Lander Crook tried in vain to free his flies from a tree. I stood upstream 50 yards or so and watched, slightly bemused, while he twisted and pulled his fly rod in directions I don’t think it was ever designed to go. But Lander has been my best friend since we were both five years old, so when it was apparent the flies weren’t coming out of the tree, I waded downstream to offer friendly advice.
“Don’t catch the tree,” I said, grabbing his leader and breaking it off with a snap. “Leader and flies are expensive – especially since I tie all your flies for free.”