Good times on the river

One of my favorite drives is on the road from Bozeman to Big Sky, Montana. Running along a narrow mountain canyon, the road winds through spectacular scenery and occasionally crosses the fast-flowing and ruggedly beautiful Gallatin River. It’s a mecca for fly fisherman, and although I’ve never mastered the sport, this time of year triggers memories of my dad and his lifetime of fishing adventures.

My dad, Dale Stull, was an avid fisherman and tried, unsuccessfully, to share the fun of fishing with his daughters. He truly loved to get up before dawn, grab the bait, and hit the river. However, to this day, I believe neither my sister nor I are willing to bait a hook, and we are terrible at sitting for long periods of time in a boat. So he often traveled with his fishing buddies to remote locations and came back home with wonderful stories of life in the wild. Some of his favorite locations were fishing at off-the-grid camps in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska or on one of the thousands of crystal-clear lakes flung across northern Canada.

This week, my painting, Fly Fishing, 8” x 12” Watercolor, strives to capture the art and adventurous spirit of fly fishing – the thrill of standing in a cold, fast-moving stream, sending the line sailing out above the water, and waiting for the next big catch.