Since I started fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, river Smallies, Trout, the faithful Pikeminnow and more in the waters of the West, my perspective of the sport changed drastically. Only when I felt the satisfaction and bliss of a sucessful trip after the grind it took to get there, did I learn and realize more than I was ready for at the time. It quickly became an obsession, as I learned to read the land and waters to hunt and follow our prized catches, whatever or wherever they'd be.

After years of fishing all over the West Coast, and some destination trips, I found myself on the East Coast again where I cut my teeth some more in saltwater fly fishing for Striper, Blues and Ablies all over New England. Those hunts were also the reasons for me to start tying my own flies to cover every base, color and size-wise, and make them as durable as can be. A school of decent blues will really do a number on your rigs and weakly crafted flies would sometimes not last the day or the fight if you stumbled upon them.

Durability and style became the name of the game for me. I wanted something for every possible scenario and I wanted it to last. Over the last few years I've learned so much from the many trials, failures and wisdom from others, that the techniques really started to click. There's a lot to learn about different materials, how they act and why/how they're used, so there was a lot of time spent at the vise figuring and feeling it all out. There's always a compromise with certain materials, but trial and error is the best way to feel for yourself.

It's the community and natural connections that keep you involved, and your friends and family that became and stayed a part of your passions, helping to create great memories that impact you most. These are things I hold most dear. Life is Too $hort.