Show notes
Son Tao joins Bill at the TCO Reading shop for a wide ranging conversation about the path that brought him to fly fishing. Son came to the United States as a four year old refugee from Vietnam, served 23 years in the Army with multiple combat deployments, and found his way into fly fishing during his recovery, eventually through Project Healing Waters. He talks about how a single conversation on Hammer Creek planted a seed that took 16 years to grow, how his accidental start on social media turned into one of the most respected voices in fly tying, and why he still walks into a fly shop just to talk to the people behind the counter.We get into the engineer and artist behind the vise, his guiding philosophy, what makes Pennsylvania such a humbling fishery, and a closing message for any veteran who might be struggling.The best way to support our content is by choosing TCO for all your fly fishing gear. You can find our online store here: https://bit.ly/4eZHOCmChapters00:00 Intro01:34 Leaving Vietnam as a refugee03:41 A spinning rod and the river04:31 Answering the call after 9/1105:27 Leading soldiers in combat09:09 Enlisting instead of becoming an officer10:37 The Hammer Creek spark12:36 A bonefish in Hawaii14:29 Finding Project Healing Waters17:26 What Project Healing Waters really does20:10 From participant to volunteer21:32 Winning the national fly tying competition23:46 How the social media took off by accident25:23 Staying authentic with sponsors28:22 Cigars on the river29:12 Learning to tie from books32:03 The engineer's eye for a fly34:44 From artist to fly tier37:05 When is a fly finished39:17 Why he doesn't sell flies40:22 Tying for the conditions41:52 Better tier or better angler43:46 Photography on the water45:21 From film to digital47:20 The three second rule50:35 Measuring success on your own terms52:18 Answering every question54:40 The human connection of a fly shop56:06 Guiding in Pennsylvania58:33 Guiding mixed experience groups01:01:18 How Pennsylvania ranks as a fishery01:02:17 The 24 inch brown that ended the day01:03:39 Favorite species to target01:05:31 Catering gear to the species01:06:21 Advice for the first timer01:08:01 His favorite fly ever tied01:09:37 A message for veterans