Today’s post is going to be a little introspective. All of us, especially us guides, this time of year get caught up in the feeling that our success is measured only by the numbers of fish we can put in the boat. We hurry to the best positions and jockey with everyone on the river for what we feel is the next greatest location, only so we can put more numbers on the board. In short we have to some degree or another lost sight of why we got into this business in the first place…Because we all at one time or another fell in love with the sport of fly fishing in its purest form. Today I had the great pleasure of spending the day with Steve & Steve (Yes there was some confusion during the day). These gentlemen gave me a wonderful respite from the hectic time that is our steelhead season. They both spent the day swinging flies and indicator fishing with their wonderful hand crafted bamboo rods (I have not used a wood rod in years, you should all try it once in a while, you will be amazed at the memories it brings back). While we did not manage to get a fish today, we did have the opportunity to fish some beautiful areas of the river away from the busier areas and had a wonderful time getting to know one another and building friendships. But most of all I was reminded that it is not always the destination that brings reward, sometimes just taking the journey is a reward in itself. Steve & Steve, thank you for today and I look forward to fishing with you again. Maybe next time we can put the icing on the cake and reach the destination as well.
Dave
