You can contact Dennis at: DSmith7136@msn.com

 

    

    Flow charts for the South Platte Basin this week suggest that fishing the Big T or the Poudre in the coming months is going to be - uhh, challenging. Volumes are down to less than 30 cfs in the Tommy and damn near non-existent in the Poudre.  Never mind that, with few exceptions, it’s been bone-cracking cold out there since Thanksgiving Day. Still, if you’re one of those die-hard souls who thrives on adversity and sneak-and-peek midging, then these conditions may appeal to you.

     Most of us, though, will choose to pass the winter months tying flies, catching up on our reading, and “putzing” around with our tackle. For the next few weeks many of us will be cruising the fly shops looking for gifts for the anglers on our Christmas lists.

     I stopped in to Bob’s the other day on exactly that mission, and was immediately taken by some of the really neat, one-of-a-kind fly fishing accessories Julie has on hand for holidays shoppers -  stuff you simply can’t get anywhere else. Like those incredibly beautiful, handcrafted, hardwood rod tubes she showed me. Wow!  Imagine a six-sided rod case, meticulously hand-planed of delicately-figured cherry or maple with contrasting inlays of walnut, rosewood, purple heart or some such (I’m not certain), clear-dipped in spar varnish like the finest bamboo rods, then fitted with top-grain leather strapping and a classic dry encased inside the top cover, shadow box style. Sweet. Tasty. Elegant.

     Likewise for the laser-etched hardwood fly and accessories boxes on display - also painstakingly handcrafted. I immediately fell for a 5x7 walnut desk box with a leaping rainbow trout of cherry wood, scrupulously etched and inlayed into the top cover. I’ll use it to store my favorite four fly-tying tools - bobbin, scissors, hackle pliers and whip finisher in. I couldn’t resist; I’m a sucker for nice wood, and this thing is just exquisite.

     On the more practical side, particularly for anglers who have a difficult time knotting tiny flies to even tinier tippets, there were 3x flip-up magnifying lenses that clip on to even the most severely-sculpted Polaroid frames. I know; they were the only ones I’ve ever found that fit my Action Optic guide glasses, and I’ve tried a bunch of them over the years. I bought a pair on the spot.

     The 20/20 Magnetic Tippet Threader by Tight Line Enterprises is another of those unique, imminently useful (and therefore hard-to-find) gadgets that actually works. Small fly fishers will love them. I snatched one of them up too. I should have bought a few more for stocking stuffers.

    Then, of course, Julie has a collection of new, old, rare and out of print fly fishing volumes you won’t find on the shelves in any other shops. You owe it to yourself and Santa, and the fly fisher on your Christmas list to pop in there before it’s all gone. Merry Christmas.

      Dennis Smith is an Outdoor Writer and Photographer. His articles and photos have appeared in numerous outdoor publications, catalogs and newspapers. Dennis can be reached at (970) 669-6074. Want to know more about Dennis?

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