The rod he held in his hand was the finest money could buy. It was split-bamboo hand crafted just for him to his exacting specifications by an old, wise rod maker from a forgotten, tucked-away part of the country where trout live & it snows a lot in the winter. Fitted with the finest components that could be attained, it was a beautiful casting tool of the highest order. It had taken three years for the rod maker to craft. Even more importantly it made him feel, - no, it made him look - like a master fly angler. One gaze upon him from his fellow anglers would demand respect.
As he tied the fly onto his leader & confidently stepped into the stream he casually asked himself, "How hard can this fishing thing really be"?