BUSY FALL BY JOHN BERRY

I am normally a pretty busy guy. I am a full time fly fishing guide, I teach fly fishing at Arkansas State University Mountain Home and I write a weekly newspaper column and a fishing report. If that were not enough, I recently took a job as the manager of Blue Ribbon Fly Shop here in Mountain Home. I must say that it has been a struggle for me to keep everything going.

It is my first foray into retail and I have a lot to learn. It has given me a new level of respect for everyone involved in the retail trade. I accepted the job on a temporary basis, while they find someone to take over the fly shop. I am still maintaining my guide schedule. Luckily I have Henry Seay to help me in the shop. He covers for me when I am on the river. He is very knowledgeable about fly fishing locally and provides great advice on where to fish and what to use. He is a definite asset to the shop.

The next thing that I have going is the fly fishing class that my wife, Lori, and I teach at ASU. This fall the class is scheduled for Thursday October 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 6:00 PM on the ASU Mountain Home Campus. Luckily for me this is taught at night after the shop is closed and my guide trips are over. To register for the class you should contact Sarah Sykes at ASU(870) 508- 6105. It will follow the same format as in previous years. The emphasis as always will be on teaching you how to cast. At the same time, we will cover in detail equipment, knots, water safety, rigging, entomology, fly selection and reading water. We will show you four basic techniques to catch fish with a fly rod. When you finish this class, you will be ready to hit the water.

While I really love to teach, I find that my favorite spot to be is on the river. October is generally my busiest month and this year is no exception. I have several guide trips scheduled and I look forward to each of them. I generally don’t allow high water to keep me from catching trout. I do admit that I prefer wading. With the high lake levels that we have now, I expect to be in the boat through the end of October.

In the midst of all of this, is the Federation of Fly Fishers Southern Council Fly Fishing Fair. Earlier in the year I committed to be a vendor with a booth at the fair. Now I find that as the manager at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop I have another booth. I am responsible for two booths. I am also slated to make a presentation on Friday on a Simple Approach to Rigging and I am slated to be a fly tyer. Stop by and say hi! I will tie you a fly.

All of this sounds like a lot but I say that, if you love what you are doing, it is not work!

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.