Trout Unlimited (the other, less-famous TU) published a short interview with Underground Fave fly fishing writer John Gierach.
Gierach fans will want to read the whole interview, but a few bits rose above the rest (at least for me).
In this passage, Gierach deftly (and amusingly) described the kind of people you meet steelheading:
Does steelheading attract a certain kind of personality?
It attracts two distinct personalities. It attracts guys who will pee in their waders rather than stop casting and go on bank. There’s a guy I met—you could smell him. And that’s why—he wouldn’t stop for 10 minutes a couple times a day to pee. He’d probably say you can’t steelhead fish unless you fish ferociously. And then there are guys like me and some of the people I steelhead with who aren’t maniacal about it. For me, it’s very meditative and restful. Here’s a nice run that’s about 600 yards long, I’ll get in here about 2 o’clock and be done by dinnertime. Cast, swing, step. Cast, swing, step. It’s absolutely methodical.
Note to Self: when you meet “that guy” – the one you could smell because he was unwilling to leave the river long enough to wiz – it’d be best to avoid shaking hands.
The interview’s short but worth reading, and yes – Gierach’s next book is still listed for a May 17 release – so stay tuned. More to come, I’m sure.
See you reading, Tom Chandler.
If he’s peeing in his waders it’s probably okay to shake hands with him (I doubt he’s put his hands inside his waders). Just don’t offer him a ride back to his car/truck.
Ed(Quote)
I disagree, and for reasons I’m just not going into here.
Tom Chandler(Quote)
I guess it does give new meaning to the term “wet wading”.
Ed(Quote)
Peeing in your waders is “gateway voiding” and leads to other types of voiding in your waders. Can’t we all just agree to wear diapers like astronauts do?
Guys Flies and Pies(Quote)