A Milford native is among the guests on Yankee Fisherman Friday, April 25, at 2 p.m. The live broadcast can be heard at milfordmirror.com and hanradio.com, plus all other Hersam Acorn websites.
Born in Milford, Derrick Kirkpatrick picked up fishing at the age of 6 on local ponds. At age 11 Derrick purchased a cheap fly rod and taught himself to cast. He expanded his species list targeting trout, striped bass and carp on both spin and fly.
At the age of 18 Derrick engaged in a tradition of going up to the Farmington every opening day with a bunch of friends including Derrick Lambert, who he credits with turning his interest in fishing into an “addiction,” "giving guidance and showing how to do things the right way; and most importantly, to appreciate both land and water."
At the age of 22 Derrick attended guide school in Avon, Colorado. Fly Fishing Outfitters, the #1 Orvis endorsed flyshop of 1998, trained and certified him as a guide. Since then Derrick has been a fly fishing manager for The Orvis Company and an assistant manager for Cabelas. With the combination of a Bachelors Degree in IT and free time, CT Fish Guides was born. Derrick guides fresh, salt, fly, and spin for both beginner and advanced anglers. His specialty is the Farmington River and considering the many hours he’s spent on the water.
Information on Kirkpatrick can be found at ctfishguides.com.
Other guests on the hour-long show devoted to fishing in and around Connecticut include guide Jeff Yates of Wilton and Bill Lanzoni of Mill River Rods, talking about gear.