Like many of you, I have been fishing all my life—in streams, lakes, and the ocean. Every minute I fish is pure joy, even if I don’t catch a thing. About 25 years ago, I purchased a fly rod and reel while visiting friends in Michigan. A friend at work gave me a book and a video cassette (this was before the internet!) to help me learn how to cast. I fiddled around with it, but I never really had the time or patience to learn to cast properly, so the rod went into the fishing cabinet to collect dust.
I was fortunate enough to retire in 2019, and one of the things on my bucket list was to finally learn how to fly fish. It always looked so peaceful and majestic. Now that I had the time, I saw an announcement in the Sentinel for the monthly Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Club meeting and decided to attend. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was impressed by how friendly everyone was, how well the meeting was run, the interesting presentations, and how fun the raffles were. I even won some great items!
Shortly after that, I attended casting classes sponsored by the club. In a short time, I gained the skill and confidence to cast. I began bringing a fly rod on camping trips and was soon able to catch fish! I also started attending fly-tying classes. What a mistake that was! I enjoyed it so much that I began gathering tools to tie at home. Materials came together slowly, but thanks to club members bringing items to meetings to give away, my collection grew. I can now follow recipes on YouTube and tie what I want. It’s incredibly gratifying to catch a fish on a fly I tied myself. These days, I even find myself tying flies specifically for upcoming trips.
After getting so much from the club, I decided it was time to give back. I was asked to join the board and took on the role of Facilities Director before later transitioning to Secretary. I’ve built many great relationships with my fellow board members and truly enjoy our board meetings.
My next venture will be hosting my first club fishout at Lake Nacimiento. Last year, a group of us had a successful trip there, and I’m hoping for the same this year. We’ll be camping at the Pine Knoll campground. Reservations shouldn’t be necessary, as the campground was wide open last year with hardly anyone there. Access to the Nacimiento River is by boat and takes about an hour to reach. I can accommodate a maximum of six people in my boat, so spots are limited unless someone else would like to bring a boat. If you’re interested, please see the details in the newsletter.
Posted on February 17th, 2026