One man, one river: A day with Elkfisher
This is from the WvAngler.com message board a couple years back ... probably the coolest thing anyone has ever said about me period . Shoot I wanted to hire me after reading this ;) .... Thanks for the kind words Joe Ferretti !!
I waited two days to post about my experience with Dave (Elkfisher) as a guide. I have fished the Elk River many times since acquiring a home in Pocahontas County but I never really fished the Elk nor appreciated the Lady like I should until being on the client end of a day with Elkfisher. Below are my accounts of what was learned this past Sunday. Pardon me for the length of this post.
"Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten, but never, with a fly rod in my hand have I been in a place that was less than beautiful." Charles Kuralt Our first few hours we battled against the elements. The first hour was fine and Dave quickly had my two brothers and I onto fish. The three of us brought at least 15 to 20 trout to hand in that first hour under the watchful eye of the Elkfisher. But then, as if to baptize us in the local waters the skies opened and we were drenched. I looked up river to watch Dave, severely underdressed, stand beside my brother to ensure that the successful fishing continued. I was so pleased. I love fishing with my brothers and with them now living in Ohio and Michigan it has become all too rare. Despite the elements, it was already a great day with my brothers catching fish to the left and right of me. After being soaked to the bone, we broke for lunch to dry off and plan for the rest of the day.
"The solution to any problem -- work, love, money, whatever -- is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be." --John Gierach Before we started, Dave approached me as he knew me best and asked "what's the game today?" I offered him one request: make sure my brother Dan catches some fish. He is an engineer with Ford and we all know about automotive industry troubles these days. Despite loving to trout fish, he had not been out at all this year. I know his job is stressful (it's no fun calling guys in with families and mortgages and having to lay them off all the while worrying about your own job) and he needed a break. Well Dan must have thought he was either a prized pupil or the worst fisherman on the stream because Dave made sure he caught fish. Teaching him to anticipate and watch for the strike, spotting fish, presentation and setting the hook were stressed and soon Dan was, as we say "netting large". Five or six trout over 18 inches and one topping out at 22 made his day. The total numbers were impressive as was Dave's fidelity to my only request. It made my day no matter how many I caught. Dave, I know you read this board: I say thanks.
"There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot." Steven Wright. The above brings me to the most humorous story of the day and one in whichElkfisher took great pride. We were below the Mill Pool and guys were stacked in there as Valley Run had muddied after the rain and only the top part of the River was clear. Elkfisher had Dan on a little 20 foot section of water and had him catching fish. Dan told the remainder of the story: "Guys to the left and right of me were flailing about in vane, catching nothing. One of the fisherman, with another Guide at his side, was actually sitting on the bank trying to figure things out. I was catching fish after fish. I overheard one guy say: 'What the fu*k is that guy using'. " Well, what my brother was using was the guidance and experience of Elkfisher. I suspect many a fisherman comfronted with one of Dave's clients on the stream have uttered similar expressions of futility.
"To him, all good things—trout as well as eternal salvation—come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." Norman Maclean - A River Runs Through It After a day on the River with Elkfisher, courtesy of my mother who bought us a great Christmas present (at my suggestion of course) it is apparent to me that Dave practices an art with the precision and patience that few of us will ever know. To spend a day with him is to learn to appreciate someone who has become one with the River. He understands her subtlety and how she varies not only day to day but hour to hour. He stalks a section, looks it over for two minutes at most, and plans his attack. He is only limited by the varying skills of his clients. While my brothers and I have fished for years, we started out as salted minnow types, slowly graduating to pure artificials on a fly rod. After watching Dave work his magic, I wonder what took us so long. While we will never have the opportunity to be true artists, Elkfisher provides something to aspire to, something that brings you back, hoping to employ new skills and ideas on how to fish and how to, in some small way, become a struggling artist yourself.
No life is so happy and so pleasant as the life of the well-govern'd angler." - Izaak Walton I suspect Elkfisher is quite content with his station in life. He makes people happy. Maybe he can make more money elsewhere, I don't know for sure. He stresses about his "babies" in the hatchery and has to always be watchful for silt levels in the stream and whether industry or business may purposely or unwittingly harm the River. Economic downturns undoubtedly affect his business. But to do something he loves, to be outdoors and to get even the worst fishermen amongst us to be successful on the stream must have rewards. My brothers and I had a great time. We all caught fish. But as fishermen in our own right, we most enjoyed watching Elkfisher practice his profession. He is amazing to be around when on the stream and the joy you experience in catching the fish is matched by his commitment to making it happen.
That was my Elkfisher experience. My brothers and I talked all the way home about Dave's tactics, his skills and his "oneness" with the River. If you have not found the time or money to schedule a day or lesson, consider doing it soon. Life is short and nobody knows what is around the bend for any one of us, or for the River for that matter. Fishing the Elk with Dave is like going to a Michael Jordan basketball camp or Peyton Manning quarterback camp. At least with fishing in this small corner of West Virginia, the stars may never align like this again.
__________________
Joseph Ferretti
"Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten, but never, with a fly rod in my hand have I been in a place that was less than beautiful." Charles Kuralt Our first few hours we battled against the elements. The first hour was fine and Dave quickly had my two brothers and I onto fish. The three of us brought at least 15 to 20 trout to hand in that first hour under the watchful eye of the Elkfisher. But then, as if to baptize us in the local waters the skies opened and we were drenched. I looked up river to watch Dave, severely underdressed, stand beside my brother to ensure that the successful fishing continued. I was so pleased. I love fishing with my brothers and with them now living in Ohio and Michigan it has become all too rare. Despite the elements, it was already a great day with my brothers catching fish to the left and right of me. After being soaked to the bone, we broke for lunch to dry off and plan for the rest of the day.
"The solution to any problem -- work, love, money, whatever -- is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be." --John Gierach Before we started, Dave approached me as he knew me best and asked "what's the game today?" I offered him one request: make sure my brother Dan catches some fish. He is an engineer with Ford and we all know about automotive industry troubles these days. Despite loving to trout fish, he had not been out at all this year. I know his job is stressful (it's no fun calling guys in with families and mortgages and having to lay them off all the while worrying about your own job) and he needed a break. Well Dan must have thought he was either a prized pupil or the worst fisherman on the stream because Dave made sure he caught fish. Teaching him to anticipate and watch for the strike, spotting fish, presentation and setting the hook were stressed and soon Dan was, as we say "netting large". Five or six trout over 18 inches and one topping out at 22 made his day. The total numbers were impressive as was Dave's fidelity to my only request. It made my day no matter how many I caught. Dave, I know you read this board: I say thanks.
"There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot." Steven Wright. The above brings me to the most humorous story of the day and one in whichElkfisher took great pride. We were below the Mill Pool and guys were stacked in there as Valley Run had muddied after the rain and only the top part of the River was clear. Elkfisher had Dan on a little 20 foot section of water and had him catching fish. Dan told the remainder of the story: "Guys to the left and right of me were flailing about in vane, catching nothing. One of the fisherman, with another Guide at his side, was actually sitting on the bank trying to figure things out. I was catching fish after fish. I overheard one guy say: 'What the fu*k is that guy using'. " Well, what my brother was using was the guidance and experience of Elkfisher. I suspect many a fisherman comfronted with one of Dave's clients on the stream have uttered similar expressions of futility.
"To him, all good things—trout as well as eternal salvation—come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." Norman Maclean - A River Runs Through It After a day on the River with Elkfisher, courtesy of my mother who bought us a great Christmas present (at my suggestion of course) it is apparent to me that Dave practices an art with the precision and patience that few of us will ever know. To spend a day with him is to learn to appreciate someone who has become one with the River. He understands her subtlety and how she varies not only day to day but hour to hour. He stalks a section, looks it over for two minutes at most, and plans his attack. He is only limited by the varying skills of his clients. While my brothers and I have fished for years, we started out as salted minnow types, slowly graduating to pure artificials on a fly rod. After watching Dave work his magic, I wonder what took us so long. While we will never have the opportunity to be true artists, Elkfisher provides something to aspire to, something that brings you back, hoping to employ new skills and ideas on how to fish and how to, in some small way, become a struggling artist yourself.
No life is so happy and so pleasant as the life of the well-govern'd angler." - Izaak Walton I suspect Elkfisher is quite content with his station in life. He makes people happy. Maybe he can make more money elsewhere, I don't know for sure. He stresses about his "babies" in the hatchery and has to always be watchful for silt levels in the stream and whether industry or business may purposely or unwittingly harm the River. Economic downturns undoubtedly affect his business. But to do something he loves, to be outdoors and to get even the worst fishermen amongst us to be successful on the stream must have rewards. My brothers and I had a great time. We all caught fish. But as fishermen in our own right, we most enjoyed watching Elkfisher practice his profession. He is amazing to be around when on the stream and the joy you experience in catching the fish is matched by his commitment to making it happen.
That was my Elkfisher experience. My brothers and I talked all the way home about Dave's tactics, his skills and his "oneness" with the River. If you have not found the time or money to schedule a day or lesson, consider doing it soon. Life is short and nobody knows what is around the bend for any one of us, or for the River for that matter. Fishing the Elk with Dave is like going to a Michael Jordan basketball camp or Peyton Manning quarterback camp. At least with fishing in this small corner of West Virginia, the stars may never align like this again.
__________________
Joseph Ferretti