><((((°> ETFF MEETING - MAY 13, 2008 <°))))><
Program: Open
Raffle Prize provided by Bubba Headrick
|
River of Dreams by Lani Waller
West River Publishing, Grand Island, NY, 2004
240 pages, Hardcover, illustrated B&W drawings, suggested price $24.95
Lani Waller has spent a lifetime living the dream. Now he has taken the time to share clips of this life movie with all of us. While he is best known as a steelheader and for his steelheading videos, he is truly an all-round fly fisher. From sunfish to billfish Lani loves to fish with a fly rod. His love of the sport and of the quarry and their habitat is clearly evident here. What makes this book such a great read is that the author shows the blemishes as well as the triumphs over the course of his journey.
Fly fishermen will see something of themselves in these well written stories. Those that do not fly fish may well be able to glimpse the lovely insanity that drives fly fishermen. In the end this is a superbly written vignette of a life of fly fishing by a man that has lived it. Wonderfully written and edited with pencil sketches that add to the beauty of the words.
Wotton's Top Ties, vol. 1 by Davy Wotton
Cascade Mediaworks, LLC, Portland, OR, 2007
DVD, 120 minutes, Color, suggested price $34.95 - DVD
Davy Wotton shares five of his best fishing fly patterns in this two hour DVD of fly tying instruction. The patterns are Davy's Sculper (sculpin pattern), Wotton Bugger, "SLF" Transparent Caddis Emerger (an exceptional caddis emerger pattern), Wotton Shad, and the Black & Silver Spider (softhackle pattern). Because of the length of the DVD Davy has the time to teach the viewer now to select and prepare the materials, how to tie the fly, tips and tricks in mounting the materials and general tying tips that will allow the viewer to tie better and better looking flies. In addition, Davy takes the time to suggest alternative materials for each pattern as well as the attributes of the materials that are important for each pattern.
This DVD is especially well done in that there are no forgotten, missed, or secret steps or procedures. If the viewer pays attention there is no way he will not tie a good looking, durable, and fish catching fly. The cinematography, sound, and lighting are superb. The viewing area of the vise and surrounding area is well presented without clutter and distractions. Davy's pet parrot also presents a few choice comments and does a few funky dance moves. This is a very enjoyable DVD that does an excellent job of teaching these five patterns.
Less Can Be More...
By Jay Forrest - Taken from the Alamo Fly Fishers Club Newsletter
One of the things that seems to appeal to many fly fisher persons is the diversity of gear, gadgets, and thingamajigs that are available. Forty years of observing fly fisher people leads me to the conclusion that most of us display a definite pattern in the amount of stuff we carry with us when we fish. From one rod, one reel, maybe one fly box, etc. we accumulate nippers, knot tools, fly floatant and fly sinkant, leaders, tippet, fly boxes of dries and nymphs and streamers and (one for each of course) other stuff, vests, chest packs, backpacks spare reels, spare lines, and on and on. While this hoard tends to grow throughout the life of a fly fisher person, the amount actually carried need not.
Rather than carrying everything you own (a common phase that typically ends with the fisherperson looking like a walking store display) the habit gets established and fisher people often carry far more than they will ever be likely to need. At some point the fisher person begins to get smart. At first the fisher person will probably strive to remove things that aren't needed, say pulling shorter bass leaders and flies from the vest for a trip to the Guadalupe. That can work reasonably well, to a point, but I know members of the club (author included) who have arrived at the Guad and rigged up only to find that they have only 0X and 1X saltwater leader material to use to tie on a size 22 nymph. (If you can figure out how to get an 0X tippet through the eye of a size 22 hook or to get a size 12 nymph to drift properly on 0X tippet, you are a wizard and don't need to read this!).
The answer many of us arrive at is to assemble gear bags with appropriate tippet, flies, etc for each type of fishing we do, say one bag for trout, one for bass and sunfish, and one for the coast. While this does tend to encourage multiple nippers and such, it has the advantage of simplifying life. One can simply grab a bag for the right type of fishing and be ready to go.
Perhaps more importantly, it begins to simplify what one carries as well. And that is one of the typical signs of more experienced fly fisher people. While more experienced fishermen often have more junk, they often carry less - only what is needed.
Over the past few years I have increasingly focused on simplifying my gear. On the coast I strive to carry on my person no more than nippers, a spare leader, tippet (10 pound and 12 pound test) and no more than four to six flies. I will have more in the boat or kayak, but that is all I will typically carry. For bass and sunfish the list would be similar but with say 8 and 10 pound tippet and a few more flies, possibly one box. For trout I typically carry a similar kit with 4X and 5X tippet on the Guad and two fly boxes - one with a variety of dry flies and one with wet flies.
I find that carrying makes my life simpler and lets me find things faster. Even better, it encourages me to get rid of those shoddy, ratty old flies I tied years ago and that I carried for years. Try it! Try paring down your gear and see if simplifying will make your life easier and fishing more fun!
Want to catch more fish with flies?
Click Here for our East Texas Hatch Schedule Plus Aquatic Foods
^^
