Archive for August 21, 2009

So I haven’t done this in the past, but I think a cool new feature would be to have an anglers spot light post every once in a while. You know give props to exceptional fly fishermen that can teach use all a thing or two by their story.

So my first spot light is my little bro Jordan “The Scientist” Gillespie

Growing Up:  Jordan grew up seasonally fishing Utah’s famous stillwaters (Berry, Fish Lake) with his grandfather and family. From an early age you knew that Jordan had something special when it came to fishing. Unlike most kids that had their dads do everything for them. Jordan didn’t want any help. He wanted to figure it out and do it himself. This also rang true as Jordan unlike the other kids his age spent countless childhood hours roaming the Utah Lake shoreline (only mins from where he grew up) catching giant catfish, bass, walleye and monstrous carp. 

Stepping up a level: Similar to his introduction into regular fishing, Jordan was introduced to Fly Fishing at a very young age.  Learning and studying from his older siblings, Jordan quickly learned the secrets of fly fishing as well as tying his own flies, by the time he was 9 yrs old.  Over the years of fishing with his older bros and older sis. Jordan learned to hold his own and like  I stated before he liked to do things his way and by himself.  I don’t know what exactly what he thinks, but fly fishing to Jordan is more than just a social event, it is a time to learn and grow within himself.  Jordan is always the first one ready and on the river.  He prefers solitude over company and if you try to fish with him he will usually slip away and find another hole or out fish you until you have had enough and leave. But there are those rare occasions that he walks the river with you and is the best fishing partner around, pushing you to be better the whole way.  (Trust me there is never any brotherly competition, not!)

Skills: Jordan is known as the small stream killer. There is no small stream that he hasn’t figured out or can’t.  He is a fanatic when it comes to using big ugly bugs and catching over sized fish with them. His favorite and most effective is a Mouse fished late at night.  Apart from big ugly bugs, he is one of the best big dry fly fishermen I have fished with. No matter the time of year he can entice a large trout (or White Fish) to rise after his trusty PMX.  The last of many skills I could mention is his casting ability. Long or short, he can hit the perfect spot followed by an effective drift.  His casting  proves itself every time we are out on the drift boat. He catches 3 times more fish than everyone else using the same flies and he is sitting in the back! Plus he is one heck of a fish dog trainer

Trouphy Fish:  10 pound bow caught in UT,  8 pound Walleye, 25inch Tiger Trout, 24 inch Brown on the Green River caught on a dry fly, 23 inch Cutty on the SF.

Home Waters: Provo, Green, and all surrounding small streams (condo stream)

When not fishing:Hanging out with his dog Cash, Wakeboarding, golfing, softball, b-ball, hunting, 4 wheeling, hiking, and anything else outdoors.

Coming Back: For the past two years Jordan has been off in the corn fields of Iowa serving an LDS mission. That doesn’t exactly mean he hasn’t been able to fish or make new ff friends in the Midwest. On his days off he has been able fish local bass ponds catching LM bass, walleye, crappie, sunfish, and some nice carp. He even made a friend that helped him build his first fly rod and as a gift gave him a matching Pfueger Summit reel. Come next week he is going to be back putting a hurt on Utah’s trout, like he never left.  He already has planned two days on the Provo and 4 days on the Green for the first week he is home. I think he is a little excited to be back in the Rockies…  Iowa Bass

 Jords Custom Rod: “True Disciples Fish”