What do you get when you add 14 trout fishermen, 20+ bottles of single malt, a campfire, and some store bought cookies?

Depending on where you were sitting around the campfire, either “jumping flames” or a welt on the back of your neck…

C’mon now, that wasn’t too tough a question, was it?

This year we celebrate ten years of the Trout Louts! A decade of brotherhood, laughs, fly fishing for some of the world’s toughest wild trout, fine vittles and vice in the form of - at least mostly - single malt Scotch. It is hard to imagine that a few guys who got together to spend a couple days fishing together would become a veritable movement unto itself in the fly fishing world. Or at least on the West Branch of the Delaware. Here’s looking forward to early May, the Hendrickson hatch, and some fine friends as we celebrate together the end of our first decade.

Using real-time Google-earth imagery, I was able to reveal the secret to both Glenn’s fishing success and the recent kill-off…

What’s that old hunter’s saying? Oh yeah, you can’t eat the horns or something like that…

Here’s one of the most horrible looking bucks I’ve ever encountered. After passing up a small buck during my annual PA deer season this year, I came home to hunt NJ for both 6 day shotgun and our 3 day permit shotgun seasons. Our herd on the private land I hunt in Sparta, NJ is over-run with deer, so we need to manage the herd and reduce their numbers. That means that we shoot all small racked-bucks without decent potential to grow large and all does during doe season as well as any trophies if we encounter them. We pass up “basket bucks” like the one I passed in PA.

Opening day of 6 day shotgun brought a first ever for one of my buddies and at first light. I shot a 3 pointer about an hour later, dragged it out and we both checked our deer and climbed back in our stands, this time with my buddy picking up his son. Later that afternoon, his son shot his first ever buck, so that was exciting to be involved with. Father and son first ever deer on the same day! We butchered those 3 bucks a few days later in my garage and I sat out one more morning on the final day, Saturday, but didn’t see another buck that day. The next Wednesday brought the 3 day shotgun permit season and I wanted to kill another deer to lower our herd. At first light a one-horned, older buck came right past the stand never aware of my presence. He appeared to be blind in the one eye as I watched him through my binoculars. I confirmed his blindness by waving my hands and his lack of response confirmed what I had suspected. For unknown reasons, I decided to let him walk. I remained in my stand until shortly after lunch and then headed home to work. The next day I had meetings in the morning, so sat in that same stand until dark. I had decided that if I were to see that same buck, I was going to shoot him because his genetics were poor and he was a larger and older deer than all the others we had taken off the property this year. Sure enough, right at dark he came walking down that very same trail just as he did the morning prior. I shot him at a laughable 15 yards, a veritable chip shot with the 12 ga. rifled slug gun and off he ran straight down the side of the mountain to die. Ugh, what a horrific drag up the mountain that was by myself!

He hanged in my shed for a couple of days to age properly and then was butchered and divvied up with a neighbor, some of which was ground and made into sausages by yours truly and some into venison jerky (which will make Lout Camp in May!). Here’s a photo of the ugliest buck of the season, perhaps of my lifetime…

Awaiting shore lunch...

Fred Lewis with 33 pound monster

Doc's 30 pound beauty

Fred Lewis and I (Doc) just spent an incredible week of fishing on the Taltson River, south of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Photos below are of our new PR’s: Fred’s 33 lbs and my 30 lbs. Scotch photo complete with Spring Float Trout Lout cigar is to let the Louts know we missed you guys … join us one year!

A word to the wise: If you’ve never stopped at Dette’s Fly Shop in Roscoe, make a point to do so. Now in her 70’s, Mary’s quite a character, storyteller, sharp wit and authority on what’s hatching along with where and how to fish on any given day. Simply put, this is a living legend and a shop that will take you way back.. If you hit Roscoe on the way to our Lout gathering heading west on Route 17, simply continue on down the main drag (Stewart) after hitting up Orvis or The Little Store, go under 17 and past the ramp (that would head eastbound) and make a left on Cottage. Follow it around the bend to the house on the right, still faded yellow unless a miracle has occured. That’s where Mary lives and ties, sometimes along with her grandson. Get her talking and you may well have experienced the best catch of your trip…

http://www.catskillmtn.org/guide-magazine/articles/2003-09-the-last-original-catskill-fly-tier.html

Given the number of Louts wading Friday in partial reflection of these hard economic times, the 2009 “glass” will have an appropriate theme. Initial working models have proven that magic marker runs when writing on paper cups, but the cups hold scotch long enough to consume at least five or six wee drams. Fear not: Further testing will continue each night until a suitable 2009 solution is found…    Doc

For the nostalgic Lout - Here’s a sampling of past vessels of conveyance. What shall be the Lout Glass of ‘09 that is hoisted ’round the campfire? Undoubtably, it will be engraved with a pithy comment of the season (without the personal mentions which led Lipkin to therapy repleat with threats of litigation, and DeBie to self-mutilate to avoid a potential ‘09 nymph-skunking…). Equally certain, the 2009 Trout Lout will raise a tumbler that will serve to quiver and quaiche at the debate of the best dram to be had. Fortunately, Louts are a scientific lot and will demand multiple replications of tasting research supporting the various nominees…

January the 31st and I have not fished nor hunted in many weeks now. I’ve made some 15 pounds of venison jerky and, having done so, gained back at least a few of the pounds I’ve lost this past year.

Hell, I’m so bored I may even tie up some NYMPHS!

Let’s see, Superbowl Party at Doc’s tomorrow with a wild trout stream in his backyard. Perhaps I bring my 3 weight in addition to some tasty venison treats…Go Giants!!! (I still remain firmly in denial about the 2008 football season).

Photo from in-the-field R&D preliminary studies about a request for a new fly to be based on the old Adirondackstandby - the “Humpy” fly - getting morphed with the Moosehair flies used in the arctic and scaled up for Cowden/Kamp new passion of surf fishing for whales: