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NEWSLETTER
#43 - DECEMBER 2005
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Leland Fly Fishing Travel Newsletter – December,
2005
TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE:
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TRIP REPORT: AMAZON PEACOCK BASS
FISHERY
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WED, DEC 14 – SPECIAL HOLIDAY
DESTINATION DAY AT BUSH STREET
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BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR A FLY
FISHER? THE HUNT MAY BE IT
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LIMITED ’06 SPACE AT ‘TOP OF THE
LINE’ WESTERN FLY FISHING RANCHES
-
PRIME ’06 STEELHEAD OPENINGS ON THE
DEAN AND BABINE
-
LAST MINUTE PLANNING FOR EXOTIC
WINTERTIME GETAWAYS
-
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
We
are in the fourth year of publishing 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.
TRIP REPORT: AMAZON PEACOCK BASS FISHERY
The requests of
clients during the last few years had prompted me to
research many of the Amazon Peacock Bass
operations. I could never get my fly fishing
enthusiasm revved up. While a trip to the Amazon
had appeal, the reasons for my reticence were:
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generally, a “bassmaster” type of fishing
environment and clientele
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muddy or blackwater jungle river fishing.
Our interest level
was stimulated when a respected source told us about
a relatively new fly fishing lodge they had visited
on a clear-water river where sight-fishing was
possible from a poled skiff or, during certain water
conditions, while wading. The primary target was
the aggressive peacock bass of the Amazon as well as
other secondary species (like the surface-feeding,
acrobatic, arowana). After further investigation
supported the initial report I had heard, we made a
quick decision to fill a vacant slot on our calendar
for the week after Thanksgiving with a trip to the
Amazon. Joined by Scott Ellison and my wife, Marte,
we purchased airline tix and made preparations.
Bascially, our
expectations were met in a positive fashion. What
we found was a well operated, remote, tropical lodge
in the Amazon on a river protected from other
fisherman as well as local netters. We did some
sight fishing from poled skiffs everyday and the
fishing was at times electrifying. The group of 12
we were with took over 50 peacock bass that topped
10 pounds with two 18 pounders heading the list. We
also sight cast and took awowana, a great surface
oriented fly rod fish.
This fishery and
location is so different from our standard salt
water or freshwater destinations, we decided to do a
comprehensive report to cover all the elements
involved in the trip. So not to fill the regular
newsletter with Amazon info for many who may have no
interest, that comprehensive report will follow in
the next e-mail. If you have any interest at all in
the Amazon, you may enjoy it – if not, hit the
delete key and move on.
WED, DEC 14: SPECIAL HOLIDAY
DESTINATION DAY IN THE BUSH STREET SHOP – AMAZON
SLIDE SHOWS, BOOK SIGNING, WINE AND CHEESE, LATE
HOURS, ETC.
I’ll be in the Bush
Street shop next Wednesday, December 14 for a
special holiday Destination Day. The shop will
remain open til 8:00 with wine and cheese spread
available starting at 5:00. There will be two
scheduled slide presentations on our recent Amazon
trip at 12:30 and 5:00.
I’ll have with me
some enlargements of photos from THE HUNT and
will be honored to sign any copies of the book.
We’ll also have
slide shows available on a variety of destinations
including our New Zealand tour, Patagonia, Labrador
Brook Trout, Alaska, and Belize and all the
saltwater destinations. If you’d like to get
together and view slides and discuss different
possibilities, it’s best to set an appointment so I
will have time set aside for you and won’t have you
waiting when you come in. Just hit “reply” and let
me know what you’d like to view/discuss and we’ll
share some fly fishing excitement together.
If possible, make
some time available to come in and say “hi.”
BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR A FLY FISHER? THE HUNT
MAY BE IT
Our just published new book, THE HUNT,
captures the essence, in both photo and story, of
stalking the world’s great gamefish with a fly rod.
Reviews have called it “..one of the great fly
fishing classics of all time…” and “…the finest
collection of fly fishing photos ever…” Most of
all, it’s a “fun read,” a book that’s enjoyable just
to pick up and thumb through. We’re very excited by
the enthusiastic responses from everyone who’s seen
a copy.
Winston Moore, one of the legendary figures in the
realm of fly fishing, flattered THE HUNT when
he submitted, with his order for two cases to use
for Christmas gifts, a note that stated in part: “I'M
81 YEARS OLD AND I'VE READ EVERY FISHING BOOK THAT
LOOKED WORTHWHILE TO ME.
HOWEVER, I'VE
NEVER IN ALL THAT TIME SEEN ANYTHING AS PROFOUNDLY
SPECIAL AS THE HUNT!
IT IS AN ABSOLUTE
MASTERPIECE!
I'M SURE THAT EVERY
READER COULD, AND PROBABLY WILL, SPEND MANY HOURS
READING/VIEWING THE BOOK AND THOSE FANTASTIC
PHOTOGRAPHS OVER AND OVER AGAIN THRU A LIFETIME,
NEVER EVER HAVING DIGESTED ALL OF IT OR GROWING
TIRED OF IT.
THE HUNT
CERTAINLY TOPS
ANYTHING I’VE COME ACROSS IN THESE 81 YEARS.
WARM REGARDS,
WINSTON MOORE
THE HUNT
sells for $45
and is available at
www.ffhunt.com
LIMITED ’06 SPACE AT ‘TOP OF THE LINE’ WESTERN FLY
FISHING RANCHES
Private fly fishing ranches in the west provide a
wonderful, high-end, fly fishing experience for both
newcomers and veterans alike. The norm is large
average size fish, private waters, beautiful
streams, and outstanding western cuisine. However,
they are getting hard to find. One of the favorites
of many of our clients over the years was Elk Creek
Lodge, but ECL has just announced they are going
entirely private. Another new one on the scene, Val
Kilmer’s Pecos River Ranch in northern New Mexico,
is undergoing some changes also and part of the
property is going to be sold. As of now, it’s
unclear how these changes will affect the private
waters fishery on the Pecos.
All of this puts extra pressure for space on what
may be the Rockies best private fly fishing
operation, Three Forks Ranch. We are currently
holding some dates in early July, August, and
September that will have to be released soon if not
booked. If you have an interest and would like more
information, let us know.
PRIME ’06 STEELHEAD OPENINGS ON THE DEAN AND BABINE
While it’s not definite at this writing what the
final number of openings will be, we will have space
open for our spots on the two of the world’s finest
steelhead rivers. On the Dean, the spots will be on
the lower Dean during the last week of July and
first week of August, prime time for this world
class summer run. The Babine Steelhead Lodge week
we’re holding is the second week in October,
normally a very good slot. If you have interest in
either of these fisheries, let me ASAP as they must
be deposited soon to lock up the space.
LAST MINUTE PLANNING FOR EXOTIC WINTERTIME GETAWAYS
If you’re a little late in planning your getaway for
the dead of our winter, there are still
opportunities, especially if you can be flexible in
your travel dates.
Patagonia and the Chilean fjords: Many of the top lodges still have
space open.
Amazon: the lodge we visited is full through
January, but has spotty openings in Feb/Mar
Saltwater: Christmas Island, Los Roques, Belize,
Bahama’s, Ascension Bay, etc – openings are
available for selected dates.
New Zealand: best to plan way in advance for NZ,
but if you have flexibility in your travel dates,
usually something can be put together to meet your
objectives on a few months notice.
Tierra del Fuego: need to find a cancellation to get space at the
better lodges.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
We wish you a holiday season that is filled with all
the good things you’re hoping for and the people you
want to share them with. Hope I get to see you on
the 14th in the Bush Street shop
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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just hit “reply” and let us know – you’ll be removed
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