Very sad news tonight. While scanning Facebook I saw a post from Vincent Wilcox from Wiley's Flies in Saranac Lake. His newly hired guide, Joe Cyr, 23, passed away November 2nd. This is the same person who I had a great encounter with in July. He was the nice kid who contacted me and purchased my drift boat.
In July just hours after I posted it, like 9 pm, I got a call from Joe saying he wanted my drift boat and if I could hold it because they were willing to leave Saranac Lake NOW and drive through the night. I told him the next day would be fine....its theirs. His smile was infectious as was his enthusiasm for fly fishing. He is a graduate of Paul Smiths College and I am heading up there this Friday so my daughter Lauren can spend an overnight there as part of their open house weekend.
Below is the story of the drift boat and the day I met Joe and Ryan....
In July just hours after I posted it, like 9 pm, I got a call from Joe saying he wanted my drift boat and if I could hold it because they were willing to leave Saranac Lake NOW and drive through the night. I told him the next day would be fine....its theirs. His smile was infectious as was his enthusiasm for fly fishing. He is a graduate of Paul Smiths College and I am heading up there this Friday so my daughter Lauren can spend an overnight there as part of their open house weekend.
Below is the story of the drift boat and the day I met Joe and Ryan....
07.29.19 New drift boat owners and a cool story.....
So here it goes. While up in the Adirondacks this week for a family vacation I talked it over with the wife and decided to sell my drift boat. Sad. Hurts. But, time to go. I'm not guiding on the Upper Delaware anymore, probably was delusional that I'd do smallmouth trips down this part of the Delaware, and after seeing anglers zipping around in aluminum boats with a jet engine on it that might be the way to go in the future.
I posted it on Facebook around 3pm. At 9pm I posted it on Craigslist Syracuse figuring the Salmon River area might get me a bite. By 10pm-ish it was sold. I got a call from Joe who was eager to buy it, in fact he tells me he wanted to drive down at 10 pm and pick it up. I get it. I've been there. It is nice to see such passion.
So here's where it gets funny. In 2010 while up in Saranac Lake visiting my sister I saw a drift boat in the lot of a business near the Adirondack Medical Center. I inquired about it and soon after was the owner of a `1995 RB Boat River Baron, or River Bandit, can't remember the actual model. The boat came from Colorado, bartered by the owner for some tree work from the guy I bought it from. It was in tough shape to say the least, but it was aluminum, and had good bones.
Over the winter I broke it down and did a lot of work and put some good money in it. Rebuilt the flooring. Did the bottom over with MarineTech Gluvit. Had it professionally painted and lettered. And put new skins on it. I added a FiveC's cover and in the spring of 2011 I started taking clients on it on the Upper Delaware Rivers.
It was funny when I talked to Joe late Sunday night that he was coming from, of all places, Saranac Lake. So on Monday at 3pm I met Joe and his business partner Ryan at the Bridgewater Commons Mall. They gave it a good once over and after a few pics they were on their way. The boys run ADT TrOutfitters offering guided trips in the Lake Placid- Saranac Lake region and will be expanding down on the Salmon River system starting in the fall. This boat will serve them well for the salmon and steelhead fishery.
Not only is it ironic that the boat was reincarnated starting in Saranac Lake but will return there to begin its new journey. And even ore ironic is that we just returned from a week up on the Lower Saranac Lake. We rented a family owned house called the Mark Twain Camp, www.marktwaincamp.weebly.com, located right on the lake outside of town. We had about 20 family members up there staying at my sisters, that house, and a rental on Moody Pond. There was boat rides, cliff jumping, a great tour of Pauls Smiths College, where Lauren looked right at home, lots of good food drinks, and just good old family fun.
