PATRICK DUKE: “Anyone Can Be a Purist…”

We’ve had our eyes on Patrick Duke for years. A vibrant soul, who has a contagious ambience about him, Patrick is a fly fishing guide, globetrotter, social media profile, and an extremely talented oil painter residing in Colorado. We were fortunate enough to meet Patrick in Denver for the 2019 IFTD show and have since had the pleasure of interviewing him about his lifelong obsession with fishing, his passion for guiding, and how painting ties up with being a fly fishing industry insider.

Bio// Full Name: Patrick F. Duke

Born: Evergreen, Colorado

Home Turf: Crested Butte, Colorado. Gunnison River

Occupation: Fly Fishing Guide / Oil Painter / Travel Host

Website: www.ArtandAngling.com

Social Media: @ArtandAngling

How did you get started fly fishing and why?

My dad was a fisherman, born into a family tree that hunted and fished for generations in the South. He started fly fishing and ski patrolling in New Brunswick, Main, and after the Navy, he moved to Colorado to raise his family, fly fish, and hunt. My father put a fishing rod in my hand when I was barely big enough to hold one.

He let me use his Eagle Claw fiberglass fly rod when I was five, and when I was six, I won my own stick in a Ducks Unlimited raffle. When I was seven, I convinced him that if he bought me a fly tying kit, I would pay him back in flies. He is still making stable returns on his investment. Fly tying seemed to seal the deal for me. I was enamored with, not just fly tying but, the whole process of creating something with your hands to represent life and use it to trick a fish. I still remember running home from school as a kid. We grew up on a lake, and when the fish weren’t biting in the still-water, we would fish the creek that ran in and out of the lake. I’d drop my book bag at the house, run to the river, throw whatever bugs I could find into the water, see what got eaten, run back home and try to tie something that matched.

It rarely worked, the dry would sink, or the whole thing would fall apart. It didn’t matter; I was always willing to fail because I knew I would eventually figure it out, and I had so much fun in the process that I didn’t need the end result to make it worth the effort. That is still the mentality that I carry on the water every day.

Being an artist what is it about fly fishing and fish in general that intrigues you?

One of my earliest childhood memories, I must have been four or five, is holding my first brown trout in both hands and staring at the bright orange spots. I find myself still doing this everywhere I go. These fish we chase on the fly are always so stunning and remarkably unique, from the gold leaf gill plates of a Golden Dorado, to the fluorescent greens of a Peacock Bass, and the chrome armored scales of a Tarpon. These are all things that I am always blown away by, maybe that’s the artist in me.

To me, the ability to hold a fish in your hands and have a few seconds to study and admire it is the reward. People always joke about me “gazing” at the fish in all my pictures. Trust me; I’m not gazing, I’m taking mental photos to enjoy later. We only get so much time with each fish, and I want to stare as long as I can. I encourage everyone to take a second or two with every fish they catch and find one thing unique. I’ve caught thousands of trout, but I can still find something remarkable with every fish, and each new species is a whole new world of different detail work.

I caught a giant Sardinata on my last trip to Columbia that I didn’t want to let go. Those fish are so underrated, smashing poppers and jumping like Tarpon. But the coolest part for me; they have a completely transparent forehead, you could see the backsides of their eyes, membranes, veins, it was like nothing I have ever seen.

Do you see any commonalities between fly fishing and doing art?

There are more similarities than I can adequately articulate, but for me, the most significant commonalities are the challenges presented and the freedom to do it the way you want. I grew up with an older brother and older sister, and I was always in competitive sports. Competitive soccer and snowboarding played a massive roll in my life. Fly fishing was unique in the way that it fulfilled my competitive nature, but I was competing against my abilities. No one was keeping score or judging my performance except the fish.

The drive to be a better angler was all within. You didn’t have a coach telling you how to be better or what not to do. This is what I liked about art as well.

It was my escape from boundaries. I get to create what I want, how I wish, to my concept of perfection. I can apply that same train of thought to fly fishing. The ways to catch fish are limitless, dry, streamer, nymph, and many sub-styles within those. Anyone can be a “purist” and say they only fish dries or streamer or Tenkara (haha), but I think it’s the ability to master all of the techniques that make you an accomplished angler.

Can you tell us a little bit about your art, what it means to you and how it ties up with your passion for fly fishing?

I’ve always had a hard time with the train of thought that; being an artist is “a gift” or “talent” that someone is born with. Painting is a skill, and being an accomplished painter requires that you master those skills. Those skills must be earned with countless hours of hard work and failure, all with a common goal of improvement. I am never content with my own work, and I am always striving to be better. I have the same mindset when it comes to my fly fishing and guiding. No one is born a good angler. You learn a little bit from each day on the water. Your skills and abilities are a testament to those hours spent with your boots in the water and your hands on the oars. Both are always so humbling.

With each breakthrough as either artist or angler, you uncover more layers to improve upon. That’s why both pursuits have kept my attention for so long. The more I experience, the more I realize how little I know. I have found that with all three; painting, fishing, and guiding, to truly become the best, you have to learn to step back and look at the big picture. Going through the motions kills all originality and inspiration. The best guides and the best artists are the ones always willing to try something new and ready to expand their abilities every time they pick up a rod or brush.

Has fly fishing helped you become a better artist or vice versa?

Fly fishing has given me a life outdoors. My time spent outdoors has given me a unique appreciation for nature and for the landscape I surround myself with every day while fishing and guiding. To me, understanding the subtleties of a landscape is the foundation of creating meaningful landscape paintings. Those artists that possess an intimate understanding of these subtleties, those who have the most experience in nature, are the ones who can capture it and communicate it the best. My best paintings are always inspired by the things I see or experience while on the water and driving home from long days of fishing.

You spend a lot of time guiding throughout the season. What’s the best part about that?

I do, I guide on the Gunnison River about 120+ days a year and about 100 of those days are crammed into four months. Guiding presents the opportunity to share my knowledge and appreciation of nature with others.

I think my favorite aspect of being a guide is sharing the notion that fly fishing is just a catalyst to connect us all with nature. Whether that means an actual physical connection through line, rod, and reel or an emotional connection, the importance is simply that one creates that link and looks forward to reconnecting every year.

The more I fish, the more I watch this sport grow, and the world evolve around it, the more I find that the importance of all guides is to build that appreciation in as many people as we can. It has taken me years, I have gone through many phases as a fly fishing guide, but what 15 years has shown me is that having a good time on the water is the main objective and it’s up to me to find out what that entails for each client. The fish will come, and the client may or may not learn the technique you’re teaching them, (“mend/mend/mend it/ you should mend/ do you remember what mending is?”…), but the main objective is to curate a fun environment.

It may sound funny, but for years, all I could focus on was the fishing and the importance of catching fish. This was good and bad. I mastered the fishing side of guiding, but I realized, even though we were finding a lot of fish, not everyone was having a great time.

Once I switched my focus, I still had the fishing dialed, and now I could shift to mastering my people skills, just simply making them laugh or sharing good stories, and that’s when the return clientele started to grow.

As a guide who has put 15 years into the game, you get the question, “do you still like guiding.” It’s a legit question because of how many salty, burned-out guides there are at the 10+yr mark. I find myself giving the same answer; the more I do this job, the more rewarding it becomes because as my return clientele grows, the more I get to feel as though I’m fishing with old friends every day. That’s what keeps the fire lit season after season.

What are your dreams and aspirations as an artist – and as a fly fisherman?

Just to never let the light of either one burn out and to always influence those around me how essential nature and the outdoors are. I want to make sure I’m doing everything for the right reason and that I’m able to find balance with both.

I feel like I’m just starting to settle into my life. I’ve been grinding away for so many years just to make sure my bills are paid. Now I have hit my stride, and I can look outside of my bubble a little bit. I am hosting a series of free fly tying classes for kids this spring, organizing a river cleanup event, and trying to get more involved in local river conservation. This is my main aspiration for now; exchange a few days on the water or in the studio for days of giving back to the sport and community that has given me so much.

Any upcoming fly fishing trips that we should know of?

ALWAYS... I have four hosted trips coming up that I’m excited about. I’ll be returning to the jungles of Bolivia this August. It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years since I caught my first dorado on the Secure River. I can’t wait to share this place with clients and see their faces when experiencing this amazing fishery.

In December, I’ll be returning to Louisiana to host a program that I have curated independently to chase Bull Reds in the marsh. Last year was the first year of this, and it was an absolute blast. I’ve been fly fishing for Reds for almost a decade now; I love everything about this trip, the food, the culture, the landscape. In February 2021, I’ll be hosting a week in Mexico at the Palometa Club, which will be my sixth year of hosting down there.

And then, at the end of August 2021, I’m headed back to the Russian Far East to fish the Zhupanova in Kamchatka. I’m just going back so I can ride in the chopper, ha. I still have open spots on all of these trips except Bolivia, so if anyone is interested, they can head to my website:

www.artandangling.com/travel-destinations/

Any tips or advice for fly fishermen out there, who would like to pursue a similar career to that of yours?

It’s clearly not about the money; it’s about the lifestyle that these career paths have to offer and the freedom that comes with it. In just the last couple of years, I’ve finally hit a comfortable stride. It took me at least a decade to get to this point.

You will struggle, you will be broke, your parents will wonder what you’re doing, you’ll have to pick up odd jobs to pay bills between seasons, you’ll master the PBJ and PBR, but if you do it right, you will be free.

The bottom line is you have to follow your passion. There’s no fixed formula for what I’ve done. I made ZERO money for a long time until I could build my clientele and extend my fishing season. Treat your clients the way you treat your good friends, and they will want to return every year. Fish every chance you get and never stop improving.

Value all aspects of a professional guide equally and don’t just focus on the fishing. A good guide is a teacher, entomologist, historian, naturalist, fish whisperer, fly tier, casting instructor, white-water rafter, doctor, psychiatrist, confidante, bartender, story spinner, comedian, river defender and most importantly a good friend.

I think, more importantly, a little advice to those readers that are already pursuing a similar career, mainly guiding, but failing in happiness, remember to have a little fun. It’s just fishing, and no one cares that you know more, and you think you can do something better. Being a successful and happy guide, every day, starts within yourself. If you can’t show up to the ramp with a smile and a good laugh, you might be doing this all for the wrong reasons. Treat everyone on the river as a friend, and eventually, every day on the water will be a day spent with all your friends.

If any of our readers would like to get their hands on some of your art, where do they start?

Head to my website: www.ArtandAngling.com, or you can always follow along on my social media accounts, @ArtandAngling