The Gift of Fifty First Trips
I have been fishing the Yellowstone area regularly since the late1970’s, spending three to seven weeks annually. I find it still takes time each fishing, camping season to experience the place within, where my fishing, camping state is who I am and within the natural flow of what I do.
My preparation for each trip begins the previous year with my return home. I clean equipment and fly lines, repair weather beaten equipment, rebuild and restock my kitchen and other supplies, replace leaders, refill propane tanks, organize and tie flies, followed by car clean up, organization and repair. Even with my experience and preparations throughout the year, building camp, setting equipment, and fishing related set up can be awkward.
Generally, within a few days to a week into the trip I am in the flow. My camp management, organization and food menus and considerations are in hand. I have a good idea of the flies that interest the fish this year, my leaders and tippets are matched and balanced, my knots are generally holding and my body cramping from the walks to and in stream are greatly reduced.
I am tying flies as needed to best match what fish are eating. And, I have passed the hard learned fishing fact, ”The distance between zero and one fish is much greater than the distance between one and ten fish.”
Good casting,
Frank Rodriguez
