Big Woods Memories

Originally posted by Agrontrutta - May 2009

Ummm, sorry, I forgot.

Seriously, some of the reports about the raucousness at the Big Woods Summits are a bit overplayed and some are just pure fiction (mostly). Like, for example, the Chief did not set fire to his pickup (just the camp stove, which was on the pickup, which now that I think of it could have set the truck on fire, but it didn’t so let’s move on). And the rumor of the big rumble at the Old Tannery Inn between Midger, Flyrodder, and the local woods folk over their shuffle board abilities is just that, a rumor, or so I’m told. No, the Big Woods Summit is mostly a congenial gathering of like-minded souls who want to get in touch with their inner fisher-child, commune with the earth, breath the crisp air, be baptized in the piscatorial waters flowing through Penn’s woods, and gaze at the dazzling palette of stars in the evening. In others words, it’s just cosmic.

This is what the Big Woods Summit is about, the glorious splendor of woods, waters, and fish--

And the remarkable beauty of all creatures great and small.

Now, sometimes the boys get rambunctious and fix up some special spirits but its just for sippin while the grub cooks over the fire.

And speaking of grub, its mostly simple fare--the kind that any Valencian or Catalonian peasant might throw together for his friends.



So, if you desire a tonic that refreshes the body and spirit, if you seek the tranquility that quiets the mind, if you are searching for the answers to life’s most persistent questions, then stay the hell away from Rossiter Lodge during Big Woods Summit, because we means to fish, eat, drink, and have a good time!

"The road goes on forever and the party never ends!"

2011 Baetis Summit

The 2010 Baetis Summit was a great success.  Fishing, fellowship and food.  The Chief had to endure a TU State Council Youth Committee Meeting during the opening hours. Midger was already catching fish at the Sycamore Run.  After the meeting, the Chief and Midger joined forces and sight fished for bluegills.  Bowhunter introduced a cocktail that will rival Yucca as a deadly sin.  A combination of apple cider, apple juice and grain alcohol.  Tastes like apple pie.  Elliott was scarfing down Oreo's and casting like a pro.  After hammerin the dumb trout, GregG polished off several of the Fair Maiden's Golbaki.  The Goose repented during Lent and joined the troop on this snowless day.  GlenG served an incredible clam chowder that would compete with any chowder served in NE.  JonK loves fly fishing and beer.  Midger was presented with the Prestigious Chief's Award for bagging the Triple Trophy in 2010.  Yes, we caught fish. None were measured.

Next up - The Big Woods Summit - Don't Miss This One!

How I Want to Die

The following obituary of Stanley Bogdan, fly reel craftsman, appeared in the New York Times:

Stanley Bogdan, Maker of Much-Coveted Fly Reels, Is Dead at 92
By MITCH KELLER
Published: April 2, 2011
Stanley Bogdan, a maker of fly fishing reels so coveted that anglers were willing to spend years on a waiting list to buy them and then to pay far more than they would have for reels of only ordinary excellence, died March 27 in Nashua, N.H. He was 92 and a lifetime Nashua resident.

His death was confirmed by his son, Stephen.
In fly fishing, in particular fly fishing for the mighty Atlantic salmon, owning a Bogdan reel signals high seriousness about the sport and, not infrequently, a fair amount of disposable income. Many expert anglers consider it the finest reel ever made, a synthesis of incomparable engineering and aesthetic elegance.
Yet many fly fishermen, unless they have spent time on the classic salmon rivers in places like Quebec and the Maritimes, may have actually seen precious few Bogdans, let alone dared to dream of owning one. In a sport that is already expensive, they are content to pair their fly rods with any number of fine reels that will provide many years of service for a few hundred dollars.
A new Bogdan, on the other hand, ranges in price from about $1,500 for the smallest trout reel to about $2,400 for the biggest salmon reel. Hand-tooled by Stanley and Stephen Bogdan in their shops in New Hampshire — originally in Nashua and then in New Ipswich — Bogdan reels could not be rushed. Only 100 or so have been produced a year, and it has not been unusual for buyers to have to wait three or four years for delivery.
“Almost from day one, there has been The Waiting List, a sort of secular purgatory on the way to achieving tackle bliss,” Graydon R. Hilyard wrote in his biography “Bogdan” (Frank Amato, 2006). “How long must you dwell therein, who can tell? As the dreaded list has never actually been seen, your position on it can never be determined.”
Its salmon reels are what S. E. Bogdan Custom Built, the company’s official name, is best known for. What sets them apart and makes them so expensive is their innovative system for controlling “drag,” the adjustable resistance by which a properly handled reel tires and ultimately controls a powerful game fish.
Stanley Bogdan invented a braking system for his reels that allowed for drag of extraordinary smoothness and strength, greatly decreasing the chance that the fish of a lifetime would be able to strain and break an angler’s line. A Bogdan may not help you hook more fish, but it will help you land more of the fish you hook — and much more stylishly.
Stanley Edward Bogdan, one of four children of Polish immigrants, was born on Dec. 16, 1918, in Nashua. Like his father, a machinist, he had good mechanical aptitude, and after finishing high school he went to work at the Rollins Engine Company in Nashua, a manufacturer of steam engines. From an early age he had a deep interest in fishing, hunting and the outdoors. His entry in his high school yearbook was prescient, noting that the young man “could work miracles with fishing tackle.”
For years Mr. Bogdan made what reels he could on the side while working as a machinist and raising a family. His big break came in 1955 when he entered into a deal to provide reels to the original Abercrombie & Fitch, that era’s big retailer of high-end sporting goods. A few years later he struck a deal with Orvis, and gradually word spread that there was no fly fishing reel quite like the one being made by the friendly, smiling, occasionally contrary Yankee in Nashua, N.H.
Mr. Bogdan’s wife, Phyllis, died in 1995. In addition to his son, Stephen, of New Ipswich, he is survived by a daughter, Cheryl Doughty, of Palm Bay, Fla.
Stephen Bogdan, 61, started working with his father in 1973 and became the company’s sole owner in 1996.
A passionate and accomplished angler in his own right, Stanley Bogdan was devoted to the Atlantic salmon and pursued it on the sport’s best rivers. “He was a very, very good salmon angler,” said Bill Taylor, the president of the Atlantic Salmon Federation.
Last September, Stanley Bogdan, at 91, caught a 32-pound salmon on the Grand Cascapedia River in Quebec. “I believe that was his last fish,” Stephen Bogdan said


Agrontrutta comment:
Thats how I want to go: hooking a 32-lb Atlantic salmon at age 91. Carry on!

Baetis Summit

The Pro Staffers may well have good weather on their initial outing of 2011. PSU's Weather World is calling for a chilly morning followed by a cloudy day in the 40's.  The Mobile Command Unit will be stationed below Stackhouse at the hatchery bridge parking lot as suggested by Bowhunter.  The main paved parking lot may be full of flatlanders by mid-morning. They don't like to get their tires muddy.  The Chief will be arriving early and fully medicated.  The MCU shitter may be in operation.  Fresh coffee will be available.  The Chief will probably dredge some no-hackle sowspawns for an hour from the banks and then will retire to the MCU for recuperation and leader tying.  Agrontrutta wished us well in a hand written note.

Baetis Summit - March 26th 2011

How time flies!  Haven't even gotten to the happenings of the Christmas Gathering and how JohnW caught a creel full of dumb trout on sucker spawn and how the Chief created another ungodly cocktail drink and how Bowhunter served up some tasty deep-fried striped bass and how GregG ate all the smoked steelhead and we need to make plans for the Baetis Summit.

There are no signs of Spring here in Northern Centre County, still cold and snowing days.  Would be nice to feel some sunshine on my face, cast to a rising trout, hear the tales of a fellow RBF Pro Staffer and possibly gather at the new Otto's in the evening for some fine food and drink.

Chief Has Surgery

After suffering through a year of foot pain with conservative treatments for Morton's Neuroma, the Chief has surgery to rid himself of a nerve gone bad in his left foot.  Morton's Neuroma is fibrous tissue formation around nerve tissue on the ball of the foot between the toes.  Painful sumbitch.  He could only manage a couple hours of fishin and didn't even bother muzzleloader hunting.  After undergoing open heart surgery, the Chief thought that this outpatient surgical event would be a snap.  He was dead wrong.  Painful sumbitch.  Foot still thumping after four days.  Relief finally came fortuitiously while fly tying.  Seems the combination of narcotics and head cement works wonders.  The Chief will find out Thursday when he can slip on the waders.

Davy Knot

USA Youth Fly Fishing Team Member Dan Marino taught the Chief this simple, yet effective knot a couple years ago.  Once you master this knot, you will never use another.

The Prestigious Chief's Award

Only awarded three times in the past, the Prestigious Chief's Award, has been awarded to our very own, Midger.  Past winners were Woodrow F. Call, Teddy Roosevelt and Bowhunter.  Midger completed the Triple Trophy, competed admirably in the America Cup, won a Silver Medal in the Clarion River Classic II and landed Red Tail at the Big Woods Summit.

My Daughter Can Out-Fish Your Honor Student

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

May the New Year bring great hatches and tight lines.
Have a great year adn stay safe.

Snowing Days

Lake effect snows have dumped over three feet of snow over northwestern PA.  Corry, PA recorded 64.3" in three days.  Chief canceled a combo hunting and fishing trip to the region.  Our esteemed Pro Staffer in Waterford needs to report his measured snow fall.

5th Annual Christmas Fishing Gathering

Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Gang will meet at the Waffle Shop in Bellefonte at 9 AM  for a hearty breakfast then head off to the
Paradise for some winter fishing.  The Chief will be preparing Wild Sheepshead Mushroom Soup and his Famous Skillet Venison Loin after fishing.  Coffee and hot chocolate will be on.  RBF's Eggnog with Apple Jack and many other libations will be available.  The RBF Mobile Command Center will be available for thawing out.  Last year it was a grand snowing day.  Let's hope for some great Christmas weather this year.

Chief Bags Rare Bird

The two-headed Eastern Wild Turkey Hen bagged by the Chief on opening day in WMU 2F proved to be his most difficult quarry in his 45 years of turkey hunting. You see, the damn bird had two sets of eyes. But using his finely honed outdoorsman skills and his Berretta A391 Xtrema 2 Shotgun and a Cody Drop Dead One Sider Box Call he prevailed.

Grand Slam for Midger

The Chief was not a bit surprised to learn that Midger bagged a gobbler then an archery bear after killing that monster buck.  What's next for this ungodly outdoorsman?

A Monster for Midger

Received word here at RBF Headquarters that Midger stocked up on venison bologna recently in Forest County. 20" spread, 170 pounds dressed.

Medal for Midger!!!

Get ready to pop a High Life: Not that you didn't already know it, but Midger is the real deal. Congratulations to Pat for his recent Silver Medal at the Clarion River Classic II:

"The silver medal went to Pat Weiss after placing well while having to fish the two toughest beats on the river."

http://troutlegend.com/team/?p=490

It won him a spot on Team Trout Legend. We can all say we knew him before he was famous.

Well done Champ.

Where's Waldo?

Hell if I know, but can you spot Midger and other Team Freestoners throughout these updated photo's just posted to the America Cup site?

http://www.theamericacup.com/photos.html

The Big Leagues

Midger, Coach Crocker and I concluded our practice sessions on the Blue River, confident that we had sufficiently climbed the learning curve on its finicky, midge eating trout. We had a game plan on the Arkansas, and we’d just have to figure out the “big” Colorado on the fly. No worries, we had the flies for any eventuality.

Then everything changed.

It started with the registration. Reality set in that we were no longer the only game in town. You could almost sense the trout darting for cover as the highest concentration of fly fishing mojo I’ve ever encountered radiated from the hotel conference room to the streams. There was some serious talent gathered there, and it was FOCUSED. No bravado. No swagger. Just skill.

Team Poland checks in. Houston, we’ve got a problem:

Team Freestone about to board the buses and head off to the beats. I must admit to feeling a bit like the Jamaican bobsled team here:

I drew 2 beats on the Blue River on my first day of competition. Phew. I felt good about my earlier trips on the Blue, and knew exactly how I’d approach it. Dry and dropper; a parachute CDC baetis or tape wing caddis, and a thinly dressed beadhead baetis nymph or serendipity on the drop. Get ready to measure, Mr. Controller.

This is the hydrograph on the water we hit in practice, kind of what you’d expect in mid-September in the Rockies, even on a tailwater (who irrigates in September?):

DOH!

The competition venue was switched to a private ranch. All part of the game I thought. Private water = dumb fish, right? Maybe so, but this ranch was below the Green Mountain Reservoir, and this was the hydrograph at the competition beats. I guess a golf course near Los Angeles needed to green up the fairways a tad, so the call went into Green Mountain to start dumping water.

Well over 700 c.f.s. worth. Waddya mean no split shot allowed?:

At these flows, I concentrated more on not falling in and embarrassing myself by needing to be rescued in my first hour of competition. Weighted zonkers and bunny flies replaced the dry and dropper. Still, I connected with several heavy fish, managing a break-off and several long distance releases. Coulda-shoulda-woulda – I managed only excuses in the morning. I did score a 47 cm rainbow on a zonker in the afternoon. I must admit a rediscovered liking of the metric system. Makes everything sound bigger. Or at least longer...

Team Freestone licks its first day wounds. To quote Vince Lombardi: “What the hell is going on here?!?”

Midger made us proud on Saturday by winning his beat on the Arkansas. He also scored well with his bottom rolling nymph technique on the Blue. I had a decent beat on the Arkansas, but only scored 3 fish despite consistent hookups.

Not much else to say. Get the full damage report at www.theamericacup.com.

No pro-staff stickers on the cup this year:

We’d have to settle for borrowing a medal for a snapshot. Freestoner BJ Heigle gets in on the festivities:

This was a tremendous experience for me. My only regret was not having time to watch these anglers practice their craft during the competition itself. Techniques were as diverse as the individuals, and I felt I had something to learn from each and every one of them.

Team Emerger:

Brothers of the Angle – with Michael Drinan of Ireland. While RBF Pro Staffers might be able to catch trout in a sewer, Michael can make them rise to a tiny dry fly in a paved parking lot:


And the party never ends…

Pro Staffers Go A Mouching

Midger and I traveled with Team Freestone to Frisco CO to participate in the America Cup. I never thought much of using “competition” and “fly fishing” in the same sentence, but The Chief seemed to have been enriched by his experience controlling for the Spanish Youth Team. So it was with his mantra of “caddis and a bead” repeated under my breath that we headed west.

Frisco, CO. Just like Cooke City, MT. Or not.

We arrived a few days early to acclimate to the altitude and get in a little practice. We thought we’d go a-ridin' into town, a-whompin' and a-whumpin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life and run up the numbers on some dumb canyon trout on the Arkansas River to help our confidence. We’d take it easy while our sea-level-lubbing bodies produced the extra red blood cells we’d need for serious competing.

What could be difficult about a place like this?

Plenty. I struggled to put a half dozen browns and rainbows in my musky sized net that was issued to all Team Freestoners. Midger did much better (go figure) and gained valuable insight into tweaking his nymphing system that would allow him to win his beat on the Upper Arkansas later in the competition. That system involved lots of lead on a very simple fly (maybe cuz we were fishing just downstream of Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the US), and a certain flavor of DMC Precious Metal floss. More sage advice via the Chief.

Below Granite, CO

Midger and Team Captain Sean Crocker rolling flies into the wee hours, debating the merits of frenchies, crystal dips, ju-ju baetis, WD-40’s and other flies I’ve never heard of. The key to Midger’s FIPS nymphing system is being prototyped: the Tootsie Roll. Me, I couldn’t keep pace with their late night and early morning tying sessions, as them schnitzengrubens can wipe you out at almost 10,000 feet elevation. Midger’s technique of hydrating with liquid from a brown paper bag won’t be featured any time soon in Outside magazine.

The next day it was onto the Blue River for practice on the notoriously finicky trout north of Silverthorne. Midger characterized the Blue as just like Spring Creek. It reminded me of a mini Madison, freestone in morphology, tailwater in temperature and fly life. Either way, we seemed to have had the cutt-bows, rainbows, and browns pretty well dialed in, both in the water above Green Mountain Reservoir and through the town of Silverthorne. Captain Crocker even nymphed up a kokanee that shot downstream toward the reservoir from whence she came.

Blue River Cuttbow on #20 Baetis Parachute

Blue River in the Blue River SWA

Working on mysteries without any clues.

Feeling supremely confident, we took a day trip to the upper Colorado near Parshall, not worrying that it would little resemble the competition water we would face further downstream near Dotsero. No problem here...caddis in the morning, baetis in the afternoon. The water was friendly, and the browns were cooperative.

Upper Colorado River Brown

They take midges pretty seriously in CO. I wonder why…

What’s that about the road and the party?

UP NEXT: EVERYTHING CHANGES

FIPS-Mouche Scoring Clearly Explained