I wonder whether Doug Rose, author of the new, completely updated "Fly-Fishing Guide to the Olympic Peninsula," ever has a famous scene from "The Wizard of Oz" roll through his head while fishing.
You know -- the part when Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion creep through the dark, spooky woods chanting "Lions, Tigers and Bears -- Oh My!"
But Rose's version of the chant might go something like this: "Cutts, Steelhead and Salmon -- Oh Yes!" Rose, who guides almost year-round, knows the Olympic Peninsula like few others.
And, after reading the new version of "Fly-Fishing Guide to the Olympic Peninsula," it's clear that Rose's life follows the rhythms of the Peninsula rivers and tides.
I had the pleasure of meeting Rose when he spoke a year or two ago during a meeting of the South Sound Fly Fishers. He's pretty soft-spoken and modest, but he knows his stuff. I learned a lot during the meeting, and I learned a lot reading his latest book.
Rose's writing is a lot like his speaking. He tells little, interesting stories and manages to teach us a lot -- without making it seem like he's teaching at all. I had a distinct sensation that I was fishing with a good friend.
Each part of the book -- from cutthroat trout on the Queets River to summer steelhead on the Hoh River to brook trout on Price Lake -- carries his relaxed voice, which is full of history, stories and love of the water.
The book is also a fishing guide, and readers get a priceless survey of fly fishing the Olympic Peninsula. Rose shares his knowledge of northern Hood Canal, the Grays Harbor and Chehalis River area, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the classy world-famous steelhead rivers and on and on and on.
My copy of the book is already a little tattered, and there are Post-It notes on sections about rivers and bays and lakes I'd like to explore. I know I have to make another trip to fish the rainbows on the Elwha River before that terrible dam goes down, which, happily, looks like will happen before the scheduled 2012 deadline.
But the truth is, I'd have to spend the next 30 years living on the Olympic Peninsula -- and fishing like a maniac -- to see and do and savor all the water in this book.
Luckily for all of us, Rose has already done that -- and continues to do just that. This book joins that select company of regional fishing guides that every angler must have. Rose is to the Olympic Peninsula as Craig Mathews is to Yellowstone National Park and Dave Hughes is to Oregon's Deschutes River.
Rose is also a guide, and he specializes in walk-in trips, which suits his quiet personality. I can't imagine a better day than walking and fishing with Doug Rose -- and I have to make that happen. After all, as ski filmmaker Warren Miller used to say, "Do it now, as it will just be more expensive when you do finally do it."
To contact Doug, call 360-374-2635 or visit his website at www.dougroseflyfishing.com. Rose has a terrific blog on the site, and it's worth a daily visit.
Yeah, Rose is a wizard -- of a place far better than Oz.
