Rob Breeding

I’ve got plenty of flies in my vest. If I were smarter, I’d organize and consolidate them into fewer fly boxes and become a more efficient, ruthless fly fisher. Instead, I waste time rummaging through a multitude of containers until I find something I guess will work. Case in point, last week I was fishing one of my favorite pothole lakes. It’s managed as a put-grow-and-release fishery, and like a lot of potholes it’s full of scuds, so those stocker fingerlings grow fast.

This has become my year of collecting fly-fishing gadgets. A hook threader is the newest doohickey hanging from my vest. I first heard of threaders years ago, while working in fly shops. Customers, usually older but not exclusively so, would ask for them. I don’t remember ever carrying these tools, and I’m not pleased with my younger self when I recall I sometimes made snide jokes after the age-challenged anglers left, in search of a more sympathetic establishment.

One of the benefits of being a teacher is summer travel. There’s often still much work to do, but most of it can follow you on the road. I love my summer reset. I’ve been away almost a month now, and there’s not much waiting for me back home other than Great Plains heat, humidity and an overgrown yard thriving in the rainy weather that started after I left. Still, it’s home and I’m ready to be back.