Derek Scoble, SLA VP Yesterday I had a talk with an old friend I never knew. His name is Ted, and this November marks 14 years since his passing. Ted Costa was one of the original founders of the Sun Lakes Anglers, over 40 years ago. I never met Ted, but I clean his bench…
George Abernathy, Founding Member There’s never a guarantee of landing fish when you go fly fishing, but Brad Smith, a SLFFC member and I, with our collective wisdom, really thought we planned a great trip with prepared alternatives in case Mother Nature reared her head. With our one-man pontoon boats loaded in my truck, we…
The Sun Lakes Anglers Club (SLAC) met on April 2 to wish one of our longtime members, Dave Gaw, happy trails as he heads to Montana to be around family. Dave joined SLAC back in 2003 and has supported well over 150 fishing derbies during his time with the club. He has touched the lives…
Brad Smith My wife once asked me, “What do you guys do after you’re done fishing for the day; do you give each other back rubs?” I consider this question so profound that I still ponder it after these many years. What statement throughout history could better exemplify the male-female dialectic! Obviously, she thought this…
George Abernathy, Founding Member For the past five years that I’ve been involved with the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club, I’ve had the pleasure of spending numerous days fly fishing with over 30 club members. Throughout all these trips, I have found that they all have one thing in common regardless of their background, experience…
Brad Smith We happily bid a fond farewell to the summer of 2018 which saw some very slow trout fishing. High winds, low water, high temperatures, low monsoon rain; all add to dismal fishing. But finally, fall is here and we can get serious about fly fishing again. While opening day of trout season in…
George Abernathy October is always a busy month for the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club, and this year is no exception. On Tuesday, October 2 and 16, we’re meeting for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. at the Stone & Barrel. Our club will have a table at the Cottonwood Palo Verde Open House on Saturday, October…
Brad Smith I’m at my desk listening to my favorite music and tying up some trout flies for an upcoming trip our club is taking to the San Juan River in southwest New Mexico. My Zen-like attention to this task is interrupted by my wife’s sudden appearance in the den. “Whaddya think?” she asks,…
George Abernathy Trout are like people. OK… they’re not much like people, but like us, they don’t function well at extreme temperatures. Here in Arizona, summer temperatures present trout with no small amount of discomfort. And like us, they have few options to mitigate summer’s excess. AC is out, as is relocating to a…
Brad Smith The origins of fly fishing for trout are obscure, but certainly go back a very long time. Egyptian hieroglyphics depict people fishing along the Nile, although not for trout. Interestingly, these figures are seen smiling, suggesting the endeavor was not only to procure food, but that it also brought pleasure. These ancient fishers…