Fish Habitat & Roads (Logging, Runoff and Planning…still failing to mesh)

http://moldychum.typepad.com/moldy_chum/2009/01/bc-fish-habitat-profoundly-imapacted-by-shoddy-roads.html

After all the battles, consciousness raising and supposed oversight, there still sets right in front of our noses the obvious intrusion into the wilderness…roads. And the repercussions of poor planning, maintenance and vision…or is it the old trade off of industry v. recreation. Recreation is no longer the word. Recreation is tent camping, put and take fisheries, off road rampaging, tubing the river. It is bigger than recreation and our fisheries biologist are in the wait and see mode re consequences. Frankly, I imagine many know but either place a low premium on those consequences or are sucked up into budget, balance, recreation, industry equations. Back to basics for habitat should be the never ending mantra.  

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Brazil

Consequences of Poor Planning

http://decolando.net/blog/2008/12/18/fotos-dos-deslizamentos-do-morro-do-bau/

This piece is in Portugese, but I imagine by the visuals and if you know a little Spanish, you can tell the landslides (deslizamentos) were caused by removing normal vegetation and replacing it with banana crops. The roads were built through this deforested area. The results are obvious.

I am a staunch supporter of timber, etc. But, logging roads and forest service roads built without any regard for fish habitat, whether for the recreationist or the preservationist is absurd this day in age.   

Fly Tying Visuals at fish4flies.com

Olive & Gold Buzzer (fish4flies)

This is a very good UK site that depicts a multitude of flies for fresh and saltwater conditions. Fish4flies is in business to sell you flies. For some that is the accepted practice because they do not have the inclination to buy materials and tie. For others this site affords an opportunity to see excellent representations of patterns. For those of us in the U.S. some of the flies are not typical of what we see and there are fun new discoveries to be had. No design concepts, names, fresh ideas. I am certain UK tiers find new ideas cruising other sites as well. It all blends together around the world.    http://www.fish4flies.com/Nymphs/  

Nymph or Nymph (both have positive images)

Waterhouse Nymph

Nymphette

I have come to realize that that old phrase ‘nymphette’ is a serious obsession for some. I mean I wouldn’t mind coming upon a half naked beauty near a stream with no mosquito’s or boulders. I do recall walking around a bend on the South Fork of the McKenzie R. and encountering a bevy of naked hippie girls. They were up above Rainbow, Oregon waiting on a Dead concert. That was a pleasant experience. There seems to be more to this nymph thing. It is a part of that ‘otherly’ experience we all have but may ignore enroute to the water’s edge. We may be focused upon the process, preparation and  presentation. The walk in the woods, the greeness, the lushness, the secret paths and hiding places are lost upon us as we make sure we take the right path toward the sound of the river. Imagination gives way to visualization of the lie, the take, the fight, the moment that dumps pleasant chemicals into our bloodstream.

Yet, most of us relish or accept the mystical qualities of the water’s edge and deeper back into the woods…whether we lay it to God, Mother Nature or some other-worldly force we often possess fanciful images amongst the moss, ground cover and trees.

I do recall an image used by a fly tyer in his book that depicted a nymphal shape combined with a naked female that was sexy and would make a great tattoo. Does anyone recall that nymph book…seems it was about stillwater fishing…

Hamster on a Piano Eating Popcorn (Relentless on the River)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRzTfgds0UI

I once remarked upon that oddity, at least for me, of once you are upon the water and if there is any intensity in your presentation, a damn song pops up from no where and relentlessly repeats itself ad nausea. Right now I could tell you that I have had ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and ‘What the World Needs Now is Love’…but next time, I pray it is not ‘The Hamster on a Piano Eating Popcorn’.      

 http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/getback/83062/brain-itch-songs/ 

Portland Embibing Age Lowered to 18 y/o

 

Apparently, you only need to be 18 to partake of a Sam Adams! 

Charles Jardine (Fly fisher, artist, ambassador)

Charles Jardine and Brown Trout

It seems, on the one hand, quite presumptuous for this Oregon FFer to tout Charles Jardine. But, because this site is for the beginner and it is presumed there is yet much to learn, I have to highlight a few things about Mr. Jardine, not because I know him, but because his writings and visuals have taught me so much (in my beginning phases and even most recently). His books ( I own two) have wonderful visuals for the beginner trying to piece together the how to’s of gear, presentation and flies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.itinerantangler.com/podcasts/2008/02/   Jardine Podcast

http://www.charlesjardine.co.uk/page1.html

http://charlesjardine.wordpress.com/

http://www.flyfair.nl/charles%20jardine.html (Mr. Jardine’s Bio)

The Fly Fishing Show (U.S. venues~dates)

Stick Fly~G. Muncy

http://www.flyfishingshow.com/Home_Page.html

Photography by Steve Perih (Fly Fishing and more)

 SLIDESHOWS: http://www.steveperih.com/ & http://www.steveperih.com/black-white/photos-pi_4.html

Saw Perih’s work on Moldy Chum. This is nice work. Hit the slide show marker and enjoy the 3 sections. I just dumped in my shot below…ignore it.

Above Harpham Flats, Deschutes River~Switters B

Renegade Fly Pattern (Simply Irresistable)

Renegade~Riverbum Pics (Matt-Utah)

The Renegade was first intro’d to me by Harry Teel about 20 years ago on the Crooked R. one evening. I have remarked about this before, that with all the flies at Harry’s disposal and with his years of knowledge, he was fishing an evening hatch of caddis with the Renegade. I am sure he could have gone straight to the EHC, but he worked the seams of the riffles with the Renegade and, of course, caught fish after fish. A few years later, I was in B.C. fishing a lake full of Kamloop’s east of  Little Fort. My memory is that I caught so many trout on the Renegade that long after the white hackle had been decimated and was trailing behind held only by the tie in point, the fly continued to catch fish. I still remember holding it up to my son, Evan, and remarking ’watch this’ and sure enough the cast produced another torpedoe off the drop. 

The fly is a simple tie and the proportions you see above are important to produce the swept back hackle fibers, so don’t use dry fly grade hackle, nor schlappen style either. Create the image in the pic. The gold tag for a touch of flash is always there too. I think you fish this dry for as long as it stays afloat and then if it goes wet, all the better. A fat peacock body is important and I would tie this in sizes 10-14. I have caught more trout on the size 10 than the size 14! Forget a bead head or ribbing. As usual, if it gets that tattered…you have had a great time and you can tie on another one.  The late Ed Story’s Crackleback is a close second to the Renegade.       

‘Warren Zevon’ Damsel (UK Stillwater Stealth)

 

“The ‘Warren Zevon’ is a fairly basic damsel nymph which, nonetheless, has been extremely successful with the White Swan Fly-fishers since its inception. Currently (October 2008 it has taken 159+ fish.” 

Hook :- Size 12 Lureflash VP200, Kamasan B175    

Thread :- Olive

Tail :- Olive Marabou

Body :- Olive Marabou

Eyes :- 2mm silver Beadchain (no bigger). Tied on top of the hookshank.

Thorax Cover :- Green Pearl Shellback (Lureflash)

Thorax :- Flou Green Antron Wool (Lureflash

http://thewhiteswanflyfishers.co.uk/flytying.aspx