Not long ago I had the opportunity to join my friend Dave for a brief three-day trip to the Grand Cascapedia. This was after a few years without trekking north on account of Covid and we were more than excited to finally be back on one of the finest rivers anywhere. Best of all, after fretfully watching the week after week of hot weather and low water, we were lucky enough to bring some much needed rain north with us as we went. The river bumped up and it was "game on" with each of us getting into a number of nice fish that were just starting to really color up.

The trip ended for me on a particular highlight which involved landing a nice twenty pounder with guide Tommy MacWhirter, one of the true originals you'll find on a river anywhere. It was a great trip - I hope you enjoy!

Bogdan fly reels are among the most celebrated reels in the history of fly fishing. Made by the father-son duo Stan and Steve Bogdan in their Nashua, New Hampshire workshop, these reels developed a tremendous following among angling luminaries on salmon rivers around the world. They remain one of the most coveted reels available anywhere and hold pride of place in most anglers collections. Today we're going to take a closer look at what makes Bogdan fly reels so famous, including taking the reel apart to have a closer look at the innovative Bogdan drag design, one that remained largely unchanged for the better part of seven decades. As any Bogdan aficionado will tell you, there is a good reason for that, as they were not only capable of stopping large fish, but would do so year after year with a minimum of upkeep.

We recently sat down to talk withold friend and artist Galen Mercer to talk a little bit about his approach to painting, early influences, and how his time on the river informs his work.