Vernon Lunde has passed away

[singlebuilt]

Vern Lunde, owner of Lunde's Fly Fishing Chalet passed away at his home on November 6, 2022. I always enjoyed visiting Vern and his wife Jeanne and talking fishing and other subjects of mutual interest. Rest in Peace Vern, and sincere condolences to Jeanne and the family.

[Rons Rods]

Vern was a fixture, a mentor to all and full of stories.
No BS kind of guy, a man of high integrity who suffered no fools.
I know you did allot of work together when the shop closed JJ.
I've still got the Maxwell 6'6" Catskill and 8'0" Hunt that came out of his shop years ago.
Last time I saw him, Charlie won her first (and only) spinning rig at the TU event we attended
He gave her the same attention as any of the members in attendance. That meant allot to her, and me.
Sail on Mr. Lundy, thank you for your service,you're a Driftless legend......long live the prince nymph!

[singlebuilt]

Through his insurance business, Vern knew both sides of my family, so there was a connection right from the start. You're right Ron, I introduced Vern to online selling when he decided to retire and move to South Dakota...he was amazed at what old catalogs would sell for Even though the shop has been closed for years, I still miss going out there.

[joaniebo]

I used to stop by his shop when I fished Mt. Vernon Creek. Once when talking about sizes of flies, he said something like- “ I never fish a fly that I can’t get a 5X tippet in.”

To this day, I continue to follow Vern’s advice!

[Wild Skies]

Back in the early to mid-80’s my cousin and I would often make the 3 hour drive from Wausau down to Mount Horeb to go to Lunde’s Flyfishing Chalet to fondle the wonderful selection of new Leonard’s they had in stock. These visits spawned many dreams which eventually led to purchasing two of their Leonard’s. First a 7’ 4wt. Red Wrap and later a Maxwell 38DF-4. Vern was always wonderfully patient and pleasant to deal with, Jeanne was nice too; but as I recall wound a little tighter. My biggest regret was not purchasing the tiny little invisibly-wrapped Leonard with “Catskill” inked diagonally under the keeper wrap. The thought of passing on that particular rod haunts me to this day.

Lots of fond memories…RIP Vern.