By Ian Scott

August 7th, 2006 It is with sadness that I report the death of Jean-Guy Cote, the founder and President of UNI Products, the manufacturer of some of the best fly tying threads, tinsels, flosses and more. I first discovered the generosity of Jean-Guy when he offered to sponsor one of my fly swaps, providing spools of thread and his new "Glo-Yarn" for all the participants. Over a period of several years, we both enjoyed some fun emails together, where he'd refer to me as "E-Yan" and I'd call him "Jan Guy." Although I never met him in person, it was obvious to me that Mr. Cote had a great sense of humour to go along with his passion for fly fishing and also providing superior products for fly tyers. Thanks and appreciation to Paul Marriner for both advising me of the passing of Mr. Cote and his obituary, translated from the original French: "Jean-Guy Côté, in his fifties, originally from Trois-Pistoles, but a longtime resident of Sainte-Mélanie, near Joliette, died, yesterday morning (July 12), following a courageous 2-yr battle with cancer. Founder of UNI Products, Côté was known worldwide as the king of spooled threads, silks, silk floss, tinsel and other fly-tying materials. UNI's products, sold in thousands of stores in 48 countries, have been the subject of stories in numerous magazines and books published in several languages. One time physical education teacher and martial arts champion, Côté created created some very productive, and celebrated, fly patterns such as the Branchu, Presque Pas, and AndréA." I am personally and especially disappointed at the news of Mr. Cote's passing, as I had a long-standing invitation from him to go fishing with him in his part of the world, which relatively speaking is not that far away - about an 8 hour drive. But as life and time would have it, I was never able to take up that invitation. Mr. Cote once graciously agreed to an "e-mail interview" with me, which was published December 1, 1998. The fly swap that he sponsored is available here. Mr. Marriner has provided the following press release in regard to the future of UNI-Products: "UNI Products J.G. Côté Inc. Ste-Mélanie, Quebec, Canada August 2, 2006 UNI Products Announces New Ownership Following the untimely passing of its founder, Jean-Guy Côté, UNI Products, a world leader in the supply of spooled fly-tying materials, announces the purchase of the company and its assets by Martin Lépine, a ten-year company veteran. "I want to assure all our customers and friends that we are dedicated to maintaining UNI’s enviable reputation for quality products and service," said Mr. Lépine. The new owner has had considerable experience supervising company operations during Mr. Côté's absence. "We are also committed to our founder's policy of bringing fresh ideas and products to the market and promoting the art and craft of fly tying," Mr. Lépine concluded. He further confirmed that they have completed a planned move of operations to a new site in Ste-Mélanie. For information about offerings from UNI, and a dealer locator, visit our website at http://www.uniproducts.com. Email inquiries at info@uniproducts.com Other contact information: Mr. Martin Lépine UNI Products J.G. Côté Inc. P.O. Box 222 Ste-Mélanie, Quebec Canada J0K 3A0 Tel: 1-450-889-8054 Fax: 1-450-889-5887 Toll free: 1-877-889-8054 (Canada and USA)

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