my first trout on a fly rod!!

"...on some of the rocks are timeless raindrops..."
-- Norman Maclean


i have been dreaming about going fly fishing for over a decade now. i am not ashamed to admit that my first memorable run-in with the art was in the film, "A River Runs Through It." i was not a hunter/gatherer sort of boy growing up, and would say that i did not really discover my deep love for the outdoors until after i left home.

what started as a recognition of something that seemed beautiful and full of grace in that film, became increasingly tangible as i began making trips out west each year.... a ritual that reached a relative culmination in a trip (dare i say, mecca) to missoula (which is where the film is situated along the banks of the big blackfoot).

in my soul, i felt a patience about the the draw i felt. it was not something for which i wanted to go out and purchase equipment and jump in the river simply to satiate what at that point was pure wonder, curiosity, and a growing appreciation..... all great things in and of themselves, and yet weren't enough not to make me feel like i would be bastardizing myself, the fish, and the river if i treated this as simply an equipment obstacle at which i could throw money to solve the problem.

i wanted to wait til i knew it was "time".... a sentiment that perhaps sounds overly dramatic and it might be in some respects, but on the other hand its fair to say that the waiting was a mixture of not only internal mystery but also knowing i would like to wait until i met someone who had a similar appreciation and love for the sport (even if much more developed than my own budding interest), and under whom i could learn and be mentored.

this last couple of years, this important piece began developing. as i began getting to know joe, i started to see that serendipity was busy at play. over the last year and a half i got to learn more and more about joe's love for the outdoors, and most importantly (in this case :), for fly fishing. the more i got to know him, the more i saw that he could easily be the person i had been waiting for if he had the interest in taking me under his wing so to speak.

as we began talking more and more about fly fishing, i could see that he was almost a different person when talking about it. it was one of those things where a person is so passionate about what they're talking about, that even if you had no interest whatsoever, you found yourself drawn into it by centripetal force. in my case, i was already clearly interested, so i certainly didn't need to be convinced.

this summer became the "time" i had been waiting for. all the facets of my life had converged to make it the "perfect" time to take the leap from thought to action. i had waited a long time for this, and was now ready. joe was extremely helpful in getting me prepared, and guiding me through how to begin stepping into the art and sport of fly fishing.

we began by practicing casting, and then took some trips out on the lake to put practice to the test.

it wasn't until last sunday though, that we made plans to finally hit the river.

i was so excited about this day, there are no words for it. i had butterflies in the gut like it was the first day of kindergarten, or the first time you went on a date.

we had a gorgeous day, even if a little on the sunny side for the trout themselves. we hit whitewater river (near rochester, mn) which is one of the premier trout streams in southern minnesota.

i had trouble getting started as i was tangling my line in weeds on back casts, and branches on forward casts. i think joe was getting a little nervous about whether i was going to last more than an hour at that pace in terms of frustration level. :) but i quickly found a workable rhymthm after watching joe instruct by example.... the exact kind of back and forth that proved invaluable, and that confirmed to me that having waited patiently all these years was a meaningful and good thing to do......

after a couple hours, i began getting trout to rise at my fly! what a fantastic moment, when all around you disappears, time slows almost to a hault, and for a brief second, all that exists is you and the trout...... its indescribable.

i did not however land any of the first handful of trout that i managed to coax after my caddis dry fly. nonetheless, i felt affirmed by the response from the fish, and joe was there to encourage as well.

then the moment came........

i was fishing the farside bank of a narrower stretch of the river.... casting my fly up stream and letting it drift back just beyond the edge of the grasses over-hanging the rippling water. trout love overhead cover.... it is their blanket of safety. i had already seen a trout rise in this location five minutes prior, so i knew he was likely still there.

as my fly traveled along with the bubbles and random debris on top of the water, BAM!

the trout materialized seemingly out of nowhere, and as joe says, "smashed" my fly. for the first time today, when i responded with a lift of my fly rod and a firm but gentle pull back on the fly line with my left hand, there was actually "weight" on the end of the line! i was so excited, my heart started pumping double, if not, triple time.

soon i could see the trout scurrying just beneath the surface, trying madly to evade my watchful eye, and to escape from my rod's grasp. he headed back behind some tree roots (which was a rookie mistake on my part to allow him to do such a thing), but the hook was set so well that thankfully he did not manage to break free.

seconds later i was pulling him in to celebrate my first trout on a fly rod! this particular trout was a brown trout, had beautiful color, and was about 10 inches long--- a respectable size for whitewater.

my adrenaline was rushing head to toe. there are few things that have matched the rapid release of adrenaline like this experience did that day. it was euphoric. i had to let out a "shane scream" which anyone who knows me, knows how that likely appears. joe had to sort of give me the "ok, ok, dude.... quiet-down-look".... all with a big smile though. i knew joe, perhaps more than anyone, could appreciate and love that moment as well, having been there himself years ago.... remembering what it was like to pull that first one in.

there is so much more i could write, but this story will wrap up here. i hope there are plenty more to come. i couldn't thank joe enough for helping to get me to this point. he hand-tied a bunch of flies for me for my birthday and gave them to me before we fished that day, and then handed me a number of other "essentials." he has been an awesome guide, and what is even more, a great friend. many thanks.

Peace.