Great job Ryan, good luck with your new rod.

Moe Decoteau and a beautiful Steelhead

Good friend Moe Decoteau got the opportunity to spend time with his son Michael in early April and they obviously spent some quality time on the water.   They fished the Grand River in Painesville Ohio.

Michael said, “We had outstanding fishing under very difficult conditions.  The water was low and clear and finding water deep enough to hold fish, that wasn’t already filled with anglers was tough.  We had approximately 60 hookups in three days of fishing. Getting them to the net…well, that’s another story…”.

If you are interested in getting into some of this quality steelhead action,  Michael can be requested through Steelhead Alley Outfitters as he has recently been added to their staff.  You can call Greg Senyo at (419) 466-9382 and ask for Michael.

Moe certainly made a fashion statement with his ARF chapeau while displaying his beautiful steelhead.  Tight lines to the Decoteaus and thanks for the picture!

View the slideshow of pictures below
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Building a rod with friends can be a lot of fun.   There is always plenty of good natured bantering that goes on during class along with PLENTY of fishing stories!   It is all in fun and everyone seems to have a great time as they work diligently on their new rod.

Catching a fish on a rod that you have built is very exciting experience.   Throw in using a fly that you have tied and it doesn’t get much better than that.

Assembling the components usually takes between 8 and 10 hours and then the application of finish takes another 2 hours spread out over 2 nights.  For more information on building a rod contact Don .

Captain Cubby

Holden – Don “Cubby” McCubbin from Glenburn was at the Annika Rod and Fly Learning Center, AKA the Dry Fly Clubhouse, teaching a group of eager students the fine art of spinning deer hair.  We tied a really cool looking moth and a mouse, complete with a chamois tail.  I must admit that when granddaughter Natty saw the mouse, out came the wire cutters and off came the bend, barb and point of the hook.  It is now one of her toys.

Cubby has developed a technique for spinning deerhair that is very unique and works quite well.  It is one of those things that you have to see to believe.  Can’t be explained, guess that is why  Cubby commands such an expensive hourly rate for teaching it!  haha  You need to see it a couple of times before it clicks in but once you have it, voila!

Recently Cubby has made a name for himself starring in fly tying videos for Kevin McKay at Maineflyfish.com.  His videos have gone viral on YouTube.com.  I am not really sure what that means but it sounds pretty cool.  I am sure an internet geek somewhere has a magic number of viewings and when that number is exceeded, it is considered VIRAL.  I would say that number for fly tying videos is somewhere between 15 and 20 viewings.  Two of his latest, the Barnes Special and the Canadian Hopper are very well done and definitely a must see for tyers of all levels.  Hats off to Kevin and the Cub-ster on a job well done.

Staff members will be tying throughout the show.  Drop by and chat, we love to talk!

The Annika Rod and Fly Learning Center shop will be open regular hours on Friday (6 – 9 pm) and Saturday (10 am to 4 pm).  The Saturday afternoon fly tying class at the shop will feature Rob Dunnett tying a couple of bucktail streamers, a Mickey Finn and a Black Nose Dace.

Holden

Ed started with a “sweet” olive scud pattern and later tied a bead head nymph.

Don followed up with an ol’ favorite, the muskrat Casual Dress.   This pattern could certainly be tied using a dubbing brush (just underfur for the body and underfur with guard hairs for the thorax).  These dubbing brushes are available for sale at Annika Rod and Fly.

The Saturday afternoon tying series will continue on February 18, 2012 with Dry Flies.   Zack Dunnett will be tying an extended body mayfly pattern using mallard flank feathers and Don Corey will follow up with a Klinkhamer.

The fee for the class is $8, spend $10 before or after class and the class is half price!  All materials and hooks are provided.  All you need to bring is your vise, tying tools and some 8/0 (70 denier) and 6/0 (140 denier) thread.  As always, thread is available for purchase at the shop.    All classes begin at 1 pm and we try to end by 3 pm.   The coffee will be on!  To register in advance, contact Don.

Pro Staffer Dan Hodgins teaching a Chernobyl Ant

Holden – Staff Tyer Dan Hodgins kicked off the Saturday afternoon fly tying classes on February 4, 2012 by teaching 2 patterns, a Chernobyl Ant and a Beetle using forms cut with River Road Creations Cutters to an eager group of students.

Don Corey followed Dan in the batting order tying his all-time smallmouth bass favorite, the Angel of Death.

The tying series will continue on February 11, 2012 with Nymphs.   Ed Dailide will be tying a couple of flies using dubbing brushes and Don Corey will return to teach an ol’ favorite, the casual Dress.

The fee for the class is $8, spend $10 before or after class and the class is half price!  All materials and hooks are provided.  All you need to bring is your vise, tying tools and some 8/0 (70 denier) and 6/0 (140 denier) thread.  As always, thread is available for purchase at the shop.    All classes begin at 1 pm and we try to end by 3 pm.   The coffee will be on!  To register contact Don.

Holden –

The morning session consisted of a Black Bear Green Butt, Black Dose Restigouche, Blue Charm and a Cosseboom.  In true Annika Rod and Fly fashion, there was no shortage of food.  Moe Decoteau brought some excellent chocolate cookies for snacks throughout the day.  At noon the class broke for a fabulous lunch prepared by Chef Diane,  chicken corn chowder and warm ginger bread for dessert.  The gang ditched the idea of a short nap (sounded pretty darn good) and headed back to the shop for the afternoon session of an Orange Blossom Special and Rusty Rat.

In true Muzzy style, he imparted a wealth of tying techniques, laced with stories, jokes and historical information.  Spending a day at the vise with Muz, is a day that won’t be subtracted from your life!

Thanks to Muz for trekking north on a cold day to spend time with friends, both old and new.

We have a recent arrival of Regal vises including an Inex clamp, Stainless Steel Jaw, Midge Jaw, Tradition Jaw and three different pedestal bases (bronze pocket, bronze traditional and aluminum pocket).

A shipment arrived from Dyna-King on Christmas Eve with a Barracuda Deluxe, an Ultimate Indexer and Cement Reservoirs.  A Trekker will be shipping next week.

We also have several excellent condition used vises in stock including a Renzetti Traveler Pedestal, Regal Midge Jaws Bronze Pedestal, Dyna-King Kingfisher, Nor-vise and two HMH Standards (with vise bag).

Drop by and try any of these out!

John, Cubby, Dan and Rob

Holden – The grand opening for the Annika Rod and Fly Learning Center was a great day!  Many friends, old and new dropped by to visit and partake of the plethora of culinary delights while browsing the fly tying and rod building inventory.  Okay, there were hot dogs, cookies and drinks.   The Center will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6 to 8 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 4 pm and by appointment.  The Grand Opening 15% discount on most items will continue through the end of December.  Bangor Daily News Columnist John Holyoke dropped by for a visit (and a hot dog).  Read his Out There blog on the shop at Bangordailynews.com.

Visitors (one entry per day) can put there name in to win an HMH SX pedestal vise (Retail value $130).  The winner will be drawn on January 31, 2012.   New items are arriving w

eekly.  If there is something that you want that we don’t have, let us know and we will try to get it for you.