Well Deb, My story goes a lot like the others. I can remember wanting to fly fish from the time I was a kid, but never had the opportunity. When I moved to Oregon I thought I'd get the chance to learn, but found that most people here weren't willing to accept a California transplant into their circle. Finally a guy at worked asked if I'd like to go fish on a stream with him using fly rods. Well of course I did, so I had my dad pick up a fly rod for me that night (I had a first date with a girl that night so wouldn't have a chance myself). Well we went fishing and the guy didn't have a clue as to what he was doing and neither did I. It wasn't all that I had imagined, no fish and no clue how to do any of it. The rod set for several years without getting used, I did start fishing for Steelhead just not on a fly rod. One day, to my surprise a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go fishing ( the same friend who told me a year before on a camping trip that he hated fishing). We fished with spin gear and caught a few fish but most of all we started to become better friends. The following year he started fly fishing with another friend and eventually asked me to go with them. After being frustrated for a few hours I finally hooked a 12" rainbow. That was it I was hooked. I started tying a year later and Frank and I are too of the closest friends around. Now the girl I had that important date with, well 10 years later I still see her almost every single day. One of these days I'll get her to fish too.
Jim Burbank > > > >
