Up by Newhalem about as far as the Salmon could go on the Skagit. And below the power house pool I saw a big Salmon that could go 4' in length. It was the biggest live Salmon I have ever seen.
Truly “PNW Fly Fishing Old Timers” quiz
- Thread starter Uptonogood
- Start date
Herter’s in Lacey . White Elephant in spokane. 50 lbs of shot in my carry on back to Seattle.
No I am not a Seattleite
, but I do recall circa 1973-5 going to a big old store full of camping and fishing stuff that looked like how i imagine Grogans Army Surplus or Ollie Damons… it didn’t cost more for stuff with bullet holes in it . It was called REI
For me, Kaufman's was extra special because their annual catalogue was my full color illustrated guide to all the hottest flies. I used to cut and paste pieces into my fly tying notebook. Pre-internet, it was THE guide for my fly tying.
I mean you could still describe downtown in those terms. Fellini films are super weird. Though now you would probably add meth heads and an absence of almost any glamor. Fellini films at least have some glamor
Some I remember going to alot as a kid with my Dad in the 70's, a tiny fishing/sport store on State street in Marysville bought my first perrine flybox there also a Benjamin Pump air rifle. Original Jerry's Surplus in Everett, the fishing shop in Sultan right across from the Cracker Bar, bought alot of corkies and Sammy specials there. Was a big, big deal to go to Warshalls with my old man. Later as a young man Kaufmans in Bellevue, Swallows nest etc. Took a multi day/night SRC class with Les Johnson out of one of those shops late 80's, early 90's? Super fun, learned alot.
Ben Paris’ Damsel in Distress cover;
Here’s the back cover;
One more;
I also remember the old school sport shop upstairs in the old Frederic & Nelson. Creaky wooden floors, animal heads on the walls, and fishing gear. I’ll never forget the smell of leather and gun oil that permeated the air. I got my first rifle there. A used but nice, Marlin .22.
I have a 9’ FE Thomas “Browntone Streamer Special” that I researched as having been delivered to the old Eddie Bauer shop downtown on 3/12/1946. It’s in the original Thomas registers, which is how I found out about it.
Old school Seattle was cool!!!
Here’s the back cover;
One more;
I also remember the old school sport shop upstairs in the old Frederic & Nelson. Creaky wooden floors, animal heads on the walls, and fishing gear. I’ll never forget the smell of leather and gun oil that permeated the air. I got my first rifle there. A used but nice, Marlin .22.
I have a 9’ FE Thomas “Browntone Streamer Special” that I researched as having been delivered to the old Eddie Bauer shop downtown on 3/12/1946. It’s in the original Thomas registers, which is how I found out about it.
Old school Seattle was cool!!!
Seaalki
Guest
Actually it was called the Co-op, after Jim Whitaker was hired the name changed to REI. In the early 70's, my son and I moved to West Seattle on Beach Drive, the Whitakers lived across the street, my son was there paper boy ( the internet of the time ) and about three houses south of there were the Alhadeff family, and they had the only legal gambling in the city for decades, Longacres Racetrack, as a kid in the summer would ride my bike down at 3:30 am every morning to hot walk race horses, 50 cents a horse per half hour, if you were good enough two handle two at at a time, you could make $10 before most people were up, I remember the Green River valley as nothing but farms, and dirt roads before the Howard Hanson Dam, it at times would flood totally from hill side to hill side as far as you could see, my parents had a place on the Green River in Auburn, there was a pole in the water continuously during the different runs. Sorry, I don't usually dwell much in the past, this thread opened a flood gate of half forgotten memories.
Ciao
Last edited:
Uptonogood
PNW raised
I had forgotten about the mounted 126lb Chinook, commercially caught. I remember it now.
What stands out in my memory of Ben Paris were two full size taxidermy mounts, one a giant Kodiak brown bear, standing on its hind legs, towering 10ft if it was an inch, mouth gapping in a huge snarl. Next to it was a matching bear mount but this one was a huge polar bear, it, too, snarling. Stunning
What stands out in my memory of Ben Paris were two full size taxidermy mounts, one a giant Kodiak brown bear, standing on its hind legs, towering 10ft if it was an inch, mouth gapping in a huge snarl. Next to it was a matching bear mount but this one was a huge polar bear, it, too, snarling. Stunning
Wow, lots of history. my family grew up in Seattle, my dad roamed the streets of downtown Seattle back in those days when working for my grandfather’s fledgling business.
I took my first fly casting and tying lessons at Kaufman’s in Seattle from Ryan. Bob Aid from the Bellevue shop was a very nice gentleman who coached me further in casting a shooting head line.
The guys at Patrick’s never really hit it off with me. But it was a little out if the way for me anyway. Kaufman’, Eddie Bauer, and Swallows nest were all within walking distance where I worked downtown.
I remember Warshalls. Loved that store, where else could you buy hooks and photo paper under one roof? I have a box of hooks with their price tag on it still. (Photo paper is long gone)
I don’t remember Ben Paris, unfortunately. If i was ever in there, I would have been young, with my dad, and if they had a full bear mount in there, it probably would have scared me silly back then.
I took my first fly casting and tying lessons at Kaufman’s in Seattle from Ryan. Bob Aid from the Bellevue shop was a very nice gentleman who coached me further in casting a shooting head line.
The guys at Patrick’s never really hit it off with me. But it was a little out if the way for me anyway. Kaufman’, Eddie Bauer, and Swallows nest were all within walking distance where I worked downtown.
I remember Warshalls. Loved that store, where else could you buy hooks and photo paper under one roof? I have a box of hooks with their price tag on it still. (Photo paper is long gone)
I don’t remember Ben Paris, unfortunately. If i was ever in there, I would have been young, with my dad, and if they had a full bear mount in there, it probably would have scared me silly back then.
My favorite day ever on the Yakima was a float guided by Bob Aid. We put in at Cle Elum and caught lots and lots of trout on his "special" fly he called the Fly Formerly Known As Prince." Bob also fixed an old Scientific Angler System 2 reel for free when I brought it to him at Bellevue Kaufman's for help. Great guy.Wow, lots of history. my family grew up in Seattle, my dad roamed the streets of downtown Seattle back in those days when working for my grandfather’s fledgling business.
I took my first fly casting and tying lessons at Kaufman’s in Seattle from Ryan. Bob Aid from the Bellevue shop was a very nice gentleman who coached me further in casting a shooting head line.
The guys at Patrick’s never really hit it off with me. But it was a little out if the way for me anyway. Kaufman’, Eddie Bauer, and Swallows nest were all within walking distance where I worked downtown.
I remember Warshalls. Loved that store, where else could you buy hooks and photo paper under one roof? I have a box of hooks with their price tag on it still. (Photo paper is long gone)
I don’t remember Ben Paris, unfortunately. If i was ever in there, I would have been young, with my dad, and if they had a full bear mount in there, it probably would have scared me silly back then.
Damn, that brings back some memories. I remember that seedy old hall on the upper floor. When I came back to Seattle in the 80s I was setup in some matches with the local sticks like Smiley and Tam Fischer that haunted the 211. Loved that place and made some money for my backers until they knew me and how to match up. Some of the best women pool players in the country also started there. I also remember watching Dan Louie play Danny Medina (both players were a level above me) in a 9ball race to 21 ahead. There were many thousands wagered on that match and the room was packed, cigarette and cigar smoke was thick, and all the local players had action. It was like the Super Bowl, with Dan Louie representing Seattle and Danny a Denver CO guy. Another life for me (life before Steelhead), a long time ago -
G_Smolt
Legend
Dan and Eric were the best thing about Warshal's. In addition to being a wicked good angler, Dan was a drummer in the Seattle jazz scene and hooked me up with a hell of a deal on a guitar at a music store up the street from them. It's so far back in the mist of time that I don't remember which guitar it was - strat-bodied rocker with a hot humbucker and a volume knob- and I cant remember the name of the music store - it was north of seneca on first - but I do remember I stopped in at warshals after a bus ride from west seattle to chat with him when I told him I was headed up there to check out guitars. He wrote a little note and told me not to read it, to just hand it to the fella who ran the shop, which I did when I got there...
Next thing you know, I'm jammin' on a nice guitar the fella picked out for me. When it came time to pay, I was pretty stoked to find out my note from Dan got me not only the pick of the litter (with music store fellas help), but also got me a significant chunk of the retail price taken off.
While I don't miss Seattle one bit, I miss the tiny bits of history I had with a lot of different communities therein.
Re: 211 - one of the first jobs I ever had was working for a family friend (Kerry Brown, used to own American games(? Memory issues...)) in seattle - he had contracts with a TON of places to be their table maintenance fella. I helped re-cover tables / rails with him for a few years, including 211. I remember at least one of their tables being made by a local fella who used Buffalo nickles as markers...
Next thing you know, I'm jammin' on a nice guitar the fella picked out for me. When it came time to pay, I was pretty stoked to find out my note from Dan got me not only the pick of the litter (with music store fellas help), but also got me a significant chunk of the retail price taken off.
While I don't miss Seattle one bit, I miss the tiny bits of history I had with a lot of different communities therein.
Re: 211 - one of the first jobs I ever had was working for a family friend (Kerry Brown, used to own American games(? Memory issues...)) in seattle - he had contracts with a TON of places to be their table maintenance fella. I helped re-cover tables / rails with him for a few years, including 211. I remember at least one of their tables being made by a local fella who used Buffalo nickles as markers...
Warter’s Hardware in Tacoma on 6th and Proctor.
Any other Grizzlers ever go there? Killer polar bear salmon trolling flies. Lots of other outdoor stuff as well.
SF
Any other Grizzlers ever go there? Killer polar bear salmon trolling flies. Lots of other outdoor stuff as well.
SF
I remember Ben Paris , had one of his fishing books from the 1940s. Also was in the downtown Warshal's store in the 6os. I bought my first sage rpl at the Avid angler on Roosevelt way about 115th ne. Tiny shop at that time the late 1970s. Still use the rpl.
