A long time friend, who fished a well known fly fishing destination in Mexico had for years told me of the wonders of salt water fly fishing. He had invited me to fish with him many times in the salt. He spoke with great enthusiasm about the fishing he had done and about the destinations that salt water fly fishing had taken him. He just simply could not understand why I didn’t share the same interest. Simply put, I had no desire to go. I on the other hand spoke to him about the wonders of trout and steelhead fishing that I had done, and about the wonderful places that my fishing had taken me. In my mind, all though he was a fine fisherman and enjoyed trout fishing, he had not yet found the magic in trout fishing that I enjoyed and as I saw it, he did not yet understand.

My life was about to change forever. I had somehow mustered up the motivation to travel to Mexico and fish Ascension Bay for bonefish, tarpon, and permit. The seed my friend had planted had at least convinced me to take the “trip of a lifetime”, branch out and try the salt. Little did I know, the trip I was about to take would not be the “trip of a lifetime”, it would be the first but not the last. It would not introduce me to anything worthy of replacing my passion for trout fishing. Rather, I was about to embark on a journey that would teach me more about myself than any of my previous life experiences. Unbeknownst to me, I was about to commence a life altering experience that would take me years to recognize or understand. It would be the genesis which would teach me much about life, love, happiness and the things that matter most. Henry David Thoreau said that many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. For me, fly fishing would come to be the excuse that I used to live, love and learn.

To be continued…