"Guide Hands"

A few years ago i saw a pretty interesting photo essay in one of the fly fishing magazines called "guide hands." at the time i didn't really know the point, as all it contained was pictures of guides hands, from shots of hands on wood push-poles, to hand on oars and also a few on fly rods.

Now i really know what the deal is. we are only in to the season two weeks and i'm getting "the guide hands." its funny how my mitts being constantly wet, covered in fish goo and pulling on the oars all day is slowly turning them into leather. little by little the corners of my fingers are splitting, and the line slices around my pinky and forefinger and just getting deeper and deeper. i don't mind. it seems to me like the guide hands aren't something that you can get. you have to earn them.