Can Playing Games Like Pickleball and Basketball Improve Your Fly Fishing?

Before starting any new exercise program, consult with a healthcare professional to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your individual health and fitness level. This advice is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical guidance.

Use the Off-Season To Move Forward

Winter is the off-season for most fly anglers. That means tying flies, reading books on fly fishing, and for some who have it really bad, maybe even a little ice fishing. But I'm not great at sitting still. From an early age coaches drilled it into my head that off-seasons were a good time to get ahead. It’s the perfect chance to learn a new skill, get in better shape, and move forward.

Don’t Underestimate the Demands Fly Fishing Puts on Your Body

Fly fishing isn’t just about casting a fly rod—it’s a full-body activity. From wading through currents, to boulder hopping, hiking in, keeping your balance on a casting platform, and standing on your feet for hours at a time. Fly fishing demands a lot from your body. Sure, it can be a relaxing, leisurely activity, but it can also exert pressure on your joints, muscles, and overall stability.

A fly angler jumping in the creek to get across. — Are you in shape enough to get to the waters others can't get to? | photo by Ken Baldwin

Exercise and Training Make a Difference

The lesson really hit home for me towards the end of my guiding career. If I wanted to keep up with the 20 year olds and make it through the whole season I had to use the off season to get me into fighting weight. It worked and I was able to extend my career 5 more years than I should have.

Using an Off-Season to give me an Edge

A guide using his balance and strength to cross a river. — I want to be able to fly fish well into my old age—and at the intensity required to get the job done. I use the winter break to stack the deck in my favor. | photo by Mason Cochran

I tie flies and read about fly fishing during the off-season, but I also make sure to work out three times a week. My workouts include playing basketball, a few pickleball sessions, and weight training. The Basketball and pickleball part is easy. It's a lot of fun so it doesn't take much to stick with it. The weight training, that takes a little extra motivation.

Find the Workout That You Will Show Up For

Activities like pickleball and basketball push me to move my body in ways that directly translate to the boulder hopping, wading, and balancing I’ll need while fly fishing. But it doesn’t have to be pickleball or basketball, it can be tennis, martial arts, jogging, rock climbing, or even fast-paced walking—anything that pushes you to move harder, faster and stronger.

Fooling Myself Into Showing Up

I've figured out that if I get my workout through something I enjoy playing, I'll be consistent with it because it's fun. I don't think about the exercise, I think about the play, the winning, and in turn, I trick myself into getting exercise.

Put In the Effort

Whatever you choose, it has to challenge you and push you out of your comfort zone. The effort will pay off in better movement, stamina, and endurance on the water.

Collect the Rewards

I’m no longer guiding, but now my goal is to keep fishing well into old age. Working out kept me in the guiding game longer than most of my peers, and I believe it can do the same for the rest of my life. I love this sport way too much to stop doing it. KB

"The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover