Focused on the Moment

Fishing offers a ‘happy place’ for neurodivergent angler

I’ve been a fisherman all my life. I grew up in Alaska, one of the most popular sports fishing destinations in the world. As an Alaskan, I took every opportunity to go fishing — on land and on sea. I love to fish. As the old saying goes, “A bad day at fishing is better than a good day at work.”

For over half a century, I had many fishing partners, young and old. I remember one partner back in the late 1970s. He was 92 years old. I was a teenager. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that he out-fished me all day long. He never tired. He was a lean, mean fishing machine. We spent the entire day standing knee-deep in the Goodpaster River catching grayling on fly rods. We must have caught a hundred fish between us. 

“Number 37!” the old man shouted as he reeled in a hooked fish. “35!” I yelled back above the din of the rapids. Although I can no longer remember his name, I can still see him standing there, his worn fishing hat full of flies, smoking a cigar with a grin on his face. 

But for over a decade now, I’ve lived in northeast Missouri. Nowadays, my fishing buddy is the son of a good friend. His name is Mark. At 40, he’s young enough to be my son. It’s a wonderful intergenerational friendship. I’ve never had a buddy like him. He loves fishing even more than I do. He’s a walking encyclopedia of fishing knowledge. We go fishing in every season, including ice fishing in winter. 

But one thing sets him apart from the others — Mark has autism, which is a form of neurodivergence. At its simplest definition, that means his brain is wired differently. I’ve learned a lot from fishing with my friend. His enthusiasm for fishing has rekindled my own enthusiasm, brought me back to the sport.

On the Spectrum

When I was a boy fishing in Alaska, folks didn’t talk about autism much, if at all. A decade or so ago, only one in 11,000 children was diagnosed with autism. Today, that number is around one in 100. Chances are you know someone with autism. In my own small circle of friends, I know of at least three other people. At its simplest definition autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects the nervous system. The range and severity of characteristics can vary widely. Common characteristics include difficulty with communication, difficulty with social interactions, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors. Early recognition, as well as behavioral, educational, and family therapies, provide the support needed for development and learning. Autism is a spectrum, from low to high support needs.

I don’t know where my fishing buddy is on the spectrum, but I know that he exhibits many of the behaviors.

Fishing With My Friend

A year ago, we decided to go to a nearby lake that was known to have muskies, Mark’s favorite sports fish. We agreed that I would pick him up at a certain time. I texted him before I left the house, reminding him to be ready to go. When I got to his place, he wasn’t near ready. He was sitting in a room overflowing with fishing lures. Every inch of the room was packed. There were so many lures that he could open a tackle shop. I spent an hour just waiting for him to meticulously look through every hook he owned, deciding which ones to take.

Finally, we loaded up the five rods and the three or four enormous tackle boxes he brought, a net, and a backpack. There was no room for him to move in his boat. I took one rod and one small tackle box. I probably had four extra lures, just in case I lost some. After all, we only planned to fish for a few hours that afternoon. He brought enough tackle for a year. 

Even after launching his boat, Mark spent more time looking through his boxes of tackle than he did wetting his line. I’ve since learned that this is commonplace, part of the obsessiveness. Almost every time we go fishing, I’ve made a hundred casts and caught a few fish while he rummaged through every lure he brought, deciding which one to use. I swear he tries to use every hook for at least one cast. I sometimes joke that Mark goes fishing for lures, not for fish. But after fishing with him a dozen times, I’ve learned that is what makes Mark happy, even if he’s not actually fishing for much of the time.

Mark’s boat was so crammed with gear and poles that he set his cell phone down on the heap and it slid off into the lake. Without it, he couldn’t call me, answer my calls, nor could he tell what time it was. Consequently, he arrived at the dock hours late, dehydrated and sunburned so badly he went to urgent care later that day. After the experience, I bought Mark one of those floating cell phone holders so he wouldn’t lose the replacement phone. I’ve also learned that time has a different meaning for Mark. Setting a time with him is more suggestion than obligation.

Diagnosis

“Technically, I’ve been diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD,” Mark said. “I was first diagnosed with ADHD at 22 and autism at 29. Both are considered ‘neurodivergent,’ and science is increasingly recognizing they’re on the same spectrum.”

ADHD, autism, and AuDHD (shorthand for dual diagnosis) all present differently. For example, those with ADHD are notorious for poor time management. People with ASD are known for being much more regimented. Historically, the ADHD diagnostic model heavily favored middle-upper class children. Other children often got stuck with labels that are highly stigmatizing at worst, like conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, or personality disorders, and at best, diagnoses that are simply wrong, like bipolar disorder, depression, social anxiety, OCD, among others. 

Add in cultural and socioeconomic status factors and it gets even messier.

For Mark, it wasn’t really until high school that teachers noticed something different about him. He was a good student, which Mark credits to his excessive reading. He was also good at math, which didn’t hurt. Mark says that giving someone a label, even “autistic,” can be stigmatizing. 

Being autistic doesn’t mean one can’t succeed. 

Mark is married. And, despite the diagnosis and frequent and debilitating migraines, Mark earned a degree in sociology from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He admits the years there were a struggle for him, but he managed to earn his degree. Nowadays, he thinks about earning a master’s degree in fisheries, biology, or some field related to land and resources management.

Fishing — The Great Equalizer

I share this story about my friend only to show how much I’ve learned to appreciate and to accept him for who he is — my fishing buddy. Despite some apprehension, he was brave to contribute to this story. 

He and his father recall that even as a boy, Mark was totally into fishing. Over the years, he’s gone fishing with his grandfather, father, and his uncles. His mother sometimes tags along for the boat ride or joins him in her kayak.

No matter how many fish we do or don’t catch, he’s absolutely content to be fishing. He’s 100 percent focused on the moment. Nothing else matters. He’s in his zone, his happy place.

They say it’s good for the spirit to spend some time in nature. Mark’s story proves the adage right. Missourians are fortunate to live in a state with a lot of public resources including parks, conservation areas, campgrounds, stocked ponds and lakes, managed waterways, and even well-maintained shooting ranges. There are so many places where residents can go fishing, hiking, birdwatching, hunting, canoeing or kayaking, camping, or even mountain biking. I go camping sometimes just to be in nature. Sitting around a campfire without modern distractions is good medicine. The same holds for fishing. 

No matter how much we differ, Missouri’s public lands are for everyone. For Mark and me, we are always on the lookout for a new place to go fishing. ▲

John Smelcer is a freelance writer, who has written articles for more than 500 magazines over the decades.