2013 Guys, Flies & Pies Event!!!!

Michael Simmons conducting a fly tying demo.

If you live anywhere near WNY or within an hour or two, may I suggest an event that you may want need to attend on February 16^th.

It is of course the annual Guys, Flies and Pies event!

I cannot say enough good things about this event. You will have the opportunity to share a table with some fantastic tiers from all over WNY, and beyond. You will also have an opportunity to win prizes donated by some of the best in the industry, and the cherry on the top (at least for me) is the mass consumption of some great pizza! I mean…come on….who really expects to go to an event called guys flies and pies and not take part in eating…right?

Jordan Ross of JP Ross Fly Rods shows of
some of his finely crafted rods at last years event.

Both Michael Simmons and his wife Crystal do an amazing job. Together they work hard to make sure that everyone is taken care of, and in the end, have an opportunity to fellowship with lots of other folks who enjoy the sport of fly fishing. It is what the sport should be about! 

Matt Smythe - AKA the Fishing Poet - takes the
time to show his son how to tie a fly.

And because they have done such a wonderful job over the years, the event has grown to a point in which they have had to find a different venue. This year event will be held from 3-8pm at the Roger Robach Community Center (Bathhouse) at Ontario Beach Park at 180 Beach Avenue, Rochester, NY 14612.

In years past I have gone by myself and with my oldest son. But I think I can say that this year I will try and bring my daughter. She is probably the best tier out of all my kids, and has the patience to learn all kinds of new things and put them into practice. This truly is a family event that you could bring anyone to and feel right at home. And that is why I make sure to mark it on my calendar every year!

Besides….you never know…you might meet your next fishing buddy.

So mark it on your calendar – February 16^th! – Guys, Flies and Pies. Let’s all make this year’s event one to remember, and continue to grow the sport of fly fishing.

I’ll see you there.

Fishing with Dan

A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of fishing with an old friend. Dan and I hit up a small inland trout stream and had blast catching some gorgeous wild brown trout.....in mid-winter!

For the whole story please check out my other blog post at the JP Ross Fly Rod website.

Here are a few photos to warm you up.

Dan holds one of a few wild brown trout he caught while stripping a streamer

Small inland wild brown taken on a small midge pattern

A heavily spotted wild brown that ate a #16 red worm

Another fish falls victim to the red worm

Local WNY talent spotlight 2

This month’s fly fishing profile goes to Jordan Ross of JP Ross Flyrods.

An Oatka creek brown trout rests next to a JP Ross nine foot four weight Blue Line seires rod

Details like this are just too cool!

Jordan has been a friend of mine for a while now. In fact I first met up with him at his old shop in New York Mills right around 1996. I would come in and talk fishing for a while during my lunch break, and every now and then he would even let me sit down and tie some flies. For me it was a place to expand my knowledge of fly fishing, share stories, and spend some of my hard earned money.

One of the many stickers that will accompany the box of your new fly rod.

But it was more than just a shop. It was also a workshop where he built custom made fly rods. His goal then was to be able to build and sell his own rods at reasonable prices, so that everyone could get into the sport without spending an arm or a leg.

The shop days are now gone, and I have moved to the Western part of the state, but I still keep in contact with Jordan, and he still is in the business of building custom fly rods. 

He can build anything you want from a ten and a half foot switch rod, to a seven foot three weight glass rod, and everything in between. And it goes beyond the cork grips, reel seats, eyes, wraps, and rod blanks. He makes each rod truly unique and takes the time to make it right for each and every customer. And for me, the personal inscriptions and drawings he uses on the rods and rod cases are the kind of details that put his work over the top!

A gorgeous wild Oatka brown trout caught with the help of my JP Ross Beaver Meadow

I have several of his rods and fish them all the time. And I consider them all a piece of artwork. But for me, his specialty, his crowning achievement, is his custom made small stream light line fly rods – The Beaver Meadow! These rods are designed for small streams and tight quarters where flinging small flies to wild Adirondack brook trout is the name of the game. And they are absolutely perfectly suited for the job on every level. But I have also used mine to catch panfish on ponds and lakes, trout on my local spring creek and even small bass. But it can also handle larger fish too. I have landed seventeen inch wild brown trout from a local freestone trout stream, sixteen inch smallmouth bass, and countless other large spring creek trout that have made its short seven foot length bend and creak with the strain of their weight. It is truly one of the best rods I have ever fished!!!

For more information on his custom rods please check out his website jprossflyrods.com where you can check out blogs from local writers, ongoing specials at his online store, and the “build your own fly rod” page!