For those who don't know, Zee Tumek, the Czech Fly Fisherman, was a legend during his time here in the US. A professional Hockey player, bad knee injuries sidelined his pro career. He turned that
go for it spirit into his fly fishing and took it to another level. Zee loves the big fish. Zee is one who it was once said, "Fish rise to his spit". He is also one of the most patient and effective teachers I was have been privileged to fish with. Here is an excerpt from a post I did about a trip with Allan Bell (Raider) and him in the Eastern Sierra in October 2008.
"Our final day would be a busy one. First, we would hike to another of the plentiful lakes that dot this section of the Sierra. Zee helped me with my long distance casting and it really helped. Here I would catch my personal best (and my only) 16” Brook Trout.
I caught a number of fish…..missed even more and broke off another fish bigger then the first. Zee caught fish after fish using flies that Stanberry had made for him. Zee impressed me with not only his fishing knowledge but his knowledge of every type of water that we were fishing.
We headed back to camp and then headed down for an eye-opening trip to a body of water above Bishop. We didn’t fish but Zee introduced me to some fish that looked to be the size of small land sharks. Simply amazing. He had names for them.
Our final stop was the Owens. We didn’t get into the water until around five. From the time Zee said, “Cast your fly right there” and I caught my first fish until dark, I fished and Zee coached. I was missing a lot of strikes, “Jim….the bobber goes down for 3 seconds and you do nothing” . It got better. The fish were willing…I was learning to keep contact with the fly and I never had more fun.
Zee said, “This is nothing….it will be better”. I didn’t know how. I was hoarse from shouting and laughing. We made it back to the truck in complete darkness and started the long road home.
On the trip down the hill, I had time to reflect on the three days I just spent with some new friends. It had been an amazing journey to places I had only heard about with some very good people who were gracious enough to allow me to share their fishing. Both Allen and Zee are excellent fly fishermen and both gave me a lot of support when I struggled at times. They opened my eyes to new possibilities. Both are gentlemen who represent the sport well. I look forward to many more adventures on the Eastern Sierra.
We made it back to our homes and normal lives. Our horses and dogs were glad to see me. For Zee and Allen, it was just another great fishing trip. For me, it was the trip of a lifetime and cemented the fact that I will fly fish to my last days. I am blessed to have met some wonderful folks on this forum (Midger-Stanberry-Zee-Troutinator-Raider-Eric-GaryP-Chiaki-Flutterfly and all the rest) who have taken me under their wing. It has changed my life and I truly feel blessed." So if you get the chance, fish with Zee the Czech Fly Fisherman when he comes over. You are guaranteed three things. There will never be a dull moment. You will learn something no matter what your experience level and you will have fun.
When Zee left the last time, we had a big going away deal on the Big Reedy that was epic. Look for a welcome back shindig in the Fall.
Welcome back, Zee!