Skunked? Not Exactly....

Well - it hasn't exactly been the year of fly-fishing that I had expected it to be.  In fact, I think I can count the number of times I've worn waders this year on two hands (I know, I know).  However, it's for a good reason I assure you.  And since I don't have much fishing-related material to post about (perhaps I'll do one on Steelhead tube flies I've been working on soon),  I decided to post about the reason why I haven't been fishing much - two wonderful hooligans!

I especially love the fact that Connor stole my "trout hunter" hat after pointing at it and hollering "hat" for several minutes.  Here's to a lifetime of "hunting" trout together little man!!

The places you'll go.........

Sometimes fishing is not about the fish you catch (or even the ones that you don't), but rather about the places, sights, and sounds that you experience along the way.  I took this picture last Saturday evening while looking for a place to fish with my friend Trevor.  This is Lake Fork Creek where it dumps into the Little Payette Lake.

It took me a while to even grab my little point and shoot camera for this shot - I was too busy just experiencing it; The way the trees and clouds were meticulously and flawlessly reflected on the water, it was almost as if I had walked into a painting.  Catching fish in this setting would have simply been a bonus - and I might have actually felt bad about disturbing the scene!  This is why I fish............not for accolades or attaboys - not for sponsors or notoriety.  For this:

 

the Sage and the Hoppers......

Yes, I know, it has been forever since I’ve posted. It’s been hard to follow up my Canada post about the trip of a lifetime.  So, what have I been doing?  Mainly, I built myself a rod.  I’ve also been honing my skills as a fly-tyer.  Finally,  I’ve been out fishing a few times. 

Let me just say – the SAGE VXP is an excellent rod - especially when paired with the 15th Anniversary Lamson Guru reel (500 produced).  It took me some getting used to once I finished it as it casts much different than any of my other fly rods.  It is very pleasant to overhand cast with, and it roll casts well, but it’s not quite as easy yet to side or reach case with, which I often do (I'll figure it out!).  That aside, it is extremely accurate and tolerant of wind, and those are very important characteristics for me. 

AND - Probably the best omen so far is this:  I took it to the Owyhee for its Maiden voyage, and I had the best night of fishing of the summer so far.  Very good line control, no tailing loops or wind knots, and lots and lots of fish all caught on the surface!  Credit good timing, pure luck, or just plain good Karma - the jury will be forever out on why it happened while breaking in a new rod, but it put a very large grin on my face!

Also, it’s that time of year – TERRESTRIALS!! These are by far the most fun flies to tie!

Here’s a few pictures……………..

 Number 108 of 500!!

OH CANADA!

Last week was my chance to head to Canada for three days of Pike and Walleye fishing.  I had the good fortune of traveling with a couple of old friends Logan and Jeff, and the trip was truly remarkable.  It’s not often that I return from a fishing trip and suffer from lack of motivation at work for an entire week.  Usually, such hangovers only last for a day.  This one, however, had some serious staying power! 

The trip began on Father’s day, with the short drive from Boise to Idaho Falls with my good friend Logan, where we would meet the rest of the group and load up a rented van and trailer for an early Monday departure for Saskatoon.  I knew the trip was going to be memorable when we spotted two bull elk in the velvet along the side of Highway 20 on Sunday night.

Monday we drove from Idaho Falls to Saskatoon – about 16 hours.  There we stayed in a hotel, enjoyed a few cold beers, and tried to fend off the mounting anticipation.  Tuesday we drove the final leg – about 5 hours from Saskatoon North to Besnard Lake Lodge –and what a place!  Here was our home for the next 4 nights - we stayed in two small cabins that slept 4 each.  We spend a few minutes unloading the van and trailer, had a few cold ones, assembled our fishing gear, and compared tackle and flies.  We also ate one of what would be become several legendary meals prepared by Ian, Logan and Jeff’s older brother who is a fantastic cook.  We capped the night by launching some golf balls into the lake and enjoying a campfire, and then hit the rack in final approach for 3 days of “silly-good” fishing! 

It’s amazing how quickly 3 full days of fishing can fly by when you’re in good company and fish.  I don’t remember a span of more than 5 minutes where one of the boats wasn’t yelling “fish on” – it was incredible.  To top it all off, both the first and the last pike that I caught on this trip were on the fly!  I can't think of too many better ways to have spent my 29th birthday.  Here are some of the pictures – what a place!!

 The first night distraction

 Day One: Ready!

 The first fish brought to our boat - wow!!

 My beastly Walleye!!

 Pike hooked during shore lunch

pass it on

As a parent of two boys, I am excited to enjoy the many activities that they will participate in as they get older.  Whether it's sports, chess club, drama club (hopefully not), mathletes - whatever it is, I will provide them my full support.  I can remember my parents being extremely busy ushering four boys around to various athletic practices and games as a child, and as frantic as it was, it was also very rewarding to engage in team sports as a child.  And, of course, I was also a member of the debate team (shocking I know).

HOWEVER, I also will do my (small) part to influence certain activities that I want them to take interest in - and I'm sure there is no surprise as to where I'm going with this.  The other night I decided after a very profound discussion with Drake (who, mind you, is 3.5 years old), that it was time for some backyard drills with a fly rod.  No pressure, just fun, and boy did we have fun. 

I'm certain that watching Drake smile while wildly whipping line around with my very first fly rod made my soul laugh - and not the courtesy laugh brought on by a bad joke, but the kind of belly laugh you hear at a bar when it's obvious that two old friends are getting re-acquainted.  I better start jogging - otherwise I might faint when Drake actually catches his first fish on the fly!!

8 is great

As previously suggested, my Dad was looking for a new 8 weight fly rod -something with enough backbone to take on steelhead/salmon, etc.  After looking at some rods, he decided he might be better off having one built instead.  After kicking some ideas around, I volunteered to build it for him.  Many hours of hard work later, I'm proud to announce that the project is finished.  The rod looks great - can't wait to sneak a few casts in before delivery!! (sshhhh). 

Here's a few pics...........

New, Big, and Different....

Well, I figured I should post since it's been a while - and yes, that's because there hasn't been much fly fishing lately.  It's spring runoff time, and I am mourning the Owyhee River flood like everyone else.  We have reached the time of year where I blink twice and it's big game hunting season again - the warm months seem to just soar by anymore.  On June 3rd, I will start my 15 days of annual training for the National Guard, and the very next day I will leave for Canada!!  According to my Calendar, this leaves only 5 weeks to get all my tackle together and tie flies.  I have also been asked to build an 8 weight for my dad - a project that will surely consume a lot of my spare time (stay tuned for pictures coming soon).

June 19th I will head to Canada with a good friend, who will show me the ropes as we spend three days fishing for Pike and Walleye. Naturally, I will be bringing a fly rod and attempting to boat a monster pike - however, the generally rather small trout flies I spend most of my time tying just simply will not be sufficient for this activity. 

So as a result, I have been venturing into the world of large flies in an effort to lure one of these big brutes to strike.  What I've discovered is that these are a TON of fun to tie, and I can't wait to try them out!  Here's some pictures of a few I've been working on - to put them in perspective, a few shots are shown next to a tape measure.  Now the trick is for me to learn how to hurl a fly in excess of 6"...................



Birds of a feather....

I have recently visited fly shops in both Phoenix, AZ, and in my hometown of Boise.  A common, theme in both of these shops was empty rack space where chicken feathers called "hackles" are sold.  Listening to ongoing dialogue by employees and customers at the shops, and follow on research from the trusty "google machine" have led to me a deeply disturbing conclusion:  there is a large shortage in the coveted hackle feathers for fly-tiers not because of increased demand from anglers, but rather from absurd demand from the fashion industry.

It seems a stupid, ridiculous popular trend has emerged in the world of hair upkeep that involves placing hackle feathers in hair extensions in what can only be viewed as the latest in a series of "look at me" tactics by people who simply need gimmicks like this to supplant a lack of personality and interactive skills (I'm certain this is what they are compensating for).  I will curtail this rant here....

Here's the crux of the matter:  These feathers come from birds that are genetically bred to produce long, consistent feathers.  Unlike birds bred to eat (which typically live about six weeks before slaughter), these birds live for a full year before slaughter, and are bred in America by only a handful of small outfits catering to the fly-tying industry.  Simply put, this demand cannot be supported without 1.) an increase in price as a function of increased demand (bad for people like me), and 2.) a shortage of feathers for the intended end-user. 

My only hope is that by the time supply is increased to meet a new breed of demand, this trend has passed and the end result is a surplus of the genetically raised, carefully dyed gems that end up in the hands of people who truly appreciate the effort required to obtain such a product, and who spend time crafting tackle with their hands in an effort to fully appreciate the activity of fishing  

The moral of the story is this:  Real hair has roots, as does evil: celebrities and fashionistas should think about that. 

Spring is in the air (but BURRRR)

As usual, those of us fortunate enough to live in the treasure valley were teased with a few 60 degree days only to watch our thermometers plummet back into the low 30's for a while and get the most sustained period of snow flurries we have had since December. The Weather Channel called it a "'wintry mix", and at one point it was the same story every day for the 10 day forecast.

Like many who have seen this before, I've come to appreciate this ridiculous load of shit the term "wintry mix" as simply weather-man-code for "stayinsideanddamnitthissucksandfortheloveofGODdon'tgoflyfishing". However, things are looking up. We are about to experience the lion and the lamb, and we can only hope that the lamb will win. As I discovered today, one of my favorite days of the year is approaching- daylight savings!!

Sure, Christmas is a fantastic day - and is even more so now that I get to watch two little hooligans loose themselves the way I did. And yes, my anniversary is very special. But after those, I gotta choose the annual "spring ahead" as the best day of the year.  Perhaps it's my growing addiction to fishing, but this has sure seemed like a long, cold winter.  Add to that a successful (albeit stressful) open heart surgery for my mother, and a nasty leg-breaking fall for my grandmother, and what you get is even more reason to rejoice that spring is inbound and the season of doom and gloom is finally over (no, I am NOT a winter sports enthusiast). 

Coupled with the fact that daylight savings is fast approaching is the second indicator that spring is arriving - the "fullness" of my fly boxes.  Another winter of fly-tying and daydreaming has left me with a large selection of flies just begging to be introduced to a wild trout, and a strong desire to put them to work.  Here's a C&F designs fly box that I got for Christmas, nearly full of attractors - see you when the days are longer!!

Learner's Permit

Since I got the crazy idea (this happens frequently with me) to teach Bridgette to cast a fly rod this year, I decided that she would need her own tool. After a lot of thought, I decided that a short 7'6" 4 weight would be ideal for her to learn on, and that way the same rod can (hopefully) be used to teach the boys as they get older.

This was also my first experience doing a feather inlay, as I carefully layered in 12 individual grizzly saddle hackle feathers one at a time, end for end, to create this really neat looking weave effect. Here are the photos:

Another fun project - can't wait for it to land a trout!

Big. Red. Sides. (to cure the winter blues)

Well it has been a while since I last posted, and a lot has happened. Most notably, the holidays. I hope yours were safe and merry. Mine were excellent - it was truly a remarkable experience to watch Drake rip open all that Santa brought him, and run full-speed all day playing with everything, eating sweets, and in general acting exactly like I did when I was a little boy! The change in perspective is truly amazing, and SOOO much fun to experience. For more on this and other recent Rutz events, swing over and check out Bridgette's blog.

As for me - Santa (with some help I'm sure) hooked me up with some nice new fishing gear! Notably: Fishpond's Gore Range tech pack (an absolutely fantastic score), new rubber catch and release net with magnetic release, a new C&F design's fly box (LOVE them), and a new set of pant waders (once I find some that fit!).

Accordingly, until recently it had been pure agony gazing at the thermometer in my kitchen (or the weather report at drill for the National Guard) and seeing below freezing conditions for two sustained weeks. I had been dying to get out and fish! Flies were tied and I was finally ready when the temperatures took an unseasonably warm turn on MLK day (which I happened to have off as a federal employee), and I took off for the South Fork of the Boise - and there were a few redsides that made my day!

Before I show the photos, let me preface this with a couple of statements: First, I can't stress enough how cool it is to have Drake so interested in the fly-tying process. He is so observant, and can name every pattern in my midge box. He also says some of the most hilarious things! Sunday night he helped me tie a few winter staples that I thought I'd need, San Juan Worms, and Zebra Midges. He likes to sit on my lap and "help" while I tie these patterns, and I don't mind with these since they are super easy to tie. Second, the two largest fish of my first day in 2011 were both taken on one of the tiny #20 zebra midges that Drake helped me tie!!

Here's Drake pointing at his favorite - the San Juan Worm, and here's the images from my first day out in this new year - Thanks for the help Drake!!

The River was ready

I was ready (there's the new vest)

First fish of 2011 - what a dandy!! Also a good shot of my new net.

Almost like the twin brother of the first one.