The Underground’s First Ever Smash & Grab Award

You know those guys with enough cash to buy pretty much any fly fishing gear they want? Well, I’m one of the other guys, and it’s with that in mind that I’m creating the Trout Underground’s First Ever “Smash & Grab Awards.“

I award it to the product I’d most want to rip from the display case, stuff under my shirt, and run like hell out of the convention center.

A strong contender today was Joe Saracione’s new spey reel (built in conjunction with Trey Combs) — exciting not only because it’s beautiful, but because they’re building reels again after halting production.

 
Saracione’s spey reel

Next on list were Kerry Burkheimer’s custom built graphite fly rods, which are stunning — jaw-droppingly so — in every detail.

Beauty, of course, runs only skin deep, but because Berkheimer learned to design tapers and roll blanks from Russ Peak, his rods fish like rock stars, and his two-handers bedevil fish on rivers all around the world.

Burkheimer also wins the award for the best non-Web site we’ve ever seen, but sadly for him, even his stylish rejection of modern online sales technology wasn’t enough to push him over the top.

Nope, today’s winner is ample evidence to my keen artistic sensibility — I’m going with the painting featured in my earlier post:

Stuffing it under my shirt would be tough — it’s a good five feet long — but no one ever said criminals were smart.

It’s the work of Derek DeYoung of canvasfish.com, an artist whose work frankly amuses the hell out of me.  

A self-portrait of the artist

His paintings look like I wish my photographs did, but I guess that’s the difference between those of us can wield a brush with skill and vision and those who push buttons on digital cameras.

I’ll post some more thoughts tomorrow morning about the blogger gathering and Drake short film awards; right now I’m bushed after wandering around downtown Denver — mostly lost — in the company of Lee “I know it’s just down this street” Murdock.

Lee, the balls of my feet hate you.

See you soaking the dogs, Tom Chandler.

[tags]fly fishing, fishing, ffr, fly fishing retailer[/tags]