Fly Fishing

rhodyflyguy · Posted: Sun 03/16/08 4:15 pm Post subject: Capt. Don Cameron has passed away

Capt. Don Cameron of Capt. Don's Bait and Tackle has passed away. His shop wasn't a fly shop, though he had some flies in his shop, but he was more than willing to share information, and was a really nice guy. His shop was a great place to be when the weather was bad, because he was an endless source of entertainment. I never left his shop without feeling more knowledgeable.
RIP Don.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

God Bless, Capt. Don. Charlestown Rhode Island, won't be the same without you.

simpson · Posted: Mon 03/17/08 4:29 pm Post subject:

capt. don was one of the most genuine people i have met in the fishing community. he will be missed by me and many others.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Simpson - Well said. There are those rare people who TRANSCEND all of the "different" types of fishing .. and are known and respected equally amongst all FISHERMAN (fly, bait, plugs, commercial draggers, lobsterman etc...) Without a doubt, Captain Don was one of those people. I remember being 14 years old or so and watching in awe as Captain Don and other "old timers" would cast their home-made wooden plugs off Quonny breachway for Stripers and Blues, in the middle of big storms. The sky would be grey and seas nasty ... I of course, was far to young to earn any right to be get good position at "the tip of the rock" and was last "man" on the totum pole (as it should have been) .. as I would cast for snapper blues on the inside of the breachway ... I would watch in awe as Captain Don and his "crew" stood on the tip lacing up to fish in the whitewater as huge waves rolled in and crashed on the tip and ultimately on them ....

Captain Don, to me, was much more than a "bait shop" .. he was literally THE CORE of the entire fishing scene in Charlestown Rhode Island .. and everyone knew it. Don was there on the tip of Quonny when I was just a rug rat, he was there with his shop in Dun's Corners and he was there up until the present time on Rte 1 (where the old Charlestown Pizza shop used to be) ...

I was sure to send all of my friends from Maine into Captain Don's and he appreciated that. He was one of those rare folks that every fisherman felt obligated to help. Even all my friends from Maine, who came to know and love the striper fishing in Rhode Island would get PISSED at me if I was down there without them and did not stop into Captain Don's. Everyone looked forward to seeing him at the shows and took pride in buying anything from his shop .. Because, giving business to Captain Don meant so much more than just "getting a few flies" or "a few slogos" or "a new rod" .. Going into Captain Don's Bait and Tackle was part of the entire experience ... and it was obvious to everyone .. because there was NEVER a lack of cars there .. fisherman were drawn to his shop and drawn to him .. If Captain Don's red truck was there, you could bet it would be hard to get a word in with him because of all the other fisherman who were in there for the same reasons as me and my crew.

Don was one of those guys who spoke to FISHERMAN .. regardles of "what they do" ... Don treated everyone equally .. and as they treated him. Whether you were a tourist in need of clams for bait, a local Rhode Island commercial fisherman, a hard core night striper fisherman, a fly fisherman ... it simply did not matter .. and everyone knew it ... I will forever remember Captain Don .. and will miss seeing him starting his boat and tinkering around his boat on quonny breachway, seeing his red truck pass me on the fishing roads, stopping in to find out where the fish were, listening to his commercial fishing stories from Alaska (although often they were very long winded:), and miss him being part of my Rhode Island fishing trips .... I know I speak for many .. when I say that he will be deeply missed and not soon forgotten ... He won't be fogotten by me and my crew because most of the "good" striper spots we know stemmed from Captain Don sending us there in the first place ... Here is a fishtale from 2204 that references captain Don, and arguably one of our best spring striper trips ever absoltutely due to Captain Don helping us and giving me and my buddy a good spot to go to ...

http://www.fliesandfins.com/article137.html

Austin · Posted: Mon 03/17/08 8:56 pm Post subject:

I will never forget capt. Don. He was a great man and as jeremy said, treated everone equally. I don't think there was a time when I would travel to rhode island and jeremy would not take me into Cap. Don's shop. It felt like home there. Charlestown Rhode Island will miss him greatly.

waterwhippa · Location: Upstate, NY

Capt. Don was always smiling and joking, he will be missed greatly. I will miss pawing through the zip lock freezer bags full of flies.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

ya whip ... you knew the ritual ... from the very first time you came to fly fish rhode island and the many times thereafter .. you knew it the unsaid rule .. it was almost cardinal law to pay a visit to "captain don's" even if you didn't need any flies .... it would have been a sacrilege to not do so ... i know you and kranefly always went in there and often multiple times per trip ...

actually .. if memory serves me correctly .. captain don was the one who put us on the fish .. on that epic trip where we caught something like 470 stripers in one weekend ... here was that article and video ...

http://www.fliesandfins.com/article365.html

Thanks Capt. Don!