Monday, December 31, 2012

A New Year and A Name Change

I've decided to change the name of my blog for next year. The new title will be

I'm also going to look more into helpful blog posts. Things that help with fly tying and fishing tactics. I really do like helping people and this blog can be way to help share what has helped me become a better fly fisherman and tier. I am by know means and expert I just think anything that has helped you may also help others. What you think everyone knows about or something that is a tip might not be common knowledge. 

Some of my resolutions next year will be:

Fish with my daughter
 
 She has shown and interest in fishing and I'm not sure if it's because she saw a Dora fishing pole or she actually wants try it. She has shown an interest in tying too. Mainly because I have been on the vise a lot lately. She helped me tie a egg pattern the other night and did an excellent job. Maybe I can get her to tie all my flies.

Explore more wild streams
I used to think small stream fishing was kind of lame. You drive far, the fish are small and you have to be stealthy. None of these things sound attractive until you actually do it a few times. This last year I found a lost love of hiking. I have always liked hiking and most of these wild streams require it.  The scenery is unbelievable and the fishing is just a bonus. 

A year that kicks bass
  I have yet to really figure the bass out on the local rivers. This year I will really try to take it seriously. Most of the time I just kind of go out try some flies I think will work. If I take it a little more seriously and actually experiment it will benefit me more. I want to figure the largemouth out and the smallmouth in VA. 

Personal Goal
Every year I like to do some kind of goal. Catch a fish a month or catch a certain number of species.  This year I am going to try to become a North Carolina Master Angler. This is done by catching at least six sport fish species that meet certain requirements. The requirements for each species are located here. The challenge for this will not be to catch six fish that meet these requirements but to do it in the same year and on a fly. No artificial scents or live bait will be used.

Tie and use more of my own flies 
I go in and out of phases where I tie a bunch then don't tie for months. I also have a habit of never using the flies I tie because I fear they won't work. I need to get over this and fish them. Many of the flies you think are bad work better than store bought ones that you think are good.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Winter Fishing

A lingering cold has kept me from wetting a line in over a month.  I had the Christmas week off and I saw a break in the weather.  I started sending the word out to see who else was interested in going.    I wanted to try a wild stream I had never fished before.  Another member of the club I had not met before agreed to meet me on the stream.  This is always an interesting arrangement.  You really put trust in a lot of things.  First being on time.  Nothing is more annoying than waiting for people.   The second is can you tolerate the person?   Luckily this guy was on time and a pleasure to fish with.  We tried what I like to call the sucker pool first.

  It's a place right off the road and it always has a few nice fish in it.  This section is hatchery supported and it must be where most of the fish are dumped in.  The fish get educated quickly and the ones left ignore any of your offerings.   Sometimes you get lucky and a fish will strike but it's rare and you have to be ready at all times. We discussed a plan for the day while watching the fish move out of the way as our flies drifted by. We'd hike up a wild section and if it wasn't good we'd try another stream. I was eager to get the hike started just to warm up. The air temp was 26 degrees and even in multiple layers I was chilled. After a few glimpses of the creek and the first wild trout sign I didn't think about how cold I was anymore.
I kept moving upstream trying to keep a decent distance from Jason so I wouldn't spook the water he was going to fish above him. The trail would change from a well traveled path to what looked like a deer trail. There were multiple obstacles where you had to duck under a tree or climb over logs. It's always fun to walk on the edge of a steep hillside putting all your trust in a 2inch diameter branch holding all of your weight. Now and then I'd cough and be reminded I probably wasn't totally over this cold yet. The ice in the guides reminded me of the temperature too.
The best cure was to keep looking at the view and pushing on. The fishing made me forget about everything and for the first time in awhile I could just relax and take it in.
 
There was so much fishy looking water but I couldn't even see any signs of fish. Not even shadows darting away as I stalked small pools.
I knew the fish had to be there but where were they? I tried many different combinations. A dry and a nymph, two nymphs, streamers, egg patterns. Nothing seemed to work.
I worked my way back and met up with Jason. He said he managed a couple fish and he hadn't hiked nearly as far. I was looking to move to another creek but after a brief discussion we decided to explore this creek more. There were multiple trails that ran along the stream and we found if we kriss crossed the hiking was a lot easier. As we got higher the water looked better and better.
The fishing continued to be ice cold. Jason had a stream thermometer and said the water was 40 degrees. There were no bugs in the air and we both figured the fish had to be deep. It's tough to fish heavy with a lot of weight when the average depth is about a foot in a half. We still tried of course. How could you not with water like this.
Eventually it was enough. I was tired of hiking and tired of going through the motions. I couldn't see the fishing getting any better. No matter what we did or where we fished there was no action. The hike back we still hit the spots that just looked too good to not try one more time. Back at the car we worked the sucker hole again. I talked about a section that was good to me in the past. There wasn't much daylight left. There were cars parked near the stream and after talking to some other fisherman we found they were having similar luck. Then as I was walking downstream I ran into two more. These guys said they had been catching fish all day. They told me of a place just upstream and explained that all the fish were up there. You always have to wonder when someone you don't know gives you a tip.  Are they helping you or helping themselves? I guess it's the skeptic in me that thinks that way. I've heard stories many times about fisherman telling people the wrong location of where fish are just so they won't fish "their" honey holes. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and headed upstream. What did I have to lose? Sure enough just like they said above the first rapid I started to see fish. There had to be 50-70 fish in this long calm run.  Some of them monsters.   Jason had already found the place before I got there. The fish were hitting something tiny off the surface. I started with an egg and a nymph. The fish would follow the egg but never commit. These fish had seen everything and we got the familiar feeling like when we fished the sucker pool. The fish continued to feed off and on on the surface which gave us hope. I think I tried about 20 different flies and my leader was getting down to the heavier section. I was tired and felt lazy. I didn't want to tie on more tippet. We knew if we could just throw something these fish hadn't seen before we'd probably have success. I started throwing multiple streamers and the fish would follow but never strike at the fly. Then I noticed something.

I was fishing a pink and white clouser with red eyes. If I let the fly sink to the bottom the fish would swim over and inspect it. Once I lifted the fly and gave it some action it seemed to turn the fish off. The big trout were super interested when the fly dragged across the bottom. Maybe these fish had some how learned that if food is just settling on the bottom it most likely isn't attached to anything. I tested this theory and on my second cast one of the largest trout in the pool made it's way towards the fly. The light was fading to where I could see the fish but I couldn't really tell where my fly was. I watched the fishes body language and it was definitely in attack mode. I thought I saw the fish make a move like it was hitting and turning. I went to set the hook and my fly shot out of the water. Did the fish hit it? I knew I didn't have that many casts left before dark. I cast again and let the fly crawl on the bottom. The big trout again started to follow. The fish followed the fly probably 15 feet or so. I saw the fish almost go into a carp feeding position with the head down and tail up. The head slashed then turned and I saw my fly line jerk. I set the hook and saw the fishes head shake. I yelled to Jason "get the camera ready!" I expected a long fight because I was using a 3wt and this fish had to be close to 4-5lbs. The fish never did any drag singing runs. It thrashed and bulldogged near shore far enough away to where I couldn't net it. I put constant pressure on the fish. I felt confident the heavier section of the leader would hold fine. I was more worried about the knot I tied on the fly and my issue grabbing the net. I just received a new rubber net for Christmas and the bungee thing had been giving me fits all day. The net was constantly swinging around banging my feet and getting caught on branches. I had a difficult time holding the fish with a lot of pressure and reaching behind myself to get the net. I did get the net and missed the fish about 3 time before I finally slid the fish in. I ran over to Jason and he never knew the fish I hooked was one of the larger ones in the pool. He snapped a couple pics and the fish was released. What a way to end the day.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Got some tying in

I have been wanting to tie sz20 nymphs since I had a couple work great on the South Holston.  My buddy lent me a few and all they were was a tungsten bead and black thread.  I decided to try tying the same thing then I noticed if I just added silver wire I'd have a Zebra Midge.  Working with the small flies was challenging and fun at the same time.  It's a little difficult to wrap and not hit the hook tip because the gape is so small.  I usually ended up putting the hook and barb in the vise so it was less of a problem.  I'm pretty happy with how the flies turned out.  I decided to try a few different styles.  Zebras with a collar and even attempted a Brassie and something I haven't seen before but I'm sure has a name. 
I was thinking about a Griffith's Gnat pattern.  I decided to tie that with a tungsten bead so it would sink.  I put a little extra peacock hurl along the body to give it more flash.  You can't really see it in the picture.

One fly I have been meaning to tackle is a bead head soft hackle.  They are supposed to be basic flies.  What you'll find when first tying them is the hackle will look severely different depending on the quality of feather you are using and what part of the feather is being tied in.  I was using partridge feathers and I wished I bought an actual partridge bird piece.  I tried go cheap and buy a "bag" of partridge feathers.  I realize now these are odds and ends and many of the feathers are not even usable.  You get what you pay for.  If I tied low on the feather near the blood feathers I received very spindly looking legs.  They didn't look like they'd flow very well in the water.  If I tied up near the top of the feather I'd get more fluffy legs. I think these are more of what I'm looking for.  I have an example of both.

The fly at the top has the spindly looking legs and the one one the bottom has a more fluffy style.  I think both flies will work it was just interesting learning how to get each style of legs.   There were even more variations depending on the quality and size of the partridge feather.  I really didn't know what I was getting sometimes until I started twisting the feather. 
 
While looking for inspiration on other patterns to tie I ran across a hares ear pattern using ice dubbing.  The ice dubbing really gives the fly a busy appearance.  What I mean by that is I do think in the water the colors and consistency of the material give the fly a life like looks.   It just looks like something is going on.  I tied a few hares ear type variants and used the ice dubbing as the body.  I like pink and I think these will work well for the hatchery streams.  I called these flies Trout Candy.
 
 I've been wrong many times before but I can see these flies really working well. I have also been working on another pattern that looked easy but it's been giving me grief. It is a bead head hares ear style fly only the bead goes behind the hackle and not in front. It's a little hard to explain and I'll try posting pictures of the fly later. I'm finding it difficult to get the bead, hackle and pheasant tail all together with out crowding the eyed of the hook. On a sz18 there isn't much real estate.  I'll post the results. I'm actually starting to enjoy tying. The bad part is having so many different things I want to tie. I'm stumbling upon patterns looking for other things and I just want to tie some flies because they look cool. Here's what I'm talking about.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Tying Brains

Egg patterns have always given me a hard time.  My recent attempts have looked more like pink Cotton balls then eggs.  A friend told me Y2K's were working really well on the South Holston.  Then came a scenario that happens far too often with me and my fishing buddies.  The first thing I usually say "so can I buy a few from you?"  This is usually always the reply.

They are really easy to tie. 

Then I go into how after buying all the materials and hooks it would be just easier buying them from a friend.  My buddy trumped me on this excuse by sending me an email for a Jstockard $10 gift card. If you've never checked out Jstockard.  They have everything you can imagine for fly tying.  Their prices are some of the best I've found.   My friends who tie use them pretty much exclusively for their materials.

I got the materials in the mail a few days ago and I researched Y2K patterns.  I looked up some youtube videos and found some pretty good tutorials.   While tying my first I found out right away why I had issues tying these in the past.  The material I was using was too soft.   I'm sure you could get it to work but all I could do is tie pink cotton balls.  The McFly foam made it a lot easier.  I followed the how to's the best I could.  All I could manage is what looked more like brains instead of eggs.
  I'm sure they will still do the job.   Tying these actually gave me the bug to tie other things and I bought some stuff to tie zebra midges and soft hackles.  I received my first birthday present in the mail too. My wife was nice enough to hook me up with something from The Fiberglass Manifesto.
I usually don't like wearing t-shirts with website logos on them but this bluegill design is awesome. The shirt looks great and I look forward to wearing it while I'm chasing gills in the spring.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Fly Tying App

In my attempts to become a more efficient tier I have accumulated quite a bit of tying materials.   There are so many that I get a little over whelmed and I'm not sure what exactly to tie.   The really annoying thing is when I want to tie something and I'm missing one or two of the materials.  I have an idea for a great app.  How cool would it be to have an app where you plug in the materials you want to tie with and a list is displayed.  The list consists of all the different flies you can tie using those materials.  Then if you click on one it would show a tutorial of how to tie that fly.  I think this app would do very well.  Unfortunately, I don't have the time or know how to create such a thing.   I did some hunting on the Internet and found some programs.  These programs aren't as nifty as what I thought up.  They were made quite a few years ago and are mainly databases.  If you put in the work to enter all the patterns you'd use or like to tie these programs would become a nice reference.  Here are a couple I've found.

Superfly
Description:
  • Tying Bench (Fly Patterns & Materials Inventory)
  • Critters (Bugs, Fish & Folks)
  • Water (Fishin' Holes & Fishing Logs)
  • Library (Notebook, Gallery & Book Inventory)
  • Charts & Tables (Leader Formulae, Fish Scale & Hook Charts)
  • Utility Belt (Import / Export)
 
FlyFree
Description
•Track materials and instructions.
•Cross link insects.
•Provide for importing and exporting fly database files.
•Track for hooks and their design and effectiveness.
 
Both of the programs are fun to play around with. They run fine on Windows 7. There's another app I found that looks like it's based on the same design although they include a bunch of data already entered. There's over 2000 patterns in a program called Fly Assistant. It costs $35. If you check out the free apps or know of some others please let me know. I'm just getting back into tying and I need all the help I can get.  I'm looking for ideas for all these odd ball materials I have.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Simple Way To Make Your Own Dubbing

I have been following Missouriflies.com for some time now.  The guy that runs the site catches a large variety of species.  He also ties really nice flies.  There are some great tutorial videos and also shows an easy way to make dubbing.   You can check it out below.
 
Be sure to check out his blog too.  Missouriflies.com

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Free TU Membership for Female Anglers


There has been a growing trend in the sport of fly fishing by female anglers.  TU has obviously been taking notice.  Currently they are offering a 1yr free membership for new female anglers.   This is a great way to show TU isn't just a mens club and welcomes both sexes.  Of course it's a good business decision as well.   Either way I'm happy they are doing at and I hope a lot of women join the club.  To read more about the offer please click here.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

You Snooze, You Lose

The recent temperature swings have made my allergies go crazy.  I've missed out on two fishing trips because I can't seem to shake this nagging cold.  It seems to have moved from a throbbing pain in my head down to my chest.  I can barely go a half hour without  coughing.  Enough about that.  Trying to keep myself in doors and some what rested I've been doing christmas shopping.  During my searches I scan for wish list items.  The Cabelas CGR rod was on my list and I actually owned one for a short time.  I returned it because at the time I had higher priorities that needed the funds. 

I decided to look into the rod again for a possible christmas present.  What's this?  It no longer exists.  It looks as though Cabela's discontinued their 50th anniversary version and now they have a CGT version.
The price has been raised $50 for these glass rods and the color has gone from grass green to a rusty reddish brown. I actually like this color better. I think the price makes the rod a little intimidating for people new to glass. Especially when you can get an Eagle Claw Featherlight for under $40.
The Cabela's glass version rods must be decent. I couldn't find any for sale on ebay or other sites. People must be happy with them. I feel a little dumb for returning mine.  Maybe a Featherlight is in my future.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Why Fishing is the Best Sport

I was sitting around thinking the other day about deer hunting. I always wanted to try but I just couldn't see myself for one sitting in one place for hours on end waiting for a certain moment. The second would be killing an animal I have no interest in eating. If I could hunt with a tranquilizer gun that would be a different story. Imagine it. You shoot a deer go down and check it out. You can pet it, take a picture, then watch it run off woozy but not much worse off than it was before. That I could probably do.

That made me think how fishing is so much different than other sports. Especially ones that involve the outdoors. How many other sports link you so intimately to the goal you're trying to achieve then allow you to experience it all over again? I can see how bird watching or something like that would be similar. It would be something to capture a picture of a certain rare bird. Even then I doubt you'd ever train it or get into a situation where you could touch it. With fishing it's different. From the first fish you hook there's an instant connection between you and something wild. Unless it's a stocker of course. When the fish is in hand there is a feeling that can't be explained properly. The fish is released and the whole process can be repeated over and over. Then if by chance bad luck or poor landing technique there is a casualty, you have a free meal. There really isn't much like it.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Sour Grapes

There have been a ton of reports about fishing for stripers lately.   It seems like the local lake everyone fishes is really heating up.  It's always nice seeing pictures and reports but eventually you get jealous.  Sour grapes I guess.
The biggest issue with having so many buddies that fly fish is everyone wants to go on trips and you can't invite everyone. So when you start begging the question "why wasn't I invited?" You can just point to all the posts and reports you have given that didn't include others. In the end it's not personal.