“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.” Henry David Thoreau
I bought my first fly rod when I returned from duty in the U.S. Army in 1971 and Vietnam. I played with that rod, but never mastered it. It had to be the rod, right? I bought another fly rod, and had the same results.
Fast forward to 2006, when my wife and I moved to the Cincinnati area, and I pledged to join a local fly fishing club. That decision made a huge difference as the Buckeye United Fly Fishers was a huge source of mentoring, education and resources. That’s when I became a fly fisher.
I honed my skills and concluded that it was not my rod, it was me.
When I saw our soldiers returning from the Middle East wars, I decided to find a way to help, for I knew a little bit about returning from war. I volunteered with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, a nationwide program to teach disabled Veterans all aspects of fly fishing, and take them fishing. It was great for the Vets and for me.
I served as the program leader for the Cincinnati PHWFF program until the program was cancelled, primarily due to Covid. I still teach and fish with some of the old Veterans and new ones.
In effort to teach, I have presented a short workshop several times, “Fly Fishing for the Motorcycle Traveler.” I have taught this class multiple times at Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meetings in Virginia and North Carolina. HU is a world ride community of motorcycle travelers riding long distances and around the world. On a motorcycle, space is limited, so pack wisely.
Finally, after discovering Tenkara, the art of Japanese fly fishing, I have taught and will continue to teach this minimalistic approach to fly fishing. It is a simple technique using a rod, a line and a fly.
See you on the water.
Brent