Photo via MidCurrent
Montana Fly Fishing Magazine is a newly released e-zine that features FF Valhalla area guides and authors that will pull out the ‘usual’ visuals and words that inspire and motivate. Liked the Winter fishing scenes too.
I particularly enjoyed the photography of Ryan Brewer, the guy holding the beautiful Brown on the front cover. Check it out…
He might be making a move on April Vokey’s image status from the testosterone side of the grip and grin equation. Nice first outing…
There is, for me, a decided uniqueness to the Fly Tying and Fly Fishing of SE Europe. One part of that uniqueness is the available Marble Trout of Slovenia. A cousin of the Brown Trout, the fish reaches large size and lives in some of the most pristine rivers, which pour into the Adriatic Sea.
A Marble Trout from Josko.Org
Take a few minutes to study up on this unique fishery and the beauty of the region at JOSKO.ORG and at Fish & Fly. I think big flies (streamers, big stones and large morsels are in order)
“If you spend every day on the water casting tiny dry flies, you might have a lot of action but your chances of hooking a trout of a lifetime are slim to none. Monster marble trout eat sculpins, crayfish, big stoneflies and most of the time small grayling.” Fish&Fly
The Marble Trout is present in several countries bordering the Adriatic Sea, but Slovenia claims the fish as theirs. High in the mountains in the Soca and Idrijca Rivers the Marble Trout return.
This evening, I decided this evening to explore Russian fly tying and made my way to Vladmir Markov and Igor Tyapkin. In the process, I found this interesting little mouse pattern by Günter Feuerstein called the Minky Mouse. You would have to find straight cut and cross cut mink and some foam. I have never fished a mouse pattern for browns, big bows or grayling. I would appear to be a good beginners pattern for a top water presentation.
A little foot tapping music and some nice fish in the S. Lappland region of Sweden. Short & Sweet
The reality on many streams and lakes is that ‘baitfish’ imitations account for many large fish. Probably, in many instances, streamers account for more trophy fish than the traditional fly patterns. That said, many anglers don’t have a streamer pattern in their boxes or forget where they are. So, a good over view of how to fish a streamer, particularly on a river is in order. There is more to it than the wet fly swing/strip it back presentation. I have an assortment of Muddler’s, Spruce Flies and, of course, Woolly Buggers in my streamer box. Do I fish them enough…nope.
Throwing Something Colorful At Them (SwittersB~PP)
As a beginning fly fisher (fly tier), you might want to explore the use of color to attract fish. This is standard thinking for Steelhead gear guys: egg color, spinner blade/body color, Corky-Birdie Drifter color. Steelhead, Pike, Saltwater fly fishers put a lot of emphasis upon color as well. Trout fisherman of old did more than we do today. So much of today’s fly pattern/presentation is focused upon sub-surface, natural tones of color, as it should be. But, as some of you might recall, Red was a common attractor color incorporated into many older patterns as a body or tail color.
I came upon an old (1964, S.I. Vault) article by Peter H. Boyle that is interesting re his experiments with Bass and Color, Movement & Flash. It is always worth a read to add variables to your arsenal of presentation to provoke a strike. Boyle’s research is indeed interesting and there is that old standby color, red, for shallow water presentations.
Photo by PP at Salmon Creek, Middle Fk. Willamette River watershed.
As Winter closed out, our minds seemed steered toward BWO’s, March Browns, Stoneflies, Caddis and the march of pending Mayflies: PMD’s, PED’s, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, on and on into the Fall’s October Caddis. Of course, that is for rivers and streams. If you fish any lakes, as I do quite a bit, then there is a whole array of different morsels to consider…I won’t bother you with that here.
I am still experimenting with Sculpin, Dace, Shiner patterns. But, aside from seeing some Sculpins last Summer, I have not done enough research on them. So, I am going to continue my observations on the water; research watersheds and lakes that I fish throughout the year, and peruse the images for streamer patterns that would match the lesser fish species scurrying about the substrate and debris of rivers and lakes.
Below image: The fly’s color maybe confusing with the bluish hue. It is Hareline’s Ice Dub UV Grey & Brown blended. It turns a mottled brown in the water.
This is one of the more intriguing parts of dry fly fishing and how to approach rising fish. The cone of view is not just relevant to how the fish sees the fly/insect, but also how that fish can see you, your rod and zipping line at times. The deeper the fish is the bigger the cone of view to the surface and to the sides (consider your rod tip and upper body as potentially visible). This is why you will see fly fishers often depicted as crouching stream/lake side to avoid detection via their movements. Truly, the beginner will learn over time as fish are spooked. Eventually, a holding/cruising fish will challenge you to slow down, reconsider your presentation and hold your breath.
Cone of View/Window @ TalkFlyFishing
Artwork by Blanca Pistillo
A few days ago, I was watching a man work a run outside of Eugene. He was working a nice little tube fly across and letting it swing through a nice seam. He was fishing for Steelhead. Obviously very eager for the vanguards of the Summer run.
About him, Caddis and a few Mayflies flitted about. More telling were the dozens of birds swooping right above the surface, dining upon the emerging insects. My immediate impulse, like most of us looking for indicators, would have been to put on a dry or emerger. And, minus the birds, I would have been nymphing. I have remarked about my mental block re streamer patterns. It almost never occurs to me, on an Oregon river, to fish a streamer (some how, it does for Browns on a lake). I have noticed the Sculpins scurrying about the rocks as I wade a river, and I did previously vow to tie more Sculpin patterns and to fish them this coming year (I need to get busy) .
Recently, on a FF discussion group, there was a decidedly pro swing the streamer contingent discussing the merits of the streamer and how some local shops downplay the worthiness of the patterns. So, this is a renewed vow to think broader….use more streamers (I know this sounds silly/elementary to many anglers about the world, who routinely swing streamers).
So for the beginning fly fisher this is a reminder to carry an assortment of streamer patterns to represent the baitfish of your regions rivers and lakes. There is a whole dimension re streamer fishing that is much like traditional Steelhead (or Pike) fishing.
I won’t reinvent the wheel here. There are several good posts, on-line, regard (‘streamer pattern tactics’) on where to cast a streamer…how to retrieve the streamer…what type of fly line to use (floating, sink tips, clear intermediates)…what patterns to use…how to tie streamer patterns. My intent here is to say…’remember the streamer’!
Spruce Fly by SwittersB
I have had the pleasure, while writing a blog, to see the broad appeal of fly fishing around the world. Some parts of this world seem harder to explore than others, to gather a sense of fly fishing. One of these places was Iran. Iran is often overshadowed by ranting, fist waving leaders. In fact, Iran is an immensely beautiful country, full of expansive history, sophisticated culture and beautiful people.
Recently, SwittersB was fortunate to make the acquaintance of Amir Salehi, via Maryam Peigahi on Facebook. Currently, Amir lives in Sweden. However, he was so kind to provide information about his early fly fishing in Iran.
Further Amir writes: “In north of Iran there is a chain of maintains called “Alborz”. These mountains contain plenty of springs and rivers that support the water of cities as well.
