The Biggest Thank You I Have...

You know that feeling you get when you're so stinking happy, you kind of feel like your floating.

Yeah, that was Tuesday night the 19th at our Spokane Premier of Low and Clear to benefit the Wild Steelhead Coalition.

The fishing community came out in force for a great night of fun, conservation, a stunning film and a great cause.  Also, to win a piece of the mountain of gear and trips that were generously donated from across the fly fishing industry.

To put things in perspective as to how much of a success it was, in our first year holding a fundraiser for the WSC,  approximately 150-160 great people showed up to our event and helped us raise $2,000.

This year, we blew it out of the water.  Somewhere in the 260-270 packed the Lincoln Center and opened their wallets and gave to the tune of $6500.  Actually the amount was more towards $7500 but in throwing an event like that, you do have a few expenses like venue rental, printing costs and the like.

It has turned into more of a regional event as people came from Vancover, Portland, Moscow/Pullman, Missoula, Chewelah and other towns that dot our area.  Friends referred friends and brought new fly fishing enthusiasts to the show.  Children came and in some cases, won a ton of schwag which made us all happy and excited to watch their faces light up as they claimed their raffle prizes

Bob Margulis, the new Executive Director of the Wild Steelhead Coalition came from Seattle and was grinning ear to ear the whole night.  I think he was still smiling at our breakfast wrap up meeting the following morning.

Old friends and new friends and people I dont know from Adam had a great night.  The film, if you havent seen it, is absolutely enthralling and captivated the audience to the point where you could hear a pin drop in the room and then erupt in laughter when the time was right.  It's so different to any other fishing film and truly, it speaks to the duality of all of us when we fish.  Do we do it the easy way or do we continue in the face of failure to do it the hard way.....the way you want it to happe?

To all my volunteers, to my family who was ready to help in any way, to my wife who put up with me taking time away from the family to plan the event...

To the vendors, the guides, the conservation organizations who all played a part

To anyone who shared this with their friends, promoted it via their web sites, to the reporters and artists,

To my great friends at the Silver Bow Fly Shop for their support and help getting the word out

To the little girl who saved up 8 quarters for her two raffle tickets and anyone who came and opened their wallets to the degree they could

The biggest thank you I can give.  Times a thousand.

I am still on cloud 9

To next year, we're going to do it again!