Dave's Fly Bench: Tribute to Patience

What’s that old saying about patience?

“Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can.

Never in a woman, seldom in a man.”

I’m sure there are other versions, but, the point is, it’s not easy to have patience.

There’s a local radio station that has a daily contest where the caller needs to name five items in the category of the day in 30 seconds. It could be naming five songs by a particular artist, five things in Thanksgiving dinner, names of your five fingers, five things found in a tackle box and so on.

After fishing for most of my life, I thought that they might ask a caller to name five activities or situations that require patience. Waiting for 5:00pm Monday – Friday is one that’s on my list - Waiting for Friday as well. Waiting for water to boil, Christmas, summer, Opening day of trout season, most anything to do with family – I guess I’d win the contest easily.

Fishing, of course is an obvious choice. My biggest challenge about being patient in a fishing context is waiting to actually “go” fishing. I don’t have nearly enough opportunities and get impatient waiting and grouchy if the day I get to go has a howling blizzard or thunderstorms with solid rain.

Blizzard of 2014 ruined a winter steelhead trip

May 2013 - I'll fish in a lot of bad weather, but Hail NO!

It also takes patience to wait for that bump on your line that tells you a trout just bit, or watching a trout rise to a dry fly and having the patience to wait until it closes its mouth before setting the hook.

East Branch Rainbow on a DFB Con Fly

East Branch Brown on the same DFB Con Fly

Another thing that requires patience is building fishing rods. It’s a very detailed process and care needs to be taken every step of the way.

But, it also takes patience when someone gives you a photo of a rod blank and says “Merry Christmas!”

That’s exactly what my two daughters, wife and I did to James. When I planned his Christmas gift back in the Fall of 2013, I thought I’d have plenty of time to build it before Christmas, but I didn't count on stuff that just happens and takes up time. But, it is now complete as evidenced by the following photos.