All Around Angler

If you read this site with any regularity then you know a few of us local Homers got together to promote local tackle products for our friends and sponsors including Kirby Cannon’s PDXSALMONJUNKIE.com company which sells high-end custom spinners and terminal accessories (Kirby is featured in a full page magazine story this month in a local fish wrap) and Daniel Cox, owner of Cascade Jigs and one of the most talented jig-tyers we have in our market today. Jeff Donaca and Amanda Heller (no relation) offered up there domocile for the get together. With plenty of scrumptuous edibles and a house full of anxious river anglers….we listened to presentations from Kirby and then Dan….explored trolling and plunking options for the upcoming springer season as well as jig fishing techniques, methods, tips and tricks with Dan. There was about ten of us who showed and it was darn near half or a little more of the main crew I run with. A group of anglers I call TeamSalmon. The core contributors to AAAngler.com. When all of the sudden Steve Gustafson aka The Hustler (everybody gets an AAA nick name if you contribute….and usually it’s me that gives it to you…not always though) asked everyone to gather around for an announcement. It felt like an intervention…but I knew it couldn’t be since I quit drinking already. But yeah, Steve’s eyes were boaring through me and then he said it: “Chris, we’ve all pitched in on a new pair of breathable waders for you.” I guess I’ve been lamenting loudly and often about the many holes my waders are currently sporting. Talk about complete shock and awe. I would like to take a moment to describe the feeling I am overwhelmed with since this has happened: Grateful. I’m very grateful and proud to have the people around me that I do today. I have an absolutely incredible group of friends who have shown me they believe in this 6 year on-going effort that is All Around Angler.com. That’s all I need to know to keep pounding out the trips, movies, pictures, stories, articles, posts and more. I’m smiling ear to ear as I sit here writing about my new “Dan Bailey’s EZ-Zip Guide Breathable Wader’s” that are in the mail on their way to me as we speak. Speechless. I would like to thank the following individuals for coming together to grace me with this unexpected gift: Steve ‘The Hustler’ Gustafson, Dave ‘Sal Monid’ Heller, Colin ‘The Crusher’ Gruepner, Chris ‘CDC’ Del Carlo, Shawn ‘Nookslayer’ Richey, AUNTIE, Sturdy Kirby Cannon & Jeff ‘Donaca’, Steve ‘Traveler’ Lynch and his lovely wife, Sveta…..also the one and only Ghost Face Killer aka Mark G Murray.