Oldest Active Flyfisherman Here?

[sagefisher]

I am still green behind the ears, of course that green is moss, but what the heck. Nope not the oldest here, nor the youngest. I figure I still have many, many more years of fishing in Montana and WA left in me at 67. Larry ---sagefisher---

[Paddy80701]

I will be 80 in June. I wade with a staff, in October I was steelheading on the Clearwater in Idaho and at the end of this week, I'm heading up to Casper, Wyoming to fish the North Platte at Grey Reef! I'm not as spry as I once was, but plan on fishing until they pry my flyrod from my cold dead fingers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Denny]

I am between 79 & 80. I manage a coupe days on the water each week. I now prefer my high Mtn lake fishing from my toon, but do get in a bit of very careful wading now & then. I have not stepped into any water including the bath tub without my Fallstaff in hand for a couple years now. I do not think it is as much an age thing, more of each persons medical thing.
Just go fishin

Denny

[herefishy]

I'm 70 and my husband 74 - he started picking up driftwood sticks probably 30 years ago to help with wading, and we have both progressed to staffs, but still out there giving it a try. Just stay a bit shallower and slower.

[oldster]

I've been blessed with good health and it is a blessing! I've had to make some adjustments like using a wading staff and fishing 1/2 day instead of from dawn to dark. I can cast as well as I ever could. Takes me longer to change flies. I still love it! Eighty-two in June. Thought I'd be the winner. Congratulations Ray! Keep movin'.

[John Rhoades]

I'll soon be 68, and my best friend, who I fish with several or more days each week all summer, is 78. We both still hike to fish, and wade (too often over my wader tops for me) but I'm sure we each have slowed year-to-year, and become a bit more careful.

I also spend quite a bit of time fishing in my drift boat and pontoon. As long as I have the strength to row, they are options in the event that I can no longer walk and wade to fish.

[DaleW]

I'm coming up 80 this year, a few of us born in 1934 on this board!

I still wade to a limited degree ... depth to my knees only and in the nicer places (use to call them the sissy areas!). But a large portion of my fly fishing is done from the canoe (sitting down of course!), lucky that I have some waters where it can be used.

[vicrider]

If you're only as old as you feel I'm the winner hands down. I'll be 70 next month and it's not the calendar or the mental years that cut the rug out from under me but COPD. I was fine until about two years or so ago, then things went downhill fast. Now I'm kind of limited to wading where I can walk in and stand without much shifting. That and I've been hiring guided float trips the last year or so and that works and can jump out and fish a bit here and there too. Heart's strong, body's strong, but for a guy who hasn't smoked in over 45 years, wore a mask whenever I did anything dusty, at home or at work, I feel I kind of got shafted on the lung thing.

One thing that will help is that the Elk City park pond is well stocked with panfish and bass for kids and over 70 and I plan to wail on that water starting next month. If any of those kids get in my way I'll beat them with my cane. I'll become known as the terror of the Elk City Park Pond.

[billyspey]

72 troding along wade fish last week and use a wading staff ,have a burning sensation in my right leg when walking fast for a period of time having a ultra sound scan tomorrow. Plan on wading a lot more

[Uncle Jesse]

This is a very encouraging thread, as a youngster of 68 I feel like I may have another 20 years or so of fishing (if I can eliminate that flipping of float tube type action). I talked to my 88 year old mom last night and she was wanting to get out and cut her grass, except she now has trouble starting her mower.