When the fly fishing gets tough you gotta do something. One thing is for certain, you ain’t gonna catch a thing if your line ain’t in the water. Jason and I met up with my friend Keith on the Sandbar. It was every man for himself. Nobody could dial into the fish, so each man had to do what needed to be done. We tried all different flies, all different colors. We fish the bars, we fished the ledges, we fished the surf. We picked up a few fish, but we had to work for them. Sometimes, we just never know what’s gonna work, when its gonna work or where it is gonna work. Keith definately proved that to Jason and I yesterday on one of the sandbars. All three of us were casting, changing flies, changing the speed of the strips. We tried black, olive and white, white, brown, gray, big, small, medium. Then I heard Jason reeling up his line, which is every flyfishermans way of telling his buddy, “Let’s Move.” So, I reeled up my line and just as I was attaching the fly to my cork grip, WHAM! Keith gets a fish. A nice fish too. Jason and I stood there and watched with envy. Keith was all smiles and Jason and I just stood there and watched in disbelief. This happens all the time. I have seen it Salmon fishing, Steelhead fishing, Trout Fishing….Determination and persistance catch fish. So, keith earned this fish for sure. Keith also caught this fish on his own creation. He showed me the fly and it was some green thing with eyes. That’s what’s cool about flyfishing. At one point, Keith was sitting infront of his vice, tying something that he thought would work, based on his water observations and past flyfishing experiences. His imagination became a reality when the fly was tied. His theory and investment came to fruition when he caught the fish. So, to the non-flyfishing people of the world we probably all look like a bunch of idiots wasting our time in the water and wearing rubber uniforms. But, all of us flyfisherman know the truth. We know what it takes to catch fish and its much more than just luck. It is a combination of skill, experience, artistry, imagination and science. On the water, we get to excercise our own rules, our own theories and make our own decisions. We learn, we mess up, we succeed, and the wheel continues to turn. I like flyfishing because it can never be mastered. There is no way of ever learning it all. There is simply too many fish, to much water and too many variables. Have you ever met a guy who thinks he know it all? I am sure you have. He is usually a local in some town in some state. He usually fishes for the same species of fish over and over and over again. He has usually convinced himself that he is an expert. To me, this type of person is a fool. The wise man is always learning and always fishing for new fish, or the same fish using different methods and he always asking questions and always learning. The wise man understands that what he knows is a very small fraction of what could be understood. The wise man understands that in the big scheme of things he knows nothing. I strive to be more like the many wise men that I have met on water all over the world and less like the many fools I have encountered. Both types of flyfishermen are out there and they are very easy to distinguish. when you meet a guy, your intuition will tell you what kind of flyfisherman he is. You can feel it in your gut. Whatever, I am rambling, nice fish Keith!