Christmas at Brookville

          This afternoon at around 2:00 I headed back out to Brookville to try one of  my Christmas presents, a switch rod setup. I got the new Scott T3h 8wt switch with the Sage 6000 spey reel. I was fishing about 100 yards farther downstream than I was this Sunday. I was using the same fly and caught another fish on it. When it came into my net, I discovered that I actually caught the same 22" fish that I caught on Sunday!  I also caught a smaller brown under 12" Czech-nymphing a size 18 red Copper John with heavy split-shot. Merry Christmas and good luck!

-Alex

Brookville Brown

          This morning I was able to get out to the Brookville Tailwaters right across the border in Indiana. The water was flowing at a height of 4.11 ft, but running very clear. The temperature gauge on my truck was reading 28° F when I first arrived in Brookville.  I arrived there at about 7:30 and wasted no time getting into my layers and then to the river. Despite having to pick ice off of my guides all day long, I ended up having a pretty good day.

It's time to start your Christmas shopping!

The guys at D&H are ready for a busy weekend.  The shop will be open Saturday 10-6, Sunday 11-5 and on Christmas Eve 10-4.  I just took a walk around the shop and snapped some photos to give you some ideas for your shopping adventure.

Barbour wading jacket

This is a page from the 1994 Barbour catalog.  Delamere & Hopkins carried this wading jacket and it was short.  The funny thing is that I think we sold as many to women for fashion as we did anglers.

What a combo!

Barbour International Surtees Jacket

An amalgamation of the iconic styles the Black Streak and the Field Jacket. Military style attributes include the leather collar, sleeve patches and a draw cord waist. The style has a quilted inner layer giving extra warmth and style.

Barbour Internationa Surtees Jacket

Prince Charles knows how to wear a Barbour

Lake Erie Steelhead

    This past weekend, my dad an I headed up to Cleveland in pursuit of 'chrome'. The water conditions were not the best though. All of the Lake Erie tributaries were very low and clear. Since big rains bring fish in, most of the fish in the rivers at this time were fairly old and sluggish due to low water temperatures. Despite the conditions, we were successful.

Patagonia River Salt Jacket

It is a rainy, but on the warm side December 2nd in Cincinnati and as I headed out the door this morning to go to the corner store and get some milk, I grabbed my Patagonia River Salt jacket.  The walk is not that far, but the rain was coming down.  I flipped up the hood and it is great because it stays in the exact preset position that I like.  This is a hard core fishing jacket, but it looks good walking the streets of the city.  I think we will probably sell these to the non-fishing crowd this coming season.

Winter Upland Trip: Winghaven Hunting Lodge

        If you usually start feeling a bit restless or bored come February, then we have the solution. Kiss cabin fever goodbye this winter. D&H invites you to travel with us down to the Winghaven hunting lodge in western Kentucky.

Woolrich Arctic Parka and Blizzard Blazer

Wool Quilted Arctic Anorak

The quilted shorter version of the classic Arctic Parka is 12 cm shorter in length than the classic version. It is made in a soft, lightweight wool blend fabric.  Detachable coyote fur on the hood.

First Upland hunt of the Season

       I spent a great afternoon chasing quail, chukar and pheasants at Shag's Run today. Shag's Run is the same outfit we do our dove hunts and winter upland hunts with. Owner, Billy Gerwin, is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to bird hunting, dog training and anything related. As usual while hunting at Billy's we all felt spoiled. The day was a really nice pre-Thanksgiving day. I got to hunt with my dad and a close friend of ours. We hunted our own dogs. After hunting we ran one of Billys' pups and were impressed by her natural aptitude for the hunt. The setter's show so much class and perfect ability.

Sage taking a nap on the way down.

Jake's bull moose

I thought I would share this photo of Jake from the Upper Canyon Ranch.  This is the ranch that we visit in September for both fly fishing and bow hunting for elk.  When we were at the ranch this past September, spotting moose was all that Jake could talk about.  I guess it is really hard to get a moose tag even for a resident and Jake had been trying for a very long time.  All I can say is wow!

D&H Upland Hunts

                            Are you ready for some bird hunting?
D&H will again partner with Shag's Run farm in Harrison County, Kentucky to offer four upland bird hunts this winter. We will be hunting Pheasants and Quail and each hunter will have many opportunities to pull the trigger. The farm is a stunning patchwork of farmed fields and brushy fence lines. Exactly the kind of landscape that screams "upland birds". The guys had a great time last year on every shoot. We will shoot on these days:

Saturday, December 15
Saturday, January 12
Tuesday, February 5
Saturday, March 2

If you have questions, contact Mark or Luke at 513-871-3474 or via e-mail at shop@bestgear.com

Skyfall: James Bond film review

I went to see the new James Bond film last night and I feel that a full film review is in order.
I was surprised that the director decided to give us the best right away and not hold anything back.  Money Penny drove a Land Rover 110 Double Cab Pick Up in the first chase scene and there were many things about this scene which made it the best in the movie.  First it was long.  It gave the viewer plenty of time to admire and lust over the Rover.  The Double Cab Pick Up is a great vehicle that we do not get to see on the streets in the States (this is a travesty).  Of course the chase was dangerous with all of the tight urban streets of Istanbul, but Money Penny had no problem behind the wheel of her Rover and all of the bullets hitting the Rover did not stop it.  We then had to endure a break in the action while the bad guy and Bond played around on some motorcycles.  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against motorcycles, but let's face it, they were not made by Land Rover and isn't this just a bit of a waste of film?  Back to the real action, the guys get rid of the moto chase thing and jump on a train.  A train you say.  Not made by Rover?  Waste of film?  No.  The Rover is driving along with the train and having to dodge VW cars as they fall off the train.  At the end of the long chase Money Penny finally makes her big blunder and stops the Rover and gets out and well there is nothing left to say except for she is no longer driving a Rover.

D&H sweaters from Scotland

We are excited to receive our shipment of classic sweaters loomed in Scotland. 
For over 50 years the family that looms our sweaters have been making very special knitwear in the Scottish Border town of Hawick.  By using the very best natural fibres available from spinners in Scotland, the family designs and manufactures some of the finest wool garments available.

Malkin's Jam

We just stocked the shelves at D&H with another shipment of our favorite jam from Ontario.  Malkin's Jam is a name known to lots of folks that head to Canada on vacation.  I grew up going to Lake of the Woods in Ontario and we would stay at the Arrowhead Camp in Nestor Falls.  Arrowhead had a great general store where you could get all sorts of supplies including chocolate bars and jam.  My family liked the jam so much that we would bring cases of the jam back from our hunting and fishing expeditions.  When I opened Delamere & Hopkins over eighteen years ago, carrying the famous jam from Canada was near the top of my list.  The label now reads Canada's Jam instead of Malkin's.

Winter Fly Tying Classes

You're invited....

        Join us this winter to learn how to tie flies. We will have two sessions, each lasts three weeks and meets once a week. The first session will be December 6, 13,20. Second Session will be January 3,10,17. We will also likely open up a February session. The class costs $75.00. The first class will focus on Woolly Buggers and similar streamers. The second class will focus on nymphs and students will learn to tie the Prince nymph. The third class will focus on dry fly construction and tying techniques.
       Private and customer tying lessons are also available. These classes can focus on anything you want to learn to tie from dry flies to articulated streamers.

      If you have any questions or are interested, contact Louis Seta at 513-871-3474 or e-mail him at shop@bestgear.com
.

A Great Elk!

              Just wanted to congratulate Andrew Bowen on a super Elk taken from the high country of Wyoming.  Andrew hunted with Boulder Basin Outfitters near Cody, Wyoming.  He found this elk at roughly 11,500 ft.  He reports that his Filson luggage/clothing and Danner Hoodlight hunting boots all performed flawlessly.  He said the highlight of the hunt, besides being successful, was the opportunity to watch numerous Grizzly bears in the wild environment.

shop floor on a Saturday

It was a cool 39 degrees when we opened the shop doors this morning.  We have been busy unpacking and organizing many new items for this season.  The shop floor is looking good and I thought I would share some photos.

Filson and Wolverine Trunk Show

This past Tuesday was the Filson and Wolverine Trunk Show at the D&H shop on Hyde Park Square.

The event was a success and most of the folks we had never met before; most drove quite a distance (Indy, Columbus, 75 miles north above Oxford, etc, etc).

Both Filson and Wolverine received good attention from customers.

Filson brought lots of new “in the works” items and a sneak peak at some of the items for next season.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection had many styles that we would not normally have in the shop and people were totally in to feeling the leather firsthand.

Land Rover: military 109

I went to check out a 1973 109 military Rover last night.  Very fun to check it out.

new items: Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection

Wolverine has been making best quality boots in Michigan since 1883.  D&H is excited to add these great boots to our range of gear.  The handmade boots are crafted from Horween leather from Chicago. 

shipment just arrived today at our Hyde Park Square shop

new display in shop

This is the new display we built out of 3/4" black iron pipe.  We worked to get it done before the Filson Trunk Show that is happening this coming Tuesday (October 30th).

this is a barn in Wyoming that was in the movie Shane

large shipments arriving

This will be the third day we have received large shipments from our vendors.  Yesterday and today we unpacked major shipments from Barbour and Patagonia.

I just finished unpacking the Barbour shipment (Friday 5:55pm).  There were 705 items received in.  Time for Arthur's!

A Fishing Kind of Weekend....

On Saturday....

D&H and RRT Demo Event

      After a few weeks of planning, a few dead-ends, and many questions, D&H and RRT (Roads, Rivers, and Trails in Milford) hosted our first joint event. D&H provided free fly casting lessons to anyone interested and RRT allowed folks to try out many different kayak styles while providing some instruction along the way.   

Delamere & Hopkins and Roads, Rivers, and Trails Team Up.

Free Flycasting and Kayak Demo/Instruction

On Saturday, October 13, D&H and RRT (in Milford) will host a free demo and instruction day at the Stonelick Lake beach from 12-5. D&H will offer free fly casting lessons and some fishing instruction. RRT will offer free kayak instruction and Demo opportunities.

rugby

Cincinnati Wolfhounds Rugby Club   39
Detroit Tradesman     26

Filson Rugged Twill Utility Bag

As we prepare for the Filson Trunk Show at Delamere & Hopkins on October 30th, I will be highlighting a different Filson product every day.

Land Rover

is this a good start to a Monday morning?

Montauk Point Fly Fishing Adventure

Montauk Fly Fishing

I just returned from an amazing trip to Long Island, New York. We spent the week fishing the area around Montauk Point. This area is as rugged and majestic as it looks. The fishing was unbelievable and I could not help but think that every day looked like a page from National Geographic. The Striped Bass, False Albacore, and Bluefish that we were targeting cooperated completely.

My first Striper in the salt with Captain Paul Dixon.

Montana fly fishing

I got back from Montana a week ago and the shop has been so busy I haven't taken time to post anything about the trip.  The first group I took to a ranch on the Upper Ruby.  Fishing was great, weather was great, ranch staff and guides were great, customers had fun...what more do you want?

D&H dove shoots

The bird season started September 1st and D&H had a nice turnout with thirty shooters at our Opening Day shoot.  We had nice bird flights, but not covered up.  Hurricane Isaac was working thru St. Louis and heading towards Louisville and I think that affected our birds.  I shot every day throughout the week and had good shoots and great shoots.  Just like anything, you have to put in your time to hit that shoot where you can't reload fast enough.

Striper fishing

                             Hybrids are In!!!

Louis and I got out this morning and caught several hybrids. We hit the water about 6:00 a.m. were soon into fish.

new item: Filson Oregon Trail Jacket

This made in America jacket has the cool factor for the urban streets and the detailing that have made Filson hunting and work jackets famous since 1897.  The true color is leaning more towards the olive world; great color on the real jacket.  Stop in the shop and check it out.

6 oz. 100% cotton washable oil finish Cover Cloth

Stripers are running!!

         During the fall and spring the striped bass begin to run up the Little Miami River from the Ohio and feed on huge flies! All of the D&H employees work hard to land the big ones, Stripers are a light sensitive fish which means its fishing late at night with a head lamp or early in the morning right at sunrise. Hooking up to a striper is a fun fight, they are called the masters of current.

This was landed last year at this time!

Elkhorn fishing report

I fished the Elkhorn on Thursday the 9th and the water level and clarity was the best of the season.  We caught a bunch of fish and some of size.  We caught some on a bead head rubber leg brown wooly bugger, but most and the biggest were caught on chartreuse poppers.  Check out all the photos.

- Mark

Elkhorn Creek fishing report

We fished the Elkhorn on Thursday and the conditions were perfect.  This was the first time I have hit the stream since the awful drought that shut down pretty much everything.  The water level and clarity were both good.  We caught fish on both Dixie Devils and subsurface flies. 

Tom Downing Custom Knives

                    Tom Downing Custom Knives

       D&H Just received a new shipment of expertly crafted knives from Ohio craftsman, Tom Downing. Mr. Downing creates some extraordinary knives. He uses high quailty, unique, and attractive handle materials such as pre-ban elephant ivory, fossilized ivory, African Ironwood, Black Ash wood, and Sambar Stag, to name just a few. We have a mixture of practical hunting and outdoor knives as well as some more creative examples. Each knife comes with its own high quality leather sheath. Here are a few examples of Mr. Downing's work, they can only be described as awsome!



A Basic hunting knife pattern, made with Damascus and Sambar Stag

Click"Read More" to see more great knives.

Little Miami Gar

  
                Little Miami Gar Fishing

   The other shop employee's and I have been doing a bit of Gar fishing on the Little Miami due to the recent heat and the easy access to plenty of Gar.

Christain with the best fish of the day.

New Fishing Gear at D&H

                 New Fishing Gear at D&H

           We just got a few new pieces in the shop that should interest our angling crowd.

    Patagonia’s Rio Azul waders provide a durable and light weight set of waders with some favorite Patagonia features for a reasonable price.

Aston Martin at the Cincinnati Art Museum

The actual car that appeared in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) is sitting in the Cincinnati Art Museum now.  I visited the beautiful car on Sunday and it was worth the visit.  The one thing I noticed was how big the car is.  In the movie you think of it as a small sports car, but it is a big piece of machinery.

D&H 2012 Dove Shoots

2012 Dove Shoots

1pm arrival time (no earlier)

Harrison County (little over an hour from Cincinnati)

September 1st     Saturday

September 8th     Saturday

September 12th     Wednesday

September 15th     Saturday