tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71880776634711036012024-02-07T10:16:31.187-05:00Anglers Choice Flies News FeedMike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-48936012055015091032015-06-17T06:54:00.000-04:002015-06-17T06:54:30.860-04:00Trading salted roads for salty air<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-GlUyP2hNpRfEy6qxL0Z9Uq2ko9Jl6TS-CxXjGibB6et1qZQyzY8xefuC0v1r7k2uk3HZaKRm6Wdh7mZzvKpnEboBtMEx9qDB2l_gTh7BGDZZY9LtKmMdnUBRM2DL5ONguiHtd8YOmo/s1600/sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-GlUyP2hNpRfEy6qxL0Z9Uq2ko9Jl6TS-CxXjGibB6et1qZQyzY8xefuC0v1r7k2uk3HZaKRm6Wdh7mZzvKpnEboBtMEx9qDB2l_gTh7BGDZZY9LtKmMdnUBRM2DL5ONguiHtd8YOmo/s400/sunrise.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From the very first date with my wife Liz I knew that there
was something special there. That fact is likely the only reason that her
statement on our second date of “I have been trying forever to do it and at
some point will move to Florida” didn’t faze me in the least. In fact,
since then, we have gone down to New Smyrna Beach for an extended amount of
time each year in May and in many times have gone back down again at other
points in the year…including for our wedding on the beach. After a few
years of this many friends starting jokingly asking when we were just going to
stay down there. We would often talk about what we would do, where we
would want to be, how to pull it off and then the conversation always ended
with “wouldn’t that be great…’sigh’…”. <span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well,
the dream has suddenly become a reality and we are trading the salted roads for
salty air. I am finishing up my current corporate gig of over 16
years this month, then packing up a big truck and driving south to our new home
by the beach! </span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">July will be about as hectic as it gets between the move
south, attending IFTD with Clutch Tactical Fly Rods in Orlando, and a couple
long scheduled trips to Wyoming and Alaska…but I live for that kind of
hectic! In the quiet moments during July I will be settling in with my
amazing wife to our new home; unpacking, organizing, having a few beers and
smiling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As
we get settled in there I will be a refocusing of my thoughts and energy towards
the continued and sustainable growth of Anglers Choice Flies. I
will continue to tie the existing catalog of ACF flies as well as some new
patterns that have proven themselves and should be available before the fall
streamer bite. In addition, being on Mosquito Lagoon will allow me
the opportunity to also grow the inshore saltwater flies available through ACF.
I cannot express enough the gratitude that I have for the support of
friends, customers and vendors that I have worked with to make Anglers Choice
Flies successful to this point, and look forward to expanding those
relationships as ACF is pushed to the next level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">-mike Schmidt</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></span></span></span></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-79059850722045205422015-03-30T19:26:00.001-04:002015-03-30T19:46:55.554-04:00Recharged<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So apparently I have a blog that has fallen on a bit of hard
times... It used to be filled with adventures throughout the year, exploits
both on and off the water, along with some big piles of flies and show
pictures. This last year I chose to cut back on the fly and most show
pictures, as both Facebook and Instagram make them available to most, and focus
here on some of the time I spend on and around the water. That worked
well for a while…and then show season happened. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This year was supposed to be a year that I cut back on shows
but it simply did not work out that way. The schedule did start out with
some holes in it which would allow me to stay home but opportunities for new
shows and workshops popped up and gobbled up those weekends. The result
of these additions was that in a year with more wholesale and retail orders
than ever (and thank you for those!) I have been gone a portion of 14 of the
last 17 weeks. As you can imagine orders have gotten backed up more than normal
for this time of year and I found myself in a bad place mentally…just beat down
and unhappy with myself. I needed a mental recharge more badly than ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As if on cue I got a call from Jac Ford a few weeks ago
about heading up for two days on the water with him. We had tried to get
out when I went up to teach a workshop for his ‘20+ Club’ but the weather
forecast was for standing temps of -28 or colder so we called it off. I
knew that I was behind on fly orders but I seemed to be getting less productive
by the night as I was just mentally out of the game, so I said let’s do
it. This reschedule weekend was at a time when it would likely still be
questionable weather and many would be chasing steelhead so we figured to have
some light crowds as we swung for the fences on a notoriously fickle stretch of
Michigan’s beautiful AuSable River. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I knew it the time had passed and I was driving north
on Friday with the live broadcast of Miami’s Ultra Music Fest cranked
loud enough that I could feel the bass in my stomach and a premium cigar
clenched in a toothy grin. I met Jac at his cabin, which has been in his
family since they built it in the 1920s and proceeded to have a couple beers as
I started to decompress. If I am being totally honest with myself I
really did not know Jac very well outside of reputation and talking with him a
few minutes at a time over the years at fly shows, and of course the couple
hour workshop at his house. It was great to kick back and trade some
stories with a guy that has seen a whole lot of water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I popped up minutes before my alarm was set to go off on
Saturday ready to roll. Jac made us a huge breakfast of eggs, potatoes
and bacon to keep the body fueled through a morning that was going to be
cold. We had about an hour to the river to more stories were shared to
pass the time driving through northern Michigan’s alternating rolling farm
fields and forest. As we got close to the river we snuck a peek and of
course this was one time the weather guy was right…it was 6 degrees and not a
cloud to be seen. We rolled in to the AuSable Angler to catch up with
owner Bruce Graff and grab Jac’s boat. That boat was covered in frost so
thick that any worse and I think you’d just have to call it ice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got the boat over to the river and dropped it in pretty
quickly, and away we went as the first boat off for the day at about 9. I
had my 9wt Clutch Arc strung up and throwing 350gr Coastal Express like it was
nothing. Good thing too as I cast, and cast, and cast… We
were in definite zero or hero water and with the temp drop and bluebird skies things
were bound to be tough. Jac and I talked and laughed our way down the
river with him on the oars and me hitting every conceivable piece of
water. Sunny and shallow, sunny and deep, shadow and shallow, shadow and
deep, banks, center river, different retrieves and flies…nothing seemed to
matter. It is tough to pattern fish when you aren’t seeing any!
After about 6 hours we dropped anchor and put down a couple massive three meat
sammiches as we gathered ourselves to get back at it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About two hours later we were in a stretch that has some
cabins as well as some decent cover. I cast up to the bank and started a
quick retrieve. While I was retrieving I looked over my shoulder and said
“Hey Jac, I’m going to catch their pet trout”…and as I said it I watched his
eyes get big. Quickly swinging my head back around I saw a fish that
looked as big around as my calf and a couple feet long tracking right behind my
fly. I kept it moving with a couple of rod twitches but was running out of room
as it was mere feet from the boat. As I was about to have to try
something desperate like a trout figure8 the fish inhaled the fly and as I set
the hook the opposite direction I watched it come sliding right back out as his
head turned to the side with just a small prick to remind him of his near
encounter. The adrenaline from the near miss kept me going for a while,
but I knew from the knot deep in my stomach that was one miss that will haunt
me for a long time. We fished out the rest of the next three hours or so
without another follow. Round one to Mio.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We didn’t get back to the cabin until about 9 and needed to
get some food down. I kicked back after grabbing a beer for both Jac and
myself as he cooked up some massive ribeyes and potatoes. It didn’t take
long for the food to disappear…it was amazing. Dishes got knocked out and
I think the physical day and food coma struck at the same time, so I crashed
out between checking basketball scores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday morning came quick and I was again up before the alarm,
only this time a little more sore than the previous morning. Jac made
breakfast sandwiches for the road as we were going to drop my car off closer to
75 to shave time for me heading home that night. With the car dropped we
again headed north. Along the way I checked and we were looking at it
being significantly warmer of a day with some potential cloud cover later in
the day, and wind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday morning my youngest brother John was going to meet up
with us for the day. After quickly swapping his gear over in to the truck
we got the boat to the water and shoved off. I honestly did not know what
to expect from John out of the boat. He has been fishing more than just
about anyone I know the last couple years as he lives right close to the river
but I had not seen him in action other than some short line casting during
Tricos, and sinking lines with big flies are a totally different game.
Within a few short minutes I was blown away…dude can cast. We proceeded
to work our way down river as we caught up and told more stories. We were
working twice as much water since we had both rods going, but still just were
not seeing the results. Did I mention this river can be fickle…? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the morning progressed the cloud cover started to build
and the wind found us. It went from mostly a calm day to steady
swirling winds of 20-30 and gusts of much more. The wind certainly kept
us on our toes both with our casting as well as our retrieves. We made it
past the pet trout bench without seeing the previous fish again; I tried to
stay positive and focused but admittedly some doubt started to creep in.
About an hour later we were canvassing both banks and my brother made a great
cast river right so I threw a cast in to a shallow bank river left that drops in
to a god trough. That retrieve did not make it back to the boat as a ball
of buttery fury erupted on the fly after only a few strips and it was on.
It was one of those strikes that leaves no doubt and you hardly have to do
anything except hang on to set the hook. After a good fight there was a
thick 18” brown in the net. It wasn’t the size of the fish the day before
but that didn’t matter at all as it was gorgeous. We kept it in the water
and got over to a shallow bank so I could get out to deal with the fish and get
a few shots. He stayed in the water and was lifted briefly out for a
single picture at a time; after a couple shots I removed the hook and cradled
him in the water for about a split second before his powerful paddle of a tail
rocketed him back to his deep trough. Fucking Mio!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This shot was from one of the nice calmer moments but as we continued on downstream the weather seemed to take a
pretty bad turn. It went from windy to WINDY. I swear at one point
having the anchor down as John retied his rig was the only thing that kept the
boat from blowing back upstream. It was everything Jac could do to keep
some semblance of a drift down river, many time having to push the oars
just to move downstream at all. We picked our spots to cast when the wind
died down to allow it but it was tough going. With about an hour to go
the snow started and it was sideways. We had given it a good go but I had
nearly six hours home so we made the call to start the push out a little after
four. Round two – split decision. You never beat Mio, you only hope
to coax a little love before she slams the door back shut.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was awesome to have spent the day on the water with John and Jac. I certainly look forward to doing it again and hopefully getting some shots of John with a Mio hoss. The snowy drive home didn’t feel as long as it usually does as my head was occupied with what ifs to keep my mind off the road. What if I hadn’t hung that one time right before a prime trough? What if I’d used chartreuse? What if I hadn’t turned my head to Jac…would I have maybe gotten the Saturday fish to commit? Or would I have froze (hope not)?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got a good night sleep and hammered out a good day back at
the desk job. This week starts a long stretch of chipping away at orders
until they are done. Shows are over so it is time to get the delivery
interval back to the standard 7-10 days instead of the bloated interval as it
currently stands. Scheduled this week is looking like around 75 hours of
vise time before I sleep next Sunday night. Put on some coffee, it’s
going to be some long stretches at the vise!</span></div>
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-mike Schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-2698209496195343642014-11-25T09:18:00.002-05:002014-11-25T09:18:23.647-05:00International Fly Tying Symposium 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can only say I tied flies all weekend so many times before
even I don’t want to see it anymore…so it has been a little slow around here as
I have just been cranking away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
changed a few times in the last few weeks though with a relaxing week down in
Florida and then last weekend the yearly drive over to Somerset NJ for the
International Fly Tying Symposium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Symposium was a blast as usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
eight hours, and a couple premium cigars on the road, I rolled in to the
convention hotel just before rush hour on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First stop of course is to drop in to TKs Pub
for a quick beverage before unpacking and as luck would have it I was able to
catch the end of the Dayton hoops game as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mike Heck was already there by the time I got in so we caught up a bit
and then headed over to the convention side to unload.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting there early is always nice as we can
pull in to the convention floor to unload rather than cart stuff a few hundred
yards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did not take long to get
everything out of the car and to our table where it would sit until morning
before being set up for the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
visited with a few other people on the way out then headed over to the hotel to
get squared away and get a plan together for the evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out the plan was the same as
every other year…go to TKs and have some drinks while visiting with people as
they arrive for the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is always fun to see many of the people there that I may
only see for this show and maybe January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Catching up over a years worth of details not covered in Facebook posts,
emails and texts always makes for a fun evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we slipped out about 10 we realized that
thankfully gone are the nights that Heck and I close the bar each night there…fun
when it is happening but makes the mornings less than a hoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allen Landheer and I got back to the suite
and found that Heck and Compton were both already out so we ducked in to the
room and closed the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat down on
the bed and started to go through emails I missed on the road then heard a
familiar *POP* behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My head dropped
as I said “that sounds like a bottle of scotch…” to which Al replied “yeah
buddy…Oban 14 tonight”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bed was put off by another few hours
as we dug in to that delicious bottle and Al broke out his suitcase full of feathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It always amazes me to see what he has in there and what he recently has
been able to find….this time it was a treasure trove from the previous weekend
Art of the Angler show in CT. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually sleep became the actual priority
and we called it a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had visions
of pristine polar bear rugs and sessions of Congress where they legalize the harvest
of herons dancing in my head all night…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday morning came just a few precious hours later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made my standard run over to Zee Best Bagel
for a breakfast Sammie and a sub for lunch before heading to the show to get
set up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point I can pretty much
get set up in my sleep but with a few new items I took my time to lay
everything out to make the best use of my 4’x2’ space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the banner up behind me I was ready to
rock an hour before show time…so time to shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had a list in my head before I went of a couple things that I wanted to
grab so off I went to see what I could find.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ended up with a full Blue Eared Pheasant, BEP rump patches dyed in
three colors (olive, brown and blue), a cree saddle (not for dries but for
streamers) and a bunch of giant hen saddles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pretty much mission accomplished!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The show opened and the initial flood of people came through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As per the norm they tend to quickly walk
through the first time looking for deals and trying to be the first to the
material bins before then settling in and coming around to the tiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed that attendance was down which
meant that those there did have pretty much run of whatever they wanted to see
without waiting or being a few deep at a table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mike and I had a pretty steady day of traffic in front of us which made
the time go quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon I
had my great friends Andrew and Amy stop by and hang out, which was great
because I really haven’t seen them in person since they moved to Maine a couple
years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the show wound down we got
closed up and headed back to the room for a quick beer before heading out for
some food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drowned my sorrows of the
Michigan football loss in a giant full rack of ribs and a few Yuengs to wash it
down and caught up with my Maine buddies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They had to head back to the city for the night so we shot back over to
TKs to catch everyone that went to the show banquet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few hours we called it a night early
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Al Ritt doing his thing with the ever present smile on his face.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday morning was a near exact repeat of Saturday
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After checking out of the hotel
I headed back over to grab food and then hit the show for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunday was visibly slow so there was a lot
more talking and wandering going on than tying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>IT was a laid back day so we made the best of our time by learning a few
new things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Allen Landheer talking about a new batch of feathers he procured recently.</div>
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Pat Cohen talking shop...in his shop.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the afternoon got close to it’s end I started to slowly put things away that I was not using and then when the show closed I was able to get packed down in about fifteen minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked around and said my good-byes and happy holidays to everyone that I could find before hitting the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About nine windy/rainy/dark hours later I rolled in to my driveway and crashed out about 2A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always a whirlwind weekend and always a great time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t wait to head back in January and do it again…for three days! </span></div>
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I leave you with a shot from early in the month...can't ever have enough redfish! I hope that you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving this week and enjoy yourself in whatever you chose to partake of. I hope to get some good water time soon and will of course be at the vise a great deal of time in the next month so will hopefully have some shots to share.</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-63778081646611515642014-10-12T09:01:00.000-04:002014-10-12T09:01:57.606-04:00FFF Southern Council Conclave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a number of years now I have been sending flies by the
dozens out to the banks of the White River in Arkansas; to date, between
shops/guides and clients, I have sent somewhere north of 300 dozen streamers to
the greater Mountain Home vicinity. Crazy thing is that after all that I
had not been on the fabled waters myself…until last weekend. </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About a year ago Michael Kyle from the FFF Southern Council
contacted me about coming out to be a headliner for the Conclave. I
talked with him a few times about it and what his plans were to rejuvenate the
gathering before his enthusiasm about it won me over and I agreed to come
out. Last Thursday I flew in to Springfield Missouri and met Michael out
front of the airport for the ride to Mountain Home. After driving a few
hours, part of which was through tornadic level storms complete with hail, we
reached the banks of the White. It took everything I had not to jump out
after crossing the bridge and seeing the gin clear flow to not jump out of the
car and start rigging up on the spot. The first order of business was to
hit up Dally’s Ozark Fly Fisher to catch up with the guys and get a
license. I was very impressed with the shop from the time we walked
in. Steve has put together a serious amount of gear, tying stuff and
clothing in to a large space. He had everything you could need for out
there under one roof! While at the shop we was confirmed that the weather
was getting a little too sketchy so we nixed plans for a short float.
After hanging out with Steve, Bill and Gabe for a bit at the shop I left (with
a bag of new tying goodies of course) and we headed over to the hotel to get
checked in. A short while later Michael and I headed over to a local
catfish joint to meet up with a few of the other Southern Council board members
for dinner. The catfish was fantastic, as was the company, but while we
ate we watched another gnarly cell roll in across Norfolk Lake. It was
bad enough that nobody wanted to even walk to the cars so we spent an extra
hour or so watching the lightning that was so prolific that the sky never
really got dark. Eventually we got out of there and headed back to the
hotel were a few other guys came by and we tied flies, drank beers, and watched
Oregon take a totally unexpected loss. It was awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Friday morning came real fast. I woke up just
before my alarm and realized I had been up24 of the last 28 hours…sleep when
you die I guess. I did not dwell on it too long though as I had to get up
and prep for a couple three hour classes I would be teaching. The first
class revolved around articulated streamers and the second class was classic
winged wet flies. The classes had a half dozen in each and went off
without a hitch. The guys that signed up did a great job on the flies and
asked a lot of good questions. It seemed like the classes were over
in the blink of an eye. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Once I got the class materials all packed up I caught
a ride over to the fairgrounds for the night as there was grilled food,
bluegrass and beverages to be had. It was a gorgeous night (though a
little chilly) and the event was well attended. I had the opportunity to
meet a bunch of people I have only talked with on line. It was great to
talk flies and fishing the White over a few beers with everyone out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually the band tapered off to take a break and that
opened the door for other to take the mic…spontaneous and hilarious karaoke
broke out for a few more hours. The night ended up the same way as
Friday…back at the hotel with a few more beers and this time watching BYU lose
a stunner.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9deDMfVTjBjNsA4iwVxOdruEsNjBob18IDoN8XNQ079LOPrIyPDPgyrr3ivxA_VLSX6S_39Uh5ttG0vQ4vrd0_OkedUdmIOMeFF5x-6qvZnQbCF7pGLwo9QLfQQMSJQaxF-Ek5brtfo/s1600/IMG_20141004_093859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9deDMfVTjBjNsA4iwVxOdruEsNjBob18IDoN8XNQ079LOPrIyPDPgyrr3ivxA_VLSX6S_39Uh5ttG0vQ4vrd0_OkedUdmIOMeFF5x-6qvZnQbCF7pGLwo9QLfQQMSJQaxF-Ek5brtfo/s1600/IMG_20141004_093859.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Saturday morning was another early one as I had to get
back over to the fairgrounds to set up the table for tying as well as prep the
presentations. I was set for the day to alternate in the presentation
room with author Jason Randall. I did presentations on Production Fly
Tying and Streamer Fishing a few times and tied in between…the day flew
by. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The show seemed to be very well attended as the
presentation room was always full and there were people a few deep in front of
the table when I tied. I got all my gear packed up as the show was
winding down and we stayed at the fairgrounds for the evening festivities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">That night there was a competitions BBQ team
providing the food, an awesome bluegrass band (Missouri Boatride) and an
auction to be had. The BBQ and bluegrass definitely did not
disappoint. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got a chance to check out some of the auction items and was stoked to see the flies I had donated were framed by Steve Jensen for the auction, and brought in some really good money for the club. I also was being auctioned off for a day on the White river the following day and was excited to see that a few friends that we had been hanging out with won and would be headed out with us in the morning. By the time the auction wound down we got everything there squared away and headed back to prep for the morning...which was o course done over a few beers with another great football game on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Three straight days of going hard was definitely wearing on
me but nothing was keeping me from finally getting to the river. We got
all of our gear squared away and met up with the guys, then headed to the
water. I have been told that the White runs clear but still was amazed to
get to the launch and see that it was bathtub clear and you could spot trout
all over the place. The Corp had shut down generation so it was low and
slow…not great for streamers though I gave it a shot. I ended up with one
on a streamer early and then it just shut off. Eventually we resorted to
fishing midges to get some fish in the boat but I don’t think anyone would have
really cared if we hadn’t; we had a great time floating and joking around for
the day. I think the highlight of the day for me was in early afternoon
when I spotted a 30” class brown just a few rod lengths from where we had the
boat anchored off. It was on a shallow flat with a rainbow tboned in it’s
mouth and shaking it like a rag doll. IT would then release it, swim a
few feet away and circle, then come back and hammer in to it again. I got
serious fish fever just watching it. Once I had a streamer tied on I made
a cast far upstream but evidently not far enough as it spooked off.
Michael and I jumped in to the extremely cold water and got over to shore to
sneak up and see if we would get another shot, and sure enough it came
back. I was able to make two casts this time before it ghosted out in to the
center current. I thought for sure that a fish like that on the feed
would be more of a player but the conditions were against us. I will be
haunted by that fish until I get back out there and do it again…in
January. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After we finished up the float we packed everything away and
said our goodbyes to John and Chris then hit the road back towards Michael’s
place in Springfield. We had briefly toyed with the notion of stopping on
the way past Taneycomo for some night fishing but between the lack of sleep and
the generation schedule decided the better of it and headed straight to his
place. I was totally wrecked and was out by about 8:30 that night.
Sleep was glorious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got an early start on Monday so that we could get a few
hours in on Taney before I had to get to the airport. We checked the
gauges on the way and found that the generation that was supposed to go on all
morning, yielding good streamer water, had been shut down about 2am,
yielding lesser streamer conditions. We dumped the boat in anyway and
gave it a shot. After a bit we hit a second launch to grab Michael’s
buddy Matt for a few more hours. I did not resort to midges but did end
up basically dead drift fishing a small weighted sculpin to get in to a few
more fish. Taney has a little more color to it than the White but is
still more clear than anything I have here in the Midwest so it was really cool
to look around and just watch all the fish and how they act. Eventually
it was time to pack up to get to the airport and end the trip. I was able
to get right through security with no problems, a rarity for me as I must ‘fit
some description’ and on to the plane. It was an easy trip back until we
were on our final approach for Columbus and there was a terrible storm centered
over the airport. At this point I’d had about 20 hours of sleep over the
five days and the captain came on to tell us that we had 25 minutes of reserve
fuel to circle and hope the storm would break up before we would divert to
Pittsburgh…for the night. All I wanted to do was get home to my wife and
my bed so this was not well received. At 24 minutes he came back on that
we were cleared to attempt a landing and that it would be bumpy. He
wasn’t kidding. Ten minutes later we were on the ground and happy.
What a trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michael Kyle and the rest of the Southern Council put on a
great show this year. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would recommend
going for anyone that is in the area next year. I may be out there again
just to enjoy the fun but can’t wait that long to exact my revenge on the
spooky trout…I’m heading back out for Dally Streamer Fest on January 31<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
and will get some water time in then!</span></div>
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-mike Schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-77665606916888613822014-10-08T18:43:00.000-04:002014-10-08T18:45:45.828-04:00New Anglers Choice Flies hats now available!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got the new run of ACF hats in and available now...freshly posted to the New Flies page at the <a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/" target="_blank">Anglers Choice Flies website</a>. They are top quality hats and embroidery, and amongst the most comfortable that I have ever worn. I ordered up a dozen of each in the first run so get them while they're in!<br />
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Here is what is available:<br />
110Flexfit Snapback in black - $25<br />
110Flexfit Snapback in grey - $25<br />
Fitted Flexfit in navy, both S-Med and L-XL - $25<br />
Visor, Velcro closure in navy - $15<br />
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-mike schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-61648098992075697332014-09-28T21:39:00.000-04:002014-09-28T21:39:10.067-04:00Salmonfest 2014...the Gathering<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We plan all year and somehow we always still find ourselves tying the night before the trip, and this year was no different. Salmonfest each year takes place on Michigan's Pere Marquette River and is an excuse for various old friends to get together, and as Aaron Rodgers says, "R-E-L-A-X". I just got home a couple hours ago from the four day and three night event and frankly I need some time to relax from all the relaxing we did. Don't get me wrong we put in some serious hours on the water, but I think I hurt more from laughing than I do from hiking around and fighting fish. </div>
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The crew consists of a college roommate, a buddy I met the summer of graduation, and myself. Every year we invite many others to join in on the fun and this year was more crowded than usual as we added a brother and his friend, a brother-in-law, a great friend I've known since kindergarten, and a good buddy from Columbus. </div>
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Berkshire was the first one on the board this year.</div>
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There were plenty of browns around gobbling eggs up. My working theory is that the smaller number of kings in the river so far this year have left the trout free to pillage with far less consequence than in other years where they have to worry about being chomped themselves.</div>
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The whole point of the trip to me. Was awesome to hang out riverside to tell old stories as we made new ones!</div>
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Some guys slept mid day...</div>
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...but Brian took the opportunity to watch me tie and then learn to tie his first fly. It was a very well tied egg that was promptly donated to the river an hour after the whip finish was completed. Good thing he now knows how to tie more!</div>
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One of the better browns from the trip. I wish that there was a way to make them colors vibrate and change in a picture as they do when they are in hand. This shot simply does not do the fish justice.</div>
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Greg has been a good friend since kindergarten and lived up north for the last ten years but had only made it over to meet up with us for one other day before this year. He fished his ass off for a couple days before landing his first salmon in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday. Was awesome to see him get his first on a fly rod and that smile was still there when we all hit the road this morning.</div>
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It is a trip I look forward to every year as it gets us together and keeps the tradition going. I may not see some of the guys until next years trip but as soon as we are there it will seem as though we never left. The tradition of the Salmonfest get together is important and something to be protected, even as it is morphing more to Troutfest ot perhaps a move to later in the year for Chromefest. </div>
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I'm beat...time to crash out for me. It will be a short turn around for me this week as in a couple days I will be heading southwest to Mountain Home Arkansas for the Southern Council Conclave and some water time on the White. I should have a bunch of shots and new stories to tell by the time I get back.</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-47384921884388409372014-09-09T09:01:00.001-04:002014-09-09T09:07:46.701-04:00Castapalooza at Schultz Outfitters and some fishing time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I have posted anything as I have suffered through the post-Wyoming funk. Even following a short trip it is hard adjusting back to life without mountains just as it is life without the beach when I come home from Florida. Truth be told, August is usually a month that I fish the least and try to get caught up at the tying desk. This year was no different as I have been putting in crushing hours getting flies completed and shipped.</div>
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This weekend was a welcomed break that I have been looking forward to for a long time. The Schultz Outfitters crew puts on a great event and this weekend was the Castapalooza North event. They drew in two handed casting wizards like Jeff Liskay, Will Turek and Jimmy Chang. Streamer mad men and visionaries Tommy Lynch and Russ Maddin both made it down to the event to share on water and behind the vise knowledge. Clutch fly rod owner and one time competitive caster, Lee Janik, brought his quiver of spectacular rods and gave a double haul primer guaranteed to add distance and power to your cast. Rick Kustich was in to talk chrome and I was there to do a presentation on fishing from paddleboards and tie a few flies. I did not have a table so midday I decided to go ahead and set up in the grass next to the river and knock out a few flies for the personal streamer box. It was a day filled with good energy and fishy conversations that flew by.</div>
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The evening was taken up by a bonfire and hanging out with good friends while trying to ignore the football thrashing that was in progress. After a long night of relaxing, telling stories and laughing I rolled in to my makeshift bed (in the back of my car) for a horribly short couple hours of sleep. </div>
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Despite being both severely over served and under slept the night before I popped up like a little kid on Christmas morning as I was heading to the river. I crawled out of my car about the same time that Lee did the same about a dozen yards away and we just laughed at the absurd conditions we continue to subject ourselves to in the name of fishing and fun. As we started to get our gear sorted and collected in Lee's boat others started appearing in ones and twos, and after a little bit we had a motley assortment of anglers ready to go float and chase down some smallies.</div>
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We arrived at the river in time for a quick car spot and got the float underway. We had about eleven miles or so to go so we pushed through the first bit to get to prime water. There could not have been a better day if it had been specifically drawn up for us; the sun was out, the wind was nonexistent, the temperatures were cherry and the company top notch.</div>
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I was not worried about anyone messing with our boat as I was floating with the Beard Mafia. It was really nice to get out with a couple guys I have been buddies with for a long time but never had the stars align to hit water together. Corey (Sled) works at the shop and is a hopelessly addicted fish junky, and Lee is the owner of Clutch rods who loves to get out and have a great time doing anything. It was a hell of a day that left me literally sore yesterday from laughing so hard and so often Sunday.</div>
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One story involved Sled and some shine that was a bit strong. Between the heat and shine he decided that the boat was too constrictive so he rolled out and swam along behind us as I was on the oars and Lee was terrorizing fish. He hooked up after casting about fifteen feet behind Sled and fought the fish for a minute before Sled yelled "I got it!" and swam over to water land the beast. After a quick tarpon pose with the smallies it swam a few circles around him and took off. Hard to improve on the day from that point!</div>
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While we were not treated to the best fishing that river gives up we did have fairly consistent fishing through the day as we went through a slew of cookir cutter 12-15" fish. The other boat did get it done with a 17" and an 18" fish so they had bragging rights on the day.</div>
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On the day we threw a few different sticks but the general consensus was that the Clutch 7wt Arc<em>hipelago</em><u> </u>stick is an absolute powerhouse that is money for the kinds of lines and streamer techniques we employ in the Midwest. I talked with Lee at length about the lines of rods that he has created, the made in the USA aspect of Clutch (as he says "conception to completion in the Great Lakes region") and the vision he hasfor the company. After spending some time throwing them I think he has some real winners that fit what we do to a tee. You will be hearing a lot more about Clutch both here and in the industry.</div>
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All in all it was a spectacular weekend with friends and just what the doctor ordered. The next few weeks I will be a tying hermit again to get flies piled out the door before heading up to northern Michigan for the color change, egg eating browns and maybe a salmon or two followed a week later by the FFF Southern Council Conclave in Arkansas. Busy, but a good busy!</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-18644911801510616302014-07-25T08:38:00.001-04:002014-07-25T11:14:45.798-04:00Wyoming 2014 Day Five<br />
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After four hard days of fishing, a little boozing and the late night tire change my body was not cool with the alarm but it was the final morning and time to rally. Our initial plans had been to do some canyon fishing but another opportunity came up that was too good to pass up. A river from my first year out, but unavailable since, was an option for the day so we jumped on it. It is a much bigger river, big enough in fact to easily hold the flows from the first few days combined. It is a river that has less fish then the others we have hit but they are generally larger and the potential is there for monsters. It is where I caught my largest brown in Wyoming to date..one that is the only replica I have on my wall.</div>
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As we walked towards it through the field I was mentally steeling myself. This water holds big fish but they are that way for a reason...you better do everything right or not bother. The old adage that they are big for a reason holds true here. These fish are thick, wary and far to smart to fool with any subpar drift. Once we hit the rivers edge a smile spread across my face as the water looked perfect. I entered the water carefully and re-rigged to make sure I was a prepared as I could be. This is some serious hopper water so I decided to start the day by tying on one of the hoppers I knocked out just before heading west. With the yellow hopper at the ready I moved in to position. </div>
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The first spot was the outside of a bend with a deep pool that was 50 yards long and as wide as a two lane highway. At the head of the pool there was a grass bank that sloughed off in to the water and formed a small island that was the perfect water break to slow the water on the outside of the bend. A few casts were laid out to knock off the overnight rust and gauge water spped before moving in to target holding water that almost certainly had fish looking up. A few casts later I connected with the first fish of the day.</div>
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Greg quickly got in on the act as well with a solid fish on one of his Virgin Chubbies followed shortly thereafter by our guide and friend Cole landing a solid slab as well. It was an awesome feeling to all be on the board quickly as this river is not always that accomodating.</div>
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It is a much more wide open sort of scenery here than the last couple days. A gentle breeze was present most of the day and pushed the grass back and forth giving the illusion of green waves. Wind is a four letter word but breeze is a fantastic thing. Ninety degrees in dry air is still ninety degrees so a little breeze is always welcome to cool off, and of course it is always good to have more bugs blown in the water so the fish are looking up!</div>
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Where the browns from the last two days where a dark yellow with orangish tints and nearly arctic char like orange around the mouth, these fish were much more buttery. The rocks here were far less red and orange so the fish had adapted accordingly and were a deep rich yellow. They were obviously very well fed too as the shoulders on these fish were impressive.</div>
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There are a few spots where permanent islands have taken hold forcing the river to braid. They were neat spots to fish as the current i nthe braids was very steady, fairly strong, and both banks were undercut and fishy their entire lengths. A well placed fly typically meant a high casting angle to avoid the grass and overpowering the forward stroke to an abrupt stop to curve the fly up under the overhanging grass while piling in some slack. Tricky cast but doable and there were a few rewards to be had.</div>
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The farther into the day we got the more I started to reflect on the trip and how fantastic it had been. This day was similarly fantastic to the previous days but in a different way. We saw far less fish but the ones we tangled with were significantly larger on average...and there were a few heart breakers that came off early or bent the hook out.</div>
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One last fish in the net to end my day and I reeled up. No point in making any more casts as my spirit was full. With smiles from ear to ear Greg and I stayed on the bank and watched Cole work through the last run, hitting one final fish. What a day and what a trip. After a few handshakes and thank yous we headed back towards the vehicles to see how the other guys did gear down. Again all I could think was what a trip...and just 361 days until I am back (now 349). </div>
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Ummm...the end.</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Making this trip happen yearly is an indulgence that’s thankfully
supported by my amazing wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
understands the opportunity to get out and experience the scenery, fishing and camaraderie
of this trip is both something I will never forget and something I cannot get
enough of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I am lucky enough to have a great friend in Greg Senyo to share the water with and really work hard together to make these trips come off smoothly. We are also very lucky to have such a phenomenal staff of guides to work with that will put up with finding the experience we are looking for and changing locations on the fly if necessary to do so. Clark runs a tight ship but has fun while doing it. Fishing with guides Clark, Cole and Anthony as well as friends Dan, Aaron, Chad and Rob this year was a top notch experience and one that I can not wait to do again. To that end we set up time for the return trip during the first half of July in 2015 so if you are interested in coming along shoot Greg (<a href="mailto:gregsenyo@hotmail.com">gregsenyo@yahoo.com</a>) or myself (<a href="mailto:mike@anglerschoiceflies.com">mike@anglerschoiceflies.com</a>) an email to get the details.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-mike schmidt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></span></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-29454516469288652412014-07-24T08:44:00.004-04:002014-07-24T12:22:39.071-04:00Wyoming 2014 Day Four<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Day four started off much like the previous day had; rolling out of bed feeling well rested Greg and I headed down to grab breakfast early. The difference for me today was that I had to consciously think about chewing my food and slowing myself down. The excitement was near boiling over for me as today we were headed to my favorite water. I managed to put down enough food to fuel me through lunch and then headed back up to the room to get my gear together. Carefully I sorted through my pack, with shaking hands, to make sure that I did not leave any needed piece of gear behind. Of course I loaded up the humidor with a fresh supply of cigars as well...Leaf, LFD and Kristoffs would do nicely for the day on the water. After what seemed like hours, but was in reality about thirty minutes, everyone met up at the cars and hit the road.</div>
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Today's river meanders it's way through some amazing geography and has formed some of the best trout holding water I have ever seen. One pool with undercut banks flows in to the next through gentle riffles as it snakes it's way back and forth through a canyon rivalling Sedona's color with it's red rock outcroppings. The fish in this water have adapted to the bright sun and red rock bottom in such a way that I have not seen any other place. In this place their color truly reflects the conditions found in this valley. Their appearance is spectacular having taken on the coloration of a bright yellowy slab with intesely dark spotting, and with their pectoral fins and belly taking on a orangish-reddish glow.</div>
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The very first pool we dropped in to had what looked like a pair of really nice fish rising in the tailout. I had a small hopper tied on from the previous afternoon so I carefully waded in to position. They both rose again so I waited about the same amount of time from the previous rise then laid out a perfect cast to the bank. The hopper landed with a satisfying *plop* then slid down in the current mere inches from the grassy edge and right over the fish...with no reaction. Crap. We backed off and took a look at the water to see what we could find. There were a few female caddis flitting about dropping to lay eggs so we decided to go small and tie on a size 16 caddis. It only took one more cast to confirm that was the ticket to start the day.</div>
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Another reason I was excited for the day is that we got to hang out with our good friend Clark. Clark is a top notch guide and quick to laugh so we always have a great time. When we get out with him we generally play baseball on the river...one fish then rotate out between all three of us. While it does mean less time fishing I can not imagine a more fun way to spend a day than the shared excitement of catching fish and giving each other shit all day! Frankly I think it also makes me a better angler to be able to fish some and then be forced to observe. It is surprising how much happening on the river you may miss when you are zoned in on casting, mending and watching the drift. This also allows me to see how the other guys approach the water and fish through it.</div>
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Where the browns have adapted their coloration to be more vivd and match the surroundings the rainbows actually went the other way and are a bit more pale. In reality they are nearly like mirrors in the water and you rarely spot anything other than their shadows to give them away.</div>
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They just silently slide in and melt right back in to the bottom as you release them.</div>
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Clark was really digging the Orvis Superfine Fiberglass 4wt that I brought along. As he fished it throughout the day he agreed with me that it was perfect for this style of fishing.</div>
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Did I mention that Clark really REALLY loves his fish...never a dull moment! I won't give a play by play for the next few fish pictures as I think they speak for themselves. It was seemingly an unending parade of gorgeous fish throughout the day. I was super excited to be back here and it did not disappoint...this place is still king of the west for me. 350 days until I am back...give or take.</div>
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The day ended a little short of what we normally fish but everybody was all smiles. We had to get om the road a little early to get back to town and then out for our traditional prime rib dinner at the ranch. On the way back to the truck I caught the father and son team, Dan and Aaron, trekking back across the field.</div>
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Out at the ranch the dinner was amazing as always. Shortly after arriving we sat down and out came the perfect cuts of prime rib with green beans and twice baked potatoes. When we were on the river it was so good I had doubts about leaving but this feast made it worth it! After dinner we headed back over to the the shop, that is also the bar, to unwind for the evening. One neat thing about this place is the population of hummingbirds...they are everywhere. To get a close look I posted up underneath the feeder on the porch and stayed as still as I could. After about thirty seconds they were back buzzing close enough that I could feel their wings. One actually landed on my finger to feed and then hovered inches from my face staring at me before flitting up in to the trees. When you are close enough to a hummingbird to see their tongue you know you are close!</div>
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Inside at the bar people gathered around to have a few beverages and tell some stories from the day. It's about as unique a gathering spot as you are likely to find anywhere and something I always look forward to. This shot is from actually from two years ago but you'd never know it unless you spotted Teddy behind the bar, since he is guiding the Ponoi right now, or one of the new pitures not yet above the bar.</div>
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After a few hours of having more fun than anyone should be allowed to have the day was catching up with us. We had one more day to fish and needed to head back and get some rest so we said our good byes to those that would not be out the next day and headed back to town. Thanks to a pair of flats it was not a quick trip home... Cole and Justin bounced out with headlamps to help us out and it wasn't too long before we were back at the hotel and crashing hard, just under five hours before the morning alarm...</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-61764743070007620282014-07-23T08:12:00.002-04:002014-07-23T08:12:29.255-04:00Wyoming 2014 Day Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When you are travelling there are all sorts of tricks to settle your body in to whatever time zone you will be enjoying. Sometimes they work well and you don't skip a beat, but other times your body doesn't fall for the ruse. The amount of food eaten the night before and the high level of anticipation had everyone rolling early on Day Three! </div>
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One nice thing about hopper fishing is that it is not really a crack of dawn type of thing. It takes a little time for the water to warm up a degree or two with the sun and the bugs to wake up and get to doing buggy things. Knowing that we usually get up and have some coffe a nice breakfeast about 7 then head back to the rooms to shower up and grab gear for the day before meeting around 8:30 to hit the road. Greg and I rolled down about 6:45 to find that everyone was already chowing. This year we had the father and son team of Dan and Aaron finally back for a second year along with Chad and his business partner Rob who is just dipping his toe into our proverbial rabbit hole of a sport. I could not wait to see the smiles and excitement on the faces of the return crew and the absolute look of awe with the new guys. The forecast was for rain showers throughout the day but you sure couldn't tell that on the drive in!</div>
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Greg and I got to fish with Anthony for the first time and on Greg's favorite water to boot. Anthony is a great guy that we have joked around with the last few years out there but not had a chance to hit the water with yet. I always give Greg first crack on this river as this is his ShangriLa and right out of the gate Anthony was on his game and was coaching up Senyo. Greg let it go for a few casts before the shit talking started. We were going to make it one of the easiest days for him as a guide, but we were going to talk shit and laugh hard all day. Despite Anthony barking out when to set just to rile Greg he kept his composure and hit the first fish of the day a few minuted in. This was going to be fun.</div>
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I quickly got on the board as well with a great surface eat. This fish wanted the fly so bad that it slow rose to inspect it and took too long to eat so the fly started to drag out. That made no difference as he was on the fly like a cruise missle...he chased it down a few feet out of his holding water and sharked it!</div>
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The water we hit this day is a mixture of narrow willow lined chutes and deep meandering bend pools. The combination really forces you to keep track of where your line is at all times. If you get too excited and lose track or are off target then you are definitely in for a date with a tree.</div>
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If you can keep the line in the water though and get a good drift then there are jewels in these depths!</div>
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This is a pretty typical chute. Great undercut banks with overhanging grasses and a well defined current seam. Trout heaven.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cXKMkWtJ5IZv58BrHOx7jLCnR5oh0sDBq3Mljm_Pslfnwuiv41Kv06a0eDqoxfMV45KDD2O4GK00JgJ_suCjsleGePHlh1uqxVI1WG7XGzNyFmNS3zDoLuojzhiDOTU-Oxef759Jwfo/s1600/IMG_20140712_125422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cXKMkWtJ5IZv58BrHOx7jLCnR5oh0sDBq3Mljm_Pslfnwuiv41Kv06a0eDqoxfMV45KDD2O4GK00JgJ_suCjsleGePHlh1uqxVI1WG7XGzNyFmNS3zDoLuojzhiDOTU-Oxef759Jwfo/s1600/IMG_20140712_125422.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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In all the days I have spent out there I had somehow avoided all bad weather, until this rolled in. It went from sunny to nasty rolling thunder just over the range and out of sight to dark and windy in about five minutes. The sunlight coming through the clouds and bouncing off the canyon walls a really sinister dark purplish look and we knew that we were not avoiding this one. As Anthony was hoofin back to grab out lunches the storm hit and Greg and I found ourselves in hurricane style sideways rain. It was pretty warm so we did not have rain gear on us and chose to back in to the willows get a little out of it. And then it was gone. As fast as the storm popped up it was out of there in about ten minutes. Lucked out again!</div>
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There was just enough rain to raise the humidity to normal midwestern level soupiness and wake up every mosquito in the area. Time to cover up or become a meal.</div>
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Some places you can get away from the swarms of little blood sucking bastards but not here. There is just not enough space to separate you from them so you ignore it because it is some of the best trout fishing around and they generally do not stick around too long. Just to be safe though I lit up a particularly girthy and dark cigar to give them more incentive to look elsewhere, and it worked...mostly.</div>
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The color of the fish here never ceases to amaze me.</div>
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This is the reason I will continue to go back every year that I possibly can. This fish needs no photoshopping of any kind to glow and is as thick as my wrist. I will never get enough of it.</div>
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Greg has a spot that he has been waiting to hit literally since last year. Two years ago he hit the biggest fish of the day in a nondescript spot that has mere inches of depth change as a current break with a small stump to guard it. Last year, on the same fly, he had what we decided to call the same fish in the same spot rise and miss the fly...and it was all of a solid twenty. As the day wore on I caught him looking upstream and knew this was where he wanted to be. Just downstream of 'the spot' he re rigged his leader and put the fly on then worked in to casting range.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI0dPBJejlzVieCtQ_OnppvtQlm7UXdJJsevIvLIPe7IH_fmmCAq2m27fEiinsqn8Vtknt3bcdfMCUe6OeKuRpEUICk_9-m6B8cBXR3IWWvAK57krvzhMObccs-oQDilHSGWOpEDbWFs/s1600/IMG_1350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI0dPBJejlzVieCtQ_OnppvtQlm7UXdJJsevIvLIPe7IH_fmmCAq2m27fEiinsqn8Vtknt3bcdfMCUe6OeKuRpEUICk_9-m6B8cBXR3IWWvAK57krvzhMObccs-oQDilHSGWOpEDbWFs/s1600/IMG_1350.jpg" height="242" width="400" /></a></div>
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It wasn't Neo that he hooked in to but a great fish none the less. Greg was admittedly down on it a bit at the time, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't as well, as when the line went taught for that split second we yelled and thought it was stilll there. Looking back on it later that night we both were impressed with this fish, both in color and fight that it displayed. Now this is the one we will look to find next year, a little wiser and a few inches bigger!</div>
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This foam tasted like hopper.</div>
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The rainbow above and brown below show the amazing spot patterns that this river has. High frequency of spots and dark as night, providing great camoflage.</div>
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Really just about perfect camoflage actually. They seem to just melt away at your feet in to nothing and do it right in front of your eyes. If you blink they are gone...even though they are still right there in inches of water. Really an amazing adaptation for survival in a harsh and unforgiving environment.</div>
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It really doesn't get much better than this.</div>
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At the end of the day we all met back up at the cars to shed our gear and load up. Everyone had enjoyed a fantastic day on the water and there were smiles all around. Rob, our least experienced guy, had caught his fill and had a look of near shock on his face. On the drive back towards town the silence was frequently broken by headshakes and laughs of disbelief at what we had experienced. It was beyond fulfilling to be in this environment and share it with people that so obviously were enjoying every second and soaking it all in. We stopped up on the mesa in one of our favorite spots to show them the scope of where we were. Parking the car on the side of the road you can see the valley is there, but not until you walk about 100 yards out and up a gentle slope do you come to the edge and realize just how vast this single valley is. Awe inspiring. </div>
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We made it back in to town in time to stop off for a quick pizza dinner and by the time it was on the table you could see the jet lag and physical nature of the day had caught up with everyone. There were a few stories told of fish from each team of anglers but once the food was gone so were we. Back to the hotel to recharge, organize gear and get to sleep. Tomorrow we do it all again.</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-38216476457751346772014-07-22T07:58:00.000-04:002014-07-22T07:58:50.446-04:00Wyoming 2014 Day Two<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On morning of the second day Greg and I were both wide awake and geared up to hit the road before our alarms went off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was early but we were already as jittery as a couple kids that just left an all you can eat sugar buffet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we were headed out to some water that we had known about for a couple years but had just not found the opportunity to fish yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to think that I am in decent shape but you can’t prep for altitude and it had my head spinning on day one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we would be back at altitude and be hiking farther today I was hoping that my body had adjusted a bit overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will deal with near migraine level headaches if needed to fish these waters but prefer it be pain free if possible!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For anyone, and especially a Midwestern flatlander, a drive through the Wyoming foothills and then up in to the mountains is simply breathtaking. This drive was certainly no slouch and spectacular as expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The anticipation rises around each blind corner as the views seemingly get better and better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking an hour to go a couple miles is way better when creeping along a mountain two track than when stuck on a city outer belt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the windows down we crept along in silence soaking in the sounds and smells of the canyon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We careful picked our way around sharp rocks and deadfalls, until we rounded the last bend and parked to gear up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here we walk. Up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After getting through a gate and scrambling over a fence ladder we walked…and walked…up..always up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 45 minutes on the trail had finally made it as far as we were going to this time and the view was surreal.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the dry mountain air you can see seemingly forever, or at least until a mountain gets in the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the high point of the trail we slowly and carefully picked our way down towards the water to start the fishing at a promising looking pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we stood on an outcropping above to look down in to the waters we could see plenty of fish sliding around in the depths of the crystal blue water, including one that had us shaking a bit before we even strung up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The water was classic mountain freestone…fast and clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pocket water heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the smallest pocket was enough current break in this brutal water for trout to take refuge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long drifts were possible (with diligent mending) in the slow pools but the majority of the fishing was done with quick and short drifts to backpack sized targets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of roll casting, being sure to cover all water before moving, was the name of the game as they could be anywhere and spooking one at your feet would temporarily shut down the fishing for as far as that fish would run…luckily not usually more than to the next micro pocket though!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Getting a good drift was tricky due to the speed of the water quickly taking any extra line so high sticking and body positioning were at a premium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We generally stayed on the same side of the river for safety sake but did move in the water between spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crossing in many areas would have been treacherous due to flow and slick rounded rocks on the river bottom, and we did not want to get stuck on the side without the trail out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was gin clear and ice cold…almost literally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just say it was *ahem* paralyzingly uncomfortable if the water hit a certain level.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Much of the day was spent fishing Chubbies or something similarly bouyant to stretch a possible drift just a little longer. Surprisingly a good portion of the fish did not come on the first cast in to a spot but required multiple drifts through before they would come out for a look. Many times we were screaming in our heads for the fish to take before the fly was sucked out of the strike window...sometimes that worked and other times the fly went shooting downstream and the fish sank back to it's hidey hole. </div>
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The lack of fish pictures today was not from a lack of fish being caught, in fact I landed browns, rainbows, cuttbows, and a brookie! Frankly though I was in total awe of the surroundings. More than once I caught myself staring off in a daze, while other times I just did not feel it was a good idea to pull the camera out of the protective SmithFly Roll Top to risk a shot. Sometimes though the scenery alone was worth the risk. </div>
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Something's got to be in there...right....?</div>
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Greg and I fish very well together. Rather than split up we always stick together to share the laughs provided by the fish or the constant jawing. Since that is how we normally fish these canyon situations are perfect for us as really only one person can fish forward at a time or you spook out the pools. As the day progressed we fished our way back towards the car so that we kept getting closer rather than forcing a longer walk out as we were on a bit of a timetable. It was not the normal upstream approach but the water was moving fast enough that the broken surface hid our movements from the fish. With the rest of the weeks clients coming in that night we had to make sure to be on the road to meet them for dinner.</div>
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As we got to the end of the day we found a spot that was begging to be hit. There was a long stretch of bank to bank heavy flow through broken rocks for 50 yards ending about ten yards behind Greg in this shot. When I say ending there I mean it as that wood in the picture is hanging over a 20 foot waterfall! On the far bank there was a car sized rock close to the bank that blocked the flow perfectly for a gentle bucket tight up to a rock ledge overhang. It was one of those spots that there was no question held <em>something</em>. It was a nasty presentation requiring a 45 foot roll cast with an aerial mend to pile in some slack. Greg's first attempt was a bit short and fired out over the falls before he could collect his line. The next few were right on target though; placed right at the top of the slick with nearly the entire leader piled allowing for maybe a 2-3 second drift before dragging out. After a couple casts with six eye intently staring at the fly we were rewarded with the sight of a solid fish rising from the depths. Time slowed down and I swear the fish was in quicksand as it rose and closed it's mouth...where the fly had been only moments before being dragged out. Crap. After some collective groans and a minute to rest it Greg fired in another home run shot. Again the fish rose under the fly but this time inhaled it! Greg set and then somehow turned it's head away from the falls to keep it up top and fought it over to our side of the river. Awesome fish from an awesome spot.</div>
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We worked out way downstream and cherry picked a few more likely spots but were up against the clock by then. As bad as we wanted to keep going we had to hit the road and be presentable for our clients that were in the air at that point. After hitting one last spot just up from the car we piled in and hit the road. Back in town we got checked in to the hotel then headed down to meet the guys for the traditional first night feast at the Winchester Steakhouse. Everyone was all smiles to be there and excited despite being tired from the road. Much entertainment came from one of the guys confusion about what oysters were ordered and ate...let's just say we had a ball of a time with that one the whole rest of the trip. </div>
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As dinner was served the combination of food coma and travel weariness set in and the conversation slowed a bit. We finished up and headed back to the hotel to try and get some sleep. The morning would come quickly...</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
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Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-46284655946578749912014-07-21T08:29:00.002-04:002014-07-21T08:30:51.134-04:00Wyoming 2014 Day One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhx_AgryPuwG12MeOMzjP8G3VxoJAGqHrVhtEN0mWcI5cnA3HwG54U7j8mjBpo9W_eG35Za5fK7wk4A5dBlckDRMJoeZBjkzB14Sov1_Oilhjgcz0BIsNUzReY8eJJszE-_qHXhfCX20/s1600/IMG_1227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhx_AgryPuwG12MeOMzjP8G3VxoJAGqHrVhtEN0mWcI5cnA3HwG54U7j8mjBpo9W_eG35Za5fK7wk4A5dBlckDRMJoeZBjkzB14Sov1_Oilhjgcz0BIsNUzReY8eJJszE-_qHXhfCX20/s1600/IMG_1227.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The human mind is an amazing thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With it we have accomplished spectacular
feats; extremely complex problem solving, pushed bodies to then past their perceived
limits and time travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes…time
travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With my mind I am able, albeit
unwillingly, to turn the minutes leading to an anticipated trip into days and
then once there seemingly turn days into minutes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My most recent time travelling experience revolved around my
yearly return to the Bighorn region of Wyoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As with previous years the lead up to the trip seemed to take forever
but the day finally came and I still somehow found myself scrambling to get my
gear together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the car packed I
pointed the car north and headed towards Greg Senyo’s place to crash for a few
hours before heading to the airport in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first leg of the journey was uneventful
as we breezed through security and got to our gate with an hour to spare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stay in Denver was not nearly so smooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will not bore you with details except to say
that a brief scheduled layover turned in to a walking tour of all three
terminals followed by over seven hours at the ass end of A terminal waiting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were literally minutes from renting a car
to drive the remaining six hours to Sheridan when we finally boarded the last
leg of the flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greg and I got in to
Wyoming late enough that we decided to nix the planned afternoon fishing
session in favor of relaxing and catching up with some guide buddies who were
nice enough to let us couch crash the first few nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over a few beers we caught up on stories
missed over the year before the conversation turned serious; where should we
fish in the morning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did not take
long for us to settle on a spot and as we started to think about crashing a
crazy storm rolled over the mountains and started hammering us with sideways
rain and bone shaking thunder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
usually something I worry too much about but we were staying on the second
floor of a log building…the second oldest building in the state…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thankfully we survived the night and the morning
came quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rolled downstairs to
the shop/bar/gathering place and put down some breakfast sammies and got our
gear together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greg and I had no plans
except to fish to our fill and get back sometime that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The night before we had talked it over and
settled on where we were heading as it was filthy with cutties and was a place
neither had yet been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drive was
spectacular in a way that only switchback roads can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took us nearly an hour more to get there
than it should have as we kept pulling off at each possible place to soak in
the view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Eventually we got to elevation and saw the river,
or rather the half mile wide valley filled with willows that had the river
running through it…somewhere in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is a public place so we expected to see people but were surprised to see there
were multiple cars at every turn off on a Thursday morning! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove the whole length of the valley and
then came back to the spot we decided was the most promising and got geared up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking in to the river there was spooky in
the same way that a unfamiliar forest at night or walking through six foot
tiger grass at Katmai…not specifically dangerous but definitely a spot that the
hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxknjMa_V9b_Tf6cmBIqC9rrCQG_iFGq5vrDHctSY1ESZ6STW-92D1Zjz9-gC0l5BR7PNPU7tMwpeVjNA7YSVcS0zF1RGgq-NE3jMxqhq78KgJC8ok1BRR6xQoJozpKtMkfSyF7_txZ0/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxknjMa_V9b_Tf6cmBIqC9rrCQG_iFGq5vrDHctSY1ESZ6STW-92D1Zjz9-gC0l5BR7PNPU7tMwpeVjNA7YSVcS0zF1RGgq-NE3jMxqhq78KgJC8ok1BRR6xQoJozpKtMkfSyF7_txZ0/s1600/image1.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a long bushwhack in that rewarded us instantly as a
nice cuttie bolted from the first bank where we wet our boots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cutthroat have a reputation of being the dull
edge of the knife but we found them to be relatively selective here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not to say that we didn’t catch them
eventually on just about everything we tried, but small beetles and ants
outfished everything else four or five to one. This gorgeous little guy was the first fish of the trip. Stalking up that first bank I switched off of the small foam hopper I came in with and switched over to a small caddis after watching some come off accompanied by splashy rises. One close cast was all it took to seal the deal. </span></div>
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This is the first fish of the trip on the Orvis Superfine fiberglass rod. This 4wt stick was the perfect tool for the water we fished this trip!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3h0hQjF7BI-ahuntJ3w7TvnK87iT0TfdTtRSZlWDX6xZRW5TQYEFAqLUA6orZIbLXx4_dxGRqTkxtMd-XOUrmEzIM1cNFm3JzeBKyfWMxT4p7K2U8Fo1NQCHOWhqU_wAUY3RDclz8_I/s1600/image12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3h0hQjF7BI-ahuntJ3w7TvnK87iT0TfdTtRSZlWDX6xZRW5TQYEFAqLUA6orZIbLXx4_dxGRqTkxtMd-XOUrmEzIM1cNFm3JzeBKyfWMxT4p7K2U8Fo1NQCHOWhqU_wAUY3RDclz8_I/s1600/image12.jpg" height="303" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5f_-wrO8tCQ9yObDyOFYaKlA0aP0PslNPSW9OboVv1ORcbsi1eP0vCITb7mC04vBw_AbYsC4U9J3wBsqXFvifb8MMGH1R6XpmSxoFrfe-YxfQIYLk-FFwl4Z4Nm_tKkM4EHxUtiCMbOk/s1600/IMG_1243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5f_-wrO8tCQ9yObDyOFYaKlA0aP0PslNPSW9OboVv1ORcbsi1eP0vCITb7mC04vBw_AbYsC4U9J3wBsqXFvifb8MMGH1R6XpmSxoFrfe-YxfQIYLk-FFwl4Z4Nm_tKkM4EHxUtiCMbOk/s1600/IMG_1243.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
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I did start the day fishing my Carlin bamboo rod. When the wind was down this was a fun rod to fish, and fighting a fish on a rod that bends all the way through the cork is always a blast. This was the best fish on this rod for the trip and put it to the test. I was able to turn him and get him upstream from his rootball home to start the fight and then enjoy the tug of war through a big hole. The coloring on these cutts was awesome.</div>
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The previously mentioned bettle pattern that crushed it. Greg was the one that cracked this code when he tied on this small sz16 Crow beetle. I believe he hit six fish in the first eight casts out of a deep and shaded run. It was filthy!</div>
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At about 7 or so the mosquitos woke up and made their presence known. We decided that nine hours of stalking these gorgeous fish was enough for day one and headed back to the car. Truth be told the jetlag caught up to me and I was ready a little earlier but the fishing was just too good to pass up. Once we got back to the car there were a couple guys gearing up in the lot so we BS'd with them for a bit. Greg showed his usual Midwestern hospitality and gave the guys a couple of the beetles that had worked so well for us before we pulled out and turned the car towards the couches. I hope those guys had as great a time as we did.</div>
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Eventually we got back to the shop and kicked back for some people watching. A few beers in a comfy chair just feet from a river is perhaps the best way to relax. While we were there our good friend Cole came in and let us know that he had the next day off and was going to spend it chasing fish around with us. After a short discussion we settled on another spot that neither Greg or I had been to. Honestly the 'conversation' was more of a single question. </div>
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Greg: "Hey man, how about RiverX tomorrow?"</div>
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Cole: "Yeah, we can do that.". (**editorial note: there ws a brief twinge in the corner of his eye as he wondered who got drunk and told us about it)</div>
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Greg and me at the same time: "Sweet!"</div>
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After a full day on the river I do not even remember hitting the pillow...I was out before impact. Good thing to as we would need every bit of sleep for the hiking on Day Two...</div>
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One final piece of business to address here is river names, or rather the lack of them. I will not be specifically naming any water that we fished over the course of the trip. Some of the water we fished on the trip was private so knowing would do you no good and other places were public but not 'my spots' so not my place to pass them along even if I wanted to. If you know the places from the pictures then you are a lucky person that knows the awe I had the whole time I was there. </div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-42457878702901381122014-06-30T09:43:00.002-04:002014-06-30T09:43:48.577-04:00Chasing some of downstates finest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a weekend. This year has been jam packed at the vise to the exclusion of quite a few days on the water for me, so the last few days was a real treat. About a week ago a good friend, Capt Brian Meszaros of <a href="http://www.greatlakesflyfishing.com/" target="_blank">Great Lake Flyfishing</a>, had some cancellations pop up during prime time. I took a quick look at my calendar and then pulled the trigger to book him up for Saturday. Since I was already going to be up there I touched base with Mike Schultz over at <a href="http://www.schultzoutfitters.com/" target="_blank">Schultz Outfitters</a> about getting out on Sunday. Mike was going to be in the UP but said that James Hughes was available and a river ninja so I shot him a text message to confirm availability and then locked him up. The weekend had serious potential...enough that I lost some sleep over it before heading up.</div>
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After work on Friday I headed north towards Detroit; destination Mom's place. She is a block off of Lake St Clair so after having a delicious home cooked meal we decided to take a walk down towards the water. As the sun started to go down I was looking up at the trees and watching a massive Hex cloud bounce lower and lower. It was torture to see that and not be on a river. By the time we were walking back down Lakeshore to her place it was dark and they were everywhere. I grew up seeing this every summer but it seemed like so many more bugs were around than I have seen in a long time. Every lightpole was covered and there were massive swarms of bugs...enough that the flapping of the wings all but drowned out the sound of passing cars. The street was covered with hex and under the lights they were inches thick! Generally it's a rainstorm that comes through and changes my plans, but a hatch like that is just as effective. The smallies would certainly be gorging on hex and not so quick to follow a fly thrown in their direction in the morning. Good thing the plan was to chase the musky that were gorging on the smallies that were gorging on the hex...got to love the food chain. With my head thinking about trout eating hex and the excitement of the coming day on the lake sleep was hard to come by and daylight cam quick.</div>
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My alarm went off at 4:45a but it may as well not have as I was already up and searching for the 'BREW' button on the coffe maker. After a quick breakfast I was headed to the ramp to meet up with Capt B and good friend Will Turek, from <a href="http://midwestspey.com/" target="_blank">Midwest Spey</a>, as he was available and excited to split the boat with me. The boat was just being dropped as I pulled in so I grabbed my bag and jumped in so we could head out. It was a gorgeous morning with the lake being glassy calm and the sun rising.</div>
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Capt B said the plan was to hit a close shoal on the way out to see how the hex hatch affected the appetites, so in a matter of minutes we had the rods out and were searching for fish. It did not take long and I was on the board with a largemouth that promptly spit up a fistfull of hex as I went to remove the popper.</div>
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The plan had been to chase musky as the main course for the day and fill in with smallies but the weather had other ideas for us. High sun and cloudless skies can be overcome and east wind can be overcome, but the combination of the two makes for a super tough bite. We hit a few spots rigged up with Scott Musky Special fly rod that Brian worked with Scott to design and gave it a go. That rod made throwing a 350gr sinking line with a 15 inch fly feel no worse than throwing my standard 6wt set up, it was amazing. After putting in a few hours hitting super fishy spots without so much as a follow we decided to pull the plug on that game and change to smallies. </div>
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Schoolies were around and we took it out on them. It was pretty cool to drift up on a shoal and have them chasing down the fly in gin clear water...it was a very visual game. There were more than a few times that I had multiple fish in the 4-5lb range follow a retrieve back but I just could not get them to commit with their bellies full of bugs. We switched back and forth between Clousers and poppers depending on if we had surface boils or not and enjoyed our time on the water.</div>
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As you can see it was gorgeous out. At one point we headed down river to check out a few spots and I snapped this shot looking through the Belle Isle bridge at downtown Detroit. It was so clear that you can see the Ambassador Bridge in the background! Detroit doesn't look so bad from the water.</div>
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All in all I was disappointed that we could not get the musky game working but had a blast on the water blowing up smallies with Brian and Will. Fishing those shoals and flats in clear water is quite an experience. Retrieving your fly and watching a smallies come from 20 feet away in bathtub clear blue water is crazy fun!</div>
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After getting off the water my body was toast. I got back to my Mom's place and sat down to watch the soccer game. I was there in time to watch the last five minutes or so of the first half...then woke up in the 93rd minute, doh! There is a new establishment at the south end of Grosse Pointe that just opened up last weekend so decided to go check it out. Atwater Brew has been downtown for a while and looking to expand. They bought an old church in GP, dumped a pile of cash in to renovating it, and reopened it as a traditional German Biergarten style brewery. Inside the circle bar is set under a floor to ceiling stained glass window and there are four long bench style rows. Outside there is also a small bar and another four long tables. It is a unique experience in the area and they have some phenomenal beers both from the main downtown brewery as well as a few brewed right on site.</div>
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Day two on the water found me about 40 miles inland with James Hughes and the Schultz Outfitters crew. Hughes is a young guy that has put some serious time in chasing fish and has his game dialed whether you are looking to chase carp or smallies. Corey came over from the shop to car spot and help drop the boat in at a pretty gnarly looking 'ramp' then we headed off.</div>
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If you have never targetted carp then you don't know what you are missing. They are an exceedingly intelligent and spooky fish that require every bit of the stealth and ability you would amploy against the most wary spring creek trout. In the first hour I had shots at fish that spooked, fish that outright ignored a few different flies, and fish that would swim up to investigate and bump the fly with it's nose before turning away (sometimes multiple times). Frustrating to be sure but so rad to watch them in such clear water. Trying to fool these fish is one hell of a fun game. </div>
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This micro was my first successful fish of the day and I have no idea how the fish did not come unbuttoned. I made the cast and got the fish to eat but it then promptly headed straight at me far enough to give itself some slack to turn hard and take me in to an old submerged rootball. Hughes jumped in and headed over to the wood where, for a good five minutes, he was trying to get the fish to come out. The whole time I kept pressure on and occasionally felt a head shake or burst of energy, but kept it from getting any deeper. Afer about five minutes it swam back out and nearly lasso'd Hughes legs as it U-turned back in to the wood then a minute later I got it out and he got the net on it. I have no idea how the line did not get wrapped up and break under that gnarled rootball or how the hook did not pull from the pressure...but I am glad it didn't as I got on the board.</div>
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We ended up getting four fish landed, three from the boat and one sniped while stalking on foot. There were a handful of break offs as a hooked fish went bananas and ran like a freight train to some wood, and I lost count before lunch of the number of carp that we fished to and watched them investigate and refuse offerings. It was unreal.</div>
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I had the camera along with a few lenses so we took our time with landed fish and got a few shots throughout the day.</div>
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It's hard to believe that a freight train of a fish like this can be so easy to spot sometimes, but then completely ghost away while you are looking right at them. Their camo is very impressive and can have you tearing your hair out at times.</div>
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Released to see another fisherman...and likely be even a little harder to catch next time. I can not wait to get back out on the water with Hughes, so much so that we already talked about getting some dates set up for next year to chase carp and smallies in the spring and summer.<br />
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The weekend on the water was an awesome distraction from the day job and the tying. Going to be spending the next eight days knocking out a few remaining orders and packing as the annual Wyoming trip is coming fast.<br />
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-mike schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-30282437631143948252014-06-09T17:04:00.003-04:002014-06-09T17:04:31.867-04:00Demo Days weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just got back from Demo Days weekend at Schultz Outfitters and all I can say is wow. The whole SO crew put in a ton of effort leading up to this weekend and once again pulled off an excellent event. Mike and Allison had the exhibitors and presenters out to their beautiful home for a barbeque and Eirik Vitso was able to herd us all together and get this great shot.</div>
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Saturday was the day of the event that I had a presentation so I got there early in the morning to see things get set up and to hang out with a very fishy group of people. In case you have not been there yet, Schultz Outfitters is located on the banks of the Huron River in Ypsilanti Michigan and there is a park conveniently located on the other side of a foot bridge on the side of the shot. The reps and vendors started showing up at about 8 and got the tents set up for the day.</div>
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Orvis super rep Doug Bear had all the newest Orvis goodies along for the trip and enticed people to check them out by throwing out the vibe.</div>
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Midmorning I took an opportunity to get out and chase a few fish around with good friend Pat Turberville. It was very sunny and a pleasure to be out on the water for a bit.</div>
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Just a few casts in my rod doubled over with what I thought was a hefty smallmouth. Just a few seconds in to the fight though I could tell it had to be something else as it was just bulldogging deep. After a bit I got it up close and saw that it was a surprise walleye! This time of year they have generally come and gone already, but this healthy fish was very well fed and super clean.</div>
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Matt Phillip and Scott Hullinger, from Fly2Frame, were set up on the side of the building. Part way through the day they could no longer stand the blank wall and got down with some urban beautification. The result was a rad mural of a smallie chasing a Swinging D.</div>
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Chris Willen was one guy that I was hoping to be able to catch a little more of as he ties some sick bug fish bugs. His tying presentation was right before mine so I got there a little early and watched him knock out a Double Nickel.</div>
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Another very popular draw was to have April Vokey there doing a few womens and casting workshops as well as an on stream demo. It was good to be able to catch up with her as once her existing scheduled workshops are done she is out of the game for a bit to concentrate on achieving her casting masters certification. I was only able to catch part of her demo after my presentation but in just a short time I was able to learn quite a bit. Her fiancé was along on this trip so we got to hang out a little bit...he is, as expected, one very cool guy. </div>
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Mike was only able to make it out of the shop for a few short stretches during the day. He'd make the quick walk over the bridge and around the park, then would head back as it was pretty busy.</div>
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The other half of the Schultz Dynamic Duo, Allison, came through sporting the new look for the season. Nothing says comfort like wet wading in boots and jean shorts! </div>
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Sunday I did not have any presentations so I made the call to take off and head further north for a night. On the way across 72 I made the obligatory stop off at Gates to pick up a few things, and then continued on to the meet up with my brother on the South Branch of the AuSable.</div>
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New on the right, mine in the middle and John's on the left. Based on this shot I think it is safe to say that John has spent more time on the water than me lately. Something that needs to be rectified.</div>
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We headed to the river and jumped in just to stretch the legs for a bit before heading off to stake out and wait for the Drakes.</div>
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We patiently waited and watched. There were a few different mayfly species and caddis flitting about, and then at 8:45 the drakes started coming down out of the trees in swarms. </div>
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This pretty brookie was my first fish on a dry this season...and it felt oh so good. I went on to land another dozen over the next hour ranging from six inches to about double that without moving more than ten feet. I was hoping to get in to a nice brown but couldn't bring myself to leave rising fish and try another. By about 10 the show was pretty much over for us so we headed back to the camp and got the bonfire going. Great way to spend a night...and a weekend.</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-67436884855439393062014-06-02T07:56:00.002-04:002014-06-02T07:57:15.474-04:00Regal stress testing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you love what you do then you will never work a day in your life. Good thing I love tying flies because I have been 'not working' a whole lot this year! The support ACF has received this year has been amazing and continues to grow. This year I have put more hooks through the vise to date than any other year...kind of feels like I am stree testing the Regal Revolution at times. It has been awesome to see the flies finding fish mouths all over our country and others as well.<br />
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The writing was on the wall for me that this last weekend was going to be spent at the desk, so I took a few hours after work on Friday to sneak away to the a local fishery and mentally reset. I was going to meet a friend and fish a stretch that I have not fished since winter, but a last minute issue came up for him so I was on my own. After a short deliberation I decided to hit the stretch anyway though that would now mean a bit of a hike. I headed off up the road for a few miles before cutting across a fallow field where it pinches down to it's shortest distance from the water. Up and over the berm I went and then once in the water I kept heading upstream another 500 yards or so in some pleasantly cold thigh deep spring water to get to the place I wanted to start. I quickly brought a few in hand, that were hardly bigger than the fly that I was using, before getting to a long and relatively featureless stretch. This particular stretch only has a handful of depressions with cover big enough to hold fish over a few hundred yards of water, so you can really sneak up on the spots to target them...but you better have your casting game. Success here requires you to be able to lay down a long and accurate cast above the target that have little splash down. I have met a few good fish before that call the stretch home and this time one of them was interested in my offering. As I retrieved I could see a two foot dark shadow following behind...the kind of follow that you know will come all the way back to you and spook if you let it, so I changed up the retrieve and it slowly slinked back to cover. I changed up the fly color a little and after a few minutes put the fly back in there with the same result but a little more aggressive of a follow. Playing the game I again changed flies, this time to something a little more weighted to give me more of a vertical jig than the side slide. I let a minute pass and put that fly right in the bread basket. I saw a flash behind it as the fish turned to follow. Strip-strip-pause...strip-pause...strip-strip-pause...striiiippppp-paaauuuuussseeee...strip-strip...
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That crafty fish followed and charged to within inches of
the fly, gills flairing and pec fins quivering, repeatedly and for nearly the
entire thirty feet back to me before seeing me hunched over like a heron and
bolting off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew what that meant but
put a few more casts out anyways to confirm it was gone. Touche you old
bastard. You win this time, but I know your address.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The weekend was consumed with tying starting the minute I got off the water Friday. I took breaks for food of course and each day for half marathon training, which is made more challenging when it is in the upper 80s, but most of the time was at the desk. The flies just kept rolling off the vise and I almost finished up the whole order, leaving only a couple dozen to finish up tonight before boxing them up. Keep an eye out for the picture later on this evening.<br />
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The next month things will continue to be busy, both with flies as well as some travel and water time. Next weekend is the blowout extravaganza at Schultz Outfitters, in Ypsilanti Michigan, called Demo Days. It is a two day celebration of fly fishing at the shop and the park across the street, that happens to have the Huron River flowing right through it. Mike has a very talented group of people coming in for the weekend to give seminars, both on river and off river, as well as industry reps with the latest and greatest gear. Afterwards I am going to head north and chasse some trout with my brother for a day, and then maybe smallies and carp the next day. Just a month out now is the yearly trip out to Wyoming and I'd be lying if I said that trip hasn't been dominating my daydreaming for some time now already. This year Greg and I are heading out a few days early to hit some new and remote waters before meeting our clients for three days of hopper goodness. It's going to be awesome.<br />
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-mike schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-83396416406335430412014-05-20T10:37:00.001-04:002014-05-20T10:38:13.507-04:00A week at the beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s crazy how fast time away seems to go, and crazier still
how fast it seems like you never left once you get back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This year Liz and I split up our time in Florida over two trips
so our normal May trip was cut back to just last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took off in the evening on Thursday night
and by lunchtime on Friday we had our toes in the sand. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after arrival I decided to go for a
quick run on the beach to stretch out the legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was hot so the run lasted all of a mile out and a mile back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw Liz was already at the pool so I
dropped by to grab the key and sat down next to her, ‘just for a minute’ though
since I had no sunscreen on yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An hour
later I woke up…yeah, that was a bad call. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without looking I knew pants, not shorts, were
going to be the clothing for the week.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Saturday morning we got up and drove another few hours
south to meet up with Capt John Meskauskas from <a href="http://www.stuartflyfishing.com/" target="_blank">Stuart Fly Fishing</a> and <a href="http://www.flyingfishpaddlesports.com/" target="_blank">The Flying Fish Paddle Sports</a> to
pick up five paddle boards and paddles to add to the fleet Liz is putting
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great to finally get to
meet him and put a name with a Facebook face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looking forward to catching back up with him to chase around some fish
in October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would have stuck around
longer but had to get back to NSB for the wedding of our good friends Mike and
Daniella.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wedding and reception were
feet apart on the beach and in their yard, and it was a awesome night full of
laughs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The after party moved over to
Flagler Tavern which, as luck would have it, was right next to where we stay so
a simple late night walk on the beach back to the condo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday we woke up with the sun, as is the norm for us, and
were anxious to get the boards out as it looked like the best day of the
weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got all of the gear loaded up
and headed south to the Canaveral Seashore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Twenty minutes from the door we were paddling south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we hit the flats that I thought might
produce I hopped off, tied off the boards to me and proceeded to blind fish for
speckled trout and redfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I was
fishing Liz soaked up some sun and did some yoga on one of the new boards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It passed her approval and I caught fish so
the day was a win!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left after a few
hours smiling and headed back to town as it was time for me to get out of the sun
and head to Peanuts for some quiz game and Yueng.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those not in the know, if you have ever
seen TVs at a bar with quiz questions and people answering for points on little
blue remote boxes…that is the <a href="https://www.buzztime.com/play" target="_blank">Buzztime quiz game</a> and the Peanuts crew is the
number one in the country at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always
a good time when I head up there and usually keeps me from turning too crispy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a bit Liz came to get me and off to
dinner we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is pretty much how
any day without a guide trip usually goes; short run, paddle/fish, lunch/pool,
Peanuts, dinner, sleep and repeat. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Monday I had a trip set to hit the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I normally go out with my good friend Capt
Mike Mann of <a href="http://fatfishguide.com/" target="_blank">Fat Fish Guide Service</a> but it was his wedding on Saturday that we
went to and he had a honeymoon to see about, so I was on my own this trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I touched base with Capt Justin Price of
<a href="http://www.rightinsightcharters.com/" target="_blank">Right In Sight Charters</a> back at the start of the year to make sure I would be
able to get out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met up early and
headed to the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started off with
the fly, and was blind casting a small popper in some small back flats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I truly mean blind casting as the sun was not
totally up yet and there was a thick covering of clouds so the visibility below
was at zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did not take long before
the first ‘almost-action’ of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
I was retrieving the popper the telltale wake of a large redfish appeared right
behind it and was tracking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It all
seemed to happen in slow motion as the fish came on, tracked, moved in and the
fly disappeared…except maybe that it didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought I had seen the take and set the fly to nothing…pulling the fly
away from the now spooked fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exciting
start to the day but strike one was definitely on me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun was struggling to burn through the
clouds so after a while of no more action I agreed to throw a DOA paddletail
for a while and it did not take long to get on the board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got in to some nice reds and trout,
including my largest speckled trout to date…and it was the smaller of the two I
had been sight casting to!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solidly on
the board and with manageable wind we went back to the fly and proceeded to
have shots to at least another half dozen Reds who promptly ignored multiple
well placed fly offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They really
can be uppity in the goon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all it
was a great time on the water with Justin.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only day the rest of the week that did not fit the
formula (short run, paddle/fish, lunch/pool, Peanuts, dinner) was Thursday when
we headed across the state for the final two boards for Liz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was forecasted to be really bad
so being in the car wasn’t such a bad thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Couldn’t tell how bad it looked when we took off since it was 4:30 in
the morning and dark but the lack of visible stars told the story well enough. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original plan had been to head over to
Madeira Beach and paddle the bay for a few hours before coming back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have different water there than what we
normally see and it’s loaded with manatees and dolphins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wind was too much to be out safely though
and the clouds were threatening so we basically picked up the boards and were
back in NSB by lunchtime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to get
out for a walk on the beach and get the bikes out but there were some nasty storms
and rain that just wouldn’t go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
took a break in the rain as an opportunity to head to Peanuts while keeping
mostly dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sitting there I got the
flash on my phone that we were in a tornado warning so poked my head out and it
was really creepy…we could watch the eye wall rotating but thankfully never
come down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were not spared the water
though…it came down so hard I could not see across the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was bad but it was the best run
of quiz game for the week with three consecutive national number one bar scores
and all three had me top ten personal scoring!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For those in the Columbus area, all those paddleboards will
be available for use with Liz through <a href="http://www.superiortrainingandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Superior Training and Fitness</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that all the boards are in place and the
weather is getting nicer there should be many updates to the <a href="http://www.superiortrainingandfitness.com/" target="_blank">SUPTF webpage</a> with
opportunities to get out along with tips, tricks, and exercise playlists!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also follow the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/SUPeriorTrainingFitness" target="_blank">SUPTF Facebook page</a>
to find out when and where to get out for a paddle, or get some core work in
with some yoga on the boards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One final bright note, I left the pants in the closet on the
last day in Florida as I was able to get away with 100spf on the legs and a
bathing suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yearly reminder to self
for next time…there is no short time in the sun so always lotion up!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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-mike schmidt </div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-1834074150666906282014-05-02T10:07:00.005-04:002014-05-02T10:07:50.543-04:00Urban Jungle...a weekend in NYC<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The crazy travel schedule this year took me to the urban
jungle of New York City last weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was a quick weekend trip out with the wife to hang out with a
couple friends, so I travelled without a single piece of fishing or tying gear
for the first time in as long as I can remember…it felt odd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did though take the camera along and spent
basically all weekend walking around the city taking in the sites and just
soaking it as much as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Home base
for the weekend was up in West Harlem just a block from Morningside Park so
spent the first night<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>staying close and
hitting a few local spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had catfish
and eggnog waffles for dinner and cannot put in to words how amazing it
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday morning the girls were off for a day of yoga
workshops so Wes and I left just after first light and started walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of the day we had been nearly ten
miles on foot; hit St Johns Cathedral, Columbia’s campus, Absolute Bagel, Tom’s
Restaurant from Seinfeld, in to Central Park and around the Jackie O Reservoir,
the Guggenheim, Washington Square Park and it’s small scale Arch D’Triomph, then
down to Midtown to hit McSorley’s Bar (est. 1854) and then another great spot
for the hockey game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening we
headed down to the theatre district to catch up with the girls for dinner and
saw the craziness that is Times Square all lit up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday morning I was a little groggy but managed to run a
four mile race in Central Park with somewhere north of 10,000 of my closest
friends (finishing at around a 9/mile pace).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After brunch at the Smith at Lincoln Center we headed over to the World
Trade Center, and then walked down Broadway and across the Brooklyn
Bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From a waterside park in the
Bronx we got some great shots of Manhattan and then grabbed a cab back to get
packed up for our evening flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cabbed
it over to LaGuardia and then by 11:30 the whirlwind trip was over and we were
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While I could never live in the city without drastic changes
to my habits I can see why so many love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are definitely endless opportunities for weekend entertainment
there though and I will be back sooner than later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am working through all the shots that I
took as I get time and will eventually get a few more shots posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will try not to geek out on the
architecture too much!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for
putting up with a non-fishing or tying post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of next week I make the yearly trip south to Florida and hope
to have some good stories to relay from that trip when I get back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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-mike schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-11629521265251939292014-04-15T14:11:00.000-04:002014-04-15T14:49:32.240-04:00The Delaware...just a week early...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All trips start with a plan but some plans take longer than
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had meant to get out to
the Delaware rivershed the last few years and life has simply gotten in the way
so this year I said ‘enough’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back in January
at the Somerset show Rich Strolis and I hatched a plan over a few beverages for
me to drive out from the west, for him to drag his boat out from the east, and
to meet in between somewhere around Hancock NY on the fabled waters of the
Delaware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we looked at calendars then
we eliminated weekends that were already accounted for by job and family endeavors
and settled on the long weekend of April 11-13.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The way we saw it that should be about the time that there would be
Hendricksons on the water (along with caddis, stones and olives) and fish
looking up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winter dragged on but it
was the light at the end of the tunnel for us, as long as I warmed up… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few
weeks prior it was still nearly arctic feeling with snow and ice everywhere and
possible issues for both of us with getting away from work so we nearly
scrubbed the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a particularly
brutal day though Rich told me he was going anyways even if it meant just
fishing on Saturday so we decided to give it a go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The day finally came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was up at 4 and out the door in 30 minutes with a shower and a thermos
of piping hot Florida roasted coffee…life was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was raining most of the trip but the kind
of rain that a streamer fisherman learns to love as it is enough to dull the
surface of the water and get fish off their high guard but not so much that you
are unable to partake of a good cigar and become miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just shy of nine hours drive for me to
get from my doorstep to Hancock but the drive there on any trip always seems to
go fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rolled in right on time, just
before 2, met up with Rich and off to the river we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan was to start off with a short float
on Friday to pre for the weekend so Rich settled on Balls Eddy to Shehawken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course as we put the boat in the rain
really started to come down but we were oblivious as we popped the first
Oberons of the season and started downstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rich took first crack on the oars and I started working the flies
through the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefulness based on
the clarity of the water and the broken surface turned to a hardened resolve as
we realized the water was still only in the mid-upper 30s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fishing was certainly slow but
highlighted by a monster blow up in shallow water about halfway through the
float.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a long cast to the bank in
a slow slick and saw some movement then, as I was about to ask Rich if he had
seen that, the water exploded as a large 20+ish brown rolled hard on the fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I strip set and felt weight but the fish
continued to roll at the surface and before I could cross it’s eyes with
another hard strip…it was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dejected
about sums it up as I really wanted a fish in hand…and really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> wanted that fish after I saw the
size up top and the width of the tail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
long after I jumped on the oars for the second half of the float and Rich
fished out to the takeout through the continued rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both got pretty cold by the time I was on
the oars and when we hit the ramp we found out that the temperature had dropped
25 degrees to a chilly 42!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to drive
to his buddy Mike Klubek’s place to regroup and put a hurting on some chicken
parm that was waiting for us. Driving south I was amazed to see the size of the ice berms still lining the river down towards Callicoon and past it. They were iceberg sized chunks of ice that were literally as thick as the houses that thy were only yards away from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday morning came early and we rolled out of bed ready
to get back after it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temps had
stayed low overnight so we were in no hurry, we went for a large breakfast at
the house before hitting the road and getting back to the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way we decided that our best bet would
be a float from above Barking Dog down to Balls Eddy, so on the road we got the
spot set up and were ready to roll after dropping the boat in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were literally 50 yards down from the
launch when Rich suggested hitting the middle with a few casts as we were river
left…and five casts in to the day he was right!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had a solid 18ish brown lazily rise from the bottom to inspect my
fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I set like I meant business and a
minute later we had him in the net.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
did not commit and destroy like the trout from the night before…this fish was
hooked right at the tip of the lower jaw by the back hook on the fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a few pictures so as to not offend
the fish gods, but it seems we must have forgotten about something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the fish was being released something was
muttered about the ‘early fish curse’, and sure enough that proved to be the
only fish we saw all day on that long float.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Throughout the day we swapped out patterns and retrieves but they were simply
having none of it as the water was still below 40, even with the 70 degrees and
sunshine we were enjoying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw plenty
of caddis and stones on the surface but no Hendos, and no fish rising
anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked to a few boats along
the way, a few boats at the launch, and another guide buddy we happened across
in town and it seems that early fish was the only one taken all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little consolation though…guess I will have
to make it back…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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One of the coolest things of the day was to catch a Bald Eagle nested up. I know that they are making a comeback along some different rivers that I fish, but I will never get tired of seeing this truly awesome bird in the wild!</div>
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Klubek with the intense look of a man that needs some fishy smelling hands...</div>
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Big water that is also high and off color can hold fish just about anywhere. Sure you can see some traditional eddys, seamss, rocks, and cover, but it takes a lot of restraint to dial it in and focus on finishing out each cast before moving on to the next with this much possibility surrounding you.</div>
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We weren't alone on the water but there were far less boats then there will likely be in abother weeks when the bugs start popping!</div>
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Rich working on a little something as the teriyaki marinated venison kebobs cook up for lunch. If you are going to float hard you should eat like royalty.</div>
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The prize from Saturday...18ish inches of wild brown trout in hand.</div>
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Now to start planning the return...</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-40665182377281861162014-04-13T18:52:00.000-04:002014-04-13T19:11:22.184-04:00The Fly Formerly Known As The Dirty Fonzy...Now the Grumpy Muppet <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In my opinion all good fly names are something that will stick in your head. The particular fly name that had stuck to this fly had come about on the river as a combination of a few jokes. As it turns out though, it was also already a name occupied by an act that I'd rather not have to explain to people, so the name had to be changed. Let's just say if you Google the old name don't do it at work...</div>
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From this point on the fly will be named the Grumpy Muppet. </div>
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Oh yeah..and it has been picked up by Orvis to be added to their line-up for 2015!</div>
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Grumpy Muppet step by step</div>
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Hook1: Gamakatsu B10S size 2</div>
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Hook2: Gamakatsu SP11-3L3H size 1</div>
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Body1: Polar Chenille</div>
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Body2: Extra Select Craft Fur</div>
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Flash: Mirage Flashabou</div>
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Legs: Rubber Sili Legs</div>
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Cheeks: Mallard Flank</div>
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Head: Senyo Laser Dub</div>
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Eyes: Lead Barbell, medium</div>
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Connection: Beadalon .018" 19 strand</div>
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Bead: ProEye 3D</div>
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Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-22114032146338909922014-03-24T14:44:00.002-04:002014-03-24T15:10:14.247-04:00Salmon River 1 - Schmidt 0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I went in to this last weekend excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excited because I was going to see friends I have
not seen in months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excited because it
was my last fly show until the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Excited because THE University of Dayton Flyers won their first round tournament
matchup against Ohio State, thereby winning the right to play Syracuse (the
city where I was headed…likely making me one of few people to watch both of those
games deep in ‘enemy’ territory).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Excited because I was going to get a chance to fish the Salmon River
again and finally hit the water with good friends Allen Landheer and John
Collins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took off from work a bit after lunch time on Friday and
headed up the highway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My route would
take me northeast until I hit Lake Erie where I would follow the southern edge
of the lake around to Buffalo, and then across towards Syracuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a three cigar drive on a sunny
afternoon and there was plenty of basketball to listen to along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rolled in to the cabins that we were
staying at along the Salmon River a bit after dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allen Landheer and Rich Strolis were already
there so I quickly unpacked a few things to keep them from freezing and settled
in with a beverage in hand to watch some basketball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A short while later Kevin Compton rolled in and
joined the fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great stories and a little
fly tying took up the next few hours, making them feel like minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By morning I hurt from laughing too hard…and
maybe a little from that ‘one last cocktail’…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We woke up to the smell of bacon thanks to Allen thinking
ahead and being an early riser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
seemed to come to at about the same time and put a hurting on that pile of
bacon and some eggs before getting our gear back together and heading down the
road to the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show in this case
was the Tie One On event put on by the <span lang="EN" style="color: #FFFFFF; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Iroquois TU chapter and Sparse Grey Matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the third year for this growing
event, and this year they brought in Kelly Galloup as the headliner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a steady flow of people in front of
us throughout the day so it seemed to fly by as I tied and talked
streamers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They had Rich Strolis, Pat Cohen and I all sitting in a row so there was again a lot of laughter and ideas being tossed about. </span>Around lunch I took the
opportunity to head over and talk with Kelly a bit which is always a pleasure…that
guy will sure get you thinking about streamers and streamer design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had purchased a ticket for the dinner
banquet but as the day progressed there was sun coming through the window and
the wind was laying down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually I
was worn down by a handful of guys that were heading to the river after the
show and decided that my dinner purchase was to be more of a donation…I was
going fishing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #FFFFFF; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
show wound down and I stepped out with Allen to head back to the cabin for the gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my head I was fighting insecurity and
worry that my casting would have suffered from a three month layoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we arrived at the river I had a huge smile
on my face even though the river had been dropped overnight from somewhere
around 750cfs down to 350cfs and the temps were dropping, so the fishing was
expected to be tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al has been
fishing the river for decades so as we cruised along I got the dime tour of the
holes and runs along with some bits history that will never make it in to any
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit the lot and got geared up then
headed down to the water and got in to a nice open run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The casting was like riding a bike…a little
rusty after the long layoff but it quickly came back, and oh man did it feel
good. I had a couple blown anchors but for the most part was getting the fly
out there as if I never stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
about two hours of stepping down through a run during which I had one tug and
saw a few thick fish fin through some shallows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No fish to hand but it was great to finally be back out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #FFFFFF; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At
dark we got off the water and hurried back to the cabin, both to get some food
ordered up and to catch the Dayton v Syracuse game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin headed out after the show but we picked
up another group of friends for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jess, Richie, Collins, Kavanaugh, Joe and his dad all started off
laughing at me living and dying with every play of the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually though they were all caught up in
it cheering right along with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
second half was far better than the first and when the clock hit zero with
Dayton up I went b-a-n-a-n-a-s…so awesome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rest of the night was a blur of more basketball, beverages and
stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a bad way to spend an
evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #FFFFFF; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As
we woke on Sunday we were pleasantly surprised that the forecast had been off
by over ten degrees, so rather than a bone chilling 8 and windy it was merely 20ish
with a light breezy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly got
breakfast knocked out and then cleaned up the cabin before heading over to the
river to see<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>about some fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al, John and I found a promising run that was
available and jumped in to a rotation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>About an hour in I had a fish that I totally farmed and blew what ended
up being my one real shot of the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was disappointing not to get one to hand but I did not feel as bad
since we only saw a couple fish coming out…the water drop and temp still had
them down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would only have taken the
temperature rising a degree or two to turn them on, but that was not to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #FFFFFF; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">About
noon we called it and walked over to Melinda’s Fly Shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have heard stories of the place but seeing
it in person just blew me away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
conceivable material, for both modern and old school patterns to be used on the
Salmon River, lined the walls from floor to ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place is a mecca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After talking with Melinda for a bit she
pulled out some private stock of classic feathers for Al and I to take a look
at, and I left with some serious goodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eventually I had to stop looking or I would keep adding to the bag, so I
grabbed a cup of coffee and sat myself down in a chair to just soak it all in
for a bit before I had to hit the road.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Al took me back to the cabin to get my car and we BS’d a bit
before I got rolling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I expected some
weather but there were long stretches of highway that I never really saw thanks
to lake effect rolling through the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>White-knucking at 20mph makes for a long drive, but I eventually turned
south at Cleveland and got out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Needless to say I crashed hard last night…and dreamed of heading back!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Below are a couple shots from the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allen Landheer wanted to give me first crack
at any fish so as I jumped in he grabbed the camera to take some pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty cool to see what he was able to
frame up and to get some new shots of me on the water since when I am out most
shots are taken by me and not of me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Can't wait until next time on the water!</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-29453927656871482652014-03-09T21:52:00.002-04:002014-03-09T21:52:27.115-04:00Midwest Fly Fishing Expo 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just got back from the Midwest Fly Fishing Show, and what a show it was! The show is always extremely well run and a ton of fun. This year was no exception to that rule as many very talented folks from around the industry came in to town and shared their passion with the many people that came through the door. I am beat so there will be no lengthy recap just yet but I did take out my camera and got a few shots, so here they are.</div>
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Fly tyer extraordinarre Eli Berant brought along a massive pile of big flies.</div>
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My booth was right next to Michigan boat builder and guide Phil Croff. He had one of his amazing wood drift boats there so the view was pretty distracting.</div>
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After some rest I will give a more detailed report with only one show to go before the show season comes to an end for me. For now though...time to sleep.</div>
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-mike Schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-8012611404519827112014-02-19T08:16:00.003-05:002014-02-19T08:16:38.834-05:00Ink'd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I was growing up most fads, like earrings for dudes and Zubaz pants, came and went without me paying them much attention. I somehow navigated those early years without suffering much damage to my image...of which at the time I admittedly did not have much of anyway. Growing up in suburban Detroit, with a family that until a few months ago sported a total of zero tattoos, I was not exactly in the epicenter of the tattoo world. That said, there were a few people I knew that were getting them and I did have interest but did not pull the trigger. Finally getting one myself was a decision that has been years in the making and one that is now in the rearview as I have joined the ranks of the ink'd.</div>
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My first direct contact with tattoos came when a good friend Dennis, who was living at our house at the time, decided on his 18th birthday that it was time to go under the needle. A couple of us ditched school for the afternoon and headed down to a seedy little parlor on Gratiot. Hours later he emerged from the chair with Taz tearing in to his flesh and peeling back the skin as he slid down the back of his left shoulder. We stopped off at the liquor store and paid Clyde his usual backroom upcharge for a bottle then headed out to a local spot. Sitting against a small stand of trees overlooking Lake St Clair Dennis gave us he rundown on how it went as we passed around a community bottle of MD20/20...grape, cause we were bad asses. Between grapish flavored sips of gas sliding down my throat I remember thinking that I wanted to get one too. I also remember knowing that whatever I got had to mean something to me too risk the cost and the very real possibility that my Dad would try to belt-sand it off of me...</div>
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Fast forward a bit and fishing has now been an all consuming part of who I am for well over half of my life. The want for a tattoo never went away but I was never really in a hurry to get one either. I used the built in excuses of wrong time, wrong artist, cost, and mostly a deep hatred of needles to justify not sealing the deal. I knew that I wanted something fish related and that I needed the tattooist to be both a phenomenal artist as well as someone who fishes. Then as luck would have it I ended up at a table right next to Dave Hoslerat the film festival in Columbus. I had been in contact with Dave through social media for some time but that was the first time we had met in person. For those who don't know Dave he is a hell of a good dude, a Subaru aficianado, the author behind the <a href="http://www.pilecast.net/" target="_blank">Pile Cast Blog</a> and loyal subject to Derp the cat and Fritz the wonder dog. Oh...and he has a lot of SICK tattoos. My wife Liz had come out for the movie night and once she spotted his tattoos she struck up a conversation about them. In short order we found out that 'his guy' had moved and was now here in Columbus. How convenient.</div>
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Turns out that 'his guy' is <a href="http://michaelprickett.com/" target="_blank">Mike Prickett</a> who now works out of his studio at <a href="http://www.evolvedbodyart.com/" target="_blank">Evolved</a> just off campus on High Street in Columbus OH. Mike is one hell of an artist who does also enjoy fishing, and was now practically right in my backyard. He is fast, does vivid color and combines a few different styles in to one that is all his own. In short it seemed that it was all coming together.</div>
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About a month ago I shot Mike a message that I would like him to come up with something for me. I basically said that I Wanted a brown trout, water, and a streamer involved. My only other direction was to send him a couple pictures of browns with the spot density and coloring that I really liked for reference. He asked about the size and I said "go big or go home, right?". In all honesty I was really just looking to see what he would come up with but the excitement that he had for the project was contagious and a week and a half later I went in for the line work. After some heal time I went back in yesterday for the coloring and now have a brown trout staring back at me when I look in the mirror. One more trip back in a month or so to punch it up with some more golds and white, then it's done. So stoked with how it turned out!</div>
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Here are a few shots from the process:</div>
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Now, what's next...<br />
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-mike schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a>Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-54261121341687253252014-02-04T10:17:00.003-05:002014-02-04T10:18:38.285-05:00Dirty Fonzy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIoV9Sgk0-MwwFBDW_ea3wHu0HqTVlRNp1rEkurbyD8B8DcrgpXZchivnxQ6YsJwq2NN19EfP-8Ti46Y3GFZDkkZ6OZE0hEWm-UiNG3m3I56Aqq4oIUxn12pJTitl1GzKIQABE9OH3ps/s1600/dirtyfonzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIoV9Sgk0-MwwFBDW_ea3wHu0HqTVlRNp1rEkurbyD8B8DcrgpXZchivnxQ6YsJwq2NN19EfP-8Ti46Y3GFZDkkZ6OZE0hEWm-UiNG3m3I56Aqq4oIUxn12pJTitl1GzKIQABE9OH3ps/s1600/dirtyfonzy.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Front Hook:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gama
SP11-3L3H size 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back Hook:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gama B10S
size 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Connection:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beadalon,
19 strand .018”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beads:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pro Eye 3D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Flash:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mirage
Flasahbou</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Body1:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Craft Fur (marker striped)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Body2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Polar Chenille</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Body3:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crazy Legs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Body4:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mallard Flank</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Head:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Senyo Laser Dub</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eyes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>medium Lead
Dumbell</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About 18 months ago I ran in to a crisis…the schlappen
supply was drying up due, in part, to a conflict between the bird farmers and
wholesalers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issue has since been
resolved but that period of months was a headache and made me re-evaluate some
material options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it had certainly not directly been a
life-threatening issue, as a commercial tier who incorporated schlappen in to
just about every streamer pattern in my lineup it caused me some sleepless
nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time I decided that I
needed to add some streamers that made use of the abundance of synthetic
materials on the market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The initial
version of the fly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was pretty close to
the swimming action in the water that I wanted and then after a few tweaks it
was dialed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is a fly that,
outside of a flank feather, is <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>composed
entirely of synthetic materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
design of the fly is based on old intruder winged patterns so, while I
generally fish it utilizing various stripping retrieves, it can be swung as well
and maintain its effectiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A full step by step is in the works as is getting it added
to the website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had meant to take care
of it already but evidently there are a lot of people gearing up for all out streamer
war on fish, so I have been spending every waking moment at the vise!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-4701124157630650602014-02-03T07:47:00.003-05:002014-02-03T07:47:40.326-05:00Great start to 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a great start to 2014, albeit a relatively fishless one thanks to the deep freeze that we have been mired in here in the midwest. After having my family Christmas late up in Traverse City I settled in to the desk and have been cranking heavy ever since. The last two weekends were spent away from the house to do the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset NJ and then the Greater Cincinnati Fly Fishing Expo...outside Cincinnati.</div>
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The Somerset show was a whirlwind as it always is. It was great to catch up with many friends, some of which I will not see again until the Symposium there in November. The general consensus there this year was that Friday was amazing, infact the busiest Friday that I have experienced at that show, and then the rest of the weekend went to script with Sunday being slowest. If you are ever coming out to that show Sunday is a great day for the consumer as the crowds are less so you can get more facetime with pretty much anyone that you want to talk to. After having a great couple days seeing some new products that are soon to come out my weekend came to a very uncomfortable end...food poisoning. I can say with absolute certainty that getting food poisoning leading up to a 9 hour drive is not something that I would wish on anyone. I was lucky that it seemed to pass in a few hours and I made it home just being tired.</div>
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This weekend was the Greater Cincinnati Fly Fishing Expo put on by the Buckeye United Fly Fishers. Fourteen years ago this was the first show that asked me to come out to tie at my own table, so I make it a point to get back for this show every year. This was the second year at the new venue and it did not disappoint. I had been scheduled to do a streamer presentation for this show but then was also asked to do a wet fly presentation at the last minute, so it was a jam packed day. Both presentations had pretty solid attendance, especially since I was up against AK Best during the same presentation slots! Speaking of AK Best, getting to hang out and BS with him again for a bit on Friday night was the highlight of the weekend for me as he is one of my fly tying idols. What guys like Clouser and Galloup were to my streamer tying preference AK is to my office set up and production mindset. Many of the techniques that I use for my production work and the set up of my workshop are based on his books 'Production Fly Tying: A Colllection of Ideas, Notions, Hints, & Variations on the Techniques of Fly Tying ' and 'Fly Tying with A. K.: Patterns & Problem Solving with New Materials & Techniques'. There were a few unrepeatable stories told that had me laughing until I hurt. What a night!</div>
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Fly porn shot from the weekend...well, really Thursday night, Saturday night and Sunday. Needless to say I spent a fair amount of time knocking these out and looks like I will be on this pace for atleast a few more weeks. There is a combination of the White, northern Michigan, and general shack nasties that seems to bring the streamer guys out of the woodworks at this time of year. Can't say I am not constantly thinking about getting out myself...</div>
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-mike schmidt</div>
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<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a></div>
Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7188077663471103601.post-4857301094743002552013-12-16T10:14:00.001-05:002013-12-16T11:03:25.104-05:00Busy, and snowy, weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I do not care what the calendar says…winter is here in central Ohio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After another couple blasts of snow last week, and the temperatures rarely even approaching the freezing mark, we are at record levels of snow and cold temps for this point in the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe global warming is evaporating more water in to the atmosphere resulting in more snow…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #134f5c;">A couple months ago I had made plans to head over to the Cattaraugus to swing flies for steelhead for a few days over this weekend so I had been watching the weather like a hawk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there was a weather report I was on it and I was tracking fronts like it was my job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That ‘advanced scouting’ clued me in a couple weeks ago that it would likely not happen as there was an arctic front coming down hard on the region the week leading up to heading over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept my fingers crossed that it would somehow dissipate but knew that was not likely as I have better odds gambling horses than I do getting good weather for trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough the front came through as expected and put everything in a deep freeze…<span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">porque no es buena for chasing chrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By Monday we already had all the information that we needed to make the crappy call and cancel the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #134f5c;">This left me with a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rare open weekend on the calendar; what to do…what to do…?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First things first, there were flies to tie so I got a bunch of prep work knocked out a couple orders and then started tying tails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feathers and fur where flying through the week quickly filling the garbage can each night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole time at the vise though I had an eye on the local weather to see if there would be an opportunity to get out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thursday rolled around and the opportunity presented itself for Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shot my buddy Scott a text message to see if he was around, and if so was he game to deal with inches of snow and/or rain with temps ranging 26-34 to go and take advantage of marginal at best flow levels to chase some fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer was a foregone conclusion of course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday morning came early but I was up and ready to hit the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After filling a couple thermos with coffee I was off in the snowstorm and headed towards the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived with about 4” of fresh snow on the ground and the forecast was for precipitation of some sort without end until long after we would be off the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after I arrived Scott rolled in with a smile on his face and, after a quick car spot, we dropped in and I took first turn on the sticks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always keep an eye on local flows so I was not surprised at the low clear water that we had…but when you get the opportunity to get out you make the best of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I carefully navigated our way downstream Scott was dialed in and hitting every likely spot…along with all the unlikely spots that big fish like to inhabit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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We swapped off on the oars every so often and the man in the front made cast after cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rolled through numerous fly patterns, different retrieves, and every conceivable type of water as we made our way downstream but were not rewarded with much action other than a few half hearted follows in the low and cold water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heavy snow turned to light snow, turned to freezing rain, turned to driving rain, turned to drizzle and still we kept the faith knowing each cast could be the one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pushing six hours in was the best action of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had made it through a long stretch of shallow and featureless water, and the first cover I saws was an overhanging tree just past a large undercut root ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The resulting current had dug out a pretty significant trough. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were still 20 yards upstream <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a few casts to dial in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the distance then, as we got in to range, I dropped a perfect cast right in the bread bucket and made a quick upstream mend to let the fly get down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I barely had time to get the first twitch and strip completed before the bottom seemed to erupt in buttery fury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beast had been perfectly camouflaged until it chose to attack and destroy the streamer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it hit and rolled I strip set hard and felt the weight then, after it rolled and headshook, I hit it again to try and drive the hook further home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second set pulled the fish a foot towards me so I thought I had a solid set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I fought the fish I heard the anchor go down an Scott was reaching back for the net…tense times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fish was right a the side of the boat as the net was brought to bear, then just as it was at the ready the fly simply came loose and the line went slack as the fish faded back in to the bottom. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“FUCK!!” was the first thing that came to mind…and voice…loudly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Starring sullenly down at the boat I had that crappy feeling inside that only comes from losing a fish like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a minute I looked back at Scott and he had that look of disbelief too…we thought we had that one sewed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Sorry bud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing I can say to make that better” were the words that came out of his mouth…and he was right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That had been likely well over the 20” mark, was the thickest fish I have seen in a long time, and was so brightly yellow that it nearly seemed fluorescent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We finished out the stretch with renewed attention but I couldn’t fully shake that pit in my stomach knowing that we had missed a buttery golden opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have replayed that fight time over and over in my head and don’t think there is anything I would have done differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the dice just don’t roll your way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still sucks when it happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end though I realize that it is unbelievably cool to see a fish like that, and I have him marked for round two sometime in the near future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday was mostly spent at the desk building stock throughout the day, under the watchful eye of my assistant, until it was time to hit a company Christmas party later in the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the party many pleasantries were exchanged and I was asked how things had been going,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did say I’d been out all Saturday in the snow, but left out ‘the fish’…still too soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next time it ends differently…I hope…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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-mike schmidt<br />
<a href="http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/">www.anglerschoiceflies.com</a><br />
<br />Mike Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07151171989667972893noreply@blogger.com0