Sorry Divas, I failed.

I had the water, the guide and the flies, but I now have the grand distinction of being the only Diva skunked on two continents.

But boy did we have fun. 

If you don't count the wind gusts strong enough to throw you in the river. I spent the day learning secrets, girls. Fish secrets. Well, casting secrets, anyway. It was a day of roll casting under the willows and I got to where I could put it exactly where I wanted it IN THE WIND.

Allan the guide says, don't tell anyone--this is secret. 

Well, I HAVE to tell the Divas, I said.

Ok, you tell the Divas, no one else, he grins. Then he re-thinks: no, don't tell them--his eyes twinkle--just do it and make them wonder.

He's adorable and we have a fun day on the river with he and his son, also named Alan. Their friends call him Witti (short for Whittington, their last name). We explained what witty means in English and they thought that was perfect!

Being on that beautiful crystal clear river was awesome, though. We were where the river joined again after going around an island and he taught me how to roll cast (under overhanging willows) to get the fly into the current, then mend, mend, mend until it's joined the main tributary and I'm down to the backing.

What an empowering feeling, watching your line stretch out further and further and feeling the power of the river carry it away. And being able to do it on your own too. Cool girls. Cool.

We fish differently here than you do in the United States, he says. You nymph fish upriver--we fish down river with a sinking line and strip it back up.

We could see the dang fish on the bottom, but they weren't interested. They were just laying low, hanging out, being cool.

You'd still be there Linda if you had to tie a rock on your tippet. But after 8 hours of fighting the wind, we were ready to head for the barn.