Shep Out of Water
David Shepler has made it a job to do what he loves. Being a fly fishing guide in Alaska and Chile.
By Emily Nelson | Royal Report
Dodge left, dodge right, dodge left, dodge right. “Try not to get hooked” David Shepler constantly thinks while on the job.
A father on one side, Shepler in the middle and the father’s son on the other side. Shepler watches as the father begins casting back and forth. The rope and hook start coming towards him so he dodges left. “AHHHHHHHHH” the scream echoes through the mountains. The boy began bawling. He barely got nicked by his dad’s hook but even that sends a sharp pain through your body.
“It’s just you and the river and you get to be put back to where it used to be and in my opinion where it should be.” — David Shepler
Shepler traveled to Alaska the summer of 2013 and Chile 2014 each for two and a half months. He shared a bathroom sized room and worked at a fly fishing lodge 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. as a guide. His job was to take visitors on his boat every morning and teach them how to fly fish.
“It’s a very interesting aspect where you get to become in tune with nature. Especially when you’re in rivers, mountains and the remote places,” Shepler says. “It’s just you and the river. You get to be put back to where it used to be and in my opinion where it should be. Where it’s just you and creation. That’s where I find God the most.”
David Shepler grew up fishing and being outdoors in Traverse City, Michigan with his Grandpa, father and both older brothers. His two older brothers Daniel and Matt remember the first fish Shepler caught. He was about 3 years old and their dad and grandpa took them all out on the boat. His dad hooked the bait on his line and showed Shepler what to do. He sat there for 20 minutes and still had nothing. Suddenly he felt on tug on his reel. Without thinking he pulled the reel high above his head and missed the fish.
But that feeling of knowing he could’ve caught something was better than a 20 oz. bag of Swedish Fish. He spent the rest of the day on the boat practicing reeling fish in.
“Being older brothers we couldn’t help but laugh,” Matt said. “But the look of excitement on his face was contagious and we all got excited for him.”
“After that moment, every day that summer he wanted to go fishing again. It seemed like he had become addicted,” Daniel said.
Shepler watched his brother Daniel make a living as a fly fishing guide in Alaska. After hearing stories about Alaska, Shepler he decided to make his dreams a reality and set off to Chile for the summer and Alaska the following summer.
Shepler was completely on his own in the wilderness. Ply wood nailed together made up his room with only a radiator which ran for at most four hours a day. Every night he fell asleep on a cot to the sound of rivers flowing and bears and moose trudging around camp.
Shepler experienced some of the most genuine people but also despicable people. One client was an ex-CIA-spy and field officer during the cold war and told Shepler of stories from Berlin.
“I still keep in touch with a lot of my clients,” Shepler said. “You make great connections doing this job. More than any career fair I’ve ever been to.”
On a Monday morning, Shepler stepped out of his room in Chile and glanced at three men checking in for the week. Two hours later he took them out on his boat and started chatting. As they drifted down stream, one guy explained how he started a stripper school in his barn without his wife knowing. Potential strippers could come and dance and guys payed $100 to be a “judge” for the day. The friends told Shepler that a psychiatrist had said that their friend was most narcissistic person he’s ever met.
“He would try and show me pictures but I kept declining and try to change the subject,” Shepler said. “I could tell his friends were annoyed and really only came here because he paid for everyone’s ticket.”
He gave Shepler a $1 thousand tip.
“Dealing with rude people is worth it when you get to see someone catch their first fish,” Shepler said. “Sometimes it takes hours because of how technical fly fishing is, but when they finally catch one it turns them into a little kid. Some definitely have their little happy dance.” Shepler said.
Living in the wild with no laptop, refrigerator or toilet, Shepler has learned not to rely on others for everything.
“Make your own decisions and be your own man. Out there I had no choice,” Shepler said.
Veing outdoors in nature everyday all day, Shepler experiences a bit of culture shock coming back to Bethel.
“It was a bit of culture shock,” Shepler said. “It feels like I’m being domesticated. Like an animal in a zoo.”
Roommate Sam Steadman could see how the change would affect him at the beginning of the school year.
“All he would talk about was being outdoors and wanting to go back,” Steadman said. “I could tell he didn’t want to annoy us but I would keep asking questions to learn more about what he did. I think he enjoyed having his friends understand.”
This next summer, Shepler is contemplating staying in Minnesota for one last summer with “the boys” going home to Michigan and relaxing with his family or traveling to Puerto Rico to be a guide again.
“I love that my kids are passionate about something and go after their dreams but I miss having the entire family around at once,” Shepler’s mother Patti said. “Summers are hard thinking about them off in the wild and I know it’s what they love to do but sometimes I want to fly myself to where they are and cook them a homemade dinner.”
