Stik-Itz Magnetic Utility Holders

My bro-n-law, Richard Zach, had an idea (actually several) and he is running with it. He is an avid gear guy that catches more than his share of fish and after spending considerable time on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers he has devised a handy magnetic device that would serve any fishermen in a boat (sled, drift boat or pontoon boat for sure)…it’s a strong circular magnet that will hold the pliers, files or ???. I intend to mount mine on my pontoon boats frame for my pliers, files, and forceps. Check out his site @ Stik-ItzShop.com

Coal & the American West by Paul K Anderson

Buried away in an email account I had not checked in sometime was an impressive bit of work sent to me by long time friend Tom Anderson. He flew the plane while his brother Paul took photographs showing the effects of coal mining upon the landscape.

 Once inside Paul K. Anderson’s Site…also, look at ‘About’ and gaze upon that amazing shot Paul and Tom captured of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone near Old Faithful. Paul resides in Washington and Tom in Montana. My apologies Tom for not catching this sooner. 

Fly Tying: Grey Wulff Variant by Regular Rod

Regular Rod @ Dry Fly Expert presents a variation of the Grey Wulff that presents a nice, low floating dry fly to represent the large Drakes of early Summer. Lee Wulff designed the Grey Wulff in the early 1930’s for larger mayflies he encountered while fishing the Catskills region of the U.S. The larger Wulff pattern has several variations, but the basic grey was his first Wulff pattern. Regular Rod’s variation especially focuses on that front squirrel wing. Note in his instructions he does not split that front wing, but rather leaves it a single wing. I like that for its simplicity in tying. 

THE GREY WULLF VARIANT

“Lee Wulff is considered the grandfather of catch and release fishing. In 1939, Lee Wulff released the book, Handbook of Fly Fishing, where he maps out the principals of catch and release fishing. The way he puts catch and release is that there will be more fish in the rivers, so you can come back again and again and catch fish. Also he says that the fish get smarter making them harder to catch and making the fisherman have to be more accurate with his casts. The second part of the business model is setting up organizations such as Trout Unlimited and other like it to protect the habitats that the trout live in and making the beautiful places where fishermen fish stay beautiful.”   Wiki Info

Fly Tying: The Simple Ant

The Simple Black Ant (DS Fly Fishing)

The simple Ant, blown into the stream or mountain lake. Let’s see how complicated one can make this two materials fly pattern. Foam, more visible indicators so you can see it, dubbed abdomen and thorax…I suppose those are worthy additions, but for starters black, brown, red bodies with the basic one to two turns of hackle. Floatation: would the super fine dubbing add to floatation over a thread body? 

This Ant Pattern by The Fly Guide has a nice touch of visible CDC that would aid in floatation and visibility. The dubbed abdomen/thorax would aid in floatation also.

 Both patterns are excellent producers and frankly fish engulf even the simple thread body leaving little doubt of their presence. Embellish the patterns with parachutes and foam if you must but the simple patterns work well also.

Making Fish Hooks: Old & Older

I don’t really know how fish hooks are made beyond some concoction of steel and carbon and creating a wire that is pulled through some confined hole etc. etc. I do know some individual hooks are more pleasing to the eye than others. 

This heavy wire nymph, pupa, scud, egg style hook has become quite popular in the past ten years or so. There are different variations that open up the gape, or have a lighter wire for emergers.

But, hooks have been around a very long time and history shows people survived off the fish meat while traversing land masses and the oceans.

The Making of Fish Hooks, 1870 in Victorian Passage

“Readers of the foregoing description can hardly fail to notice the extreme simplicity of most or all of the processes; and it seems strange that in such an age as ours there should be little improvement in the mode of production, as compared with the fireside practice of amateurs two hundred years ago.”  1870 more 

I could tie on this hook all day. Don't know why, I certainly have a few other favorites, but this one in aesthetically more pleasing to me.

There was a time when the Mustad 3906B was the perfect go to nymph hook. It still is a stout, perfectly shaped hook.