One of my favorite memories has me standing knee deep in the Deschutes River of Central Oregon with my good friend, Tom. The sun was setting over the ridge, the mayflies began to hatch and suddenly the fish went wild; flying out of the water and smacking anything we threw at them. I saw more fish in five minutes than I had in all the days that preceded it. And then, just as suddenly, the water was still…the bite was off. Tom and I smiled at each other and packed it in; knowing that the long hours spent pressing each other forward had been very well rewarded.
In moments like that, when the fish are really biting you don’t need a well cast line or even a well tied fly. You just need a hook in the water. But when they’re not, and the days are endlessly quiet, you need all of these plus the encouragement of trusted friends.
