GFF partner Bob Petti, USA

A friend of mine once told me of an aquaintence whose financial situation forced him to decide between fly fishing and fly tying.

By Bob Petti

A fine smallmouth from Quetico Provincial Park in western Ontario.

A view of the Beaverkill on a steamy August morning.

I'm pretty fortunate to live where I do. About forty five minutes to the East of me is the West Branch of the Delaware, one of the finest trout rivers in the Northeast. The Beaverkill and other famous Catskill rivers are just a short drive further along the quickway. Two hours due north of me is the Salmon River with its world reknown runs of pacific salmon and steelhead. A hour to the northwest would bring me to the Finger Lakes region, home to Cornell University and some deep water lakes that harbor landlocked salmon, trout, and all sorts of warmwater species. To the south and southeast, I'd be in Pennsylvania fishing the mountain country, where many still fish wet flies three at a time. The famous Susquehanna River runs right through my town and hosts some fine smallmouth fishing. Yeah - I'm blessed. There's more fishing within day-trip range of my front door than I can take advantage of in a lifetime.

My two best fishing buddies, Bruce and Gary, with a pair of Salmon River smallmouth bass.

I'm also very fortunate to have a wonderful family life. My wife is unusually tolerant of my obsession with "formerly living" animal and bird pieces, although said parts are quaranteed to the garage. That's ok - we have cats, too - so keeping my materials isolated allows some peace of mind. My daughter finds her Daddy's feathers fascinating, but she doesn't yet understand what fishing is all about. Someday, she will. Daughter #2 is due in May.

It was truly an honor to be invited to join the GFF team. Here's to a long and happy partnership.

Some of my articles on GFF

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