Foxee Prawn for Steelhead (Spey Fly from Charles St. Pierre of Washington State) & The Stinger Hook Setup

St. Pierre's Foxee Prawn

The fly has the Temple Dog style wing, but kind of in dual form. The body is not smothered by too much palmered hackle fibers and the electrical energy coming off these makes them appear to come with batteries (did I write that?). The fly looks to be pretty aerodynamic and the color combo’s would be interesting.  The wing would not tangle with the stinger hook and the sparkle dubbing puts out light as well.

The flies originator is Charles St. Pierre, the owner of Northwest Speycasting near Seattle, Washington. I shot these just setting on some paper w/ the little Pentax Optio W60 (my tuck in my pocket fishing camera). I didn’t pull out the Macro lens with better lighting for the best affect…to do justice to the patterns.  You get the idea. Arctic Fox, Goat or Temple Dog for the wing will work. Batteries not included.

Stinger Setup for Spey Flies

Stinger Setup (Waddington Shank & Stinger)The Waddington Shank (double eyed shank) is affixed to the Stinger Hook by Berkeley Fireline (I could be wrong, but I believe the above pic is using a shank with the bend cut off and regular backing material, which was typical until Fireline came to the front...Fireline is stiffer and helps maintain the alignment of stinger to shank.)

Stinger, Fireline & Waddington Shank

Paul Harvey dead at 90 (‘good day’ to you…God’s speed)

I remember being just of of high school and working for a sheetrock company…carrying bundles of sheetrock into construction sites. I did this with men, who were enormously strong and agile, while they negotiated planks over ditches or over the foundations, up stairs and through the mazes of studs and doorways. Tough work. At lunch we would find a place to sit and the small radio would emerge and there would be Paul Harvey. There was eating, listening and the after Paul a bit of affirmative comments, then the thermos was put away and the lunch pails were closed and America’s work force got up off their collective butts and marched back to finish their work. I have always remembered those days of hard work with older men, eating three sandwiches for lunch and still losing weight and the melodious, mischievous voice of Paul Harvey….an icon has passed.   

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-02-28-paul-havey-obit_N.htm

“In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.”
http://www.paulharvey.com/

Obama’s Enviro Picks (What is the current status re PEBBLE MINE?)

Steven Chu, Carol Browner, Ken Salazar, Barack Obama

This it the Big O’s Dream Team. These are your saviors. These are the ones that will STOP PEBBLE MINE. Are you writing them? Share the reponses you have received so far. Perhaps ol’ Ted Williams is in direct communication with some of them. What is Ted hearing about the immediate plans to STOP PEBBLE MINE?

Obama and the Mining Cartel

http://www.counterpunch.org/conn08232008.html   (huh, I thought it was Palin that was so evil with Prop. 4?) 

“Obama in bed with the mining industry…CHANGE…What a laugh”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4984417&mesg_id=4986218

What do you think that piece of shit, Harry Reid brings to the table….mining $$$$ 

NW Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing EXpo (Albany, Oregon…..March 13/14, 2009)

http://www.nwflytyerexpo.com/

http://www.nwflytyerexpo.com/PDF/tyer_schedule_2009.pdf

Something for everyone at the Tying Expo. Check the link for the tying schedule and note there are people also tying on Friday, during the day. This expo is user friendly. Sit down and watch. Take notes and ask questions. You will always learn something, regardless of your skill sets. 

The site has the directions in the lower right hand corner

cliff jumping: “oh, f#&k” is right

http://www.maniacworld.com/scary-cliff-jump.html

Nose Art to the drift boat (peace time display)

There is huge following for vintage WWII (and other theaters) Nose Art. I have posted re this before and receive numerous enquiries about the imagery and art form. Over at Buster, they have combined the perfect peace time vessel for displaying Nose Art…shopped perhaps, but not a bad idea for the artistic & skilled……… http://busterwantstofish.com/?p=1362  

Peaceful Nose Art @ Busters

Of course, I am mindful we are not at peace. One of my employees is headed for his 3rd tour in the Middle East. Perhaps the thoughts are that the above displays will become peace time.    

Trout in the Alpine Lakes of Washington (the thinking about management)

Hidden L., N. Cascades~http://flickr.com/photos/treveri/183701770

 

This is an interesting site because it explains the scope of stocking in North Cascades alpine lakes (and elsewhere) as well as the management philosophy behind ‘put and take’ programs. Numbers are not the priority. A balance  between fish, salamanders and nymphs appears to be the focus…this maintains food for the fish, avoids stunted ‘anorexic’ growth and a good fishing experience. Not sure I care about the ‘experience the habitat’ before man intro’d the fish bit, but stocking fish into previously empty lakes is a recent phenomenon. What is also interesting is the number of unstocked lakes…I hope those are highlighted in synopses for hikers: “This is a pristine lake, as it was centuries ago, untouched by fins.”

“The North Cascades National Park commissioned a scientific study to determine the effects of fish on the natural biota of mountain lakes, such as insects and amphibians. This study was done by William Liss, Gary Larson, and Robert Hoffman. Their results show that high densities of fish, which are basically lakes that have reproducing fish, have a negative effect on the balance of the natural biota in a lake. In contrast, they could find no measurable differences in the biota between lakes that have low densities of fish and those that have never had any fish. In other words, modest numbers of non-reproducing fish have little or no effect on the biota. For this reason, the Hi-Lakers support the present policy of the WDFW to stock low densities of fish in all mountain lakes.”    http://www.hilakers.org/pages/science.html

Ban Gillnetting (period! punto!)

 

http://gillnetskill.blogspot.com/

Pull every damn net out of the Columbia River. I don’t want to hear why not…I don’t care. Remove the nets. No more agreements to balance commercial interests and historic guilt…just remove them…don’t buy them off…set a date and be done. I am sure there are some damn bailout $$$ to assuange the guilt of nutless legislators and commissioners. 

Catch Magazine (next installment coming tomorrow…sign up for visual bliss)

Pretty well highlighted by the blogs, sites and rags, but in case you have been busy….CATCH Magazine, the ezine image fix for fly fishing exploits ranging from its’ hub in the Pacific NW and far, far beyond, is due out tomorrow. Sign up to recieve the monthly installment of amazing photography,  presentation and the destinations many of us only dream about. Now that disposable income is at risk or awaiting the Nanny State’s acquisition…we need the visual motivation to dream, endure and if you are one of the fortunate, to plan. Subscribe to receive the magazine and you are always eligible in the monthly drawing for prizes…..

Please forward a link to Catch Magazine to anyone you know who would enjoy Catch Magazine and who might like a chance to win some of our great prizes. The Subscription Contest prize, for the March issue, is a pair of men’s, and a pair of women’s, Oakley polarized sunglasses. All new and existing subscribers will be automatically entered to win these great fly fishing glasses. A men’s winner and a women’s winner will be picked April 30th. Winners of our subscription contest and other prizes and trips will be posted on our blog. Click here to view our blog.  The March issue cover shot features a beautiful sunset bonefishing shot with Avalon Fishing Centers Cuba.

Thank You Brian O’Keefe and Todd Moen      (http://catchmag.blogspot.com/)

http://www.switchpod.com/users/mattstansberry/BRIANOKEEFENEWFLYMEDIA.mp3    (Listen to Brian O’Keefe and Matt discuss Catch Magazine….great inteview)