MRO Chronicle #3: Filming the Walker's Cay Chronicles
by Brian Flechsig
The show aired today. Actually, it aired yesterday at 6:30 a.m. as well as this morning at 9:00, but I didn’t see it until today. Yesterday morning I woke up on Andros Island in the Bahamas and slept last night in my own bed. That always seems strange…..quite fascinating to me…….and very surreal.
At exactly 6:30 yesterday morning I was standing at the Fresh Creek airport with good friends Jeff Fowler and Locke McKenzie and new friend Sam Karamanos from Oregon. There was a T.V. in the room and we asked if they had cable. They did, and even had ESPN2, but the controls were in a locked room next door. I was dying to change the channel!
I had the pleasure of spending a week at Rupert Leadon’s Andros Island Bonefish Club with a group of great friends/customers, along with special guest, as always now, Mr. Jim Teeny. This was our third trip to the lodge and it just keeps getting better! Donna Teeny, who is now again truly Mrs. Teeny (congrats to you guys), runs the place and we just have an absolute blast. Not to mention, I have personally never seen bonefish this big anywhere! Friday I fished with Rupert Leadon by myself, which is a thrill in itself, but we also hooked a fish that Rupert said was 13+. He took over 225 yards of backing and broke my tippet. Most likely some coral or grass broke my tippet. Regardless, he’s got Rupert’s fly!@!
We had some of our best “trip customers” with us and they all are right now, I am sure, scheming how to get back to the island.
Jim Teeny and I have booked a 4 day/5 night trip, November 13th- 18th and the entire week of February 19th- 26th, 2005. I am sure that there will be many “Andros” chronicles to come!
Jim Teeny and I met, I believe in 1996. He and Dave Halblom were making a rare trip out our way to sample some of our Steelhead Fishing. We did a “Teeny School” up on Elk Creek, a muddy and snowy Elk Creek, and I had the pleasure of netting Jim Teeny’s 1st Erie steelhead. I believe that I have the picture in one of my slide shows.
Very long story short, but Jim and I hit it off immediately. We both had gone through similar “relationship” issues that year and found ourselves crying on one another’s shoulders. The next year we spent a week in Alaska at Katmai Lodge and have spent two more weeks there since. This year, when we get to the lower Chosen River on the float trip, Jim will be waiting at the lower base camp. He is also responsible for my Tarpon addiction, having introduced me to Bruce Chard (Homey).
Jim is like family, and I’m glad that Donna is now again also! There is hardly a holiday that goes by that I don’t hear from him. He always tells me to say Hi to my Mom and Dad.
Jim and Flip Pallot have done a fair amount of bow hunting together. If you ask either one of them, they will tell you that the sport is their true love. Flip also designed a great saltwater line for Jim in the Professional Series. They go way back.
I can remember from day one, Jim telling me that Flip and I had to get together.
Dave Whitlock 1st came to Mad River Outfitters in 1997. He came back in 2000 I belive and then again last summer, in 2003. If you have read the “Year in Review”, you know a bit about how I feel about the man. He has also become like family, his wife Emily also.
I had the pleasure of fishing the White River in Arkansas, his home river, in the fall of 2001. It was one of the great thrills of my life to be in a boat with him.
I am also truly honored to have him as a guest in our video, “Carpin’”. He made the tape!
When we filmed the footage in that tape, I can remember him telling me that Flip and I had to get together. Dave had filmed a few shows with him.
Oddly enough, Dave and Emily were in Columbus just a week before Flip and crew. We of course took them out to The Wilds. Dave had also just filmed an episode with Flip on the White the week before. The stars had all aligned or something!
Dave was a great coach! He gave me a great idea what to expect. I hadn’t heard from Flip in a while and wasn’t really sure what was ahead. We didn’t even really know what to have together as far as boats, extra guide etc. I was touched……….Dave really wanted me to do well!
I promise that I will get to the show here……..two more.
In 1999 we had the pleasure of having the king himself, Lefty Kreh as a guest at the shop. Once again…..long story short (sorry I use that so much), I took Lefty to the “Carp Lakes” in Urbana. He immediately said that he was going to call Flip and tell him that he ought to film an episode out there with us. I don’t know for sure whether he ever did mention it to Flip.
I remember asking my “Uncle Vince”, back in the mid-nineties, who was the best saltwater fly fisherman? “Flip” he said. My Uncle Bill, and Vince who is actually Bill’s good friend, can also be credited with my saltwater addiction. They both live in Miami and have flats boats (free room and boat). I love you guys! I will never forget his response that day though.
Flip Pallot came to Mad River Outfitters on June 2nd 2002. I had just spent a week on Andros with Teeny and then we went to fish with Brucie. I landed my 1st Tarpon over 100 lbs along with Jim and Bruce, just a few days before I met Flip. Seemed appropriate eh?
Flip and I had corresponded via fax for quite some time. Sometimes one not responding to the other for months. I believe this started shortly after Lefty was here in 99. I guess I felt that the only way to top Lefty would be Flip. It took until 02 to get him here.
Flip did a slide show at the shop and then hung around and signed autographs and chatted with folks all day. The turnout was the biggest ever and he did a great job. Flip has to be the biggest draw in the sport right now. He was here for a grand total of 24 hours.
We spent a half hour or so casting out back of the shop I learned more then than I had in 15 years.
During the day, I had a chance to talk to Flip about the Wilds. (The onset of this relationship had overshadowed the Carpin’ stuff at this point). Bottom line, after I told him the whole story, reclaimed land and all, he said to me, “Let’s do it”.
“I’ll call you next week and we’ll set the dates”. He did. And I didn’t hear from him until about a week before we were to film the show. I did see him in Denver at the tackle show, but I only had a chance to say “Hi” and slip him a newly released “Carpin” video.
When I finally did hear from him, via e-mail,……..especially thanks to Dave Whitlock, we were all set! George Russomanno, who has been guiding for us for years and does most of the Wilds guiding, had made himself available. Flip was traveling with one camera man and one sound man. We needed one boat to host them. My mother got food for us for the week and the kind folks at The Wilds were putting us up at the lodge. We had a Suburban lined up at the airport for the guys, as per Flip’s request. The weather even looked good!
“Brriiaan”, the slow, recognizeable voice on the other end of the line. “Flip”.
“Flip….how are you?”
“Greeat, but we seemed to have a screw-up at the rental car joint”
The rental car agency, or somebody along the way, had gotten something wrong. The rental car folks (I won’t mention their name), told Flip that the number he gave them wasn’t even a number that made any sense to them. My mother confirmed it when he did arrive at the shop, that was the number they gave her. Don’t know what happened there but I do now think that it was a sign of things to come.
I was sure that Flip didn’t appreciate bumps in the road. You want to take good care of somebody like him. They wound up with two Blazers, the rental car place had no cars big enough for the three of them and all of their gear. He seemed fine. He borrowed some ice from the cooler in the back of my car for his “coffee” mug.
We drove out to the Wilds the afternoon that they arrived. I showed them around and began telling them the story of where we were. There was a lot to talk about here in a half-hour show. Rick the soundman, and Bob the cameraman, were with Flip, and they un-loaded their gear and into the lodge. I believe that we had a few drinks, talked about what we were going to do the next four days, and crashed fairly early.
The next morning we were up early and up to the north end of the property on a lake called “Tiger” lake. I think that Evan calls it that because they are thinking of putting a tiger facility in that area some day. Quite frankly, I didn’t know that much about the fishing on the lake, but I chose it because it was absolutely beautiful water. Turns out it was a bad choice! You’ll see.
For some reason, George wasn’t there the 1st day so Larry Fletcher, head publicist for The Wilds, ran the camera and sound “boat”. We were actually in my “scanoes”, flat sterned canoes with trolling motors on the back. I sensed that when Flip saw them he might be a bit skeptical. There was a lot of gear in that boat as well in ours!
It took Larry a few minutes to get the hang of the “direction” on the trolling motors. Before we knew it, Larry, Bob and Rick were stuck in some cat tails. We had just launched and I headed right over to pull them out. Turns out that I had forgotten my paddle. Had we had it we could have pulled them right out, but they were on their own.
Flip didn’t seem too happy.
He mentioned that we didn’t have a paddle three or four times.
“How can you be in a canoe without a paddle?” I think he said at one point. Can’t argue that though can I?
I offered to run and get paddles. They were only 15 minutes to the boats!
I know that I was a little irritated, maybe stressed, at this point also.
He declined my offer and we went fishing.
I also did not have any backrests for the canoes with me. Later that day, we had not caught any signifigant fish, and Flip’s back was hurting. I’d have to admit that mine was too. I had only seen one fish that was maybe 6 lbs, hooked one that we thought might do us any good. I think that we got some good deer footage that day and that’s about it.
We left our gear in the boat, and headed back to the lodge. (Remember that). Rick and Bob did take all of the sound and film gear back with us, and we took the batteries to charge for the night. We had a nice dinner a few drinks and I believe that I played a little mandolin. Flip was very interested.
Turns out that Flip also remembered my “Uncle Vince” from when he used to come into Flip’s fly shop in Miami. He couldn’t believe that I was “related to” Vince. Funny.
The next morning we were up early, the weather was GREAT, and the mood was good. We were headed back up to the boats and Flip and I rode together. We were listening to some Sam Bush, world’s greatest mandolin player. Flip was diggin’ it! In fact when we showed up at the lake, we took a minute and listened to Sam jam on a song called “Stingray”. He tears it up!
We walked through the brush to the boats. Rick and Bob led the way, Flip and I behind with George who had joined us the night before. As soon as we got to the boats, George said loudly, “Hey, where’s your shit?”
I froze. I am not a good enough writer to explain to you what went through my veins………and then through my head. Time stood completely still, yet my mind started to race. I immediately knew, but refused to admit, what had happened.
I froze.
I had been preparing my gear for weeks. I had MY rods. I had spools on MY Ross Canyons with all the right lines for the job. Knots were perfect and flies were alphabetically organized (believe that?).
The Walker’s Cay comes to The Wilds and every ounce of gear we had, other than boats and batteries, was gone!
This wasn’t my year!
I was panicked! I think I remember saying “Oh my God”, “Oh my God”, quite a few times. What the hell were we going to do.
I remember walking back to the car with Flip. He said to me, “Hey man……they didn’t come any where near our livers or kidneys. Our vital organs are still in tact.”
I can’t tell you what that meant and it is a lesson that I will always remember. It was almost as if he had flipped a switch in me, no pun.
We drove back to the lodge and I called the Wilds office and told them to call the cops. I also called Evan Blumer, my friend and director of The Wilds. I wasn’t sure what he could do but I needed his assistance and guidance. He wound up making the hour or more drive just to be with us and help us through the situation.
I also called Jim Lenardson and left him a message. I think it was all of 7:00 a.m. and the chances of him being thrilled about a phone call were slim. He usually takes about three days to call you back anyway. He called me back within minutes.
We talked to cops. Filed reports. Looked for gear. Talked to Wilds employees trying to figure out what might have happened and tried to determine the best way to handle this situation.
Best anyone can figure, someone had snuck onto the property and stumbled onto a goldmine. They walked off with all of our gear, motors included. Flip lost two rods and reels. The reels are Tibors with red handles, the only ones ever done. I believe he also had a gear bag in the boat. I lost three rods, three reels and several spools for each, all loaded with a variety of lines, and……….. the real bummer, my tackle box with years of bass bugs that I have tied over the years inside of it. My Scott Heli-Ply 7wt was one of my favorite rods and really couldn’t be replaced! Wow! For god sakes the rods and reels had our names engraved on them. They probably wound up in a dumpster or in a ditch. These cats don’t know which end of a fly rod to hold!
Jim Lenardson was there in about two hours with mostly everything we needed as far as tackle went. The rest George had!
Evan took control of the “official” situation. Rick and Bob did some scenery work. George went to Wal-Mart in Zanesville and bought trolling motors. Flip and I went and bought some great back rests for the boats. We even found a Harley store for Flip to buy a T-shirt.
They didn’t come anywhere near our livers!
That night we did some pickin’. I showed Flip a few tunes and we played a bit. He seemed to like the idea of playing a tune for the show and I remember that he really wanted to film it on the dock at the lodge.
The next day we were up early and filming on Long Lake/Caone Lake. It was an absolutely beautiful morning! This was the morning that you see the fog in the show. What beautiful shots they got! We started collecting some bluegill that day also. Flip had mentioned that he would like to have a fish fry and promised he would show me a taste of the “South for my mouth”. He had a great recipe.
We still hadn’t caught a really big fish.
That day Flip and the boys went off with Evan and filmed some great footage of the animals. It was then that I think Flip really got excited about the story that we could tell here. Evan did a great job as usual and the boys were really impressed.
Later that afternoon we somehow wound up recording the song “Billy in the Lowground”, Flip on guitar and me on mandolin. Rick set up his recording gear on the porch of the lodge and we ran the tune. We must have done 30 choruses but got it down in two takes. Flip promised me that he would be a better guitar player when we met again. George ran into town to get some groceries. In fact, Flip and the boys did film a “Chronicle” part for the show which they wound up not using. When Flip was writing the Chronicle he was actually jotting down a grocery list. We have some good pictures of it.
We still hadn’t caught a really big fish.
I called Evan that night to thank him again for his help the day before. He gave me permission to fish a lake inside the animal compound. Once again, he didn’t let me down!
We got into the lake early on the last day. Within a few minutes Flip had a “show” fish. About an hour later, he hooked one of the biggest bass I have ever seen.
Right away that morning, we had caught a mess of nice bass and bluegill and a fair amount of them had “company”. We would look below the surface and see huge bass, 6+ and more, following the smaller fish that we were catching. Flip had an idea.
I fished the surface, I’m sure with a sneaky pete, and Flip was using a chartreuse and yellow clouser #2. I would leave my fish out there, not land them right away, and sure enough, there they were. It was a great system and we tag teamed them pretty good.
Then…….
I was landing a bluegill, and just as I was about to bring it in, I saw it. Actually, for a split second, I thought it was coming for me. This savage slammed the bluegill right next to the boat. It may well have been the largest bass I have ever seen in person.
“Flip, My god Flip, did you see that?”
“Cast, near my fly…..it’s huge, My god Flip”
By the time Bob could get the camera rolling, Flip had the fish on!
I will never forget him saying, “Brian, something horrible just happened here” From there, you can tell that he was shaken. The fish jumped once, and spit the hook. The perfect tease! We both agreed that the fish was over 10lbs and maybe well over. Flip was energized.
A short while later, after having some more fun with the “system of the day”, we hooked another “show” fish. This was the last one in the show, and actually the last fish that Flip caught at The Wilds. I believe that the fish was 6 or 7 lbs although we didn’t weigh it. I don’t think that it was any bigger though. It made the show………and we were done.
Later that night, we built a great campfire. Flip cleaned bluegill and we had a great fish fry. We also filmed some more pickin’ around the fire which they used at the end of the show. The sun was starting to go down when the fimed that, it created quite a mood and I was thrilled to see what they did with it.
Something was wrong though. I had just hooked some of the largest bass of my career. I wasn’t ready to call it a day. I hadn’t fished dusk all week. The light isn’t right for filming so we worked during the day. I don’t think that Flip fishes too much for fun when he’s working. I was horny to get on those fish right at dark. Bob seemed quietly interested. I didn’t have to twist his arm too much though.
We made it back into “The Lake” and had a banner evening. I was killing them on Jim Stewarts “Hula Frog” and Bob did well on a Whit’s “Fruit Cocktail”. We worked on his casting and had some great conversation. Much different, and less intimidating than fishing with Flip. He hooked a great fish, maybe 6lbs or more, that broke him off just as we were finishing. I remember it was raining and there was a bit of lightning off in the distance. It was a great evening and I look forward to seeing Bob this summer.
Very early the next morning, the boys were off to the airport. Bob and Rick were headed home and Flip was on his way to Dallas to do a program for a shop. It was foggy and overcast. I will never forget the sight of the two blazers driving off into the dim sunrise. The clouds cleared shortly after.
George and I packed up and we were out of there by noon. I called my Dad on the way home and told him of the big fish.
Flip and I agreed that we should do another show. He had liked the idea about carp on the mulberries after seeing the video. He called me a week later and scheduled for July. I would venture to say that we will continue our musical endeavors together also. Maybe I should write a few “Carp” tunes. (Instead of crap tunes).
On a side note, just to add another twist…….Shortly after Flip got home to Florida, he got deathly ill. I believe he said that he made several trips to the hospital. He had to cancel several filmings including one with Emily Whitlock in Maine. When I saw him in Denver in September he did look noticeably thin but re-assured me that he was fine. Guess what? They finally deducted that it might have been West Nile Virus.
Anyway,
This was for sure one of the best weekends of my career. Something like a million plus people saw Mad River Outfitters, and The Wilds, on ESPN.
There were over 30 e-mails throughout the day and countless phone calls and folks stopping in to say they saw the show. Wilds trips are mostly full and tomorrow morning I plan on booking the next few years and they will begin to fill. The show will air at least another two times this year so I’m sure that we have just begun, not to mention a repeat next year. A few months ago Flip was on ESPN radio and said that The Wilds was the best bass fishing experience he had ever had and to call Mad River Outfitters. Looks like we will also be filming a show with Bass Pro Joe Thomas and he’s going to Fly Fish!! Wow!
But more than just my career and all that “me” stuff, they put together a great show! What a neat story! The patriotic flavor, the bass, the animals, the music, the history of the land etc. Parker Bauer, who writes most of the show, and Flip really make a great team and they truly put together one of the best fishing shows of all-time.
Most of all, I learned a lot from Flip. I am a better caster after simply being in his presence. I will definitely be better on film in the future. He taught me how to be a better 4-wheel driver. He showed me how to make a stringer out of a coat hanger, he showed me how to clean and cook bluegill better…..hell he even showed me how to turn my car around more efficiently on the backroads out there. My Uncles called today and Vince made a comment about our rappore. He said that Flip and I looked like an Uncle and a Nephew out fishing. Quite symbolic eh? I think that good ol’ Dave Whitlock put in a good word or two for me. Jimmy didn’t hurt either.
Last Thursday was the start of the Columbus sports and boat show. I was due to load-in that morning. I woke up to find my Jeep stolen out from in front of my house! No kidding! Some S.O.B.’s took my car!!!!!!!!!!!
Last year it was rods and reels, then my dog at the shop, then our stuff at The Wilds and now my car!
What a pain!@!#!
But………you know what………they didn’t come close to my liver!!!!!!
I would really like to extend a special thanks to The Wilds. Without them, this great episode would not have been possible. They have been great and we love working with them. I would also like to thank George Russomanno, Jim Lenardson, Judy Flechsig, Jim Andrix, Dave and Emily Whitlock, Jim Teeny and all who made a difference. Most of all, I would again like to thank all of our customers for making everything we do possible.
I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this. Keep telling me they are worth the time, it helps.
I am looking forward to writing many more “Chronicles”!
Brian Flechsig
February, 21st 2004
Click here to see photos!
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