Spey Nations, Catskills and East Coast Flavor

Tight Lines Fly Shop and "Spey"

Amidst a busy summer with Marty running bass trips in 105 heat and low water and me working for TRCP, I dropped Tegan off at my sisters on Whidbey Island, Washington and flew to Newark, New Jersey for a quick tour starting at Tight Lines FlyShop and ending my trip on the Salmon River in Altmar, New York for SpeyNations. My mother was born and raised in New York. Despite still having relatives out East, I haven’t visited since I was a kid.  What I remember was the lights of the big city.  This time I would land in Newark, by pass New York City and head North to where the Catskills meet the Adirondacks.   My uncle told me that this is where my mother fell in love with the outdoors and I see why.

My flight arrives in Newark midnight, E.T. .  Nancy and Andrew Moy from Tight Lines ( a full service shop with a fantastic tying selection, spey rods and “Spey” the shop dog.  Half hour from New York, this is the place to go if you need material and equipment. )  arranged a shuttle to pick me up. I’m greeted by Mike, born and raised in New Jersey; he’s full of questions about the West coast. He speaks with pride about being an East coaster, we compare the cost of living and he tells me his from central New Jersey.  

If you’re from South Jersey, you don’t ever want anyone to ask if you’re from North Jersey, which you think is basically New York. If you’re from North Jersey, you don’t ever want anyone to ask if you live in South Jersey, which you think is basically Philadelphia, or worse, Delaware. If you’re from Central Jersey, doesn’t ever ask if Central Jersey really exist. It does.

Catskills Museum

The next morning I meet the Moy’s, full of energy and fun, this is going to be a great week! Heading north we stop at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum that is working to protect and promote fly -fishing. Engulfed by a history that dates back to the early mid 1800’s with bamboo rods on display by H.L Leonard to a collection of art by Lee and Joan Wolf and more. I discover this is where fly-fishing in the U.S. really got its start and is the birth of the “Catskills Style.”  

In 1890, sporting magazine columnist Theodore Gordon wrote to the renowned English fly fishing author, Fredrick Halford, complaining of the selective nature of the brown trout's feeding habits, and soliciting suggestions on fly selection for Gordon's Catskill waters. Halford sent back a cache of flies that were productive on the placid English chalk streams of Kent (on display at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, in Livingston Manor, NY today). Gordon recognized the flies needed to change to  imitate the local hatches, so he tweaked the design of Halford's flies to created the high-floating Quill Gordon dry fly, the first of the iconic "Catskill style" of dry fly.   

Andrew and Collin on the Beaverkill

After an hour in the museum and becoming members, Andrew and I continue our journey to the Beaverkill River, a tributary to the East Branch Delaware.  At the Moy cabin we wader up for an evening fish.  Swinging isonychia nymphs  and drifting isonychia dries, trout smack our flies under a gray sky against the lush green “tropical” forest.  As dusk approaches, the sky lights up with Fireflies.  I’m as giddy as a child remembering catching fireflies as a kid in Tennessee. Nancy and I chase the flies trying to catch one, she manages to seize one and I let it crawl on me, watching it illuminate green, it flies away.    

Patrick shares his secret flies 

The next day we meet our sports to hone in their spey casting skills and fish the evening hatch. PJ and I miss the evening fish and head to Altmar.  She’s from Canada and new to the sport, is on a sole mission to  submerge herself in the Spey culture and what a better way than a full day lesson and off to Spey Nations for the weekend.

Malinda - Malinda's Fly Shop

Hand Crafted Fly Box by Adelcio Chavez

Get your Dunkin Donuts at the Simms Booth

We arrive at  Tailwater Lodge on the Salmon River.  Greeted with laughter’s and hugs by Patrick Ross and his friends as well as West coast locals Travis Johnston and James Shaughnessy, we’re happy to be there and eat  crab fitters and best burgers I've had hands down!  Patrick’s , a  long time angler who owns the Anglers Lodge where the first Spey Nations took place,  he has been hosting West Coasters since.  It's great to have local knowledge and a down to earth host.  Saturday morning arrives and PJ and I head to the Spey Nations location on the Salmon River. 

Spey Nations started as a format to share the passion for Atlantic Salmon, raise awareness for a fishery that people love and the two handed culture.  With coffee in hand we are greeted with hand shacks and hospitality.  The lot is lined with industry booths and people hustling to say hi to old friends and make new ones. The vibe is about having a good time and sharing the fervor we all have for preserving the fish we love and promoting the sport we are nuts about.   The evening ends with beers, BBQ and laughs and preparing for a class the next day with a group of awesome women that are avid anglers and the token guy (just kidding Ron).

Sunday’s class is a blast teaching single speys and snake rolls and working on casting with the non dominant hand up. We laugh, talk about fishing and flies.  I’ve made new friends and this is what our sport is about! 

Spey Army

After the class Patrick, Travis , Captin Jamie and I  head out for  a Northern Pike mission near Lake Ontario. This is my first time seeing Lake Ontario and I feel like I’m standing in the Kodiak harbor. Seagulls fly over head and sport boats line the docks.  What feels like a sea breeze chills the air. We launch “Team Water Spyder” and shoot up an estuary. Rods are rigged and 30 pound mono is tied on. We cast towards grassy banks and strip.  Patrick’s fly lands, a head turns and the speed of the Pike leaves a boil the size of Old Faithful.   We fish till we can’t see any more missing some great takes and landing a couple juveniles.  What a great way to end an East Coast trip.

Caption Jamie leads the way! 

Little but strong !

Lily's on the water

Rushing back to the West coast to pick up Tegan and hightail it back to Maupin for work and preparing for a session with Ron Wyden on the Oregon Economy and Recreation. I’m thrown back to the hustle of our life and grateful to have the opportunity to visit the East Coast and make new friends!  Thanks to all the good folks that made my trip possible and all the new friends I made, too many to list. Thank you Geoff and the Spey Nations Crew, Patrick Ross, Andrew and Nanacy Moy, Tailwater Lodge, Melinda’s Fly and Tackle Shop, Jamie Perry, Travis Johnston, Joe and Delores Saracione, Simms Fishing, Rajeffs Sports and  Costa Del Mar.  . An extra big thanks to my sister and brother in law for watching Tegan!!

FlyfisherGirls Build a Cabin

About three years ago a good friend of Marty's said "Mia you have to meet Hannah Belford, she's a guide in BC and has just launched a website for women." Tegan was just a newborn and I wanted to connect with more woman that fished. I got on line and immediately signed up on the forum flyfishergirl .

Over the last couple years Marty, Tegan, and I have had the opportunity to fish for Steelhead with Hannah, talk about life and share a few beers. Hannah is a genuine person who cares a great deal for Steelhead, wildlife, and the environment around her. Recently, Hannah and her mom Alice along with a hard working crew, built a second camp in the woods with power tools ran off generators. I gotta say the finished camp is flawless. Way to go! To see more photos check out the flyfishergirl forum.

Name of the camp? The new camp is named 'Alder Lodge' or 'Alder Camp'. We short form our camp names, so it is generally known as just Alder. The other camps are the lake, Cottonwood (Creek), and Moss (Creek).

Hannah on the roof pounding nails

How long did it take to build this camp from start to finish? It took us 12 days, with 7 people. One of the fastest camps that we have ever built - a direct result of having great staff that knew their job and worked extremely hard. Thanks everyone!

What is your favorite tool to use? Besides all of the crucial machinery (chainsaws, chopsaws, the mill, the 4 wheeler...) - one of our most fun tools and most useful in putting up a building quick is the Paslode cordless framing nailer, which runs off of fuel cells that get up to 1000 shots (nails) per canister. It is simply brilliant!

How long have you and your mom worked together? Our family created and has been running our business for 32+ years, however my mom and i bought out my dad about 8 years ago and have worked together full time since then.

Alice building a garden shed

Any advice for a mom and daughter team, working together? I won't lie - it is not easy working with a partner in any business, and with family it can offer additional challenges but i must say it is very rewarding to be able to work with family and close friends on important projects. I would not change anything, as it is just not the same when only one of us is on the job site and not able to show the other our progress. It gives me extra strength to work hard towards finishing a goal that has been set.

Ta Da!!

Catch and Release

Here are a few great quotes from anglers that submitted entries for the release fish contest, on the flyfishergirl forum. Catching and Releasing wild fish is vital for future returns. Enjoy the read.

"Catch and release fishing is the future of our fishing. Not only that but quick catch and release."

"Not forgetting to wet my hands before picking the fish up."

"Having a routine like this for me, offers every fish I catch a greater chance of a quicker recovery time which in hindsight is probably the most important factor every fisherman should uphold."

"Gentle cradle the upper body with one hand just behind the pectoral fin and with the other hand, hold the fish behind the anal fin."

"Wild kelts should be handled with the utmost care."

"Often times using too light of tippet will result in over exhausting fish that even if C&R is practiced the fish will not survive."

"Fishing in extremely hot weather conditions is also harmful to fish (the same can be said for cold weather too)"

I agree, "C&R and proper handling of the fish" is mental training and a philosophy. There is always something to improve based on our knowledge

"I wonder how many catch and release core fisherman will sacrifice one non-native species to save a another?"

"When I teach, explain, or promote my love for fishing, the main topic I advocate is how fish should be cherished, treated with the utmost respect, and both caught and returned as safely and effectively as possible."

“Every fish is a great fish” and I can not emphasize enough how important that saying is for me.

"when looking in my fly box, I consider what I am fishing for. Using the correct hook size is an important factor and even more so is ensuring all my hooks are barbless."

"I try to minimize the amount of time it spends on the end of my line."

"Every piece of water has its trophy and ever river will have its day. Be it a 10lb Brown or a 12" Cutthroat."

Catch and Release Photo Contest

Hannah Belford of the flyfishergirl website is having a photo contest. Check it out and submite your photos and written words on catching and releasing wild fish. The winner gets a Redington reel. Here are the details, have fun.
This contest is all about proper care and handling of fish, with an emphasis on releasing the trophy ones UNSCATHED. Face it, we have all seen the grip-n-grin hero shots of our lifetimes. Are those large gamefish still out there? Yes, but certainly not in the numbers of the old days. Why? Well, the majority of people did not have the amount of education available in the past as we do today to be able to properly understand the benefits of catch and release and ramifications of angling as a whole.
Angling kills fish. However, with proper care and attention one can minimize the impact. In fact, if one chooses to fish strictly catch and release barbless hook angling - you are going to give the fish the best possible chance for survival…well next to not using a hook. My vegan dad and stepmom woulda called me on that.
Of course, there are many learned skills and many common sense rules when it comes to care and handling of fish that applies when landing them. Please share yours with us and win a Redington Rise Reel - http://www.redington.com/prod.php?k=46435&p=RDT5-3037R001&, courtesy of Redington Fly Fishing - http://www.redington.com/
Rules are…
The contest will run for one week exactly, and the winner will be chosen by flyfishergirl (Hannah Belford) and Pete McDonald of http://www.redington.com/.
Parts of this contest are going to be based on honesty. Yep, not a rule…but it needs to be said. Hopefully you submit pics of your fish, not someone else’s.
Contest is open to both sexes and all ages.
Emphasis is on fly caught fish, but the contest is open to all methods of angling for those 16 and under.
You must register on http://www.flyfishergirl.com/forum to be able to participate, and your entry needs to be submitted to http://www.flyfishergirl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=336&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
We want to see a minimum of 3 photos and a maximum of 6 per posting.
We also want to see some written information about how you practice proper releasing techniques.
Images can be a maximum of 450 pixels wide and/or 338 high.
You are limited to ONE posting - so make it count!
Points to know are…
The reel is available in your choice of Dark Charcoal, Burnt Orange or Moss with four models to choose from: 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10.
Technical help in regard to postings and the forum can be found at http://www.flyfishergirl.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=29
If you are having problems registering or have questions, drop a line to info@flyfishergirl.com
Good luck everyone! I am excited to see what you post. Not only are you going to possibly win a great reel, you are going to help educate others on proper care and handling of fish. Thank you!