By David Graham: 1-17-2025
My origins as an angler aren't unlike any other you've heard or experienced for yourself... a small kid invited to nearby ponds by an older brother, a dad, a granddad. It was your foundational fishing... bobbers and worms, bass and 'bream'. A base line introductory into a timeless pursuit where millions before me have started their own journey but paths branch out and meander in ways unique to the individual angler. I like it that way... a proper progression starting small allows finite details and intangibles to be picked up along the way.
Over time though anglers will generally find their 'niche'... a comfort zone, a particular place or thing that they like most. Among anglers you've got two uniquely polar categories of freshwater and saltwater. From there the surface level criteria as a sport fisherman then seems to be... biggest, fastest, strongest, most diverse. By those criteria, one would think saltwater fishing is vastly superior to freshwater then.
It can't be argued, indeed saltwater species do get bigger, faster, stronger (on average) and more diverse than their freshwater counterparts. Over 70% of the earth is covered by ocean... there is an overwhelming amount of opportunity there.
Still - my path as an angler has taken me from inland lakes, rivers, and streams to coastlines and even across oceans - and yet I have consistently favored freshwater. Its something I've been asked about... why do I prefer freshwater fishing over saltwater fishing... and honestly I've never really grappled with that, it simple is what it is.
If I had to justify my reason though, I think I've always approached fishing in abstract ways. Focusing less on the fish, and more on alignment with personal principles or ambiance. My affinity for freshwater is simple and complex at the same time... but freshwater is familiar. Outside of the very air we breath, freshwater is the most life sustaining element on earth. We're born of it, composed of it, and seldom will a day in our lives go by that we aren't nourished by it. That goes for people, that goes for all life on planet earth. Our freshwater rivers, lakes, and streams are a gathering place where all things converge and so I think just by being near it, our chances to encounter something special increase tenfold. This is through the optics of a nature loving outdoorsman...
I also think - while water is such an abundant resource - natural freshwater elements that haven't been contaminated, molested, or outright destroyed are limited. There's something about freshwater the resonates with me as an angler because of its familiarity. I can draw back on special places and times, my origin as an angler at some spot as simple as a pond or bog maybe better than a vast blue sea. I can think of many places I fished as a child that are now buried under a paved parking lot and shopping center. The fragility of the ecosystems give them tremendous value.
To be more specific to the nature of the fish and the fishing itself... it is true saltwater fish are generally bigger, faster, stronger - superior in virtually every way. But its also expected and generally acknowledged. I have been captivated by the idea of freshwater 'monster's.'... because they are so unexpected. We look at our rivers, lakes, and streams as quaint and peaceful places because at nearly any freshwater system one would ever be on - you'll have a panoramic views at some degree turn where water meets earth... there's a ridgeline, a tree line, vegetation, stone, and things we know. The things that subconsciously comfort us - whereas say being adrift alone on open sea surrounded by endless blue we almost subconsciously expect danger below and experience a degree of fear being out there.
The largest among the world's freshwater species - our megafauna freshwater fish are a dwindling group. A relatively small group of 'survivors' that have existed in hyper competitive and imperiled environments and established clear reign over them as 'apex' animals. Giant freshwater fish have been persecuted in a way that oceanic animals haven't quite experienced. They were hunted by our ancestors... and in some cases hunted by prehistoric creatures we can hardly imagine. Their very existence is a miracle in some cases and so to pursue them, and highlight them is extremely satisfying and unique. People know monsters exist in the ocean, but there's a collective gasp and awe among people who find that unusual giant fish live just down the street from them in the same lakes and rivers they grew up swimming with their friends.
I think it's this blend of things that have made me constantly gravitate to freshwater over saltwater. The idea that I can pursue a fish in an area where - within my field of view is a mountain, jungle, marsh, swamp, or desert. Freshwater crosses all topography, it puts you in places where there is a sensory overload of land, air, and water virtually every time that maybe you just cant get 200 miles offshore in a vast and endless carpet of blue. Yes I do like the thrill of giant beautiful saltwater sport fish, but something about a hit of nostalgia really does it for me... so I just want to return to the things I know.
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