q&a with josh genser

Peter Burrows interviews GPFF’s new incoming club president

So who is this Genser fellow who is now president of our esteemed club? Here’s a hard-hitting Q&A to find out: Q: So where are you from, and when did you start fishing?

I grew up in Richmond, where I still live. My father had a little law practice before becoming a judge when I was five. He used to take me fishing all the time. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was the world’s worst fisherman. We never caught anything, and he had this these really crappy fiberglass rods that were solid, not hollow, so they were stiff as a board and really hard to cast. Finally, when I was 16 I took some of the money I’d made mowing lawns and went to the local hardware store and bought a rod for $10 that was vastly superior to Dad’s.

A friend and I started going to San Pablo reservoir every Saturday morning. We’d throw salmon eggs and catch our limit and then go over to his house and have them for lunch.

Q: How did you get into fly-fishing? A: I started fly fishing about 14 years ago. I’d gotten to know Bob Woznicki, whose family went to the same synagogue as ours. Our sons were both going to college in Oregon, so one year we decided to drive up four days early to pick them up to go fishing. I went to Fish First and they set me up with waders and a rod and all the stuff, and we went up to this ranch that was stocked with gigantic trout. I don’t even remember where it was.

After that, I started fly fishing on our property on Battle Creek, which I’d had the opportunity to buy in 1999. Before then I’d used worms, but it was too easy, and too many fish died. But fly fishing on a small creek was difficult, so I was getting discouraged. Then, at an International Sportsman’s Expo – this is maybe ten years ago – I saw a tenkara rod and decided it would be absolutely ideal for the creek. And I was right. Tenkara requires so much less skill to cast, and you spend so much more time in the water and less time in the trees. So I bought it. And now I have like 12 rods. It’s amazing how they accumulate.

A: So I’ll take carry three tenkara rods and put them in this quiver. One is rigged up for indicator nymphing, one has a dry fly, and the other one really there in case one of the others breaks. And since there are a few places a tenkara can’t reach, I also bring my seven-foot bamboo four weight.

Q: When did you get involved with the club?

A: Shortly after I started fly fishing. I picked up a brochure at the Solano Stroll, and there was no doubt I was going to join.

Q: Tell me about the annual fundraiser trip to your property.

A: It started off as an auction, but the way it ended up us that charge $200 each for up to a dozen fisherman to come up for a long weekend. We have about two miles of private water, and 300 acres of land. So you can do all sorts of things. We do trapshooting and target shooting, and there’s hiking a good swimming hole.

Q: When is it, and where do people stay?

A: It’s usually in June, when the water is higher and the fishing is the best. But we weren’t sure it would work in June due to COVID, so we’re planning on doing it in August.

We have a cabin, but most people just sleep out on the big deck. We have bunch of mattresses, and people bring their own inflatable mattresses or camping mattresses. A few people bring tents and put them up around the cabin. There are a couple of beds inside the cabin, but it’s usually too damn hot to sleep there.

The problem this year is that everyone needs to drive themselves (due to COVID), but it’s six miles in on a dirt road, so you need four-wheel drive.

Q: What are your plans for GPFF?

A: My short-term goal is get fishing outings going again. Attendance at our Zoom meetings has been pretty poor, and that could be Zoom fatigue. But let’s face it, you’ve got to be going fishing for this club to be really interesting to people.

Financially, we have enough cash for this year and maybe next year, even without a lot of income. But at some point, we’re going to have to start doing the auction again, because that’s been our biggest fundraiser.

Q: What do you love about fly fishing?

A: I love being on the stream when the sun’s coming up and the insects are starting to move, and maybe you see a great blue heron or a turtle or an otter or beaver, and there’s no cars or city noises. And there’s some artistry to it, even with a tenkara rod.

GPFF is starting up fishing outings for 2021. The Board has now adopted a new set of COVID-19 protocols. A new requirement to join in on these events, you will need to sign a copy of these protocols.

These rules are in effect for any outings sponsored by the Grizzly Peak Fly Fishers Club

From February 1, 2021 until further notice.

STAY HOME if, on the day before or the day of the outing, you have: · Any one of the following symptoms: o Shortness of Breath (unusual shortness of breath if you are, say, asthmatic and shortness of breath is an ordinary condition). o New or worsening dry cough. o Fever. o Flu-like symptoms (e.g. lethargy, body aches; unusual lethargy or aches if you are, say, old, and lethargy or arthritis is an ordinary condition). o Vomiting. o Diarrhea. o Loss of sense of smell or taste. · Any two of the following symptoms: o Mild unusual lethargy or body aches. o Cough. o Rash. o Sore Throat. o Open Sore. STAY HOME if within the past ten days: · You have been in close contact with anyone who has Covid-19 or was suffering from typical Covid-19 symptoms. · You or anyone with whom you have been, within the past 10 days, in close contact has, within the 14 days prior to your close contact, been on a cruise ship, travelled internationally or visited an area with a known communicable disease outbreak. If you have previously registered for the outing, please notify the fishmaster that you will not be attending.

Rules of the Outing: o The fishmaster is also the Covid safety officer. Please obey his or her instructions. o Travel to the outing in your own vehicle. Vehicles may be shared only by people within the same family or who live together. o Each person or family group must plan for, obtain, pay for, and stay in their own campsite or hotel room. The Club will not be responsible for accommodations. o There will be no communal meals nor shared food. Each person is responsible for supplying their own food and drink. o Always stay at least six feet away from others whenever possible. o Wear a mask when within ten feet of others, even if only briefly. Bandanas, buffs, and neck gaiters are not sufficient masks. Wear N95 or surgical masks or cloth masks with at least two layers of cloth. o Every person must carry hand sanitizer and use it after touching any surface also touched by others. Sanitize any shared restroom after you use it. o Do not share fishing gear or equipment. Bring your own rods and flies. If you need help with flies or other equipment, contact the fishmaster or go to Fish First in advance of the trip so that you may acquire what you need. o Any communal gatherings (campfires, briefings, fish stories) shall nevertheless be at least six feet apart from each other, with every person wearing a mask. No singing or wind instruments are permitted. o Bring your own chair and table so that you have a place to eat and conduct other affairs apart from others. o Every participant must promise, in writing, to comply with these rules and provide that written promise to the fishmaster.