 |
Unfortunately I didn’t start fly fishing when I was 3. And I didn’t learn the art of tying flies as a young boy. I never learned the art of casting from my grandfather either. I really wish I had. In fact, I had never even held a fishing rod until I was 26 years old. It was almost 16 years ago when a friend of mine asked if I would join him for a fishing weekend. Since I was a lover of the outdoors and always ready for an adventure, I said yes. From that day on I was hooked. It always reminds me of the movie Forest Gump. The part in the movie where Tom Hank’s character holds the ping pong racket in his hand for the first time and from that moment on can't take his eyes of the ball, like he was hypnotized. I had a similar experience. That day my friend taught me how to cast spoons (spinner casting rod) and I couldn’t stop all day. I took the next day off work to go fishing. And the following week I made into a long weekend to practice my new “hobby”. Once I had finished all of my vacation time and sick days I started taking unpaid holidays. I didn’t care if I was fired.
Two years later while fishing in Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia I met a young boy and his grandfather. They were fly-fishing the same stretch of river for the resident trout and pink salmon. It wasn’t the fish they were catching that impressed me, but how they were catching them. To me it was beautiful, almost poetic. When I returned home I started to collect fly-fishing books and magazines. A few months later I bought my first fly rod. Soon after that I purchased the materials to make my own flies.
I remember the first time I went fly fishing. In the first 10 minutes or so in one of my desperate attempts to cast a fly I accidentally hooked the tip of my nose. Fortunately nothing serious happened and my friend was able to unhook me (I was too scared to do it myself). Over the years my love of fly-fishing took me to many places and on many adventures. And even though deep-down I wanted to be the only one in the river I never minded seeing another fly-fisher. I have met a lot of nice people, conservationalists, artists, nature lovers and adventurers and I would always love to meet more. In the mean time everyone who knows me, from friends and family, neighbours and clients and even the cashier at the local grocery store know me as a fly-fisherman (even if they don’t know me by name).
Since I was 17 I have worked in the jewellery industry. From apprenticing with many skilled artists to owning my own business for the past 9 years I have learned many different areas of the jewellery business. I have worked as a goldsmith filigree maker, engraver, silver smith and wax carver. By the time I was 33 I decided I was ready to start a business of my own designing jewellery for manufacturers and stores. About 5 years ago I made my first gold hook and tied a fly pattern on it to wear on my tie to a wedding party. I received many compliments from fishermen and woman and surprisingly from those not really interested in fishing at all. Many people either know someone who fly-fishes or simply know about the sport from watching “A River Runs Through It”. After that day I made many more gold flies and other fishing related jewellery for myself or as gifts for others. 3 years ago I started to design my own line of fly-fishing related jewellery. In my opinion a fly is a beautiful combination of art and craft and I always wanted to be able to wear it as a piece of jewellery. I am very pleased to be able to combine my skills as a jewellery designer with my love of fly-tying. I hope you like it too.
Sassan |
