“Rod” or “Stick”: Harry Lemire Was Both
Today on Instagram there was a discussion of Harry Lemire. I commented that Harry loved to be called a “stick” — and that he would smile when he heard that. But he was also a “rod”. So he was both, he was also humble, and he was my friend. He always wanted to get better at tying flies. When Harry tied the first four plates for my book Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies way back in 1976, we were both so excited about the plates. Years later, he told me he was always unhappy with the flies; he thought they could have been better. I always told him they were fantastic. The plates are included at the bottom of this blog - so many of these fly patterns long forgotten.
I loved fishing with Harry, but compared to me, he was a better angler, a better fly tyer, and incredibly humble. I’m so glad I got to fish with him, including the Thompson when it was still great.
Each spring in the late 1980s, I’d hook up my trailer with my “Aluma Drifter” and drive from my home in Port Townsend to the Howard K. Miller Steelhead Park on the Skagit River.
The Steelhead Park and boat launch was a collection point in the spring for some of the best rods, with Harry Lemire certainly one of those fly fishers. The attraction was a small run of winter steelhead that would charge up the river and arrive only a couple days from the ocean.
Sometimes early in the morning, I’d see Harry casting on the deep run in front of the Park. This water was a dozen feet deep, water I would never have stopped to fish, and I asked Harry about it. He explained that getting the fly down deep wasn’t as important as slowing down the fly’s passage across the river. A steelhead would see the fly, pick up, and begin drifting across the bottom while tracking the fly. As the river became shallower, the steelhead was soon only a couple feet from the fly and would then take it.
When Harry had fished through, I’d ask him whether he’d like a ride to another run he couldn’t reach on foot. He did, and the runs were on the Sauk, an incredible steelhead river that joined the Skagit a few hundred yards below the campground water. Harry always took the offer, but so did his devoted Collie that watched him fish. This was a bit of a load, but in a few minutes, we were chugging our way up the Sauk.
When we came to a run of Harry’s liking, I’d drop him off, sometimes sticking around to take a picture of Harry and his dog. I’d then leave because Harry wouldn’t fish and reveal those little pockets of good fishing water until I was on my way. I’d be back to pick up Harry hours later. I usually hadn’t had even a touch, but typically Harry would have fish in hand.
This main picture used for this blog was taken on one of those days — such great memories of him!
A good day on the Thompson with Harry and a typical Thompson River buck
Plate #1 from Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies (1976) - All flies tied by Harry Lemire
Plate #2 from Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies (1976) - All flies tied by Harry Lemire
Plate #3 from Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies (1976) - All flies tied by Harry Lemire
Plate #4 from Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies (1976) - All flies tied by Harry Lemire