Fly Fishing: Lesser Fish

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.

Wines: Serving Temps…No, Not Warm Room Temps

WINE SERVING TEMPERATURES…ENJOY

Sincere Memorial Day

Sweet Alyssum ~SwittersB~

In memory of all that have sacrificed for us: in service of our country, our liberty, our upbringing, our well being. Blessings, prayers, thanks and recognition in memory of your sacrifices.

 

A Bright Spot, A Retreat…

Bright Spot (SwittersB)

Why do we/you fly fish? A new challenge, like golf, like skiing? To be with special friend(s), who attaches great significance to the endeavor, so you do too? To fidget and fuss with gear; a love affair with process and preparation? To be near water, wind and the irregular edges of earth? “The moment”? The take, the pulse, the power, the holding on? The  catch/the kill? The catch/ the release? The reverence for a creature described as possessing but a pea brain, but that possesses your mind, heart, some would say your soul? The draw of the group, the associated bonding of the group and memories? Egocentrism, elitism, distinction? Goofball fish porn, bumism, machismo, rebel without a cause? Individuality and solitude?

After the preparation, anticipation, tinkering, tying, technical how to’s, talking, following the contemporary trends (as you may have since middle school)…..why, in your mind, do you fly fish? Strip away all the trappings and I hope you settle upon a renewing force beneath the trappings. It will be a bright spot in your life, drawing you back to rebuild, rejuvenate, re-gain your bearings. 

Birding: Standing Out

Backyard Birding (SwittersB)

If I considered anchored, vertical chironomid fishing a test of my patience, birding is far more a test of my ADD. I have had for the past few weeks these little, colorful gems in my back yard. Dozens flitting about from limb to limb. So, I thought where is that telephoto lens? 

I found myself on the back deck, leaning against a post for stability waiting for a shot at a momentary still bird. Lordy me! Every time I moved my camera the birds zipped away. I was in stealth mode and still they darted. But, this one shot was worth the effort for me. Then I could say….’Ok, enough of this’. And, no I have no idea what this little gem is. I do know they arrive every year and then move on. See comments by John Newbury..nice.

Recording Your Family Recipe Treasures

Recently, I received a piece about In Memory’s Kitchen
It is a poignant tome about a group of Jewish women housed in a concentration camp in Terezin, Cz. The women, starving, awaiting death pieced together recollections of family recipes. They wrote them down on propaganda leaflets and wrote them in a combination of languages.

Later the compilation found its way, decades later to a daughter, who had survived the camps. The book was released and as noted in many reviews is a testament to the courage and heart the women possessed. Most touching is they knew they were to die. They wrote there recipes down for what reason? In order to celebrate a past simple life…to offer a memory or record of what was? It is a touching book, not for the recipes, but for the courage and heart of women, who dined on scraps from the garbage heaps while recording their favorites.

So, from a personal point of view, I offer this also as an incentive to record any and all family recipes that are not already written on a note card or piece of paper tucked into a cookbook: my mom made the world’s best potato salad. I have never tasted a better potato salad. Yet, I never acquired the how to steps of preparing it. For, five months my mom laid in my home, in a hospice environment. I watched her slip away in a slow motion dance with death. Not once did it occur to me to ask her how she made that magnificent potato salad. It seemed inappropriate at the time. My daughter-in-law has come close in replicating it, but the recipe would have been nice….that secret combination of ingredients…that edge.

Ask your mom, dad, aunt, mother-in-law for the recipe for that special dish, sauce, rub or cooking technique. So many times it is up there in their head. It has been altered from the original many times over the years. That is ok, get the memory down and celebrate the sharing of a family treasure. Do it soon!

Fly Tying & Fishing: Mother’s Day (and beyond) Caddis

RICK HAFELE ON THE BRACHYCENTRUS OCCIDENTALIS CADDIS

Fly Tying: Overdressing the Fly

Often, simple, underdressed patterns are better producers. I tend toward the ‘if one wrap is good, two is better’ style. Give the materials, you apply to the shank, room to move, pulse, wiggle. Overdressing causes much of the materials to collapse or compress and be of little value other than thickness. Usually, this is too much thickness if you look at real life insects. 

Overdressed Shroud on Beaded Caddis Pupa

The above pattern has an Antron shroud similar to LaFontaine’s Caddis pupa patterns. It is a little heavy and the underbody of amber brown beads will be lost. The below pattern is a slightly better result with an Antron/CDC shroud.

Slightly less shrouded pupa

Below is an even sparser shroud; perhaps too sparse. However, this gives you an idea of how one pattern can have several looks with the application of materials that either reveal or hide important parts of a pattern’s body.

Sparse Shroud, Beard/Underwing

   

Fly Fishing Ponds in the Springtime

Tony Muncy

Flyfishing ponds, in the Spring, is a nice respite from the long Winter and the high runoffs of Springtime. The setting is more relaxed. The pace is, and should be, slower; a small puzzle to be solved. The smaller patterns of chironomids, dragons, damsels, scuds are perfect for subsurface presentations. Little poppers and emergers in the film can be productive in the evenings. This is 3 wt. time for smaller species, unless finessing larger bass or carp.

Many ponds are open year around. Weed growth can be a bit much in the Summer, but Spring and Fall pond fishing can be quite rewarding. Docks, rocks and shoreline structure often reinforce the fact that fish are holding to structure and close to the shoreline, as indicated in both of these pictures. Slow retrieves, almost vertical retrieves near structure, will produce fish.   

Tony has had his fair share of bigger fish, but you can see his, and Darly’s,  satisfaction with seducing these Crappie to the feathered creations.

Darly Reed with a nice Crappie (TMuncy)

Creativity: Ub Iwerks & Walt Disney

Whiling away a Sunday afternoon, I came upon an inspiring, cable show called Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story. Amazing, gifted, young men in their teens and early twenties, Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney endured the lack of familial support, industry back stabbing and little financing. We all know who Walt was, but I had never heard of Mickey Mouse’s creator, Ub Iwerks, a prolific, genius animator. If you get to see the 1999 production re Ub Iwerks do so. 

Youthful visionaries, entrepreneurial courage, Mickey’s progression of personality (Ub’s drawings/Walt’s voice); impressive, fun stuff….and censorship over too visible fluttering utters. Somethings never change. Ub Iwerks….now you know.

Walt Disney & Ub Iwerks