It strikes me that fly fishing, as a field sport, is alone in one very important respect, the fly angler doesn’t actually have control over the outcome.

Should you go hunting with a rifle, and with sufficient practise you are able to make your shot, the vagaries of wind, distance, muzzle velocity and such all carefully calculated then once the bullet leaves the barrel the demise of your target is assured. No matter how perfect your presentation of the fly might be, success is never guaranteed.  Fly fishing can be a humbling experience, in a world where we control so much, the fly angler lives in a space where control of the outcome has to be let go, because it isn’t within the sphere of our control.

Certainly other field sports put demands on the participants, you may have to ride a horse or stalk your prey…