Photo By Domenick Swentosky
I recently had the privilege to share some water with our
good buddy Domenick Swentosky of Troutbitten. Dom writes some of the finest
articles on fly fishing I have come across on the modern web. Not only is he a
great writer, but an excellent fly fisherman, teacher, musician, friend, and
all around good guy to spend a day with. His style and approach are very systematic, he has a reason for everything he does. During our time together the topic of "full days" arose more than once, the real
full days. The ones where at the end your legs are so tired it becomes a hazard
to wade the water. The days when walking back to the car you feel so spent, but
rejuvenated at the same time. It's a funny balance to find yourself hanging between. There’s something so special about it, a state
you can only achieve when you’ve earned it and have put in the work.
In Dom’s recent article “Full Days” he writes:
“We prepare, we plot.
We replace miniature soldiers for the dismantled platoons inside fly boxes. We
perpetually patch waders because we know there’s a price for inattention, for
laziness, for being unprepared miles from the access point. We walk, bringing heavy
packs stuffed with essentials, expecting and meeting the forceful shifts of
time — one into another.
We fish the full days.
Dawn to dark. Not almost dawn — real dawn. Not almost dark — real dark.
Dogmatic and persistent. The first ones here and the last ones to leave —
because there’s too much to miss otherwise.
Because every abiding
memory starts here.”
Find the rest of “Full Days” on Troutbitten.com
-Dando
