Fishing was my favorite activity when I was a kid, and I knew it was my dad’s as well. I remember asking him about why he wasn’t a fishing guide. He drove tour boats on the river. In my young mind catching fish would only make it better.
His answer was “I love it too much and I don’t want to ruin it by making it into work.” At the time that was good advice. I loved catching fish then and still do. I got restless when I saw others around me catching fish. I would start digging into my tackle box looking for the perfect spinner. I kept reeling in my line to make sure that my anchovy had the perfect spin on it. I picked at my swivels to banish any speck of weeds.
As I grew older, I helped out on the tour boats. I helped passengers find their seats, cleaned the boat, and tended the dock lines. My reward was riding on the back of the boat next to my dad while drove. The days I went with him were some of my favorite days in the summer. He helped me learn how to be courteous to the passengers, and make sure the trip went off smoothly.
Like a lot of the young people in my small town I moved away to college. I eventually had a “real job” that led to a successful career. Throughout that time though, fishing was not only my passion, but my refuge. It was the cure for almost any problem.
If I had a tough week at work…go fishing
If I got broken up with…go fishing
Family loss…go to the funeral…then go fishing
Ran out of money for groceries…go fishing
Fishing is part of who I am. My earliest memory is reeling in my first Chinook on my grandpa’s boat.
Throughout it all, fishing was a nearly sacred thing for me. The boat was my refuge. The rhythm of casting, or watching a lure work on the rod tip was my meditation. I didn’t need a campfire or a bar to tell stories with old and new friends. The creeks and rivers served that purpose.
One day I was on a much needed and long planned vacation to Neah Bay, WA. We went up with some neighbors for the Ling Cod opener. We rented a cabin and they stayed in a motor home. On the opening day we split up everyone and two of our friends joined us in the boat. I had never fished ling cod in that area but had a good map. I initially started us out near the other boats, but we weren’t catching fish. Not many boats were. I got restless and picked out a spot away from the other boats and set up our drift. Just as we crossed the ledge one of the rods bent over and the drag started pulling. After a brief fight, a beautiful ling cod found itself in the boat.
I reset the boat and we did it again, this time it was my rod that bent over. I brought the fish to the boat. It was another keeper! I reset for a third time, two rods hooked up. We continued on until all four of us had limited, eight ling cod in total. We moved over to a reef and started fishing for rockfish. We quickly limited the boat with a total of 36 fish.
We headed back to the dock with a cooler full of fish. I looked around the boat at everyone’s faces. I realized that this had been one of the best fishing days of my life. I no longer needed the rod or net to be in my hand to enjoy catching a fish.
While the seed was planted that day, it would be a decade later that I finally started my guide business. During that time I fished oceans, rivers, creeks, ponds, and pretty much everywhere that it was legal to do so. I introduced friends to my favorite spots and techniques, and met a lot of characters along the way. My old career developed, grew, and then eventually found the end of its cycle. That “old life” was like the alder trees that are common around here. It grew fast, gathered nutrients and eventually gave way. It left behind the enriched soil to grow something new.
That joy I felt watching my friends catch fish that I put them on is no longer a singular experience. Each trip now has it’s own meaning. I get to share in the wonder as someone catches their first fish. I witness families making memories together that will be carried long after their loved ones have passed. I get to see friends sharing new experiences and building on bonds that will last a lifetime. I get to meet people that I never would have had a chance to get to know otherwise. I watch people young and old touch and experience the wonder of a part of the world that is extraordinary. That is why I guide.
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