Before you leave to fish, you must decide where to go. You check the river levels and flow rate. You ensure it is safe to cross and clear enough to see the trout.

You check the weather. You consider the wind. You think about the time of year.

Because fishing is not just about the fish – it is about the conditions.

Marketing is the same. You might have the perfect message, and you might even know exactly who your customer is. But if the conditions are wrong, nothing or no one will bite.

Fishing and Marketing: Reading the Conditions

Fishing and marketing are more alike than they first appear. A smart angler does not keep casting the same fly into the same part of the river, hoping there is still a trout there. The trout move. They respond to changes in food, light, temperature, and the water.

Sometimes, it is a mayfly hatch, and sometimes, it is beetles blowing in from the bank. The angler reads the water, watches the surface, and adjusts.

Marketers must do the same. When the landscape shifts, so must your approach.

For a small rural business, that might mean adapting to:

• A community with less spending power after a tough season
• A new national chain drawing attention away
• Reduced foot traffic due to road closures or poor weather
• Fewer local events where you usually make connections

In those moments, the answer is not to push harder. It is to cast smarter.

You may need to:

• Slow down and observe
• Shift your messaging
• Find calmer waters – loyal customers, niche audiences, or quieter platforms where your offer still resonates

Before You Cast, Ask Yourself:

• Where is my customer right now?
• What are they hungry for today?
• What is happening around me?
• Am I using the right fly?
• Is this still the right spot, or just the one I am used to?

Strategy Is About Positioning

Michael Porter famously said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”

Strategy is not just about trying harder. It is about focusing smarter.

Sometimes, the best decision is to hold your cast until the current turns. Wait for the right window. And then deliver the perfect presentation.

Closing Reflection: Read Before You React

Fly fishing teaches humility and awareness. Nature does not bend to your plan. It rewards those who observe.

Marketing is no different. Those who pause, assess, and adapt will always outperform those casting blindly into a torrent.

If you are willing to pause, observe, and adapt, you will always be ahead of those casting blindly into rushing waters.