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St. Vrain Angler News & Muse November 29, 2005
Greetings!
I hope this finds you well, wallowing in the afterglow of
 Thanksgiving
with friends and family. My family sends you greetings and best wishes. Max,
who is a chowderhead, would like you to give him a pat next time you see
him. All three of our girls were home and we were joined by Aaron's family
for Thanksgiving dinner. There is much to celebrate in both households as
wedding plans begin taking shape. What an exciting time; another rite of
passage.
There's lots to report this week, so please enjoy reading. I
hope you are well, and I hope to see or hear from you soon.
Thanks for reading! Take time to tie a few flies and go
fishing, too.
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Web Updates
Please read the following pages for updates. They include a
Calendar of Events for December 2005 through March 2006, a list of Classes -
including Specialty Tying Classes, and the updated Catalogue, which has
offers for Gift Certificates, Permission to Go Fishing Certificates, Fly
Tying Bundles and much more!
Enjoy!
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PayPal
When you followed the links above and read
the info you saw that
 we've
added Add To Cart buttons so you can register for classes or purchase
products and Gift Certificates from the web page. We're using PayPal to
consummate the sales and make transactions. It works and is secure.
I'll continue to add online purchasing
opportunities. Please remember: we'd prefer to talk with you one-on-one, so
when you have any questions please call the shop at 303-651-6061 or
800-651-1770; or drop me a line at
angler@peakpeak.com
Our goal is to fulfill your fly fishing
dreams!
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Special Events
On Tuesday, December 13, 2005 we'll host a St. Vrain Angler Open
House at the shop from 6:00-8:30PM. There will be hot cider,
cookies, punch and various Shop Specials available. Everyone who attends
will receive a free gift, compliments of St. Vrain Angler. This would be a
good time to relax and find the special gift that will fulfill your holiday
wishes. We look forward to seeing you on December 13, 2005 at 418 Main
Street in Longmont. For more information please call 303-651-6061. THANKS!
On Saturday, December 10, 2005 Longmont hosts its annual
 Holiday
Parade in downtown Longmont. The festivities begin at 5:00PM and promise to
be colorful and full of lovely sounds. Jessica will be marching with her
school band. We'll stay open and provide hot beverages and cookies to parade
participants. Enjoy! This is good family fun.
We'll see you then.
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Specialty Tying Class
The next Specialty Tying Class is scheduled for Thursday, December 8, 2005
at the shop. We'll meet at 5:30 for something to
eat - we usually go to O'Shay's - and the class will start at 6:30 and
finish at 9:30. We're going to tie Attractor Dry Flies - Stimulator, Wulff
and Trude Patterns. This will be fun and informative.
Sign up by dropping me a line at
angler@peakpeak.com
or by calling the shop. You can also sigh up using PayPal by clicking here:
We'll have a fine time and look forward to seeing you.
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Wish List
Registration
It's been a tradition for years, and it works. We keep tabs on your gift
selections so your shopper can get you what you want from St. Vrain Angler.
Here's how it works:
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Fill out the form below, or stop in the shop to fill out your wish list
card.
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Your name and the list of goodies you'd like this year will be available
to your shopper when they either call or stop by the shop to shop for you.
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You get what you want, and your shopper shops with confidence, knowing
they're getting you the very thing you want.
Our guarantee is simple: you will be satisfied with what you get. Period.
We'll exchange, replace or refund for anything to make it right for you!
Sign up now! Give your shopper time to shop with confidence at St. Vrain
Angler.
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Fishing Pictures
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Friend, Guide, Instructor
and Fly Tier Joe Submitted this photo after a recent trip to Missouri to
visit a friend. The fish was right at his feet as he fished, so he
snapped this shot. Nice fish, huh? |
| That's a big rainbow from
the Frying Pan. Steve hooked this guy on Thanksgiving Day. When I asked
what he was doing up there then he explained that his son had a hockey
tournament out of town and Steve had to stay home. Hmm. I believe him -
and this fish. |
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Here's a fish Frank hooked
on the Upper Big Thompson recently. It ate a small fly and was ready to
get back in the water where it was warm! The heck with being in the air,
huh Mr. Rainbow? |
| This is a shot of the
drive from Cancun towards Tulum in Mexico. Note the damaged sign and the
lack of leaves and bark on the trees. It was the norm. On the way back,
one week later, the trees had new leaves growing and much of the damage
was repaired. If you are heading that way, go! |
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Once we were off the main
road - a good, paved one - we had about two hours on this fine dirt
road. This was how it looked - for two hours. On the way in at night we
could see car lights for ten minutes before we actually met the other
vehicle! This is called a flat, straight road. |
| First fish, first morning.
Joe hooked this small, but lively, tarpon on a fly. He liked it; so did
Chuck, who took the picture. There are small tarpon like this all over
along mangroves. We made blind casts or casts to visible fish. It's fun
and exciting. We never knew when... |
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You are never alone wading
the flats. Often, you are even part of the food chain. The wading birds
are lovely and great fishers of fish. Note the wind and waves to the
left, and the calm behind this small mangrove island. Often we see
tailing bones in this sort of spot. |
| When you make a good
presentation you'll be rewarded, as Joe was here, with a nice, fast
bonefish. This is a big fish. Joe is a big guy and he's holding this
fish close to himself, so no showing off. Note the hat, rod, fanny pack
and sunglasses. His feet have protective stuff too. Wading is fun and
challenging. You have to see the fish, first, then make a cast to the
right spot. When they take the fly mayhem breaks loose and fun is had by
all. |
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Our constant companion in
camp was Rambo, the dog. He would sit at our feet, beg for food -
although not belligerently - and dig up and fight with crabs on the
sand. The crab fights were pretty good. The crabs would stand on their
six legs and flash their claws at the dog, who would circle the crab
until one or the other ran out of patience and went away. Funny and
neat! |
| We had lovely Esmerelda to
wave and snuggle with us at dinner. She was a little over a year old,
and cute as a button - as you can see. Once, she wanted to sit on my
lap. It was to feel my beard. After that she cried and wanted down. The
story of my life with girls.
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Fly Swap
Fly Swaps are interesting and fun. They build camaraderie and help tiers
become more consistent with their fly tying. We're going to hold an
End of 2005 Fly Swap! Here's how
it works:
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Determine a Winter fly pattern you enjoy fishing. |
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Tie 15 flies in one size and style. |
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Write out short tying instructions and the recipe for the fly. Put your
name, the fly's name and a fishing or tying tip on the note. Print
fourteen copies. |
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Turn the flies and info sheet into the shop by December 31, 2005. |
We'll organize the flies into boxes with one of each pattern and distribute
them to each tier who participates. The remainder will be donated to the
local Trout Unlimited Chapter to auction off.
As a special incentive to participate,
the first fourteen people who sign up for the swap will receive a 10% card
good for one shopping spree of tying tools, hooks or materials in the shop
from now through December 15, 2005!
Sign up soon! You'll be glad you did! This is FUN!
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Shopping With St. Vrain Angler
At St. Vrain Angler you can shop with confidence!
 We
promise we'll be friendly and helpful and that what you buy will work as
intended. When anyone buys a gift of any sort we'll guarantee it's the right
thing.
If you are not satisfied please let us know so we can
exchange the product for the right thing, or refund your money.
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You can shop at the store. We're located at 418 Main Street
in downtown Longmont, CO. There's plenty of parking behind the shop on the
west side of Kimbark Street, just north of 4th Avenue. The coffee is
always on. |
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You can call us to order anything and we'll ship it to you.
The phone number is 303-651-6061 or 800-651-1770 for those out of the
area. |
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You can shop online. There are featured items throughout
the Catalogue section that are set up to accept PayPal payments. As soon
as we receive your order, we'll ship it to you! |
Store Hours: December 5-23, 2005
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday 9:30-6:00
Wednesday 9:30-8:00
Saturday 9:00-5:00
Sunday 11:00-2:00
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New Gear
Here are a few new items that are either in the shop now, or will be this
week:
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New Winston Vapor Fly Rods. All are 4-Piece and come with Bag, Case and
Lifetime Warranty. Various lengths and weights.
$279.00 |
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Jim Teeny TFO Fly rods. Rods are 4-Piece and come with a bag and lifetime
warranty. 4-12 Weight $199.00 |
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Jim Teeny Specialty Fly Lines. The lines are designed by angling experts
to work for specific conditions. Prices vary. Stop in to see a few! |
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Patagonia Goodies! Too numerous to mention. Time to stay warm, eh? |
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Redington Clothing. Lots of good stuff, including inexpensive fly vests,
hunting jackets and more. |
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Lots more in fly tying, flies, accessories and so on. We've got what you
need, or we'll get it for you!
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Flats Fishing
Trips
Here's what we have coming in the near future. Not all of the dates are set,
but they will be as soon as you ask about the trips and a few folks commit
to a specific date. OK? One of these trips would be a great Holiday Gift, by
the way - or the gear required to take it. (The prices I list are
approximations for everything from Denver, inclusive. OK?)
Christmas Island: We're going back. The
plane situation is fixed. The dates are January 10-17, 2006. It's a good
time to go. The trip will be about $3800.00, +/-. A few spots remain.
angler@peakpeak.com
Ascension Bay: I talked with the owner
and we decided one or two flats fishing schools were in order. I'd like to
do one of them in late January, and another in Mid-February. About $3000.00.
Who wants to join me?
angler@peakpeak.com
Belize - San Pedro! We're going to try
to go back in March, 2006. This is our couples trip, and great for folks who
want to share some good time in a relatively developed area that is lovely,
friendly and safe. The fishing is good; the eating is good; the resting is
good; the diving and snorkeling are both good; and so on is all good.
angler@peakpeak.com
Andros Island: This is the trip we
usually do in either April or May. We'll have to schedule it in the near
future if we plan to go as the place fills fast.
angler@peakpeak.com
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Estes Angler News! Many of you
remember Grant Rollo, who w orked
for me at the Estes Angler several years ago. He was - and remains - a
bundle of energy. One of Grant's goals was to own his own fly shop. The
first of November, 2005 I sold him the Estes Angler. He is now the proud owner of the shop and
looks forward to continuing the great tradition we've set of fulfilling fly
fishing dreams in Estes Park and in and around Rocky Mountain National Park.
You can reach Grant at 800-586-2100.
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Well, that's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed reading once again. I also
hope there are a few gift ideas here for you to consider, and that you'll
shop with St. Vrain Angler this Holiday Season.
We're here to help. Remember the Attractor Tying Class, the Shop Open House
and the Holiday Parade on Main Street in Downtown Longmont, Colorado.
I'll talk with you again soon and look forward to seeing you in the near
future!
Thanks for reading.
Dale Darling
angler@peakpeak.com |
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