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Apr 15, 2018

Long time trout bum talks to us about how he got into the lifestyle, how fly fishing has changed his life and his good friend Left Kreh. He also discusses the new book “America’s Favorite Flies.” It’s more of a work of art than just another book. Here is an excerpt from the book on David.

 

“In the spring of 1969 I met my fishing mentor and best friend, Steve Thomas. Steve introduced me to the great outdoors, with huge emphasis on fishing and bird hunting. This was something that this “City Boy” had no clue about. The rest of the time I visited Steve’s hippy pad in Grand Rapids, MI changed my life forever.

We were sitting around, doing what hippies did back then. When the smoke started to clear I noticed a strange box sitting on his desk.

The box had a bunch of multicolored feathers and other stuff hanging out of both sides of it My curiosity got the best of me and I asked him what was in the box.

“Those are my fly tying materials, Man!” Steve replied excitedly. I don’t think that any of his other friends showed any interest in that box. With my mouth agape, I asked, “Your what?” trying to figure out if my smoke-filled brain was hearing him right.

Steve is the kind of guy that could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo! Like an evangelist, he began preaching to his congregation. . . Me. He began to zealously tell me all about fly fishing, bug hatches, big fish and how much fun
it was. Even though I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, Steve reeled me in! “When are we going?” I found myself asking him. At that point, I still had no idea what I was getting myself into.

About 6 hours later, I was soon to experience my first Hendrickson may fly hatch.
I was standing with Steve in the middle of the Little South Branch of the Pere Marquette River, like a fish out of water. I was clad in waders and fly vest that he borrowed from his father.”