by fshflys » February 4th, 2009, 2:27 pm
Started fishing at an early age, my father loved fishing. Used to hop on my bike and ride to a lake in town fishing bluegills with pieces of bread rolled up. Moved to Pittsburgh when I was 11, dad started taking me to opening day a couple hrs drive north. Got my first fly rod for my 13th Bday but mostly used it for slinging salmon eggs. I did learn to control the line though. During high school, my dad would take me on fishing trips in Canada fishing walleye & Northern Pike, would fly fish in some of the streams also. Our family bought a cottage on the Allegheny River, we'd fish a small tributary in the spring for trout, float the river in the summer throwing poppers for bass.
Moved to SO CAL in '73 at age 20. When April came around that year I had the itch. Drove up to Bishop & camped @ Pleasant Valley, fished the Owens then Hot Creek. Still remember my first fish on Hot Creek, 15" bow on a white streamer. Can still picture my mother sitting on a big rock just upstream from the hot springs, book in her hands, peering over the top of her reading glasses looking at all the hippies skinny dipping. In the mid '70s started backpacking into the Eastern Sierra, then returned the pleasure of those Canada trips by taking my dad on a horse pack trip. ( Will admit, I let him pay, but I did the guiding & cooking)
Dad learned to tie in '73, I think I finally took a class in '75 at Dale's Hackle & Tackle, for all you youngins, this was the shop that Bob Mariotts took over. I now have a job where I work from home, monitoring computers, I can usually sneak a tie or two while working. I also have Thurs & Fri as my days off, that kinda sucks for finding someone to go fishing with but I find myself going more often as there aren't many social events those days. During winter I go to Eastern Sierra about every 3 weeks, last summer gas prices kept me away. My last trip had an epic day on Hot Creek, hooked 30 - 35 fish in a 3 hour span, can't wait to go again.
# of fishing days 2014, 12