We all find ourselves reflecting on the year 2016. That is a big number and an eye opener. Once it was hard to find the steelhead fly fishing legends and the waters they call home. Learning about secret flies and spey casting on some of the rivers we were virgin to was surreal. It seems the Internet has maybe made some people more likely to take these old school ways for granted. We all do it to an extent. If you live by the ocean a perfect sunset over perfect surf may be taken for granted in the moment. If you live on blue ribbon steelhead fly water you may pass up an evening hatch on dry flies. The unknown sometimes yields the greatest rewards. Its best to take the information and run with it. Explore the hidden canyon or hike to the falls to fly fish a hole you have never set eyes on. One day you may not have the energy or strength to get to that location. We all wish we had a chrome sea run steelhead on the shooting head every morning yet sometimes its the tough that makes you strong. Irideus has come to terms with the need to spread the passion for the sport of fly fishing. It is part of our American heritage. Think of looking at the sport again as our fore fathers viewed it. Then put a modern spin on that thought with state of the art fly fishing equipment. Its a pretty great picture. Now that is not to say Grand Dad would not be let down by nymphing steelhead and trout tactics yet he would understand youthful evolution. We spread this word to all the great people of the world. Many of the people reading this have a perfect fly fishing run down the street yet others may need to travel some distance. You may be surprised at the enjoyment casting dry flies on a pond is for bass or other species after work if a stream is not on the daily plan. Its about taking that time for yourself. Take that moment over the review of the days monster fish landings. Build the soul for inner strength. The peace you find you will bring back to the ones you love so its a win win! It seemed fitting to take a humble moment to try to slow the explosion of our sport. In the end it seems many people lost interest. We say go back to the old school and read about the great people that shaped the history of our sport. Thank you for taking the time to read this. We hope it inspires some people to put the cell phone down and pick the fly rod up. Its something to love and also to share with others. On the Feather River in California behind the scenes we call it the steelhead brotherhood. its special and its not perfect. We are humbled by nature for the right reasons and share it and bring it home. Its worth getting up early for to say the least. If you have never gone fly fishing we suggest checking out our gear and some of our personal history to get started in our sport on a pond or local river. Thank you to all the people who are a constant reminder of the journey of the river and the beauty it blesses on all of our lives.
May your days on the water be many people!
Irideus
http://www.irideus.com
