I started fly fishing just after graduating from college.  A friend's Father-in-Law had got him interested in fly fishing and he passed it on to me.  My first rod was a cheap piece of crap Daiwa rod bought at Big 5.  It broke not long after I bought it.  My second rod was a Fenwick 8 1/2' 7wt.  Definitely not top of the line but it was a decent rod.  In fact, I still have it  but haven't used it in 15 years.  Since then I have built, purchased or otherwise acquired a handful of rods.  I have everything from a 5 1/2' bamboo 1wt to a beautiful three piece Winston 9' 6wt.

Even though I have fallen into the usual gear hog attitude when it comes to rods I really don't take fishing that seriously.  I love to catch fish and really enjoy the light rod/big fish combination.  However, as much as I would like to be a great fisherman, it is never going to happen.  I can't tell the difference between a BWO and a PMD.  I would like to know what the flies in my box are but I have really never managed to work up the motivation to learn.  If I'm fishing alone I pretty much stick to a beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph under a Caddis, Stimulator or Para Adams.  I have a better chance if my younger brother is with me.  I try to mine him for what bugs are out and which fly combo I should use.

Even though I am a fishing illiterate, I still manage to catch some decent fish at times.  There are days when everything is working and the casts land where I want them to.  It feels like hitting the lotto when I have one of those days where I'm casting well, the wind is down, the sun is warm, and the rising fish are taking surface bugs.  On those days I feel like a fisherman.  Most of the time I am just another tourist on the river enjoying a hobby... and that is just fine with me.  I get to be in a beautiful place and spend time with friends & family.  There are times when I am just as happy sitting on the bank smoking a cigar while watching my brother fish.  Z has a great cast and really works at being good.  He is also a lot more knowledgeable then I am and I learn a lot just from watching and asking questions.  One of these days I'd really like to grab Z and the drift boat and sneak away from everyone else.  I have a hard time imagining a better day then the two of us drifting and fishing.  A sunny Autumn day, a cooler full of beer & snacks, and a lot of fishing and rowing.  What could be better. 

I won't have as many opportunites to fish now that I own a small business.  Still, if nothing else, I hope to get together with Z and the drift boat sometime in 2007.