Happy Easter from on High

I found this pleasant piece over at Spieleckevonhilde WordPress and enjoyed it enough to share on this beautiful Sunday. Happy Easter to all in whatever way you may recognize it or not.

‘Mystery Woods~God’s Kingdom’

Nature: Perpetual Ocean’s Surface Currents

This is an interesting video that has reportedly hit the viral circuit called Perpetual Ocean. The forces of nature never cease to amaze and impress. The images were collected by NASA, over a  two year period, of ocean flow data, which was compiled into the animation. Interesting.

Perpetual Ocean (NASA Ocean Flow Data)

Early Season Warmth & Cold Water

The early season forces of nature conflict: the sun’s warmth barely touches the depths of the water. The wind blows across the lake’s surface and the skin feels the chill of the dissolved ice. The hands are cold from the trout’s skin. Releasing the trout back into the water numbs the hands. You then sit back, look upward and smile as the sun’s warmth bathes your face. 

Not the biggest trout, not the most colorful, but aggressive and tough.

 

Photography: Spring’s Transitions

I parked beneath this tree today. It was a clear, sunny day. A hint of warmth finally in the air. Such beauty caught my eye and I snapped a quick shot with the ‘droid. Tonight, a front pushed in and it rained hard and blew too. I am sure the blossom’s petals fluttered down. Nature’s way of helping along the transitions of Spring time 

Fly Tying: Full Steam Ahead………………

I store most of my flies in boxes with little cubicles. Later they may get transferred into the foamed fly box. The flies, especially the dries are often smooshed together over time. The hackles are askew and different than how they looked out of the vise. If one takes the time, steam can be used to resurrect those flies. It can also be used to spruce up fly tying materials. Here Don Bastian provides helpful advice on steaming feathers. Don has a very nice ‘wet fly’ site. There is much to be inspired by on Don’s site.

Fly Tying: Higa’s SOS Pattern

Here is a perfect beginner’s fly pattern that I found over at Outsmarting Fish. The SOS Pattern by Spencer Higa is deceptively simple to tie, but has all the nymph/pupa components that are helpful with other such patterns. And, it will catch fish!

Full Figured Dressings (Mannequins & Hooks)

Swedish Mannequins Getting Bigger?

Over the last decade or so, everything in fly fishing seems sparse, lean, smaller, lighter. Ever lighter fly rods, thinner waders, fabrics, and ever smaller fly patterns. Efficient and seemingly productive. 

I am not advocating for heavier rods or clothing. But, larger, more full figured fly patterns do have their place in the fly box. Size 18 (fly patterns here) are necessary, but a size 14 (fly pattern or clothing size) is often closer to the reality of what is normally used. 

Perfect your fly tying on larger sized hooks and scale down the proportions and materials to smaller hooks over time. Trying to go to smaller sizes too soon only leads to frustrations, whether dieting or fly tying.

Snow Peak Opens in Portland, Oregon (Lapel Torch)

Snow Peak opened there first USA store in Portland, Oregon and offers exceptional camping gear in their store located at 410 NW 14th. (503.697.3330), in the Pearl District. I saw this nifty little light over on This Is Fly and thought I would share the gizmo (Lapel Torch) here.

Lapel Torch by Snow Peak

Fly Fishing & PTSD (Easing the Burdens………..)

Nature has the ability to ease our burdens, to re-center parts of us at least. Here is a piece by Martha Hyde on the benefits of fly fishing in easing the traumas of PTSD. Wounded Warriors Project is but one example of this. Standing alone with the swirl of traumas is a very lonely place to be. The draw of the waters and the mental process of fly fishing and perhaps fly tying is quite therapeutic for many.

FLY FISHING & PTSD

Fly Tying: Seeing Red…………..

Red used to be a hot spot of sorts for fly patterns. The fly patterns that sat in plastic bins in hardware stores (pre-flyshop/online sales days) sometimes had that red hackled-fibered tail. There has been a recent spurt of hot colored beads and hackles that allow for that insertion of a bright ‘hot spot’ to perhaps attract the take.

If you do any research on colors and their visibility in water, you learn the color red supposedly fades first as it descends down through the water…past depths of 10 feet. Is it even worth the effort to include a hot spot? Is red even visible on that tail or beard (suggesting gills or blood)? Well, I have experimented with hot colors of orange, blue, chartreuse, red and have had the best results with red.

Experimentation is a very special part of fly tying and fishing for me and many fly fishers. Experiment with colors. Sometimes it is a one time success and sometimes the experiment yields years of special moments. All part of the fun.