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Don Schmotzer, Gentleman

I got to meet with Don today. He lives about 20 miles from me and we got together to tie a few flies and yak about fishing.

I also met his gracious wife, Dianne and shared a bowl of her home made, award winning chili... and they shared the secret recipe with me. The Schmotzers share a lovely, welcoming home and a long marriage spanning decades.

Don is the kind of fly tyer that likes his work to look as good as it fishes. He has a supply of tying materials that is to be envied, too. The man knows how to tie a decent fly, Im telling you!

Good people, yessir. Even their dog was nice.Thanks very much for your hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Schmotzer.

P.S. Don is taller than I expected. :-)

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Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 27, 2014 at 7:25am: Thanks, Leo. With a bit of luck, more than one day.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on January 26, 2014 at 10:22pm: Always great to see BBG members gather and enjoy a day out.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 26, 2014 at 9:57am: Thanks Jeff. The plan is to get out and do some catching this season. Don has been at the fly rod longer than I, and he knows the "score," so to speak, in this local area.

That he will also help and share with a nimrod like me speaks volumes about his character. I don't have any determined 'fishing friends,' to date. Oh, I know plenty of people who go occasionally, when the fishing is easy. I know a lot of others who use it as an excuse to drink, too. But that aint me, and that isn't Mr. Don.

Interestingly, he and I share a lifetime of experience in guns, aviation and fishing. Its a kind of trifecta, really. It may be that guys like he and I, aka, 'old geezers', just kinda roll that way. I dunno.

I know this: if he can just show me how to catch a damn fish on a Briminator fly, I will call it a rousing success.

PS - Two other BBG members live nearby -

- Rick Goohs, artist extraordinaire

- Tony Alexander, who lives in the same town.

Hopefully, I can correct the lack of face time with these two guys, too. Who knows, we might become BBG's, "Four Musketeers!

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on January 26, 2014 at 9:30am: Hope you guys get to wet a line together at some point......I too have plans to get out with several members that I haven't met in person yet.....should be fun....

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 26, 2014 at 8:31am: You are so right, Mark. It seems there is always some other obligation, some other pull to keep us from meeting face to face with others. Then when and if we do finally meet, we find they are agreeable and fine folks... and we kick ourselves for having waited so long.

Especially when the chili is so dang good!

Comment by Mark Stine on January 26, 2014 at 7:40am: man that sounds great. It seems so hard to get together now a days glad you were able to set it up!

Comment by carl hendrix on January 25, 2014 at 11:48pm: its always great to meet good people!! real glad the two of you met!!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 25, 2014 at 10:16pm: The learning was handed down to me, Tooty. I was the apprentice.

Comment by DAVID L EITUTIS on January 25, 2014 at 9:44pm: GLAD YOU GUYS GOT TOGETHER AND ENVY YOU BOTH !!!!!!! WOULD HAVE LOVED TO WATCH YOU BOTH TIE AND LEARN FROM YOU BOTH ......