January 30, 2025
This day started out like any other, as of late. Got out of bed, shared some coffee and conversation with my girlfriend, and when she went to work, so did I. The coffee ran out about mid-morning, surviving 34 flies tied, a couple hours of Cali-Reggae music, a few emails sent, and several dozen birthday messages responded to.
A funny feeling came over… a whiskey and sprite. This was out of the blue, for sure, especially on a Thursday morning. But what the hell, it’s my birthday. I could get away with just about anything today. I contribute this feeling to the late John Gierach. I’ve been listening to his book, “Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing.” I’ve enjoyed listening to this book; it’s really easy to see why John was such a beloved author.
In this book, John frequently talks of his tying / writing scene. The scene was of him at his tying desk, wrapping some thread on hooks, with coffee in reach, and a fire in the background. Maybe I’m fibbing the story by putting a glass of whiskey near him, but it feels right so I’m going with it. After all, it is my birthday, and I don’t think John would mind all that much.
I’m hardly a professional fly tyer, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process of tying my own flies. It really does add connection to the rivers and my business partners who reside there.
It wouldn’t take one long to realize that my flies are extraordinarily amateur. They’d stick out like a sour thumb among professional fly tyers and not in a good way. There are subtle differences among the same pattern; no two are alike. Just as no two years of my life have been alike.
Sure, there’s consistent themes, similar patterns but each year having its unique differences, for better or worse. The fish don’t seem to mind that one fly may have a three-turn whip finish, and the other one has a five-turn. Similarly, the people in my life haven’t much cared about my lifestyle changes, even though those differences would be much larger than the number turns I’ve used to finish a fly.
With each fly I tie, I get better and better. My wraps are becoming more consistent and dependable. Like my fly tying, my life has improved with each year. Slowly but surely, finding my place on this planet of billions.
Being a fly fishing guide is the best job in the world; it suites my personality and desired lifestyle perfectly. The long days on the water for weeks at a time during the summer perfectly compliment the slower paced winters, which are now becoming filled with planning and preparing for the season ahead, including tying flies.
Slow mornings of sitting down at the vice, sipping coffee in between adding material to hooks will soon give-way to 3:30 AM alarms, sipping coffee on the way to the boat ramp, and mentally strategizing how I’m going to get my clients on fish. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown more and more appreciative of the different seasons and what they mean.
Some of the flies I’ve tied will see a dozen or so fish mouths. Others will end up at the bottom of a river, stuck on rock immediately after tying it on the leader. I put the same focus and attention to detail into each one. The unknown of which fate the fly will get, as I put it into my fly box, is where the magic really lies.
The fish don’t seem to mind the subtle differences in each fly or the flaws. They’re not counting the number of legs or body segments. All they need convincing of is that it’s a food source that they’ve eaten before. Granted, sometimes this is more difficult than others but usually, if it’s close to their food source and near their feeding lane, they’ll have no problem eating it.
Like the fish, I haven’t found good humans to worry too much about my minor flaws, personal biases, or even the set in my ways attitude. (I’m getting older after all.) I’m reminded of this each January when the world completes a lap closing another yearly chapter of my life.
So, a big thanks to all whom I’ve crossed paths, whether short or long-lived. Thanks for your kindness, encouragement, and your teachings. Be sure, that I’ve learned something from each of you, whether you or I know what it is or not.
I hope that our paths rendezvous once again but keep in mind, that all I have to offer you is a boat ride, some smiles shared over a fish, and the escape we all need from what modern life has become. After all, I’m just a fishing guide trying to enjoy the small details of daily life.
“I don’t know what exactly fly fishing teaches us,
but I think it’s something we need to know.”
– John Gierach
