Kevin Merrill: Fly fishing and a vineyard slowdown | Columnists

The next day we were off in the morning headed north to Williams where we always stop at Granzella’s Deli and restaurant for lunch, before heading up to Redding. We try and get a table in the bar where Clayton checks out all the hunting trophies mounted on the walls in the rustic dining area. You should check it out if you are ever up that way.

Before long we made it to Redding and checked into the fly shop, where we would meet our guide Matt Dover the next morning. We purchased our one-day Steelhead Report and Restoration card and headed for our motel for the evening.

We were back at the fly shop at 7:45 a.m. where we met Matt and followed him to the river. It was a beautiful morning with the temperature around 68 degrees, a far cry from last year when it began snowing while we were fishing.

I waited by the boat launch area while Clayton followed Matt to the location where our day would end, and Matt would leave his truck and trailer and ride back with Clayton to our starting point.

I watched as several formations of geese flew overhead in the morning sky, landing 100 yards or so away from me on the river.

We enjoyed a spectacular quiet day on the river, caught some nice fish after Matt finally had me casting the fly rod the proper way, he is a great teacher with the patience of a saint. Clayton took right to it like he had been fly fishing all of his life, although he lost some of Matt’s fly’s on the bottom of the river and I didn’t.

Fly fishing makes you unwind and slow down. Will Rogers once said, “if all politicians fished instead of spoke publicly, we would be at peace with the world”.