The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I was 16 years old and got a job at a little resort on Lake Pilsbury where our family had a summer home (still have it). It was my first time on my own so there were numerous memorable adventures that summe. (After all....this was the 60's) There was a college kid working at the same resort who was a fly fisher. My family fished, but it was all about hardware; this was new ground for me. I bought an outfit with one of my first paychecks. I will never forget the first fish. Down on the Ell River below the lake. A planter most likely. But when he took that royal coachman, I set the hook with so much enthusiasm that I launched that poor fish yards up into the brush behind me. The fish wasn't the only one hooked.