Somerset Wrap Up

Last weekend’s participation at the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, New Jersey, didn’t disappoint. Not only did we get to visit with our clients from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, but a few clients who have visited Poronui New Zealand, also owned by The Westervelt Company, stopped by as well.

Last week we asked readers to share their favorite places to eat in Somerset. Thanks for the recommendations! We wanted to share our own discovery: 28 BBQ is Portuguese restaurant in Bound Brook, New Jersey, serving steak the size of a platter in traditional brown bag, Iberian fashion.

After the show on Saturday, we enjoyed spending time with some of our clients at a cocktail party we organized with the invaluable assistance of Frontiers, The Ranch at Rock Creek, and representatives from the Ponoi River in Russia. Already you can see the Somerset Fly Fishing Show has quite an international component, and not just where food is concerned!

As the show closed on Sunday, we were able to catch a bit of the NFL playoffs with clients, outfitters, and fellow vendors. It’s hard to believe the Super Bowl is right around the corner, but we’re really proud of the New Orleans Saints for making it all the way.

Once again Somerset proved to be a productive, delightful experience and we wish our clients and new found friends all the luck in the world as we rapidly begin the countdown to fishing season. Come join us on the river!

Off To Somerset

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One of our favorite places to eat while we’re at the Somerset show was suggested to us by a fellow New Brunswick Outfitter. It’s a little restaurant called Matteo’s Pizza and Pasta.  But don’t let the word “little” restaurant fool you - the food is out of this world!

Throughout the years we build relationships in the fly- fishing industry, and look forward to rekindling them at fly-fishing shows across the nation. Since the Somerset show essentially kicks off our fishing season, we consider it something of a “family reunion” to catch up with clients, friends, and outfitters.

And since reunions should be fun, we’d like to ask another question and share a few additional details:

What is the name of your favorite restaurant near Somerset, New Jersey, and what is it you like to order? 

We are planning a gathering for our clients after the show on Saturday. We’re looking forward to seeing you, so please stop by our booth and we’ll give you the details.

And to our clients who follow the New York Jets, congratulations on making it to the AFC play-off game. We would enjoy watching the end of the game together at the conclusion of Sunday’s show, so let us know if you are interested.

See you later this week!

Tie One On This Winter

In the dead of winter, nothing seems more promising than the melt of snow and the beginning of the 2010 fly fishing season in April. While we start marking “X” on days in an effort to mentally speed up the countdown, many of our clients keep themselves occupied by tying flies. Since we’ve been featuring books about the Maritimes over the past few months, we thought it would be fun to include one on tying flies you may find interesting: Tying the Classic Salmon Fly: A Modern Approach to Traditional Techniques.

It can be found at one of the fly shops we use in Doaktown, New Brunswick, Canada, or via Amazon.com.

We will be attending the Somerset show in New Jersey Next week, where there will be lots of opportunities to watch fly tiers from all over the world. We have some exciting news to share, and ask you to give us a call if you’re planning to attend so we can be looking for you at our booth.

Happy Holidays

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2009, we'd like to thank everyone for their friendship, loyalty, guidance and advice during this rather challenging year. We're excited about 2010 - Bigger fish will be swimming, we just know it - and hope you are too!

Please help us make 2010 even better by taking a brief survey on our website, and as always, please subscribe to our mailing list to ensure you stay up-to-the-minute on news, fishing reports, and travel specials shared by MBR.

This Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year, remember to take a few moments to breathe deep and celebrate life's blessings along with the love and reward our families and friends bring us. See you in 2010!

Treasure or Trash? Marketing Giveaway Ideas Needed!

With the Holidays right around the corner, we’ve been working on our plans for the winter and spring fly fishing trade shows we’ll be attending prior to the beginning of fishing season. A question came to mind, and we thought it could be best answered by our faithful readers … what’s the neatest/coolest/most memorable giveaway item you’ve received at a trade show? What did you like about it? What made it “work” for you?

We’ve had drink “koozies,” key chains, mini-flashlights, pens, pencils and bags in the past, and are looking for new ideas for 2010. Email brslodge@westervelt.com or call us at (800) 281-7991 with your feedback. We always enjoy hearing from you!


If you’ll be attending The Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, New Jersey, January 22-24, 2010 or the Maine Sportsman Show April 2-4, 2010, stop by our booth and see our final decision!

If you are looking for the perfect holiday gift for the angler in your life (or yourself!) our pre-season specials  are valid through the end of the year.

Welcome the Olympic flame to New Brunswick!

Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada’s Pacific coast, will host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, February 12-28, 2010. Following Olympic tradition, a torch relay began on October 30, 2009, in Victoria, British Columbia, and reached New Brunswick on Day 26, and the Miramichi area on Day 29.

"The Olympic Flame arrived at the celebration site at 11:20am and departed at 12:20pm in Miramichi.  The celebration entertainment started at 10am with the torch arriving at 11:20am at the James M. Hill Memorial High School.  Entertainment on the square in Newcastle was provided for those who could not make it to James M. Hill Memorial High School."

What an exciting time to be in the Miramichi River Valley! Follow the torch throughout the rest of its journey through Canada.

Miramichi Book Club: The Americans Are Coming

December began with the first big snowfall on the lodge in New Brunswick, signifying the beginning of winter and several months of modified dormancy in the Maritimes. We think it sounds like a great opportunity to curl up in front of the fire with a good book and, as such, are continuing on with our winter reading list and review.

This week we’re reviewing a book recommended by Linda Gaston, Executive Director of the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, New Brunswick.


“The Americans are Coming” by Herb Curtis, a well known writer in the Miramichi River Valley, now includes an afterward by David Adams Richards. The flair of “good ole river tales,” which have been passed down from generation to generation, sets a lively backdrop for showcasing New Brunswick and its unique culture.

Synopsis:

An invasion? For teenagers Dryfly Ramsey and Shadrack Nash, poor and ignorant in the world's terms but rich in the lore of the magical Miramichi, the annual influx of American anglers, with their money, fishing gear, and thirst for salmon seems like one, and it sets the stage for action. A cast of quirky, unforgettable characters - Nutbeam, a large-nosed, floppy-eared hermit; Shirley, Brennan Siding's toothless postmistress and Ramsey family matriarch; and Buck, who appears once a year to sire another child - conspire to capture the imagination in Herb Curtis's now classic novel. And what of the Whooper, that mystical beast whose cries result in amazingly tall tales? In The Americans are Coming, the voices of Brennan Siding ring out in the rich vernacular of New Brunswick's Miramichi region, a world immersed in myth, folklore, and the sulpherous belch of a nearby pulp mill, and where ghosts and demons are as real as the Lone Ranger or the spring run of gaspereaux.

About the Author:

Herb Curtis was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Award for his collection of humourous stories, Luther Corhern's Salmon Camp Chronicles. The Americans Are Coming is the first novel in his acclaimed Brennan Siding trilogy. He has won the Thomas Head Raddall Prize for fiction and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize (Canada and the Caribbean). Although born near the Dungarvon River, he now lives in Fredericton.


What do you think? We'd love to hear your insight into this, or any other books, we're including on our winter reading list. Leave us a comment here or on the Notes section of our Facebook page.