Galilean Fisherman

     Welcome to 2020! Willie Nelson once said: “If I had known I’d live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!” I must agree with him.      Along with changing calendars, trying to remember to use the new date on our checks, and trying to make some resolutions that sound quite serious, we have an almost unlimited amount of opportunities ahead of us in the New Year.      Let me share some of my “goals.” I prefer that term to “resolution” because resolutions are easy to abandon whereas I have 365 days to reach my goals. I probably won’t; but until midnight 12/31/2020 I have a chance to meet them. Or most of them. At least some of them.      Luke 2:52: “ And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. ”      I have used this as a guide for youth groups and a personal guide for a sabbatical. Here’s how I apply it to this new year.      Wisdom : I will continue reading a lot of quality fiction. I didn’t do much of that (hardly any) during my m

           Mark Twain once said: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Perhaps he’s right. And when it when it comes to fly fishing, size really matters!           I know, you think I am referring to the size of the fish. Well, that’s another story for another day. Who knows, it could even be true. This time.           I’m talking about the size of the fly presented to the trout. One would think that the larger the fish, the larger the fly. One would most often be wrong. It’s counter-intuitive, but the larger fish are most often caught on the smaller fly. Notice I said "most often." There are exceptions.           There is an unofficial club called the “20-20” club. It has no formal membership or dues. It is simply a way to earn bragging rights for catching a 20 inch trout on a size 20 fly. For reference, a size 20 fly is a little less than ¼ inch in length. To that very small hook is added a body, tail, wing, and thorax.

     Some years ago, close friends of ours shared a unique Christmas custom. Each would buy their own Christmas presents, wrap them, put them under the tree, all without telling the other what they had bought for themselves.      Then on Christmas morning (or whenever they opened their gifts) the wife would discover what she had bought for the husband and vice versa.      Yeah, it’s different. We decided to give it a try.      Here’s what I have found. First of all, I had no idea my wife knew as much about fly fishing, fly tying material and tools. Wow! She’s good at picking just the right present! On the other hand, I have never failed to buy the right size, color and style for my wife. She is always pleased with her presents!      That’s the obvious part. Here’s the hidden gem in this method.      For weeks before the day we open the presents, I know what I am getting. It’s the anticipation! I think the anticipation is greater than the surprise. Often I think about what

     In an interview, Gene Roddenberry, creator of “Star Trek”, said that the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock was never intended to be a part of the cast. Roddenberry said he just showed up one day and wouldn’t leave until he was included.      Well, it just so happens that I also have an imaginary friend, Orvis Trout, who showed up one day and refused to leave until I brought him into existence. We have had a long and turbulent friendship. He has figured prominently in a host of newsletter articles. Since I began this blog, he is back and is demanding to be a part of this blog.      I tried to explain to him that this is about the spiritual side of fly fishing and the last I knew, in spite of his name, he did not fly fish. He assures me that not only does he fly fish but that he is a much better philosopher that I am. Both remain to be seen.      For instance, he asked me if I had been fishing lately? I told him there was some sort of cosmic conspiracy keeping me from fishing. T