We lost a dear friend this past week. Longtime Caddis Fly employee and friend to many in the Oregon fishing community Curt Nyquist passed on this last Tuesday. Curt was a great man, talented angler and generous friend. Curt was always there for you, and went the extra mile in all of his pursuits. For those of you who fished with him, or had contact with him at the shop, you know he was jovial, genuine and well meaning at every turn. Curt will be missed.
Wow…Sad news. Curt was a nice man who loved to fish and had a big heart. Always friendly and helpful in the shop. God bless you Curt and family. You will be missed.
I had chased trout in rivers for years but that all changed when Curt took me to Davis Lake in 1999. I am grateful for the many hours we spent together waiting for the strike indicator to go down. The pictures on the blog were taken at Dragon Lake, one of Curt’s favorite places on earth. Curt made friends everywhere he went and I will forever miss him not being in my boat. He always was the first one on the water and the last one off. His boat was named “O Dark Thirty” for good reason.
Tight lines friend.
Thanks Caddis Fly for this post. Curt was a true gentleman with an ever present smile and willingness to share his skills. He has been missed and left us too early.
Curt helped me catch my first big salmon on the south coast. I will always remember him fondly. Rest in peace Curty, aka virgil.
Sad news about a great guy who shared his love of flyfishing.
My prayers are with his family and those of you who were close to Curt.
Stevie
One of the truly nice guys. He built the first custom rod that I had ever bought back when the Fly was on E 5th Ave. It was a drifter too! My thoughts are with his family. He will be missed.
Curt helped me get my first chinook on the Elk when he had permission to fish the McKenzie property. I’ll never ever forget those wonderful trips. Fished with him in Christmas Island. Wonderful week, except that we had brought so much booze we couldn’t drink it all. We left a bunch of half-empties behind, and that really miffed the hard-working lady who ran the guest house, because her slow-moving husband was a blazing alcoholic.
On one of the Elk River trips we got stopped by a cop before dawn just south of Coos Bay. The officer caught Curt speeding in a school zone. Curt told the officer that there was a firearm in his glove compartment, and the two of them started talking guns. “Is it the six-inch barrel or the nine-inch?” the cop asked. “Nine inch,” said Curt. “There you go, that’s the one you want, same as mine,” said the cop. Pretty soon he was wishing us a good fishing trip, and of course there was no ticket. That’s how good Curt was. Even the cop whose groceries depended on speed traps made an exception for our pal. Greg R.
Growing up, my brother Curt escaped to fishing at every chance. He was 7 years older than me but took me along a couple times when I was young. Always cheerful, he’d relax by the water where I’d be wondering if it was OK to waste time like that. I didn’t understand his fascination and he didn’t understand mine. But we didn’t mind. I took him flying a couple times, he’d gag but never threw up. We were different but he was a fine older brother, fun and funny, always with a smile, teasing my seriousness. We both ended up building things, working with our hands. He was an excellent craftsman and I admired his attention to detail. He would tell me stories about being so still in woods an Elk would brush by him, never knowing he was there. I thought that a rare talent of calm and patience I would never have. In later years we lived 2000 miles apart but whenever I saw him we picked up where we’d left off as boys, joking, sarcastic and laughing. I’ll miss my brother, his enthusiasm and his kindness. I knew what a fine man he was. Chad Wille.
Dear Chad,
I’m so sorry to hear about Curt’s passing away. Nothing like a good brother! And dear to your heart! God’s blessings to you both!
Love, LIbby