“It didn’t take long to learn the most important thing about being a guide: don’t bring tourists right to the fish. It turned out I had a knack for knowing where trout would bite. I could follow multiple currents at once and see which one the fish slipped into. I’d take clients to island rocks where the fish practically committed suicide on their flies. But catching trout by the dozen was not what rich tourists wanted. They came to Montana to suffer. They wanted to put on protective gear and squash big, tall grass with their boots. They wanted to up some hills and down some hills. If it was all flat, their tips sucked.”
I’m wildly grateful to Nicole Gomez and Amelia Morand for publishing “They Came to Suffer” in the gorgeous new issue of CutBank, right after a fascinating interview of literary genius Tommy Orange. Nicole and Amelia are extraordinary editors who treated me and my work with care and creativity. To read my whole story, please purchase a copy of Issue 92.
