Awesome day at a meeting of fly fishermen and gals. For the past three years they've held a Spey Nation gathering in Upstate NY on the Salmon River. Lots of big manufacturers like TFO, Scott, Ecco etc in attendance. No sales on site. You can pick up any rod and take it to the river to try it out. And you can do it again and again and again. They have a big raffle. This years grand prize was a trip to British Columbia. The proceeds from the raffle have been given to our fish club to help with expenses in our efforts to restore Atlantic Salmon to the Fish Creek watershed in Upstate NY. Speakers were from across the country and really REALLY good. All speakers spoke from the river with a spey rod in hand. Wonderful stuff from a dedicated group just spreading the word. Last year they donated to our club $2700. This year they presented us with $4200 in cash. It couldn't have come at a better time as we just received word that Greg Harden(Harden Furniture Company, McConnellsville, NY) has agreed to build us a new hatchery. We have to outfit the building and of course take care of all the fish business. He's providing brain power for the structure and materials. I wonder if our new hatchery is going to be all cherry lumber. LOL We placed a test tank at Hardens dam this year and the fish thrived there. Our new hatchery will be 20 x 30. We'll easily beable to handle 100,000 eggs a year. We hatch them and stock when they're about 2 1/2 inches. We still have our old hatchery in operation on the East Branch of Fish Creek but probably will move the majority of our operation to McConnellsville and the Harden site. Besides the 4,200 dollars they gave us.... I won a spey rod. LOL Now I got to go buy another reel etc etc etc. Dang, I've been fly fishing for 3 years and this makes 7 fly rods I now own. Will it ever end? LOL I guesstimate 250-300 people in attendance.
That is awesome David, great news there, hopefully you will post some more photos of the operation as it grows!!
I forgot to mention... they provide hamburgers, hotdogs, sodas, water and draft beer to all.... FREE of charge. Now those folks know how to throw a party. LOL Can't say enough about the speakers. One all the way from Oregon on his own dime. The boy could throw a fly I tell ya.
