June 4-6, 2021

The combination of two men’s fellowship organizations, CBMC and FATC, made for a great trip to Rockbridge Trout and Game Ranch near Ava, MO. CBMC sponsored the trip, and this year was the 14th annual trip.

We had 17 total fishermen. FATC is fortunate to have dual FATC/CBMC leaders and members– Tony Kalinowski, John Muckerman, Bill Keenum, Jim Matush, Jeff Nagle, Jan Spalding, Steve Stipanovich and Tim Trog. We also had the following FATC members — Jim Craig and Sterling Short. Unfortunately, Jeff Nagle had to cancel at the last minute due to car problems. Tim Trog brought a friend, Cortez, who set the low end of the age range at 21 (no need to speculate the high end).

For details, check out the Rockbridge website. To quote Jim Craig, Rockbridge is an “interesting place.” You can ponder what he means. If you’re a fly fishing purest, not that there’s anything wrong with that, Rockbridge may not be for you. Otherwise, if you like Missouri’s trout parks, Rockbridge is fantastic – just bring your wallet.

Rockbridge is a private trout stream that is stocked with big fish – even some ridiculously big fish. Although they offer catch and release for $155 per day (really!), most fishermen opt to keep fish at $4.90 per pound, plus sales tax. The rule is to keep all fish. The best way to rationalize paying for fish is to think of it as grocery shopping, and you can’t land lunkers at Dierbergs.

I’ve been going to Rockbridge for over 30 years, and I had never seen so many fish. There were almost too many fish. Rockbridge does a great job of rearing bigger fish. Most fish are 2 pounds and up. I calculated my fish averaged 2.3 pounds.

Of course, we had a friendly contest. Bill Keenum was the winner with the biggest fish at 6.68 pounds, plus second and third place fish! Impressive! In the fish cleaning area, they post photos of big fish on the wall. Bill made the wall! The biggest fish on the wall so far this year– a 13 pounder and several others over 9 pounds – that were all caught in March. Maybe they released some breeders aka broodstock?

So, what flies were working? What flies were not working!?!? Per all the talk, we used a wide range of flies. With so many fish, the aggressively fought for food. So, it was great opportunity to gain experience on all techniques. Working streamers and terrestrials to trigger strikes worked well. Bill Keenum was Euro Nymphing. Hmmm, I might need to try that!

We stayed in two large cabins – Ralph’s Ridge #1 and #2, and we spilled over into a couple of “standard rooms.” All rooms are well maintained and very clean.

John Muckerman fed us some yummy meals. We feasted on grilled trout. John’s secret recipe: remove excess moisture, oil skin side, sprinkle meat side with McCormick Smokehouse Maple seasoning, brush on maple syrup. Let sit for 15 minutes. Grill with skin side down only (don’t flip) at medium-high with the grill closed. Use a spatula to separate the meat leaving the skin behind on the grill to scrape off. Serve warm trout ASAP. In his “Big Bertha” iron skillet, John also made a fantastic scrambled egg dish with sausage, potatoes, etc. When John Muckerman goes into the kitchen, everybody ends up full!

As with any FATC trip, fellowship is the highlight! The main cabin’s open floor plan and deck afforded us spacious areas for group and one-on-one fellowship – sharing only “true stories.” I’m not sure who won the joke contest. FATC members also shared our fishing experiences and took time in the stream to help some novices and each other, and we encouraged non-FATC members to consider joining our fellowship. Hopefully, we’ve got some new recruits.

We finished our stay with breakfast at Rockbridge’s full-service restaurant. The food is excellent! Patrons are a mix of guests and locals.

Before leaving, we contemplated getting Kenny a Rockbridge ball cap. Nah, waste of money; he won’t wear it!

Thanks to Tony and John for organizing and all your efforts! Thanks to all for the fellowship!