The weeks and days leading up to a fishing trip can be a little overwhelming. You have nothing else on your mind but that particular stretch of water and what to pack or what not to pack. Fishing gear, check. Firewood, check. Beer, what kind should I get? Scotch, check. Cigars, check. .45, check. No wait, leave the gun take the tying vice.
One has to spend their time wisely, oiling the reels weeding out useless gear that only weighs you down and cleaning your waders so you don’t spread those filthy little aquatic hitchhikers. I look forward to this type of thing and compare it to a pitcher preparing for game 5 of the World Series.
Much like Rommel’s meticulous planning for the invasion of North Africa I spent the day preparing my gear then I came across my fishing Journal. I rarely turn the back the pages and read my scribbled notes from previous trips and outings. I more or less look forward to the next time I can be on the water and the next fish I can record and with what fly he was caught on.
Today was different, I started on page one and worked my way to the fly recipe pages which show how I tie them and on to my hand drawn detailed map of the blue river listing my own secret spots and their code names. With every new page I began to realize how much this book means to me and what knowledge It will pass to my kids. I also, realized I don’t need four fly boxes because I catch fish with a core group of 7 flies, fished alone or in tandem and at different depths under different weather and water conditions. The Zebra is a killer in slow water, the Pheasant Tail in murky and San Juan is typically just a bad ass. Everything else is classified.
So plan a trip, go through your gear and fish smarter not harder.
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