When I was looking over the posts for the site, I realize that nothing had been posted since January… Whoops. Every now and then I have an idea for a post, but other things get in the mind and the post never happens. So here we are: a compilation of thoughts that I’ve been meaning to post over the last few months. Before we get there, a quick fishing update: check those temps on the streams around here around 11am, don’t be afraid of throwing the ABCs (Ants, Beetles, [Small] Chubbies) during the day. Tricos are happening on Spring Creek in the mornings, too. Expect a bit of a lull when the sun is out midday, try to get out in the early morning or later in the evening for the best fishing.
Continue readingFly Box
Fly Feature: Chocklett’s Game Changer
If you’ve been following the fly-fishing world over the past few years, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Blane Chocklett’s Game Changer-style of flies. There’s a reason for this: the patterns are effective imitations of a number of different baitfish, and you can tie them with a number of different materials. It’s a platform that you can use to tie the pattern a number of ways (another popular platform, for example, is the Clouser Minnow).
Continue readingThe Carp Box
The summer of 2016 was really hot around here, and coupled with a vacation to a place along Lake Michigan, I (Caleb) was looking into what exactly it took to catch carp on a fly rod. Between Jay Zimmerman’s great book, The Best Carp Flies: How to Tie and Fish Them, and a number of good articles on that (including this one), I was intrigued. I’m still learning a lot, so I’ll admit up front that I’m not an expert at all.
Streamer Season: The Flies
In the first article on Streamer Season, I wrote about some of the things I’ve learned since delving into the streamer game a few years ago. Now we’re going to talk about the flies.
Inside my Fishpond Sushi Roll. Arby’s ain’t got nothing on this.
Streamer Season: Getting into the Game
About 5 years ago, I was out at a spot on Spring Creek throwing a size 4 Weamer Streamer without really knowing much about fishing streamers (other than dead-drifting, swinging them down-and-across, and stripping a bit). The water was up and off-color, the weather was rainy, and on the first cast in a new spot I missed one of the biggest browns I’ve seen on Spring. The fly hit the water and a split second later this large fish porpoised (I could see the entire back of the fish) going after the fly.
Naturally, I did what any fisherman with buck fever would do: promptly pulled the fly right out of the mouth of this brown then stared at the water where it came from, slack-jawed.
From the Vice: July 2017
It’s hard to believe we’re at the last day of July already. Where did the past month go? There has been some good time at the vice in the past month tying some regular patterns to fill an order and getting to do some experimenting with new patterns (new to me and ones I haven’t tied before).
Some Box Reorganization
Over the weekend I took some time to reorganize some of my fly boxes (much needed, for sure). The goal was to have a box to use specifically for warmwater and carp flies, on top of my bigger box for articulated streamers (3-5 inches long). It took a bit of time in the morning on Saturday, but I wanted to share the results.
Oak Hall Outfitters 