fish , '' said Derosier , manager at Taylor Creek Fly Shop in Aspen , Colorado . `` You basically just want to go fishing -- the numbers , the size , it does n't matter any more . '' Obama is in the `` big fish '' stage of his presidency : He 's trying to get health-care reform legislation passed hook , line , and sinker . If he 's successful , anything else he gets passed will be icing on the cake . Learning the fundamentals of fly-fishing can serve as a metaphor for health care reform . Obama just needs to look at hooking and landing Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans like he would trout . The first step -- learn how to cast . `` Fly-casting is all about maximizing the energy you put in your rod and you lose energy if you wait too long , '' Derosier said . `` And conversely , if you do n't wait long enough , your line will crack like a whip . '' Obama has to strike the right balance between rushing things through and losing momentum ; and maintaining support while bringing others over to
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After a town hall meeting on health-care reform in Belgrade , Montana , President Obama will escape to Big Sky country on Friday evening where he 'll spend time with family and go fly-fishing for the first time . White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel carries fly-fishing tackle to Marine One on Friday . Fly-fishing requires a singular focus , much like golf . Having newly discovered the sport myself , it occurred to me as I watched Marine One lift off the South Lawn on Friday that there are probably some lessons on the river that could apply to Obama 's presidency . Thinking like a producer , I called an expert -- fly-fishing instructor Tony Derosier , who described the evolution most fishermen go through . `` Usually , when you first go fishing , all you want to do is catch a fish , and then all you want to do is catch a lot of fish , and then you just want to catch the larger fish . After you 've caught a lot of large fish , you kind of go back to square one and catch just one