I Went Down To the River

June 19, 2018 Jillian Rash

Jillian Schuller Photography - Fly Fishing

I've got a song that I hum when things get difficult. When I get tired on a trail, frustrated with life or just when I'm thinking too much. I'm not sure when I started, but I think it was some time during college or right after. It's a song by the Duhks, Down To The River. A slightly folksy tune, a lotta bit of Cajun, and a little bit Irish jig. I imagine that if I ever endure anything extremely troublesome, let's say childbirth, I'd sing it at the top of my lungs.

This weekend Jacob and I headed out on my first big adventure in a long, long time. A good hike, paired with lots of high country brook trout is the perfect combination. I can't begin to describe how sweet the pine trees smelled during the hike or how refreshing that cold mountain water felt on my feet. There certainly aren't words to characterize the tug of a native brookie on the end of my four weight.

Wild Friendships

May 15, 2018 Jillian Rash

Picking out friends to fish wild water with is a bit like choosing your Survivor "tribe." These are people you know won't crack a joke when you slip off a rock or criticize your casting when you get hung in a laurel. They might even lend you a hand when bouldering up a waterfall. You know this because they will also slip, get stuck, and need a hand, as most of us do. Your friends will get to see you in all your embarrassing glory, from the funny dances you perform to try and stay in the upright position to your squatting positions, usually behind a large rock or tree.
They'll see every misstep up close. You'll share snacks and bourbon, stories and runs, and all the embarrassing moments in between.

Wild

April 2, 2018 Jillian Rash

“How wild it was, to let it be.”

-Cheryl Strayed

Fishing Small Streams

March 5, 2018 Jillian Rash

"I guess it's the size of the trout (or, should I say, the suspected size of the trout) that keeps many serious fly fishermen off the small streams. To be perfectly honest, if the deal being proposed was that you get the best of all the good things fly fishing offers in return for catching smaller trout, I'd take it. Actually, I did make that very deal with myself once and was perfectly happy with it."

Double Dry Flies

March 1, 2018 Jillian Rash

The air is damp and cold and there's a thick fog settled over everything. I wondered to myself why I even bothered with blow drying my hair this morning, the mist has dampened it already. Despite a silent protest I've pulled on my waders. Wild water is not the place for waders, they're bulky and get in the way. But, spring has just arrived and the water is still cold. It's been a long, cold winter spent away from these waters and I've been waiting to get back to them. Little mountain streams, high up, filled with ambitious brook trout have been calling to me for months.

I always linger a bit behind on the hike to the river. I let the guys dash ahead. I know this trail and this stream, I don't need anyone to guide me. There's a mist coming off the wet, moss covered rocks, or maybe that's just the fog, I can't be sure. Everything is starting to turn green again, the death of winter is starting to fade away, strangled out by new life.

Wanderlust

December 7, 2017 Jillian Rash

When you hurry through you aren't enjoying it, not really. The adventure turns into a "to-do," the experience is lost. You're trying to accomplish something, mark it off a list, feel successful. Living life this way is not beneficial, and fishing should take place slowly and thoughtfully.

Life isn't always about grand adventures, sometimes it's about enjoying the little things, taking your time, and being happy with where you are.