Just A Stick...

So, it’s not just a stick, you know? About ten years back, I was rigging up to fish the San Juan River, and I realized I had forgotten my wading staff. I thought, Mike, you used to fish this river without a staff all the time, you’ll be fine. But when I got to the riverbank, there it was. Someone had shaved the bark off the limb, leaving a bit for a handle. I used that stick for the entire week I was there. I think that was the week I first met Steve and fished the Juan with him. Guess what? I still have that stick! And I still fish with Steve. Not much of the bark handle is left now, but I still have the stick.

At the end of the week of fun fishing on the Juan, I didn’t have the motivation to throw the stick away. And it still rides in the truck bed as a backup to my over priced wading staff (that's another story). The wading staff is way better than that stick in almost every way when I’m fishing. Except for one. That stick is super quiet when I’m using it on a small, rocky stream. No clicking sound. No scraping sound of metal. It’s the stealthiest staff I own, which is a huge benefit on freestone streams with spooky trout.

Yeah, it’s just a stick. A really good stick, with trout magic!