Thanks for the compliment, Willi, but that musta been one dumb fish! It
helps to have two weeks or so every year to fish with folks that really
understand so much about "the great mystery", as jeffie would say. The brown
that was eating the brown that ate your fly was really unusual! Wish we had
gotten a photo of that.

This clave was another week well spent. The veterans were well represented:
Willi, Warren and his daughter, Jodi and his beautiful galfriend Sabrina,
rw, John Hightower (who will, by Gawd, get to Slough Creek someday!),
Charlie Choc, Bruiser, Mark Tinsky, Chas and Meg, the Jeff & Joe Show, and
others. The cast of newcomers was numerous and I hope they all had a good
time: The Marylanders; Frank "Floaties" Reid, Allen Epps, and Gene Cyprich
(sp?), JR from Oregon, Guy Thornberg, Bevin (what a hiker!!!), Robin, Asadi,
my buddy Harry, the inestimable Mr. Harrison Hisownself and his beautiful
daughter Rhee, and others I can't recall AOTM.

The weather was for the most part was perfect. The salmonflies had the big
fish looking up. The countryside was absolutely awash in the most amazing
display of wildflowers I have ever seen. The animals were out, some of them
were actually not ROFFians. Seldom was heard, a discouraging word. I saw
some new water and the old waters were kind to me. What more could one want?
I'll be back.....

Danl

....I missed the fire dance that Chief Kerosene Joe orchestrated and
choreographed, maybe that's a good thing.....





"Willi" wrote in message
...

I've been going to the Western Claves since they started. This one was
fairly typical and had the stuff that keeps me going back - fine
fishing, good companionship, beautiful country,......

Like usual, there were some flamboyant incidents like "kerosene" Joe and
his astonishing, forest fire avoiding, pyrotechnics display; Wayno's
serenade to the young Amish girls that got us in trouble with the
campmaster; and various and sundry minor injuries, but most of my
impressions are of a more mundane sort....

Watching Danl work a rising fish for a half hour going through numerous
fly changes and finally landing it without spooking it off (this from a
guy who could barely cast a fly at the first Clave)

Visiting one of my favorite small waters where I saw some interesting
Brown trout behavior (and caught some nice fish)

Hearing about Bruce's vacuuming job on the Madison (but unfortunately
spending little fishing time with him). Bruce was even more "on fire"
than usual, fishing with an intensity that was impressive even for him

Finding out I could still make the hike in to Slough Creek (beautiful
place) without too much trouble

Watching Jeff become "of age" on the Madison

Seeing lots of wildlife that included moose, mule deer, elk, beaver,
white tail deer, muskrat, marmot, coyote, bison, bighorn sheep,
antelope, many different birds and assorted ground creatures and having
a couple fine conversations with a talkative Marmot and a taciturn Bison
(missed seeing a grizzly sow and her cub at Slough by about fifteen
minutes)

Had a good time

Willi