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Bobby D's boat November 24, 2019 01:44PM |
This is an interesting photo--to me anyway--because it's the last traditional framed or ribbed boat I ever made. Circa 1982 or 1983. This was the late Bobby Di'Ambrosio's boat. Bobby ran a fly shop in Ennis Montana and Bobby insisted on not having what I called a "ribless" boat, like the one in the background in this photo. Bobby wanted an old fashioned framed boat. So I made it that way. One last time.
Bobby guided out of that boat for almost a decade and then sold it when he unexpectedly lost the lease on his fly shop property, and went belly up. Bobby guided on the Smith River for a few more years and then got sick. Bobby was one of the best long-distance casters I knew or have known. I watched him throw 130 feet of line in the parking lot in front of his store once. Bobby complained his timing was off and apologized for not casting further.
Bobby guided out of that boat for almost a decade and then sold it when he unexpectedly lost the lease on his fly shop property, and went belly up. Bobby guided on the Smith River for a few more years and then got sick. Bobby was one of the best long-distance casters I knew or have known. I watched him throw 130 feet of line in the parking lot in front of his store once. Bobby complained his timing was off and apologized for not casting further.
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Re: Bobby D's boat November 24, 2019 02:07PM |
Dan Delekta's boat
While I'm on this old boat thing I thought I'd throw in Dan Delekta's boat. Dan and his wife Nancy run a fly shop near the Cameron Bridge on the Madison River in Montana, a few miles upstream from Ennis.
Dan guided out of this boat for almost a decade--until he completely beat the bottom out of it. And I'd gone back to building houses, so he didn't have me to keep it fixed anymore. Dan guides out of a molded boat now but still says his old Montana Riverboat was the best handling boat he ever rowed. The Madison is harder on boats than any other river. You put three beefy guys in a small boat and then pound rocks all day long. At high speed. I do 5-6 day desert white water trips every May. In Utah. We go at peak high water when those rivers are flooding fast and dangerous. It's the most fun. We do occasionally flip a boat down there. But you almost never hit a rock. The Madison is non-stop boat torture.
Here's a link to the website for Dan's business. Dan and Nancy have a very good shop. Between West Yellowstone and Ennis there must be close to a dozen fly shops. Dan's store and Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone have the most fly tying materials. Along with everything else.
https://www.beartoothflyfishing.com/
While I'm on this old boat thing I thought I'd throw in Dan Delekta's boat. Dan and his wife Nancy run a fly shop near the Cameron Bridge on the Madison River in Montana, a few miles upstream from Ennis.
Dan guided out of this boat for almost a decade--until he completely beat the bottom out of it. And I'd gone back to building houses, so he didn't have me to keep it fixed anymore. Dan guides out of a molded boat now but still says his old Montana Riverboat was the best handling boat he ever rowed. The Madison is harder on boats than any other river. You put three beefy guys in a small boat and then pound rocks all day long. At high speed. I do 5-6 day desert white water trips every May. In Utah. We go at peak high water when those rivers are flooding fast and dangerous. It's the most fun. We do occasionally flip a boat down there. But you almost never hit a rock. The Madison is non-stop boat torture.
Here's a link to the website for Dan's business. Dan and Nancy have a very good shop. Between West Yellowstone and Ennis there must be close to a dozen fly shops. Dan's store and Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone have the most fly tying materials. Along with everything else.
https://www.beartoothflyfishing.com/
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