Art Isgar
Words by Will Blanchard
3-25-10
Last week Art Isgar passed on at 94 years-young. "Grandpa" will
be missed deeply by his wife Anne, his family,
all the people he touched through the Southwest
and the entire AVA guide crew. The ranch he
worked for so many years will not be the same
with out him. His grandson Matt plans to continue
the operations. Irrigating, growing hay and
raising cattle will help keep Art's memory
alive. For me, each time I step into the cool
waters of the Animas River his memory will
live on.
Art
was one heck of a man, a man legends are
made of for sure; hard-working family man,
rancher, farmer, dedicated democrat, fly
fisher
and outdoorsman. He was nailed in the hand
by a rattlesnake in his 80s while working
in the garden; he shrugged off a battle
with cancer
and had a serious encounter with a grizzly
bear while on horse back in the San Juan
Mountains. He was a dead shot. Deer and
elk were easy
takings. He caught trout the old fashioned
way; Royal Coachman casted out, only allowing
the fly to be on the water for a moment or
two. If the fly was not taken by a feisty
trout a new cast would be placed back out
onto the
green currents of the Animas. We was a true
western icon.
He
would reflect on his fishing days with
a gleam in his eye. Back in the
day he was
known
as the best fly fisher in the Southwest.
Back in the day, or any day for that matter,
it
was just known. John Staten learned this
first hand. As John was getting into the
sport of
fly fishing, Art took him down to the Picnic
Table Pool (I think us guides are going
to rename it Art's Pool) for a quick lesson.
Art was 89 at the time and proceeded to
show
John
how it was done. Still healing from a broken
leg he suffered two weeks prior, he had
no sooner jumped out of the red GMC ranch
truck
and in moments a fly was tied on the leader
and trout hooked up. It was a great moment
for John. And maybe even a greater moment
for Art. As far as I know, that was the
last trout
Art ever caught. A stunning rainbow, caught
from his river, using the same technique
he had used so many times for so many years.
I'm
sure going to miss Art. In so many ways.
He helped me not only with my business
but
also as a person. Our times together
on the ranch, ridding on the back of the
four
wheeler,
cutting wood, digging ditches, walking
the ditch, moving water, wrestling the
foot valve,
priming the pump, fixing the pump, fixing
fence, fixing anything, drives up onto
the mountain,
enjoying a burger at the Democratic picnic
or just sitting around chatting will
never be forgotten.
Join
me as I raise my short glass of Jim Beam
and toast the
memory of one
of the
greatest fly fishers to ever cast a
fly. And again
to
one of the greatest ranchers to ever
work the land. And again to one of
the greatest
men
I've ever met.
Cheers
Art, sure going to miss you.
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