DS Fishing Blog

Another booth that I enjoyed stopping by was Tie-Fast.  Ron and Kim Lewis operate Sierra Stream and Mountain which owns Tie-Fast tools and J.Fair fly tying materials.  Kim showed me how their knot tyer worked and I was so impressed that I added a product review of it in our equipment review section.

I also stopped by the Sierra Pacific Flyfisher's booth.  They are the San Fernando Valley FFF chapter.  Steve Ebersold, their Education Chairman, invited me to their free casting class.  I'm going to check it out in the morning, so more on that later.

At some point I found myself cruising the fly tyer's benches.  I was really excited to see Mas Okui.  You see, several years back when I was still pretty green as a fly fisherman, I was with a buddy fishing Hot Creek.  This can be a very technical stream.  Depending on the time of year, you may have to deal with stinging nettles along the banks and heavy weed growth in the water.  These factors can make a drag free drift maddeningly difficult.  On this particular outing, I had been skunked all day when I came around the corner and saw this guy giving pointers to four other guys.  I watched him do a gentle cast over and over and pick up a trout almost every time.  He gave me some pointers (many of which have saved me from being skunked there) but I couldn't remember the fly he used.  I remember that he tied his own, and I never saw them commercially available.  Well, that guy was Mas Okui.  

I ambled up to him and shared my story and thanked him again.  As we were talking someone else came up and shared almost the exact same story.  Before I had left a third person came by also singing the same tune.  It seems this dude is everyone's fly fishing fairy godfather!  He was kind enough to share with me his secret Hot Creek fly, although he swears it isn't a secret.  And, yes, I did ask if I could share some of his knowledge with all of you (at another time).  It seems he likes to share.  Thanks again Mas.

Well, I was getting a little worn out at this point, but I decided to stay for a seminar on dry fly fishing with A. K. Best because... its A. K. Best.  The man is a living legend and his books on fly tying and fly fishing are just... Did I mention its A. K. Best?  So, I'm sitting there with 50 or 60 other people listening to A.K. and I swear to you it was like we were in his living room drinking a beer by the fire shooting the shit.  I was grinning the whole time.  He decided to re-title his seminar "Gaining an Edge".  I learned that I will probably never have the patience to fish like this man, but I'd sure love to spend a day with him on his home waters in Colorado.  When the mob of people trying to get his autograph thinned out I asked him if he wouldn't mind posing with me for a shot.  He said, "Sure young fella!"   A.K., you made my day! 

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