Happy Nude Year!

A friendly message from The Bottoms Up Club reminding us that it may indeed be a Happy Nude Year!

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Montana Angler Fly Fishing Report

Winter fishing is decent this time of year when air temps are over 10 degrees. We have been sticking to spring creeks, the Gallatin River and the Lower Madison river. Most of the fishing is nymphing but later in the winter some decent dry fly fishing over late morning midge hatches will begin. Our forecast for the 2011 summer season is looking good with snowpacks near 120% of average! For more detailed Montana reports visit Montana Angler Fly Fishing Reports.


Submitted by: 
Brian McGeehan
Bozeman, MT

Virtual Fly Guides New Year 2011

Wishing all of you a Happy New Year.

We hope you all can spend more days on the water in 2011!

Video from a New Animation Site...

same old stuff with new animation technology.

Enjoy?

It was a rather misty day on the River Test at Wherwell today. Fishing was with Peter Anderson, Vince and Tony. Starting the day with small nymphs we worked our way upstream, pitching the nymphs through all the likely looking runs. With a niggling breeze pushing downstream, it took a little while to find the fish in a feeding mood. Eventually we located a few fish - and there were some substantial grayling amongst them including a couple over the 2lb mark. With a hatch of Pale Wateries and Large Dark olives beginning to show, it was an out of season trout taking a partidge and orange on the dropper that gave me the first hook up of the day. It wasn't long before the first of the grayling found its way to hand. With a larger shrimp pattern on the point and a spider on the dropper, the fish were a little more willing to take the fly. Perhaps the wind had eased because sighting and targetting fish was the way forward.

One on a pale beige shrimp:

Lunchtime seemed to creep up on us - it's amazing just how much time can be absorbed trying to tempt fish you can see to take your offering. On the way back to the car park, we bumped into Charles Jardine who was fishing in a French Nymph style - long leader, tiny nymphs and pin point precision casting.

Lunch was a short affair as we wanted to get out and tackle some of the lower beats. This was skinnier water and a few fish were persuaded by the spider again. Further, a CDC & Elk on a dropper produced a fantastic rise and a nice fish too.


The furled leader worked well in the latter part of the day, presenting small nymphs and spiders upstream with super turnover and indication. The hot orange tip section is so highly visible and shows every subtle movement of flies and the takes.


We returned to take a chance at those better grayling before it became dark. The temperature had dropped and the day was becoming a little darker as the light faded and the mist began to return.


It was Vince that made the final contact of the day with a lovely grayling taking his own small GRHE variant. Well done! That was the last cast - a fitting end.

Vince puts the net under his last fish of the day:



So that's this year's fishing account closed. It's been a great year all round. My thanks to those I have had the pleasure to fish, cast and chatter about all things angling with this year. I hope we do it all over again next year, but even bigger and better! Roll on 2011.

Happy new year!
~Dave

Found in the urban wild: New Year's Edition

Two handed angler style.

Forbes Best Fly-Fishing Gear

Have some Christmas money burning a hole in your pocket? Check out the link from Forbes.com Best Fly-Fishing Gear. Use the "Previous" and "Next" buttons to scroll through the slide show.

Maine Saltwater Fishing 2011: Super Fly Charters & Capt. George Harris

Whether it's on the fly...pitching plugs or live lining frisky live baits we've got you covered check out our website for all of our trip offerings...and stay tuned for some new trips options for 2011If you're addicted to catching Striped Bass, Bluefish, Shark, Bluefin Tuna and Cod or would like to give our Merrymeeting Bay "Trash Can Tarpon" (aka Carp) offering a try...please give us a call or shoot us an email to discuss the possibilities. Please Come Join Super Fly Charters in 2011: Midcoast Maine's premier fly & light tackle guide service, fishing for Striped Bass, Bluefish, Bluefin Tuna and More!!! ~ USCG 100 Ton Master ~ Registered Maine Tidewater Guide ~ For reservations call 207-691-0745. Also for those who have been asking there is still time to purchase that holiday gift certificate for your loved ones. We can customize a gift certificate for any of the guided trips that we offer. As an added bonus all of our trips are currently $50.00 off our listed rates

Maine Saltwater Fishing Guide
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
info@superfly-charters.com
www.superfly-charters.com
Right now someone out there is hooking up to the fish of their dreams!!! I hope it's YOU <*(((((>{

December's Pics

December has been a blur.We have been enjoying the days spent chasing Quail around the Desert and Mountains. Mearns Quail hunting remains tough and many hunters are not seeing any birds at all.But they are there .The Desert birds are their usual elusive selves and hunting varies from day to day.The dogs and I are now getting set for Oklahoma and looking forward to chasing Mr. Bob on the Southern Plains ..stay tuned!

Buddy and Slick pointing Gambles Quail

Spot pointing Scaled Quail

Gambles and Scaled Quail

Phil admires a Mearns Quail

Reba with a Scaled Quail

Bob and Matt enjoying the day

Gambles Quail

Tracks

Arizona Scenery

Gambles Quail

Az sunset

Okie

Enjoying the view

Covering a Sam Point

Martha and Spot

Cruz

Skate The Fly interviews Catch Magazine Founder Okeefe

Skate the Fly Episode 4 - Brian Okeefe from Dylan Rose on Vimeo.

Fly Tying - Midnight Stonefly from Jon H.

Merry Christmas VFGs! For my Christmas gift to all of you I have decided to share with you a special fly pattern that is killer on early season trout and anywhere where stoneflies are found. 
I actually invented the midnight stonefly pattern for the area of the central Sierra Nevadas near where I live. The fly is weighted without needing a beadhead because of the matierials used to tie it. It is a very easy pattern to tie and can catch fish from early-to-mid season. What materials you will need to tie it:

• 1 Size 6-8 long-shanked hook
• 2-3 Inches of black pipecleaner
• Some inner fur of a german shepherd or similar dog

Start by taking the hook and wrapping the dog hair around it from th eye to the start of the curve. The hair will be hard to keep in place so the next step alleviates that problem. Take the pipecleaner and wrap it around the dog hair and hook very tightly so it stays in place. The hair should bunch up toward the back of the hook and will give it its distinctive hump of a stonefly. The final step is to clip off the excess pipecleaner. And viola! That is the simple, but effective Midnight Stonefly! 


For those of you who have fancy vices at home this should be a lot easier for you than me, I have to ty all of them in hand. 

My picture of it is not the best quality but should help at least a little in tying the fly.

Tight lines and happy holidays!

Nor Cal Fly Fishing Christmas

Dan Wallentine got this trophy rainbow to take a black Wooly Bugger. WOW!!!

Grayling are beautiful fish, extending the fly fisher's callender and offering a real challenge too. At times they are willing to let you wade amongst them, snaffling up any fly that happens to pass by. The next day they can be really spooky, tolerating little in the way of disturbance or, indeed, anything that appears to be against the norm. They can mouth and reject a fly in seconds I am certain they take and refuse nymphs and bugs far more readily than we are aware. If they are willing to move to a dry fly, they can ascend and return in split seconds leaving you bewildered that there was even a rise.

Now, return to the nymphs. You'll read lots about grayling coming to heavy bugs, often brightly coloured and fished as a team. True. However, when they are a little more suspicious, it is the thinking angler that will be successful, choosing to adapt their fly choice and aim for something a little more imitattive. The Pheasant Tail nymph takes some beating under these circumstances. But even then, a little colour can help add a little something extra. Here's an example of the PTN tied with a red hotspot - just holographic tinsel tied behind the thorax. Another dimension to the fly box; improved chances of success:




Hook: Partridge BIN #14
Thread: Powersilk, 10/0 olive
Tail & abdomen: PT fibres
Thorax: Rabbit
Hot-spot: holographic tinsel, red
Wing buds: PT fibres
Legs: Tips of the PT fibres from the wing buds

~Dave

I Phone Bell Choir!

Carbon Leaf plays Jingle Bells whilst my sister watches...



Yes Virginia, there is an app for that!

shoot the partridge and eat the pears

I think Santa came last night, but you would really have to ask Mrs. Claus. (ba dump bump) But seriously, there was so many fat people with facial hair walking around here in red fuzzy pants it made it impossible to tell who the hell I had to bribe to get a drink, and who had the sack full-o-goods.

They say it's about giving, and 50% of those who told you that are good people and the rest are just greedy pricks. But either way there are too many kids, right now, all over the nation bothering the shit out of their hungover parents even as these words are typed, just held on the verge of hysterics and the sun hasn't even had the balls to show its face yet.

I never got to rush. I always had to wait. Being an only child, there was always only one of me to hold at bay and there ain't no paper-tearing till the coffee has been made, till your aunt's hair is done up, till the other guests get here, till all us 'dults are good and damn ready and until then you will wait.

But today I can see the yellow light peeking through the shades and I have a feeling not unlike the child of my youth, I am the first one up on Christmas morning. Maybe there is something fishy under that tree...?

Who wants a mimosa?

----------------

UPDATNESS:

Drinkin' never looked so awesome.

I may have forgot to put the top on the grill down, and the pork roast may have been "burning like a candle," but I refuse to be blamed. Merry Drinking.

Oh yeah, and Goldberg:

Mery Christmas and Happy New Year

I would like to wish you and yours all the best for the Holiday Season .May 2011 bring you a very large Dry Fly caught Trout and/or the point of your dreams !
See ya out there 

Dave  

Ongoing Hilarious Thread at The Drake...

Starts a little slow, but by page 3 the genius can be clearly seen.

Were I not merely a lurker; "It walks down stairs alone or in pairs and makes a clickety sound, everyone knows it's orvis."
http://www.drakemag.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18195

Friday / Christmas Eve Bacon!

Behold, I bring you tidings of colossal joy.  For this day, in a stable, a child was born.

Merry Christmas!

May Santa bring you the most pleasing of Christmas gifts;
whether they be related to this,

or maybe just this.

Have a happy one!

Merry Fishmas Eve from the Virtual Fly Guides!

Sean and Joseph Wallentine (nephew) in Northern California on our annual fly fishing trip. Just so happens that Christmas and fly fishing collided this year for a perfect storm. Merry Christmas...

SID 5 - The Rich Issue

Dedicated to the late Rich Schaaff with a moving piece written by Rich's wife, Julie.

Full of stunning imagery as always. Check it out.

Frying Pan Gallery

Saw a piece of metal sculpture today that reminded me of this cool art gallery we'd run into whilst in pursuit of some good seafood in Wellfleet, MA. Just wanted to share it.

http://www.fryingpangallery.com/

The shop is located down by the wharf in an old timey oyster shack.

The sculpt/fabricate some really interesting metal artwork like the mermaid and striper below.

The website will likely serve as a good source of inspiration for Stew, Bear and Don.

Enjoy!

Maine Striper Fishing: Super Fly Charters

(Happy Holidays To All!!! See info below to book your 2011 Maine Saltwater Fishing Adventure!!!

Maine Saltwater Fishing Guide
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
info@superfly-charters.com
www.superfly-charters.com
Right now someone out there is hooking up to the fish of their dreams!!! I hope it's YOU <*(((((>{

A Holiday / Minion Themed Ad for Wyoming Whiskey

I thought you might enjoy this, and besides there is little interesting or funny to post from the interwebs today.
Not that any of you are helping in this regard...

Wyoming Whiskey - Santa '10 from Javier Abad on Vimeo.

I did start to wonder if the more sensible option should be to cancel my planned trip due to the extra layer of snow we had been dealt on Monday. However, when I reached the Kennet, it was a truly magical experience. Barn Owls were flying in search of food during the day and a pair of red kites were circling above. Superb sights at anytime of the year, but in a wintery-wonderland, it was something special - albeit the fishing was VERY hard.




The day's success was always going to be decided by whether the fish could be found. The water was low - especially with so much being locked up on the ground. So it off to the deeper runs with a short line and heavy bug; a lighter S-Loop nymph on the dropper.

One for the dropper:


Dropping the bugs through a likely looking run:


It was hard to find them. The odd nudge of the indicator suggested there was life down there. But it was only small fish willing to put in an appearance.


Infact, it was strangely out-of-season trout that were easier to find - I spotted the odd lunker holding mid-stream.


Despite switching between the short line technique and the duo, the bigger grayling proved somewhat elusive, it was good to be out and a pleasure to practice technique amongst such stunning surroundings.

I have been using furled leaders in recent weeks and have been kindly made some to my exact specifications. The turnover is superb and the sensitivity of them hard to beat. In conjuction with a 10' 4" #3 rod, every twist and turn ot eh nymphs could be felt. The furled leader, with a 12" hi-vis section, allowed me to monitor exactly how the flies were behaving.

I have added black markers throughout the leader so it is visible in all lights. Every movement is clearly visible:
So sensitive is the leader, it reminds of a swing-tip in coarse fishing - only even more responsive to takes. I'll give more details soon about the leaders I've been experimenting with.

This was my last session on the river before Christmas. I hope there are more grayling to report before the new year!

A welcome stop to grab a warming coffee:
Enjoy your festive weekend.

~Dave