Hidy Ho Good Neighbors,
I’ve heard it said, “If you’re the smartest guy in the room, you’re in the wrong room”. I certainly not only subscribe to that notion, but find it easy to not be the smartest guy in the room.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be a featured author at a book signing at the Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen Colorado. This was not your normal book signing, not when you’re elbow to elbow with John Gierach, Pat Dorsey, Ed Engle, Landon Mayer, Marty Bartholomew, Steve Schweitzer, David McElwain, and Terry Grosz. Nope, this was something special for me and I was humbled and excited to be counted in the fold.
There are many ways to learn new skills, tactics, techniques, or perceptions about any endeavor. Most folks learn
Wasn’t the smartest in the room this day….Lightening and hail in the high country and it’s me and my 6’5″ client…..
best by seeing or doing, while the rest learn by reading or study, and it’s always easier to learn from someone that already knows what you want to learn (think back to 7th grade Spanish class). Therefore, when I’m in the situation where I am surrounded by tons of knowledge, I keep my mouth shut and listen, listen, listen. I still have so much to learn about fly fishing.
I’ve been guiding a long time, before that, I taught school for 22 years, and I feel as if I have a pretty good handle on how to break things down, present them in bite-sized pieces and feed them to hungry learners. I had great mentors that taught me the “teaching ropes” and that hastened the process. Still, after 22 years, I wasn’t the smartest in the room, but was still the hungriest. Hungry to learn, learning by listening and watching, followed by a healthy dose of “go do”.
I consider myself a life-long learner, and I realize I have a long way to go when it comes to mastering what I do, but that doesn’t stop the journey. This year, I’ll be presenting to folks all across this country, a brand new fly fishing presentation. I try to create a new one each year, to keep things fresh for me and my audiences. Do I know everything? Not in the least, but I do know this, the more I teach, the more I learn. More often than not, I come away from an evening presentation with more questions bouncing around in my head. Stuff I can only answer by getting on the river.
During the slower months of winter, when I guide sparingly, I often look to put a bit of time into fishing. Funny thing is, I never go just to catch fish. I’m always working on or testing something. I may be testing a rig wrinkle, bug stage modification, a specific drift mechanic, or a modified piece of equipment, but I always fish with a purpose other than trying to just put fish in the net. Often, I am fishing with folks that are nailing fish, but I keep testing, pushing the envelope, and trying to learn, while watching fish after fish hit the bottoms of their nets. It takes discipline and a pile of hard-headed stubbornness to not just blow-off what I’m doing and simply fish, but I remain steadfast in my mission.
I’m always looking for a new perspective, or a subject that receives too little attention, maybe a newly recognized (to me) cause and effect, or something that I consider obscure by the standards that I guide and fish to. Ultimately, I try to pass what I learn onto the folks that I guide, that read my books, or that see my presentations. It’s worth it.
This years’ presentation is titled: The Dance, Landing Trout on a Fly Rod. I’ve been thinking about this presentation for years, because everyone talks about everything from the cast to the drift, and the set, even how to take photos, but actual discussion of fish landing techniques and rod physics is rarely broached. Gonna’ change that. I truly hope folks will like it.
The Dance
Hidden in Plain View is doing great. Thanks to those of you that have purchased the book. Proud to say it’s still in the top 10 of new fishing releases through Amazon after 3 weeks in. Pretty humbling for sure.
So, you see, that extra work, the little touch of stubbornness (depends on whom you talk to), and the ability to listen while realizing you’re not the smartest in the room, is worth it in the long run. Hopefully, at the next show, event, or club gathering, you and I get a chance to talk, I always welcome the opportunity to learn new things.
Fear No Water!
ps. the new speaking schedule is up.
Pss. There’s still time to purchase a copy of the book before Christmas (Amazon/Barnes and Noble)
Still time!
duaneredford.com 