The Blue River

Another installment from the series about last season's trip around the state...

The Blue River is a Gold Medal Water in the middle of an outlet mall.   It doesn't seem as though it would be a place for big trout...but it is.   We fished for a couple of hours, and caught a lot of trout.    I had good luck with small parachute BWO's.    This river is also crowded, but we met some nice folks, and enjoyed a bright and sunny afternoon on the river.    Even though the surroundings are a little different then a peaceful mountain canyon setting, if you focus on the water in front of you...you obtain the same enjoyment here as you do in other settings.

First Trout(s) of 2016

We've had snow on the ground since the end of November.    Some of my favorite stretches of river have been iced over as well.   Since I'm not an ice fisherman, this has kept me from fly fishing for several months.

The warm winds arrived last week, and started to free the river.    No doubt temporary, my friend Dave and I headed to the river in hopes of catching our first trout of 2016 (and avoiding the chore lists prepared by our beloved better halves).

The trout were active, the wind was gusty, and stretches of river were ice free.    It was a great day on the water.

Maine-Made Best Co Fly Tying Desks

Last weekend, while at the Denver Fly Fishing Show, I came across the booth of a unique company.  The Maine-Made Best Co. makes handcrafted fly tying desks, along with some accessories.   There were several models on display, and the quality was outstanding.  The drawers featured leather pulls, and the construction of the desks was solid, built the old fashioned way.   I spent quite a bit of time talking with Evan Emmott, who builds each of these products in Maine.   Evan was a very nice guy, a fisherman, and has an obvious passion for doing things the right way.   His great grandfather built similar desks many years ago, and Evan is continuing the tradition. 

Evan uses hand tools and turn of the century machinery to fashion each piece of tying equipment one at a time specifically for each customer and their requirements.  He has several sizes of desks available, and also makes several accessories, such as fly tying tool bags.  

I'm very fond of the State of Maine...and I enjoyed meeting a craftsman that appreciates "the way life should be..."

Maine-Made Best has a website, www.mainemodernwoodworks.com.  However, Evan told me that he spends most of his time building desks, so the best way to contact him is through his phone (preferred) at 207-790-2047, or email at evanemmott@gmail.com.

     

River X

There is always a magical dry fly fishing spot that you need to keep between friends.    An unlikely looking stretch of water that you only learn about after the friend that knows about it swears you to secrecy.   It's the type of place that big trout chase small BWO's in skinny, gin clear water.   We fished this river for a couple of hours, and we each caught some big trout.  The water was small, and we fished  several pockets together, each taking turns with our fly of choice.  One of my most enjoyable memories from this river was when JT called me over to fish for a nice big trout he spotted that was rising to small BWO's.  The water was very clear, and I had to lay the fly down very carefully in a small window.  I loaded the Scott S4, cast the line, mended quickly, then an explosive take...Fish on!