Joe Shirshac helped me with my business for over 30 years.

Joe Shirshac was born in 1922 on 60 acres of rural land in Connecticut.

He hunted, fished and trapped animal in the winter for their furs in the 1930s.

He told me he made "dead falls" which was a big heavy flat rock held up by a stick.

This is how rural kids made some money to by fishing tackle and guns.


Right after Pearl Harbor he and thousands of other young men joined the armed forces to stop Germany and Japan.

Joe joined the United States Navy and spent most of his service on a ship.


Joe lived in Lewiston, California working on the new dams on the Trinity river and did some hunting, fishing and gold panning.


Joe got a job with the Sacramento City Fire Fighters, working there for many years.


He took us youngsters fly fishing all over Nor Cal, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska.


Every time I moved or expanded my fly shop Joe would come and paint the inside for us.

He painted houses and tied flies for extra hobby money.

Joe worked at my fly shop for decades where he helped many become better fly fishers and took them on his group trips.


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He had those same eyes as my grandfather. WW2 vets,my grandfathers and my grandmother as a nurse. They saw some business in their day. He seems like a true example of a sportsman and I can tell many were touched by him.

Joe was an enormous help to me when I was learning the ropes. Good sound advice without the hype to sell high end merchandise. Him, Andy, and you Bill are what made me a regular at your shop. Well that and a few other things. You guys were real. I mean really real. When I showed up one morning before opening hours smelling of skunk Andy sold me what I needed through the cracked open door. That's the fly shop I fell in love with. Joe drew me maps on paper bags when I asked him for help. His area of knowledge was vast. I'd quizzed him about an area in the high country of Fresno county and he not only knew about the area I was going to but also a bit about the other local lakes. Joe is a national treasure. You can tell him I said that.

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Originally Posted by avidangler

He had those same eyes as my grandfather. WW2 vets,my grandfathers and my grandmother as a nurse. They saw some business in their day. He seems like a true example of a sportsman and I can tell many were touched by him.

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There are many reasons they were called "The Greatest Generation"......with our great allies, they won World War II then moved on to make America number One in the World.

My dad was also born in 1922 in Sacramento. He too joined the US Navy right after Pearl Harbor. My dad had take aeronautics at Sacramento City College and was an airplane mechanic in World War II, stationed on Palmyra Atoll, near Christmas Island, in the Central Pacific. My dad was lucky to go on a few of Joe's group trips.

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Originally Posted by Ed Wahl

Joe was an enormous help to me when I was learning the ropes. Good sound advice without the hype to sell high end merchandise. Him, Andy, and you Bill are what made me a regular at your shop. Well that and a few other things. You guys were real. I mean really real. When I showed up one morning before opening hours smelling of skunk Andy sold me what I needed through the cracked open door. That's the fly shop I fell in love with. Joe drew me maps on paper bags when I asked him for help. His area of knowledge was vast. I'd quizzed him about an area in the high country of Fresno county and he not only knew about the area I was going to but also a bit about the other local lakes. Joe is a national treasure. You can tell him I said that.

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Thanks Ed......you are actually part of the old Kiene's Fly Shop family and like Joe you are a "True American Outdoorsmans" growing up with a passion for hunting, fishing and adventuring into our wonderful wild lands. You and I were very lucky to be born after World War II and growing up in California when the fishing and hunting was so good.

This is how every man should live his life, with a passion for everything he does. Because it matters what we leave behind, and it matters how intensely we live every second of this life. I also had extraordinary mentors in my life who helped me both personally and professionally, and for that, I am grateful. Some even let me make mistakes and learn from my mistakes because otherwise, I can't understand. And this applies especially in the many businesses I have started; some have gone bankrupt, and others flourishing. But during the pandemic, we had the biggest crisis we could have ever had. I did not want to take loans and invest in this vicious circle; I chose wisely because of those at https://factorforyou.com/illinois-factoring/ who financed my business. And this is something I learned from my mentors.

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Originally Posted by woodseleanor

This is how every man should live his life, with a passion for everything he does. Because it matters what we leave behind, and it matters how intensely we live every second of this life.

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Yes.......thanks.

Joe is 99 and have some physical problems now but hopefully he will be OK.

Check out the picture of Joe wading the American at age 90.
Just wow!
I think it's Bill's third comment in the thread.

https://www.billkiene.com/forums/sho...ends-or-family

Best to all,
Larry S,
Sun Diego

Thanks Larry,

Old Joe is slowly fading away but what a wonderful life he has had........


I first met Joe when I worked at Sports Unlimited on Arden Way......late 1960s?

Joe was in his 40s working as a Sacramento City Firefighter and I was in my 20s.


Back then the lower American river had wonderful Fall and Spring Half-pounder runs.

Our Winter Steelhead run of Eel river stain fish was amazing too.

The Shad run was unreal drawing folks from all over the US.


I was just learning to fly fish............

Wow, thanks for dredging up some memories Bill! Just doing the math and realizing I first walked into your shop 35 years ago. I picked up several steelhead on the Klamath last week on the Sage 508 that I bought from you on one of my early visits - it, and Joe, have held up better than I have for much of that time.

And Ed, I don’t believe we’ve met, but that story has achieved mythical status. Good to know it’s true.

Wayne