I once asked a fly fisherman why he used 10-pound line on 12-pound fish. Why not just use 12-pound line?

He said It’s not about the line. The real challenge is to get them to bite, bring them along gently, carefully, setting the hook; then get them into the boat before they even know what happened.

Oh, I said, it’s a lot like poker.

…And then after I catch them, I unhook them and let them swim away.

Okay, I said—so it’s not like poker.