BOOK & DVD REVIEWS

100 Best Flies for Montana Trout

Book by Thomas R. Pero - $24.95

This small format (5" x 7" landscape) volume is a collection of 100 fly patterns that are popular trout patterns in Montana. Each pattern has the pattern name and recipe on the left page and a very nicely done photograph of the finished fly on the right facing page. The quality of the printing and binding are first rate. The quality of the images is well done.

The fly patterns presented, with less than a handful of exceptions, is a collection of foam bodies, rubber legs, beads, and parachute hackle ad infinitum, ad nauseam. Hopefully, this collection is more fishing effective than it is inspiring and informative. This is one volume that is best perused at the local book shop.

Longer Fly Casting

Book by Lefty Kreh - $14.95

Add 10 feet or more to your cast! All fly fishers would love to have the ability to reach out an extra 10 feet—or more. Tarpon, bonefish, permit and sometimes even freshwater fish always seem at least that distance from your best cast. The only way to reach them is to learn to cast farther. Lefty Kreh’s Longer Fly Casting holds the key for any angler, beginner or experienced, to refine his or her technique and get that critical extra distance.

Lefty analyzes the basic forward cast, explaining its different elements and dynamics, and builds on this to fully illustrate the double haul—the essential technique for targeting any fish at your maximum range. Lefty also explains how to use a shooting head and how to overcome many common obstacles, including wind, trees, casting from boats and more. Such added skill will help you minimize the chance of scaring fish with too close an approach. And you will be able to better cover unwadable water.

My Life Was This Big

Book by Lefty Kreh - $24.95

“A wonderful account of the man’s life in the sport, from fishing with Fidel Castro and Ernest Hemingway, his friendship with Ted Williams and his knowledge of catching fish, to his four principles of fly casting.” —Ken Moran, New York Post

Skagitmaster

DVD by Ed Ward - $39.95

Ed Ward has many nicknames: Zen Master, Laser Jedi Knight, Obi Wan, the Skagit Guru—to all he humbly replies, “Hey, I’m just a guy who likes to fish.” Yeah, right. From the remote steelhead rivers of Kamchatka to Alaska to his home waters of the Pacific Northwest, Ed simply goes fishing and draws an entourage in the process. His reputation as an innovative salmon and steelhead angler and fly designer is global. He advises rod and line manufacturers in the development of products to complement Skagit casting and make casting with a two-handed rod an efficient, effective and pleasurable experience.

Filmed widely on the Sauk, Skagit, Grand Ronde and Kanektok rivers, included are: easy-to-follow demonstrations by of various Skagit poke, Skagit double and C-Spey casts; Ed tying his famous Intruder fly; Skagit casting with switch rods for trout and other species, line-splicing techniques, and more.

FLY FISHING QUOTES

IF

If you love clear coldwater streams;

If you get a thrill over your encounter with nature when you outwit a trout at the game he knows best,

If you want to leave a healthy environment for your children and grandchildren, and that same thrill of encountering nature,

If you think fly fishing is a sport worthy of sharing,

Then consider joining the ETFF. Numbers create pooled funds that can be a powerful force to preserve our fishing holes.

Contact David Grimes - ETFF Membership Director
H 903-759-2486, e-Mail

Trout Fishing and Winter is Not a Bad Combination at All

By Ted Patlen – taken from the Connecticut Fly Fisherman’s Assoc newsletter

Medium to stiff wind, air temperatures in the upper 30's, bright midday sunshine, and clear running 39 degree stream water; beautiful conditions for a few hours of mid winter trout fishing. When the bug hits you, the "I just got to get out and fish even though I'll freeze my buns off" bug, take the plunge and hit the river. All you really need to remember is that it is not summer and the fishing will be different but the nature of the sport is the same.

Grammar school science taught us about metabolism and how it affects animals. Trout are cold blooded animals so their metabolic rate slows down towards both ends of their natural temperature range. They do not need to feed as much because they are not as active. They become extremely efficient about food intake and expending energy. This physical/physiological slow down prompts them to find a softer, quieter environment. They still need food, oxygen and shelter, just as they do during the other months of the year and will position themselves in such places where there is easy access to all three. During the summer trout will station themselves at various locations that have all three of these essentials.

Fast flowing riffles, and boulder strewn pocket water are just two of the many places that the summer fish feel comfortable in but during the winter these spots are normally void of fish simply because they cause trout to expend too much energy to hold in these lies. Slower pools and lazy runs just down stream from the aforementioned spots are prime locations to find winter trout. The deeper pools give them their likely shelter while they are just a tilt of a fin away from the food chain. How much do they eat during the winter, and when does this major feeding period occur? How long does it last? The need for nourishment diminishes with their metabolism, but they still need to eat. There are a few factors that affect the feeding habits of winter trout, but the most important concerns water temperature.

Fluctuating temperatures caused by passing fronts will cause the fish to vary their feeding patterns, so look for consistent weather patterns. After one to three days of consistent weather you can expect a better than average feeding period. The durations of this feeding time differ from, and these times are approximate, one hour to four hours, and I have already found feeding fish, during a February thaw, which lasted almost six hours. I have also seen the feeding stop abruptly when cloud cover rolls in.

The river that you select is also an important factor. Pick a stream that harbors a good number of wild trout or holdover fish. You do want to catch a fish or two so a healthy river gives you a much better chance. How do you fish the river? Remember that this is not fast paced fishing. Because the trout are lethargic a more persistent approach proves to be more efficient. A basic rule of thumb is to fish slowly and methodically. I don't care what fly you choose, any of the standard patterns will suffice, but it is necessary to put the fly in front of the trout at the speed that they're expecting their food to be moving at. Your chances of hooking fish will improve significantly. Fish the fly how you feel. If it's cold and the water is off color slow down the pace of the fly. Trout are inherently lazy creatures to begin with and will not expend unnecessary energy, especially so during their inactive times. If conditions are better and insect activity occurs, and this is not an uncommon affair, then you can change your approach slightly. There are too many variables to contend with and to list them all would be foolish, but to reiterate, the closer you get the fly to the fish and it is presented at the appropriate speed, the better your chance to catch a winter trout.

All fish adapt to their environment, which also includes the hordes of fishermen. I've seen trout feeding, then swim out of the way of a passing fisherman only to return with-in minutes to it's original position and continue to feed. My point, these so called "educated" trout have adjusted to many of the conventional wisdoms that we throw their way. So the inquisitive fisherman, the person who is not afraid to experiment can (and will) have much success over this/her traditionalist counterparts. Use completely irrational flies, fish extremely slow, keep the fly in the water, resist the urge to cast repeatedly, approach a popular "hole" from the harder, more difficult side of the river, reach under over hanging branches with the tip of the rod; challenge yourself. These tidbits of wisdom have been around for a very long time. Ray Bergman said it 50 years ago, and I'm sure that he just passed along what he heard.

Dressing for winter fishing is simple; dress warm and wear layers of wool or polar fleece. Fingerless gloves are useful (extra pairs are a godsend too). One very important thing, do not dress tightly. Clothing that is too restrictive inhibits circulation thus you get colder. That goes threefold for your feet. A thin pair of polyester, nylon type dress socks under a pair of 80 to 100% wool socks is all I use. I've fished for up to four hours, in an ice filled, freezing stream, during February with this clothing arrangement before I needed to move around. Air pockets between the looser layers of fabric will greatly assist you in keeping warm. Now, let's see...sleep late, fish slowly, dress warm, catch fish, then go home early and eat dinner. Is this fishing or what!

A Reminder For The Winter Fly Fisher

Fly Fishing In The Cold Can Be Deadly (fff Clubwire)

Perhaps there is nothing more solitary or special than getting out to fly fish on a winter day, whether it is a Midwestern spring creek, a wild western steelhead river or mid-south tailwater. But there is a danger in this activity that you must think about. even before it happens. That peril is hypothermia and it is THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF OUTDOOR RECREATIONALISTS.

Basically if your body cools off too much Oust 3-4 degrees from the normal 98.6), it will start a sequence of events that can easily be fatal. The fundamental = 93 Catch 22" with hypothermia is as follows. If your core body temperature goes too low. brain function becomes impaired and then as a result you will lose the ability to take proper corrective actions. This is especially serious if you alone and some distance away from shelter or a source of external heat. For example, if due to hypothermia- related confusion you take the wrong trail, or try to get back by crossing the river at a dangerous spot or simply get more lost, your situation may have a very bad end. Before your next winter outing consider learning about (1) proper actions to avoid hypothermia, (2) the early critical signs and (3) what actions to take immediately when those signs are experienced. Here is a short course on those three topics that may save your life.

Actions to avoid hypothermia: Dress for warmth, dryness and wind protection. Carry windproof and waterproof outerwear protection. Stay dry by putting on raingear before getting wet. Wet clothes lose 90% of their insulating value and the wind can make the cooling off much worse. Pack energy snacks, with sugar for quick conversion to energy and other nutrients for a longer- lasting effect. Keep active to generate heat. Remember, hypothermia can happen at 30-40 degrees. It does not have to be frigid.

Identify the early signs: As soon as you start to shiver, even in one part of your body, you must recognize such shivering as an early sign of hypothermia. This includes chattering teeth or uncontrollable momentary shivering of one arm or leg. If something is not done at this point, death can result within 90 minutes of that first sign of shivering. Other tell-tale signs include changes in speech, lapses in memory, inability to think clearly, clumsy hands, stumbling, and a feeling of exhaustion.

Immediate steps: Get out of the wind and rain. Get into dry clothes and a warm place (a dry sleeping bag, a car) as soon as possible. Drawing warmth from another person is often helpful. Drink warm (but not hot) fluids. Avoid alcohol. If your hypothermia worsens, you will be unable to help yourself, so try to tell someone about your problem as soon aspossible. Perhaps a related consideration is to fish with a partner in the winter. If you are unsuccessful in correcting this problem in the early stages (when you are conscious and able), it simply will be too late.

Knuckleheaded Fishing

By Mike Santulli, The Evening Hatch Fly Shop

Persistence is not a virtue, nor is obstinacy or bias. Virtues, like integrity, however, often see persistence take the form of consistency when duly practiced. On the other hand, obstinacy and bias have little moral or aesthetic value.

The dedicated fly fisher lives in a moral and aesthetic world notwithstanding claims to the contrary. To take but one example, the respect for trout and the natural environment is a moral commitment. The appreciation of the beauty and grandeur of the trout and of nature is an aesthetic value.

The pragmatic consequence of these considerations directly effects how you fish. To illustrate, permit me to relate an anecdote. Last Fall, while I was trying to enjoy the beauty of the season and catch a few more trout before the Winter solstice, I was fishing a small limestone stream on a sunny and moderately pleasant day. The stream was crowded with fly fishers anxious, as I was to catch a few trout.

I initially was miffed at the lack of stream etiquette of some of those who were fishing near me. Casting too close or across my line did not endear some of my neighbors to me. One misguided soul actually hooked a beautiful BROWNIE, held it up for his buddy to see and then released it by chucking it into midstream. Undoubtedly, a noble sport is easily compromised by ignoble behavior.

All this is somewhat beside the point I want to make. I noticed a hatch was going on and the trout were feeding on small tan and olive midges. I tried to match the hatch and was partially successful. Taking a break, I lit up a cigar and began to observe those who were still fly fishing. Much to my surprise, no one that I could see was even attempting to match the hatch. Most people were fishing large nymphs or streamers. They were, to put it candidly, KNUCKLEHEAD FISHING.

I can already hear the counter argument. Sure, some of them were catching trout, just like Hail Mary passes in football; chucking and chancing it sometimes works. But KNUCKLEHEAD FISHING puts obstinacy and bias, before intelligence and observation.

It is all too common and wrong headed to fish your favorite fly no matter what you see. It is even almost ludicrous to decide on the flies that you are going to use, before you get to the stream. Granted knowledge of the current hatches, gives you an edge and helps in determining what is hatching once you take the time to observe. The point is that the aesthetics of fly fishing is best served by those who meet the challenge of matching the hatch. KNUCKLEHEAD FISHING is best left to those unwilling to meet the challenge.

Tech Talk: Fly Line Weights

By Steve Robbins, LSFF

Ever wonder how the fly line weight rating system works? Is a 5wt fly line a 5-pound test line? Nope. Does the line weigh 5 pounds? Not hardly. Fly line sizes are standardized and calibrated according to a code developed in 1961 by the now defunct American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association (AFTMA). An AFTMA fly line size is calculated weighing the first 30 feet of the line excluding the level tip. Fly lines are measured in grain-weight units ranging from about 60 to 850 grains. That weight range is broken down into 15 sub groups that are identified with the numbers 1 through 15. For example, the first 30 feet of a 5wt line weighs 140 grains plus or minus six grains. The first 30 feet of an 8wt line weighs 210 grains plus or minus eight grains. So fly lines are basically available in weights ranging from 1 to 15, with weights 2 through 12 covering most fly fishers needs. The L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Handbook makes the claim that the four most popular line weights are 5, 6, 7 and 8 and the 6wt floating line is today’s best selling fly line.

The fly rod should be matched with the correct fly line weight for optimum performance.

Each fly rod is designed to properly load with a particular amount of fly line weight traveling in the air. That load helps spring the line into action on both the forward and back cast. Some fly fishers are proponents of overloading the fly rod by bumping up the line size by one unit. This practice is acceptable for the most part. Personally, I have occasionally found this to be helpful with lighter weight rods.

For example, I put a 4wt fly line on my 3wt medium action rod and a 2wt line on my 1wt full flex rod. The results were longer casts with less effort. Especially when fighting the wind. The drawbacks are that this tactic creates a less delicate presentation and perhaps a slight loss of accuracy. I have never considered bumping up the line weight on my 4wt through 9wt rods.

I do, however, know some saltwater anglers who will put a 9wt line on their 8wt rod to aid them in casting under the windy conditions they’ll likely be facing on the coast. It is important to remember that most trout rods are designed to balance with 30 feet of fly line in the air. However, most mid-weight rods (7wt to 9wt) are not. These larger rods are often used in situations where the angler may be casting long distances. This means they’ll usually be carrying a lot of line in the air. Rod manufacturers typically design these mid-weight rods to balance with 40 or more feet of line in the air. This means that if you’re casting these rods less than 40 feet you may have to bump your line up one size to compensate for the lack of line weight in the air so the rod will load properly. It’s not advisable to overload your rod by more than one unit. Also, it’s really never acceptable to underlaod your rod by stepping down the line size. The rod simply cannot load properly with a lighter line and that will ultimately result in a more difficult system to cast. The best advice, for the overall optimal casting performance, is to make certain your complete outfit is balanced including the rod, reel and line.

Tackle Tips: Get That Fly Line Ready!

From the newsletter of the Fort Worth Texas Fly Fishers by AI Crise, The Rod and Reel Doctor.

Its time to clean your fly lines! If you have one of those new type lines, the care is easy.

Enjoy it even more and take someone fly fishing!

Either Hand Fly Casting

by Dan Lagace of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club, courtesy of the FFF ClubWire

Yesterday, I taught a ten-year-old boy to fly cast. When we completed the lesson, he was making superb casts to a distance of 110 feet: sixty feet left-handed and fifty feet right-handed, that is. The first article I wrote for our newsletter was published in 1995, titled, "Either-Hand Fly Casting." I am revisiting this topic because among the items to be auctioned by our club at next month's banquet will be a series of three, one-hour individual fly casting lessons from which you will learn to cast equally well with either hand, and probably better with both.

Either-Hand fly casting offers numerous advantages, and not the least of them is a dramatic improvement in your strong-hand casting. It also doubles the range of fishing and presentation angles in open, windy conditions, and when you are casting into cover. In addition, Either-Hand fly casting lets you avoid most back cast obstacles, allowing you to fish with equal ease from "either side of the river." Further, it's an excellent way to teach yourself how to teach fly casting to others.

Try the following eight-step process to teach yourself how to cast with either hand. Be sure to wear eye protection and use a bare leader when you try this. It will take about 30 minutes. Although you'll learn to cast with either hand much more thoroughly if yours is the high bid for the lessons at our auction.

1. Start with 45 feet of line. Grasp the rod with your left hand and pinch the line between the first finger of your left hand and the grip.
2. Envelope the outside of your left hand with your right hand: thumb-over-thumb, fingers-over-fingers.
3. Begin false casting with the rod on the right side; left arm comes across the chest. Let your right hand control the rod, your left hand becomes part of the grip; goes along for the ride. Most pressure is with the right hand.
4. Increase grip pressure of left hand so right and left hand pressure are equal. Both hands in equal control to assimilate good left-handed casting from right hand experience.
5. While false casting, move your hands close to right side of your face, sensing equal control with both hands.
6. Lay the line down with a forward cast. Lift the line, still casting from the right side, make 6 false casts, lay the line down. Repeat until pickup back cast is as good as regular false casts.
7. Transfer control to the left hand. Lift the line to cast, but now to the left side of your face. Continue false casting while moving your hands incrementally between casts to the left hand casting position, with hands outside of your left shoulder, right arm comes across your chest. Transfer control to your left hand by gradually increasing the pressure of the left hand on the grip while diminishing pressure with the right hand with each false cast.
8. Separate your hands and manage the running line with your right hand.

Cast left-handed!

Mouth to Mouth Combat

Article Courtesy of Dennis Dickson Fly Fishing Steelhead Guide

A few years ago, I was teaching a flyfishing lakes course through a lodge in central British Columbia. The day started out fairly typical. We started out with equipment, knots, flies, and moved on to casting and finally lake strategy. It wasn’t long before we had our six angling students spread out along the edge of a large productive weed bed fishing a chironomid hatch. Now fishing midges under a strike indicator is mostly waiting until your little bobber goes down. Occasionally, someone would hook a nice fish and everyone would get excited again waiting for their turn at success.

Now I should tell you that it seems like every time you put a group together in the outdoors, you get a lot of personalities, and someone is going to come up with their own agenda, their own "program".

I will be the first to admit it was my fault, but I was trying to hurry six guys into their waders, and float tubes. I was hoping we would not miss yesterdays’ great chironomid action I ran into the day before the class arrived. Have you ever tried to hurry six people to do anything? Anyway, as I was leading my little fledging group across the lake, I failed to notice that only five anglers were with me. As the rest of us all paddled down the lake and to the left, Mike went down and to the right. The lake is large by flyfishing standards, approximately seven miles in length. This water is built for flyfishing with a myriad of shoals and bays and shoals with large cruising Kamloops rainbows.

My strategy in this three-day outing was to fish to waters close to camp on day one. Day two and three is spent fishing in our top water we call the "aquarium". The aquarium is a shallow weedy bay that is next to the lake outlet stream. This creek is located where the largest fish in the lake congregate to head down the outlet stream to spawn. These rainbows recondition quickly in this shallow weedy food factory. Virtually every kind of bug lives here and the fish just gorge themselves. Many are reluctant to leave. The crystalline waters are spring fed and give the appearance of fishing in a five-acre fish bowl. Hence, the name aquarium.

After our initial days fishing our little group headed back to camp. After dinner we were sitting around the fire reminiscing the antics of the day and in walks Mike. It wasn’t until now did I realize he was even gone. By the look on his face, he was tired, happy and definitely had a story to tell.

His story goes something like this. Apparently, as our group was geared and paddling across the lake Mike was lagging behind, do to a right flipper that kept slipping. He figured that if the group was heading off to parts unknown anyway, the lake is the lake right? Mike decided to wander just down around the corner to the right. I immediately thought, "The aquarium." You could tell Mike was enjoying his audience. He was definitely savoring the moment around the campfire.

Mike proceeded to tell how he managed to float tube his way down around the corner when he realized the water became fairly shallow and incredibly clear. He looked over at me like, " You have been down there?" I just nodded. Mike, still in his waders, stands (so nobody is going to miss this next part) and says," All of a sudden I see huge trout"! His arm gesture was wide enough to be a Chinook salmon. "Anyway, It was big." He went on to say he saw another trout and then another. "Man, like I am surrounded by big fish!" So he pulls out his flybox for a fly for BIG fish when he sees this moth pop onto the surface. A second later this monster fish comes up and sucks it down. Mike illustrates this move with a hand gesture. I then realized he has stumbled onto the elusive Traveling Sedge hatch. You do not see it often but the trout can just go stupid, gorging themselves on this big aquatic insect, when it happens.

He tells how the surface of the lake is soon filled with these big bugs skittering all over and the rainbows are chasing in hot pursuit. Mike says he looks in his flybox of flies that I have made up for each angler and pulls out one of four muddler minnows from the box and ties it on. "Man, my hands were just shaking." he said as he paused to poked the fire. "So what happened?" Jim asked. Everyone was into the story now. Mike was loving it.

"Well, so I am sitting there along all this slurping and glumping in my little tube, my hands are shaking , and I am trying to remember how to tie on this stupid fly!" "I finally get it on the leader, and I just kinda chuck it onto the water where a fish had just jumped." A second later this submarine comes up and takes it down. I jerk the rod back and this fish takes off like a bat out of hell!" " Now the largest fish of my life is getting away so I did the only I could do. I grabbed the reel handle but the rod tip just slaps down and pop! he is gone." I reeled the line in and sure enough, the fly and a good hunk of the leader is gone too." The fish are jumping all around me like I am not even there, and I tie on another fly. I am determined I am definitely landing the next one. I cast out again and almost before the fly lands I swear another really big fish grabs the fly". Hand gesture was a little smaller than the Chinook salmon this time.

"So I set the hook but this time I figure I would wrestle him in before he has a chance to go nuts, but no way, he makes one major leap then snap! and he is gone". Now I only have two flies left so I figure I need another plan. I tie on the third fly and by now my lead is getting pretty short and fat but I figure, what the heck?" Mike looks around the group for approval, everybody nods.

So I cast out again and sure enough this really nice fish comes up and takes it down. This time I just kind of lean back and this trout just takes off. I mean way out across this bay. All my flyline is gone and he is on only by the string on the reel. "Backing, Mike." "It is called Backing".

"Anyway, I figure I would do like the commercial fisherman do when them harpooned whales, You know shoot em and Let them run off until they stop. So I let this big fish run off and I don’t touch nothing until the reel stops, only he is way out there!" “But he stops and I start cranking. He takes off again but not too far, and every time he stops I reel. I am going,” This is how you do it!" Before long I have got my flyline back and pretty soon I have got this great big trout right next to my belly boat". As Mike finishes this statement I cringe, I can imagine what happens next.

"Now I don’t have a net only that silly little wool glove Dennis gave me." He pauses and looks at me like, " You poor silly man".

"So what did you do, Mike?" Someone inquired.

"I did the only thing I could do. I put on my glove, grabbed the leader, and tried to haul him in over the side of the tube. Mike got real quiet. "He didn’t come though" he said in a small voice. "The line broke". All was quiet around the campfire.

"You had another fly, right?" John consoled. As if rejuvenated, Mike lifted his head and said, "Yes, I did!" and got ready to tell the rest of the story. I thought to myself, This guy can really tell a story.

"Now it is getting kind of dark, but I realize my leader is so short and fat I cannot put on this last fly. But we were given an extra leader, all I had to do was tie on the new leader and I am in business, right?" So I fumble through my pockets with my hands just shaking and find this new leader. I want to get this right so I paddle back by shore where I can stand up next to shore and take the leader out of the packet and tie on my last fly. I get ready to cast (Mike goes into a casting motion) when I realize, I haven’t put the new leader on the flyline yet. So I drop the fly down, put the leader end in my mouth, and reach for the flyline to attach the leader." (Mike is gesturing like he has the leader in his mouth).

"All of a sudden, I here this "glump"." As I look down I realize a fish has just eaten my last fly! And the other end of the leader is in my mouth!" “So I bit down on the leader as hard as I could, dropped my pole, and tried to grab the leader, but I couldn’t find it with my hand, in the dark. Meanwhile, the rainbow is thrashing all over the place and finally gets away when I start laughing so hard I lost my leader out of my mouth."

Eventually, everyone stopped laughing and we all went off to bed. I made a mental note to watch Mike really close the next day.

Casting Homework

By Edith Engel – Taken from the Northwest Women Fly Fishers Newsletter

Since the Casting Club is taking a break for the winter, I thought I'd provide you with some homework that you can utilize to hone your casting skills, even in the off-season. More times than I can remember, I've either read or heard instructors mention the need to develop "casting muscles", and how having well-trained ones will improve abilities on allcasts, from beginners to experienced flyfishers. Here are two sets of casting oriented exercises that I have gleaned from the "fishing shelves" of my library.

The first set is from the book A Fly Fisher's Life, by Charles Ritz. Note his suggestion to use a hock bottle. He lived well! (For trivia buffs: "Hock" is an old British term for Rhine wine, referring to the area of Hochheim, Germany.) This is his "Bottle Method", to be done three times a week, or even daily, repeating 20 times for each exercise and working up to 30 reps each. As your muscles build, you can add sand to the bottle.

Use a hock bottle (a long-necked wine bottle works fine) with the bottle held at the top of the neck and hanging down. Circle the casting arms in both directions. Raise and lower forearm vertically with elbow against the body. With elbow at your side, rotate forearm in both directions. Rotate the wrist in both directions. The elbow is slightly bent, and just away from the body with the bottle neck held vertically. With left foot forward, make a back cast move without bending the wrist. Then do the forward cast and force the wrist down at the end of the move. Hold the bottle horizontally in the center and rotate the wrist and forearm. Hold your elbow close to the body. (Without the bottle) Push the pad of your thumb into a tennis ball.

Joan Wulff's recommendations are from a Rod and Reel magazine article by Glen Law and reprinted in Joan's book Fly Casting Accuracy. She felt the article had good coverage of the casting muscles needed. These exercises use dumbbells (or a similar type of weight), starting with no more weight than is comfortable for you.

Wrist Curls - for forearm, wrist, hand and fingers. Sit down with your forearm resting on your leg, palm up, and the hand extending unsupported beyond your knee. Bending at the wrist only, raise the weight as far as possible, Then slowly lower the weight, extending the fingers and letting the weight roll down them. (Don't drop them on your toes!) Lift the weight back into the hands with the fingers. (This is one repetition.)"

Palm-Down Variation - done the same way with the hand reversed on the dumbbell. This is harder and may require less weight or fewer repetitions.

Wrist Isolation - with palm up, turn the weight alternately to the right and then to the left. This strengthens the wrist muscles as well as the two large muscles of the forearm.

Triceps Curl - with a single or pair of barbells, exercising both arms separately. Either sitting or standing up, hold the weight over your head, arm extended, then lower it behind you by bending the elbow only. Then raise it up again. The triceps are the primary throwing muscle.

Bicep Curl - either sitting or standing, exercise both arms at the same time or separately. Hold the weights down at your sides with arms extended, then raise and lower your forearms slowly bending at the elbow only.

Rowing - bend at your waist with the weights hanging straight down. Raise the weight to chest level and slowly lower. Or raise one weight at a time and roll the torso as in a rowing motion. This exercise strengthens the shoulder and back muscles essential for comfort and easy movement in casting, and prevents injury.

Ulnar Deviation - hold the barbells at your side with arms extended and palms facing the leg. Bend your wrists laterally (up and away from your legs) and then back to the starting position.

There are many gadgets on the market that develop hand strength. A "cheapie" idea is to simply fill a small bucket with rice and use a kneading motion with your hands. One instructor that I know suggests throwing rocks backward over a tree. Don't throw straight up; it's back and up, for obvious reasons.

I think you get the idea. Muscles need to be moved, and if you're tied to a desk, weight training comes in handy. Fishing a1l of the time is another great alternative!

Fishing versus Catching

By Capt. Bryon Chamberlin – Taken from the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club Newsletter

I define FISHING as the act of casting the fly rod, fly line, getting the fly into the water and retrieving it back. My definition of CATCHING is the act of casting the fly rod, fly line, getting the fly into the water and retrieving it back with a FISH at the end of the line. Unfortunately, too many fly anglers are spending too much time FISHING and not enough time CATCHING. By learning to manipulate the fly to elicit more strikes will put you more often than not, into the CATCHING column.

As a saltwater fly fishing guide, I get to fish with lots of different anglers with varying skill levels. One of the most common questions that I get at the beginning of the trip is, “How do I work the fly?” My answer usually starts off with, “Well, that depends…” You see, every scenario is different, so there can be an infinite amount of answers, but to narrow things down, I’ll give you a few “Rules of Thumb”. I’ll also break it down into two types of fishing techniques, blind casting and sight fishing.

Blind casting is a great technique to cover water and find fish. Here are some tips to improve your catch ratio while employing this method. Most flies have no natural movement, so the angler must impart the action into the fly in order to get a fish to eat your offering. This is done by “stripping” the fly line and moving the fly. How one strips directly influences how many bites you will get during any given day. Slow, steady and long strips generally don’t catch many fish. I find that more people find success by employing an erratic, quick but short stripping technique. You know you are doing it right when you hold the rod tip about 6 inches above the water, and at the start of each strip, the fly line comes off the surface of the water and showers off water droplets. Strips are generally short (4 to 6 inches) and use lots of quick wrist action similar to throwing a dart. Don’t forget about the power of the “pause”. Throw in a few pauses during the retrieve. Pausing for a second or two allows the fly to sink just a bit and also gives the fish some time to come over and investigate your fly. Strikes often occur on the next strip of the fly, as it looks to the fish as if its prey is trying to escape in a last ditch effort. Another quick tip that will help you catch a few more fish, is to allow your fly to sink a little before you start your retrieve. This allows the fly to get down to the fish’s level. Fish that are not aggressively feeding are more likely eat your fly if it swims by their face instead of speeding by over their head.

Sight fishing is the most difficult, but most rewarding form of fly fishing. Here, if the initial cast doesn’t spook the fish, the retrieve is the most important thing to get that fish to eat your fly. Fortunately, you have some hints given to you by the fish, if you can successfully read their body language. Slight changes in the fish’s direction and speed of travel can indicate that the fish has seen your fly. More subtle clues, such as changes in fin angle, spread or even color can indicate that the fish has noticed something. Your next move will generally determine if you are successful or not in getting the strike.

To help with the mental picture, let’s create a scenario that everyone has experienced, that is very similar to many sight fishing situations. Picture a cat lying down under the kitchen table, and you are sitting on the couch in the living room. You have a toy mouse on a string. You toss the mouse about 10 feet from the cat. The cat opens its eyes, moves its head slightly, and trains its ears toward the mouse. Now you have the cat’s attention, but the cat is still lying down. What’s you next move? Give the mouse a little wiggle. If you pull the mouse away at this point, the cat is going to continue to lay there. The point here is to tease the cat until it finally pounces on the mouse.

Now apply that mental game to the fish you just threw to. I generally let the fish make the first move by either moving toward the fly or by giving me some other indication that the fish has seen the offering. My next move is usually a short strip that hops the fly. Let the fish’s natural curiosity bring the fish over the rest of the way. As the fish closes in for the kill, I usually give the fly 2 or 3 more quick, short hops. This gives the fish the impression that its prey is trying to escape, but it isn’t too successful at doing so. The key is to let the fish overtake the fly without giving it that “I give up” look. Prey items fight to the last, and do everything in their power to escape from being eaten. However, on the other hand, you don’t want to have your fly be too successful in escaping its pursuer. Fish will only expend so much energy during a chase, so you don’t want to pull the fly away too fast. By giving short and quick hops, you are giving the illusion the fly is trying to escape, but you are allowing the fish to easily eat the fly.

With a little practice, and the implementation of a few of these tips, you’ll be catching more fish on your many adventures to come.

The Improved Yarn Knot

Submitted By Lew Ramsdell - FFF Certified Casting Instructor

Take a longer than usual strand of yarn and tie, but do not tighten, an overhand loop. Insert the leader through the open loop and tighten hard. Now with the knot as the eye of a hook, you can tie your Improved Clinch Knot needing only two hands, tighten and trim.

Best if you tie it over the knot rather than the end of the loop. The knot in the yarn gives you a more cast-able fly than when the yarn is inserted into the pre-tied clinch knot that needed to be held open with your third hand.

Fishy Places

By Steve Gibson – Taken from the North Florida Fly Fishers Newsletter

When I realized (long ago) that I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fishing, I began to improve as an angler. And I continue to learn every day. With an open mind, my skills have sharpened immensely over the years and my success rate has improved proportionately.

Although I have done quite well fly fishing in salt water through the years, it’s the lakes and streams that continue to beckon back like a pleasant distant memory. There’s just something very alluring about a calm, warm morning on an uncrowded lake, river or creek.

Perhaps it goes back to my early angling days when I targeted bluegill. There’s some truth to the belief that all (at least most) anglers cut their fishing teeth on these diminutive panfish.

I remember standing on a creek bank in West Virginia with my grandfather, my eyes glued to the red-and-white bobber dancing on the surface. And though I’ve taken tarpon, snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, jack crevalle, dolphin, amberjack, kingfish, false albacore, barramundi, butterfly peacock bass, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, brown trout, walleye, coho salmon, steelhead, guapote, bonefish, permit and others on fly, it’s bluegill and other panfish that interest me most.

If I’ve got a red-hot snook bite going on along the beach, I’ll gladly share that information with most anyone. If tailing redfish are hitting shrimp or crab imitations, I might even invite you along. But I’m very selective when it comes to sharing my bluegill spots with anyone. Why?

I enjoy the solitude. Nothing soothes the nerves better than casting for panfish on a local lake. With saltwater species abundant and heavily targeted, our freshwater species virtually go ignored. So, catches of 100 or more fish per outing are fairly common.

It wasn’t always that way, though. There were years when I’d head out on the water with a light fly rod and nothing but a box of popping bugs. Everything was fine as long as the top water action was strong. But when it slowed, I was out of luck.

I keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut when I’m around other anglers. Oh, I’ll contribute when I think I can add to the conversation. But I’m eager to pick up any tidbit of information that I think might help out on my next outing.

That’s why fishing with Joe Bursel of Sarasota and Ron Whiteley of Rotonda has been so beneficial. Between the two, they have more than 100 years of experience – and most of it via the fly rod.

So, when I found out both are fascinated by and often use micro -jigs on panfish, I took note. I ordered several packages of 1/129-ounce jigs and began tying various patterns. Taking this to its natural progression, I began experimenting with tiny trout patterns on local lakes. I’ve found that bluegill, shellcracker, channel catfish and largemouth bass could care less that the micro jigs and tiny flies were designed for trout.

I still love to cast No. 12 poppers early in the day. It’s tough to beat a bluegill rising to slurp in one of your surface creations. And I’ll continue to cast poppers as long as the fish are willing to play. However, when that bite slows, I have a whole new arsenal on hand. And my new toys have resulted in steady action long after the fish begin ignoring popping bugs.

My favorite fly right now is a gold bead ribbed Hare’s Ear on No. 10-14 hooks. I fish them about five feet below a strike indicator. A strike indicator is similar to a bobber. It’s a tad small and used to detect minute bites. I learned while fishing northeast Georgia trout streams that you need to set the hook whenever you even think the strike indicator does something out of the ordinary. On some occasions, the indicator might dip below the surface like a bobber. On other occasions, it might twitch. It might dart a fraction of an inch. It might not move at all. When you’re slowly working the fly and the indicator doesn’t move, set the hook!

Your retrieve can vary. Most of the time, I like to make my cast, allow the fly to sink for a few seconds, then begin retrieving in erratic slow, short strips. Two tugs and a pause have worked well for me. And it’s usually on the pause that the fish hit.

Recently, club members Tony Saviano of Bradenton, Bob Parker of Sarasota and Kevin Cooke of Venice joined me on different outings. And each time the fish were hungry and cooperative.

All did well on bluegill and other panfish, but Cooke hooked a nice channel catfish on a No. 10 Wooly Bugger. Channel cats, revered by freshwater aficionados, not only will take flies, but sometimes will do so often.

Most of the time, I’m using a 2-weight fly rod, floating line and a 7 ½-foot knotless leader with 5X tippet. You’d think that a sink tip line would be great for this type of fishing, and maybe it is for some. But for me, a strike indicator is paramount to my success. So, it’s floating line for now. Rest assured that if some savvy angler comes along and spouts tales of impressive catches on 300-grain lines and hot pink worms, I’ll give it a try. After all, why discount anyone’s experience on the water? Just doesn’t make sense.

Fly Of The Month

The Irresistible - What we all want our flies to be
Fly Tying Pattern: Lee Wulff Irresistible

New techniques and new fly patterns play upon our need to fool those unseen lunkers we know are hiding in the deep holes of our favorite waters. However, like homemade bread and real log fires, there is much to be said for traditional tools and old time ways. If you look into the history of fly fishing there were many successful methods and tools that somehow, along the way, lost their appeal. Often there was little functional reason for these changes in popularity. In the last 30 or so years it seems we have especially bought the idea that something new must be better. While Madison Avenue may be to blame, favoring new things is probably just human nature. More importantly, it is unlikely that fish feeding habits are very different than they were 100 years ago.

One set of fly patterns that fall into the once very popular, once-famous category are those of irresistible style. Basically, an irresistible refers to a dry fly (primarily to imitate an insect, not a frog or other critter) that is tied with a spun deer hair body. Included in this category are the irresistible mayfly patterns (Ratfaced McDougall, Adams irresistible, Woodchuck irresistible, Wulff irresistible, and the original Irresistible). However, clipped deer hair flies imitate other insects, like the Irresistible Caddis and Irresistible housefly as well as the Bullet-head and Goddard.

Of course, we know that the clipped hair bodies originated in the bass frog patterns of Joe Messinger from West Virginia. The first application of this technique to insect imitations for trout was in the 1930s by the famous Catskill's tyer Harry Darbee of Roscoe, New York. Harry and his wife Elsie Darbee combined the high-floating clipped deer hair body of a bass bug with hackles and wings of a trout fly. The original fly had deer hair wings, although other irresistibles have wings of hackle tips (Irresistible Adams) or calf tail (Irresistible Wulff).

At first these flies were called "H.A. Darbee's Special Mayflies" and are said to have sold thousands. A second name, Beaverkill Bastard was adopted for a bit, but it was replaced by one more generally acceptable, the Ratfaced McDougall. The key to this style of fly is that it looks very buggy and floats forever, even in the roughest water. It is an attractor type, not an imitation of any particular species of mayfly. The irresistibles were favorites (and still are in some hands) particularly for trout, both in the eastern U.S. and the mountain west. Many anglers liked irresistibles for Atlantic salmon ( like Lee Wulff ) and Dave Whitlock recommends them for panfish.

One possible reason for the waning popularity of these flies is the apparent difficulty of creating a spun deer hair body. However, deer hair spinning is not difficult and with a little patience it will become second nature.

Your AD could be on ETFF