To my loyal & valued customers,
I hear “the dog days” of August barking. Ruff, ruff, ruff is the weather. Who called for this heat? Our area rivers are low, low, low! Time to fish the Swift River in Belchertown or the Deerfield in Charlemont. Vermont rivers are lower than plankton at the bottom of the ocean! Do I sound full of despair? Draw your conclusion.
On a positive note, I am just returning from an 8-day sojourn to Idaho. Maybe the best trip I have ever taken. I landed a 7 lb. rainbow on a remote spring creek. I even had witnesses who are all still in my witness protection program see my fish. A friend also got one maybe a tad larger. We called him BIG FISH John. I even landed 14 fish on the vaunted Silver Creek spring creek in spite of being told that a 1 – 2 fish day was exemplary. Never tell someone that they can’t do something. I would go back tomorrow but I am facing surgery on 2 hips. I suddenly cannot wade anymore and need to get er’ done soon. I am encouraged about what I hear from so many people about how hip operations are so much easier than knees! Weigh in on your positive hip operation stories.
Pat Perkins — In addition to building a superb bamboo rod is now doing restorations on all types of bamboo rods. If you have a bamboo rod and it is in need of repair, please contact the shop for details.
See you in the store for more episodes of my Idaho trip. I made a memory.
Regards & See you on the water,
Charlie Shadan
ESFS Notice
I am putting on a large Fly Fishing show in Nashua, NH on March 21, 2026 at the Marriott Courtyard exit 8. It is the first of its kind across the country. It will be called: The 1st Fly Fishing University for Anglers.
“Educating the angler will be our Hallmark” –
Plan your calendar as more details will follow month to month thru my newsletter, social media, word of mouth, etc. This promises to be a well thought out event with seminars to benefit every angler’s education needs.
If you have excess fly-tying materials — hooks, feather, beads, please bring them into the shop. We are going to begin a monthly donation to Project Healing Waters Fly Tying program. Myself and Jon Sweatman will coordinate getting these materials to the program each month.
Thank you for your kindness to these veterans.
So You Think You Know Everything?
The ESFS will be running every month interesting factoids…
August is often a wonderful month for stargazing! It’s the month of the Perseid meteor shower, which is one of the most prolific showers and reaches its maximum between August 11 and 13.