“Poets talk about “spots of time,” but it is really fishermen who experience eternity compressed into a moment. No one can tell what a spot of time is until suddenly the whole world is a fish and the fish is gone.” — Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
There are few places in this world where the paradox of time becomes as apparent as it does to an angler on their own secret section of their favorite river. Time dictates the unique patterns and rhythms of the seasons. A skilled Fly fisher observes these patterns with practiced astuteness. They can tell by the weather when the next hatch will begin, which fish will be feeding, and their life takes on a rhythm dictated by nature. But they also know something about timelessness. How hours easily drift away on a current, even when mentally clocking a four-count rhythm. For those who have yet to experience the suspension of time when coaxing an elusive fish from a hidden pool, I offer the following as a gentle nudge to get out there and try.
Like anything else worth doing, fishing with a fly rod takes patience and practice. It is not a skill that comes easily to most people. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone. If you don’t have a patient friend willing to teach you, there are some fabulous local guides here in the Wasatch Back. I spent some time talking with a couple of Heber locals over at Fish Heads Fly Shop, and not only do they have great advice, they’ve also got some great stories.
Tymothy Davidson and Curtis Lindley are both passionate about the sport that has become their chosen profession. They come from different backgrounds (an avid outdoorsman, and a businessman, respectively), but they both fell in love with fly fishing and never looked back. Davidson’s grandfather introduced him to the sport. “My grandpa, Bill, was a big angler. He did it all – conventional and fly – and he passed a love of fishing onto me.” He laughs, “My dad would say it was him, but it was my grandpa. I still have the photo of the first rainbow trout I caught with him.”
It was a rainbow trout that hooked Lindley, as well. He caught a 20-inch rainbow on his first day out with a friend. “After that, I hit the scene with a vengeance. I immediately bought my own gear and fished 90 days in a row.” As exemplified by these two stories, many anglers know that one of the best parts of a successful day on the water is connecting with others who share your passion for the sport; swapping stories of your best catch, or the ones that got away. This is the exact reason Lindley says he most loves fly fishing and working at the Fish Heads shop. “We just enjoy the connection. Connecting with other anglers, connecting with the fish, connecting with nature.”
That connection with nature is what makes fishing in our local mountains so very special. Having access to the Middle Provo River year-round draws people from all over the world to the Heber Valley. Every angler has their favorite season to fish. Lindley’s is the last week of February and the beginning of March when the first hatch of the year begins. Davidson echoes Lindley’s answer, but quickly amends, “All year. There’s no bad season on the river when you’re fly fishing. We’re out there every day. This is what we do.” If he had to choose a favorite? He says he loves mid to late Fall “because everything starts to cool down and the colors change.” The behavior also changes in the trout. “The brown trout are more aggressive and concentrated in numbers. The males change color as part of their spawning behavior, and they look beautiful.” He confides that the pressure on the river also slows down with fewer tourists hitting the scene.
Both Lindley and Davidson know what a challenge fly fishing can be for a novice, and they have a lot of wisdom and encouragement to impart. “The growth is continual throughout your entire career as an angler,” Lindley shares. His journey began with that first trout, and he quickly went from rookie guide and angler to the head guide and manager of the Fish Heads Fly Shop. “The failures make you want to try and become more successful and not give up.”
Even someone as passionate about the sport now as Davidson is, took a few run-ins with fellow trout bums to go all-in. One gentleman gently nudged him away from lazily casting his bass lure into a hole and “ticking all the fly anglers off” when he’d catch the fish by telling him, “You know, it only counts if you catch them on the fly, right?” Those words stayed with Davidson, and a few months later when he saw an old man fishing in the shallow creek behind his apartment, catching fish after fish he didn’t even know were in there, it spurred him to go to the nearest sporting goods store. “I bought a fifteen-dollar fly rod and some cheap flies and spent the rest of the summer going up to Smith and Moorehouse and the Uintas. I just fumbled my way through.”
That perseverance is something common among most anglers you meet. Lindley simply says it “suits [his] personality”, and Davidson says he’s “the type of guy who will try do it himself first before asking for assistance”. But you don’t have to go it alone. There are many talented guides who have the patience to help first-time anglers learn how and where to cast. Davidson knows it takes a special individual to be able to guide a complete beginner. “A lot of the verbiage is so foreign that it goes over [their] head,” but he continues, “Finding joy in someone else catching a fish is a rewarding experience.”
According to Lindley, the guides at Fish Heads Fly Shop come from an elite roster. “We’re very selective. [We] won’t just let anyone guide for us,” he states. “We want guides who will make us obsolete; guides who will set people up to experience that quintessential fly experience.” Now, don’t make the mistake of thinking guides are just for beginners. “When an angler wants to up their game, learn something new, or just have company, we can set them up with that. We can tailor the experience. That’s what sets us apart. We’re serious about providing a quality experience not just for the client but also for the guide. Everyone benefits.”
The quality of the Fish Heads experience speaks for itself. “We’ve had a busier guiding season this year than any year previous. And we’ve still got a couple of months left in the season,” reports Davidson. He says he’s stoked to see what the autumn months will bring in terms of catches and new people coming to the sport.
Angling is a lifelong journey. Davidson knows this well. “You never know what life is going to throw at you. It’s all a mystery.” A skilled angler can control the odds a little more, but the mystery of those time-out-of-time hours on the water is what makes angling such an addictive sport. Maybe it’s a good thing we can’t predict everything in life or on the river, as the best lessons come from losing some battles with the fish. Lindley agrees. “It’s the ones that get away that keep us coming back.”
Fish Heads Guides Hook it Up!
32 South Main Street Heber City | 435-657-2010
fishheadsflyshop.com | @fishheadsflyshop
