Miles From Home

[Guest flyfishBDS]

Well Gday,

Guess I should introduce myself as well.

Short version : 5th generation Tasmanian transplanted to North-West Arkansas. Somehow I've inherited management of the Beaver Dam Store flyshop, and guide service _ see what happens when you stay in one place too long

Grew up fishing the salt, remember catching my first fish around 4 _ a mullet, then a couple of flathead, which I deposited in my fathers lap, and nailing him with the spikes. He reckons Ive been doing the same ever since. Fish bluewater, coastal and estuaries into my 20s when I fell away from it. Work got in the road _ 15 years as a print journalist, 10 covering state politics for daily newspapers.

Started a little freshwater fishing mid-20s then had my best mate stick a flyrod in my hand about 11years ago. Learnt fly fishing in a very tough school, Tasmania some of the finest wild trout fishing anywhere. Somehow learnt to cast roughly, managed to get some fish and get infected by the bug badly. Met a lovely American lass, decided to visit her and slip in a little fishing. 5y later Im married and still haven;t been home.

She was the one that brought us to Arkansas. Without her I wouldn't have been able to pursue a life in the industry and get to fish great places like Alaska, Kodiak Island, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Baja, New York, Arkansas Missouri, New Mexico, Michigan.

You might not be able to tell from this piece but I still manage to keep my hand in with a little writing for some magazines Flylife is Australian and New Zealand's finest FF magazine, and somehow a column on new products bearing my byline gets printed each issue. Perhaps they are taking pity on a obsessive fly tackle rat _ well I do run a fly shop . Anyway they are obviously hard up _ and even more incredibly sometimes they run a travel or instructional piece as well.

I also write for Australian Freshwater Fishing, have some pieces in the hardcover annual anthology The Flyfisher and The Fishing Monthly Group's magazines. I still enjoy the writing _ the Dam Store Report email we send out each week lets me dabble as well, particularly with humor.

But I did develop a love of photography during two years working as a freelancer _ tough gig that, I don't recomend it unless you have a real salary and plenty of time.

I enjoy guiding a lot more than I thought I might. I was never one of those "I want to be a guide" dreamers. I have been with and know too many guides to do that _ instead I fell into it.

If you want to ask about my philosophy its that we over complicate fly fishing. If there is one real difference between fly fishers and bait fishers its that they have excuses and we have theories. Now I can quote some good theories too but at the end of the day like Gierach I tend to believe FF is a happy accident we should all go along with. I mean flies don't really look like natural food do they, not to something capable of spotting a size 36 midge. So relax and enjoy the experience.

At the end of the day I want my clients, especially beginners, to go home with an appreciation, hopefully a love of fly fishing, to understand that they can join this "club", be shocked that they haven't thought about work once, understand how pretty the colors of a trout are, have discovered that a tangle in your fly cast doesn't mean you are a failure (and know how to have less of them tomorrow), that they are still smiling when they fall asleep.

Then I can sleep at night too.

Steve Dally

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Steve - great bio! I will look for you at the SowBug this spring. Should be fun to talk to you.

best fishes - Brian

[Guest flyfishBDS]

Thanks Brian

Fun is what its all about _ otherwise it would be spelt w_o_r_k Then there is a lot of people who might suggest you'll have "fun" with my accent lol

We will be at the Sowbug and Smallmouth Rendevous plus Oklahoma City Boat Show first weekend in Feb for anyone in OK.

I'm planning on taking a few rods to cast if possible in OK.

Cheers

[Guest flyfishBDS]

OOOps

Sorry Brian won't be at the Sowbug. I though we hads space reserved but somehow it didn't happen.

We will be at the Smallmouth Rendezvous in talequah, the Oklahoma City Tackle Show this weekend.

Cheers

Steve