Lawn Chairs
Fly Fishing Answer to an Anglers Prayer
By: Joanne Tynedale
The hike into Cedar Creek in the Oregon Coast Range is
steep dropping almost a thousand feet in 3 miles. I
havent always been willing to go to those great lengths to
find a good spot for fishing but I finally found the form
of fishing that turned the attraction of the sport from a
mystery to an obsession. Fly fishing.
Growing up in South Dakota fishing in the sloughs for
bullheads (little catfish) with my dad on an occasional
Sunday was my first experience of fishing and I was not
impressed.
It seemed like we spent all our time sitting still and
being quiet two things that do not appeal to a child. I
can see now why my dad a farmer who worked long hours in
summer truly enjoyed sitting in a lawn chair at the
waters edge holding a rod in his hand and not doing much
more than reeling in the line now and then. But to me it
was dull with a capital D.
Much later in college was my next exposure to a fishing
technique. A buddy took me ice fishing. For entirely
different reasons I was once again not impressed.
On a bright winter day there we were in a dark shack
poised over a hole in the ice waiting for a pike to swim
into view. Once again holding very still and keeping quiet
except for the hiss of the poptop when one of us opened
another can of beer.
The main difference between spearfishing in an ice shack
and bullhead fishing was that instead of being a sultry
summer day we were sitting motionless in zero degree
weather our feet resting on ice our rear ends in frozen
lawn chairs. One time in the ice shack was enough fun for
me.
I really didnt have much interest in fishing for a long
time after that. Not until a career change took me from
Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest and I met the man who
would later become my husband. He was perfect in every
way… except for being an avid fisherman.
This guy Greg is so serious about fishing that he had
one entire room of his house dedicated to housing his gear.
His drift boat rather than his car occupied the one bay
garage.
You know how it goes in the first part of a new romance;
youre willing to do things you would normally never even
consider. So there I was going fishing once again. We
stood
on the bank of a lovely little creek and I held the
expensive ultralight trout rod in my hand as I stepped
onto a mossy rock slick with moisture. I slipped fell
into the creek and not only scared all the fish away but
broke the tip of the pole. This was not a good way to
resume my fishing career.
Next try. Knowing I love the beach Greg decided to take
me fishing on the open ocean. He put the Evinrude outboard
on the drift boat and we motored over the bar and out of
the bay. The mixture of gas fumes and choppy water soon had
me leaning sickly over the side of the boat. Not romantic
at all.
Trolling for bass came next. Nice warm days on one of the
Oregon Coast Rivers. We got in the drift boat put out a
line for bass and floated downstream. I really liked being
on the water in the sun.
Things had changed since being a kid. These days I
appreciated being able to sit in the sun doing nothing..
until the fish started biting. I didnt like being
interrupted from sunbathing and having to take them off
the hook. Catching and then releasing a bunch of poor
little bass didnt make sense to me. Why ruin both our
days So I was willing to be in the fishing boat but not
fishing. I thought it was a good compromise.
Greg is nothing if not persistent. He wanted me to be his
fishing buddy as well as his wife and I could see the
value in the long run of sharing some hobbies so I was
game to give fishing one more try. Thats when he
introduced me to fly fishing. Bingo!
Its impossible to describe why I love it. I guess it has
something to do with the rhythm and grace of it. The
mesmerizing experience of standing in rushing water. And
the power the absolute thrill of feeling the fish strike.
Greg still has a room dedicated to fishing gear but its
in a different house and its bigger now. We had to make
room for my gear too.
Joanne Tynedale has made a study of topics related to fish
and fishing. She is contributing writer of articles for
Fishing Junky and Free Aquarium two
premier resources online for information about fish and
fishing. For additional articles by Joanne also visit Hunting Style
Find Love guide and resources.
Deep Articles portal.