Over? Did you think this was over? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Heck no, and it's not over now. That's an Animal House reference and yes, I know the Japanese bombed Peral Harbor...and now you do too!
The park was pretty crowded on this particular weekend and good fishing spots were at a premium. You had to fish the spots that were open and in some cases, fish stretches of water that no one else was fishing with the hope that the spot might actually hold fish. Sometimes it did and sometimes it didn't but you had to play the cards you were dealt. By about noon, we were starting to get hungry and wanted to head over to the Redington event on the Niangua.
I had emailed the company to let them know that we would be attending the event and that I would be blogging about the experience. I also informed them that I sponsor a fly fishing club that is made up of middle schoolers and that I would greatly appreciate ANYTHING that they could donate to the club and that I could pass along to the kids. About 90 percent of my club members hadn't touched a fly rod until about 2 weeks ago and I was sure that they would be excited about something as simple as catalogs or stickers. To my surprise, I got a response from a guy named Jay and he promised to bring some "swag" as he put it. I told him how grateful I was for his efforts and was looking forward to seeing what "swag" looked like.
Link to Redington: http://www.redington.com/
We headed towards the Hidden Valley Outfitters Campground and quickly saw the canopy and signs for the event. While the event was small and laid back, we quickly found Jay as well as some guys from Dally's Ozark Fly Fisher, some folks from Reading's Fly Shop, and Jeff Trigg from Ozark Sweetwater. They were all great guys and I am seriously thinking about hooking up with Jeff or a guide from Dally's to go after some big browns on the White River in Arkansas.
Link to Reading's Fly Shop: http://readingsflyshop.com/
Link to Ozark Sweetwater: http://ozarksweetwater.com/
Link to Dally's Ozark Fly Fisher: https://theozarkflyfisher.com/
After some hot dogs, shooting the breeze, and checking out some cool gear, Austin and I started talking to Jay about some of the two-handed rods he had brought along. He kindly offered to give us some lessons on spey casting and we were on the water in no time. I got to try the new three weight trout rod and Austin got behind the bigger steelhead rod. Jay was a great instructor and it was a lot of fun! I can testify that it is a lot harder than it looks, but fun all the same. I have always thought spey casting looked fun and easy and it turns out I was half right. Austin on the other hand picked it up pretty quick because, well, that's what Austin does. He even caught the attention of Charlie Reading (yes, THAT Charlie Reading) and Jeff Trigg. I'm pretty sure I am going to read a book by Austin some day or hire him as a guide at some point in my life!
We were all getting a little itchy to get back to the park since there didn't seem to be a lot of fishy activity on the Niangua. There was however the unfinished business of obtaining the donation that Jay had agreed to. Now while I HATE to ask for handouts or free stuff, I am equally dedicated to getting cool stuff for my club members and fostering their love of the sport. So ultimately I swallowed my pride and proposition Jay for some "swag". He remembered and quickly gathered some materials for me. While it could be in poor taste to list out what was donated, I will however note that Redington now has a customer for life with me. The fact that they even replied to my request was kind enough, but the fact that they followed through on that donation in a very generous way has created a deep appreciation for the company and their products. I am planning on having the club members express their thanks as well in a fitting way and I will freely sing Jay's and Redington's praises in an unabashed way. While I'm not going to tell you how to spend your money, I AM going to tell you that I will be sending some of my own money their direction. We also sent a "ShowMeFlyGuy" shirt Jay's way as a small token of our appreciation. Since all four of us were wearing the same shirt on Saturday, I have no doubt that he understands what an up and coming fashion trend was bestowed upon him. Anyway, back to the fishing.
Like three oversized dwarfs, we piled into the truck and headed back to the painstaking task of going back to the chore that was pulling trout out of the stream and then letting them go. Fishing was a little slow but picked up as the sun sank lower in the sky. Busch and I fished below the spillway, under the bridge, and into zone 2 between the arched bridge and whistle bridge. Just as Pat and Austin were about ready to call it a day, Busch hooked into a really nice fish. It made some nice runs and while Busch didn't whoop and holler, you could tell from his quiet intensity that he was pumped. This was the biggest fish of the trip and probably went 16 inches. It was a real beauty and I was happy for my friend.
As the evening wound down, a number of fish started to rise just below the spillway. Busch and I caught a few fish on mini jigs under indicators and then picked up a few on dry flies. While I broke off on my last fish, I was able to land a pretty little brown to cap off a perfect day. Friends, fish, new friends, and a beautiful day! What more could we ask for?
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