Fishing: More Questions Than Answers
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Before I started guiding in 1998, I thought I was pretty hot stuff. After all, my buddies and I typically did very well on the chinook and steelhead in our backyard stream, the American River in Northern California.
But in that first season of professional fishing, it quickly became obvious that I really had no clue what I was doing. I was not only surprised by my lack of knowledge, but also scared to death of it. I mean, here I was starting this new career…yet apparently, I was in way over my head.
It dawned on me soon thereafter that in my pre-guiding, fun-fishing period, we usually cherry-picked the best days. My friends and I would hit the river when it was in perfect shape, at the peak of the run and on a quiet weekday—and would go play golf or something else when the conditions weren’t right. Of course as a guide, you have to be able to produce when things are less than perfect—when the river’s on the rise and full of leaves; when there are a million boats and the water is low and clear; when the dreaded North wind is blowing, and so on…
Suddenly, I realized that there was so much to learn!
Now, let’s fast forward to the present day, seventeen years later. In the nearly two decades since I ran my first trip, I am light years ahead of that guy who started with a 16-foot Clacka and a dream. But despite the tens of thousands of hours on the water, I feel like there’s still so much to learn.
I recently had a guy in my boat who was sure that I knew everything there was to know about fishing since it’s what I’ve done for a living for so long. I couldn’t help but laugh and told him that the more I learn about fish and their habits, the less I feel I know. It’s kind of like one of those Bloomin’ Onions at Outback Steakhouse…the more layers you peel back, the more you find on the inside.
More Questions than Answers!
