Back Home From Utah

Traveling is definitely not for me. At least flying.

I have just arrived at the dirty, disorganized JFK International Airport from the Red Eye out of Salt Lake City. I feel like I have walked off the plane from one of my 10 hour flights to Europe. My body craved sleep, but it was not physically possible. With a guy shoving his elbow in my side every 10 minutes, a baby to my right crying, and no room to lay back....I'm not a happy "jetter."

As for Utah....

The fly fishing shops in Utah that we visited are in a league of their own. Most of these guys have been in the business for awhile, and know what they are doing. Everyone knows everyone. They have anything and everything. If they have one color of rubber legs, they have them all. If they carry one brand of dubbing, they carry all 60 colors. What size hook do you need? It doesn't matter, they have 'em all. With such a short season, it's amazing how much inventory these guys can go through. I'm surprised I was able to get out of the shops without maxing out my credit card.

Alot of them carry conventional gear as well, which greatly increases their sales. Let's face it, fly fishing is such a small minority that it's amazing that people can make a living off of it.

We didn't do any fishing, but this was a major learning experience for me. I didn't have to fish to come away confident enough to go out and successfully take one or two fish. The people were nice, the country was beautiful, and the air in the mountains was fresh. What more could you ask for when visiting a new part of the country?

On a closing note, if anyone ever gets a chance to speak with someone named Steve Densley at a fly fishing show, I would highly recommend it. This guy has been in the industry for a very long time, and is a reservoir of priceless information. Over the last two days, he has pounded me non-stop with information I only wish I could remember. He is one of those guys that you want to write notes down as he talks, but everything is so interesting that you cannot take away your focus for one second. Partly because he never shuts up....kind of like my girlfriend. ;)

Thanks again Steve,

Michael Foreman