Penns Clave Trip Report - Preliminary
 

Brief note before bed:
Bunches of guys who get ****ed off when there's two people in line in front
of them at a register waiting 7 hours beside a stream to save their spot for
the spinner fall. The green drake spinner fall at Ingleby is the most
incredible display of insects that I've ever seen. It started at about 9.
By the time you get off the stream at 10, you are rung out. Thousands of
fish splashing around you. The water is totally coated by 2 1/2" long (tail
not included) white and black mayfly spinners. Fish taking anything
resembling it. I believe you could hook them with a white piece of polly
yarn as the lure. Tom had one almost to hand that hadn't even touched the
hook. Just was holding the end of the polly yarn used as the white body on
the spinner pattern.
You don't worry about drift, about mending, about anything else than setting
the hook when you think there's a rise in the general vicinity of your fly.
You can't turn on a headlamp or flashlight. If you do, you are soon covered
with thousands of flies. You grit your teeth to breath to keep from
inhaling a bunch. As you strip your line in, flies not stripped off through
the guides make your hands sticky as you can't help but closing your fingers
on a few.
Your vision is useless. Its sound, feel and intuition. This is the only
time that a blind man would have an advantage in fly fishing. You listen
for a rise, or at least try to triangulate where multiple rises are and cast
to that area. When you hear or, maybe see a splash in the vicinity of your
fly, you set the hook. Readjust at each cast.
When the payoff comes, it shocks your whole system. You are intent on one
phase of the fishing, then have to quickly shift to the next. Is it a
smallie, chub, carp, foul hooked? No, its a monster fish taken from 6 to 8
inches of water. Many people, including Tom, JR, Handyman, and me, broke the
20" fish size mark. Some by almost half a foot.
Would I do it again? I don't know. Weeks of preparation for a few minutes
of fishing. Its not pretty fly fishing. It is, however, some of the most
intense fly fishing I've ever done. I can't help but think my next turn on
the water will be anticlimatic.

--
Frank Reid
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As Penns Clave winds down, I guess its time for a TR.
I won't go through every place I fished, the mini death marches or watching
folks spend two to six hours casting to one rising fish.
Players:
Tom Littleton
Mike Shaw
Mike Makela
Jim Laffley
Stan Gula
Jeff Miller
I.J.
JR
Tim Carter
Mark (Maryland)
Joel Axelrod
Dave PA
Gene Cyprych
Peter Charles
Bruce Fisher
John Mekosh
Frank Reid
If I've forgotten some one, well write a TR and say you were there. The
days tend to blur.
John Mekosh is my buddy from Lost Angeles.
Highlights:
All single malt is "peaty." Never tasted any of it, but I heard it enough.
Duck Butt Awards:
The Hen goes to Mike Makela for his work on Penns as he forgot the proper
ration of rum to Coke. Both a minor dry land and in-stream sitdown.
The Drake goes to my buddy John Mekosh (ever notice its normally the newbies
on Penns who get this?). John did a wonderful water angel whilst in the
middle of giving the namesake of the full Reid grief about shipping a little
bit of water over the front of his waders. Karma my friend, Karma.
Raffle:
The "grand prize," i.e. Asadi's shadow box was won by, well, John Mekosh. I
also took the responsibility of mailing Peter Charles his prize. Well, he
won my gift, including a bottle of "Old Fart" wine.
Mark from Maryland gets the award for shortest clave. He got there just
before the raffle on Tuesday (had it at one-ish to leave time for fishing)
and left that evening due to a family emergency.
Peter Charles also did a turn and burn after two days. I hope all is
alright with Mark and Peter.
The green drakes are wonderful. Unfortunately, because the fish gorge
themselves all night, the daytime fishing is often quite slow.

--
Frank Reid
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On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 12:43:38 -0400, "Frank Reid"
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:


Peter Charles also did a turn and burn after two days. I hope all is
alright with Mark and Peter.

Ya, OK, took me two days of rest to recharge -- I had partied too
hearty the week before and it was now pay-back time. Ain't as good as
I used to be.

Thanks for mailing the raffle prize, I wasn't expecting that.



Peter

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Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharl...ers/index.html

On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 12:43:38 -0400, "Frank Reid"
moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote:


Peter Charles also did a turn and burn after two days. I hope all is
alright with Mark and Peter.

Ya, OK, took me two days of rest to recharge -- I had partied too
hearty the week before and it was now pay-back time. Ain't as good as
I used to be.

Thanks for mailing the raffle prize, I wasn't expecting that.



Peter

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Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharl...ers/index.html

Peter Charles wrote:
Ya, OK, took me two days of rest to recharge -- I had partied too
hearty the week before and it was now pay-back time. Ain't as good as
I used to be.

Sorry to not have had the chance to sit and talk, Peter. Thanks for leaving
us the Scotch and Sleemans. We gave them a good home.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps

"Frank Reid" moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf wrote in message
...
The Hen goes to Mike Makela for his work on Penns as he forgot the proper
ration of rum to Coke. Both a minor dry land and in-stream sitdown.

Oh no you don't....totally refusing this one. A sit down on a boulder while
landing a 20 inch fish that took me into a submerged tree does not count as
anything but a great fight (it was landed), and no I didn't get wet. As for
the land sit down, it was amazing I didn't pull the reid while crossing that
stream that night, totally Gonzo from that NC Moonshine (Jeff called it Rum,
but I know better), but again, not wet.

Nope, not taking anything for two sitdowns when from all accounts you took
an actual Reid, wet waders and all.

I demand a recount from all impartial attendees.

The Finn

The Hen goes to Mike Makela for his work on Penns as he forgot the proper
ration of rum to Coke. Both a minor dry land and in-stream sitdown.

Oh no you don't....totally refusing this one. A sit down on a boulder
while landing a 20 inch fish that took me into a submerged tree does not
count as anything but a great fight (it was landed), and no I didn't get
wet. As for the land sit down, it was amazing I didn't pull the reid
while crossing that stream that night, totally Gonzo from that NC
Moonshine (Jeff called it Rum, but I know better), but again, not wet.

Hm, the descriptions I got from your "fishing buddies" was a bit different.

Nope, not taking anything for two sitdowns when from all accounts you took
an actual Reid, wet waders and all.

Sorry, I'm retired from competition. I only do demonstrations.

I demand a recount from all impartial attendees.

No such thing in the rule pamplet that we lost years ago. There is but one
judge, jury, and executioner for this award. Recount? Okay, mmm, one. All
votes are final, the judge says: Its yours.

--
Frank Reid
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"Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote in message

I demand a recount from all impartial attendees.

The Finn



Lots of luck finding those. I think it boiled down to the fact that the past
master of swim-fishing couldn't give an award to himself, along with
numerous reports of stream and bank dancing by yourownself that evening down
in the No-Kill water.
Tom