Cast A Line - To Save Your Life!

So the weather boffins have told us in the UK that this is the second wettest summer since records began. We really didn’t need to be told this however, as most trips outdoors involved the utilisation of heavy rain coats, wellington boots and umbrellas.

As I write, torrential rain is falling and roads are awash. It has also been exceptionally chilly at times with shrill east winds cutting through the air. Rivers such as the Hodder and mighty Lune in Lancashire have at times been bursting their banks with rising floodwater, yet this will be good news for the late runs of autumn salmon and sea trout.

Needless to say, with all this gloomy weather residents are sick and tired of the damp climate.

Many will already be experiencing ‘Seasonal affective disorder’ (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues. This is a mood disorder, in which people that have regular mental health throughout most of the year experience odd depressive symptoms.

There are numerous different treatments for characteristic (winter-based) SAD, including light therapy, medication, ionized-air administration, cognitive-behavioural therapy and carefully timed use of hormonal additions. However, although I am fortunate enough not to suffer from this disorder, I have discovered that friends with SAD benefit greatly from one very good ‘old fashioned’ method of treatment.

Grabbing a fishing rod and trekking off into the wilderness, regardless of the foul weather, can and does vastly improve the spirits of anyone with SAD.

I have taken SAD-affected friends into the wild country in the worse weather conditions and they have arrived back home with a greater feeling of wellbeing. Fly-fishing in particular, due to its more physically demanding pro-active nature, is a brilliant energizer to SAD sufferers.

So, rather than adding to the over-worked doctor’s waiting list or moaning about the horrendous weather try to get out and cast a line. It could just save your life.

Pat Regan

Author of:

UFO: The Search for Truth?