Happy Birthday

Today is the birthday of the United States of America. Happy birthday. Although I must admit this country is going in a direction at the moment that I don't entirely like or agree with, it is still an amazing place to be a fly fisherman. Fly fishing culture here is a special thing. Not to overshadow the accomplishments of fly angling heroes worldwide, but many of the big names in fly fishing honed their craft in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Lee Wulff, Mary Orvis Marbury, Ed Hewitt, Al Troth, Fran Betters, Dan Bailey, Joe Brooks, Dave Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Mel Krieger... these are just some of a long list of names which I believe anyone who calls themselves a fly fisherman must know. Fly fishing as a sport developed in Western Europe and the U.S.and though a lot of names and a lot of countries have contributed, it is the U.S. that gave the world catch and release, coated fly lines, bass fishing, saltwater fly fishing, and millions of flies and techniques.

So on this country's birthday, if you are a fly fisherman, take a bit to thank the greats that made this the sport it is today. And don't forget, we have a lot of work to do to keep this country great. Fight for public lands. Fight to protect endangered species. Fight for clean water, clean air, and clean land. Fight to prevent greedy commercial interests from depleting stocks and destroying habitat. 

And don't forget to get out on the water and enjoy what this country has to offer, preferably instead of burning things and drinking excessively. That's what Kirk and I did this morning. The first thing, not the last two. Ironically we were targeting mostly European fish species, but this country is a melting pot.