A Grand Baptism

[Sagebrush]

Re-posted here from a local site cause I want to contribute something here.

A Grand Baptism

I was seriously considering driving down to the Delaware River to join some US friends at a Fishing/camping weekend this weekend but leaving for The Cape next weekend left me with too much to do to prepare. An offer to join Darrin and Steve on a trip to The Grand River in Fergus was just the way to baptize in the river the new Rod that Mike Shay built for me and perhaps to bloody her as well. Excuse the poor photos of the 4wt Payne 100 that Mike built me as anyone who has seen it up close will know they really don’t do it justice. Mike , you have done a beautiful job as I have told you before and I will smile every time I take this stick out of the tube and string it up. Only two other pairs of hands have cast it here and both have one on their lists in future.
Meet “Sniper” (I can’t tell you how it was named)



Paired here with an old Young Beaudex reel ( an acquisition from Mr Shay’s Bag-O-reels)
York Gum Burl Reel seat was a gift courtesy of a friend in California.



3:45am is a hell of a time to have to get up to beat the traffic across the city and get to The River before the early birds take positions on your favorite hole but ya gotta do what you gotta do. An hour and a half drive, a quick stop at the Tim Hortons in XXXXXX for more Coffee and a morning dump and we were first to the river with waders and gear.
It wasn’t too long before I got the first Brown of the Day and the first of many for the Payne.



Classy little combo I think



It was a Golden Graham day with hardly a cloud and a slight breeze to keep the biting bugs down but not enough to bother the caddis and Drakes from coming off



Bugs were coming off but the fish were rising and refusing most of what we were throwing.
Many fly changes later we hit a few patterns that they seemed to like but at the end of the day the drying patch had almost as many flies on it as were in the boxes.



Darrin and I were determined to mostly sticking to Dries while Steve had some luck with emergers and nymphs.



Mr Patience here (Steve) spent almost an hour watching and waiting on a big Brown that would pop his nose up and whack a presentation and refuse everything thrown at him the dirty stinking [Censored].



Those two Knuckleheads left the River to go and eat while I stayed to fish with a Cheese Snadwich, a flask of 10 yr old Bushmills and an oatmeal-rasin Cliff Bar.
I was rewarded







I even had a little company from this years brood who were quite used to people in funny pants waving sticks around and cursing.



When the boys returned with full bellies and beer for me, Steve was offered a few casts with the new rod and promptly caught a nice Brown with his first cast of his first cane rod. Good Omen here.
“Anything you can do, I can do…..” didn’t seem to work as Darrin worked the rod for a good twenty mins and couldn’t hook up. However he was able to give a shout out to Wingnut our friend in Germany.
(inside joke I am afraid)


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In fact we all give a shout out to Wingnut from this side of the Pond and hope Jessie, his sick Dog comes around quick.

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All in all, a great day with 6 or seven Browns in the 12 “to 16” range, as many lost before getting to the net and countless refusals. Darrin did better than that (the fishy bugger) and mr happy did well with his dirty little nymphs but the big ones were not cooperative today. Didn’t matter much as a great day was had by all and we will be back again for shits and giggles and another shot at the bigger ones.
Left the river after 12 hours tired, sunburned and smelling of fish.
Good friends, Sunshine, Whiskey, Cane Rods, Dry Flies, Beer and Browns……………….not missing much here.
Hope the Boys at The “D” had as much fun and luck…..maybe next year,

[gusstrand]

Very nice! Mike makes a really nice rod. I no longer own one of his, but know from experience. :) Thanks for sharing!