You’d Have to Be a Fly Fisher — On the Art of Finding the Right Story

 

“While problems can be summarized in a formula or an algorithm, it takes a story to understand the dilemma.” — Bob Johansen, Institute for the Future

You constantly read about successful executives and entrepreneurs who generously share the secrets behind their achievements. Take business consultant Darren Menabney, for example, who revealed his insights in the business magazine Fast Company under the headline “Want To Be a More Confident Speaker?”:

“Before your next presentation, set some time aside to brainstorm the stories you already have available from your life. Find one that ties into the topic of your presentation — and, ideally, look for one that’s personal. Talk about overcoming a hardship or about a life lesson you learned, and build that into the presentation.”

Easier said than done. Unless, of course, you happen to be a fly fisherman.

At some point, you may come across Martin Clemm and Berthold Baule. The latter — Berthold Baule — is an exceptional storyteller and filmmaker who has never held a fishing rod in his life.

Yet he is captivated by the story of the former: Martin Clemm. Clemm is a lawyer. But more than that, he is what one would call a passionate fly fisherman. Hardly a day passes that he is not by the water — or thinking about all the fish he still hopes to catch in his lifetime.

Fly fishing is a complex sport, often compared to golf. Much like a golfer perfecting a swing, a fly fisherman spends years mastering the perfect cast. And perfection, of course, remains elusive. Like golfers, fly fishermen continue learning throughout their lives.

Fly fishing is a precision sport demanding exceptional body control, concentration, and endurance. It is a form of hunting in pursuit of prey that is itself a hunter. Trout and salmon know exactly what it means to wait patiently for their next meal. Accordingly, they are alert, powerful, and highly conditioned. Anyone who has spent ten minutes fighting a thirteen-pound pike on the line knows immediately that the fish is operating in its natural element.

For Anyone Who Wants to Know How Far They Can Go

Martin Clemm lives for these moments: the quiet hours by the water, the patient anticipation, the rhythmic casting of the line, and the decisive instant when a fish strikes the fly.

Those unfamiliar with the sport may reasonably wonder whether the story Baule and Clemm tell is simply another eccentric hobby tale appreciated only by insiders. Yet the introduction to their story suggests something far deeper:

For everyone who wants to know how far they can go.
About the search for limits that must not exist.
About the determination that makes the impossible possible.
About dreams worth risking everything for.

That preface alone hints that this is about far more than fishing lore.

A Life-Altering Accident

Because in Martin Clemm’s case, everything changed. After a devastating accident, Clemm became paralyzed from the waist down overnight. At thirty years old, he suddenly found himself confined to a wheelchair. He could continue working as a lawyer, but he could no longer stand or walk. And for Clemm, the worst part was this:

“I can’t hold the rod. I can’t grip the line. I can’t turn the reel. I can’t even use my upper body properly to cast.”

Yet the passionate fly fisherman refused to surrender. He would not abandon his lifelong dream. He wanted once again to hear the reel sing at the water’s edge and watch the line glide through the air. Despite severe physical limitations, Martin Clemm fought his way back to the water.

And he had good reason to fight. Thirty good reasons, in fact: thirty species of fish he still wanted to catch in his lifetime.

30 Reasons is the story Berthold Baule and Martin Clemm tell through an extraordinary film project. The film follows Clemm’s journey, documenting how he works with prosthetic specialists and orthopedic technicians to regain some control of his hands. It shows him returning to rivers and coastlines — in Ecuador, Iceland, Colombia, and Belize.

It is a film that sends both men on a journey: one with a camera and microphone, the other with a wheelchair and a fishing rod.

When a Story Finds You

At some point, if you are a fly fisherman, this story finds its way into your hands. And you remember what Darren Menabney advised:

“Before your next presentation, (…) brainstorm the stories you already have available (…). Find one that ties into the topic of your presentation — and, ideally, look for one that’s personal.”

That is precisely how this story came to the attention of the Head of Business Development at an international chemical company — a manager determined to do something different at the next global sales leadership conference. The conference centered on a familiar topic: innovation. A term that has long since lost much of its power. Not only in this company, but among German journalists as well, “innovation” has become one of those overused buzzwords — repeated too often, too casually, and too vaguely.

In many companies, a certain “innovation fatigue” has quietly emerged because the real problems, effort, and persistence required for genuine innovation are rarely discussed. Innovation in the day-to-day reality of a midsize industrial company looks very different from the sleek labs of Apple or Google. It differs from beautifully designed consumer products like the iPhone or Tesla, and from fast-moving software apps tested in agile, design-thinking environments.

For many midsize businesses, innovation means creativity in the details. It is not about reinventing everything; it is about adjusting tiny levers, refining critical points, and improving what already exists. Meticulous project management, strategic foresight, and perseverance become the essential skills.

Yet no matter how differently innovation may be understood — whether in a Silicon Valley startup or a European manufacturing company — one thing remains the same: the mindset, dedication, and passion behind every new idea.

It is the uncompromising refusal to accept the world as it is, paired with the determination to make it better — despite obstacles and resistance.

Please, Not the Same Old Story Again

That was precisely the theme of that year’s sales leadership conference, where the Head of Business Development delivered his keynote.

The focus was not on grand breakthroughs, but on incremental progress. On the details that matter when searching for better solutions. On the attitude and motivation behind every innovation. A spirit visible in young — and forever-young — companies such as Apple, Google, and Tesla.

But instead of recycling the same benchmark stories and familiar American case studies, why not try something different? Why not begin with a personal story that embodies exactly this mindset? A story…

For everyone who wants to know how far they can go.
About the search for limits that must not exist.
About the determination that makes the impossible possible.
About dreams worth risking everything for.

Instead of relying on conventional PowerPoint slides, the manager embraced storytelling. Rather than speaking abstractly about innovation strategies, he talked about passion and commitment through the lens of an unusual hobby.

He told his audience — eighty sales leaders from around the world — the story of a man who refused to accept reality as it was and who could name thirty good reasons to reshape his world.

The presentation remained memorable for a long time afterward. Not merely because one fly fisherman had incorporated the story of another into a business presentation, but because Martin Clemm’s story presented a hero whose attitude could inspire anyone — fisherman or not. A role model, especially for those not bound to a wheelchair.

“It can be hard to describe the power and magic inherent in fly fishing and how it touches our souls, but every now and then you come across a story that articulates it beautifully. This story does exactly that… but on an entirely different level. It shows that fly fishing is more than a sport; it is something that can genuinely help us understand what it means to live.” — Simon Perkins, Orvis Adventures

You’d Have to Be a Fly Fisherman

Perhaps you are not one.

Perhaps you are not among the estimated thirty million men and women worldwide who tie tiny handmade flies to the end of a line — delicate creations fashioned from squirrel-tail fibers and golden pheasant feathers, designed to imitate a newly hatched mayfly waiting to be taken by a trout just beneath the water’s surface.

Perhaps you are not even among the world’s 220 Million community of anglers — the ones who carry folding chairs and coolers to a pond, baiting hooks with corn, maggots, or homemade boilies, patiently waiting for a hungry fish to bite. No, perhaps you are neither.

Perhaps you are not an angler at all. Perhaps you simply cast presentations and speeches into the crowd, hoping someone will take the bait. Then let us talk about your lure:

What, exactly, is a story?

And how do you cast it into an audience in a way that does more than attract attention — in a way that truly hooks people?

You’ll find answers in my new book, Between the Lines — a practical guide to storytelling for leaders and anyone seeking to harness the power of narrative in business. Available on Amazon beginning May 1, 2026.

This text was written by a human; AI tools were used for translation, spelling, and grammar review. Photo by Alex Lange on Unsplash.