Happy New Year from the Virtual Fly Guides!!

We hope 2010 will be a great year for all the Virtual Fly Guides! Thanks to all for posting photos, videos, and reports and we look forward to more fly fishers joining our ranks. Stay safe and enjoy every moment you spend fly fishing.

See you on the water,
Darin and Sean Wallentine

Happy New Year!

Or is it Johno celebrating a "Happy Nude Year"?



Goodbye to a mortifying 2009 and hello to a bright and shiny 2010!

Happy whatever...

I don't know where I put my motivation, and I can't for the life of me find it. Maybe it is hiding somewhere in the new year, or in the bottom of that Ten High bottle... Anyways, I was going to write something profound, but I will just say don't end up like this guy tonight and pre-fill your Bedside Hydration Unit. And remember to take your shoes off before you pass out, or it's game on, dude.

Parachute Emerger - A new addition to the RFB

I have just added a step-by step for tying parachute hackles on the River Fly Box.



Hook: Varivas 2200BL-B #14
Thread: 14/0 Sheer, tan
Abdomen: Orvis Spectrablend, Light Olive
Wing post: Funky Fibre, yellow
Thorax: Orvis Spectrablend, ginger
Hackle: Whiting, Golden Badger




~Dave

Last day lake trout...

Jon Barnard fished Tinhay Lake yesterday - aided by son Dan's superb netting skills - and landed a brace of trout with the best fish weighing in at over 5 1/2lb. What a great way to end 2009 Jon!
The lake continues to fish very well, despite the cold, and sinking lines have helped anglers get down to the deep-lying trout.

To open your 2010 fishing year in style, call us on 01566 784666 and treat yourself to a day ticket at Tinhay.

Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute

Visit Adaptive Fly Fishing to learn more about an organization that teaches fly fishing to anglers with special needs.

Here's Hoping

   High Plains Santa "Cruz" proved today that things are only going to get better !

2009   will go down in the history books as the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.I am glad I lived through it, as times like these make you realize how fortunate you are. With 2010 around the corner people seem to be more  optimistic about their situations so I am hoping that in 2010 you  get out and fish or hunt more. I know I am, All the best in 2010 !

Dave Byler is hoping for more browns .

 

                                 Buddy and Spot are hoping for more points in 2010

Westcountry Sea Trout Festival 2010

From Thursday 1st to Monday 6th July 2010, we are proud to present the inaugural Westcountry Sea Trout Festival – a celebration of one of Devon and Cornwall’s most exciting game fish. Each night, anglers will enjoy what is surely the pinnacle of the fly fisher’s art, on the rivers Lyd and Tamar at Lifton.
We have two full-time instructors, David Pilkington and Tim Smith. They hold the prestigious AAPGAI advanced qualifications in both single and double-handed disciplines. David and Tim will run a series of workshops throughout the festival. In addition, our instructors will be on the beats each night to offer help and advice. Over the course of the festival, local tackle company Snowbee will be in attendance, giving you the opportunity to try the latest equipment, tailored to Westcountry fly fishing.
A maximum of 12 anglers can fish on each night, so prior booking is essential. The festival is best-suited to those that have some fly fishing experience and can cast competently - you don’t have to have fished for sea trout before however! There will be a prize, kindly donated by Snowbee, for the captor of the largest sea trout (to be measured in length and returned) over the duration of the festival.
The cost of fishing is £26 per person, per night. There is a special rate of £110 per person, per night for fishing and B&B accommodation at the hotel. For those with the stamina to fish all five nights, the cost is £100 for fishing or £500 including B&B accommodation.

For more info, please e-mail us at: fishingoffice@arundellarms.com

Workshops (subject to change)

Thursday 1st July

Night fishing for sea trout: 11am – 1pm
A talk and demonstration by the river. Techniques for sea trout fly fishing at night; tackle and fly choice, presentation and more. £10 per person

Guided reconnaissance: 3pm – 6pm
Walk your beat with our instructors; note lies, spot fish and boost your knowledge of rivercraft. £10 per person


Friday 2nd July

Casting workshop: 11am – 1pm
A demonstration of tips and tricks to improve your casting on the river, including casting fundamentals, techniques for casting large flies and spey casts at night. This will be followed by one to one casting instruction on anything you’d like help with. £25 per person

Guided reconnaissance: 3pm – 6pm
Walk your beat with our instructors; note lies, spot fish and boost your knowledge of rivercraft. £10 per person

Saturday 3rd July

Westcountry favourites: 11am – 1pm
A fly tying demonstration. How to tie classic and modern sea trout flies of the Westcountry. £10 per person

Guided reconnaissance: 3pm – 6pm
Walk your beat with our instructors; note lies, spot fish and boost your knowledge of rivercraft. £10 per person

Sunday 4th July

Casting workshop: 11am – 1pm
A demonstration of tips and tricks to improve your casting on the river, including casting fundamentals, techniques for casting large flies and spey casts at night. This will be followed by one to one casting instruction on anything you’d like help with. £25 per person

Guided reconnaissance: 3pm – 6pm
Walk your beat with our instructors; note lies, spot fish and boost your knowledge of rivercraft. £10 per person

Monday 5th July

Day fishing for sea trout: 11am – 1pm
A talk and demonstration by the river. Techniques for sea trout fly fishing by day, including tackle and fly choice for high and low water. £10 per person

Guided reconnaissance: 3pm – 6pm
Walk your beat with our instructors; note lies, spot fish and boost your knowledge of rivercraft. £10 per person

Fishing & Photography

Fly fishers often spend so much time focusing on catching fish that they lose focus on what surrounds them. Fish live in beautiful places, if you haven't noticed. I love fly-fishing, but I also love making pictures.

On the water I carry an 8.1 mega pixel Sony Cyber-Shot "point and shoot." It's user-friendly, but has many functions for the more advanced picture taker. It's not waterproof but can handle a splatter of water once in a while. The picture of the High Sierra mountains (upper right) was taken with my Sony Cyber-Shot.

I also have a Nikon D-40 Digital SLR camera I use for more advanced shooting. Photographers call this camera an "amateur" camera, as opposed to a "professional" grade camera. While there may be some truth to that, my D-40 is much more advanced than anything Ansel Adams ever dreamed of. I don't carry my Nikon on the water. It's lightweight but too big.

The picture of the red thistle (above left) was taken with my Nikon D-40 after a day of fishing on Wolf Creek in northern California's Alpine County.

So, if you love fly-fishing consider adding photography to your hobby. You will be enriched greatly. Back away from the water for a little while and you will find stunning landscapes, beautiful flowers and wildlife.

Click here to see some of the pictures I've taken while on fly-fishing trips at the Virtual Fly Guides Facebook Page.

Additionally, whether you are a Nikon enthusiast or not, you will find Ken Rockwell's website very helpful. Check him out at http://www.kenrockwell.com.

Make sure you post your pics of fish and scenery, and your fishing reports, on the Virtual Fly Guides bulletin board http://tinyurl.com/yhsgtye.

Tight Lines and Good Pictures,

Sean Wallentine
Co-Founder, The Virtual Fly Guides

Southern Christmas haul

Hobe's ham, Ruth's Pimento cheese spread, and Duke's Mayo. Things you can't get North of the Mason Dixon.

Christmas loot pt. 2

The cousins in law provided just the right touch for the FlyfishMagazine corporate offices.

Christmas Booty

Honorable son #1 gave us 25 sticks of Christmas cheer.

Worst Holiday Gift Ever?

This quote stood out when I ran across an article on GoErie.com that asked Executive types about their worst ever holiday gifts.

"Emilia DiMenco, executive vice president at Harris Bank: "Someone once gave me a fly-fishing pole, complete with a tackle box full of flies. I hate fishing"

This has to be the best explanation we have heard yet for the American financial crisis.

How about it fly fishing executive or non executive types? What was your worst holiday gift ever? Your best?

The Editorial Trophy wife will most likely weigh in right away with a comment about the clothes steamer we got her for Christmas a few years back (we won't do that again). Feel free to leave your comments anonymously to protect the "innocent."

Biot Nymph - A new addition to the river fly box

I've just added a new addition to the River Fly Box: The Biot Nymph




Hook: Varivas 2120WB (Wave Barbless) #14
Bead: Tungsten 2mm
Thread: Sheer 14/0, tan
Tail: Coq de Leon fibres
Abdomen: Turkey Biot, olive
Thorax: Argentinian Hare, dyed olive

~Dave

**Coming Soon** Get Your Own VFG Sticker

Shortly after the first of the year, the Virtual Fly Guides will selling the VFG Sticker through PayPal. Keep checking back with us for more details to get your own!

A Lab named Tish

                                               Tish working a SK. farmstead 

My first Gun Dog was a Yellow Lab named Molson , he and I  would hit the Grouse Woods that where close to   our home in Petawawa Ontario, even though I really did not know what I was doing (and still don't)we had a lot of fun and even managed to knock a few Ruffed grouse down from time to time.

                                       Mearns Quail retrieve 

In 2007 I decided it was time to get another Lab., the justification with Lisa was that I could use the Lab to flush birds as opposed to me getting between the pointers and the clients , enter the safety factor . I also needed a retriever for the waterfowl hunting we do in Saskatchewan so we ended up purchasing High Plain's Latisha ,  Tish for short.
During her first season  the  plan was to get her "birdy" via a lot of exposure to wild birds so  I worked her on road coveys , ran her along hedgerows and micro hunted her around old farmsteads , I would also bring her out to search and retrieve birds that the pointers could not find,this seemed to work well as she really started to develop prey drive along with the use of her nose.
This year I introduced her to waterfowl hunting via easy to manage  field shoots for Whitefronts and Mallards , at first she was a little hesitant about picking up big stinky geese but quickly got over that and became very good at staying in the blind with me while I called the geese in , on the first shot she was out of the blind and on her birds.Her epic  retrieve was on a crippled  Snow goose that flew 300 yards into a fallow field and began to run , she marked it and began her chase , five minutes later she was running back with the goose in her mouth, needless to say  I was very proud .

                                                     Tish giving fish fighting support 

Here in Arizona I use  Tish  as a non -slip retriever ,when the Pointers  are pointing I have her at heel then when everyone is in a good position she is  released to flush the covey and do the retrieving . .When the Pointers are running Tish stays in gun range working  the close cover, she has also proven to be excellent while  following up on singles .
Yesterday I took the B team out , I ran Cruz and Speck down a canyon  then moved to another spot and ran my old guys Zane and Covey with Tish . Covey got the first point  ,Tish went in and put the birds up and I made a real nice "pat myself on the back" right to left crossing shot on a male Mearns ,the bird was in my hands in seconds , 5 minutes later the Tish's tail started to look like a helicopter rotor she flushed a covey  which resulted in another "did I make  that " left to right  crossing shot.
Finally Covey was on point while Zane backed I heeled Tish in and released her for the flush ,the result was a long straight away shot and after a good search Tish retrieved the bird .
As I am re-discovering one of the cool things  about using a flushing dog is the shots you get are a little more interesting than the typical straight away shots you get when covering a point and you  always have to be ready .
Tish turns two this January  although she still needs some polish I think she is well on her way to becoming a good  gun dog , she is also a lot of fun around the house and provides some cheap entertainment on fishing trips .

                                   Clair Kofoed  & Tish  with a Canada Goose .

Swedish Fly Fair, March 2010

I am delighted to say that I have been invited to tie at the Swedish Fly Fair in March (11th - 14th March). It'll be great to see some old friends and meet some new ones. This will be my first vist to Sweden too, so I'm really looking forward to it.

More information can be found here: Swedish Fly Fair 2010

~Dave

Big Rainbow Trout Released

Putah Creek, CA Fly Fishing Video

Sean Wallentine on Putah Creek, CA

December 2009

Putah Creek, CA Fly Fishing Report

Sean Wallentine
Sacramento, CA

Body of Water: Putah Creek, CA
Date: Monday, December 21, 2009
# of Fish Caught: 4
Species: Rainbow Trout
Size: 19", 21", 22", 22"
Effective Flies: #22 Killer (peacock hurl head and red chenille body/tail)

Summary:
Fished alone from 8am to 1pm. Weather was great. It was about 50 degrees, foggy in the morning, mostly cloudy with no wind. It started getting breezy and began raining at 1pm when I called it quits.

Water flows were good, about 100 cfs is my best guess. Regular winter lows. The fish were very active. I fished below the campground at a place called "the point."

I used 6lb flourocarbon tippet and a very small (#22) midge called a "Killer." It as no bead, a peacock hurl head and a body/tail of red chenille.

It was important to use the stronger tippet because I caught some big fish. Landed four fish that were 19", 21", and two 22-inch Rainbows.

Great day on the creek!

A very happy Christmas to everyone who visits and reads my blog. Since I started the records of visitors, the blog has received over 12000 hits from more than 80 countries. I am delighted that so many people have taken an interest and encouraged me to continue with the blog. I wish you all a lovely Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

I have always tried to keep the blog dedicated to fly fishing and tying. However, I wanted to add the news that my son, Oscar, was born on Christmas Eve. A better present you could not receive.

Best wishes,
~Dave

Guess Who Will Get My Xmas Money?

Bob Marriott's Fly Fishing Store

Merry Christmas to all from the Virtual Fly Guides!

Morning Rant.

                                    Nice grass and a nice Okie Point

 A subject that  popped  up on an internet chat board is that the bird numbers this year are reflective of the grazing or over grazing practices of the ranchers that use the Coronado National Forest.My own observations are that areas that received rain have some birds and that area's that received minimal monsoon rains are void of birds and grass.
Another topic that has also surfaced is that the Coronado National Forest has caved in to Rancher's demands to allow more cattle on the grazing leases, lets hope that this is just a rumor.
Having spent a lot of time chasing birds across Western North America I am of the opinion that overgrazing is the curse of the bird hunter and to some extent where overgrazing impacts riparian zones the Fly-fisher.Not much can be done when overgrazing takes place on private land however it is clear that the owner is shooting himself in the foot. Over grazing on public land is a different story as there are many other users of that public land that come into play.
Here in Arizona the grasslands never had large animals re. Buffalo that grazed, grasslands in AZ. also receive minimal rainfall so having large mammals graze the already fragile ecosystem is a real shock to the system .
One would hope that the powers to be would realize this , and push for responsible land use practices.
Cattle or Beef production in the State of Arizona is not a big money maker however tourism is . In my opinion an economic impact study regarding the use of public lands needs to be conducted and the management of the public lands should be geared towards the result.
From a hunting standpoint AZ could easily become one big Quail cover similar to how other States have become large revenue generating pheasant covers,the dollars generated would be more evenly spent within the State's economy and good wildlife habitat would also result in other eco-tourism revenue sources.
It is time that other public land user groups including  hunters  get organized and start making their voices heard.

McCloud River, CA Fly Fishing Report

Darin Wallentine

McCloud River Rainbow

As if you weren't enough of a jerk already...

It's bad enough watching your friend beat the local piscatorial population like a red headed stepchild while you are picking weeds from your hook and tying the next crap thing on your tippet, but now when you splash your way back to the bank you know he will bring some brand of proof of how much of your ass he actually kicked.

It is probably bullshit, as most likely any number you have ever come up with when asked, but there is just something about seeing the lie as an actual number that might be just enough to push you over the edge toward uncontrolled strangulation.

I think I might just mount a ten-foot long ticker above my pontoon to make sure that everyone within an eighth of a mile knows how much of a douche I am.



-Alex who counts fish and lies about it in the traditional way.

Fly Fishing near the South Lake Tahoe Area: Pyramid Creek

Click on this link to view MapQuest for directions to

Pyramid Creek

sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

This Sunday @ 9:00 am EST, the new bonefishing show, "Pirates of the Flats" premiers on
ESPN 2 & ESPN HD.

Here's the schedule:
Episode 1: 9am, Sunday, December 27, 2009
Episode 2: 9am, Sunday, January 2, 2010
Episode 3: 9am, Sunday, January 9. 2010
Episode 4: 9am, Sunday, January 16, 2010
Episode 5: 9am, Sunday, January 23, 2010
Episode 6: 9am, Sunday, January 30, 2010

The new show, much needed during this winter's noticeable absence of fly fishing related tv programming, stars such notables as Tom McGuane, Lefty Kreh, Yvon Chouinard and R. Valentine Atkinson and is narated by the affable Tom Brokaw.

Some out-takes and bloopers courtesy of "Garden and Gun"

And remember, no jokes about "bonefish" pirates.

When the going gets tough... #30

A couple tied on #30 hooks... they really do have their day:

CDC Dun



Hook: Varivas 2210 #30
Thread: Synton 0.05 x2, olive
Wing: CDC, brown, fibres in split thread



CDC Shuttlecock



Hook: Varivas 2210 #30
Thread: Synton 0/05 x2, olibe
Abdomen:Light Olive
Wing: CDC
Thorax: Ginger

~Dave.

Fly Fishing near the South Lake Tahoe Area: South Fork of the American River

Click on this link to view MapQuest for directions to the

South Fork of the American River

Visit us tomorrow for Day 2 of Fly Fishing near the South Lake Tahoe Area when we feature Pyramid Creek.

Fly Focus Video Trailer

The music is a little dramatic, but some nice footage...

Fly Fishing near the South Lake Tahoe Area: Wolf Creek

Click on this link to view MapQuest for directions to

Wolf Creek

Visit us tomorrow for Day 2 of Fly Fishing the South Lake Tahoe Area when we feature the South Fork of the American River.

Smutting Shuttle

Small flies can save the day. When tying in the #24 and below sizes I very much like the use of CDC. There's little weight from such a small hook and, as a result, just a small amount of CDC will keep these floating all day.


Here's an example:



Hook: Varivas 2300 #28
Thread: Synton 0.05 x2, olive
Tail: 2 strands DNA Frosty Fibre
Abdomen: Tying thread
Rib: Tying thread
Wing: Natural CDC
Thorax: Superfine, #19 Sulphur Orange

~Dave