Where it all began.

So actually the passion did not begin with fly fishing. From my earliest childhood, I remember running up and down the docks and piers of Puget Sound (yes Mom, I meant I was walking and I did have my life jacket on) chasing pile perch and bullheads to my heart's content. I remember pulling dog fish from the depths that were longer than I, and rock cod bright and spiny. Cruising in my parents boat brought all sorts of fish. Flounders, cabezon, cod, pollock, and of course salmon. One of my best memories was my sister Karen hooking into a 21lb king off of Point Defiance. Mom finally had to land it, but needless to say, there was salmon on the menu for a long time.

Enter college and early married life, and no longer having access to a boat, fishing took a back seat. In 2001, after an intense stress period in my life, my beautiful wife (see her blog at http://alaskabookworm.blogspot.com/) sent me on a surprise fishing trip to Sooke, Canada. Two days of fishing, cigars, and golf brought new clarity to my life. Of course catching 15, 30, and 32 lb kings didn't hurt either.

The hook was set.

Deciding that a boat was not in the picture, I looked to the streams and rivers. I knew some of spin casting, but longed for something a bit more meaningful. Fly fishing seemed the ticket. I took an intro class in 2002 from the Avid Angler (http://www.avidangler.com/). From stream entomology to fly tying, I knew this was it.