The McGlinn Finale - Beautiful day with LARGE Rainbow

This is Kristin McGlinn with a Roaring Fork Rainbow. The McGlinns fished with me three days in a row, and this fish was definitely one of the nicest ones that we saw.

It took some serious work to get this fish to the net, but the above image is priceless. I actually fell in the water more than once trying to net the beast, but Kristin kept a tight line and eventually we prevailed.The McGlinns had never fly fished before, and in three days they both became very proficient at both dry fly and nymph fishing (not to mention wading - yikes!). It was a beautiful morning for their last day, and we look forward to seeing them next year.

Pic of me (Jarrod Patrick Hollinger) fishing in early summer... Nice Smile!

Where has the summer gone? Pics and memories from a season expired

I can't believe that my last post was almost three weeks ago. The fishing has been spectacular, with numerous big fish and lots of very memorable guests, and I have been so totally focused on the river that the summer has literally flown by. The first hunting starts in just three days (dove season on sept. 1), and I have to admit that I am having a hard time accepting the change. There has been a dramatic increase in shotgun sales, the purchase of ski passes and elk tags is on the to-do list, and I have spent recent days off hunting chantrelle mushrooms in the high-country. I guess that I had better just accept the change to Fall, and trade in my micro-baetis for some big, flashy streamers (a little inside terminology for the fly-fishers out there). In an attempt to find some summer closure, here are some of my favorite pics and memories from a season expired... Is this the guy from Dawson's Creek? No, this is Richard, one of the better young flyfishermen that I got to introduce to the hallowed waters of the Roaring Fork River. He was in Aspen with his friends Robert, Andrew and Owen. The boys had been fly fishing their way across the country, hitting Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and Colorado before turning East and finally heading back to school at Ole Miss. These lovely young ladies are Megan and Alexandria (Ally) Schwartz. The Schwartz family has been fishing with AOC for years, and Ally has been hooking rainbows like this one since she was as small as her cute little sister. Their brother Aaron was also catching trout with us that day. In addition to fly fishing, Aaron considers attending the Winter X-games one of his favorite things to do...These are the Boesky Brothers. I capitalize that phrase because these guys are a zany pair. They caught lots of fish, and also kissed lots of fish, and played pranks on eachother the whole trip. A couple of days after our trip, the Boesky Bros. went on a float trip on the lower Roaring Fork with our most popular float guide, Matthew Thomas. Matt is possibly the best float fisherman in the valley, and is very serious about catching big trout. I have a feeling that the fish kissing wasn't as popular with Matt. Looking forward to seing these guys again...

Antique Decoys

An Antique Canvasback Decoy by Bob Cook

Another new addition to the Aspen Outfitting Company shop this week is the hand-carved decoy's of Bob Cook. Mr, Cook is a native Georgian who began carving and painting wildfowl decoys over 30 years ago. His father, Clarence, was an accomplished wood worker and cabinet maker while his brother Nick is world renowned as a wood turner and wood turning instructor.
Bob has studied painting at the Atlanta College of Art and Colorado Mountain College. He has also studied with nationally recognized bird carvers such as Ernie Mills (shore birds and fish decoys), Mike Mason (decoy carving, painting and finishing), and Ernie Muehimatt (power carving raptors).
Since retirement, Bob, his wife Marsha and Abigail, their Bearded Collie, divide their time between Lake Burton in the mountains of north Georgia and Aspen where he specializes in decorative and working bird and fish decoys.
Bob is a member of the Ward Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited.

Aspen Outfitting Company's Hunting Knives

I am just recently back from a trip to the Great White North (Toronto to be exact), so excuse my slow posting recently... When I was gone, we acquired a couple of nice hunting knives. The first is a set of two knives in a custom sheath by famous knife maker Sean McWilliams. They are hand-forged stainless steel (he is one of the very few to do this) and the handles are carved of fossilized Walrus Ivory. The smaller knife is for evisceration and the larger for skinning, and together they make a rare and beautiful set, worthy of the most discerning collector.

The other knife was made by Steve Barminski when he was producing knives in Craig, Colorado. It is a single knife in a custom sheath with a beautifully laminated wooden handle. Seeing that I am Colorado born and raised, this knife is my favorite, and is something that would go nicely in any woodsman's christmas stocking.