There is one trend coming out of the Covid-19 Pandemic that I have been happy to see: people returning to outdoor activities like fishing. While the increase in the number of people enjoying fishing does put more pressure on areas, it may also help benefit the outdoors like never before. I'll discuss some of these benefits later, but for now, I want to continue to encourage people to get out there and enjoy what the Natural World has to offer. As a fishing guide, one thing I have been pleasantly surprised with, is the number of "older" people wanting to learn how to fish. I'm not just talking fly fishing, although that sport has seen tremendous growth too, I'm talking fishing in general.

Over the last year, I have experienced a number of people 10-20 years older than I am, getting into fishing for the first time. I was a little shocked at first, but then started putting two and two together. This age group would have spent their childhood in the late 1960's to the middle 1970's. This was a time when the Vietnam War had a lot of families torn apart, and the time when both parents has to start working. The parents of these children had also faced some difficult times, as they would have been raised in the time of World War Two, Korea, or just after. In any of these cases, it was a time when children were less likely to enjoy the outdoors with their parents and more likely to be working to provide for the family.

Now, these same people are nearing retirement age, or have retired early due to the pandemic, and they are looking for ways to relax and enjoy life. As far as I'm concerned, there is no better way to accomplish both of these than to spend time outdoors; especially time spent fishing! People learning how to fish now have so many advantages over those that learned decades ago: YouTube Channels, websites, how-to everything, and people like me: fishing guides dedicated to helping those that want to learn.

As I guide, I don't possess any "secrets" on how to fish, that I won't share. In fact, having taught fly fishing with Lefty Kreh, Flip Pallot, and Chico Fernandez, I have been mentored to share all of my knowledge with anyone that wants to learn it. Lefty was without a doubt, the greatest person to ever demonstrate this; he would share any and all of his information with new anglers and did so without hesitation. I made a promise to myself to try and do the same thing. This is the reason I teach seminars, post videos on various topics, and never hesitate to take out anglers that want to learn.

So, if you are one of those people that feels yo may be too old to take up fishing, I want to insure you that nothing could be further from the truth! Reach out, ask questions, watch videos, read books, and find places like this website, where any question you ask will be answered with truthfulness and encouragement to learn more! It is never too late in life to learn how to fish and enjoy everything that the Natural World has to offer!