Time for a Show Break!

Speaking at shows, clubs and private seminars has been a lot of great fun to start the year. I’ve met some neat folks and hopefully entertained them well and even taught them a thing or two. This past weekend in Boise, ID went extremely well. Although the host, Jack Dennis arrived several hours late and nearly too exhausted to perform for the two day event, the rest of us were ready to rock. Pete Erickson, Phil Rowley and I grabbed the show by the horns and turned what could have been disaster into a fantastic weekend of presentations.

There was a nice crowd of 40 anglers eager to learn. Phil Rowley, a Stillwater fly fishing genius from Edmonton, Canada, gave several PowerPoint presentations on the subject. Not enough fly fishers take the time to fish lakes, but if you like to avoid crowds and catch big trout; lakes are the way to go. Personally, I like the lakes and learned a lot from tuning in on a couple of Phil’s presentations. One of the highlights for me was getting his perspective on fishing chironamids. Phil flat out knows how to catch large trout on a midge pupa.

Pete Erickson is a long time pal of mine. We have worked together on several occasions doing seminars. Pete’s one of the finest anglers I’ve ever had the joy of fishing with and when Pete talks everyone should listen. He provided programs and tips on lakes, European nymphing and a special knot class. Pete and I tag-teamed the Euro Nymphing tactics talking about how the Polish, Czechs and the Spanish do their own special techniques. Both of us are all too familiar with how well the Euros fly fish as we have both competed on the world circuit several times.

I gave presentations on Warmwater Fly Fishing and Saltwater Fly Fishing. Both are two of my favorite fly fishing subjects. Between presentations I gave a casting class outside and demonstrated the double haul and tricks to make a long cast in the wind. We were supposed to wrap things up at 6 pm on Sunday but folks asked to see one of my exotic programs. I enjoy the heck out of story telling so back out came the projector and I delivered a crazy one, “Fly Fishing Tales from Africa”. Everyone thinks I’m nuts to hitch hike across Africa with my wife, but they absolutely loved it and were amazed at tigerfish.

Today I’m packing to head to the hard water of Northern Wisconsin. First thing tomorrow I fly from Jackson to Central WI and then we drive up to Manitowish Waters. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday we will be chasing the Northern Pike, walleye, bass yellow perch, bluegill, crappie and hopefully a few other species. Last year I landed my first muskellunge through an ice hole – that was fun! Stay tuned. . .
 

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