Every angler knows the sting of a long-distance release. You hook into something solid, your heart skips a beat—and then just like that, it’s gone. Lost fish are part of the game, but they’re also part of what makes fly fishing so addictive. Whether you’re chasing wild trout on your local stream or swinging flies for steelhead, losing fish is frustrating—and strangely, sometimes the humbling reminder we need. Let’s talk about why we lose fish, and why that’s not always a bad thing.
Why do we lose fish?
From a practical perspective, it’s due to a number of factors: dull hooks, a bad hookset, too much slack in the line, or hooking the fish in a soft spot of the jaw. As anglers, we have a lot of control over our technique and can adjust to increase the odds of landing a fish. But sometimes—just sometimes—I don’t mind losing one.
Time on the river is a zero-sum game. Sometimes we win, sometimes the river wins. If we’re on a catching streak, we make up for it in lost flies. If we haven’t landed a steelhead in two seasons, then we pay our dues until the river decides to give one up.
I love catching fish, but I don’t mind losing them either. At the end of the day, I’m on the river to escape the grind of my 8–5 life, and landing a fish is just the cherry on top. If fishing were only about catching, our spey rods would gather dust and we’d be drifting nightcrawlers through buckets.
Fishing is about much more than catching. It’s about learning the habits of our prey, understanding the dynamics of an ever-changing river system, and spending too much money on tackle. It’s about setting up a perfect drift, setting the hook on something that isn’t a rock, and waiting to see if we’re fighting a 5-pound redband—or a 5-foot-long branch.
For some anglers, it’s the fight that keeps them fishing. For others, the tug is the drug. For me, it’s about doing everything I can to put the odds in my favor—and leaving the rest up to the fish.
If you’re out there to fill a cooler, fly fishing probably isn’t your game. But if you’re like me—someone who values the pursuit, the process, and the peace that comes with time on their favorite piece of water—then you know: not every fish has to be landed to make the day a success. Sometimes, losing a fish is a sign you did everything right. And sometimes, it’s just the river keeping you humble. Keep your hooks sharp, your drifts clean, and your expectations in check. The next one might stick.
-T
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