I can do better......

Every time I finish a fly rod, I say to myself, 'I can do better.'  And on every rod after, I honestly try and do that.  This philosophy holds true for all aspects of fly fishing for me.  After every cast, I think, 'I can do better' and I honestly try and do that.  Same for fly tying, same even for every knot I tie.  Every time I catch a fish, I say to myself, 'I can catch a bigger one', and I honestly try and do that.  

There is a great scene from A River Runs Through It, when after watching his brother land a large fish while being swept downstream in the current to avoid losing it, where Norman says, "At that moment, I knew, surely and clearly...that I was witnessing perfection."  Not to sound so arrogant as to challenge the literary greatness of Norman Maclean, but I do not believe perfection exists in fly fishing.  At least I hope it doesn't, because that would mean it is achievable, and if I could achieve perfection in fly fishing, what would be the point continuing after it is achieved, which would mean there is an end to it. 

Maybe the only thing perfect is the river

I guess my point here is that my obsession with everything fly fishing is a journey to achieve perfection when I know it cannot be achieved, which is OK with me.

Are all of the fly rods I build perfect, no.  Will I ever build the perfect fly rod, no.  Do I honestly try and achieve perfection when building a fly rod, YES!

Here is one of my favorite fly rods I have ever built, but still not perfect.