Quiet Pleasure of Knowing

I don’t think that I can begin to  explain the pleasure that comes from knowing a place well after many years in all sorts of weather. Not just the knowledge of where to look for fish and find them. Well, most of the time but not always. Rather the quiet knowledge of which coves are protected in a certain wind and which ones are exposed and not much fun to spend time in. Knowing a place where the tide eddies in a certain way when the tide is at just that stage.

None of that came easily and took time to watch and begin to understand what I saw. To be sure there are building blocks to that knowledge. Like knowing how to back up a boat trailer or having a line to tie off just where you will need it or how to handle a fish confidently. I have been reminded of those blocks lately as I watched the new and unpracticed work with a strong breeze one afternoon. Or being able to ease the boat alongside of the float without a lot of drama and hopping about. Or knowing how much energy to put into a rod to get the best cast using little energy.

Passing on some of that experience is the essence of being a guide and I know that I am successful because of reviews like these or these. Getting to that place took time and practice something that my life as a guide has provided me. I am grateful to have been given the gift of time, a beautiful place to learn and patient teachers.  Hopefully each client walks away with a little of that at the end of every trip.