And now!Mike Lawson's follow-up

Winter 2004 Book Mailer. Mike Lawson's Potato Bugs and Sparkle Flat
A few years ago I was working in the shop at Henry's Fork Anglers when a couple of guys came in and asked me if I would sell them some "killer Potato Bug Flies." I looked at them like they had ten heads. They both seemed to get a little agitated. I told them I didn't know what they were talking about. They insisted that I had the secret flies hidden under the counter. They also stated that they had heard there had been a massive invasion of Potato Bugs on the Henry's Fork and that the trout were so selective they wouldn't hit anything else. I was beside myself on this one. Believe me, I had heard just about everything after working more than twenty-five years at Henry's Fork Anglers but this had to take the cake. I figured both of those guys must have eaten some bad French Fries and were still suffering from the hangover. They must have pulled my leg for another ten minutes or so when the light finally went on. Gary LaFontaine! Who else would ever concoct such a wild tale? Gary had me on his mailing list for the Book Mailer but I always seemed to miss getting the copies that had something to do with me. I usually didn't figure it out until somebody came in the shop and started talking. It happened again when I read the Winter/Spring 1999 edition about the Potato Bugs. You'd think I'd catch on but I never did. Gary always got me. In life he always made me laugh. He was a fun guy. Most of all, he was a positive guy. Somehow he could always find the good in the bad. I miss him.		There is a nice quiet flat just upstream from my home on the Henry's Fork I call Sparkle Flat. I can walk there in five minutes. It's one of the neatest places I've ever found to fish dry flies. I call it Sparkle Flat because Gary caught his last trout there. I go there often; sometimes to fish and other times to just look at the water. In the winter I walk there on my snowshoes to look at the swans and geese. The reason I call it Sparkle Flat is not because of Gary's most famous fly. He was well known for his Sparkle Caddis Emergers but he was basically a lousy fly tier. I named the flat for him because he always had a sparkle in his eye. His attitude toward life was sparkling. I can't think of a better word than "sparkle" to describe Gary LaFontaine. Besides, Sparkle Flat sounds a lot better than LaFontaine Flat. My new book, Spring Creeks, is finally out. It wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Gary. He never let up on me to get it done. His last words to me were to make a promise to finish the book. He made it happen. I'm proud of it. It was a vision that started in a motel room in Los Angeles over 13 years ago. Gary and I sat up all night and outlined the book. I used a small recorder to keep track of our discussion. I used the tapes to type up a 25-page outline that I sent to Gary. He made some notes and we refined it the next time we were together. I have the outline and the tapes but I haven't listened to them in years; long before I ever dreamed Gary would be gone. The Blue Winged Olives will start coming off the Henry's Fork in March. Before that happens I plan to listen to the tapes again. Then I'm going up to Sparkle Flat and try to catch some trout on dry flies. Gary will be there too.

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We're just damn lucky . . . . . . to have a guy like Mike Lawson contributing to us fly fishers. We can't say enough about Mike Lawson's Spring Creeks. We know Mike was a little shell shocked when Stackpole (the publisher) revealed the price for his book, but that has not deterred anglers. They love it and we have had lots of feed back about how much they like it. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. The information is there and the photographs are some of the best we've ever seen. It is a reference book you will read over and over; and from the first moment it arrives on your book shelf, (after you have spent months, years? reading and thumbing through) -- it will be an instant classic. Mike is still associated with the Henry's Fork Angler and the South Fork Outfitters/Lodge. We've listed phone numbers and addresses for those of you who destination travel. These accommodations on these famous rivers just can't be beat. Plus Mike has some great articles posted there on their websites.
Henry's Fork Anglers • Phone: (208) 558-7525 • Fax: (208) 558-7932 • Toll Free: 1-800-788-4479 • www.henrysforkanglers.com • E-mail Address: info@henrysforkanglers.com • Mailing Address: Henry's Fork Anglers 3340 Hwy 20, Island Park, ID 83429		The South Fork Outfitters • Phone: (208) 483-7052 • Fax: (208) 483-7056 • Toll Free: 1-800-483-2110 • www.southforkoutfitters.com • E-mail: info@southforkoutfitters.com • Mailing Address: The South Fork Outfitters PO Box 22, Swan Valley, ID 83449