Didn't make it out to take advantage of the beautiful weather and fish last Thursday (house chores took priority), but I did make it to the Denver Fly Fishing Show at the Merchandise Mart on Saturday.
If you've never been, you are missing out on a great opportunity to see, hear and question some of the best fly tying experts, and authors, in the Country, as well as peruse, sample and purchase the latest and greatest fly fishing equipment available. There were also films and classes with experts for beginners, as well as advanced fliers.
This year a group of fly chuckers from the Colorado Mt. Fishing forum coordinated to meet at the show on Saturday. It was great to meet up with old friends and put a face to the names of those who I had never met. A great group of people hang out on that forum.
The highlight of the show for me this year was a short seminar by Gary Borger. Gary has been a fixture of the fly fishing elite for some 50 odd years. He has authored a number of must have books, including "Presentation" and "Fishing the Film". His background in fly fishing is eclipsed only by his ability to communicate to both advanced and beginner fly fisherman the intricacy of the life cycle of bugs and trout behavior. And he does it with a humorous and animated exuberance. Never miss a rare opportunity to hear Gary when you have the chance.
For the stillwater enthusiast, it doesn't get any better than a Scadden boat or toon. They are the top of the line.
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| Dave Whitlock explains one of his streamers. |
Some of the finest fly tying people in the Country lined the walls and tied and shared there skills with anyone who cared to stop, look and ask question. The cream of the crop were Featured Tyers. A special area was set aside for these Featured Tyers to accommodate the crowds of eager fishermen who wanted to learn the particulars of their fish candy creations.
I'm not a big gear head when it comes to fishing. My personal belief is that if it works don't fix it and if you can make do with a piece of equipment that doesn't cost the same as a good used car, by all means do it, but it would be remiss of me to not include this warning. CAUTION: If you get a chance to cast the Sage ONE rod, don't do it!!!! You will be wanting to sell a kid or a kidney for one of these amazing rods.
When I first picked up the rod I was impressed with how light it was. When I gave it a flick of the tip it resisted almost all movement. It just kinda went "blip", one flex of the tip and an abrupt stop. I told the rep, (Matt from Rigs fly shop in Ridgeway, nice kid), "This thing is stiff as a brick." He said, "I'll string it up and let you cast it." Big mistake. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get the money for a thing I swore I'd never spend that much cash on. Come on, really? Buy a $700 + fly rod? Short answer, "YUP!"
The ONE is the lightest, most responsive , effortless and accurate rod I've ever casted. You make a shorter stop on your back cast than you would with a rod that takes longer to load than the ONE, and when you bring the rod forward it just follows the direction your hand is pointing and takes an incredible amount of line with it. With just a short single haul this thing will send your fly into the next county and set it down like a down feather.
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| Casting the Sage ONE |
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| I ask Matt if he takes used cars in trade for the ONE | | | | | | | |
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