Streamer Fishing? Meet Hank Haen
There are natives and then there are 7th generation Colorado natives. Hank Haen, one of our newer retail staff members, is just that: “Yep. 7th generation. I sort of feel like I owe it to my ancestors to stay here. “ Here is our interview with Hank and a brief intro to the streamer fishing class he will teach on March 27.
What is your current role at Angler’s Covey?
Right now, I am part of the sales staff, and I hope to work into more instructing and, down the road, do some guiding. I started at Angler’s in late May or early June of 2020 when people realized that being outdoors during Covid was a healthy thing to do. Earlier in the spring, I had been in contact with Rachel and she let me know the shop was reopening. I was like ‘sweet.’
Outside of Angler’s Covey, what is taking up your time right now:
I’m currently studying mechanical engineering at UCCS with a minor in mathematics and aerospace. That takes up a vast majority of my time. I fish a lot and do a lot of hunting in the fall.
I’ve wanted to work at a fly shop for a long time. It’s interesting, too, that I have found a connection between the fly fishing industry and engineering: learning the technology behind the rods, reels, and even waders. The next big step of my angling experience was to share my experience and knowledge.
So, with an interest in engineering, are you into fly tying?
I picked up tying about a year and a half ago. As an engineer, there is sort of a creative side. I’ll sit and mess around on Computer-Assisted Design sometimes and tying flies seems very closely related to that. The thing that I sort of do now, instead of just looking up a pattern and learning how to tie it, I’ll look up pictures of the bugs and think of how I could tie that rather than just look at the pattern. I look at the bug and the materials I have and figure it out. That’s really enjoyable.
Favorite aspect of fly fishing or element of fishing that draws you to the sport?
Fly fishing is multifaceted to me. Ever since I was a little kid, my dad had my brother and me outdoors. I really gravitated toward fishing. There was something even as a little kid that was really enjoyable. Then later hunting came into the picture. Just getting outside. That’s how I am wired. If I don’t get outside for a long period of time, I lose my fricken mind.
But there is something about fishing, especially on technical tailwaters, I really kind of geek out with – hunting for really big, predatory fish. There’s just something that really appeals to the primitive side of who we are. Our ancestors had to outsmart animals in their environment, had to walk into their backyard and make them think you’re something else.
That’s why I sort of gravitated toward streamer fishing.
A couple years ago, I fished the Blue River near Silverthorne with my friend, Zach. We fished streamers all day long. When you fish with dry flies, when you are just starting out especially, it really brings out the visual aspect of fly fishing. But when you switch gears and you put on that big streamer, that really brings out that predatory side.
On March 27, you are teaching the “Streamer 101” class. What is your motivation for focusing on streamer fishing?
I’m sort of a self-starter. I like to figure things out for myself. But the one thing that I realized was that when you first start out fly fishing, it is really difficult. It’s really hard to figure out on your own. I never really had that good resource, that mentor in a way, who gave me good advice when I needed it. When I was growing up in Golden, the fly shops around there were really sort of intimidating. I’ve reached the point in my angling career where I have caught a lot of fish, and there are a lot of people who are just starting out. I want to sort of be that helping hand. It’s a very difficult sport.
I was brought up in a Christian household and we were always taught to make a positive impact on the world. Help people out. This is a way that I can help people out. I have found a great passion in fly fishing, and I love sharing it with others.
In the two-hour class, an in-shop lecture sort of class, what do you hope they take with them, when the class is over?
My goal is that the folks who have taken the class have enough confidence to go out and give it a shot. Even some of the more experienced anglers get a little intimidated by streamer fishing. On the surface, it seems a little primitive: tie on that big pattern and give it a whirl.
My goal is to give them a good base, so that the people who take it can say, “I have an idea of what I’m doing. I think I’ll go give it a shot.”
I want people to have success.
Read more and register for the Streamer 101 class here.