Investment Metaphor #10: Trout Fishing

Jul 23

Jul 23 Investment Metaphor #10: Trout Fishing

I just got back from a five-day camping and fishing trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park. While I was fishing in Hat Creek, and simultaneously observing other nearby fishers, it occurred to me that trout fishing was itself a good metaphor for long-term investing.

While fishing, I was struck by the large number of impatient fishermen out there. Anglers would cast their lines a couple of times, get bored with the lack of success, and move upstream to try another spot along the creek only to be met with similar lackluster results. I, on the other hand, chose to remain stationary at a spot I knew would be successful based on past experience. While I may not have gotten as much exercise as my impatient competitors, I was able to walk proudly back to the campsite with two robust looking rainbow trout.

Patience and faith in a reliable fishing strategy were the key to a successful fishing excursion. Likewise, in investing, patience and faith in one's long-term investment strategy is the key to financial success in the future. Those who practice the short-term day-trading model of investing are bound to be disappointed, just as the impatient fishermen were disappointed by their empty trout stringers. Find a good long-term investment portfolio (such as the one I use here) and do not give into the temptation of impatience in your investing. True, such investing is boring, but no more so than enjoying a rainbow trout dinner after a successful fishing trip. The fishing itself was rather monotonous, but the resultant trout dinner was fit for a king!