George Abernathy, Founding Member With just nine days into this year, six members from the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club spent a half day fishing for trout below and around the Blue Point Bridge on the Salt River. Fishing was slim for some of us, but Brad Smith caught three fat rainbow trout that he…
George Abernathy Dec. 7, 2019, was an honorable day for the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club when the following club members, Randy Smith, Dan Roberts, Fred Smith, Bob Ludwig and Sonny Williams, hosted 15 disabled veterans and volunteers from Project Healing Waters for some trout fishing at the Veterans Oasis Lake in Chandler. Even though the…
George Abernathy It’s always a joy to introduce a new member to fly fishing and help them navigate through the learning curve of fly fishing. God only knows how technical, confusing, and frustrating it can be without mentorship. I remember when I first got introduced to fly fishing in Colorado in 2004. My mentor, who…
Brad Smith I believe there exist five Universal Truths: Nothing lasts forever, All things in moderation, Hot dogs must be eaten with mustard, At least one of your aunts or uncles will be insane, and Fly fishing must be for trout. These maxims have faithfully guided me along my journey over the years, but on…
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…
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…
Carl Smith Floating on an Arizona mountain lake, an osprey hovering overhead and then it suddenly dives for a fish, silence except if you are lucky, an elk is bugling in the forest, and suddenly your rod bends and you set the hook…. Fish On! Walking along a beautiful stream or river with a fly…
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 Last year was a busy year for the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club. For some of us, we manage to fish over 20 times. One of the highlights was our annual four-day trip to the San Juan River in New Mexico. We had 12 members who attended the event. Everyone landed numerous fat…