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Angling Firsts! Freshwater to Saltwater.

Rita Schimpff with her first redfish on the fly!

Angling Firsts!  Freshwater to Saltwater on the fly.

Trinchera Ranch & The Lower Laguna Madre

We set our minds to it and got it done!  An IGFA Trout Super Grand Slam at Trinchera Ranch and my first Redfish on a fly on the Texas Coast were my goals.

My freshwater first!

We once again enjoyed a wonderful stay and great fishing on 185,000 acres in southern Colorado – The Trinchera Ranch.

 

 

The gathering room at Trinchera Lodge
The gathering room at Trinchera Lodge

 

The sprawling ranch offers 4 species of trout – wild trout – on gorgeous improved streams in the heart of the Sangre de Christo mountain range.

I wanted to catch all four in one day and I knew if anyone could help me it was our friend and guide Doc of Doc Thompson’s High Country Anglers.

We have fished with Doc for 4 years now and he knows this ranch well.

 

Doc Thompson guided Rita Schimpff to her IGFA Trout Super Grand Slam at Trinchera Ranch.
Doc Thompson guided Rita Schimpff to her IGFA Trout Super Grand Slam at Trinchera Ranch.

Doc also knows I only want to fish with only dry flies.

  So the 4 trout I caught were: a Rainbow, Brown, Brook and Rio Grande Cutthroat.

I made the above vignette combining my photos with my paintings of the trout.

 

IGFA trout super grand slam IMG_5707
Special thanks to my husband, Skip, who gave up valuable stream time so I could attain my super grand slam goal!

Meanwhile back at the ranch…..the Lodge at Trinchera Ranch…….

 

magnificent artwork surrounds your soul at Trinchera Ranch and the superb food & service feed your soul!
magnificent artwork surrounds your soul at Trinchera Ranch and superb food & service feed your soul.

The art!  Remington, Bierstadt, Rungius & N.C. Wyeth originals for me to enjoy!

I was in hog heaven.

 

Stack stone fireplace at Trinchera Ranch - fabulous taxidermy
Stack stone fireplace at Trinchera Ranch – fabulous taxidermy

Both of these handsome rams were taken within an hour of each other in huge snow!

 

Heritage-Game-Mounts-Lodge-Inspiration-Trinchera-Ranch-skipdesk
Quiet spaces are designed for guests to relax, read or journal.

 

Every hallway, room and corner are thoughtfully designed and appointed with vintage sporting collectibles.

 

Heritage-Game-Mounts-Lodge-Inspiration-Trinchera-Ranch
In this hallway, one expects Hemingway to return shortly and put the final keystroke to paper.

Now to my saltwater first!

fly fishing with Rita Schimpff and Ben Paschal.
By the dawns early light, Capt. Ben Paschal leading me to my first redfish on a fly.

A redfish on the fly has eluded me for many years.  Skip and I journeyed to Arroyo City on the Texas Gulf coast and the pristine saltwater flats of the Lower Laguna Madre.

 

Rita Schimpff with her first redfish on the fly!
Rita Schimpff with her first redfish on the fly!

 We enlisted the services of Capt. Ben Paschal owner of Lower Lagana Outfitters for help with this seemingly impossible task.

He made it happen!

We returned two months later and a heated competition ensued whereby I beat my husband 8-7!

Skip has thrown down the gauntlet and vowed it won’t happen again!

Ben fishes in Louisiana from November thru March – now I want a super sized Red – stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

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Hunting Lodges that Inspire

Stack stone fireplace at Trinchera Ranch - fabulous taxidermy

Hunting Lodges that Inspire

Lodges that inspire more than the Hunt

Be it Fin, Feather or Fur – I think the decor of a hunting lodge should be as inspiring as the hunt!

Stack stone fireplace at Trinchera Ranch - fabulous taxidermy
Stack stone fireplace at Trinchera Ranch – fabulous taxidermy in Colorado

We are over at the Women’s Outdoor News with a new post:

http://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2015/09/how-to-lodge-decor-to-inspire-the-hunt

Antique sporting art inspires the colors for this handsome room at Mississippi's Longleaf Plantation
Antique sporting art inspires the colors for this handsome room at Mississippi’s Longleaf Plantation
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Victorian Taxidermy – Fit For a Queen

Victorian Taxidermy -Queen_Victoria, John Brown and 'Fyvie' ,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863)

 Victorian Taxidermy becomes Fashionable

Teddy Roosevelt and other big game hunters began to commission Victorian taxidermists to preserve their trophies artfully
Teddy Roosevelt and other big game hunters began to commission Victorian taxidermists to preserve their trophies artfully

Victorian Taxidermy came alive during the Victorian Era (1837-1901) when wealthy hunters, like Teddy Roosevelt, began to commission taxidermists such as Roland Ward to preserve their trophies for their fashionable libraries and sitting rooms.

Victorian horse hoof silver inkwell ca 1878 at the Cantor Arts Center- Stanford University
Victorian horse hoof silver inkwell ca 1878 at the Cantor Arts Center- Stanford University

Trusty pets were honored in functional items of taxidermy to be placed among the sterling & cut glass.

Read more about how anthropomorphic taxidermy started a fashion trend on our post over at the Women’s Outdoor News

womens outdoor news

 

 

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Review: DIY Hunting Trophy Panel

DIY Hunting Trophy Panel

The Legacy DIY Hunting Trophy Panel

“Old World Style Stole Our Attention”

Is a DIY Hunting Trophy Project waiting for you?  Mia Anstine is a columnist for the Women’s Outdoor News, but shares her love of the outdoors as a guide, outfitter, hunter as well as an archery & firearms instructor.  She also writes for Beretta USA and North American Hunter.

 

Mia and her daughter Lea jumped at the chance to spend a little mother/daughter tome together.  For this DIY project they chose   to mount one of their beautiful sets of Mule Deer antlers in our decorative Legacy© panel with cover.

 

Read how it turned out and do one for yourself!

http://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2015/07/we-did-it-diy-decorative-old-world-trophy-from-heritage-game-mounts

DIY Trophy Antler Panel
Mia Anstine with finished Legacy Trophy Antler Panel