The mountain men called it the Rendezvous. They would come down from the Rocky Mountains where they trapped beaver in ice cold streams and avoided being scalped by Indians. Much of their life was alone. Coming back to the world was a time to reunite with their lot of men and tell lies about where they had been and what they had seen. Excessive drinking and hollering was the norm. Overall hell raising would ensue for weeks. Their story is the birthplace of the name Shemchuk Rendezvous --- only ours entails less hell raising and more fly fishing.
In Episode 171 we WadeOutThere with Tim Hepworth, from Central Alberta. Tim was raised in a pastor’s home with nine siblings. Hunting and fishing was a way of life and a source of sustinance. He picked up fly fishing as a teenager, and used the sport to help him find balance in his job as a paramedic. But it wasn’t until the birth of his daughter, that Tim dove deep into fly fishing.
They learned together, and eventually, Tim became a guide on the Bow River Fly Fishing Bow River Outfitters and instructor at the same school that taught him Western Canadian Fly Fishing Guide School.
We discuss learning and teaching fly fishing with your daughter, late summer on the Bow River, and tying flies on Thursday nights.
A lot of little things add up to big things in the fly fishing world. - Pat Dorsey
We drove along the Provo River looking for a good spot to stop and fish. From the passenger seat I caught glimpses of the water over the guard rail between the curves in the highway.
There is so much to learn and teach if we take the time. We show them seams where trout feed or carry them across swift currents. Flip rocks and match bugs from a fly box. Wet their hands before holding the trout you let them reel in. Laugh as they splash and swing the net, chasing a big brown darting on your line in the current.
Podcast
Podcast Ep. 101 – Streamer Tactics and Efficient Decision Making on the River with Domenick Swentosky
In this episode we Wadeoutthere with Domenick Swentosky from central Pennsylvania. Domenick is a fly fishing guide and the creator of Troutbitten.
Working with the wind is an attitude as much as a technique. For years, a windy day frustrated me, and that frustration carried over into the rest of my fishing and made for worse drifts, mends, and hook sets. In short, a windy day on the river tended to slowly burn my patience fuse and put me in a bad mood. Now I try to look at the wind for what it is – another problem to solve.
And I work with the wind to keep me tied to the river and my environment.
“What fly you tying on?” It is a question asked on every day of fishing with my brother. He asks me, or I ask him. Sometimes we ask because we expect one knows more. Sometimes because an unexpected fly piques curiosity. Sometimes I ask, so I know what fly to switch to after watching him fight a fish upstream and out of earshot. I wonder if he caught that on his…