I was elated to see Art Dedini's photo and bio listed on the website under ". . . Legends." I discovered his shop in the early 1970s when stationed at Fort Ord. I had gotten into the habit of going up to Ferndale on the Eel River on leave every fall for a week or so of fishing. On one of these trips, I took along my brand new graphite Fenwick HMG 8 wt; the HMG, I think, was the first graphite rod that was widely available. It cost me about $110--big bucks then, so you can imagine how miserable I was when I lost it (and the reel and line) the first time I used it. I left it on the top of my camper when I drove away from the first hole. I backtracked, of course, but it was nowhere to be found. With a week of fishing to go, the idea of having now to use my back-up fiberglass rod after I'd tasted graphite made me feel even more miserable.
Then I remembered Art's shop. He was working in his garden when I got to his house, but he opened up the shop after hearing my tale of woe. He had a few factory-made graphites, which I couldn't afford, so he found a Lamiglass graphite blank and within 45 minutes or so he had rolled a new rod for me. While things were drying he took me up to the house and gave me lunch; the makings for the salad came right out of his own garden. For about an hour and a half he entertained me with talk of gear, patterns, fishing lore, and friends. He even introduced me to his sister (from Roseburg, I believe) who was as warm-hearted and as open as he. I'll never forget my surprise when she lifted her sweater to show me the scars where her breasts had been before her fairly recent cancer surgery. Anyway, we eventually got back to the rod waiting in the shop. It was dry--they didn't use epoxy wrap finishes much then--but I'd need to wait to use it until the next day. And what did he charge me? Approximately what the materials had cost him, and about a third of what the Fenwick had cost me.
I used that tough old Lami frequently until a couple of years ago when I gave it to one of my sons. And every time I used it I thought of Art Dedini, a fine angler, a real gentleman, and a great steelheader.
A few years after this, I had my son Roy, who was about ten years old, with me when fishing the Russian River in Northern Cal. He was getting pretty good with a fly rod and had started to tie flies, including the Boss Fly and other comet patterns. For him Grant King, whom he had read and heard about, had a sort of star status. So I asked him if he'd like to stop at Grant's fly shop. I couldn't promise that Mr. King would be there, I said, but it was a possibility. Sure enough Grant was in and when I mentioned to the young lady behind the counter that my son was a fan of Grant's, she took Roy to his office upstairs in the back of the place, where Mr. King chatted with him while tying several flies for him. He even gave him a little personal note and his autograph.
Grant King, another real gentleman, made a kid really happy that day. Roy never used those flies. They and the autograph are still prized possessions, though.