Posts tagged ‘Dennis Potter’
As we get the 2010 fly angling season underway (looks like an early spring is on the way this year!), keep in mind that it is banquet-and-show season throughout the watershed. Here are some important upcoming events to get your mind back on trout and flies:
Photo Copyright 2004 by Chris Campbell.
37TH ANNUAL OUTDOORAMA: Feb. 25th to 28th at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi. More than 150 booths will feature fishing boats, pontoons, canoes, kayaks deck boats, runabouts and ski and wakeboard boats. MUCC’s “Big Buck Night,” “Wildlife Encounters,” a daily Fish Fry, Trout Pond for kids, and Milt Wilcox’s “Ultimate Air Dogs” are among many features. Hours: 2-9:30 p.m. Feb. 25-26; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 27; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 28. Admission: $10, $4 for 6-14, free for 5-and-younger. Information: www.Outdoorama.com or (800) 328-6550.
RED CEDAR FLY FISHERS ANNUAL BANQUET: Feb. 26th at the Brookshire Inn and Country Club, 205 W. Church St. in Williamston. Chuck Hawkins of Hawkins Outfitters will speak on “Big Trout Fishing in Michigan.” Cocktails start at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7. Admission is $30. The event will also feature a general raffle, bucket raffles, card raffles and door prizes. Tickets are available at Nomad Anglers in Okemos. For information, call Brad Reynolds at 333-9258.
2ND ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF FLY TYING: Feb. 27th; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 5830 Clyde Park Ave. SW in Grand Rapids. Presentations from some of the best tiers in the Midwest. Demonstrations and instruction, with lunch and snacks available. $10 for adults, $5 for youth aged 12 to 17, and admission free for those under 12. For more information contact Dennis Potter at ausable1@gmail.com at (616) 363-4966.
MIDWEST FLYFISHING EXPO: Dave Hughes, Joe Humphreys, Bob Jacklin and Jeff “Bear” Andrews headline this year’s Expo, scheduled for March 13th and 14th at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center in Warren. Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. March 13; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 14. Admission: $10, free for 16-and-younger: www.mffc.org.
65TH ANNUAL ULTIMATE SPORT SHOW: March 18th to the 21st at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW in Grand Rapids. Hours: 3-9:30 p.m. March 18, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. March 19, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. March 20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 21. Admission: $9, $4 6-14, free for 5-and-younger. Information: www.GRFish.com or (800) 328-6550.
NOTE: If you would like True North Trout to Spread the Love about your upcoming fly fishing, fly tying, or conservation event, drop us a line!
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An Adams in the Raw
In an inspired moment last April, Jeff Smith of Traverse Magazine pulled together what he called the “Icons of the Fly Vest” — a list of genuinely rooted-in-Michigan trout flies that were, in his words, “invented in Northern Michigan and tricking fish around the planet.” The list includes the staples like the Adams, of course, but also includes less-well-known creations like Art Winnie’s Fore-and-aft and Paul Young’s Strawman Nymph — flies that were the berries in their day and still fish well, particularly if you want to don a straw hat and fish your cane rod far-and-fine.
Among the flies profiled, Smith also includes Earl Madsen’s AuSable Skunk, which is one of my favorite midsummer ties. Dennis Potter is doing a cool revisioning of the classic pattern and has step-by-step tying instructions published on the website of his Riverhouse Fly Company. Check it out.
For more on classic michigan flies, both old designs and new ones, too, it is also worth taking a look at Bob Linsenman’s essay “Ten Great Michigan Flies.” originally published in Michigan’s Streamside Journal.
Dennis Potter is just as passionate about the art of teaching fly tying as he is when it comes to fly tying itself. This Michigan angler has crafted a life around the art of fly tying and his life-long efforts to master traditional and innovative fly tying are really paying-off. In addition to his work as a fly tying teacher to students of the Michigan Fly Fishing Club, he holds the honor of having his work selected for inclusion in the Rainy’s fly company wholesale catalog in 2009. MLive picked up an interview with him as well.
Potter’s design work is only part of the story. He also has two DVDs out in the New Hooked On Fly Tying series: Fly Crafter Patterns and Techniques I and II. Both are available through Amazon.com and eBay. He is an outstanding fly tyer and, having seen one of his videos, I can say that his ability to really teach the art of fly tying is exceptional. His work is particularly valuable to the Michigan angler because his innovative ties were developed to fool our native fish.
“The first thing that struck me when I saw Dennis’ DVD is this guy is meticulous. He pays acute attention to details … He has come up with techniques that are so different and he is a good instructor, a very good teacher.” – Rainy Riding, Rainy’s Fly Company
When he is not tying at his home in Grand Rapids, he can be found at his property on the AuSable playing with the fish and dreaming up his next fly design.
