Things I Thought I Knew

After thirty plus years of fly fishing, I thought I knew:

• Don't wade before dawn. All you'll do is spook fish...or fall in. And spooking fish is worse.
• Don't leave fish. If you find them, fish for them.
• Fish slowly when the water is below 40 degrees. The fish are sluggish, even if you aren't.
• Take your time tying knots. A bad knot only results in lost fish or flies. Neither is a good thing.
• Dress warm and shed layers as it warms up. It takes much longer to thaw out than it does to cool down.

But based on what I did this past week, I guess I haven't learned these lessons after all.