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Show Page 18 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume II, Issue III December 1999 Fly Fishing with Peter Matthiessen By Craig J. Oberg interesting speaker, a fascinating author, and thought I’d really like to know that person. Sharing stories over a roast beef dinner at a Dutch John cafe is a little different than listening to a lecture about creative writing. That was the type of experience we wanted to supply the honors students on the field trip-intimate moments, relaxed settings, and a chance to experience the “real life” of a literary icon, Peter Matthiessen. We asked Matthiessen to try and interact individually with each student as the opportunity arose. The course started with fly casting lessons in the gymnasium. Fortunately, we tied yarn balls on the tippet end instead of flies so no ears were hooked. The students caught on to casting quickly, no wind and very few willows along the indoor track made for long tangle-free casts. Along the way we invited several world class fly fishers from the West to speak with the students. A visit by Jack Dennis, renowned fly tier and fisherman from Jackson Hole, showed amazing video footage from a camera suspended in the stream showing flies from the trout’s perspective. Dr. Sally Shigley helped us explore women’s role in flyfishing. Times are changing, fishing vests come in pastels, waders are cut differently, lighter rods have smaller grips; we also decided women are easier to teach the techniques of fly casting. Fear of failure was high the day we learned to tie flies. Dave Scadden was patient as we all tied a big green wooly bugger, then a dry fly, heavily hackled. Three hours was long enough for most to become addicted and nothing is more satisfying than landing a fish on a fly you actually tied. Fortunately for amateur fly tiers, some fish are easily fooled. Larry Tullis, a local fly-fishing writer and guide, took us on a beautiful slide trip down the Green River, heightening everyone’s anticipation of the semester ending field trip. Discussions of spring creeks (Mike Lawson, owner of Henrys’ Peter Matthiessen, National Book Award-winning Fork Anglers at Last Chance, author, displays the fish that didn’t get away. Idaho), novel fly patterns (Robert Williamson, local fly By the end of the field trip even the tying author), and game fish most diffident student had a conservation (Tom Pettingill, head of one-on-one experience with Sport Fishing for DWR) were Matthiessen, hopefully, a moment not interspersed with several field trips. to be forgotten. An afternoon with a piece of Aside from learning the technical window screen stretched between two aspects of fly-fishing--casting, knots, dowels taught more about entomology fly tying, and stream entomology-and ecology than any lecture could each student kept a journal. Recorded have ever demonstrated. Students therein were personal observations, climbed over the snow banks, waded reactions to invited speakers, out into the South Fork of the Ogden descriptions of field trips, and fishing River, shuffled their feet on the gravel aspirations. Justin Wimmer noted in bars and netted aquatic insects as they his journal, “Mr. Peter Matthiessen were released into the current. was a remarkable character, so down Everything from stonefly nymphs to to earth and free swimming caddis found their way full of life (it into student insect collections. All must be a were amazed at the huge Zen thing). concentration and variation of insect He was so life under the water, particularly in willing to go early April. Now they knew why trout out of his are often fat, and the reason healthy way to make clear mountain streams need to be Financial Services, Inc. sure he had preserved. t h e Physics and fly-fishing. Physics opportunity is a word that makes most students Best Rates and Closing Costs - Guaranteed to meet with pretty nervous. Dr. Brad Carroll, a Stated Income & No Doc Loans e a c h physics professor, applied physics to student. It 100% Loans casting, water flow, and surface didn’t take Lot Loans tension. A water-filled plastic glass long for balanced over the eye gave a fish-eyes Construction Loans P e t e r view of the air-bound world. Later, Matthiessen Great to Not So Great Credit everyone became polar water to become Debt Consolidation molecules, linked arms to form a my favorite Purchase or Refinance water surface and learned why it is so author of all difficult for an emerging nymph to Loans to $2,000,000 time and I break through that surface. His have read lecture tied all the previous lectures, Free Consultation and Pre-Qualification only one of from casting to where fish lie, into an Call his books, almost universal “Natural Law of Fly JENNY GOOD go figure.” Fishing.” 745-3778, 791-0881 In this “void” (fly fishing), this dynamic state of rest, without impediments, lies ultimate reality, and here one’s own true nature is reborn . . . -- Peter Matthiessen from the “Snow Leopard” Use fly-fishing as a way to know the world, or at least as a window to explore biology, literature, gender, physics, and environmental issues. This was the challenge of a new Honors course at Weber State, “Epistemology of Fly-Fishing,” which incorporated all of these disciplines–introducing them to the students while still teaching them how to catch a fish with a fly. I think most of the students just wanted to catch a fish with a fly. Many were fly-fishing novices, having become interested in the sport through Redford’s movie or Maclean’s book, A River Runs Through It, but thinking the technique too technical to learn. This class blended technical fishing skills with all the aesthetic aspects, casting one week and exploring environmental issues the next. David Scadden, owner of Anglers’ Inn, supplied the technical instruction with university faculty covering other areas. Interspersed were visits by fly-fishing experts from around the west who shared their knowledge. The course concluded with a field trip to the Green River, Utah’s premier blue ribbon fly-fishing river, where we explored the “Zen” of fly-fishing with Peter Matthiessen, famous author and world traveler. Peter Matthiessen is the author of twenty-four books, including At Play in the Fields of the Lord, which was nominated for a National Book Award and adapted into a film, Far Toruga, and On the River Styx. His numerous works of nonfiction include the Snow Leopard, winner of the National Book Award, African Silences, and In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. Among the many awards Peter has received are the John Burrough’s Medal, the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation Award. He was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Extensive travel has led Matthiessen to such remote areas as Nepal, the Amazon jungles, the Selous Game Reserve, the Sudan, and New Guinea. Many of his works are based on these travels. A native of New York City, Matthiessen is a Zen master. How often have you listened to an Comstock • • • • • • • • • All semester long our goal was the field trip to the Green River—Utah’s most famous blue ribbon trout water. The river’s reputation grew to mammoth proportions during the semester, each presentation added to the lore. Fortunately, the aesthetic beauty of the Green River as it flows down the canyon from Flaming Gorge dam meets all your expectations. A fabulous river full of trout. Peter Matthiessen is an avid fly fisherman among his many pursuits, and students had many chances to interact one-on-one with Peter. Meals went long as discussions ranged from how-to-write, to across continents studying tigers in China. Peter has a unique ability to engage a student, breaking down barriers. He is particularly good as a storyteller, which the students appreciated. It seemed there wasn’t a place Mr. Matthiessen had not visited, nor a beast he had not studied, and we tried to drain from him these marvelous experiences. Following a seminar by Dave Scadden on specific strategies for the Green river in May, the students all rigged up and set off up the river. Their challenge was to catch one fish on a fly, probably the most difficult assignment of the semester. It turns out that reading the water and matching the hatch requires careful observation, data processing, and synthesizing conclusions. A lot to do in order to catch a fish. Most were successful. Catching a Green River trout may be an unusual final exam, but based on the student journals it required significant effort and maybe a bit of luck. For a novice fly fisher, catching one fish a day on the Green river is a good day. Most students achieved that, very few exceeded it. Still, if you can land one of the most finicky trout in Utah it should give you confidence in lesser waters. The Green River fishing trip was, for me, one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. The river was beautiful, the sounds and smells and the red rock all around. The fish were smart and I am determined to go back there this summer and catch the one trout that got away--three times! Peter Matthiessen was amazing. His knowledge about life, his experiences in this world have not made him too good to chat with me about fish and nature and books. Charity Bentley, Student Journal Monday afternoon Peter and I floated the Green River with Dave Scadden acting as our guide. The blue wing olive mayflies were hatching and fish were sipping in the flats. Peter showed he is not only a great writer but can cast a fly line with the best. He worked the water for seven miles, smooth pinpoint casts to rising fish, hooking his share. I could tell he learned to cast on big waters, handling 80 feet of line in the air was no problem for him and no small feat when you have passed your seventieth birthday. It was a really neat experience to be able to meet and spend time with such an interesting and friendly author. The most interesting thing about Peter Matthiessen is his love of nature. On Monday, he was watching me fish as the boat rounded the last bend. I could hear him telling the other guys, “Now that kid looks like he Fishing cont. on page 19 |