Introduction

I thought it best to introduce myself in my first blog post, so here goes:

a more recent selection of flies I tied up

I got my first fly rod as a graduation present from college and shortly thereafter I purchased my first fly tying kit. Being a December graduate I really did not have too many opportunities to fish over the winter so tying was really my first introduction to the sport. To me fly tying and fly fishing go hand in hand. 





 

Not my first smallie ever but a nice one on a spey rod

The first fish that I caught was a large male smallmouth bass out of the Saranac River in Plattsburgh, New York the following spring. I was fishing with my brother Pete and using a fly I had designed and tied myself. Pretty cool. Definitely had me hooked after that.

A recent pike

I targeted trout and bass for much of that first year, but I soon started thinking about other fish on the fly. I quickly started chasing northern pike with the long rod both on shore and with a float tube. The explosive strike really got my attention. I moved on to muskies shortly thereafter. 

a good Lake Champlain carp from this past summer

Over the years I fished a lot of different things from trout to salmon to panfish and bass. It was always the oddballs like bowfin, drum, gar and carp that really attracted my attention. I really started pursuing these fish more and more after my move to Vermont in 1998.  

Hen brown at Oak Orchard '07

Also at this time I started an annual tradition of visiting Oak Orchard Creek in Western New York for king salmon, steelhead and really big brown trout. I still head out there in October/November every year and then again in March for steelhead (with a mix of browns and the occasional pike in there too).





In 2008 I decided to start guiding with a local company. I brought my own unique take on the local warm water fisheries with me. This attracted a lot of attention from local media and anglers looking for something different to target with flies. Along with guiding for the fish I enjoy more, I also guided a lot of trout anglers. I did enjoy this, but I quickly realized that guiding trout was not my favorite thing to do. I definitely enjoy fishing them by myself much more.


For this last reason and having the desire to work for myself, I left that guide service in the fall of 2010 to do my own thing: guiding for warm water species in Vermont, tying flies commercially, instructing casting, fly fishing, and fly tying, writing about fly fishing, and speaking to angling groups about the fishing I do. This is the latest and greatest endeavor I have undertaken and I am looking forward to seeing what it brings about! I will keep you posted about how it is developing and keep your eyes peeled for a new website up and running before too long....

Looking to a garrreat future!