Michael Gracie

A few parallels worth mentioning:

• The need for patience and persistence - Not everyone is going to buy into your idea the moment you deliver it. By the same token, neither is a trout. Be patient with people as well as finicky aquatica - adjust your presentation to achieve the intended objective. Quit too soon, and you might miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
• Betting on your winners - Throw your all into the stuff that’s working. Successful entrepreneurs get a boost from small successes, and by directing attention to the small wins they often turn them into big ones. Commodities traders are particularly good at this - they generally double up their bets on their winners (and yes, I consider traders entrepreneurs). For trout, go for your favorite flies and favorite holes first - the ones you have confidence in as a result of previous successes.
• Knowing when to cut your losses - You can turn a small business failure into a big one very easily. Just keep throwing good money after bad. You can turn stellar conditions into a “no fish” day as well - just stick to the same fly, or stand in the same hole. All day.

This post has nothing to do with anything except my extra-curricular enjoyment. I just got back from a couple of days fishing the San Juan River, and have to say the place hasn’t changed much since my last visit (in 2000) - it still kicks the ass of any other trout fishery in this country (and likely most others as well).

A fellow fisherman called it “an amusement park for anglers.” I agree. And I have to hand it to the New Mexico Department of Fish and Game for their management of all the “attractions”, which included numerous rainbows over 20 inches (and fat enough to be mistaken for collegiate footballs).

Check out these factoids on the San Juan River and its aquatic inhabitants, as dug up by one of our crew…
Read more »