He fishes giant tarpon with a 9-weight,
because he has to under-compensate.

Once, when the fishing was slow
he invented the sport of shark hurling…
he is still the world’s only surviving practitioner.

He is…the most interesting guide in the world.

“I don’t always get to fish myself, but when I do I prefer bonefish.
Stay salty, my friends.”

Don’t know about interesting? Check it out here.

“Our tradition is that of the first man who sneaked away to the creek when the tribe did not really need fish.”
~Roderick Haig-Brown, A River Never Sleeps, 1946.

“And anyone who thinks I brag is stating that I understand fish-thought is obviously ignorant of the way in which fish think. Believe me, it’s nothing to brag about.”
~David James Duncan, The River Why, 1983.

“Imagine the permit coming out of a deep-water wreck by the pull of moon and tide, riding the invisible crest of the incoming water, feeding and moving by force of blood, only to run afoul of an asshole from Connecticut.”
~Thomas McGuane, Ninety-two in the Shade, 1973.

For those of us without a trust fund (to bankroll frequent trips to the equatorial regions), winter is the time to catch up on the flytying, clean your tackle, tie leaders, and live vicariously through the printed word. In case you’ve forgotten, some of those words still come on this stuff called “paper”. So, unplug, mute the mobile phone, pour yourself a glass of your favorite treat and read a little.

Just ran across this link on a comment on a post on the Fly Fish Chick blog. (Wow, there’s something you wouldn’t have heard 10 years ago.) It’s a list of 158 fly fishing books — heavy on the literature and sparse with the how-to types. Good stuff.

Well done, boys, well done indeed.

____________________

His double-haul is so sharp,
you can get whiplash just by watching.

His fishing journal has been listed as classified
until the next ice-age, or he retires…
either way, you’ll never read it.

His fish never actually get away,
he’s just letting ‘em off with a warning.

He is… the most interesting guide in the world.

“I don’t always get to fish myself, but when I do I prefer bonefish.
Stay salty, my friends.”

____________________

If there was a book written about his life
it would be listed as a controlled substance
in most countries.

His wading shoes alone
have seen more action than most
fishing tournaments.
(What did you think I was going to say?)

As a rule he never runs unless he has to.
Then again, he never has to.

He is… the most interesting guide in the world.

“I don’t always get to fish myself, but when I do I prefer bonefish.
Stay salty, my friends.”

He once vanished from a fishing trip in Colorado
only to reappear days later in the Caribbean…
as El Presidente.

It was he who taught Castro how to smoke a cigar,
though he doesn’t smoke himself.

He nick-named his favorite fly rod the “Jolly Roger”.
I dare you to find that funny.

He is… the most interesting guide in the world.

“I don’t always get to fish myself, but when I do I prefer bonefish.
Stay salty, my friends.”

Couldn’t resist, mate.

Oh, love the tunes.