My first stop of the day was Orvis NYC. Did a double talk first hitting on the Upper Delaware and then talking about the Jersey Shore saltwater. Had a great group of guys with some staying for both parts and some just staying for either one. It's always nice to visit the store and see fly fishing manager Rob Ceccarini in his own turf. Besides meeting some great people I was able to check out the Orvis spey rods. First the Helios 15 foot 10 wt and the Clearwater 14 foot 9 wt. I'm going to have to do some line calculations to see which rod will work better for me....I will say that 15 foot rod is very, very long.
Both before and after the event I was tempted to hit the Halal food truck for some lamb and rice....but I stayed away. Last time I visited Orvis and hit it, which I used to do too often while covering Manhattan for the New York Post, I got sick as a dog. Stomach surgery and Halal don't mix well.
At night I visited beautiful Ridgewood and joined the Joan Wulff Flyfishers at their May meeting. Lots of interest and some great questions and feedback from the primarily trout fishing attendees. I look forward to fishing with those talked of booking a boat or beach trip for striped bass. I know they will love crossing over from the fresh to the salt.
All in all a great but long day. I must have talked for four hours and I'm looking forward to getting to bed and getting out and hitting the beach tomorrow. And, I drove through hail coming home on the Garden State Parkway after the meeting.......the crazy weather continues.
