Having just taken off through what may be my last snow storm until next winter, I am writing this now to be posted when I get home while cruising on a massive Finnair Airbus A330 at over 35,000ft. It is nice to be headed west, back over the Atlantic, towards home after an amazing trip of firsts. It was my first time boarding a plane on one day and, without any delays, still not arriving at my destination until the next day. It was my first time heading east over the Atlantic Ocean. It was my first time in both Sweden and Finland. It was my first time enjoying six new varieties varieties of foreign beer and five new varieties of whisky...that I remember anyways... It was my first time enjoying the traditional Swedish liquor Punsch... both the store bought and much more potent homemade varieties. It was my first time beating a Swede in a hotly contested arm-wrestling match. It was my first time learning some of the Swedish language from native speakers, and I was not "fiskfitta" as I did in fact catch my first fish on the Baltak stretch of the Tidan while in Sweden (first words are never the clean ones so translation is available via email request if you are interested). It was my first time sharing the tying stage with English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish, Nowegian, Finnish, and American friends at the same time. It was my first fly fishing show abroad and, if I have anything to say about it, certainly will not be my last.
As I am writing this I can not help but smile as I think about the amazing time I had over the past week with my friends and all the new experiences shared. Our hosts made everything run without a hitch from landing to leaving. I should arrive at New York JFK in about six hours then, after a four hour layover and another two hour flight, finally be home to my lovely wife. At some point over the next few days I will try to get some more pictures cleaned up and posted to share more of this trip.
What a weekend. It was rough but someone had to do it...
After a long show season this last few days were the final days for shows I did in the states. I was excited to start it off with the long sold out F3T coming through town on Thursday night. I got out of work, picked up my wife, and then headed down to the Gateway theater to hang out and watch some fish films.
It was highly anticipated in the Columbus fishing community and the crowd was impressive! The doors for the event opened at 6pm and the people made their way in to have a beverage and talk to a few vendors that were there with their goods. The films started an hour later with a bang and the highly anticipated 'Brothers Brown' film featuring Michigans own Grajewski brothers. After a few films Liz and I made our way out to the lobby and hung out with a few of the other guys and talked some fish. As the show ended we packed up all our gear to head home so I could turn right around and get everything packed for the Michigan Fly Fishing Clubs' Midwest Fly Fishing Expo in Warren Michigan. I was packed up about 2am...
After stopping in for some fantastic home-cooked stew with my mom I made my way over to the hotel and proceeded to have a few beverages with some buddies before hitting the sack. I knew morning would come fast...and it sure did!
As always it was a great show with super crowds on Saturday and solid traffic on Sunday. The headliners this year were AK Best, Ed Engle, Bob Clouser and my friend Jeff Currier. It was great to have those guys there and see the interest that they generated.
Gratuitous Clouser story... The first morning I strung up a rod I recently purchased to take over to the casting pond as the pond at this show is enormous. As I cast the rod and reached the far end I was very impressed with the rod and happy that I felt like I could still cast a bit. Over my shoulder I heard "He Mike...whatcha got there?". I turned to see Bob standing there so I told him it was the one piece Hardy Proaxis 8wt and held it out for him to try. At this point I had only stripped in a few feet of line so it was still out about 110'. After holding the rod for a second and giving it a glance, Bob proceeded to pick up and throw all of the 110' of line with a tight loop and shoot the rest out past the end of the pond...as easily as if it had half that distance. "That's pretty nice...throws a tight loop" was spoken as he handed it back and hustled off for his presentation. I stood there with my jaw briefly dropped and then just reeled it up and walked away. No way I was following that!
My youngest brother brought out his son Hunter on Sunday for a bit. The next generation of Schmidt fisherman could not get enough of the 'Fishies!' in the swim tank. I think the proverbial hook has been set.
On Sunday morning I decided that I was going to tie some fun stuff for myself and put some serious fluff to hook before it was all said and done. This particular fly was done in this color as well as olives. Here is a video of it going for a swim.
After the show Jeff Currier piled in to my car and we made a foggy drive north to Baldwin Michigan. After a few cocktails at Barskis we headed to the motel for a few hours of shut eye. The morning came fast and we headed over to the launch on the Pere Marquette to meet up with Mike Schultz, of Schultz Outfitters, and Tommy Lynch, the Fish Whisperer, for a fun day on the water.
We did a little swinging, a little streamer fishing, a little egging, a little beverage time, and a lot of laughing.
Rigging up there was plenty of ribbing and stories going on. We found the bite to be pretty tough but had fun un the cold rain all day.
Schultzy got the fish of the day and there were smiles all around. Once we got to the take out we got everything packed and went our separate ways. About eight hours later Jeff and I pulled in to my driveway.
Jeff came back to my place for two purposes...to fish in Ohio for a few hours, and to give a presentation to Central Ohio Fly Fishers this evening. As you can see from the picture we only will be able to accomplish one of those things today. I guess he will have to come back...
After work on Friday I hit the road again, this time headed to the Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster PA. I have not been to this one before so I was interested to see what it would be like. Lancaster is a neat old town to drive in to with it's narrow one way streets lined with all brick buildings. Row homes and shops interspersed, and an impressive number of people out walking around. Found out after the fact that they had an event going on so there were literally thousands of people around as I drove in at about nine Friday night. After checking in it was down to the hotel bar to meet up with everyone and catch up on the latest. After a bit Rich Strolis (Catching Shadows), Pat Cohen (Super Fly), and I decided that the microbrew Rich brought needed some attention so off we went. It was nearly two in the morning when we realized it was likely a good idea to rack out since the alarms would be only a few hours later.
This show is one that my normal table mate gets a full table to himself so Rich and I set up together and had a hell of a time cranking out big streamers. Rich was working on an order much of the weekend and I took the opportunity to tie up a few things that I have been thinking about and had sketched but not put to iron yet. I had been scheduled to teach a class on Saturday morning so my tag this time did not read just Tier, but rather Celebrity/Tier...very high class! We were set up across from Scott Hunter of Vedavoo. Scott is a good dude and started off as 'the new guy' with the standard crew we roll with at the shows. Scott makes some fantastic low-pro gear that is all hand cut and stiched right here in the US. My show tag was getting pretty beat up after the last few years so I snagged a much more snazzy one from him. If you have not seen his packs and pouches you should drop by his site and check them out.
The show on Saturday saw pretty heavy traffic throughout the day. As you can see some may not have stopped partying all through the night until coming in to the show. Not naming any names here Jim...
For months we have had reservations for an Irish Public House just up from the hotel that is reputed to be very good. After the show we put down some more of the Back East microwbews, which were phenomenal, and then headed over to grab some dinner.
This picture came out a good deal darker than I thought, but you can kind of see the traditional stone and high ceiling interior. It was a pretty busy spot that only got more so while we were there. We had plenty of Guiness as we waited for tables to clear for us and then proceeded to laugh our way through one heck of a meal. Just what we needed after a long day on the show floor.
Sunday I tied up a few more things that were in my head and I had materials for. This little bit of steelhead candy consists mostly of fox tail and EP Foxee Brush. I have to say that the Foxee Brush in both the large and small sizes is extremely nice and will make for some quick ties.
The Holohead from Misfit also made it's way on to some iron with this variation on a flatwing pattern. Sparsely tied in the front and a yak and flatwing tail made for some pretty nice movement in the tank.
After picking up a shirt from Jon Ray, of Mangled Fly Media, I owed him some mucky stuff so I repurposed this turbo popper head I hade put together and made a big muskie slider for him. Very interested to see how he does with this up in Michigan.
Rich had brought his tank along so we alternated flies throughout the weekend. At this point I had the Junk Yard Dog in the bottom tube for the day and realized I could put the Flypala up top. Needless to say plenty stopped to check it out as they were doing their thing in the current!
Here is another shot of the Flypalas that I did there. They were tied up just because I could and think they will be a blast to fish on some sinking line. Looking forward to watching the get pounded this spring up here and may also take them down to Florida to see about blind casting up some redfish and specks...
The aftermath at our table. Rich and I put some serious thread to hook and the clippings show some of the story. One more show to go stateside, next weekend in Warren Michigan, and then this seaeon is over and more time on the water...
"Hey Mike, what are you up to tonight? Oh yeah...nevermind." That is the all too common bit of conversation I have with a coworker at the day job this time of year. It always amazes people in the office, even those that that spend some time fishing, to find out that for a fly tyer this is the busiest time of the year. Plenty of people either travelling and getting out or staying home and getting out...or thinking about getting out. Long story short there are a lot of flies being spun and they all have to fit in around shows. These fly pictures are some of what I have been up to over the last week.
This customer either fishes a lot, snags and loses a lot of flies, or has a lot of friends that he supplies on the water. This was a heck of a collection and plenty to fill a box.
The standard big Super Pearl eyes starring back at you in this one almost as if to say "eat me".
A little custom job for a guy that wanted a 4.5" articulated herring pattern. Will be making a small change before the order is tied as he intends to snell to the shank. Will be a neat little pile of flies once they are complete.
I think these monkees have the right idea now. I have the gear all packed up and am ready to hit the road tomorrow to head over to Lancaster Pennsylvania for the Fly Fishing Show. Looking forward to catching up with a bunch of friends there and make some new ones. After the weekend I will wrap up some more orders and then next weekend is the last show I do for this season in the US; will be headed up to the MFFC show in Warren Michigan. Hope to see many of you in the next few weeks!
Each Wednesday throughout the winter Mike Schultz, the man behind Schultz Outfitters, puts on a Bar Flies event. Each event is held utilizing the whole second floor of the Dexter Pub in Dexter Michigan and Mike gets talented tiers from all over the Midwest to come in and teach a few of their paterns to whoever wants to come out and pay the cheap $20 door fee. This week was my week.
The Dexter Pub is a friendly place with a pretty solid menu and plenty of beverages. As you come up the stairs you are greeted by a neon trout...so you know you are in the right place!
Once everyone came in and socialized for a bit we got the event underway. Sitting at a table up front the camera shoots over your shoulder and the video play on a big flat screen overhead, so it is easy for everyone to see and tie along. This was my second time participating in Bar Flies and this time I picked the Red October and the Junk Yard Dog as the patterns of choice for the evening.
With a few dozen people trying to tie along adn spread out across the room it is an entertaining mix of tying flies and cat herding. It is a really fun group of guys and they do pretty well knocking out the patterns and enjoying themselves in the process.
My brother John made the drive over from Detroit for the event and brought along his friend Rob. Rob has never tied a fly in his life but he dove right in and knocked it out of the park. With some help from Katie he was able to keep up, learn a bunch of techniques, and complete his first two flies...both articulated meaty ones. He was an instant convert. As I understand it he is at my brothers house tonight using the materials that I sent them home with, putting down a few Yuengs I brought them, and tying more bugs!!
These are the flies from the night; the Red October and the Junk Yard Dog. The fly up top is the original version of the pattern and the one on bottom is how they are now tied. I think that the Senyo Laser Dub for the head gives the front hook a little bit of sparkle and polishes off the pattern.
I have not been out in far longer than I care to admit so I have been living vicariously through my friends and customers. This solid piece of fish porn came from the Kelly Neuman crew out on the White in Arkansas. This is another with that made a meal of the Glow Double Deceiver. That has been a solid producer out there this season as well as some northern Michigan haunts.
The next few days will be spent tying as many flies as I possibly can and shipping them all over the place. I will of course get some pictures first, so the next time you come back here there should be some piles of flies for your viewing pleasure!
It was a tough sports weekend for me outside of my Wings with a solid performance, so that left some extra time to tie. One bright spot was this shot of Kelly Neuman out on the White. This fish made a meal of a custom glow in the dark Double Deceiver...and it is not the first to do so. Something about that fly on an overcast day drives fish nuts.
After doing a presentation last weekend at the BUFF show in Cincinnati on winged wet flies I have the bug to tie some more up. Lucky for me I had an order for some Parmachene Belles as well so I was able to get my fix and fill the order at the same time. For married winged flies I stage them by assembling all the tails and wings first.
Then I go baack and tie all the flies. This particular group was half a dozen each of the Parmachene Belles in sizes 10 and 12. It was fun to tie some more of these up and I am looking forward to knocking out more over the next few months as I get prepared for the show in Sweden where I will be tying these American classics.
As for the rest of the flies...it was a hodge podge of different streamer patterns. Based on the orders I have stacked up in front of me I will be doing more of the same over the next week!
Saw a post at Fish Camp Rehab titled Standing in the Generation Gap and really got to thinking. As a little departure from the norm...here are my thoughts:
I am a tweener when it comes to the conversation of old school vs new school.I remember rotary phones and then later carrying a folded up sheet of paper in my wallet so I could call back someone that paged me…unless it was just a code like MMA1 (meet me at my house) or MMA2 (meet me at your house).I remember NEEDING to have books as they were the only source of information outside my circle that was available to me.I remember need to have a good set of maps in the car and the ability to read them rather than typing an address or lat/long in to a GPS and blindly following the digital voice.I remember holding the ideas and writings of ‘industry people’ up as the gospel of fly fishing, and now having met many of them I can say that some deserve that pedestal while others fall short.
At 35 I feel like the bridge between the old school and the new school; I remember the last way of doing things but also embrace the new ways.I understand the broader context of issues now but feel the urgency to act now rather than wait.I am old enough that the old school still calls me a kid, mostly tongue in cheek, while we have a few fingers of whisky neat but young enough that I am not completely out of place doing shots with the next generation.I still like the feel of a good book in my hand but know that I can find more, and sometimes newer, information online…and that you have to take both sources with a grain of salt and a skeptical eye.
In today’s A.D.D. world of texting, FB, Instgram and microwave meals the younger generation expects instant payoff. Why in the world would they plan to attend a next month to talk about doing something when they can Facetime each other now and DO SOMETHING tomorrow?Who can be bothered to plan months out to go to a meeting and see a presentation on something when they can kick back with their friends find the same thing on Youtube?They are a generation that grew up on line and is more likely to get their current events from Moldy Chum than the local news.Sadly many would not know Joe Humphreys if he walked up with a smile and shook their hand, something that I actually witnessed with horror at a recent fly show, but would pick Chris Owens out of a crowd with ease.
I think that the disconnect between the last generation and the next generation is growing and is our own fault, but that can be fixed.I think the onus falls on us tweeners to bridge the gap.We have one foot on each side and so the ability to bring together the old and the new.All the advertising in the industry has changed to target the younger crowd and bring them in to the game, but the attitudes of some people already in the game involved remains a hurdle.It is not one generation vs the next…it need to be the generations working together to protect and grow the sport we love.The younger generation does care, is technically savvy, and could be a wrecking ball for good if they have the proper motivation and environment to put their skills to work.They do not want to be preached to, they want to be worked with. A little respect given goes a long way for both groups.Imagine what could happen for projects and initiatives with the new and old school working together.The guys from the old school have the contacts and capital to get stuff done while the new school has the means to quickly get the word out en masse and mobilize large numbers of people.Utilizing the strengths of the generations together would be good for everything from shows and conclaves to stream work and pushes for (or against) legislation.
I am not saying that a fly fishing kegger, as fun as that could be, is the answer to our problems but neither are the endless meetings. I do think we need a little more ‘What About Bob’ and a little less ‘Groundhog Day’ in our lives….baby steps and action. Both generations need to understand that the other has something valuable to offer.We need to leverage those skills towards a common goal of ensuring our sport is around for the next generation to enjoy. When it comes right down to it, it may take someone with a strong sense of purpose to take the reins and run with it.That person will have to have thick skin and respect on both sides of the fence to buck the trends and break the molds…pointing the ship back in the right direction.
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