PART THREE

We would fish together often throughout that season long ago. Experimenting with different patterns sometimes amazed at what they were willing to take when presented properly. When no fish were visibly feeding he would show me sub surface patterns and techniques that were foreign to me. Tactics that I had never seen in print but would eventually be seen by many. Yes, he was steps ahead of most, that happens when you live to fish.

As the years passed I would see Tom from time to time. He would be there, walking the banks of my home water. Waist deep, at dusk, on the Wisconsin river. Me, leaving, after casting to crashing Smallmouth. Him, just starting, his pursuit of night time Walleyes. Or the time I had driven hours from home in hopes of landing a few Steelhead. Walking far upstream on a crowded Holiday weekend only to hear that familiar cough from too many Marlboros. There Tom stood, knee deep at the top of a riffle. Three males just downstream of a female on her nest. He passed that riffle on to me as he was heading out to lunch. Yes, I caught all three.

The last time I saw Tom was in the Summer of 2019. He was sitting stream side on a bench. Dressed in shorts and sneakers, his old weathered vest, no waders, his rod strung and leaned against a nearby tree. He had come to offer advice to a friend who was just starting their fly fishing journey. We sat together and chatted. His health was failing and he told me things were winding down. His legs were shot, so was his back. There were other issues that I think he chose not to talk about. He knew.

Tom passed away in the late Spring of 2020. A memorial stone and plaque sits in a pull off parking spot on the Creek he loved. Part of him became one with the stream. He’s been gone for several years but his fly patterns and techniques continue to produce for those who were willing to listen and learn. I would not be the fisherman I am today without standing beside him in that Season of Enlightenment.

SIDE NOTE:

Tom wrote profusely for outdoor magazines, many of those articles never to be seen again, however , he did co-write one book, “Catching Big Fish on Light Fly Tackle” still available today through UW press and Amazon. The book covers many species but there are plenty of trout-related chapters with details on his Hares Ear Scud and many other favorite fly patterns.