Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop in Saint Paul had a gear swap. There was a lot of cool stuff there. There were also a bunch of cool people. Here are some photos I took while I was there.
Outside of the shop.
Outside of the shop Patagonia was showing off their new wading boots, and then under the BMFS tent the grill was going and there were hot dogs and chips for all.
Steelhead Talk
There was a lot of fish talk going on, and in the photo above Mr. Sherlock was talking about steelhead, per usual. He likes to toss an egg pattern first before using a streamer - I'm kidding. That's how you get him "triggered" haha :).
Hot dogs and chips.
Sam trying to get Aaron to give him all of the goods for free.
There was a lot of old gear that found new homes, and will find new fish. There were so many fly rods this year! So many!
The Man, The Myth, The Legend - Wilderness Bill made an appearance to the gear swap. He's known to wrestle Canadian gators in his sleep, and chug bottles of maple syrup by the gallons, and destroy Costco sized pizzas with 1 bite.
FYI - I don't know what is going on with my Google account and blogger, but it won't let me traditionally reply to your comments. I have to instead create a complete separate comment to reply back.
Another fun night at Lake Monster Brewing for Hops & Hoppers hosted by Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop and Lake Monster Brewing. I meant to tie a bunch of flies, but that didn't happen. So enjoy a bunch of pictures.
1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Bret is a rad dude with laser like focus when he's tying trout bugs. He also in a band Too Pure To Die.
Focus.
Some times that focus affects Bret's periphreal vision, and he has trouble sensing dangers in the form of A-A-Ron looking intently for the right opportunity to pounce on him.
Guys who wear undersized hats always find each other.
Here we have Drew and Josh. Josh is really cool, and has some mad skillz at the vise. Drew...we just don't know about.
One of the guides that works out of Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop is a super fishy dude, and his name is Evan. He has a goal to tie 1 million of these white murdich minnows by winters end. Not even 1 month in, he's 1/3 of the way to his goal.
Grant and his wife are some pretty rad individuals. They like cooking bacon on their flattop grill, and posting ridiculous pictures of each other on social media.
Grant giving Ashley some tips on what to do when you see a camera aimed at you.
Awww so cute.
Below we have a picture of something that simply cannot be explained. Rhea, Matt Ebbers, and myself just couldn't keep a straight face while Grant just looked over at Ashley like this was a normal occurrence. Can you take a guess at what was happening here?
Amazing.
Eddie Rivard has a black belt in bugs. Here is a rare shot of him sharing his knowledge to Josh, Micah, and an unknown dude for free.
Do you know about The Driftless Flyer? If you don't, simply click on the name/link and do a bit of reading, and you will. Did you know that it was that easy to know about something? Now you do, and you're welcome. The Driftless Flyer is actually a 2 person team comprised of Micah and his wife Abigail.
Eddie Rivard is also an International Fly Super Model. Here he is helping Carlin Samela show off some of his most recent musky flies for free. Such a charitable man that Eddie Rivard is.
Say Cheese.
Andrew Muntz is a flure tying machine. Some people make balloon animals, but Andrew makes fly animals. A little kid walked up to him at the brewery and asked him to whip up a lion, and he did. Mad Skillz.
Andrew Muntz showing off some serious vise skills.
Drinking beer, tying flies, and telling lies. Another fun night spent at Lake Monster Brewing in Saint Paul Minnesota for Hops & Hoppers hosted by Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop. I typically tie 1 fly at these gatherings, and spend the rest of my time hanging out and talking with the homies.
Hops & Hoppers
It's always interesting to see what others are whipping up at the vise. On this night there were quite a few trout buggers being tied, along with some big musky, bass, and salmon flies.
I forgot this man's name, but he's only been tying a week. He tied his first woolly bugger on this night, and it was nicer than any woolly bugger that has ever left my vise.
First woolly bugger lookin' woolly buggery.
Micah Crider loves black hats and driftless trout. He and his wife have a pretty sweet blog with some great photography and stories. You should take a minute and check it out - The Driftless Flyer.
Just because it's an open fly tying night, doesn't necessarily mean you have to tie flies. I like to consider fly tying an art, and while Mr. Sherlock was skillfully creating steelhead flies with a hook and vise, Charlie Forbes was right next to him showcasing his skillz with paint and a brush.
Charlie does some amazing work, and I am a fan. If you haven't, you should really check out his Instagram page for more of his work. It was a really great to see him meticulously paint his works at the open tie night. I think he should do it more often.
Charlie Forbes creating something magnificent, per usual.
Before he goes to sleep each night, Bobby Nacho's tosses back a few musky flies to keep his musky game strong.
Got out for a float with my homie Aaron of Scavenger Fly on the St. Croix River. The plan was to row up river and drift back down in search of musky, pike, and smallmouth. Our friend Ted surprised us when he said that he was on the river, too. He met up with us, and generously offered to tow us up river. THANKS TED! You da man!!
