American Angler
  • Home
  • Destinations
  • Fly Tying
  • Gear
  • Tactics
  • Travel
    • Alaska
    • Eastern USA
    • Western USA
    • Canada
    • International
  • Videos
  • Photo Essays
  • In This Issue
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe Online
    • Gift Subscription
    • Digital Subscriptons
    • Manage My Subscription
Featured 0

THROWBACK: An Interview with the World’s Greatest Guide


We recently stumbled upon this interview we did with Hank Patterson back in 2013, and, because his message is as timeless as it is funny, we decided to share it.

When Hank Patterson’s first video appeared on YouTube, the fly-fishing community was stunned. We were introduced to someone we’d never even heard of, yet he clearly possessed levels of skill and knowledge about the sport that left viewers speechless. His videos have thousands of views now, and fly fishers around the country are employing Hank’s “snap it and slap it” technique to catch more and bigger fish. Hank graciously agreed to answer a few questions about his meteoric rise to prominence

1. When and how did you get started in fishing?
I purchased my first fly rod 9 or perhaps 5 or about 20 years ago. . .give or take a year or twelve. But I was a fly fisherman long before I ever owned that rod. While I had never physically gone fishing, I did possess the soul, patience, and unrelenting confidence of a fly fisher. My thoughtful, meditative mind was developed as a young man, during hours of what my mother referred to as “quiet time” or “time out.” These hours of silence, staring into the corner, are where I acquired an uncanny ability to anticipate the actions, reactions, and feeding patterns of all trout species. The wallpaper in our kitchen was a trout stream theme. I have also watched A River Runs Through It more than 1,200 times on VHS, DVD, and BluRay.

2. What was the first fish you ever caught on a fly?
The first fish I ever landed on a fly was a native, three-inch cuttyrainbrown on the Payette River just below Lowman, Idaho. Took me to my backing and beyond twice before finding the bottom of my aluminum net. A hell of a nice trout. He was feisty, brave, and brilliant in color. Many would consider him a small fish, but I caught him in a current that no man, no matter how strong, could stand in. That cuttyrainbrown’s ability to hold position in that current makes him one of largest and certainly strongest fish I’ve ever had the pleasure of setting free.

3. When and how did you get into guiding?
Becoming a guide was a natural progression for me. I love hearing myself talk, love beer, enjoy telling others what they’re doing wrong, and have no objection to proclaiming myself to be the finest, most enlightened fisherman on any water I ever find myself in. The day I had the epiphany to become a guide, I was on the Henry’s Fork, fishing in earshot of two separate guides who were yammering constant advice and direction to their clients. I found myself disagreeing with every single bit of advice each of them gave. They were doing their best, but in my expert opinion, both were leading their clients down a path to mediocrity. I knew at that moment that I could not, and should not, keep my methods to myself.

4. What is one thing most anglers need to know to catch more fish?
To STOP focusing on catching more fish. Fly fishing is a time for quiet contemplation. A time to take in the sights and sounds that God, Mother Nature, and the erosion of giant glaciers from the ice age have created for us. Anglers should not ask “How do I catch more fish,” they should only ask “How do I get to spend more time on the water” and “How much is too little when tipping my guide”?

5. What’s the most common mistake you see on the water?
Everybody is always talking about getting a “good drift”. There’s no such thing. A drifting fly looks like a dead fly. Fish, like any other human, have very little interest in chomping on a corpse. A drifting fly attracts lazy, desperate trout as opposed to healthy, confident, and smart trout. Snap that line! Splash that fly HARD to the surface, and drag and bounce that fly around like a bug on six cups of strong coffee and schnapps!

6. Why did you decide to share your knowledge via video?
A couple of reasons. 1. There aren’t enough prepositions and verbs in the English language to properly demonstrate good casting technique; 2. I’ve been told I’m a handsome man; and 3. Most of my clients hate to read. Honestly though, who wants to read when you can kick back, turn your brain to the “off” position and simply watch a video? Reading is hard. Watching is easy.


Editor’s Note: In reality, Hank Patterson is the comic alter ego of Travis Swartz, a filmmaker from Boise, Idaho. Check out Travis’s website (hankpatterson.com) and peek in on Hank Patterson’s Facebook page HERE.

Magazine Cover

Subscribe Today

Click here to receive the sport of fly fishing's most authoritative magazine.


Current Subscriber?

Manage your subscription or add a digital edition to your print subscription

Share Tweet

Seth Fields

You Might Also Like

  • Destinations

    Austria on the Fly

  • Featured

    After Dark, in the Keys

  • Featured

    Beast Mode

Columns and Departments

Editor’s Page | by Greg Thomas
Fly Tyer | by Scott Sanchez
History | by Will Ryan
Hatches | by Dave Hughes
Waterlines | The Angler Essay
Bonus Content | The Magazine

Videos

  • Barr’s Meat Whistle

    February 6, 2019
  • GIGAS

    January 22, 2019
  • Landon Mayer’s Mini-Leech

    January 17, 2019
See all videos...

Photo Essays

  • Appalachian High

    July 5, 2018
  • Discovering Resilience: Photos by Jess McGlothlin

    February 6, 2018
See all slideshows...
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising/Media Kits
  • In This Issue
  • Privacy Policies
  • Submissions

About

American Angler magazine covers fly-fishing tactics, tackle, destinations, news, and fisheries conservation for a national readership of more than 40,000 fly fishers of all levels.

Facebook

 

Latest News

  • GIVEAWAY & REVIEW – Session Fly Reel

    February 11, 2019
  • Barr’s Meat Whistle

    February 6, 2019
  • Jurassic with Drys

    February 1, 2019
  • Charlie Smith Obituary

    January 29, 2019
  • GIGAS

    January 22, 2019

Search AA.com

Member of the Morris Media Network

American Angler | Gray's Sporting Journal | Fly Tyer | Alaska | Milepost | Western Horseman | Quarter Horse News | Barrel Horse News | Equine Journal | WhereTraveler.com

© Copyright 2016 American Angler. All rights reserved.