Mike and Frank,
I wanted to thank you for the wonderful guided trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. I really appreciated the phone calls prior to the trip to make sure the arrangements were in order. The small stream fishing in the park was fantastic – it was one of my best guided trips to date. Frank is a great teaching guide – he not only knew how to catch fish, but did a wonderful job showing me new techniques and sharing his years of experience. He also generously shared his knowledge on fly tying and we even discussed rod building. We must have netted close to 20 fish before the day was through – it was a wonderful and memorable trip. I look forward to booking another day of fishing next summer. Jay Ham
Fort Collins, CO
Dear Mike and Frank,
I had wanted a 7’6” or 7’3” 4 wt bamboo rod. One day a friend of mine called and told me about this place called the Laughing Grizzly. Frank Drummond and Mike Kruise told my friend to have me come to the shop as they had just what I wanted.
Frank and Mike were great guys and had the perfect rod and reel I had been looking for. They were fun to talk to and got me all set up at a good price. I really believe that you get what you pay for. And I wanted the best. Frank knows his stuff when it came to making a bamboo rod. He handed me a 7’ 3” 4 wt rod and two reels, one with a sinking line and the other with a floating line.
I can’t begin to tell you how smooth that bamboo rod works and puts that fly right where I want it. About two weeks ago I stopped by their shop to find out what flies were working on the Poudre. Frank had some ideas about what would work the best in the fall time. Frank, you were right on- I just caught one after another using a floating fly.
Thanks,
Michael R. Krause
Laughing Grizzly,
After several months of Frank Drummond's (Brush Creek Cane) painstaking work, I recently received my 7' 3"- 4wt rod. It's based on the classic semi-parabolic Paul Young “Driggs River Special” taper. The rod is darkly flamed and wrapped in medium brown silk thread with black tipping for an understated, “classically elegant” look. It is finished with blued hardware, agate stripping guide, sliding-band Thuya Burl spacer, and cigar style cork grip. The craftsmanship is flawless. The rod is not only beautiful, but more importantly, throws a DT4 like butter.
This particular taper translates the fight of the fish from the tip all the way to the butt section. There is a tremendous amount of "feel" in this rod. I've had the opportunity to fish it several times in the last couple of weeks. The first time out was on the Fryingpan. The Drakes were coming off like mini-helicopters and the fish were rising to them with authority. It was a truly memorable day of fishing that I'll not soon forget and the new bamboo rod helped make it so. ...
But what I really had the rod built for was RMNP. The Park is mostly made up of small pocket water streams that require accurate little reach casts, roll casts and the like. More often than not, you're fishing with 3-4 feet of fly line and the leader. This rod has the delicacy for these "small water" places and is the perfect length for the Park. (Can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.) If you have not had the pleasure of meeting Frank, get down to the Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop in Longmont to watch him work. But be careful... a new bamboo rod might be in your future. Thanks Frank!
Bryan Powell
Laughing Grizzly,
I returned home a couple days ago from a brief trip to Boulder, Colorado. I was able to get to the Colorado Cane Conclave on Sunday. Since this was my first conclave. I was also able to cast many rods and am now beginning to understand the differences in some of the tapers. The auction was fun, too, and I ended up winning a couple items including a guided trip into Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. The trip was donated by The Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop out of Longmont, and it turned out that one of the guides for the shop was displaying some of his rods at the conclave. And that leads me to the "Yeeehah" part of this post.
This was my first ever guided trip and it was very interesting and quite successful. The guide was Frank Drummond - he did a masterful job of not only getting me to some nice spots, but also helped me tremendously with my technique and water-reading ability. I think I caught a nice brookie on my second cast, and things just got better after that! Over the course of the day, I caught many trout - most were in the 10" range, but I also caught a few that were around or over 13". I was pretty pleased to catch all five of the species in the stream (brookie, rainbow, cutthroat, cuttbow, and brown), a Grand Slam. The brown was the treat - we had to move down the stream a bit in the afternoon, and the action was tapering off. What was special about catching the brown was that I tossed the fly above a boulder and watched it drift into a lie. I was surprised to clearly see the brown come up from the bottom, grab the fly, jump clear of the water, and take off on a little run. Ususally, I feel the tug, set the hook, and go from there, but this time, I got to see the whole thing unfold. In all, it was a very successful outing, and I can't think af a better guide/mentor than Frank - check him out.
Thanks and "Yeeehah"! "
Dean D
Mike,
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy the reports and the Fishlog. I fish the upper Big T in RMNP on a regular basis and your recommendations for flies are spot on the mark. I read the logs every time before I decide where to go. I have met Dick up in the same area several times and we get to chat for a few minutes. I enjoyed your bear story and will come into the shop to see the picture when I am in the area. It is probably on a trail that I walk a lot. I have been caught in the middle of many elk with an unhappy mommy elk staring me down so I know the feeling.
Fish on,
Allen Nakagawa
Laughing Grizzly,
As we pulled into Mother Lake at Sylvan Dale Ranch with our guide for the day, Al Ritt, the last of the resident elk herd was just topping the ridge to the north of the lake. The water was clear enough to see the cruising fish from quite a distance, which was fortunate because the fish were running the banks gorging on emerging midges and were very difficult to approach closely. Al had the perfect midge pupa patterns for the day, a a fly of his own design, fished as a dropper under a foam beetle and a tan L2HF Humpulator. The pupa took fish consistently all day. As a bonus, more than a few fish took the dries also. The fish fed steadily all morning. After lunch, we switched gears and walked down to fish Island Lake. The results were much the same at Island, though the wind had picked up some by that time so we fished the end of the lake with the wind at our backs. After catching quite a few more sizeable rainbows and Donaldsons we headed back toward the car. The still actively feeding fish as we walked past Mother were too much of a temptation and we capped off the day with one or two last fish each. We didn’t count or even measure the fish- getting them revived and back in the water took precedent. As we fished our way back around Mother Lake toward the cars, the elk returned from the ridge and completed a perfect day.
Kurt Pflock/Jerry Kopelman
Laughing Grizzly Staff,
Was fishing on the Thompson yesterday when I caught this huge (for the Thompson) cuttbow on a purple SJW. Caught and released over 20 fish in eight hours or so, mostly 'bows and cuts, with a few big browns mixed in, all but two on pink or purple SJWs. Just wanted to say thanks to the folks at the LG for all the tips and advice in the past. To a beginner, going into a fly shop can be intimidating to say the least. You guys have always been awesome. I am now an addict after just a couple of years.
Chris Good
Frank,
Good afternoon! I wanted to report back to you and let you know my husband loved the fly rod and reel combo we worked up together! Thank you so much for your help earlier this year. I hope to talk to you in the future regarding your custom bamboo rods too! Mike took me over and showed off some of the bamboo rods- I know he would love to have one of them one day too...
Kind regards,
Michelle Dinges
Mike,
Had a great time fishing with you in the Park yesterday. Got a couple new ideas for some patterns and things to try so thanks for letting me tag along. Did you have better luck the rest of the day? I also forgot to get that pattern that you suggested for the Big T. That just means I'll have to show up at the shop for a little shopping then. Thanks again.
Josh
Laughing Grizzly,
I apologize for taking a week to write this thank you, but I wanted to express my appreciation for the fantastic pattern tips and recommendations last week. We took your advice on driving to the higher location and sure enough that purple SJW was smokin' hot as I hooked up on my second cast and continued to catch and release up until dark. We also took a few on pheasant tails and a couple of fish late off dries. Thank you again for the GREAT service and I'll definitely give a recommendation to anyone driving through Longmont to stop in and see you guys.
Until soon,
CPT David Fineran
Hey Mike,
You guys are definitely first class all the way – what a fly shop should be. It’s refreshing to walk into a place where knowledge is abundant without being “talked down to”. You guys definitely know your stuff and it’s clear that you do a great job taking care of customers. I really appreciate your showing me your RK Emerger. I would imagine it will do really well on our local streams in Idaho – and the best part is that I’m about the only person who will know how to tie them!...thanks to you. Anyhow, thanks again and I’ll definitely recommend you guys to all my traveling fish-head brethren. I’ll also stop in anytime I’m in the area. Thanks again for all the hospitality and for providing a great service to the fishing community.
Take care,
Greg Montemurro
Hey Dick,
I really had a great time. You are really gifted at teaching and having patience. I would recommend you to anyone. I went back to the park Friday and caught another 20 trout, all from the Alluvial Fan area. Then Sunday I caught 5 more from different areas of the park. Thanks for tying those extra flies so quickly for me, too. I really liked the three that you tied for me, especially the LA Ant. I'd say 50% of my strikes were on that. I can't wait to try that in Mammoth.
Thanks again,
Jeff Abel
Frank,
Thanks for 2 great days of guided fishing in RMNP. My father-in-law was visiting from out of state and I, being new to the area, wanted to get a better feel for what the local fishing was like in the park. Your knowledge about the area and its fisheries is second to none.
Day 1 was spent on Glacier Creek in near perfect conditions. Together, the two of us caught over 40 fish -- and each of us was just a greenback short of the Colorado Slam. (Spotting that Royal Bull Elk was also extremely cool.) Day 2 began with a moderate hike from Wild Basin. The brookies were in abundance and very eager to take a well presented dry. There were even a few greenbacks that obviously haven 't seen many people up that high. That completed the Slam for us both, and after hauling in over 50 fish in about 4 hours, we were ready for the hike back. RMNP is truly a special place. You were correct in saying that the many incredible things the park has to offer are often "hidden in plain sight." That's why a knowledgeable guide is so important. Your expertise in tying your own patterns to match the local conditions also helped us have a couple of very memorable days on the water. I look forward to revisiting these spots in the near future as well as learning about new ones from the guides at the Laughing Grizzly.
Thanks Again...
Bryan Powell
Mike, Frank,
Had a fantastic time/day on the 8th, and look forward to another opportunity of doing it again. All expectations were met/exceeded. We learned, and need to practice all you taught us. I greatly appreciated your recognition of my wish for working with Dayton and LaVonne: LaVonne so we can get out together and Dayton for our future, especially since he had the biggest fish and fight.
Ty Harrison
Laughing Grizzly,
I had such a good time on my trip with you guys. I had a little experience fly fishing and no experience fishing for stream trout. Dick did a wonderful job relating it to fishing that I had done before and had lots of great tips that made the day awesome. When I got to the shop in the morning they told me that I had a really good day to fish, and they were right. I had never caught a trout before and probably caught over 20 fish that day. Thanks again for your hard work and the good times.
Josh
Mike!
I hope you still remember me, but our family came fly fishing with you about 3 weeks ago... Thank you so much again for making this day SO fun for me! I have told everyone about you and what a wonderful guide you are. You are THE BEST! Thank you for your patience and guidance. You were a joy to be with! My dad and brother, who both LOVE to fly fish, were shocked when I told them I caught 9 fish, and they have already requested that I go with them when they go again! HAHA! I hope I can remember everything you taught me. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you knew just how much you MADE that day for me! I appreciate it so much and will never forget it! You made my first fly fishing experience the best!
Blair Stegall
Hey Laughing Grizzly.
Just wanted to take a minute to thank the shop and Justin's and my guide, Larry, on Friday. We had the greatest time. Larry was really nice and helpful all day guiding us to where the fish were, even though it was tough going at times. He was really safe and patient with Justin guiding him to and around water and helping us with flies, etc. I have to go ahead and say that Justin was the "man" of the day out-fishing his ole man 6 to 2. He caught all of them on his new Sage 4 wt Launch that you guys recommended, and I can honestly say that he is hooked now. You guys have reminded these ole Louisiana boys what Colorado is about and created two enthusiastic trout fisherman. By the way, this was Justin's first fish to catch on his flyrod which made the trip even better...
Looking foward to seeing you guys out on the streams.
Chuck Andes
Mike and Scott,
It was great to finally get out on the Big Thompson with you guys on Sunday and get into some fish! As you know, I've been fly fishing for just under a year now and both in the store and out, your expert advice has been crucial to my success. Your experience and recommendations have me more productive out on the water and also at the fly tying bench. I still can't believe I caught 13 fish Sunday and hooked up with even more than that! And yes, your enthusiasm for San Juan Worms (purple had both me and the fish giddy all day) and #22 Black Beauty Midges has worn off on me. You can be sure the next time you see me on the Big T and I'm nymphing, these will come out of the box first. So, from pointing out spots to fish on the Thompson to how to better read hits on a weighted double nymph rig...even how to better play a fish and get 'em netted, you both changed how I fish for the better. Way better. I just wanted to drop you guys a line saying thanks for the great time on the water. Honestly, this was a day I'll always remember. The Laughing Grizzly rocks! Fish on!
Zach Malone
Mike,
Thanks a million for giving me advice on the rod and reel I absolutely needed to stick the big fish I am chasing. The Z-Axis rod you recommended was every bit of what it stands for, a high quality, fast-action rod that catches big fish.This baby was broken in on the Pan this last weekend and I was able to bring this nice rainbow to the net. The way this rod takes head shakes and protects your tippet is amazing. Along with the rod the Sage 2550 Reel you sold me is simply a fish catching machine. I was able to play a lot with the drag on this reel while landing fish and I love how there are specific numbered settings rather than just a dial. This enabled me to know what setting on the dial my 5X fluorocarbon tippet would break when playing bigger fish. Now I can basically set the hook, set my drag for the size of the fish and worry only about reeling in the fish.
Tim Drummond
Frank-
Just want to let you know how much I admire and appreciate your craftsmanship. I was so excited to get out and try your bamboo rod this weekend. We went up to the Big T both Sat and Sun to play with your rod, and it was a delight. I "made" Mark go fishing on Sun afternoon just to look for rising fish. Hooked into one on the second cast on Sun!! What a thrill. Mark has already made a no lead rule. So when the fish stopped rising, I tied on a pheasant tail and put on a bit of Biostrike and kept catching fish. Little does he realize that I'm just going to want to go where we can enjoy this rod for a while!!
Take care,
Barbara Luneau