The fact that we had excellent success trolling Jay Fair flies with Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy’s Guide Service yesterday morning, 12 beautiful Eagle Lake Rainbows to 4 pounds only gives the bottom-line report of a trip about 4 years in the making.

I had the pleasure of knowing both Jay and his son Glenn Fair, in fact writing an article in Myoutdoorbuddy,com years ago about Jay’s flies and somewhat unique trolling techniques for Eagle Lake.  A few years later I was able to introduce my good friend Lou Hubert to Glenn and the flies and trolling concepts that Jay pioneered. A trip to Eagle Lake with Glenn was planned for later that year.  Sadly, Glenn passed shortly after our meeting and before the trip could come to fruition.  With both Jay who’s passing preceded Glenn’s by a few years and Glenn who had been so friendly and open in sharing their knowledge in mind, Lou and I knew that this was a trip that must be completed.  Fast forward past minor nagging health issues, covid restrictions and concerns, scheduling conflicts the promised trip was finally fulfilled.

So, these 12 trout held much more meaning than just some nice trout tugging on the end of the line during a great day of fishing with a good friend and fantastic guide.  To me the bonus was that these fish represented in part the legacy of Jay and Glenn.

Jay Fair flies and trolling materials are still available and videos outlining his trolling technique can be found on-line.

Gary Heffley has been a valued contributor to MyOutdoorBuddy for over 10 years serving as manager, sales representative and reporter for much of Northern California. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to fish and write about his adventures. He has a long history in the Sporting Goods field and uses that extensive experience to impart his wisdom in his writing.