Fly Fishing

Matt Light with a steelhead he caught on a previous fishing trip
What does a three-time Super Bowl Champion do during the NFL lockout (besides work out at Boston Collge)? What any one of us rational folks do: fish.

On Memorial Day, I fished with Matt Light of the New England Patriots and two other avid anglers, Russ Kessler and Ed Lombardo, Sr. For the past few years, Orvis has been proud to help support Matt’s great charitbale cause, The Light Foundation. The foundation teaches kids outdoor skills such as fishing, shooting, and hunting in order to help them become responsible and successful citizens. It is a great organization that has made a difference in the lives of scores of kids.

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By the time we realize the caddis hatch isn’t going to happen, we don’t care. One morning, we boat two hours to another river with a steeper gradient and faster water. After traveling a mile upriver, we get out to wade. Within minutes, each of us has landed a brook trout from four to seven pounds. For the rest of the afternoon, Jim and I leapfrog up one bank, while Mike and John work the other.

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Mike and I spend the rest of the morning with Steve Murray, owner of Riverkeep Lodge, while Jim and John fish with Wilson, who has been the head guide for 15 years. His knowledge of the area is equally matched by his good humor and wit, and throughout the day, whenever Wilson is within earshot, we can hear laughing. Prospecting with drys, we catch an occasional trout, but no one lays into a really big fish. Still, with each colorful brookie, Steve shakes his head in wonder. Even for him, this place takes getting used to.

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The brook trout jumps clear out of the river for the size 12 Stimulator skating across the surface. My line goes taut, and soon I bring the trout to hand—a 17-inch beauty that’s thick enough to go two pounds. Although it’s small for this otherworld called Labrador, it’s also the first trout of a weeklong trip, and since I hail from the Land of the 10-Inch Trophy Squaretail (aka Vermont) I’m not yet acclimated to the absurdity of the place. I consider the trout a moment longer, and then slip it back into the water. You’d better bring a pretty big net when you head into the Labrador bush in search of native brook trout.

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As I walked up to the office yesterday morning, I saw the guys from the rod shop carting long cardboard boxes to the picnic table on the lawn. I knew that this could mean only one thing: a morning rod-testing session.

The product developers, others in the Rod & Tackle division, and the folks who actually. . .

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Alec Kauffman shows off a Rogue River steelhead, while his younger brother mugs for the camera. Hey, if you don’t have a fish of your own, it’s your only option, right? photo by Zac Kauffman

EDITOR’S NOTE: Zac Kauffman—the Outdoor Operations Manager for Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge in Merlin, Oregon—sent us this story by his 14-year-old son Alec, who had written it for Ms. Coleman’s 6th period Language Arts class. As Zac wrote, “It does seem to capture the child’s excitement about fishing.” We couldn’t agree more.

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Saltwater action on the Atlantic Coast is heating up, so it’s time to stock up on baitfish patterns for stripers, bluefish, and false albacore. Perhaps the most famous fly for the salt is the Clouser Deep Minnow–created by Susquehanna River icon Bob Clouser, named by Lefty Kreh, and mutated into hundreds of forms by other tiers. This version, by New Jersey angler and tier Brad Buzzi, is fairly beefy and durable and should work for. . .

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