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NEWSLETTER #30 -
NOVEMBER 2004
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Leland Fly Fishing Travel Newsletter – November ‘04
TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE:
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BUSH STREET “DESTINATION DAY” 11/11 – PATAGONIA AND NEW ZEALAND, SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE WINTERTIME OPTIONS
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TROPHY HUNTING WITH A FLY ROD – THE EXPECTANCIES
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AVAILABILITY UPDATE FOR LELAND SHOP TRIPS
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WORLD CLASS STEELHEAD LODGES: FEW ’05 SPOTS
REMAIN DURING PRIME TIME
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TRIP REPORTS: New Zealand and a Belize
couples/honeymoon experience
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FANTASY FISH AND DAYS
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ADDITIONAL INFO ON PUTAH CREEK
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QUIPS AND QUOTES
This is the thirtieth edition of our monthly
newsletter with updates on great fly fishing venues
and insights for our traveling fly fishers. We want
to help you match the right location with your fly
fishing goals and objectives and properly prepare
you to fully enjoy the experience. We’ve been to
most locations and pride ourselves on our ability to
research new sites. One of our services is to
compare and contrast different lodges/outfitters.
Whatever unbiased information on timing and
locations we can provide comes at the same cost to
you as booking direct – i.e., no extra cost.
BUSH STREET SHOP DESTINATION DAY, THIS THURSDAY, NOV
11 – PATAGONIA AND NEW ZEALAND, SOUTHERN HEMISPERE
WINTER OPTIONS
Next Thursday, Nov 11, has been designated as our
monthly Destination Day in the Bush Street shop.
I’ll be in the shop from 11:00am through the
evening. The scheduled slide presentations will be
12:30 and 5:00 and feature two of the best
wintertime options, New Zealand and Patagonia. When
the skies get gray and cold in California, it’s a
wonderful time to be in the Southern Hemishere.
There are still some great options in Patagonia
available, even a few discount weeks in some of our
favorite areas. New Zealand is always a “win” and
there are still possibilities for the later season
in ’05. If NZ is in your future, it’s not too
early to be thinking about ’06. If you want to go
“prime time,” NZ planning should start 12 months out
to leave the best options open.
Personal slide presentations by appointment can be
scheduled on any of our destinations. Let me know
if you’d like to make an appointment and what
destination you’d like me to be prepared for. Drop
in and say “hi” and let’s discuss the exciting
possibilities of fly fishing travel.
TROPHY HUNTING WITH A FLY ROD – THE EXPECTANCIES
If you’re goal in fly fishing is to pursue the real
trophy fish (the 10# rainbow or brown, the 6# brook
trout, the 15-20# steelhead; or in saltwater, the
10# bonefish or releasing a tarpon or permit, etc.)
what should your expectancies be? The first
assumption that should be made is that you are going
to spend a lot of time hunting. The action will
most likely not be fast. It’s true that those rare
fantasy days happen if you are in the right place at
the right time: you can have a day where six 5-8
pound brookies find your net or maybe you jump five
tarpon and get three to the boat. However, it’s a
truism that the real trophies are usually not found
in large numbers – that’s why they’re trophies. So
to make sure your head is in the right place at the
outset, you have to be into the hunting aspect. You
must be willing to measure the experience of the
hunt rather than the numbers of fish hooked.
AVAILABILITY UPDATE FOR LELAND SHOP TRIPS
Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters has an array of
exciting trips scheduled where someone from our shop
staff will be accompanying the group. Here’s a
update:
March ’05: Karl Kirbus will be taking a group of
eight to Christmas Island – spots still open.
June ’05: Saltwater fly fishing school, Belize –
trip full, no availability
August ’05: Keith Westra will again be hosting a
Belize mothership trip, maximum of 5 rods – spots
still open.
Sept ’05: X-Alaska guide, Matt Paluch, will be
leading a trip for trophy rainbows and silver salmon
to one of Alaska’s finest lodges. Spots still open.
July ’06: Leland shop trip to the Minipi River in
Labrador for giant brook trout is sold out.
However, there are a few prime weeks with
availability still in both ’05 and ’06.
For more info, check with Karl, Matt, or Keith in
the shop or hit reply and send me a message.
WORLD CLASS STEELHEAD LODGES: FEW ’05 SPOTS REMAIN
DURING PRIME TIME
Getting space during the heart of the steelhead run
on British Columbia’s finest steelhead rivers is
becoming a challenge. Here are the prime time spots
that are still available at two of our favorites:
Dean River Lodge (Blackwell’s lodge on the lower
Dean): 2 spots open 7/29 – 8/5, $5,500pp
Babine Steelhead Lodge (Babine River): 4 spots open
10/8 – 14. Even though the price is not yet final
for the ’05 season, they are completely sold out -
virtually all returning clients. Price will be in
the $4,000-4,500 range.
TRIP REPORTS: New
Zealand and a Belize couples/honeymoon experience
Cathy and Tim Regan visited New Zealand in
September. Limited time only allowed a stay on the
North Island and a few days of fishing. Tim brings
us our first NZ wintertime experience as there is
not much fly fishing available at that time of
year. However, the rivers in the Taupo area are
open and can provide some quality fly fishing for
trophy rainbows and that’s where Tim’s efforts were
focused (see fantasy fish section). Some of Tim’s
comments:
“New Zealand is great and everything they say:
friendly, helpful and fun people and beautiful
landscape. Would I go back to NZ? You bet.” The
NZ guides are truly special in the realm of fly
fishing guides and Tim expressed his opinion about
the man (Dave Conley) he fished with: “He was a
skilled, literate (MA in Poli Sci), fun companion
and guide. I would highly recommend him.”
Erin and Glenn Prichett honeymooned in Belize. As
part of the trip they visited a place that offers a
quality couples experience we have heard lots of
good things about, Cayo Espanto (my wife and I will
be visiting Cayo Espanto ourselves the end of
November following a week on the Belize mothership,
Meca). Glenn’s comments:
“My Wife and I were completely surprised to find out
that Cayo Espanto was exactly as advertised- ‘Your
own Private Island.’ The staff, upon arrival to
departure, literally catered to our every need, but
were thoughtful of our privacy at the same time.
The scuba diving was exceptional and the Bone
fishing was far better than I expected. Around the
island itself were large schools of feeding bones.
Simply wading around the island from my doorstep
between our daily activities enabled me to land
between 10 and 25 bones a day. There were also
larger tailing fish you could cast to by kayaking a
short ways. We could not have been happier with the
fishing, scuba diving, food and overall service. It
was a wonderful honeymoon.”
“FANTASY STUFF” FOR THIS ISSUE
While fly fishing is pursued for many reasons,
having a “fly fishing fantasy” experience is
something we all chase. Once in a while it actually
happens and this column is devoted to sharing those
special moments/days.
While Tim Regan (see above) did not land a famous
monster Taupo rainbow on his New Zealand trip, he
did hook one of those special fish that provided
several minutes of thrills before parting his 10#
leader. He had one 45 minute period at the
conclusion of a tough day of fishing worthy of this
column. During that 45 minutes, he landed and
released 5 scrappy rainbows, four of which were
between 20 and 23 inches.
Matt Paluch took a 20” rainbow on a size 16 Caddis
using his 1 wt rod as the highlight of his trip to
the Yuba River two weeks ago.
QUIPS AND QUOTES
“There is no use in your walking five miles when you
can depend on being just as unsuccessful near home.”
– Mark Twain
ADDITIONAL INFO ON PUTAH CREEK
Last month’s newsletter had a story of a wonderful
afternoon fishing Putah Creek. I heard from a few
of you that I was remiss in reminding everyone about
the New Zealand mudsnail that has infected Putah.
If you do fish Putah, to avoid spreading this
destructive pest to other US waters, please do the
one of the following to your waders, boots, and
gear:
LELAND-FRONTIERS AGENT AGREEMENT
In addition to the many great destinations that we
represent, Leland Fly Fishing Adventures also has an
agreement with Frontiers to represent all their
properties (many of which we already book
independently). If you are considering any of the
destinations that Frontiers offers, please give us a
call as it’s virtually the same process as booking
through Frontiers, and we need the “bonus points.”
And, we may have some personal experiences that can
add to your knowledge and preparations.
Either phone or drop us an e-mail if you have
questions or would like more information about any
of our destinations.
An enthusiastic traveling fly fisherman,
Don Muelrath
Leland Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
www.flyfishingoutfitters.com
e-mail
Josh Frazier at
Josh@flyfishingoutfitters.com
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