Never Stop Learning

Mathieu and I talking fly fishing

Think about it for a moment. I bet you can name at least one person in your life that you would consider a know it all. It may be at work, school, or even at a hobby you enjoy doing. That one person that will gladly tell you what you are doing wrong or is more than willing to tell you how they do something and why their way is the absolute best way of doing it. The fly fishing industry is no different. I have spent many years listening to folks that are quick to tell you that you're fishing the wrong place, using the wrong fly, and of course, using the wrong equipment. At times they may be right but many times they are just so stuck in their ways that they can't see that there is more than one way of doing things. Here's the truth. In the fly fishing world, no one knows everything. I think that's what I love so much about it. There is always something new to learn. Over the past weekend I had the opportunity to learn from two amazing people.

Satuday morning, while I was finishing my cup of coffee, I was asked if I wanted to go fishing. Right away I was thinking heck yeah. As I walked to my truck to grab my gear, I noticed arond the corner of the cabin that my friend Tim was giving a casting lesson to another friend of ours. Tim has been in the industry his entire adult life. He was a fly fishing school instructor for Jones Outfitters of Lake Placid (once was the oldest, continuously operating Orvis dealership in the world), a guide, casting instructor, fly tyer, writer, he taught credited fly fishing and tying classes at Clarkson, shop operator, and custom rod builder. I immediately changed my mind and stood off to the side and watched him teach. I couldn't miss an oportunity to learn somthing new. His years of experience and system of teaching was fun to watch. His minor tweaks and suggestions gave me some great ideas on how I can improve not only my casting but how I teach people new to the sport. He was more than willing to answer all my questions and offer me some pointers. This time spent in the grass was a great opportunity to my arsenal of knowledge. When you have the opportunity to learn from someone like Tim, you listen.

Mathieu discussing tippet size and the impact on catching fish.

That same evening I was introduced to a Canadian fly angler named Mathieu Desbiens. Mathieu has competed in Canadian national tournaments and teaches seminars on fly fishing techniques. He was the guest speaker at the fly fishing tournament I was at. His ability to take high level concepts and make them simple was amazing. In 45 minutes I learned more about rod sizes and tippet than I ever knew. He took the time to answer every question and listened to every story told. He made his entire presentation into a group conversation. That is this kind of person I love to learn from. That evening I was fortunate enough to have his undivided attention. We sat on the porch, had a few beverages and talked fishing. He was an open book talking about flies and all sorts of equipment.

My quest for knowledge doesn't stop at in person presentations. For years now I've read books, watched countless videos, attended webinars, talked with people at trade shows, and listened to podcasts. I've really dedicated a huge portion of my life to learning as much about fly fishing as I can.

Spreading some knowledge. Helping to get a couple of new fly anglers on fish while fine tuning their casting skills.

This journey for knowledge is twofold, to make myself a better angler and to help make others better. I find great joy in sharing what I know with others. There is no better feeling than helping somone learn and see their new knowledge get them on fish. I always tell my clients that becoming a part of the Halcyon family comes with a few benefits. The biggest one is the fact that I have been blessed to have made contacts with some very knowlegable people in this industry. I've surrounded myself with people that are not only willing to share thier knowledge but are also very humble when doing it. So if you ask me a question and I don't have an answer myself, chances are I know someone with the right answer. So I encourge all of you to never stop learning. Take every opportunity you can to learn something new everyday. Because anyone that says they know it all has made a choice to stop learning.