Since my last newsletter, I have altered the shop to accommodate fly tying, (or is it ‘tieing’ - do you tie flies or ty flies?), materials, tying tools, vises, hooks etc. etc., but the best news of all is Herb Mossman has agreed to spend 8 hours on Mondays in the shop working with fly tiers. The shop hours will be open on Mondays at 12: noon and close at 8 p.m. The remainder of the week my hours will remain the same – 9: a.m. to 5: p. m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. By extending the hours on Mondays to 8: p.m., I hope to accommodate those curious about learning fly tying and those tiers wanting to sit around a table and swap stories and even, perhaps, enjoy a favorite beverage! I have a nice large table with more than adequate lighting and a Dyna King and a Renzetti vise available for use, and as many of you know, just outside my back door is an area for casting and testing rods. Should you build your own rod, tie your own flies and go out and fool a fish, that’s as good as it gets! The bulk of my materials inventory has been shipped and should be on the walls by Tuesday October 7^th. Please, schedule some time for tying, casting, and story telling for MONDAYS!

I spent part of the day Sunday with Capt. Chuck Naiser (361-729-9314 / naiser@dbstech.com) in the Rockport area attempting to sight cast redfish in water a foot deeper than usual, off color from the rains, and in winds 20 plus MPH. It is frustrating to see redfish all morning long but see them when they are 10 feet in front of the drifting boat! Numerous times I simply tried to ‘feed’ the fish the fly I held in my hand but as you may suspect, they would see me and the boat at the same time and bold away. High tides make seeing the signs of the fish near impossible, even for Chuck who has the best eyes for spotting fish and the signs of fish I have ever seen. It is encouraging though, to see the numbers of redfish in our bays, and I for one am looking forward to some wonderful and productive days during October, November and December.

All indications point to an excellent Trout season on the Guad with, I’m told, a good carryover of fish populations, fishable river flows, and substantial fish releases to begin soon. The Shonto (www.shontoranch.com) will once again be releasing huge numbers and jumbo sized Trout late October or early November into some of their private lakes. If you haven’t experienced a day on the Shonto, you really should. It’s not expensive and will give you an opportunity to catch photo opp Rainbows, Bass, and Panfish, and as an added bonus you will see Whitetailed Deer, Axis Deer and many other species that will take your breath away!

Christmas is right around the corner! I swear the only people that look forward to the season are retailers! Be that as it may, if you want to acquire, have built, or build a rod yourself, get the orders in as soon as possible. Personalized inscriptions continue to be done by Mike Munoz – very nice! A gift Certificate may be the way to go that will allow the recipient to select exactly what they want. I expect December will be hectic for me in the shop. You may want to upgrade your fly reel, fly line etc. – I have a good supply of Ross and Tibor’s available. Also, please keep in mind I will arrange fly casting instruction – 2 people per class for $35 for an hour and a half, and if you want personal fly tying instruction, contact Herb for rates and times. A great gift for those wishing to get into our fishing passion would be instructions and a guided day trip on the Guad or the Shonto!

Another reminder, I will be closed October 25^th through and including November 1^st as I will be ‘field testing’ products in the Mexican Caribbean! Also, remember TUESDAYS the new store hours will be noon to 8: p.m.

Thanks for all your support. I will continue to make this endeavor informative and fun for all that ‘hangout’. If you know of others that would like to receive my newsletters, please let me know their email address. My list is for my use only.

Dennis O. Freeman

RODMAKERS

13457 Blanco Road

San Antonio, TX. 78216

210-479-3477

210-479-3488 – fax

email: rodmaker@rod-makers.com