SULPHURLifes

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MagazineAutumnIssue 2015

Pass The Butter!

Hire A Guide

River Hogs

Old School Ties

Ridin and Reelin

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Pass The Butter 0 6

Hire a Guide0 9

3 3

Late Season Hatch

4 2

4 9

Old School Ties

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The Sulphur Staff

Hunter Morrison MacleanTracy McClainBob DeMott

Colton GilmanPatrick SkeenTroy Hawkins

Joe LewisEd Ellis

Zachary Tincher

and sometimes we add a photo from Jonathan Payne by accident

River Hogs

Hero is not a Term to be Taken Lightly3 6

Ridin and Reelin

2 5 Wild Butter

5 6 8.8.8.

6 4 Belly Up To The Bench.

Come Fly Fish West Virginia’s Mountain Playground.

Birthplace Of 8 Rivers Pocahontas County

Follow The Elk River

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E D I T O R ’ S N O T E SPass the Butter! If you want to scare the masses away just get the word out that the river is high and m u d d y. T h e w e e k e n d warriors scatter like the preverbal cockroach when the lights come on. The fly fishing world seems to come to a screeching stop when the snow melt or heavy rains fill the banks with red muddy silted soup. When tomato soup i s served, cut some basil and dig in, and by basil I mean big yellow streamers. This is the time of big browns that are never seen on any other trip to Slaty. You know they are there, but you never see them, like a Sasquatch on Seneca Lake.

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Leave your nerves at home, get your sea legs and step

into that frothing cauldron of marinara with your baseball

bat size rod with a squirrel tail hanging from the tippet.

Ya, I know you haven't done a push-up in years and

those .22 caliber guns you like to boast with the wife

beater t-shirt, are going to burn, but man-up and strip set

on a 25 inch Slaty Butter and life will seem as

good as it can get. Bread and butter with tomato basil

soup! Doesn't get better. Take a big net, and when you

get Moby Brown in that basket don’t forget to take a

picture. If you forget to capture that moment, no one will

believe you and you’ll have to share the moment alone.

As much as we know you like to do your thing alone, we

like seeing those long nosed Slaty Butter Sticks and to welcome a new member to the Moby Brown Club.

-Hunter

Eight Weights

Make Me “HOT ”

Slate Drake

Cologne

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Go To The Next Level Hire A Guide

No one can show you The Elk River like the guides who spend ten hours or more a day, five days a week on The Elk. From streamer chucking on the Slaty section to midges on The Mill Pool and some of the biggest sulphur hatches in the East, The Elk can be intimidating. Give up some pride and reach into your wallets and get over any hurdles you may face and hire a guide.

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Colton GilmanELK RIVER GUIDE

FOR A GOOD TIME CALL304-940-3599

Colton Gilman came to The Elk River three years ago as a day guide while he finished college for Fisheries Biology. Colton has been a guide at The Big Horns and Shoshone Rivers in Wyoming before returning to West Virginia. With a New School take on Old School techniques Colton's outlook on fly fishing has taken the river by storm. When not throwing flies he enjoys primitive hunting, building his own longbows and wooden arrows. He takes this approach to the river by tying retro fly patterns with a modern touch. Colton will show you how to pull those hard to catch fish that most fishermen miss or give up on. Don't let his youth fool you, he is an old soul in a young body

C O L T O N G I L M A N

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“Colton was a game

changer for me!!”

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T R O Y H A W K I N S 3 0 4 - 3 3 9 - 2 3 4 5

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Troy Hawkins has quickly become a household name to Elk River fly fishermen. In the Ken Yufer tradition, Troy has

taken Midge fishing to a new level. Cutting and bending his own smaller than #32 hooks, Troy will stop at no challenge to prove Midge Magic works very well on The Elk. Troy's persistence carries over to his style of guiding as he will

scout areas many times over to put his clients on the best the river has to offer for that given time period. Don't let

Troy's Master of the Midge reputation steer you away when thinking big browns as he has been known to put clients on numerous twenty plus inchers. When the river is blown out and muddy, Troy will be chucking seven inch streamers in

Slaty and netting butter until the water clears.

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Knapp’s Creek Trout Lodge

We are a B&B and guide service specializing in trout fishing and family oriented

outdoor activities.Located in the heart of

Nature’s Mountain Playground , Pocahontas

County West Virginia

304-799-4409

Charles Edward Samples Old School Ties

“ I’m 70 years old and a Vietnam Vet……and DAMN proud of it! Thats all the interview you are getting. Now sit

down and pay attention.”

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WILD BUTTER

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In the early 1900s, when Cheat Mountain was being harvested of its abundant virgin Spruce, the area that is currently home to Cupp Run was known as the Western Territory. Few loggers would venture into

this region because of the steep, rough and rugged terrain. Today, the Western Territory, with 1500' of steeps to conquer, is home to the best and most advanced terrain in the region. Combine the legendary

Cupp Run, designed by Olympian Jean-Claude Killy, and Shay's Revenge, with steeps of 52%, and you've got a ski experience like no other.

1-304-572-1000

www.snowshoemtn.com

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Ridin’ and Reelin’

More and More, Snowboarders are Found on the

Rivers in the Summer

By- Zach Tincher

or most snowboarders the downtime between when the snow melts and when the snow starts to fall again can be a long, sad eight months. I too, fell in that category. During my tenure as a snowboard instructor at Snowshoe Mountain, I tried a number of things to cure my summer sadness. The summer after my first winter I thought it would be a fantastic idea to move home and work at Dicks Sporting Goods, ha yeah right. The next two summers, I decided the Outer Banks of North Carolina would be home. I had a blast at the beach, surfed every day, and somehow managed to spend most of my days attached to a cold Corona, without any shoes on my feet. Even after a summer of head high barrels and ice cold beers by the time September hit, a familiar feeling hit my gut; It’s time to go home, the mountains were calling. Once I was back at Snowshoe, I thought long and hard about my plans for the ever rapidly approaching summer. One night it dawned on me that trout fishing season runs from the time the slopes close all the way through when the snow hits the ground. That was a turning point in my season career. I have trout fished my entire life; thanks dad. To a certain degree I had fly fished some, but as I do with most everything, when I decide its time to get serious, I make it my life. That is exactly what I’ve done, I do everything in my day to day life based around either fly fishing or snowboarding. The two sports are drastically different and on the East Coast it isn't really commonplace for the two to co-inside. Although for me they rest hand in hand, a Ying to my Yang if you will.

F

I suppose that both of my passions have a similar feeling of release. Being able to walk out my front door and snowboard the best snow in the Southeast or hopping in the car and driving the 10 miles to Elk Springs Resort and fishing the best trout waters around brings a certain serenity that I haven’t been able to achieve elsewhere. Not only do I love enjoying these things on my own time but I find happiness in sharing my passions with others. There is a special feeling of joy that a person gains when they devote their time to teaching others. Wether you are teaching math, snowboarding, fly fishing, Hell, even underwater basket weaving; watching a student learn something new for the first time, watching happiness overcome someone when they catch that first fish or make their first turn on a snowboard. I haven't found anything else that allows me to feel so content. I mean this with my whole heart; every student that I have ever taught has given me so much joy. For those of you that have never taken a lesson or a guide trip please do! You owe it to yourself and I promise you will not regret your decision. Remember that if you enjoy your time tip your guide/instructor.

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Snowshoe Area Locals Spot Hearth Oven Pizza, Live Music, Fun & Friendly Atmosphere

304-572-2121 Located on the corner of 219 & 66 Linwood, W.V.

Friendly Food and Music in

the Mountains

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The first thing I noticed was how young he was, no more than thirty-two or three. He had a prosthetic leg and was dressed in fatigues. He had the look of worry or fear in his eyes, almost like he wasn’t sure if his next step he took was his last. As I walked up to him I put my hand out to shake his. Reluctantly he shook my hand with no grip. Like a wet noodle as my father would say. “Come on Brother, let’s go out to the BBQ.” I said to him. The wounded Warriors Project was having their annual visit and it always starts with a meet and greet BBQ. “Ya, I ‘m coming. Where’s the truck?” the soldier said with a tremble in his voice. “It’s out front of the cabin. Can I help you with anything?” “No I got it,” he said as he was making his way to the door and as he got to the thresh hold he stopped and began peering at the mountains that surround the area. “Just too many hiding places.” he said.

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“Ya, I see what ya mean.” I replied realizing what he said could be true in a combat situation. I was in the military myself in the early eighties. The Navy, so I never experienced ground combat, but with all the mountains around us, there was sniper opportunities for sure if in battle. But we were in West Virginia now at a fly fishing resort and his mind was still in Afghanistan. At that point I realized this was no ordinary guest to what we think is paradise. This young soldier was in fear, real fear of everyday life. “Ok let’s do it,” he said and started toward the truck in a double step maneuvering his prosthetic pretty good as if he had had it his whole life. When he closed the truck door I noticed him rubbing the edges of the door from one end to the other. Not sure what he was looking for but if it made him feel safer then I wasn’t going to ask. As we pulled up to the BBQ there was about fifteen Wounded Warriors already partaking in the good food being grilled up. The young soldier got out of the truck and went to a table by himself and sat down. At this point, I am to leave the group alone and the sponsors from Dominion Gas Company take over. As I drove away I wanted to stay there and hang out with this man I just met. Not sure what my emotions were at that time. If I felt a connection, pity, worry, fear…..I didn’t know. I have never felt that way before. As the night was wrapping up I saw him again and asked him to come up to the fly shop and we could get a head start on what to throw the next morning. He slowly worked his way up the shop and told me he had never fly fished before and really didn’t know if it was going to be his thing. We sat at my desk and watched a couple videos I had produced of the major hatches and the lifestyle which I take for granite. Then I saw

his eyes kind of light up as he watched one video of fish taking flies and the catch. “I used to bass fish as a kid with my Grandpa. It was what I loved the most as a kid.” He said I walked over and picked up a few junk flies, knowing these flies don’t have to match any hatch but always catches fish. “Here, start with these.” I said

The next day I saw him out on the river doing pretty good with his cast. As I started back into the shop I heard “Fish on!”

I turned to see it was the young soldier with about a 17 inch rainbow fighting at the end of his tippet. As the sponsored guide netted the fish I saw the soldier turn and the first smile of the weekend was on his face. It was the smile of a ten year old boy with his Grandpa.I couldn’t help myself from dropping a tear at that moment. Through out the weekend I saw him several times in the shop, each time he was more excited about fishing. At dinner Saturday night as I walked by I heard him in a ramble about “That big brownie that sucked in that fly.” Holy shit, he’s already talking like us! Sunday morning when I got to work he was in the shop. He wasn’t there to just chew the fat. He was buying a rod, reel, waders and just about one of everything we had. He was hooked! When it was time for the guys to pack up and head home the sponsor came up to me and said whatever I did to get him out of the cabin on day one, if I could do it again to get him off the river so they could go home. He just didn’t want to leave the river. As we walked to the truck from the river I stopped put out my hand to shake his. He grabbed my hand and gave a good man’s shake. I felt something positive had happened with this trip and could see it in his eyes. They were not the eyes I saw on Thursday.

About three weeks later I got a call from his sponsor. He said the young soldier was doing fine and wanted to thank us for all we done. I said it was no problem we really enjoyed it. “No, what you don’t realize is that that young man had his suicide letter written to his wife the day before he came out to fly fish with us. He had given up and what that river did was give him a better outlook on life. If he had not came on that trip, he probably would not be with us today. And now today he is on his local stream as much as possible.”

When you look into a man’s eyes it is hard to imagine what they have gone thru. Most of us see hard times, divorce, loss of a parent, etc. But what these young men have seen in combat, our petty problems do not compare. The small amount of time I spend with these great men when they visit us, I now realize it is not just a routine weekend with guests.

It is something very special. Thank You for keeping us free.

- Hunter

Ellie May’s Old Mill

Restaurant Sitting on the banks of the Elk River, you can enjoy your meal

while watching fly fishermen on the legendary Mill Pool. Fresh Rainbow

Trout are caught daily and served from our kitchen.

We stay open late during the Hatch season to make sure all fly fishermen get a hot meal after a long day on the Elk

Open to the public seven days a week. 304-339-2999

14A Dry Branch Road Monterville,W.V.

BOWS ON THE ELK“YOU ARE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER NET!!”

MILL POOL RIVER HOGS

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Elk Springs Fly Shop

The Largest Fly Shop In West Virginia1-877-ELK-SPRINGS

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LATESEASONHATCH

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RIVER WIDOW?

Tuck & Roll Attorneys at Law

We will take everything but his rods

Are You A

1-555-TIE FLIES

Patrick Skeen

8.8.8

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Belly Up To The Bench

Get off the couch on those rainy, high and muddy

water days.

with Colton Gilman

Brown Bomber Streamer Hook 2/0 Gamagatsu B-10 Stinger

Body Marabou / Arctic Fox

Legs Hairline Grizzly Legs

Flash Metzs Accent Flash Copper

Eyes Fish Shull Living Eyes

Thread G.S.P. 100

Start your thread base.

Secure your hook firmly in the vice.

Use a double sided razor-blade to cut the G.S.P thread

easily.

Start with four or five strands of grizzly hackle

measured to be about twice the length of your hook

shank.

Tie in your hackle about a quarter the way up the shank.

Select a full, long fiber strand of

marabou.

Select a tuffet of arctic fox about half the thickness of a

pencil.

Wrap the marabou forward up the shank until the quill thickens

then tie it all off.

Tie in the tip of the marabou at the back of the shank.

Loreconda 23/07/15 69

Measure your arctic fox so when reverse tied it will be the length of your marabou fibers.

Repeat the process on underside of hook as well.

After both sides are tied in sweep fibers towards the rear of the fly and secure fibers in place.

Select another piece of arctic fox for your accent piece.

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Repeat the reverse tying process to

achieve your accent segmentation.

Sweep your second layer of arctic fox back and tie it off.

Select another pice of marabou and tie in the tip butted up to the front of the reverse tied arctic fox.

Loreconda 23/07/15 71

Palm your marabou forward and stop about an eighth inch from the

eye.

Select 8 to 10 strands of accent flash,double it over

your thread and secure it to the hook to make it flow down

the side of your streamer.

Tie off your marabou and create a platform to

tie in your flash and rubber legs.

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Cut you off two rubber legs and attract them to the fly in the same manner as the accent

flash. Do this to both sides of the fly.

Secure both flash and legs with several tight wraps of thread to form a cone shaped head to

finish the back section of you're fly. Apply head cement or epoxy at

this point to keep back section from unraveling.

Accent flash excites big nasty browns much in the same way that

it excites us here in the shop. Give your self a minute to calm down before continuing the fly.

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After placing your second hook in your vice tie your articulation wire in on the side of the hook shank

facing you.

Run your wire threw your beads

Now its time to start your front section. Cut off a 8 to 9 inch pice of articulation wire to

secure your back section to the front.

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After your back fly is treaded on run your wire back through your beads

making sure you don't twist your wire up.

Pull your wire until your desired loop size is achieved. Remember the tighter the loop the less movement the fly will

have.

After your beads are in place run your wire threw your back fly’s eye. In the bottom, out the tip of the

eye.

I use UV epoxy to cut down on dry

time.

Tie in the tip of another piece of marabou at the rear of the shank and palm it forward in the same manner as the rear

section of the fly.

Secure your wire to the shank of the hook making sure your hoop remains vertical Then apply epoxy to your wraps to insure the two halves stay

together.

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Select a slightly smaller piece of arctic fox and

reverse tie it in to finish

Tie in your accent flash and rubber legs just as your did on your rear

section.

Repeat the arctic fox reverse tying

process.

Use the UV epoxy to fill in the area between the eyes and form the

head.

Use clear nail polish or hard as hull to coat

your head.

Place your eyes on the front of the fly and use a little bit of UV epoxy to

hold them in place.

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SulphurLifestyle

www.sulphurlifestyle.com

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“Hold on Sparkey, We are going”

Mill Pool Elk River 9/17/15