He’s fished all over. The Thompson was his favourite. He likes long rods, long lines, old Hardy’s and getting them his way. He doesn't “need” a fish, he's patient and understands that when you live by the sword sometimes you get a little beat up and you’ve gotta wait for them. He will go sub-surface, but it's not his first move. He fishes with the confidence of someone who's logged a lot of hours.

For nearly a decade now, I've wanted to design and market a solution to a small problem that one would only know about after having it annoy them over and over (from someone who's logged a lot of hours) The solution I had in mind was for a clip of sorts to hold your line, leader, or fly while you are making changes or working on your rig. The way I thought of it was an alligator clip, rigged to another alligator clip. One clip is attached to your person and the other is free to hold a line.

These little pieces come with nearly every flyline or Skagit head and often end up in the Garbage.

I can't remember what prompted the work on his rig, but Kieth had solved this EXACT same problem with a piece of pipecleaner (you know the ones that come with each skagit head or flyline) attached to a zipper on his weathered fishing vest. I watched him strip in his line for a change and attach the leader to the pipe cleaner. I smiled and applauded him for his practical solution to a common problem. I told him a similar story to what I’ve just told you about how I wanted to design something, but he has beat he to it. He smiled humbly and continued about his rig change.

Shortly after this, he caught a beautiful Hen and was brimming with Joy. During the tussle, his old Hardy began to free-spool and it needed some love. He opened it up like he’d done it a thousand times before. He rode around with me while I saw to the other guests. I was interested in the repair, but too busy with the other guests to pay much attention. He had kind of surrendered to it being “done for the day,” but I told him to have a look in my “Emergency box”. I have carried this little box with me since I started guiding. Its contents have remained mostly the same, with things that have come and gone, additions and subtractions over the years as necessary. Its a good start if you are in a bind to repair something.

He opened the box and exclaimed, “I FOR SURE have something in here that will work to fix this reel.” I watched him patiently repair a broken old Hardy and it made it through the day.

Kieth posing with his practical solution to a common problem. A tiny piece of pipecleaner can save you a lot of grief.

What a pleasure to fish with someone who rolls with the punches, doesn't need a guide but chooses to fish with you anyway, who's seen it all, done a lot of it on his own and still loves it so deeply.

I appreciate practical thinkers.