I hung up my guiding boots a couple years ago to pursue a career that would allow me to be home with my wife more and eventually, our children. But as I'm sitting here at a deader than dead open house in Lake Stevens today, I was browsing through my pictures and looking at the reports from the guys I used to guide with and the memories of thousands of days spent on the water started popping up. Some are good, some are bad, some are TERRIBLE. Most are humorous and always seem to put a smile on my face. I'm going to start with a one of my favorites and hopefully some of you guides out there follow suit.
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Of course we all think back to the trips where a ton of fish were caught, and everyone ended the day triumphant and with high fives, but this day was probably one of my most rewarding days of guiding. It was October 2010, I was guiding the Klickitat. Fishing had been stellar to say the least.
This guy is an outdoor film maker. Only films fly fishing videos and travels the world doing it (dream job right?) Guy hadn't held a rod in 2 years. He and his wife had had their second child about 6 months earlier this was his last trip of the fall before he headed home. Needless to say, he wasn't going to get out fishing anytime soon. We filmed all day and he had all the footage he needed and was going to boogie that night to head home. We talked him into staying the night at the lodge and getting up early the next morning. Next morning comes and we're eating breakfast watching it get ready to snow outside and I said, " Hey Todd, lets you and me head down and we'll do a little mini float this morning. You can leave right from the takeout and head home. Its time you got to catch a couple fish instead of filming everyone else doing it." With a little badgering, I got him to commit. I figured with the way fishing had been, this was going to be epic.
We launched and dropped into the first run where Todd promptly casted his setup into the trees. Anchor down, time to re tie. Not his fault, he hadn't casted a fly rod in two years! Get set, pull out start drifting. Here's the sweet spot, bobber down! Snag. Snap. Anchor down, re tie. It was going to be one of those days. I could tell he was frustrated with himself, and was apologetic, I assured him, "Its fine man, thats the way it goes sometimes. Thats why I pre tie these hundreds of leaders you see!
"
We fished through several runs that had each produced multiple fish the day before. Nothing. Not a nudge, pull, tug, or sniff. The weather change had them off I think. It was getting close to time for Todd to head out, and I was getting desperate. He assured me he was having a fantastic time, actually fishing for once. I could see the rustiness wearing off and his casting getting better. He was hitting his spots, mending well, and getting good drag free drifts in the money. No longer frustrated and fishing with a smile. Still nothing.
As we come around the corner into view of the launch, there is one little sneaky spot where you have to get a cast upstream between two overhanging trees and behind a log that is lying parallel to the bank. If you miss it, you miss it. I prep him for whats coming, and as we go by, he chucks it into one of the overhanging trees. Snap, anchor down, re tie. Todd says, "man don't worry about it. Its been fun, I appreciate the effort and you taking me out today, but I think its clear that its not happening." I keep my head down, re tie, jump out of the boat, grab the anchor and start walking back upstream. He's going to hit that spot. I drag the boat up and across the riffle and get as close to the slot as I can but its not ideal. He is going to have to make the cast of casts to hit that pocket.
My efforts must have fired him up. I jumped in the boat and started rowing for all I was worth. Swung the bow around and Todd launched the most perfect tuck cast between those trees, stopped it short, fly dropped in right before the indicator and proceeded to drift unimpeaded into the money spot. It seemed like minutes, but it was seconds at most. I saw the fish come up to meet the fly, but kept my mouth shut. BAM! Bobber down! Todd drills it like a pro and a 10# buck comes cartwheeling out of the water and charges the boat. Slack line everywhere, fish is behind us going upstream at Mach 2, I spin a 180 to get Todd in line with the fish again and we're going backwards down the river now. The fish hits the backing and keeps going back up into the head of the run where we hooked him. We hit the beach, and a couple minutes and 3 epic runs and cartwheels later hes in the net.
I've never seen a guy so happy to catch a fish, especially just one fish. This guy has seen everything that fishing has to offer around the world, but his hands were shaking, and I could almost see his heart beating through his coat.
We released him and it was time to hit the road. We got to the launch and instead of high fives, it was a strong and meaningful handshake and thank you. The effort that went into that day, and the appreciation that was obvious of it were more rewarding to me than any tip or paycheck.
