The Man Behind the Scene

July 30, 2010

There wouldn’t be a jeffcurrier.com if there wasn’t a man behind the scene. There may even be one less fly fishing blog in the world if it wasn’t for that same man. That man is, Ken Holder from California and Jackson Hole Wyomig. I met Ken over twenty years ago. I sold him a pair of Simms wading shoes back in the late 80’s out of the Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop. I was just a young fly fishing maniac trying to earn enough for my next days off and Ken was desperately trying to land a size 14 wading shoe.

Over the years we got to be friends and one day he suggested I have website. It was the thing to do and he could build it and keep it going as a hobby. He suggested that perhaps if I didn’t have enough material to post I could share the website with a friend. I blew off the idea but Ken went ahead and got it started for me anyway. The site was pretty cool and I started adding things like my books and art and the occasional story or article. Maintaining it was a simple side project/hobby for Ken when he was out on the road working for United Airlines.  Neither of us dreamt that little website would turn into a huge 500 page step towards my self-employment and what is now Global Fly Fishing.

Ken works hours upon hours on the now massive website and that’s why whenever he visits the Yellowstone area I take him fishing. Today was one of his fishing days. He brought along his girlfriend Nati and asked one favor of me, help Nati catch a fish. We got an early start. The sky was deep blue and clear like the days of September even though its not. Throughout the day the clouds built up and it was hot. There were times today I couldn’t believe I was in the Rocky Mountains it was so hot. Regardless of the intense heat, the Pale Morning Duns and the Yellow Sallies hatched all day and the  brookies, rainbows and cuttys were out in full force to eat them.

One of the best ways for me to get a fly fishing newcomer into some fish is to put them in the front of my boat where I can keep an eye on them. I went over some of the basics of casting with Nati and showed her how to manage her line and eventually how to go about fighting and landing a fish. Once that was done we were off and I gave instruction while I was rowing throughout the day.

While all this was going on up front, Ken fished from the back of my boat. He tossed a 5-weight and an elk hair type of yellow sally I chose from his box. In no time Ken was hooked up. While most the fish on this river are small, I heard the trout sip his fly and  I could tell by the sound it belonged to a big one. By the time I looked over, Ken’s line was headed for some sunken trees. The last thing you want is for your fish to get into a snag so Ken prevented this by turning the fish. You accomplish this by putting as much pressure against the fish as you can based on the strength of your tippet by holding your rod tip low and bent. I like to pull downstream and get help from the current. On most trout, once you change their direction from going back to their home, they will usually fight you in from the middle of the river. Ken went on to land a spectacularly colored cutthroat-rainbow hybrid of which I netted and popped a few pictures with my new camera.

I knew I was in trouble the way Nati was looking at Ken's fish. It was the first trout  she’d seen in her life and now she had to have her own something  fierce. Fortunately her casting was getting good so I tied on a sally for her and sure enough the fish liked the fly. She didn’t exactly start putting fish in the  boat. Like anyone learning there were a few mishaps, such as not setting the hook at all, setting too late and completely forgetting what to do when you finally do hook one. Then, Nati got so excited on her first good hook up that she nearly back flipped over the side of my boat!

Nati went on to land some fish and get pretty darn good at fly fishing. In fact, we had a stroke of beginners luck when she boated one of the nicest brook trout you will find in these parts. Ken caught at least a dozen trout of all sizes however he was most happy  with Nati's success and the catch of his big cut bow. As for me, it was another great day on the water with friends.

There wouldn’t be a jeffcurrier.com if there wasn’t a man behind the scene. There may even be one less fly fishing blog in the world if it wasn’t for that same man. That man is, Ken Holder from California and Jackson Hole Wyomig. I met Ken over twenty years ago. I sold him a pair of Simms wading shoes back in the late 80’s out of the Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop. I was just a young fly fishing maniac trying to earn enough for my next days off and Ken was desperately trying to land a size 14 wading shoe.

Over the years we got to be friends and one day he suggested I have website. It was the thing to do and he could build it and keep it going as a hobby. He suggested that perhaps if I didn’t have enough material to post I could share the website with a friend. I blew off

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site