Hi Folks,

The last time Better Loops and I fished the Chattooga River, in the beginning of October, we saw a very strange sight. As we were working several of our favorite runs and pockets, a very tall fly fisherman bore down on us from up river. He was fishing and moving at a rapid rate. He waded confidently and quickly, without a wading staff. I would judge him to be about sixty-five, give or take five or six years. He politely waded to the far side of the stream and passed as quietly as possible on downstream. We exchanged some pleasant greetings and information as he went by. He knew the lingo and offered several tips about successful flies. He picked up his speed below us and disappeared down stream. Knowing the Chattooga pretty well, I would guess that he had fished and waded for a mile to get to us and then had another mile and a half before he could get to his car.

Here's the thing! In addition to being equipped like a walking fly shop, he carried three fly rods with him. He fished with one and cradled the other two like shotguns in his other arm. He had done this for a considerable distance and still had a longer distance to go. I never saw him use his other hand for any sort of line control at all. His style was like a combination of Czech Nymphing and the wet-fly swing, though he cast about 20 feet of line. I wish I had seen him catch a good fish because he certainly would have had his hands full. I was, quite frankly, interested in how he would manage things.

Does anyone here carry an extra rod or two when wading? Have you every seen anything like this? I just gotta know. 8T