Classic Merwin.

Nice tribute to "old John" who passed in February. Nice article if you get a chance to read it. He's up there crushing large on every cast now :) I will bring my last old John needle out if retirement and one night this fall I will disappear and take a very, very long drive by myself to fish it :)

I am saddened by his passing, I wish I got to know him better.
My friend popper john called me the other day telling me about his passing in Feb. he read about it in a Fly fishing mag.

I will never forget the night I went out one cooooold fall night and fished a NW wind in my face and crushed bass after bass on my OJ needle. Another time John was down the canal watching me fish and he was interested in how I jig, the fishing was slow on the east tide at that spot so he mentions about his needles and did I still fish them? so I say ya, got one right here in the bag, I put it on and bang, first, second and third cast I got fish on it. You should have seen the smile on his face, something that stays with me forever.

RIP Old John

John Merwin's Obituary | Field & Stream (http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/honest-angler/2013/02/john-merwins-obituary)

a tribute
Field & Stream's Tribute to John Merwin: 1946 - 2013 | Field & Stream (http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2013/03/field-stream-tribute-john-merwin)

Thoughts and prayers to his family, he was something special

Slip - was this the Old John that made the "purple mackeral" (for lack of a better description) needles?

I had one from a charity auction and think I ultimately sent it to the guy that runs the other site after he mentioned he lost his last one . . . I seem to remember an oft-posted picture of a coffee cup full of those purle needles . . .

Yes

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/attachments/stripertalk/14193d1140049876-suprize-oldjohnbass.jpg

that is John

these are the needles

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/attachments/stripertalk/9780d1120688408-good-friend-ours-needs-needlecup.jpg


he was not that old despite the name

Wow. So sorry to hear this. He was a super nice guy