Joe Shirshac passed.

[Langenbeck]

The grand Dean of Sacramento fly fisherman is gone at 99 years and six months.🙏🙏🙏

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Yes, Andy Guibord just called us.

Joe was not doing well so now he is at piece.


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You could make a movie about Joe's long, incredible life.

He was born in 1922 in Coventry, Chester County, Pennsylvania on 80 acres.

Joe trapped small animals in the winter for their fur as many rural boy did back then for spending money.

After Pearl Harbor, as many young men did, he joined the US Navy and spent most of his time abord ship.

Joe lived up around Lewiston, CA while working on the Trinity dams.

He did some hunting, fishing and gold panning up there.

Joe was a Sacramento City Fire Fighter most of his life.

He tied Shad and Steelhead flies between fires to support his fly fishing habit.

Joe was one of the founding members of the California Fly Fishers Unlimited.

Joe was always taking someone with him to his favorite California fly fishing spots.

He fished the Klamath river, the Trinity river, the Umpqua river, the Williamson river and the Dean river in British Columbia, the Florida

Keys, Crane Prairie in Oregon, and the small north coast winter Steelhead rivers.

In the 1980s Joe started taking groups to Alaska, Christmas Island, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Labrador, Nova Scotia, etc.


Joe had lots of old fly fishing friends of the Greatest Generation but I think most are very old or have passed away.

So it is hard to imagine what he witnessed in his 99+ years here on earth.

[Larry S]

Thanks for the news Gordon. What a life this man led! A true inspiration to so many of us. I'll always
remember him by that picture of him wading up to his armpits at age 90. RIP Mr Joe!

Larry S
Sun Diego

[Larry S]

Thanks for the news Gordon. What a life this man led! A true inspiration to so many of us. I'll always
remember him by that picture of him wading up to his armpits at age 90. RIP Mr Joe!

Larry S
Sun Diego


https://www.billkiene.com/forums/showthread.php?43695-We-had-some-really-good-employees-that-were-mostly-like-friends-or-family

[Mark Kranhold]

Very sad news! Like Larry said, what an amazing life he had. He will be greatly missed in our little fly fishing community. Bill, I heard a lot of that old video footage and photos that were in Rivers of the lost coast was Joe’s personal library of fishing trips. Please let us know if there will be a service for him, I would like to go pay my respects to Joe. I’ll never forget that video Aaron posted of Hitler trying to find Joe’s secret fishing spots, that was priceless. RIP Joe, you’ve got endless fish to catch in that big river!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Yes, Hitler wanted to find Joe's best fishing hole.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajkbs53ITzA

[Jeff C.]

RIP Joe! I’m going to miss our conversations that we had while you were doing shuttles for me.

[Mike McCune]

I have so many fond memories of Joe that I would't even know where to begin. I think that I'll sit down and tie a Boss in his honor today with Chuck Campana's tying materials. Perhaps even fool a Missouri river trout with it. In a way, it will be like going fishing with two of my old pals. Thanks for everything Joe.

[aaron]

To this day one of my fondest moments on the water was fishing half pounders with Joe, Bill, Andy and Hartwick in the clay banks above Watt ave. 3/4 of us had just discovered 2 handed rods. Joe just shrugged and wadded up to his chest, at 80 something years old mind you, and did his thing. Andy has a great photo from that morning. He bugged me for years to join the fire service. Something about a conducive schedule to fishing. Wish I’d listened sooner. RIP Sugar.

[Mr T]

RIP Joe, you had a great life and you affected a lot of people in very positive ways, including me.

[hwchubb]

I’m sorry to hear of Joe’s passing. Thanks for having him as one of the many legends of the old Kiene’s shop, Bill, and giving some of us the chance to pick his brain. Just realizing that I’m not that far from the age Joe would have been when I first met him 35 years ago. Time is passing fast, and I hope mine will be 10% as memorable as Joe’s was.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

All of the famous Kiene's "Geezer Patrol" have passed on now.

Those old fly fishers of the Greatest Generation all had wonderful lives.

These great men treated most of us Baby Boomers like we were their nephews.

They shared their knowledge of fly fishing and the great out doors.

I think all us "youngsters" are better humans now for spending time with them.

Joe was the lasty of our "Uncles" who were all great "American Outdoorsmen".

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L to R : Henry Starr, Joe Patterson, Joe Shirshac, Me, Chuck Campana, George Martin, Walt Bennet.

Al Perryman officially named them the "Geezer Patrol".

[David Lee]

A nice guy .

His most remarkable trait in my opinion ? In dozens of conversations .... Joe never 'talked down' - either to me , or other people who bombarded him with questions . For someone who had seen and done it all , he answered everything with a pleasant openness . I can close my Eyes and still see the sparkle in his Eyes whenever we'd talk about Green Drakes .

D.~