Recently, on a hot, sunny day at the Gallatin River Lodge in Bozeman, Montana, I laid stretched out on my yoga mat in the soft grass beneath a verdant canopy of trees as an instructor led myself and a group of women through a restorative yoga practice after a long day of float fishing with the Gallatin River Guides on the Yellowstone River. That residual buzzing feeling one experiences after hours of intense focus and physicality outside gradually slowed and settled in my body as we practiced a series of gentle stretches, self-massage techniques, and breathwork.
From the perspective of an observer, fly fishing doesn’t look all that rigorous, more of a relaxing outdoor pastime that appears almost effortless—at least, that’s what I had come to believe from my experience watching seasoned anglers artfully cast their line for hours with an unrelenting sangfroid. But after spending half the day competing against changing winds and quick-moving water while dodging wayward hooks in the scorching Montana sun, I was utterly exhausted, but not unsuccessful.