tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54612451700774756952024-03-27T19:53:47.893-04:00Welcome to the Millers River Fly Fishing Forum Fly Fishing Information On The Millers, Swift, Middle, West and East Branches Of the Westfield River and the Ware, and Mill rivers. YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR MA. FLY FISHING INFORMATION, the top ranked fly fishing blog in Massachusetts! WHAT FLY FISHERS READ!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-68466518789254985612024-03-25T10:36:00.001-04:002024-03-25T10:36:22.101-04:00The Riffle Beater<p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid3xlbs9GcrHH7W4IzQ_K3qkkiVVPtjT7grQYmee8gtbEbDiVzL7ZFSQMA-jyDvgy4pcC6AT23rwr4pB-VUwV6QehIAVWkXCG3nFUunxQU72ypRIPCJAgT0gKb4WuzTTdL9A7wK9RlTTtmzg3GkZoXP8FQbgAyGjva9tSWqAHwO7BYLr3xTb1Spk4ZrKb/s3648/IMG_1579.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid3xlbs9GcrHH7W4IzQ_K3qkkiVVPtjT7grQYmee8gtbEbDiVzL7ZFSQMA-jyDvgy4pcC6AT23rwr4pB-VUwV6QehIAVWkXCG3nFUunxQU72ypRIPCJAgT0gKb4WuzTTdL9A7wK9RlTTtmzg3GkZoXP8FQbgAyGjva9tSWqAHwO7BYLr3xTb1Spk4ZrKb/s320/IMG_1579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">I could see the trout working the choppy surface and I really wanted to take a shot at it BUT made it almost impossible to float a dry amidst the chutes rapids and the boulders. I came back 3 days later with a fly that would take the abuse and still float.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1. Size 10 or 12 standard dry hook</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2.Wing - white deer hair</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">3.Body- Senyu Laser dubbing (a light color)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> 4. Tail - Golden Badger hackle fibers</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">5. A long Grade A golden badger hackle</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This fly really shines on rough pocket water ( Millers in Erving) or the EB but is only so so on glassy water like most of the Swift. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Always carry some!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rain</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Eastern Ma had 2.5 inches of rain on Saturday</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It will be awhile.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-21927027706243492802024-03-18T12:15:00.001-04:002024-03-19T06:19:16.903-04:00Slowly but Surely<p> </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot" - Steven Wright</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUZ6QIEE2TtIMhgtKDKagL9qSMM7SoysvpAA4bYA8iqnLz9v_rItcglNCIuQDHqoslVKiCwM0Lixgjnqg13w5O0J5S7vz6gQKwXV_sB3b5uj2t9hjL5sCG1EK04d8UUC-GtNi9q6QYW94dnO60D3l_xxa6DrkZvO37wLJEzjE7NDCNsrcKvE079ezLnsT/s3264/IMG_1259.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUZ6QIEE2TtIMhgtKDKagL9qSMM7SoysvpAA4bYA8iqnLz9v_rItcglNCIuQDHqoslVKiCwM0Lixgjnqg13w5O0J5S7vz6gQKwXV_sB3b5uj2t9hjL5sCG1EK04d8UUC-GtNi9q6QYW94dnO60D3l_xxa6DrkZvO37wLJEzjE7NDCNsrcKvE079ezLnsT/s320/IMG_1259.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">The great deluge may be over. Rivers, which have been busting their banks for two weeks, seem to be in retreat.<br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here are the numbers for today and where they were last Wednesday, the day with the highest flows this year.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Millers (today) 1670 cfs, last Wednesday 3000 cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">EB (today) 1080 cfs, last Wednesday 1830cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Swift (today) 650 cfs Last Wednesday 716 cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ware River (today) 690 cfs Last Wednesday 841 cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Don't start fooling yourself that it's safe wading because it isn't. Give it a week!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-35623840570373034312024-03-13T08:43:00.000-04:002024-03-13T08:43:02.746-04:00Flood Update<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdLsbsffjxyFvu5zrBxDa9_bcxNVHPUy6lG9HUmdqT6ZTamPKXAkRjdjGWNjyVP_m46pAlRAXsbTLMgZIdsag8dSPyTzAEdVGp3WRk96SlmC8oN7iWv0uGTw7uAZjNa19st6-ZK4UZqA4Zo0bXjamLRJFB6P5xenK7qSGcShpfFgs0fhqb3FWgHvZdaPs/s2048/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdLsbsffjxyFvu5zrBxDa9_bcxNVHPUy6lG9HUmdqT6ZTamPKXAkRjdjGWNjyVP_m46pAlRAXsbTLMgZIdsag8dSPyTzAEdVGp3WRk96SlmC8oN7iWv0uGTw7uAZjNa19st6-ZK4UZqA4Zo0bXjamLRJFB6P5xenK7qSGcShpfFgs0fhqb3FWgHvZdaPs/s320/IMG_0265.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">No, I didn't catch this brown recently because the rivers have gone crazy. As of this morning the river flows are as follows:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Millers - 3000 cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Swift - 716 cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">EB - 1830 cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ware - 841cfs</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I believe that this is the highest I've ever seen these flows and I'm not being overly cautious by saying that you shouldn't even attempt wading flows as dangerous as these. These rivers could drop by 80% </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">and they would still be too high. I could suggest a "thin blue line" but they may be flooded too.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hold your horses and take a deep breath, Real Spring will be here shortly followed by a bone crunching drought (most likely)!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tie Flies</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-33790638350819129632024-03-08T08:39:00.000-05:002024-03-08T08:39:23.712-05:00Jumping The Gun On The EB<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe_W43Xov_myiIihfVPrFH7NgQNJXQQ_nDJDVFlxB-s90bpmOC2JQyA8flAR4-j_mjkxS95XPzwEY3QCJ2ezjkhMQdy7yqf2VnIFbLKQXzGp1qEAeFaWAP7nWNA3LjGdGwsdWGD0qmynaVJgPquQ1_mh6hSc2RkeZq4E31WhmuEUwyiP7J6jzB8upoFt0/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe_W43Xov_myiIihfVPrFH7NgQNJXQQ_nDJDVFlxB-s90bpmOC2JQyA8flAR4-j_mjkxS95XPzwEY3QCJ2ezjkhMQdy7yqf2VnIFbLKQXzGp1qEAeFaWAP7nWNA3LjGdGwsdWGD0qmynaVJgPquQ1_mh6hSc2RkeZq4E31WhmuEUwyiP7J6jzB8upoFt0/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it isn't."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Chesterfield Gorge Access Road</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe_W43Xov_myiIihfVPrFH7NgQNJXQQ_nDJDVFlxB-s90bpmOC2JQyA8flAR4-j_mjkxS95XPzwEY3QCJ2ezjkhMQdy7yqf2VnIFbLKQXzGp1qEAeFaWAP7nWNA3LjGdGwsdWGD0qmynaVJgPquQ1_mh6hSc2RkeZq4E31WhmuEUwyiP7J6jzB8upoFt0/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe_W43Xov_myiIihfVPrFH7NgQNJXQQ_nDJDVFlxB-s90bpmOC2JQyA8flAR4-j_mjkxS95XPzwEY3QCJ2ezjkhMQdy7yqf2VnIFbLKQXzGp1qEAeFaWAP7nWNA3LjGdGwsdWGD0qmynaVJgPquQ1_mh6hSc2RkeZq4E31WhmuEUwyiP7J6jzB8upoFt0/s320/IMG_0450.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">I've had a couple of flyfishers sniffing around to see if any streams are producing, the EB in particular. The answer is NO, especially the freestones. As of this morning (3/8/24) the EB is flowing at 348 cfs and that is with them reducing the flow in half yesterday. With more rain this weekend.........!!! The Millers is at 1790 cfs. Forgetaboutit!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Freestone temperatures are hovering at 40 degrees. Your best bet would be to hit a blueline this weekend.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">By the way, the Swift is at 490 cfs as I type. Don't expect the salmon to fly over the dam and into the Swift. A little late in the year for that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tie Flies!!!</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-4966885954902177322024-02-28T12:34:00.000-05:002024-02-28T12:34:14.709-05:00Early And I Mean EARLY Morning On The Millers (Trico Time)<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thomas Ames Jr. calls them the White Winged Curse. They can hatch by the millions on sunny warm Summer mornings and it appears that every trout in the river is feeding on them except they will refuse YOUR finely crafted Trico offering every time.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJL1R7qE7aXdjCXqlJsp75KgnzaXDa_pQ-0wSb5mnZ0lxIsKHHABopiCMbISa72_DDT5ZEKy2c_3D7pscWrBobgtHMJjB8EkkIJrqwq4CNhWxkqi_mLIo9oXn2BmVDPFL7worqfnco2ZGt6z8gAOAI86Akdbst50ggxfQmnbWdMrZNW5QjTt1GBMfcE6gc/s3648/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJL1R7qE7aXdjCXqlJsp75KgnzaXDa_pQ-0wSb5mnZ0lxIsKHHABopiCMbISa72_DDT5ZEKy2c_3D7pscWrBobgtHMJjB8EkkIJrqwq4CNhWxkqi_mLIo9oXn2BmVDPFL7worqfnco2ZGt6z8gAOAI86Akdbst50ggxfQmnbWdMrZNW5QjTt1GBMfcE6gc/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to the Trico hatch in sizes 22 to 28. Some anglers will draw swords with these critters but after a while will be scanning the surface to find insects that are more accommodating or at least something that you can see!!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">How do I fish a Trico hatch? There are two times. One is in the very early morning. The males hatch before first light and can be taken on the surface or in the surface film. That means you should be on the water around 3:30 in July and a bit later in August. The mid morning spinner fall is stage 2 but I like stage 1. The trout don't seem as spooky with the darkness.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The conventional wisdom is that your fly should be black with a white wing. Olive and brown bodies work well too like the one in the photo.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> So does a long 7x tippet. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Where to find Tricos? The Farmington is full of them as is the Millers River. On a summer morning you can see thousands hovering above the Upper Trestle Pool. The guardrails on the bridges are loaded with them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">So, hit the water before dawn in July or August for a real challenge!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken<br /><i><br /></i></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-90901801195032903572024-02-23T12:55:00.001-05:002024-02-23T14:46:35.942-05:00Fishing The Evening Rise On The Upper Trestle Pool - Millers River<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Maybe your stature as a flyfisherman isn't determined by how big a trout you can catch but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">John Gierach</span></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You are looking at what may be my favorite dry fly water on the Millers River. Look at the photo! The first thing you can see is that it is NOT early Spring after the stocking truck has left. The foliage is in full summer bloom. It's also not October with leaves falling after the stocking truck has left again. It's high Summer!! This is the time that the "old masters" waited for. They were not ready to flog the water on a freestone at mid day because your chances of success were limited. They waited for "things" to happen on their streams. Shade begins to settle on the water which makes the insects more active and in turn the trout become more active. Water temperature drops, not by much, but enough to start the feeding cycle again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Upper Trestle Pool</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xEBj6D0VSe78uDNTpfE4SA8qqyhtlV6dtNhv25lBB3uy1Femdtb_U9p7fpoxCDCAVNKL37TDwx7BGu686vME5rbCJI8Z0PUBTBRK83AjzcYIlPjbuqC99TRSXcrSTET73keItUgykAxo-_KmJGOSj-Dv__YrgYsnletCEZRXMmcrItfP10N1n57WICJP/s800/DSC00543.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xEBj6D0VSe78uDNTpfE4SA8qqyhtlV6dtNhv25lBB3uy1Femdtb_U9p7fpoxCDCAVNKL37TDwx7BGu686vME5rbCJI8Z0PUBTBRK83AjzcYIlPjbuqC99TRSXcrSTET73keItUgykAxo-_KmJGOSj-Dv__YrgYsnletCEZRXMmcrItfP10N1n57WICJP/s320/DSC00543.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Look at the photo again! Notice that the RIGHT side of this Pool is in the shade on hot, sunny day in July. I'ts only about 6:30 and almost a 1/3 of that pool is in the shade. By 7:30 half of the pool will be shaded and browns will be beginning to rise.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Don't worry about the correct pattern. A size 14 or 16 comparadun in tan will do it all!<br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you can force yourself to stay out beyond 8:30 you may have dry fly action that you can dream about on a cold, wet February night!!! Like right now!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next - Predawn mornings on the Millers</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-67841597865099799402024-02-17T11:36:00.001-05:002024-02-17T14:10:04.713-05:00Winter Musings<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YQPKgMT0iu7fgMkiufSqhFWRutRlcwnm3cUoa3eHOg8oSYQ31fbU6EVO_INvOA9qMSaRyt8T3vEx8ab7iDxlLG7HPRzo6xridkKPO3OIRsdgT0SbB5vt_KMNPiPsBYGx9PApZzn-1xdCLUFRY4dKQgE7-S2z7cNU_195hPPCEdiRB7Egtm1zefhDtLak/s5152/DSCN0196.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YQPKgMT0iu7fgMkiufSqhFWRutRlcwnm3cUoa3eHOg8oSYQ31fbU6EVO_INvOA9qMSaRyt8T3vEx8ab7iDxlLG7HPRzo6xridkKPO3OIRsdgT0SbB5vt_KMNPiPsBYGx9PApZzn-1xdCLUFRY4dKQgE7-S2z7cNU_195hPPCEdiRB7Egtm1zefhDtLak/s320/DSCN0196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">"</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Trout aren't naturally as selective as they've become in crowded tailwaters - they've been trained to be like that by too much fishing pressure. I've seen tailwater fish that are so hysterical they'll refuse naturals. You wonder how they get enough to eat." </i><span style="font-size: x-large;">- John Gierach</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Let's face it. If you have a 6 fish outing it can be considered a good outing. A 12 fish day can mean a round of applause. But a 20 fish outing most likely means the hatchery truck beat you there!! This is a condition that seems to exist in the Carolinas and in northern Georgia where THOUSANDS of trout are stocked EVERY WEEK in select tailwaters. I guess there is a subspecies of flyfisher who finds this to be sporting and also FUN but all it does is raise the level of expectations to the unreasonable and dare I say, the unnatural!!! Most monster numbers are because of timing, such as hitting a Great Lakes spawning run on the nose or something like that!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Edward Ringwood Hewitt, a great American Flyfisher, mentioned the three stages of flyfishing:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1. Catch as many trout as you can</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2. Catch the biggest trout that you can </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">3. CATCH THE MOST DIFFICULT TROUT THAT YOU CAN</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Number 3 is the most important. It will stay in your mind forever. You should know the one. It refuses EVERYTHING you offer except for that ONE last cast that gets it done. This is not euro euronymphing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovl3Lhfa-28YWuc5PPRLmVB7iFQYsWZMIuUMfn_WsGIxVIJGABzGDMmGQJhuzK5c11pYepvy-rR5UitWCaTHxT2upFTqotposh7Yi0OQjSs_piGFRI8im9-J_lHzNUYhdkJwr1nn_UA-sVj1RW77kvGCJTwVZTge9pxkyMSANjW6tXUZpOn2m9GcPNIcI/s3648/IMG_1215.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovl3Lhfa-28YWuc5PPRLmVB7iFQYsWZMIuUMfn_WsGIxVIJGABzGDMmGQJhuzK5c11pYepvy-rR5UitWCaTHxT2upFTqotposh7Yi0OQjSs_piGFRI8im9-J_lHzNUYhdkJwr1nn_UA-sVj1RW77kvGCJTwVZTge9pxkyMSANjW6tXUZpOn2m9GcPNIcI/s320/IMG_1215.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-17894142976047601512024-02-08T09:31:00.001-05:002024-02-08T11:19:43.443-05:00The Seasonal Ritual Starts<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an insitution."</i>- John Gierach</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJY7kh07koSHQ4x0qcJ2vp04jYJfG0aHLHFyRKP5DaHCXSeO_s4K2a4evLgNZ9zwwj3JP1T8sAUNcYNUAxWHt9cshn8VRyE6icP6Hqh4Wcn2AJaeVq20drRveaL-wQ7Va6vhZ7OzjG04wjHsPGxfqZbojVnlI8fhVixFe9pI3gDcIxLYjbwxE6pm9UHSa/s640/RIMG0422.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJY7kh07koSHQ4x0qcJ2vp04jYJfG0aHLHFyRKP5DaHCXSeO_s4K2a4evLgNZ9zwwj3JP1T8sAUNcYNUAxWHt9cshn8VRyE6icP6Hqh4Wcn2AJaeVq20drRveaL-wQ7Va6vhZ7OzjG04wjHsPGxfqZbojVnlI8fhVixFe9pI3gDcIxLYjbwxE6pm9UHSa/s320/RIMG0422.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It's almost mid-February and I've been tying flies, well, nonstop for the last year (it seems like it's the same every year). I consider fly tying to be a separate activity from fly fishing as tying is separate from painting your house. I love fly tying and hate painting houses!! But something else enters the seasonal picture and that's going over my collection of fly rods.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully that collection hasn't grown that much in the last few years. There will always be room for a deserving bamboo rod or three but that will not include trying to resurrect some sad old factory rod that stunk as a casting tool 70 years and is best left on the mantle,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I will also fish a rod that fits the water that I'm fishing. Tenkara can be fun but it's no fun on the Swift or the WB of the Westfield with all the overhanging foliage. I've come to the conclusion that you need a BIG river to fish any rod over 10 feet long if you need all that length in the first place. The truth is that the VAST majority of trout that I have caught in over 50 years of fly fishing have been while using rods between 6 feet and 8.5 feet long and I never felt undergunned. I think that the drive towards longer rods has been, in part, driven by manufacturers trying to create a need which will increase sales.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-65776400583827432352024-02-01T11:42:00.004-05:002024-02-01T12:58:37.167-05:00A Fat Caddis<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmeEqDv-3-CAjr6XEn0CrJlAEcMyalIAsh9P4YYr0GTtsJSYlMj0i6XcesIdgwnXHeEp1kXxC-4KedNgeof3-lMJfO5ZS6hGqXc98PpBwxz4f-Dq1AurU4uI98DEgSim7WCEsnR5gRbxtPQicQrysIIiy4hcnEJtqbDzjW9bX_aatTZmG8r3uifvpoHzi/s4000/20240201_094152%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmeEqDv-3-CAjr6XEn0CrJlAEcMyalIAsh9P4YYr0GTtsJSYlMj0i6XcesIdgwnXHeEp1kXxC-4KedNgeof3-lMJfO5ZS6hGqXc98PpBwxz4f-Dq1AurU4uI98DEgSim7WCEsnR5gRbxtPQicQrysIIiy4hcnEJtqbDzjW9bX_aatTZmG8r3uifvpoHzi/w288-h640/20240201_094152%20(1).jpg" width="288" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmeEqDv-3-CAjr6XEn0CrJlAEcMyalIAsh9P4YYr0GTtsJSYlMj0i6XcesIdgwnXHeEp1kXxC-4KedNgeof3-lMJfO5ZS6hGqXc98PpBwxz4f-Dq1AurU4uI98DEgSim7WCEsnR5gRbxtPQicQrysIIiy4hcnEJtqbDzjW9bX_aatTZmG8r3uifvpoHzi/s4000/20240201_094152%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job" - </i>Paul<i> </i>Schullery"<i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I like this fly. It has bulk without adding additional weight because of the hook which is a Mustad Egg hook</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">, size 10.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">If I wanted more weight I'd drop-shot it. The body is Clarks and Cook all purpose sewing thread in olive followed by spiky rabbit fur (heavy on the guard hairs) for the thorax with one strand of micro tinsel for the rib. Then finish off with two turns of brown hen hackle. I'm thinking that this would be a killer pattern in the riffles of the EB, the Ware and the Millers (these are CADDIS rivers) unlike the usual tailwaters). Throw in the Quaboag River and you will have enough water to fish!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-41858456247653828522024-01-27T16:29:00.001-05:002024-01-27T16:34:16.884-05:00A Word On Caddis<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"No fly rod at any price is going to magically transform you into a Lefty Kreh or a Joan Wulff any more than a Stradivarius is going to turn your middle school violin student into Itzhak Perlman". - </i>George Roberts, <i>Tail Fly Fishing Magazine</i></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YGYlD6PUgYbk-0IwKuZf3Lokh_Pr1VdBPdbEcjRcD9ACKpMPL55Z_4DFy4Uo5uB2Wz2vP4Rm9uoCGtpFzybLLR8EzzILCxg8ZRn9ydrLNOGJrjO9Er-1zThKo0kwmyEg5KPc46Mi5qvwZcZWyVM1JUfPHmdyw-eQma83AI001O1mHAtxyfmm1guitXAJ/s4000/20240127_115549%20(1)%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YGYlD6PUgYbk-0IwKuZf3Lokh_Pr1VdBPdbEcjRcD9ACKpMPL55Z_4DFy4Uo5uB2Wz2vP4Rm9uoCGtpFzybLLR8EzzILCxg8ZRn9ydrLNOGJrjO9Er-1zThKo0kwmyEg5KPc46Mi5qvwZcZWyVM1JUfPHmdyw-eQma83AI001O1mHAtxyfmm1guitXAJ/w170-h320/20240127_115549%20(1)%20(1).jpg" width="170" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">I've never had much use for the color <i style="font-weight: bold;">green </i>when tying flies even when there are so many green caddis in rivers like the Millers, Ware and the EB. I used to grab a case caddis off of a rock and then break it open to see that brightly colored nymph and then just toss it back into the river. I think it may be because of that bright green color. It didn't look <i>natural</i> to me but that's my mistake. A few years ago I made the switch to green and that changed everything!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My favorite caddis is the American Grannom that appears by the <i>millions</i> in temperate freestones, like the rivers I just mentioned above, through the entire month of May. At the peak of the hatch it covers the streamside bushes but the real action (for me) is the migration that this insect makes to get to out of the water. Most of the trout I've caught using this pattern are taken right at the end of the drift and the hits are usually hard.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Deep Sparkle Pupa, Emergent Sparkle Pupa and the Grouse and Flash are time tested patterns for this insect's life stage. I'm not a big fan of these Sparkle patterns because I feel that the little ballon is unnecessary but many swear by the pattern so I give it a pass.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I saw four robins this morning. It's a start!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">P.S. Recipe for the fly in the photo:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hook - standard dry fly size 12 to 14</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Body - bright green rabbit fur</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Rib - one strand of micro flash palmered</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hackle - webby hen hackle dyed brown</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-7365537422388917482024-01-21T12:27:00.000-05:002024-01-21T12:27:12.439-05:00Tweaking An Old Standard<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Hell, give me Greenwell's Glory, and Campbells Fancy and Beaverkill, all wet and about size 12 and May on the big river, and anyone else can have whatever he wants". - </i>Sparse Grey Hackle writing about the Beaverkill River and it's older flies</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It's early May and the Zebra Caddis are everywhere except you will not find many on the water surface but in bushes along the river. They crawl to the streamside by the thousands to do their mating dance and with so many flying , usually after we shake the bushes around, we think surface action will be great but mostly it's not. At this point it's a wet fly game!!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Wet Caddis - This is Simple</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A size 14 or 12 hook (I like 12, 16 works too</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Black thread (your size)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tie in 2 peacock herls and wind on for the body</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Take one grouse hackle feather and, without stripping the fluff from the base of the feather, wind two turns up and then secure.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn6F2v5uCm2SiZPs6zgR50Y8Th7oQONa38sw7FT4MOfB7LmBW8p1AYD3l2acef38UpZPiia-ZwMdz1H0-DqUZsKbOMoG7gtyszVGHK0rEMaDqLhLzS7HZPn05HYAORzfl2CpU9sf_86ENOjR_-eYVDlDC2Lva0pzDdw02KR0nh3rCL-6AFVQG8FYvlTzG/s4000/20240121_082936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn6F2v5uCm2SiZPs6zgR50Y8Th7oQONa38sw7FT4MOfB7LmBW8p1AYD3l2acef38UpZPiia-ZwMdz1H0-DqUZsKbOMoG7gtyszVGHK0rEMaDqLhLzS7HZPn05HYAORzfl2CpU9sf_86ENOjR_-eYVDlDC2Lva0pzDdw02KR0nh3rCL-6AFVQG8FYvlTzG/w288-h640/20240121_082936.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The fluff will make the best wing/leg presentation possible.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, it's freezing out BUT only 3 months to go unless you're a freezout nut!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-22621114609717221852024-01-14T10:53:00.001-05:002024-01-14T11:13:53.845-05:00The DMS Caddis And Lost Rods<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SEf5GSyRMbLNtx5h2RfTapRMaNLbm3LC2HNmbkK7-Nsv8YSCAEsHQ_BDbH4nzksJiGlrmgrlCfJRKysteU-Mp_Vmk2DmzqDK5qVD9ODkfK03xemhR0jLVbqNtmEVEPVwCmurfUc12zPz228JGX1S-yiwz-ZVa6i8x6mdYuYXzz6JpfIYusc56fw96QgG/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SEf5GSyRMbLNtx5h2RfTapRMaNLbm3LC2HNmbkK7-Nsv8YSCAEsHQ_BDbH4nzksJiGlrmgrlCfJRKysteU-Mp_Vmk2DmzqDK5qVD9ODkfK03xemhR0jLVbqNtmEVEPVwCmurfUc12zPz228JGX1S-yiwz-ZVa6i8x6mdYuYXzz6JpfIYusc56fw96QgG/w640-h480/IMG_0133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This may be my favorite go to fly that I have for ANY river. The DSM caddis works in any size (these are size 16). You've seen me highlight this fly in larger sizes but for the Swift, Deerfield and the EB size 16 It is perfect!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hook - size 16 scud style</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Body - grey/ brown rabbit</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Thorax - peacock or ostrich</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hackle - one turn of partridge, woodcock or starling</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is a RIFFLE fly and it works best in shallower choppy water. It's considered an emerger fished right below the surface and it works all season long. I saw my friend Lenny clobber trout in the riffles just below the Duck Pond on the Swift in mid Noverber!! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This may be the only emerger caddis that you will need all season long.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Well, it happened again. Somebody dropped a rod section and luckily it was found before someone stepped on it. AGAIN, DON'T TAKE YOUR ROD APART UNTIL TOU GET BACK TO YOUR VEHICLE. That's how most lost sections get noticed on this blog.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-83072877917249562332024-01-11T11:06:00.003-05:002024-02-06T07:52:07.841-05:00The Snowshoe Emerger<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Snowshoe Emerger</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN62_CZ1YCba_ZwmTgfjADhF7GGasSj_CX9m24SY3tou-oOGph7gkTV_pYPJdehM2-W5ldExCuTnD8hZQFfP3nA8tS2zLdinqi3fb1ZnN117IjF7l84_p4gL1pCCXgLUIFX3rDKyXraKaUAftgYBgGcjyIaZYeweySumOmgyRDIPStmvaUuRMYxNMUX9Vj/s2048/20200922_161211.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN62_CZ1YCba_ZwmTgfjADhF7GGasSj_CX9m24SY3tou-oOGph7gkTV_pYPJdehM2-W5ldExCuTnD8hZQFfP3nA8tS2zLdinqi3fb1ZnN117IjF7l84_p4gL1pCCXgLUIFX3rDKyXraKaUAftgYBgGcjyIaZYeweySumOmgyRDIPStmvaUuRMYxNMUX9Vj/s320/20200922_161211.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">This could be the very best dry fly/emerger pattern that may exist in trout land and that is because of how it is put together and what it represents. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">First, it mimics the the most important stage of the emerging insect - an insect that is struggling to break through to the surface by breaking through the surface film/tension and then flying away as an adult insect. That is what most of the aquatic insects do and the majority of those insects don't make it. The majority of the rises that you see on a trout stream are trout grabbing these insects while in the film AND NOT ADULT insects riding on the surface. That's why an insect pattern that mimics the emerger work the best. That is why traditional dry fly patterns of will fail often.</span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Why does this pattern work? Well, it's how it's built. The photo shows a fly pattern that has a dubbed rear body that is meant to SINK below the surface film and a front body, because of it's material, is meant to FLOAT, just like a natural insect. The front body is made of snowshoe fur or deerhair (the wing). They both work great and in patterns in the size 12 to 16 range they work best and in this size range do much better than CDC which gets waterlogged and slimmed easily. Snowshoe and deer hair will win because they are rugged and clean up easily. There are many synthetic wing materials out there but I like the natural materials in the same way that I prefer shooting a recurve or long bow instead of a compound bow. (hope you know what I'm talking about)!</span></h1><div><span style="font-size: large;">It may be a while (April) before we will cast to fish that are not sipping size 28's. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Every once and a while I'll check out the euro blogs and see a steady loop of dive bombing trout with heavy beadheaded nymphs that really don't represent any real trout food and are nothing more than attractor flies. They catch fish but so do I with flies that represent insects or tiny minnows in a more natural state.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The great flyfisher, Bob Wyatt, changed my mind on a lot of surface fishing and made me a better flyfisher.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-27951903765397789492024-01-07T14:47:00.001-05:002024-01-07T15:02:39.026-05:00Freestones = Big Ugly Flies<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"There's no greater fan of flyfishing than the worm"- </i>Patrick F. McManus</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tc0ZCCBG7oRdMzCIO1e47ZW18Vre0x6TEhXEM8x1T4Q9cS4ju5hcmSe8oZ1cB022eT-Zxi9cDotY9VE0kGJ1X3LIRCxX9DVXDCmRvx-FINsAC3-HCWjXI6-Z4et-HO12QGjpEmXVHwuBEJCbTYd91SS4wTjZdWL8wuKcDkI3rRSniqJEqPk_Sd3hd8xo/s4000/20240107_133536.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tc0ZCCBG7oRdMzCIO1e47ZW18Vre0x6TEhXEM8x1T4Q9cS4ju5hcmSe8oZ1cB022eT-Zxi9cDotY9VE0kGJ1X3LIRCxX9DVXDCmRvx-FINsAC3-HCWjXI6-Z4et-HO12QGjpEmXVHwuBEJCbTYd91SS4wTjZdWL8wuKcDkI3rRSniqJEqPk_Sd3hd8xo/w400-h180/20240107_133536.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">I love freestones and the creatures who live in them. It's a very fertile environment that just doesn't hold trout food of a certain size (BWO or mdges) but insects and crustaceans of all sizes. Don't forget about the baitfish species that swarm in these streams. I've watched trout practically herd batfish to attack them!! I sampled the bug life with Dr. Ken Simonds on the Millers and captured more insect species then I knew exited there.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">You may be asking yourself "what fly do I use"? The answer is any large fly of a dark color. The fly in the above photo has been mistaken for crayfish, dragon fly nymphs, leeches and hellgrammites by many trout and smallmouths.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Your first choice of fly may be the old reliable woolly bugger. Go for it because we all know it works.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-61065224844063668062024-01-01T10:38:00.000-05:002024-01-01T10:38:02.384-05:00A Note About Leaders<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for wise men to contemplate". - </i>Izaac Walton</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oRKyvz95kjv4W6AB1km8yEGZC7sB34K4k0Zii327y3nfg9OgjuGjCa8xt-xdTw-tu3CUCY_HEtn5IrTg6EpWlxmvFStfjNrO5I5ZT95KvnGGhnB0pDkZIR92SzB_E2wLLJS4OVdNq9aaiAVpDb30fcFDftAYYhZ2dE2qDyALX01680yxVQQj1ePlUx8t/s3648/IMG_1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oRKyvz95kjv4W6AB1km8yEGZC7sB34K4k0Zii327y3nfg9OgjuGjCa8xt-xdTw-tu3CUCY_HEtn5IrTg6EpWlxmvFStfjNrO5I5ZT95KvnGGhnB0pDkZIR92SzB_E2wLLJS4OVdNq9aaiAVpDb30fcFDftAYYhZ2dE2qDyALX01680yxVQQj1ePlUx8t/s320/IMG_1188.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">I was checking my emails over coffee at 6am today and ran across an article about the problems of using thin tippets. It reminded me of a blog article that I wrote back in 2015 on the same topic. Here are the highpoints of that 2015 article:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1. You don't need 7x or 8x to fish subsurface. The trout really cannot see that thin leader and I had some very good anglers back me up on that. When fishing the Swift below RT 9 I seldom if ever go smaller than 5x with a sunken fly and I catch trout. My Tenkara setup NEVER goes below 5x even with a size 18 PTN and it works. I saw a video of Joe Humpheys fishing nymphs on a limestone Pa stream with 3x and he caught trout. In short, if your subsurface presentation is orderly and not sloppy YOU WILL TOO!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2. Ultra light tippets kill trout!! You see this on the Swift where hooked trout are played to death because we are afraid of break offs. "Catch and Release and Die" is not the game we are playing. Land the trout using a stronger tippet and then release it quickly.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">3. Use a heavier rod!! I don't mean using a 6wt but a 3 or 4wt will get the trout to the net quickly to be quickly released. There are those that believe that you MUST use something like a 0wt for dry flies! It is simply not true. I've used my 7.5 foot 4wt bamboo with dry flies all over the 20 size range and was successful. If you are careful it can be done. On a windy day you will thank me for the advice.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One last thing: some anglers in the euro nymphing crowd fish very heavy nymphs on the lightest tippets saying that a light tippet gets the fly down quicker. Most prime euro water isn't really that deep to begin with and getting down shouldn't require depth charges to do it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Another last thing: I noticed while re-visiting my old posts on the subject that I was preaching using about 5 feet of 3x while fishing heavier water below the surface. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hmmm.......</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-26956694250199345732023-12-31T07:54:00.000-05:002023-12-31T07:54:21.062-05:00Happy New Years<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZdVPzqPt_iluqKIBlZQVHdvZLHpzN1bTWVTAhwF1D7lQEFmIeTRONVolnknVuDpmyWKDB5YSEZqKJKItUPnAu3pbCfBlEGq4GVkOTv9o6LDdYhA7RaJJzQZLtLHAgRsPBApyaq4NlbvFGfgEBblK_RV2SC-mFs4WO9BkBGKnjsCC-gF-9BQAhPDyUa16/s2048/IMG_1772.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZdVPzqPt_iluqKIBlZQVHdvZLHpzN1bTWVTAhwF1D7lQEFmIeTRONVolnknVuDpmyWKDB5YSEZqKJKItUPnAu3pbCfBlEGq4GVkOTv9o6LDdYhA7RaJJzQZLtLHAgRsPBApyaq4NlbvFGfgEBblK_RV2SC-mFs4WO9BkBGKnjsCC-gF-9BQAhPDyUa16/s320/IMG_1772.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">I hope everyone had a good year and that 2024 is even better. And I want to thank everyone who continued to read this blog even when other commitments (my ankle) forced me to sit on the bench for a while. We still have the most pageviews of any New England blog and we will continue to bang away at it!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">See you in 2024!! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qGbg1IhWwEcXdvW7zKn5nEnxH5UiFM7Bs6Z1DtBJByvSmEag_smcIrf1HhlFWjRT-3secJjjEhxa1jkqd5Lk89QhxWpEiN1Lz47a-Busz8YknfWzjo49CfEiS5Dn3qKC0b8YotHu5cwoCCfFAbM6JyFK9JHZQ8sbfxtofHnmy-GYbg-cGWYcnI3niBBI/s2048/IMG_0953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qGbg1IhWwEcXdvW7zKn5nEnxH5UiFM7Bs6Z1DtBJByvSmEag_smcIrf1HhlFWjRT-3secJjjEhxa1jkqd5Lk89QhxWpEiN1Lz47a-Busz8YknfWzjo49CfEiS5Dn3qKC0b8YotHu5cwoCCfFAbM6JyFK9JHZQ8sbfxtofHnmy-GYbg-cGWYcnI3niBBI/s320/IMG_0953.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-52563656945664583592023-12-21T10:42:00.001-05:002023-12-21T10:48:04.622-05:00The Dusty Partridge<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MfxE0pwygoFFR6dwJ5IFlAsnDmu2v9IbsvYRJnXpgsN_MbTqh3n3nojUfnCVx_MmpO5UddpBKOH0ngPAXsxMRSujuoE6txm5JEFX7p-Dvyk5Z-6NMG79hyphenhyphensQaHhdQQqsJS2uOP93by4Z1EkID0d6Xra0t-gvDQFjTith93kbIM50c9glpm3OfdCN4bAS/s4000/20231221_081941%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MfxE0pwygoFFR6dwJ5IFlAsnDmu2v9IbsvYRJnXpgsN_MbTqh3n3nojUfnCVx_MmpO5UddpBKOH0ngPAXsxMRSujuoE6txm5JEFX7p-Dvyk5Z-6NMG79hyphenhyphensQaHhdQQqsJS2uOP93by4Z1EkID0d6Xra0t-gvDQFjTith93kbIM50c9glpm3OfdCN4bAS/w180-h400/20231221_081941%20(1).jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">An old fashioned fly, in the same class as the Picket Pin, that has never left home before a day on the stream. It is half nymph and half streamer although it is more of the former than the latter. And it is a REAL freestone fly because of it's size (size 12 hook) and its somber hue. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The tail is made of partridge hackles and the body is from that partridge fluff that is so underrated. The key is the four turns of full size partridge hackle that's palmered onto the hook. The only "flash" is a bit of brown ice dubbing. It is fished with some wire weight by the head or none at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">No Beads!!!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After I tie one I run it under some water and then squeeze the water out while pushing the hackle fibers back. Does it make a difference? Probably not but I like it and enough trout and bass do to!!!</span></p><p><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>Have a great Holiday, whatever it may be, and I'll see you in 2024. My ankle is almost back in form.</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>Ken</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-7040070813392864582023-12-11T12:26:00.000-05:002023-12-11T12:26:57.325-05:00Tiny Fish (What Big Fish Want)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>There's a fine line between fishing and standing in the water like at idiot" - Steven Wright</i></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGcIPfgaGbnFZnotbchk_BQsroNaprpGslGo0pQ4zNQ0X31glTYLhZhZZ1ZJ6TBky_0CLoSDSj0sxewmHk4PMTmSIiIDyodGQeyq3Cz66TZ1sjc2QqzxCsTNVdVoguZSLntqs5boN34OkLauattwC6Cqge_hwLcCzOArCjaM-6pWJB6DwlOc56xkGDGJM/s4000/20231211_110026%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGcIPfgaGbnFZnotbchk_BQsroNaprpGslGo0pQ4zNQ0X31glTYLhZhZZ1ZJ6TBky_0CLoSDSj0sxewmHk4PMTmSIiIDyodGQeyq3Cz66TZ1sjc2QqzxCsTNVdVoguZSLntqs5boN34OkLauattwC6Cqge_hwLcCzOArCjaM-6pWJB6DwlOc56xkGDGJM/s320/20231211_110026%20(2).jpg" width="144" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">One of my favorite spots to cast a fly is on a section of the East Branch of the Westfield River (more commonly known as the EB) and that spot is known as the Slant Rock Pool. From the tail of this water to the fast water at the head it is "dry fly land". Morning shadows cover this water in Summer until around 11 am and then the shadows creep back in around 8 in the evening. 20 foot drifts are common here. It's a great place but it holds another secret: the place is alive with tiny emerald shiners. Some of these little guys get caught in seasonal pools and can't make it back the EB. But enough get back to feed the trout that we are after. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9Ko_faeydN1FPEY24nJ_F5aYekmrWP7wGLRUZyAXOYRwfZfD8zm4Kp4IrUA9zhyphenhyphenXoX2s7reyb-NTySxGgp9BFtUeYhhv62kZNFmJAr3udOIC5UT_grDlT0cwPXle6TRSAzNvDPF0zJKlYXWIoRGklwwJS38JgjYZBIIxAt4Zr0W0kEoy5RFINIS34FBl/s2048/0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9Ko_faeydN1FPEY24nJ_F5aYekmrWP7wGLRUZyAXOYRwfZfD8zm4Kp4IrUA9zhyphenhyphenXoX2s7reyb-NTySxGgp9BFtUeYhhv62kZNFmJAr3udOIC5UT_grDlT0cwPXle6TRSAzNvDPF0zJKlYXWIoRGklwwJS38JgjYZBIIxAt4Zr0W0kEoy5RFINIS34FBl/s320/0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When I don't think there will be much in the way of surface activity I'll tie on a tiny shiner pattern that is only about an inch long tied onto a size 8 short shank egg hook. The little guys seem to want to hang out in the deeper sections and this pattern with its heavier hook gets their attention !</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The material that I use for this fly is the same as I use for stripers, it's just scaled down to fit the game. I've used this Tiny bait fish pattern at Wachusett with good results.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ken<br /></span><div><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-35970471407724843832023-12-04T11:30:00.000-05:002023-12-04T11:30:24.583-05:00Why I Don't like Beadheads<p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdV2ZI1n7SLtMF7PNDt3NxlLwMQNj_N45ABHeQrOe4lANg1Rk_7jAzIBSfr-Uu7hkmksTdou3dZghyFBlsiI77FQ7rrhw-IKLuM6utVQBH4o6xE8PXLA1NZvnSum_mpLN4WUk1y5Yp3pWO-jtoQ7dH7PbXAd4Av8nutnf0o2lAXBQJZJEXNRkBqukHgAv/s4000/20231204_093916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdV2ZI1n7SLtMF7PNDt3NxlLwMQNj_N45ABHeQrOe4lANg1Rk_7jAzIBSfr-Uu7hkmksTdou3dZghyFBlsiI77FQ7rrhw-IKLuM6utVQBH4o6xE8PXLA1NZvnSum_mpLN4WUk1y5Yp3pWO-jtoQ7dH7PbXAd4Av8nutnf0o2lAXBQJZJEXNRkBqukHgAv/w320-h144/20231204_093916.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdV2ZI1n7SLtMF7PNDt3NxlLwMQNj_N45ABHeQrOe4lANg1Rk_7jAzIBSfr-Uu7hkmksTdou3dZghyFBlsiI77FQ7rrhw-IKLuM6utVQBH4o6xE8PXLA1NZvnSum_mpLN4WUk1y5Yp3pWO-jtoQ7dH7PbXAd4Av8nutnf0o2lAXBQJZJEXNRkBqukHgAv/s4000/20231204_093916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">The great Sylvester Nemes was the godfather of the soft hackle fly. Now, I said "godfather" and not the "creator" of the soft hackle. That distinction goes back centuries to who knows who (too many to name here) but Nemes brought the fly back from the dead and showed us all how to fish it. He also lived long enough to see what we did to this fly - we gave it a metal helmet which it never needed and called it a beadhead!!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">His wife was pretty vocal about this concoction and said more than once that Sylvester did not consider it to really be flyfishing. An old fishing buddy (Jim Bowker) of Sylvester's said that Nemes would chew his butt off when he saw him fishing a beadhead. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I have written on this blog how I think that the BH stretches the definition of flyfishing by showing anyone who was interested that a trout will grab a bead that has been glued to a hook and doesn't really look like trout food. Thomas Ames, Jr., who wrote the great book, <i>Hatch Guide For New England Streams, </i>really couldn't say what the bead was supposed to represent. I think it's just an attractor that sinks unnaturally fast and that's that!!!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In the past 25 years the vast majority of my sunken fly trout have been caught on soft hackles. Most of the time I use no weight but when I do it's with drop shot. I get hung up enough to know that I'm fishing in the zone. If I see surface activity it's very easy to pull off the shot and go at it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">BTW, I fish subsurface on the Swift with nothing smaller that 5X and my 5X gets me down quick enough and I believe I've never had a refusal on the Swift because of 5X tippet.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-36402511337281940722023-11-28T10:40:00.004-05:002023-11-29T07:36:13.673-05:00BTW, I Have Something To Say About Fishing Equipment<p><i> </i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Basically all a noodle rod is is a fly rod with a spinning handle" - </i>Anonymous post on a steelhead forum.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The first time I saw one of these outfits was on the Stillwater River during the Fall salmon run. It was at least 10 feet long and fairly soft after the middle of the rod and was loaded with, what looked like, 4X mono with some kind of nymph at the business end. It was, in my opinion, too long for a tiny (and CROWDED) stream like the Stillwater but I could see where the owner of one of these rods could walk right up to the Y Pool and, using the same logic (?) that guides the DFW(?), tie on a PT Nymph and start fishing. Current regs forbid that. One has to use conventional fly fishing gear (it says) to fish there along with tenkara fishers <b>who do not</b> use conventional gear.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Let's muddy the waters a bit more. Tightline angling is, for the most part, fishing with MONO. In some waters mono leaders cannot exceed certain lengths and many of the fly reels there are loaded to the max with mono and far outcast Tenkara guys.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Flymph</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSHIgkPcoyid1Jd5guac7-TLmEIBTmXGTAFauzjoW9dtGo-VdF3_nY-wmIBG6fwmhuA4zUxKDZajtvPcJ-6Zx3K9XggQuzqwq7LmevARid7KSBHLtDuGbydye_af3ES45jfpdC3v62AMAX5Ycet4u8TPokvPRxIkAWoDkmbMQZploBTyWGfLWGRHAD-tr/s3648/IMG_1225.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSHIgkPcoyid1Jd5guac7-TLmEIBTmXGTAFauzjoW9dtGo-VdF3_nY-wmIBG6fwmhuA4zUxKDZajtvPcJ-6Zx3K9XggQuzqwq7LmevARid7KSBHLtDuGbydye_af3ES45jfpdC3v62AMAX5Ycet4u8TPokvPRxIkAWoDkmbMQZploBTyWGfLWGRHAD-tr/s320/IMG_1225.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We should make this simple. The determining factor as far as legal fishing goes on C&R waters should be this:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1. Use ANY fishing equipment that you like but NO BAIT. You can use a spinning rod, a bobber and an artificial fly. That's what indicator flyfishers basically do.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2. Single, barbless hooks only</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">3. This makes the regs simple and enforcable!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If you think I'm going overboard on this wait until you see my next suggestion.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-31237174419503033872023-11-23T07:16:00.000-05:002023-11-23T07:16:12.989-05:00<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Happy Thanksgiving</i></b></span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStt5gJC3lZeuRKzh8XWuxDPaoDYFeVr-PeBhiVL1PFQjkv2YFYuiioUYxPyE9cDO6JFJKGf1J427MaZUecsAHyl0Dnuv_0IZsEymePDYNHrttGVP12tfD3HCd6UFZr6us_17Z4M4MAoTwVxOEPOm837p1HWb_HmV4G11JUKsL-pZJRVTuvkY-moVkx7iN/s4032/20171115_083806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStt5gJC3lZeuRKzh8XWuxDPaoDYFeVr-PeBhiVL1PFQjkv2YFYuiioUYxPyE9cDO6JFJKGf1J427MaZUecsAHyl0Dnuv_0IZsEymePDYNHrttGVP12tfD3HCd6UFZr6us_17Z4M4MAoTwVxOEPOm837p1HWb_HmV4G11JUKsL-pZJRVTuvkY-moVkx7iN/w400-h300/20171115_083806.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-57672881198646786662023-11-18T15:08:00.002-05:002023-11-18T15:42:30.491-05:00A look At Classic Wets<p> </p><p><i>"</i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Flyfishing is the most fun you can have standing up" </i>- Arnold Gingrich</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngjaIskN7KGyQBa4760pzH1ccloFXBc4kXjVNgnbTQTHKZc6ZiHQji9H4wBfOhewGeZrgRvhqNKhB9xLrn2bpB8GbdV8yljrHcA7QgHmMgNG0d153HwhLFQM9ig-74OZeowsPgMC8ulz4fJbx6qm2W_u2cpKO5xutL9YgxeTZGnqHCJ6XIM50ov0vzsJZ/s4000/20231117_124145%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngjaIskN7KGyQBa4760pzH1ccloFXBc4kXjVNgnbTQTHKZc6ZiHQji9H4wBfOhewGeZrgRvhqNKhB9xLrn2bpB8GbdV8yljrHcA7QgHmMgNG0d153HwhLFQM9ig-74OZeowsPgMC8ulz4fJbx6qm2W_u2cpKO5xutL9YgxeTZGnqHCJ6XIM50ov0vzsJZ/w400-h180/20231117_124145%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Back in the first half of the LAST CENTURY your main choices for flies were limited to dry flies, wet flies and streamers. Hardly any notice was given to nymphs and terrestrials and what passed for an insect imitation was basically a joke. Imagine a wet salmon fly with over 24 different feathers in it's constuction!!!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Not all was lost because some flies were created and then stood the test of time. The fly above is my version of the Light Cahill, named after a Dan Cahill who worked for the Erie Railroad. Legend has it that a train wreck threatened a shipment of rainbow trout. Cahill mustered a team of men together to transport the cans of trout overland to Callicoon Creek. Within 10 years that stream was known for it's rainbow fishing and Dan had a fly named after him.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I like using the fly above early on a "sulphur day" (a warm June day) and then switch over to a dry when the trout start working the surface in the early evening.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh136tZni_0ok8cassPW43lwdR0XFm8O-bl1hRIwBlgracZPEv75v3OZH3maeJUZKZd9-GT3DgXZIsvkh98f4lkH6JRW4JRr9saHQ9FAt2On_BXBN6hh6U7g2knvPRGzk6RfU8wi9ISbcRzU1l1q3N1COmQU6jLPu7m7zV97moGI0X_Gv69AYypgED5aPz/s4000/20231118_071023.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh136tZni_0ok8cassPW43lwdR0XFm8O-bl1hRIwBlgracZPEv75v3OZH3maeJUZKZd9-GT3DgXZIsvkh98f4lkH6JRW4JRr9saHQ9FAt2On_BXBN6hh6U7g2knvPRGzk6RfU8wi9ISbcRzU1l1q3N1COmQU6jLPu7m7zV97moGI0X_Gv69AYypgED5aPz/w400-h180/20231118_071023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Blue Dun is a 19th century creation that still is catching trout although it has gone through its own evolution. The purple body is my adaptation and it seems to work as well as the more famous olive body. (it's a BWP and not a BWO).</span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i>I like these flies because they actually look like insects unlike todays beadheaded monstrosities<span style="font-weight: normal;">!</span></span></h1><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ken</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-9222300546493705742023-11-13T10:56:00.000-05:002023-11-13T10:56:48.924-05:00<p>" <span style="font-size: large;"><i>An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory" - Ralph Waldo Emerson</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOS-v5LDxOdR_a-AFosV7OnJN8GRFZB060Fkhmkk1JeQBUUDxPNTyC_5RjBRD-me47_OePystPpK_3l-JsAk2jssHadmRH3il8l0yJlg-42_1qqrlSvwAQWY3cWSufibX5v2EFoeq-huhSQh6ZULRa7ODxckySLW2-TZbFYoR14_5epeXz227VprvScm-/s2048/003%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOS-v5LDxOdR_a-AFosV7OnJN8GRFZB060Fkhmkk1JeQBUUDxPNTyC_5RjBRD-me47_OePystPpK_3l-JsAk2jssHadmRH3il8l0yJlg-42_1qqrlSvwAQWY3cWSufibX5v2EFoeq-huhSQh6ZULRa7ODxckySLW2-TZbFYoR14_5epeXz227VprvScm-/s320/003%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">This has been a trying month for me due to a broken ankle. My time has been used up by tying flies, writing a blog post or two, tying flies (again) and reading blog posts about my favorite rivers. I've seen some questionable blog entries where an author tries to justify a personal position which isn't necessarily a bad thing but when a writer pens something that is totally wrong someone should take notice of it.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I found the following" <i>Second, the Swift below Cady Lane is catch and release 100% of the time". That statement is totally WRONG. </i>All one has to do is read the DFW regulations to be set straight. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It makes me wonder what else is out there!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><i> </i></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-17843869159589518102023-11-11T08:40:00.001-05:002023-11-11T12:30:27.862-05:00The Weighted Wet<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope".</i> - John Buchan</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWLYxaPb4VmyXrAKkO9w3j-fjXnME-aQHUAfM65MOwFRQ_nq_yIrCflbB15rRGytePehbT2ps9rLiMBdYqqE-37ieH-RokynoQp1qC-83e1lGH8L-ClSLdA_R2kPr2J23D-Cz3BTBFH7GwMZdGM9oemvb-9OavhWBYaiZ3Xv4S6_mTgtKBs5RJijbEbc3/s4000/20231110_111009%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWLYxaPb4VmyXrAKkO9w3j-fjXnME-aQHUAfM65MOwFRQ_nq_yIrCflbB15rRGytePehbT2ps9rLiMBdYqqE-37ieH-RokynoQp1qC-83e1lGH8L-ClSLdA_R2kPr2J23D-Cz3BTBFH7GwMZdGM9oemvb-9OavhWBYaiZ3Xv4S6_mTgtKBs5RJijbEbc3/w400-h180/20231110_111009%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Who says you can't add weight to a standard wet fly such as a soft hackle. I've been added weight to soft hackles in the form of non toxic wire for years. I like it because I feel that the trout are attracted to the "body" and not the metal "helmet" of a bead head. I feel that the fly that I'm offering has to some how look "natural" and not like a piece of costume jewlery. My only concession to "glitter" is the red head such as the one on the fly pictured above. Sometimes I will only use a turn or two of wire on the fly. It adds just enough weight but it can be hardly noticable on a cold day with cold fingers. The red head marks the fly as "weighted".</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Remember, try to leave the brookies, who are on their redds, alone. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Don't wade on the gravel but confine your tip toeing to the weeds and leaf litter. Brookies don't spawn on that stuff.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Good Luck!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461245170077475695.post-88917731613372241912023-11-05T10:12:00.001-05:002023-11-05T10:12:30.126-05:00The More Things Change..........<p> "<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The difference between fly fishers and worm dunkers is the quality of their excuses".</i> Anonymous</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitesMCXjctqUlXgVTaAtWU-ioiyIZuStjMbYU9FSGZJ5VlVkD2oHVewyYm0dVIwd8i4Bu-0TpH9wzdveVQK25kVPOAsxnIRsRA8eKHBuTzC7z-pxfOJZtDgTK3HzhJ_IOfFO7Gm2sRos2xNiNtdxTtNx7obCk1PEMcSgM_Y9FZtzQCI5zTV_gacU2hYIq8/s3648/IMG_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitesMCXjctqUlXgVTaAtWU-ioiyIZuStjMbYU9FSGZJ5VlVkD2oHVewyYm0dVIwd8i4Bu-0TpH9wzdveVQK25kVPOAsxnIRsRA8eKHBuTzC7z-pxfOJZtDgTK3HzhJ_IOfFO7Gm2sRos2xNiNtdxTtNx7obCk1PEMcSgM_Y9FZtzQCI5zTV_gacU2hYIq8/s320/IMG_1109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">For decades and decades the hallmark of fly rod construction was seen in the beautiful, top of the line, bamboo rod. It was the rod that owners treasured and would spend REAL money for. It was also a rod that, because of its material, was fragile. The creators of these bamboo rods understood that and did something about it. They offered an extra tip (tips usually break first) without additional cost. (actually the cost may have been buried in the base price but nobody seemed to care). The buyer went home with the insurance policy of an extra tip. Let's say he breaks the tip the next day. He can still fish because he has a spare tip!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Today we have to ship the broken piece back, or the whole rod, and wait weeks or months for a replacement. Let's do what the old timers did and sell us a rod with TWO tips. If we don't blink at a $900 price for a fly rod why not $1200 for a rod with the extra tip. From what little poking around that I've done I've found two companies that do just that (Moonshine is one).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I've always thought that eruo rods cannot stand up to a traditional casting stroke and work best when the heavy fly is "flopped" into the water. That way the heavy fly is not flying through the atmosphere at 120 miles an hour ready to destroy any rod tip in it's path!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Ankle</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It's been 2.5 weeks in this cast with maybe another four weeks to go. Thank God for fly tying BUT I want to go fishing!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ken</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5