Ed Rice makes a cast with his fly rod at Lake Rufus Woods. Photo Tom Stienstra
At the front of the boat, the Grand Master of flyfishing, Ed Rice, blind from a virus, wobbled from a stroke, swept his rod like a magic wand. He hoped to cast one last spell over America’s largest rainbow trout.
“I told the doctor, ‘Don’t give me any crap. Give it to me straight,’ “ Rice said. “He told me, ‘You could die today. Or tomorrow. Or maybe live a little more.’ I know I’m day-to-day. I know this is my last trip. This is it for me.”
For one last cast, Rice, 72, asked me to take him to the lake of his dreams . . .
The story is published in the October 9 editions of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ed Rice caught this pretty rainbow trout, then released it, at Lake Rufus Woods. Photo Tom Stienstra
The story of my trip is at http://www.sfgate.com — then type Tom Stienstra in search box.
Feel great in the next 24 hours: Hike. Bike. Camp. Fish. Boat. Wildlife watch. Explore.
For the new edition of California Camping, go to http://74.220.215.219/~tomstien/books/california-camping/
Fish On!