So it is a new year, which means new beginnings for most folks, or if you have no goals or dreams, I guess it can remain the same status quo that it has been. To each their own. For us, we have some dreams and some of them are coming true because of you guys. We cannot express how appreciative of your support that we are.
I have done more fishing these last couple months than I have in the last several years. I have literally fished with dozens of people and caught hundreds of trout so far this season. It has been a blast; the books are back to selling and I have written a new book that will be released very soon. There was some sort of paper issue last year while trying to release another book project that I had done. I took that is a sign from God and went back thru that book and redid some of it, hopefully improving it. I am very excited to get into people’s hands and see the response.
So we have also grown our YouTube channel a lot, we actually hit 75000 views today, it is a bit of a slow process but slow and steady wins the race. We have also had a heck of a year last year on our fly sales, I literally haven’t posted any on our page store because I couldn’t keep up with requests. I have been spending a lot of time tying to get a large assortment made up and will be adding to our store very soon. I just dont want to add something and it be gone instantly, so please be patient, our store will be up and running very soon with lots of flies and cool shirts and merchandise as well.
So anyway, with all of that said it has been a new beginning of an old dream. We have worked on this forever it seems, and it finally is a time in my life where I actually can devote my full attention to flyfishing. I know it’s a rough life, but somebody has to do it. That somebody is me, I’m going to do it, I have worked and invested into this for decades and the time has finally come where I can write and fish and either make you laugh or make you angry. I guess that will be your choice, I am going to try my best to always be a good experience but sometimes that just doesn’t work.
Just this last week I am fishing, like I do every week. I am wading out into the water to get closer to a hole that I know holds some trout. There is an older gentleman who is apparently having a bad day. That or he has a stigma against fly fisherman. As I am across the water he yells at me and tells me that I am scaring all of the fish away. He is literally reeling a fish in as he is telling me this. I believe in being respectful at all times, but I did struggle greatly telling him what was actually happening. I reminded me of my grandma so much that I had to just laugh. I find it funny the difference in fisherman. All the old fly fisherman are always smiling, happy and sharing knowledge and all the old bait fisherman are all crotchety and always worried about someone scaring all of the fish away. I let it alone, figured the old guy probably seen some things in life that had made him that way and I just tried to be still and avoid his area. He did catch a few fish, I caught a few dirty looks and at the end of the day we parted ways, he was grunting and groaning, and I was still enjoying my day. Sometimes I want to explain to fisherman that they would be happier if they picked up a flyrod and tried our method. Something about carrying buckets of bait and tackleboxes and chain-smoking cigarettes must make a guy cranky. Goes back to grandma when I was a kid fishing. I don’t know if I ever had a fishing trip with her where I didn’t hear “shut your ass up, your gonna scare the fish away, little kids are to be seen and not heard”. I know now that me talking doesn’t scare fish away. You know how I know? I never shut up, ever!!!! And guess what? I always catch fish. I guess it’s just someone wanting peace and quiet, and some folks are just set in their ways. I respect that and can’t wait for the day where I can be that crotchety old man, I already have the look down.
Along with the crotchety old man I have met countless other types of fishermen along the banks this year as well. There is always the bank fisherman with their kiddos who are having the time of their life and so are their kiddos. That to me is more important that catching fish. Then there is always the guy in the wife beater with a chili stain on it, drinking a bear and cussing all while his Copenhagen is dripping down his face. Every word he speaks is followed by a cuss word, and his box of worms always seems to be floating downstream from where he was. My new favorite group of fishermen are the euronymphers. Now some of these guys are crazy successful and it is an improved method of flyfishing, I just am not into it. I like my old traditional flyrod and floating line, I guess I am set in my ways and more like that crochety old man that I realized. But you can always tell the new guys who get into that sport. They are like cooks in the Army, you ever notice there were no cooks in the Army? Ask anyone what they did in the Army and they were all starving Rangers, because none were cooks, so they had to be hungry. Once they grab that euro rod, they are experts in the field, and they are now better than all others. Even if they never catch a fish, they somehow have risen above the rest of us peasants. Even if you watch them fish all day, and see they are not catching any, they all come off the river telling everyone how great they are and how they caught more fish than anyone else and that it is the only method of fishing. Somehow if you have fished twice with a euro rod, you are now an expert in the field, and all others must succumb to their authority. Somehow, each week, I cross paths with some of each of these. Now I don’t need to put all fisherman in these categories, there are good people who fish in all these methods, but I can guarantee I meet some of each of the above each week.
So in parting, I guess I better tell you guys something I am learning to be important. The last four weeks I have fished, either myself, Zoey or someone I fish with has had a major issue with leaky waders or filling their waders up by baptizing themselves in the river. So please, if you are going to go fishing, be safe, be prepared and have some spare dry clothes, a water patch kit close by. I am telling you after this last month I will never go to the river without spare clothes in a pack. There is something about seeing your twelve-year-old daughter shivering profusely 2 miles from a warm set of dry clothes that makes you think a little differently about things.
Well Happy New Year, thanks for everything and I will hopefully be able to continue to do this, and wont be beat up and drowned by any old cranky people on the river, or wont baptize myself to eternity in the cold river water. I am literally living a dream, I love flyfishing and writing and touching my wife’s butt. I will share as much of the first two as I can with you guys. The rest is just for me, sorry. Again, thanks from the bottom of my heart, you guys are making a guys dream come true.
