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The Eddy Line: The fly fisher’s holiday wish list
Published
10 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Patrick Straub Explore Big Sky Fishing Columnist
The gift-giving season is upon us. Among Christmas strolls, tree cuttings, office
holiday parties, occasional early season powder days, and a few hours on the
stream, many of us spend time finding gifts for the important people in our lives.
Here’s a little help for those who want to buy angling-centric gifts, but know little
about fly fishing and what will help us enjoy it even more.
The gift of gear. With some due diligence, finding the gear your angler wants is
easy, it just takes a little recon. Either ask friends in secret, or better yet, find a
convenient time to visit a local fly shop together and pay attention. This can be hard
if you typically don’t visit fly shops as a team. The excuse of a mutual “gift-finding
mission for friends” is a good one. Once in the shop, observe your angler. If he or
she spends a good bit of time checking out a new wader model or the hot new rod
… hint, hint.
If you don’t have the time for a recon mission, find your angler’s gear stash. Make
some notes – models of rods and reels, waders, boots, rain jackets, fly boxes, etc. –
enough to get a rough idea of the items’ conditions. Next, call your local fly shop for
advice on what to purchase as a gift. The more information about their current gear
situation you can obtain, the easier it will be for the shop folks to assist you. Have a
budget in mind, enjoy the purchase, and be ready to be Santa of the Year.
Instruction and knowledge. Money spent on instruction is never misspent. Our
area is home to dozens of fantastic guides and outfitters. Your angler will learn
something new about our local waters and gain some valuable personal time with a
guide or outfitter who can assist with his or her fishing. For anglers who live here
but who don’t fish as much as they’d like, spending a day or two with a local guide
gives them a resource down the road.
Travel. One of my go-to Key West guides once told me – after he and I spent a
fruitless day of pursuing permit – “At least the fish we pursue live in beautiful
places.” That certainly rings true here in Big Sky, and we’re very fortunate to live in
this beautiful place. But sometimes it’s nice to get out of town once in a while.
If the angler in your life peruses websites for far-off fly-fishing destinations, or even
nearby ones such as Montana’s Smith River canyon, see if you can make it happen.
Fishing travel is not cheap, but the memories last. My wife and I reminisce often
about the first bonefishing trip we took together, and a photo of our sun-tanned
toes in the foreground, the setting Bahamian sun behind, hangs in our bedroom. On
the day we took that picture, we each caught 10-pound-plus bonefish and went to
bed punch-drunk and giddy. Time to fish. As our lives become more hustled with jobs, kids and responsibilities,
time simply may be the best gift of all. Any way you choose to do it – a gift
certificate for a fishing weekend or a coupon book of “get out of the house to go
fish” cards – acknowledging your angler and giving him or her time to fish is a
perfect gift.
Hopefully, gift giving is enjoyable and not burdensome. For the angler in your life,
the challenge may lie in learning what he or she really needs or wants, as is the
case in my house, where things usually unfold like this:
“What do you want for Christmas this year?” my wife asks.
“Nothing really,” I respond. “Just time with you and the family. I’ve got most
everything I need.”
But there are a few more things on my wish list in addition to family time, like a
week in Mexico chasing tarpon out of Campeche, and a week pursuing steelhead in
the coastal streams of southeast Alaska. After that the Seychelles to hunt Giant
Trevally, with a jaunt to New Zealand to sight-fish trophy brown trout, rounding out
the trip by adding a stop-over in Chilean Patagonia where two-foot browns eat
hoppers all day long on poorly presented drifts…
Pat Straub is the author of six books, including The Frugal Fly Fisher, Montana On
The Fly, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Fly Fishing. He and his
wife own Gallatin River Guides in Big Sky.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
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Sports
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Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
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Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
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Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
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Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
29mar3:00 pm4:00 pmGood Friday Mass: St. Joseph Catholic Mission3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Event City:Big Sky
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Friday of the Passion of the Lord St. Joseph Catholic Mission
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Friday of the Passion of the Lord
St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Time
(Friday) 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm