Rose River Farm

Sunday, the 29th of October, found six of our PHW crew at the Rose River Farm (RRF) in Madison, County, Virginia. RRF, owned by the Douglas Dear family, is situated near Syria, Virginia, and straddles over a half-mile of the beautiful Rose River. These private waters were teaming with very nice rainbows just waiting for SFC Diane Cochran, USA; SGT Russell Martin, USA National Guard; CPL Neil Frustaglio, USMC; SSG Jake Keeslar, USA; 1LT Eivind Forseth, USA; and Mr. Bill Johnston, former USMC (Viet Nam), to make their appearance, fly rods in hand.

The newly-chartered Federation of Fly Fishers Eastern Blue Ridge Fly Fishers Chapter of Culpeper, Virginia, had arranged this outing, and a goodly number of the members were on had to help out. Tim Schultz, owner and operator of The Castaways Company fly shop, and Mark Lee, a member of the club had, approached PHW last summer with an invitation to fish on RRF and the private waters that Tim manages for the Dears. The Dear family had generously offered their farm and the river for the outing, and the fly fishers of the Eastern Blue Ridge Chapter would act as the hosts, providing member guides and all the food “fixins” for lunch.

To describe the valley that RRF overlooks: the Rose River and the surrounding countryside, as picturesque hardly does this gorgeous piece of Virginia real-estate justice. To add to the grandeur, Sunday the 29th, had to be the most perfect fall weather day one could hope for.

After the preliminary introductions and greetings of all participants and club members, it was off to the river. Each PHW participant had several club members to guide them to the various stretches along the Rose. Four-wheel-drive “mules” were used throughout the day to taxi the fishers to their fishing spots. Tim took Russell Martin in tow, and at the central location on the river, had him into fish immediately, much to the delight and applause of the spectators enjoying the sun along the banks. While that was going on, I was giving Russell’s wife, Crystal, some preliminary casting instruction and, in short order, she had on a set of waders, and Tim was showing her how to catch the trout holding in the pool. As the morning progressed, the group that had departed for the farther reaches of the Rose, Diane, Bill, Neil, and Jake, were finding their own willing rainbows, with the able assistance of the club guides. Later that morning, Eivind arrived with his father, “Ave”, and sister, Larissa, and immediately began producing his own fish.

While there was great success for all on the waters, there was an equal amount of enjoyment on dry land, thanks to the superb hospitality of Doug Dear, and his parents, Hugh and Carol. While Doug was busy guiding, Hugh and Carol, along with a crowd of visitors, mixed with the PHW group at the gazebo at home base, and made them feel right at home. The lunchtime spread was fantastic, and represented the efforts of a number of club member spouses and supporters. Carol especially endeared herself, by circling among her guests with delicious brownies and other goodies.

Other PHW members in attendance lending a helping hand were CDR (Select) Dale Harmon, USN (Medical Corps), and John Bass, a charter member, who drove up from North Carolina to provide his support.

Before we knew it, it was time to load up and head for home, with many new friendships formed, and plans for future outings discussed. Simply said, it was a wonderful day, at a wonderful venue, and our thanks go out to all who organized and executed the day’s event.

Ed Nicholson