BROTHER & SISTERHOOD OF THE LONG ROD

An Immortaltity
“ Sing we for love and idleness,
Naught else is worth having.
Though I have been in many a
Land, There is not else in living...”

Ezra Pound 1885-1972

Lets face it brothers and sisters! What we all love and do is only an idle... I pay humble homage to the following who live their lives in a state of grace and excellent sportsmenship.They all have one or two other things in common other then lives spent in idleness! Love of the fly and love of life. Of course you all realize a few civilians out there see right through us! Fly fishing in Wolf terms is really akin to just doing nothin, doing nothin but chasing and sometimes catchin and sometimes not. Before I get started on the boys. Two shining stars, incomparable lady fly fishers bright comets in the World of International Fly Fishing,Tying, Karen Graham and winner of my first Single Fly Celebrity Pro Am. Steelhead loving Dorothy Zinki who won with her partner Allan Christian. Both of these ladies exude charm and grace. More importantly on any given morning either Karen or Dorothy might just teach you how to properly cast that long rod or tie an effective knot. Many men I have fly fished with are not half as educated in technique....

In the USA and around the world my fly brothers hold court; from Mr. Fly Tier Supreme A. K. Best, Fly Tier Master Jay Fair, All around journeyman of all things fly Cliff Sullivan. Up on the Olympic Peninsula Gordo Gracey knows every salmon by name! Way up Alaska way Johnny & brother David Wilson have bears and king salmon over for lunch.... Back East we have Master fly Tier/Fletcher Quill fiction character Jason Aki. Taking care of all things the slightest bit fishy, in Europe we have the one the only pound for pound fly tying, game fish chasing, water understanding Brother Of The Longrod Rok Lustrik who hails from Slovenia.

Rok is a fine example of the current generation international journeyman, guide, fly tier, photographer, sportsmen. Those who have had the good fortune of spending time with Roc on his home waters ( www.lustrik.com ) usually recall his precise knowledge identifying hatches and reading currents. Rok ties his own patterns and carves a pretty fine fly box. In the last few years I have kept Roc in my international guide radar, he is one of his generation to be watched. These days I run in to guides who cut corners as in using red colored beads instead of strictly flies, failing to truly know their local waters as in exactly what time of day will fish be active? Failing to completely understand every aspect of both equipment and fly management, dressing, presentation, stealth fish finding techniques, respect for all creatures above and below water! Understanding and respecting basic fly fishing philosophy, treating clients with kindness, the basics! Rok represents our sport with good humor and humility, my kind of international sportsmen indeed!

International Guide Rules to Live By!

1. You may know your home waters very well! That does not mean your any kind of expert.

2. Each of your clients have a skill set you may wish to learn about?

3. With respect quickly determine exactly how much practical experience your new clients possess?

4. Try not to hold their hands and correct every move, unless they ask you to.

5. Remember fly fishing really is supposed to be fun, not a morning of casting lessons and general tutoring unless asked for.

6.Always have more then enough flies, fly line cleaner, extra rods and reels, plenty of tippet material and all the extras one needs on the water.

7. If possible spend as much time as one can learning both the temperament and the short comings of your potential client. Many who love this sport and can afford to travel and spend the time are usually well heeled and equipped with a healthy ego. This getting to know you time will always pay off for savvy guides!

8. If and when your client hooks up, allow him or her to work the fish alone unless they ask for help. You’re a working guide, not a mother nature blessed know it all Cowboy!

9. The basics are important always, plenty of drinking water, extra sun screen, food if it is to be provided can be simple fresh and not too exotic.

10. If your new international client speaks another language, no worries The Brother & Sisterhood Of The Long Rod speak a universal language.

11. If suddenly your client stops speaking to you or seems sullen and withdrawn, first give him or her a little space, then gently enquire if it was you that caused the sudden shift?

12. Listen yo your clients, listening is the hardest lesson to learn as many guides feel overly confident in their home waters.... Listen and you will learn my friends.

In my mind guides like Roc and up in Alaska The Wilson Brothers and of course Gordo Gracie from the Olympic Peninsula are about as good at their craft as one can get. Bless you boys!

I spent many years guiding Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe in past years, these suggestions are hard earned and not off the top of this grey head Pilgrims!

Malachite Butterfly Dry