Fisherboy 2005 VideoHi Speed Only
It is rare, in today’s world, to find an appreciative kid. We can’t really blame them though. Kids and adults today have a sometimes disgusting amount of material things. Unfortunately, those material things always run their course and the same story is told time and time again. We strive for the next material thing, we get bored with it, we strive for another material thing, we get bored with that and the pattern repeats itself over and over again. So, whose fault is it? Doesn’t matter really. That is just the way it is. I first met Austin (Fisherboy) on one of Maine’s trout rivers. His sincere and natural passion for fly fishing was obvious, to say the least. I could tell that there was no place on earth he would rather be at that moment in time than where he was. It was so refreshing to see a youngster on the river and not the same old characters. Maine is full of older fly fishermen, traditionalists and purists and that kinda crowd. Fisherboy breathed life into a somewhat stale environment. Don’t get me wrong. Fisherboy is a purist in many respects. He is by far one of the best fly tiers I know. He taught himself through books and actually ties according to the old English methods. He can pretty much see a fly and tie it. He is profoundly better than me at fly tying. So anyway, it turned out that Fisherboy lived only a couple miles from my family. And, through time our families began to interact and Fisherboy and I began to fly fish together on a regular basis. Fisherboy was filled with excitement one day. He said, “Jeremy, I am going to the Trout Unlimited Trout Camp!” I replied, “What is that?” Austin replied, “Oh, its awesome. I go for a week and learn all about the rivers, entomology, different fly fishing methods, trout behavior and how to protect the ecosystem.” I said, “Wow!” I was immediately impressed with the concept. Especially after witnessing Fisherboy’s enthusiasm. So, Fisherboy went to trout camp and certainly learned all of the things they promised to teach. For the remainder of the year I enjoyed getting the opportunity to take Fisherboy to some of the best fly fishing that the east coast has to offer. You should have seen the look of astonishment in his eyes when we showed up to the rivers that he had heard and read so much about. We also spent a significant amount of time fly fishing the salt water. Fisherboy would come over and paint our fences or feed my baby son Finn and then we would go fly fishing. My wife and I became friendly with Fisherboy’s family and we would bring Finn over to their house for dinner and birthday parties. In fact, Fisherboy’s sister baby sits Finn when I am away on business trips. So, Austin kinda became like the brother I never had. And, I think that I enjoyed fly fishing with him as much as he enjoyed my willingness to take him with me. We caught so many fish on the fly, laughed a ton and saw some magnificent places. Many of my friends also took Fisherboy under their wing and gave him rides to fly fishing spots and gave him pointers. However, sometimes when they were giving him pointers I could not help but think that they might be better served getting a few pointers from Austin. Above all else, what impressed me most and still impresses me to this day is Fisherboy’s genuine appreciation. Please and thank you are not just words that he uses to get something he wants. They just roll of his tongue naturally and with sincerity. Anyway, I have enjoyed the time spent with Fisherboy. He has taught me allot and continues to do so. I know that I am not the only one who truly enjoys fly fishing with Austin. I have seen my fellow fly fishing buddies perceptions change too. Instead of saying, “Hey, are you bringing that kid again?” They now say, “Is Fisherboy coming? He would have a blast on this trip.” Oh yeah, one more thing. Don’t think that all of this was done out of the kindness of my heart. See there is a master plan. Finn, my son, who is now 1 year old will need someone to show him the ropes. That is a far more difficult task. Can you imagine the difficulty of taking a 3 year old fly fishing? Showing him how to use the rod, trying to get him to even understand what the purpose is and trying to keep his interest? Well, neither can I. That is where Fisherboy comes in and that is how Fisherboy will repay me. I would much prefer to go fly fishing with Finn when he knows what a rod is, knows what a fish is and can comprehend the fundamental concepts. Fisherboy will be responsible for taking Finn under his wing and getting him to that point of understanding. Thanks Fisherboy. We had allot of fun in 2005 and 2006 is bound to be better.
Fisherboy passed good fly fisherman and went right to great! That was some great fish he caught and should keep that DVD to look back on when he’s my age. Terrific year fisherboy and this year will be even better as you have covered a lot of fishing ground this year.
Congrats
Greg
i have had the fun of fishing with the two of you on several occasions. It is a pleasure to see the bond between the two of you. You have reached a point where you almost know what the other one is thinking. I always get a kick out of your excitement, and pride when fisherboy wins the battle. He is a great kid that is welcome with me anytime on any trip. I too, say thank you Fisherboy for a memorable year. Hope to see lots of you in the future. Not only can you take care of young Finn you can make sure us older folks are cared for.
What a great vid…Kid’s gonna be one of the great ones it looks like. We’ll all be watching HIS Tying and fishing show some day.
yah…no joke — i am not kidding when i say that his fly tying skills are mind boggling. there is really nothing that the kid can’t tie -and TIE WELL.
ps – next summer we were talking about building a mobile fly tying bench for the passenger seet. so while on the road – he can be running a production line and whipping out buggers, serendipities, flashbacks, size 20 caddis, rusty spinners, tiny bwo’s and egg patterns…
Austin; You’re a young man who knows how to hang with the right crowd for sure and you are an exception to the ‘average’ teenager. Stay in school and don’t become a fishing guide-bum, whatever. Go to college, then, make a lot of money so you can travel and fish. Stay away from women.
Your progression in the sport is like our own;…..fisherbaby…fisherboy…fisherman! You may reach Fisherman soon and have to change your handle!!! Shoot for something like fisherking or fishermeister.
Jeremy; Given fisherboy’s inquisitiveness and genuine talented nature, through your guidance, you have truly given back what the sport has given to you in a way that will grow and endure. As I see it, yours was a tribute to two fine men.
jeeze I’m gonna cry!
Great video, and better year man. I know that you had an awesome year, and will have many more to come. You are certainly one lucky dog, Ill tell you that. And you are definatly becoming an awesome fisherman. I remember when I first met you as well, and the friendship we have shared since then. Your really the only person that I know, besides maybe kray, that shares the same amount of passion for fly fishing and tying. I wish I had had the opportunities to do as much fishing this summer, with and without jeremy and friiends as you did, and I am very envious of you. I will never forget the day that we both met Jeremy. Now will I foget your smile and look on your face when you came running back downstream to me saying “your not going to believe who I just met!!! I just met THE Jeremy Cameron!!!” Good luck bud, and I hope we can fish more this summer, I know I will, I have a feeling that my drivers license is gonna keep me from home this summer more than my family can bear 🙂
Caleb
great advise marsh, except for the stay away from the women. a good women is a must to have around in case you need to have something to trade for a new canoe, rod, fishing trip etc.
Great video and great year fisherboy! Good to see there are still some great young anglers out there because there has been so much talk about how less and less of today’s youth are participating in hunting and fishing. The future of our sport could very well rest in the hands of people like fisherboy, Kray, Fish King and myself. If that is the case our sport has a bright future!
greg….by the time he is your age – the DVD will lay side by side next to the vinyl record and the 8 track tape. by the time he is your age – i would not be surprised he’ll be looking back and saying to his friends,
“oh man, do you remember the good old days when things were simple. remember that old website fliesandfins.com? those were the good old days…what ever happened to those things called websites?”
well said kodiak….and the irony is this… it is the hunters and the fisherman that seem to do more to protect the environment and the species of fish/animal they hunt. like anything else you get alot of people who TALK about saving this and preserving that….but many times its just talk — but the hunter/fisherman (for the most part) go to great lenghts to protect their resources and ensure the survival of those resources for future generations….
do you think a chemical plant or something similar would care if they could just dump stuff in the water and there was nobody to call them on it? of course not, they are driven by money. i understand that – and it is human nature – so i am certainly not taking a hollier than though approach —- all i am saying is that is is healthy to have checks and balances and in the end — i would be willing to bet that it is in fact the hunters/fisherman who DO the most to preserve their associated resources.
great video Jeremy.
Austin, you’re gonna need to change your handle one of these days, you have come of age.
Hi everybody, thanks for all the compliments I really really appreciate it. Jeremy and I had a fantastic year and it is said to be even better in 06. We both caught so many fish, had even more laughts, and got to know each other and their familys. I miss the mornings where we would be on the road at 3:00 still tired from yesterdays fishing and when the sun was just beggining to light up the gravel bars we stood on we would already be casting tiny #18 caddis to rising trout. That feeling will get me through anything.
Thanks again for the compliments
Austin
wow looks like you had lots of fun. Its hard for us yungins to get where we want to. nice taste of music 🙂