conservation Hawks and writes about the natural world. He also spends several weeks each year teaching fly fishing at the School of Trout.