“Guide”

Over the years I have been incredibly fortunate to make some of my best friendships on the water and spend time with the guys I consider my brothers while chasing fish. A day that will forever stand out in my memory unfolded in July of 2018. On the ride out of the harbor I had pronounced myself the “guide” that day, not that this friend needs a guide by any means. As we rolled up to an expansive feed of stripers chasing sandeels, Quinn stripped line off his 8 weight flyrod and readied himself on the bow. Before I knew what had happened he was strip setting on a solid 30” fish. He soon claimed his arm was tired (of which I was skeptical) and that I needed to take a few casts, for which I was more than excited. It would surprise me if he remembered this day but it was one I could never forget. 

 

A year earlier, I was slapped awake at 6am after a long night of fishing. Reluctant to leave the comfort of my covers, Graham coaxed me onto my feet and out the door. An hour later we were covered up by 30 to 40 pound stripers, none of which we would end up catching. The ones that get away seem to be implanted in our minds even more firmly than those we catch. 

 

Although seemingly unconnected, these brief anecdotes of two of my favorite days on the water hold one thing in common – the immense gratitude I have for the friends/family that constantly push me on the water, wake me up to chase fish, keep me on my feet at the end of a long school day with a simple text, motivate me and make me smile when everything else fails. There is nothing better than friends like these.