Fly Fishing Headline News: Brownline Edition

April 1st, 2009

All the news that's fit to print, brought to you today from the FlyfishMagazine.com Northern base of operations in Cherry Hill, NJ:

An obscure fly fishing industry think tank, today announced the creation of the "IBFFA" or "International Brownline Fly Fishing Association." Among the stated mission of the exclusive and secretive organization is to "maintain an official Brownline Hall of Fame which would be a repository for specie specific records relating to rough fish." In addition to certification of the usual line class records, the IBFFA would also maintain "effluent class requirements" relating to the minimum pollution requirements found in the water wherein record candidate fish was caught.

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In a related story, it has been reported that Tom Chandler of the Trout Underground, today filed seeking trademark protection for the following terms:

Greenline Fly Fishing - Fly fishing only those areas with a median family income in excess of $100k per year.

Grayline Fly Fishing - Fly fishing only in areas frequented by tour buses.

Redline Fly Fishing - Fly fishing only in active war zones.

Thin Blueline Fly Fishing - Fly Fishing only in high crime areas.

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Captain Gordon Churchill, still distraught from the elimination of his Duke Blue Devils from this year's NCAA tournament, has announced his efforts to garner favor from newly converted brownline anglers for his beloved Redfish by hereafter referring to them as "Sea Carp."

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Proponents of Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine see good things in store for brownliner's should their open pit gold mine come to fruition. "Anglers should think of the mine and its tailings as the world's largest and newest brownline fishery."

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Finally, insert your own version of headline here re: Newly formed video production company embraces brownlining, selects "Carp Bums" as name.

Minions Assemble

Hail Minions,

I will be fishing this weekend if anyone is interested. I am open to any suggestions. (No Johno, not those type of suggestions.)

-Curli

Kicking Off

So tomorrow is the start of the river trout season and it will be most welcome to have the chance to be in wading the rivers and streams again in pursuit of trout. Other rivers, not too far away. have already opened, but it is my local rivers I have been wating for. It may be tricky to fish the first day, but rest assured the next few weeks, wether permitting, will see me on the Wellow - and hopefully catching a few.


Anyway, I have added a few new additions to the 'experimental' fly box, using rubber legs:

Kicking Klinkhamer

Hook: B100 #18 - 12
Thread: 14/0 Sheer, tan
Dubbing: Awesome Possum, olive / yellow
Thorax: As body, mixed with dark olive
Hackle: Ginger
Wing: TMC Aero wing
Legs: Yellow, speckled rubber



Kicking Elk Hair Caddis

Hook: Grip 14723BL #16 - #12

Thread: Benecchi 12/0, yellow

Dubbing: Awesome Possum, orange

Hackle: Silver badger, palmered

Wing: Elk

Legs: Yellow, speckled rubber

Kicking CDC & Elk

On a Grip 14723 #12:

...and on a TMC 100 #14:

Thread: 12/0 Bennechi, yellow

Body: Natural CDC

Wing: Elk (Instead of Hans' prefered Deer Hair)

Legs: Speckled rubber

Not for the purists, perhaps. However, it'll be alot of fun trying them out.

I'll report back soon with tails of the river... and hopefully some tight lines.

Fishing Report for 03/28 & 03/29

Spring Creek 03/28/09

After getting up on Saturday and noticing the overcast sky, I decide to head up to State College to fish Spring Creek. I arrived streamside at the handicap access around 11:00 am. To my delight the Olives were hatching and the fish were rising. To my chagrin, the fish were rather picky about the flies they chose to take. After an hour of frantic casting and even more frantic fly change I arrived at a floating nymph pattern that the trout ate like crack. After multiple misses I finally managed to land six trout and miss almost three times as many. The nicest one being 16".

Tulpehocken Creek 03/29/09

After the orgy of rising fishing the day before, I head to my home waters outside of Reading. I met John (aka Slumpbuster) on stream. After two hours of fishing we managed to land zero trout.

Before Brownlining Was (as) Cool....

there was Pete McDonald and ditch fishing. Pete has been turning out great content both professionally and at his Fishing Jones blog. His latest offering is a "A Brief History of Ditch Fishing."

Before brownlining there was ditch fishing. The concept of casting flies in less than pristine settings goes back decades. In Florida, many well known fly fishing luminaries and pioneers cut their teeth fishing the Everglades and the vast network of man-made backwater canals that carve up the southern tier of the state.

Be sure to check out his other articles from Fishing Jones.

Why?

Albany Herald outdoor writer, Bob Kornegay tells why outdoor scribes don't necessarily do it for the money.

For me and more than a few others I know, the answer to that is simple. Outdoors writing puts us and keeps us in touch with “our” people — folks we understand and who understand us in turn. It also pays dividends that are priceless, regardless of the fact that they will never show up on our bank statements.

He puts together a great article that describes why it's certainly not about the money.

Where's The Bacon

Yet another Friday passes and no bacon. Lately waking up on Saturday has been like waking up on Christmas morning to find no presents under the tree. Hopefully Coach will find his bacon soon and share it with us.

Makers: Ed Engelman's $6 Fly Tying Vise

Ed Engelman of the aptly named EdEngelman.com is all about fishing and fly tying on the cheap. He provides his own version of an economy buster and proves that you can tie flies without one of those fancy rotary thingamabobs, the $6 fly tying vise.

This fly tying vise can be built and used as a low cost way to introduce tying flies and jigs. It is designed to be built by those who may not be willing to commit the financial resources to purchase more expensive equipment. I have introduced adults and children to tying flies on these vises. The flies can then be fished on a fly rod or can be used with a spinning outfit when a casting bubble is used. When children catch a fish on a fly or jig of their own creation, it is almost as though they are catching their first fish again! And of course, the participants experience the connection between insect, fish and themselves.

Check out Ed's site for more great ideas for home craft fishing gear. Oh and if you simply must have a rotary vise to tie, check out his Fly Tying Vise with Osterizer Blender Base. It must be for the production tyer with really fast hands.

Editor's note: Seriously, this guy's ideas are great! Be sure to check out his site. I found him via one of the blogs in our sidebar but for the life of me I can't figure out which one it was to give props.

Catch Magazine #4 March '09

I have mentioned this before and just think it's fantastic. Beautiful photographs of fish, fishing and casting.

Follow the link and enjoy their latest offerings!

http://www.catchmagazine.net/

Dave.

Video: Copeland On Bones

Boone, North Carolina fly shop owner, Theo Copeland talks about everything from teaching trout anglers to cast for bonefish to being on the cover of what he calls "The Rolling Stone" of fly fishing, Fly Rod and Reel Magazine.

A Fine Saturday on PeeYays Finest Spring Creeks...

A fine day to gather the various and assorted Minions for some frollicking in the sun along two of Pennsylvania's finest spring creeks.

Coach managed to luck into a very small brown just upstream from this very picturesque stone monolith along the venerable B.S.

The Captain, traveling en bandito, landed what he said was a trout...

Coach personally witnessed Captain hook into a whopper just downstream, it took a cress bug just long enough to make a short run and a greyhounding leap before leaving us standing there looking stupid.

The road crew scavenging for lunch, couldn't even find a robin to graze upon. (Curli, Johno, Stew and Captain.)

Multiple trips up and back along 81 eventually led us to a robin where we, except poor Stew, enjoyed the bottomless buckets of fries and poor excuses for burgers.

Sufficiently refueled we landed at the L.S.R near this lovely picnic pavillion. No hooks, one miss and a Minion business card left in the mailbox for Hagn's Log.

I leave you in the ring of the rise...

with the Dean.

Till next time, soon!

Breaking news: EPA Places Hold On Mt. Top Mines

MSNBC is reporting that the EPA has placed a hold on mountain top removal mining permits until such time as the impact on streams and wetlands can be assessed.

Announced by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the move targets a controversial practice by coal mining companies that blasts away whole peaks and sends mining waste into streams and wetlands. It does not apply to existing mines, but to requests for new permits, a number estimated to be as high as 200.

NPS Lead Ban

National Park Service Gets the Lead Out!

WASHINGTON – National Park Service visitors and wildlife have something to cheer about today with the agency’s stepped-up efforts to reduce lead in national park environments.
“Our goal is to eliminate the use of lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle in parks by the end of 2010,” said Acting National Park Service Director Dan Wenk. “We want to take a leadership role in removing lead from the environment.”

The new lead reduction efforts also include changes in NPS activities, such as culling operations or the dispatching of wounded or sick animals. Rangers and resource managers will use non-lead ammunition to prevent environmental contamination as well as lead poisoning of scavenger species who may eventually feed upon the carcass. Non-toxic substitutes for lead made in the United States are now widely available including tungsten, copper, and steel.

The NPS will also develop educational materials to increase awareness about the consequences of lead exposure and the benefits of using lead-free ammunition and fishing tackle.
Lead is an environmental contaminant affecting many areas of the world, including our national parks. Lead is banned in gasoline, children’s toys, and paint because of its effects on human health. In the United States, there is an accelerating trend to expand efforts to reduce lead contamination associated with firearms and hunting. California and Arizona have recently implemented mandatory and voluntary bans, respectively, on lead ammunition to facilitate California condor recovery. And Yellowstone National Park has had restrictions on lead fishing tackle for years to protect native species and their habitats.

Resource managers recognize that hunting and fishing play an important historical role in the complicated and intensive management of wildlife populations. Because of this history, these activities continue in some parks and, in some cases, even enhance the park’s primary purpose to preserve natural environments and native species. The new restrictions on lead will ensure environmentally safe practices are implemented to protect park visitors and lands.

Wenk adds, “The reduction and eventual removal of lead on park service lands will benefit humans, wildlife, and ecosystems inside and outside park boundaries and continue our legacy of resource stewardship.”

According to Gene Mueller's article in the Washington Times, some folks are upset with this decision which many feel was made without consulting the sport fishing industry or providing science to support the ban.

What bothers the sportfishing group and various shooting organizations is the quiet way the park service went about the lead ban. Normally, user groups might have been notified about such changes and would have been invited to discuss the plans, which can affect so many Americans.

"The NPS policy announcement does not explain how this decision was reached, why it may be necessary or how this rule will be implemented," Robertson said. "To our knowledge, there has been no proposed rule, nor any opportunity for public comment. We request that the NPS withdraw this proposal and discuss the rationale for it with the appropriate stakeholders before taking further action."

What do you think about the lead ban? Does the Park Service's plan sink or float? Weigh in via the comments.

**UPDATE - Our friends from the always spot on Trout Underground, report that the National Park Service has clarified their statement, now saying that the lead ban "applies only to employees and agents." Thanks Tom!

It's not about where you live..... Wait, yea it is.

Monday, march 23rd 8:45pm: You turn into your driveway, navigate around the overflowing recycling bin and pull your late model POS into the carport, home from another day of whatever. Another Monday in the infinity of shitty Mondays that seems to define your life.

It has been weeks since you have been out fishing and you still haven’t put away your crap from the last trip, which is taking up a large portion of the kitchen counter along with fast-food wrappers, plastic cups and the occasional hot sauce packet from the overpriced burrito stand across the street.

Putting it away would be admitting defeat, so you leave it alone and continue to your office to fire up your computer machine and be whisked away into the interweb-of-life where you can try to forget about how lame your existence has felt lately.

Just spam in the email; nobody loves you. Your mouse quickly navigates it’s way around your bookmarks in search of anything that will help alleviate the pain in your head.

Everything is as it should be: Jean-Paul is beating up carp, the Angels are throwing flies at steelhead in some awesome place, Keith is eloquently questioning the merits of something or another, Matt is drinking micro-brew and making videos, Buster is trying to get lazy fisherpeople to swell their brain doing crossword puzzles by promising stickers and increased feminine company, and so on. But it doesn’t help, not today.

It starts to get to you: Every image of water holding people holding large fish starts to cut into your soul.

Every tale on every river, lake, casting, catching, reels spinning, flies flying, fish jumping, running, flopping on the shore: it all takes a little piece.

Every hero shot, every grip and grin, every stinky net is another little nudge towards the edge.

Then it happens, you come across a photo of some guy in Utah holding an unnaturally large rainbow trout with a huge shit-eating grin and you lose it. The stages of fishing jealousy set in.

First shock: “Holy Shit that’s a huge fish!”

Then Denial: “There is no freeking way that lame-ass caught a trout that big, it was probably foul hooked anyways.”

Then Anger: “That’s bullshit! That totally should be me, and what’s that douche got that I don’t? I hope he chokes on a Slim Jim.”

Then Bargaining: “I will sell my car, my blood, my body, my kidneys on the black market whatever it takes to fish somewhere awesome. Then I can be cool, right? Then people will like me, right? You got to help me, I need this! I will do anything! Anything I tell you!”

Then Guilt: “I suck, and I live in a suck place, and I suck as fishing, and it’s all my fault. If only I would have gotten out sooner, or didn’t spend all my money on hookers and blow…. I deserve to live in this stupid desert.”

Then finally you accept it. It could be worse, right? At least you’re able to fish at all, and you have caught some sweet slabs.....

You stand up, chug a beer, and punch yourself in the face for being such a whiney bitch.

You have to realize that it is about where you live, but not in the way you think.

Badassness can be found anywhere, especially if you live somewhere that is not known for great fishing.

So fuck your inbox, screw your shitty day, to hell with the dirty kitchen and your overdue utility bills. Call your friends, grab your shit, get out there, drink beer and beat the waters to a froth.

And even if you don’t catch any records, don’t worry: You won’t even notice because you will be too busy kickin’ ass.

-Alex who cares about your sanity.

The River Just Knows

Support Project Healing Waters and their Annual 2 fly event.

How will I know if the boat is gonna drag?

March 16, 2009
By STEVE ISRAEL
Times Herald-Record Writer
Vital tools that can predict floods — and possibly save lives — will soon fall victim to New York City budget cuts.
Several stream gauges in the Delaware and Hudson River basins will be closed by New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, officials from the DEP, U.S. Geological Service, Delaware River Basin Commission and Upper Delaware Council tell the Times Herald-Record.
Those unmanned gauges, in winding waterways like the Callicoon Creek and Beaverkill and rushing rivers like the Delaware and Neversink, help measure the volume, height, temperature and cleanliness of local waters — waters that have caused millions of dollars of flood damage to the region, while also bringing millions more in tourism and recreation. Both the DEP, which funds the gauges in the New York City watershed, and the USGS, which helps operate them, would not say which of the more than 50 gauges may be closed.
But as many as 27 closures have been proposed by the DEP, said Willie Rodriguez, director of the USGS New York Water Science Center in Albany.
He said the specific closures — at a savings of less than $1 million — could be announced soon.
"There will be some cuts, but we're not ready to discuss which ones," said a DEP spokesman.
The USGS monitors the gauges, which transmit data through satellites.
That data — compiled for decades-old records — is linked to a national network of gauges and is also used by the National Weather Service to measure climate changes.
But it's the local impact of the potential closings that have many along waterways like the Delaware worried.
"If some are taken out and a major storm occurs, some would say that maybe a life would be saved if we had them," said Bill Douglass, director of the Upper Delaware Council in Narrowsburg, N.Y. "You find out when and what is happening and you can get people out."
The gauges are also used for lucrative recreation activities like trout fishing in the Beaverkill and Neversink and canoeing along the Delaware — both of which depend on the height, volume and flow of the water.
"We need the level to know whether it's safe for rafting, canoeing or just whether people should go out on it," said Rick Lander of Lander's River Trips in Narrowsburg, who's particularly concerned about the Delaware River gauge in Barryville.
And in these tough economic times, knowing the condition of local rivers and streams may be important than ever, said trout fishing expert Ed Van Put of Livingston Manor, which has been devastated by floods several times in the past decade.
Fishermen will check the water conditions that are transmitted by the gauges to a "real-time" Web site before deciding whether to drive here, he said, noting that trout season starts April 1.
"It's an invaluable resource in so many ways," he said.

Nice. This on top of a proposed increase in resident fishing license fees. What next a tax on coke, oh yeah, that's coming too.

Finally the right qualifications to fix this mess

An article via Philly.com in reference to G. Edward DeSeve who is expected to be tapped by the Obama administration to oversee the Federal stimulus program.

A fly fishing fan, DeSeve once said he would go "anywhere there is a trout in the water."

Hmmm a fly fisher with the full spending power of the United States of America behind him. I am thinking he could be the perfect new fishing buddy.

Let's wish him luck as he wades in to his new assignment....

Pisgah Fly Masters Results

NC Fly fishing team member Chris Lee reported in from this weekend's Pisgah Fly Masters with the results.

Here is the top 10:
1 - Josh Stephens
2 - Chris Lee
3 - Brian Horner
4 - Simmons Welter
5 - Forest Marshall
6 - Ryan Harmon
7 - Michael Yelton
8 - Paul Thompson
9 -Gordon Vanderpool
10 -Eugene Shuler

Many of you may recognize some of the names on this list. Josh Stephens is a member of the current Fly Fishing Team USA. Paul Thompson is the three time winner of the Field and Stream Total Outdoors man Challenge. Shuler is the founder of the North Carolina team and Lee, Harmon, Yelton and Vanderpool are all NC Fly Fishing Team members. Don't let anyone tell you that the Carolina's don't produce some top sportsmen.

Trout season starts with a cracker!

Local angler and instructor, Bob Wellard, was the first angler out after trout on a glorious spring day on March 16th. Bob fished beat four on the Thrushel, and while fishing was not at all easy with few flies hatching and low water temperatures, he managed a beauty of 11-12in. In his own words...

Many thanks for a super afternoon on the Thrushel – I had a very relaxing time and managed to catch three trout – Best 11-12”
Used my 8ft 4” #4wt Scott G2, StreamCaster Line.
Fish caught on Klinkhammer & Gold Head GRHE Nymph.
Best wishes for a successful 2009 season.

Bob

Fishing Quote of the Week

This week's fishing quote and reason to post yet another instance of our infamous Dam Bait Shop photo taken a few years ago in Arkansas, comes via Reuters:

I'm seeing a lot more fishermen down here," said John Miller, owner of Bob's Sport & Tackle in Katonah, New York. "With the economy the way it is, people are getting laid off from work and don't want to sit at home and do nothing.

"The cheaper alternative," he said, "is to go fishing."

How about it fly fishers, are we about to see a rebirth of Eagle Claw glass rods and inexpensive fly gear?

Some books

As spring slowly makes the scene in these northern parts of the world, my fly-fishing activities are more in the lines of words than in the perfect moments filled with hope.

Finding Nemo.... in your toilet.

In celebration of the birth of the Brownline Nation, Aaron and I went to a urban pond in search of roughfish. Aaron found this little guy, then we went to a bar where I got cheese-drunk on chili fries.

There are big grass carp and catfish in that lake, but I have been unsuccessful in hooking one so don't give me no lip if you see me spraying liquid ass on my nymphs in the future.

The Brownline Nation

A new day has dawned, and there is ass-kicking afoot. FGFF is a proud member of the Brownline Nation.

The eight united Nations of Brown

Adrienne Comeau - Spey Angel
April Vokey - Flygal
Alex Landeen - Fat Guy Fly Fishing
Hannah Belford - FLYFishergirl
Jean-Paul Lipton - the roughfisher
k8 Taylor - Rogue Angel
Keith Barton - Singlebarbed
Pete McDonald - Fishing Jones

Check it out.

Bristol FDG Tying Demonstration

This has been a busy week for work, which has kept me away from the vice. I am anticipating the start of the season and starting to really look forward to the first session. Chew Valley Lake opened and reports are pretty good - fish coming from lots of areas. However, it's the Wellow Brook I really want to get onto - so I'm awaiting the start of April.

Despite the lack of tying, I had been asked to do a demo for the Bristol Fly Dressers' Guild on Wednesday night. It seemed to go pretty well: I guess about 30people attended. I had met some of the people there before whilst helping out with a few tying classes in previous weeks. It always a pleasure to tie for interested people.

I guess I tied about 6 or 7 flies over two hours - it's amazing how long they take when you break them down into steps with instructions. Here are some pictures of just a few flies from the evening:

Raffine Spent Spinner


Para-Duns



CDC Loop Emerger


Dave.

The future of fishing?

Robo Carp!  

English science guys have developed a robotic fish.  I am not sure they will take a fly though

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4313266.stm

Breaking News: Brownliners Now Part of The Establishment

It had to happen sooner or later - some of our favorite "Brownliners" have been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal. In our book that moves them square from the fringe right into the realm of "The Establishment."

Mr. Barton helped coin the name for his sport two summers ago. He recalls that a fly-fishing friend, Tom Chandler, called him to talk about "bluelining" -- scanning a wilderness map for the squiggly blue lines that represent remote streams and hiking into those valleys with a fly rod. Mr. Chandler had spent the day fishing in a cold, clear trout stream fed by Mount Shasta glaciers.

Mr. Barton had spent the same day casting his line into a slough littered with sofas, old cars and goat carcasses. "I told him what I'd just wiped off my shoes," recalls Mr. Barton. During that conversation, he says, the men first talked about the term to describe Mr. Barton's fishing.

Mr. Chandler began talking about brownlining on his blog, troutunderground.com. Mr. Barton soon started his own blog, Singlebarbed.com.

Congrats on the press guys. However, when we start seeing crowds of anglers with new boots standing around our favorite retention pond, our plan is to balme you. What is next, the International Brownline Fishing Association?

Also involved in the hotspotting: Fat Guy Fly Fishing , Michael Gracie, Tom Teasdale and John-Paul Lipton.

FGFF in the Wall Street Journal.

Brownlining got a little journalistic recognition today on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

FGFF's own Kyle Deneen, Tom Teasdale, TU, JPL, Michael Gracie and Kieth Barton got some love in Justin Schecks article revolving around these large fish who live in that dirty, dirty water.

Here, the fish are big. The strikes are frequent. And other anglers are kept at bay by the occasional bobbing diaper.

After driving 2 hours to fish with these guys, Kyle's linguistic eloquence was reduced to "I wanted to fish for carp." Good job dude, keeping it simple. Just kidding, you know I love you Kyle. If you watch the video, you can see him in the background as he is the only person I know with orange waders.



Anyways, I think this kicks super loads of ass for Brownlining in general, and all those mentioned. Especially us, because you can't deny the kick-ass.

Very Nice!

Gear: Stealthy Shirts from Aqua Design

Weather they fish mountain streams or bonefish flats the serious angler will tell you that bright colored fishing clothes are great for photos in magazines but don't do very well when it comes to catch rates. Fish look up for predators and if they can make out your form against the sky they probably won't bite. That is why I like these camo fishing shirts from Aqua Design.

Solid colors are a problem if you want to be stealthy. To blend into nature, multi-colored patterns are always superior to a solid shade. That's why Aqua Design is the perfect solution for anglers that want to be camouflaged. Our one-of-a-kind underwater prints are actual photos taken from the fish's perspective. We call it "water on fabric." Get closer to those smart fish with stealthy camo.

Quest Fishing Shirt features a water-inspired pattern available in five natural color options and printed on 100% microfiber fabric. This material is fast-drying, wicks moisture from the skin and is extremely comfortable. Three chest bellows pockets hold small fly and tackle boxes, extra leaders and line, sunglasses, or a cellular phone. Double-stitched construction.

Available in colors from Sky Blue to Overcast from Aqua Design - MSRP $49.95

Project Healing Waters 2 - Fly Tourney

Doug Dear and the fine folks at Rose River Farm are once again making their facility available for an excellent fund raiser that benefits of one of our favorite causes, Project Healing Waters. Project Healing Waters has a great mission:

"Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings."

Help a good cause and fish what is known as "Western style fly fishing for trophy trout in Virginia"at the same time. What more can you want? Click here to sign up.

**Update** This note came in from Doug via the comments. I thought it deserved being added to our post.

If anyone has any questions they can email me at douglas @ roseriverfarm.com you can also get more info about the tournament at http://phw2fly.blogspot.com/

Found in the suburban wild

Stick this on your fishing buddy's back.

Arivaca Recap: more bitch-slap than ass beating.

It's same old story, with a twist ending. Yes we had an empty 6-pack, yes we smelled funky, but dammit this time we caught some fish. It wasn't the Fedor Emelianenko ass beating I had hoped for, but I still consider it a success.

I spent the first fishless hour and a half writing a post in my head about how we suck, and thinking of how drunk I was going to get when I came home without fishporn, again. When I found this fat bitch hanging out in the weeds, I promptly changed my tune and hid my boner.

Aaron pulled this one out from the thick stuff. Happy happy joy joy mf'er!

The ol' Orange PoonToon.

This is the fly who dunnit. Aaron and I tied a few on and up Sunday night.

The slime was still there, but not as bad and most of it had blown to the other side of the lake. Last week we had a little cold front come through, and it looks like the warmth is back, so I would bet the fishing will be going off in the next 2 weeks. I should be able to get back next week sometime. Holla!

-Alex

Found in the suburban wild

Fishing insults

Maine Striper Fishing with Super Fly Charters & Capt. George Harris: Costa Rica Bound!!!

We're finally off to Costa Rica...full reports will follow when we return in April!!!
Maine Flats Fishing Striper Guide
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

Body Hair

So I was looking at my own Blogger profile, yes I am that pathetic. I noticed I was born the year of the monkey. That explains a bunch. All this time i thought I was a product of the baboon cage at the zoo due to my mass amounts of body hair and a bald ass. But i guess people born in 1980 are just flat out primates.

someone shave me

I am sure Aaron and Alex have a much better story to tell you, i am just really bored and can not sleep.

Fly Tying: Jake's Olive Trailing Shuck Emerger

Sunday morning I slept in. Upon finally managing to show my face downstairs, I was met by my 17 year old "editorial offspring" who remarked that he had been waiting to show me something. Fearing the worst I followed him, not to some dented automobile, but rather to the fly tying desk. There he presented me with a fly he had tied as I slumbered unaware. I took one look at his unique use of bent peacock herl for the wings and the ostrich trailing shuck and knew that this would fish. Being a good role model, I immediately reprimanded the wayward youth for only tying one and advised him that in the future no less than a half dozen would be considered acceptable.

Jake's Olive Trailing Shuck Emerger

Hook: 2x Long shank hook sized to match the natural, capped with a tungsten bead.

Body: Olive Dubbing

Wings: Doubled over peacock herl cracked at the bend so as to form the shape of the wing.

Rib: Black Thread

Tail / Shuck: Twin Ostrich herl (when wet gives the illusion of a trailing shuck)

While we know that in modern fly tying nothing is really ever truly more than a variation, this fly's classic lines would appeal to us even if it had not been tied by our number one son. We give it an wholehearted Editorial "That's my boy!" Umpqua, feel free to hit us on our hip.

Old dude gonna knife you...

if'n you give up his super guillotine secret fishing sanctuary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hsz4SqZfqA

I dare ya' to tempt fate boy!

He is going to fish with a bamboo rod of his own making this season

A friend of mine, the engineer, has been busy. Actually, he has not been all that busy as all this began over a year ago, but he has made a lot of work.



Sure he still has a lot of work to do, but I'd state it as a fact, that he is going to fish with his brand new 7'2" 4 weight Driggs River when the greatest evening hatch of the summer arrives.



And, I'm not going to fish with my own made cane rod. Not this summer. (My progress is detailed on the last picture.)

No travel time required

Unable to get to the coast for reds or the mountains for trout? No problem. Lake Norman and other Charlotte lakes are hot for bustin' spots and largemouth on the fly. Most are 1-3 lbs but on the 4-5wt using small flies the action was consistent all day .Water temp was sixty and no one was jet skiing! Just an idea to get you out of the cabin.Capt.Paul

Editor's Note: Be sure to look at the first picture full size (click it) to see the shad busting.

Diving Raffine-Caddis

To imitate those deep-diving, egg laying caddis:



Hook: TMC 2488H #14
Bead: Gold
Thread: Moser Powersilk, ornage 10/0
Abdomen: Hare, natural
Thorax: Hare's mask, yellow
Wing: Raffine

Top secret flies for the WB...

After much serious and in depth research, I submit the following "secret" flies for the WB:

#1 the "Sharka Emerger"

HOOK: #14 curved thin wire hook

THREAD: Reddish brown

TAIL: brown Z-lon

BODY: Brown dubbing

WING: Gray poly yarn looped to form a ball

LEGS: A few dun hackle fibers tied on both sides

#2 the "Jailbird"

HOOK: #14-18 curved nymph hook

THREAD: Red

BODY: Olive-green dubbing

WINGCASE: White craft foam strip cut thin

#3 the "Secret Weapon Emerger"HOOK: #14 curved thin wire hook THREAD: Reddish brown SHUCK: Tan or brown Z-lon BODY: Reddish-brown dubbing UNDERWING: Gray CDC WING: Deer hair

#4 the "Sulphur Usual"HOOK: #14 standard dry-fly hook THREAD: Orange SHUCK: Light tan Z-lon BODY: Yellowish orange dubbing WING: Natural white snowshoe rabbit foot

#5 the "Giant Serio Spinner"

HOOK: #8 4X-long streamer hook THREAD: Reddish brown SHUCK: Tan or brown Z-lon BODY: Reddish brown dubbing WING: White Z-lon

Get busy boys!