If I could pick any words to sum it up for me personally, my website address says it best. Sure, where the proverbial “fly line meets the water”, I’ve only been living on the fly for a bit more than a decade. But that’s okay. Because when I discovered fly fishing, I connected with the base of my soul and found one of my life’s greatest passions. I can still vividly recall catching my first Rainbow on California’s Upper Sacramento and the feeling that came over me to set her free. That was in 1996.

Today, I’m just as driven by my passion for all that is fly fishing, although I will admit to a bias for Trout and Steelhead on the fly. It’s been a constant in my life since I took my first lesson. It’s made the good times in my life better and the bad times, manageable. Regardless of my place in life, wading in a river looking for a rise clears my mind of all things not of fins. Hence, the name of this site, “life on the fly.”

I love every aspect of this sport – pristine rivers…breathtaking views…wild fish…donning my waders…great friends…bugs…rises…targets…a take…and yes, even a miss!

Life is full of responsibility and stress points. We work at our careers, to provide for our families, to have meaningful relationships, and perhaps raise children and grandchildren. Stepping into a river clears my mind of life’s stress points and rejuvenates me. It is a place where I rediscover the boy in me. Whether it’s standing knee deep in a river, rummaging through my fly boxes for the best counter to a blatant refusal by a feeding fish holding on the opposite bank below an overhanging branch. Or swinging flies under the cover of darkness only to have a wild Steelhead practically rip the rod from my unsuspecting hand. Or watching a wild Brown almost undetectably sip flies tucked under a cut bank and then throwing him a big black beetle! Could it get any better? Not for me.

Don’t ask me what I really hope to get out of this website. Because I will tell you simply I don’t know. It’s just a place where I can share my passion with you. So enjoy it.

George Shave, III