interesting discussion.
I am a long time fly fisher. In an analogy with pipe smoking, to summarize the comparison of the two. My first pipe efforts were a five buck medico with a cheap full on aromatic that rendered me unable to form words for days after puffing up an inferno. The same with fishing. the first endeavour with the equivalent of a popeil pocket fisherman rod, a float at the end the size of a melon, one foot leader and a fly that resembled a feather duster. When cast and hit the water, the wake went for miles. The cast resulted in spooking the fish in the spot, away for a week.
Times changed over time. I now am a pretty good angler with fine equipment and I now have great times and yes, my formulative years as a pipester now have me enjoying a pipe whilst fishing, now reward me with a great experience.