Idylwilde Flies

Some of you might be aware, some not, that a serious situation has arisen at the Idylwilde Flies camp in the last couple of weeks. Zach Mertens, owner of Idylwilde, is essentially being "held hostage" by his Philippine production entity. They are refusing to ship flies to any of Idylwilde's dealers. This is obviously a huge problem for all of us dealers and Idylwilde. They aren't just messing with Idylwilde, they're messing with fly shops and the anglers who appreciate the quality of Idylwilde flies.

One of the purposes of this post is to make customers aware that we have run into an issue on fly supply but are working diligently to solve the problem. It is our desire to try and come to a solution that gives us Idylwilde flies, They are the best! failing that, we will take the necessary steps to acquire flies.

If you are like us, and think that Idylwilde quality is as good as it gets, drop a note of support at https://www.facebook.com/IdylwildeFlies Zach will certainly appreciate and notes off support.

Palometa Club Permit Tournament/Howler Pilgrimage

Back from the 1st Annual Palometa Club Permit Tournament/Howler Pilgrimage. We had people from all over, the U.S., Argentina, Canada, and it was a great group! Dick, Kaye, David, Janine, Amy, all the guides, and the gals in the kitchen did a bang up job all week. They were amazing!

Julio with a Permit from the first day!

Mason, Chase, and Andy for Howler Brothers attended. Good thing, as they were a primary sponsor. Jamie Howard and Matt Jones were there filming and Jamie got his first ever Permit. Way to go! Tom Bie from The Drake, David and Luis from Miami, David Leake from Tailwaters....suffice to say, with 20 anglers plus non-anglers it was busier than usual but it was a blast!

Some of the gang hanging around the bar

Steve Davenport jumped in at the last minute for Barrett Clark, who had a riding incident the day before. As much as we felt bad for Barrett, Steve was the perfect replacement. he fishes at the club a few times every year and he's a super nice guy.

New artwork at the club

I may steal this one day!

Joe Seelig, from Anchorage, and I fished the tournament as a team. We pretty much sucked for the first three days of the four day event. Not a big deal to us....but we still sucked. We managed pull a third place out of the hat on the last day. If yours truly had not feebed out and had a fish crush a fly at 5 PM on the last day we may have placed better. Joe is very similar to me in the skiff (somewhat screwed up over Permit) so he was a hoot to fish with. Some of you might recognize Joe from the Club's Permititus ads and the brochure. He's like a Victoria' Secret model, only for Permit fishing.

Map of Ascension, painted by Amy Lynn, who just happens to be married to lead guide Charlie.

Joe's Fly Box

Joe's last day heroics.

First 2 days down there were non-tournament days so we switched it up a little bit. I was lucky enough to fish with David Coleman, from Texas, and Ken Ferderer, from California. Both guys fish at the Club on a regular basis but our paths had never crossed. Had a great day with both of these guys but (sorry Dave) the day of the week for me was Ken's 36" x 34" (49 pound) Permit.

A truly amazing animal! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

Ken's Beast!

Oh, and before I completely forget, congratulations to David Leake and David Coleman, who won the tournament, Ken Ferderer for largest Permit, and Julio and Luis, who took home top guide honours. the brother team did an awesome job this week and Joe and I were glad we could add to their numbers.

Orvis Silver Sonic Convertible Waders

Both the Mens and Womens Silver Sonic Waders from Orvis are now in stock!

•Features the patented Orvis SonicSeam® technology

•Constructed with a durable 4-layer nylon outer fabric

•Innovative suspension system easily converts the waders to waist-highs without removing suspenders

•Anatomically correct neoprene booties for additional comfort

•Flip-out interior waterproof pocket with touchscreen capabilities for smartphones

•Attached self-fabric gravel guards with quick-drain mesh panel

The most versatile welded waders on the market today. Fish dry, and know you'll stay that way. Featuring the patented Orvis SonicSeam technology, all thread and stitch holes are eliminated and seams are double reinforced, prolonging the life of the waders dramatically. These are hard-wearing, breathable, everyday waders for the serious angler. Main wader is made of the same durable 4-layer nylon fabric as the Pack and Travel waders, while the upper is a lighter weight 4-layer nylon, the same fabric used in the Pro Guides. An innovative suspension system allows you to convert them to waist-highs without removing suspenders, a perfect feature for warm spring afternoons. Front zippered pocket is highly water resistant and an ideal storage place for fly boxes, while a flip-out interior waterproof pocket can hold cameras, cell phones, or fishing licenses. Attached gravel guards feature a quick-drain panel to keep you moving. Anatomically correct, sculpted neoprene booties for comfort. Strategically placed lower leg seams run up the back of the wader, reducing abrasion. Wader is cut higher in the front on women's model to provide a more comfortable fit. Wader belt and traditional suspender option included. In overcast/taupe. Outer shell: 100% nylon

Helios 2 Hats

For all you Helios 2 fans....finally got some hats in!

Orvis Guide Slings

We've got more Orvis Guide Slings again!

Can't seem to keep them around.

Long Weekend Shop Hours

It's finally here! The May long weekend.

Shop hours for this weekend as follows:

Saturday, May 18: 9 AM - 5 PM

Sunday, May 19: Closed

Monday, May 20: 10 AM - 4 PM

Have a great weekend!

For Summer Travels....

Full selection of Backroad Mapbooks now in stock.

HATCH

A few shipments have arived from Hatch reels.

We have Finatics from 1Plus all the way to 11plus in stock!

Charity Work!

So, we're off the The Palometa club on Wednesday for the first annual PC Permit Tournament to benefit the BTT and, most important for us, Punta Allen School.

Last year, with the new President in Mexico, they instituted a new program where the Mexican Government would match funds raised by parties to benefit educational institutions. So, in this case, the school in Punta Allen gets some much needed financial assistance.

Looking forward to hearing the boys from Howler Brothers play for us. For those who aren't aware, they make up the band Wrinkle Neck Mules. Check 'em out on iTunes.

We'll try and keep you udated on the shenanigans as the week goes by.

For those who have spent time in Punta Allen, and wish to help out, donations for the shool are greatly appreciated.
Give us a call at the shop and we can take care of it.

Congratulations!

Our congrats go out to Ashley Brown for winning the Orvis Helios 2 906-4 Tip Flex rod at our Customer Apppreciation Day!

Hope you enjoy it Ashley!

New from Orvis!

A new slant on an old favourite!

Simplistic design and flawless construction make this the perfect click-and-pawl fly reel for nearly any freshwater fishing situation. A minimalist's dream, the all-new Battenkill features a classically styled, yet technically enhanced, four-position click-and-pawl drag system that is adjusted internally and is designed to work in tandem with the palm of your hand on those sizzling, screaming runs. Constructed with a narrow spool for less line stacking on retrieve and a larger spool diameter for higher line retrieval rates. The ultra-lightweight fly reel design balances perfectly on shorter rods. Machined from heavy-duty bar-stock aluminium for added durability. Easily adjustable left- or right-hand retrieve. Highlighted by laser-engraved logos. In black nickel
Battenkill III $112 CDN  Now in Stock!

Fishing Report-May 7

Bow River Report –May 7, 2013

 

After a grueling stint of sucky weather you might have noticed summer has arrived for the time being. Warm temperatures are forecast through the weekend as well.

There are some rising fish to be found out there, you just need to look for them a little bit. Fish up on BWO’s, but there are some Stones and Caddis kicking around as well. Likely another week to ten days before the Caddis thing ramps up.

Our first rainy day should bring some good BWO and March Brown fishing. As long as we don’t get what has become annual monsoons all will be well.

Fishing reports have been varied, but for the most part good. Those looking for snouts in the right types of water have been rewarded. Nymphing continues to produce and streamer fishing has gotten a little more productive. As water temperatures rise the streamer fishing should get better.

The Highwood, Sheep, and Fish Creek all came up a little yesterday and the Sheep and Highwood got quite dirty. This will be low level melt and shouldn’t do much. Even with this warm weather, we are still about 3 weeks away from the real runoff.

Hatches: Midges, Baetis, March Browns, Stones, Caddis

Streamers: C/H R/L Bugger-Black, Geek Leech, Marabou Clouser

Nymphs: Tung Stud, Peacock Water Boatman, Tung Dart, R/L Hares Ear

Dry Flies: Wilcox Low Rider, Film Critic-BWO, Skwaller Stone, March Brown Parachute

Country Pleasures Spring Steelhead Trip

Well, we're back from our Spring Steelhead trip. Everyone had a great trip judging by all of the babbling, giggling, etc.

Had a great week all the way around. Weather was perfect, had a bump of water when we arrived with slowly dropping water as the week progressed and more than enough bright, hot fish! And even better, spent a bunch of time fishing super close to the ocean!

Jeff Cooper with a 38 x 19 buck!

Best part of the week was watching Scott and Jeff C., on their very first Steelhead trip. They caught a bunch of Steelhead, essentially kicking butt. I would hazard a guess that they are forever messed up!

A big thanks go out to Chad, Dustin, Sky, Jeff, and Scott, who took care of us every day. Also a huge cheer to Jezz and Pip, who operate Pioneer Lodge. Can't say enough about how comfortable they kept us and how well they fed us.