The Chronicles of Sir Castalot

Harvey Style Leaders.........

2011-07-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Much has been written about leaders and there are so many varieties of them out there that one barely knows where to start. Like other pieces of equipment, leaders get some attention but not as much as they should. The job they have to do is deliver the fly to its target. And that is a pretty important job or purpose. So why isn't more thought given to this? Who knows.

One of the most famous leader designs of all time was developed by George Harvey. Its as much a way of thinking on leaders as it is design. George Harvey understood the leader and its importance to the whole fly fishing game.

George Harvey was one of the true giants in Pennsylvania fly fishing history. Born in DuBois, Pennsylvania on November 14, 1911, George Harvey spent most of his life in Central Pennsylvania, teaching and writing about fly fishing. He graduated from Penn State University in 1935 with a Bachelor’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture. During his time at Penn State, he had the good fortune to meet and fish with Ralph Watts, Dean of the School of Agriculture. Dean Watts not only organized the first unofficial fly fishing class at Penn State, but recommended George Harvey for the position of instructor at the Mont Alto Forestry School, which is a part of Penn State. George Harvey moved to the main campus in 1942 and continued his angling classes, which because an officially credited class in 1947, called “Principles and Techniques of Fly Fishing and Fly Tying.” This was the first accredited college fly fishing class in America. He continued teaching the course until his retirement in 1972 and retired as an Associate Professor of Physical Education.

Folks usually get interested in and learn about the Harvey style leader when they begin fishing over selective trout and find that the technical nature of the fishing requires something more. Something that a leader on a fly shop wall just can't deliver. It will have you tying some of your own leaders. Use one and have success with it, you will use them from now on.

So what is a Harvey leader and why the big deal over it? First, a bit of background. A good many- - -well, most I should say - - -commercially available leaders are built on a 60 /20/20 taper. 60 percent butt, 20 percent taper, and 20 percent tippet. They carry lots of energy from the line to the leader and this pushes everything out nicely so that the fly goes to its target and the leader straightens out perfectly. That is fine for some fishing, like ponds, lakes, saltwater, etc, but if you are fishing over selective fish and fishing in current the last thing you want is a straight leader. Why? A straight leader causes drag....and a dragging fly the fish will ignore. George Harvey knew the real key was to design a leader with just enough butt to turn over the leader but that would not transfer so much energy or power that it would straighten the leader. He came up with several formulas, and its more of a style than a specific formula, but I have found them to be very effective for fishing over selective fish of our tailwater rivers like the Smith, Jackson, Watauga, Clinch, and South Holston.

Here are some formulas, a couple of them are from Gary Borger and his rendition of the Harvey Style leader.

Fly Size 10-16 : 4 feet of .016 Leader Material, 4 feet of .010 tippet, and 4 feet of 3, 4 or 5X

Fly Size 16-24 : 4 feet of .014 Leader Material, 4 feet of 3x tippet, 4 feet of 5,6, or 7X.

Illustration above is my variation with a fluorocarbon tippet of 6X.

Tie some of these up and give them a try..... Good fishing.

Dog Days Fishing......

2011-07-31T11:52:00.001-07:00

"There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process."

~by Paul O'Neil, 1965~

Fly fishing through the various seasons and changes can be a challenging endeavor, especially if your goal is to catch fish..... In my line of work I see on a daily basis folks get in the water, immediately start casting, sloshing through the water, making noise....all while not once observing the state of the water they have just entered. The way I see it, it is almost like they are attacking the river. Fishing the water rather than fishing with purpose.....to the fish. Here are some ideas/tips that might help you enjoy success astream during the dog days of summer and into fall- - - which with low water can be a challenging time to catch fish.

There are two approaches to fly fishing, both can work at certain times of the year, but only one usually works this time of year. Let me explain.... if I may...

One approach is what I call run and gun or shot gunning. The person has tied on a fly he thinks should work, steps into the water, and immediately starts casting. Casting here, casting there, long, short, and all lengths in between. He sees a rising fish and casts to it...maybe once, twice, three times, then moves on. If another fish rises, he casts to that one. He changes flies once, twice, or many times....and more often if he's not getting any action. I am convinced folks do this because at times it does work. Late winter/early spring when the water is up, the fish aren't spooky, they are looking to eat, and fishing the water will produce fish. The trouble comes though, when one has been successful with this approach and then several months later steps into the same river, does the same thing as before, and gets a much different result. So what changed? The answer? Everything and change everything. The conditions are different, the water is lower and clearer and the fish are spooky. Different flies are hatching now, unlike the larger bugs of spring. Also, the fish have been hammered by fishing pressure all spring and they are leader shy and will easily spook. I see the above scenario over and over and over and get emails and calls about it , and folks ask 'I did everything I usually do and no fish, not even a strike". And I think to myself, you just indentified the problem with your question...everything.

Enter the second approach: A careful, intentional, focused approach that takes into account the following:

1) conditions have changed, and challenging conditions require discipline. Stop casting constantly, and false casting so much .....false casting everywhere is spooking fish.
2) Use the right flies, not as many bugs hatching right now so use small flies and terrestrials.
3) Use the shortest casts you can get away with, knowing that a shorter cast lands over fewer dissimilar currents and is easier to manage...and you won't spook fish with constant line mends to keep the fly drifting properly.
4) Use specialty casts - curves, reach casts, etc., to get good drifts. If you don't know these, learn them. They are valuable casts to add to your bag of tricks.
5) Overall, cast less and observe more. Look at those spider webs along the bridge or trees where you got into the river....whatever bugs have been hatching will get caught there ...spiders will be eating them too.
6) Watch where you walk and get into the water, and also only wade if necessary. Take care not to make a splash or wake. Summer trout and smallmouth love margin areas of a stream because that is where overhangs are and where bugs fall in....beetles, ants, inchworms, you name it.
7) Don't overlook skinny water (only inches deep)- - -You will catch fish in skinny water - - - edges, banks, tailouts of long pools......these fish are easy to catch if you don't spook them first....as they are in shallow water to do one thing....EAT. If you see a fish that is spooked coming from behind you you aren't wading quietly enough. This season, to date the largest dry fly fish caught on any of our trips was a 23" male brown trout that was in less than 10 inches of water.....on a bank, in a spot exactly like I have described above.
8) Water can warm excessively in the summer. Fish with a thermometer and if you find water approaching 70F or more and you are fishing for trout, fish else where. Going upstream is one option. Water temps near 70F the fish become lethargic and often can't be revived if caught and handled. Optimum temperatures are 55-60F for most trout species. Smallmouths low to mid 70sF.
9) Wear natural clothing that allows you to blend in. Bright colors spook fish, wear earth tones, drab clothing etc. Once fish are spooked its too late.
10) Use appropriate gear, from wading stuff (wet wading) to rods (a lighter rod, maybe a 3wt instead of a 5wt), and rigs (dry fly with a dropper nymph instead of a big strike indicator and two huge split shot). Using appropriate gear with help you avoid disturbing the water any more than is necessary.
11) Have plenty of attractors, terrestrials, and small patterns. In summer, other than the occasional sulphur or Cahill , most natural bugs are small ( like #20-24 Blue Winged olives, #22-24 blackflies). A well stocked terrestrial box is always a good idea, as trout fill in the gaps in their caloric intake with these food items.
12) Keep a low profile, don't get on a high rock or bank and try to spot fish and then fish to them as they can or will see you and will flee in terror.
13) Stalk fish or the spot, get into position carefully, then present the fly to that fish or spot. This works better than willy nilly firing a thousand casts over the water in hopes of getting a strike.
14) Pay attention to a foam line, bubble line, debris line.....with the reduced flow/volume of summer trout use these 'lines' to feed as the line is a conveyor belt that brings food into the location.
15) Lastly, don't forget bug repellent and sunscreen. If you use deet, don't get it or sunscreen on your line, rod, or flies, as it can damage gear and fish can smell the stuff. Neutrogena makes a fantastic sunscreen product. I like the SPF70, and to keep it off your stuff use the back of your hand to apply it.

Hope these tips help you in your summer fishing......Good fishing!

Riseforms.......

2011-07-31T11:02:00.001-07:00

Riseforms......the tell tale ring of a feeding trout on the water's surface. For many anglers its what fly fishing is all about.....casting to a rising fish. But rising fish, though feeding and an easy visible target, can be difficult to catch, particularly if you can't tell what the fish are feeding on. In this short piece, I will give you a few ideas on fishing to rising trout..and what some of the different types of rises are...and what they indicate.....and most importantly, what you may want to consider if you are to be successful fishing to them. In our area anglers are most likely to have these opporunities to cast to risers on our tailwater rivers...but you will see them everywhere on occasion.

It is important to note that while trout all rise at one time or another all trout don't necessarily act the same from river to river. Also, the size of the rise is not always indicative of the size of the fish. Observation is the key, we need to study the fish, fish behavior, and the foods they eat more than we do assembling a vast array of equipment and flies. Here are a few of the riseforms that are common and that you are likely to see if you fish over rising fish regularly:

1) The Bulge - With this type of riseform the fish is taking subsurface insects, quite possibly midges or mayfly nymphs just under the surface. On area waters this is common with blue winged olives and sulphurs. One way to fish to this rise is with a small nymph or midge pupae just under the surface under a tiny indicator or dry fly (using the nymph or pupae as a droppper), or using a greased leader technique. The latter involves using paste floatant and coating the leader down to within a few inches to 10" of the fly, leaving this last portion untreated. The fly will then drift in the area of the water column that is just under the surface.

2) Boils - similar to a bulge rise, but more violent, and this feeding is also occurring just under the surface. The rise is usually not only violent but erratic as the food item is struggling or is quite animated or active. Usually this rise involves mayfly emergers or caddis emergers. One way to fish this rise is like the above but imparting a twitch or pulsing movement to the fly right as it comes into view of the fish. You can also get above the fish, put yourself at an angle to it, and 'raise' the fly while twitching it as it swings in front of the boiling trout. Another option, and this works well on occasion, is to strip the fly like a streamer, except that you use tiny half to one inch strips, imparting a slight and short pause every 8 or 10 strips....this can be deadly during a hatch.

3) Sips - the sipping rise is classic and if you can see the fish its great fun to watch a trout feed this way...especially if its a large fish. Sips clue you in that a fish is eating small surface insects or slower emergers in the surface film. Small mayfly duns, midges, and mayfly spinners all will cause this type of rise. Sippers are often found in quiet edgewaters, pools, eddies, tailouts, and other margins where the water is slow. Beetles and ants fall into this category as once they fall in they sit very low in the surface film....and they will almost always be sipped. Also, shallow, gentle riffs are a good place to see sippers as well.

4) Head Risers - this rise in one in which the fish lifts its head or part of its head almost vertically out of the water. This type of rise is almost always going to coincide with surface food. So in order to be successful you would fish a surface fly....our CDC emerger flies are murderous on this type of fish......like last week when we nailed a 23" plus brown trout on the South Holston that was head rising. The fish ate a #18 dorothea emerger.... Usually head risers tend to be the larger, more mature fish and they do it so well they seem to make an art of it. Head risers are often eating emerging mayflies that are halfway through the surface film, spinners, terrestrials, and they are often bank feeders as well.

5) Gobblers - this happens a lot out west when the fish have lots of food coming to their feeding station. Have only seen it once before around here, and that is the South Holston tailwater. The food or hatch has to be heavy. I have seen this during some heavy sulphur emergences, and also witnessed it on the Missouri River in Montana during the caddis flights and Silver Creek in Picabo, Idaho during a morning Trico spinner fall. In this type of rise the fish rises and takes a food item once every second for ten seconds or more, then stopping the rising and taking time to swallow all the food it captured. This type of rising is very rare but when you see it it is a sight to behold.....it makes you quiver and shake and your knees will knock together...

6) Porpoising - with a porpoising rise you see the head, back, dorsal, and tail in a slow parade as the fish takes food....this rise sometimes exaggerates the fish's true size. Porpoising indicates the presence of smaller, emerging flies, and to catch fish doing this you will want an array of mayfly nymphs and emergers, midge pupae and emergers, and all of them should be in the film patterns or ones that sit low on the water.

7) Tailing - very uncommon unless the water has lots of weedbeds or vegetation...fish feeding this way are likely rooting out mayfly nymphs, cressbugs, scuds, and whatever else they can find.

8) Splashy Rises - often belies a small or juvenile fish, they seem to get really excited about feeding.....and often seeing a really splashy rise is really nothing more than small fish. This happens alot during a caddisfly emergence, and with some swiftly emerging mayflies too. Moving the fly or twitching it, stripping it, raising it in front of a fish doing this will work well.

Hopefully this will give you a little insight into the riseforms of trout. They are amazing creatures, and coming up with the right fly and/or technique for the rising fish of the moment is about as good as it gets...especially if a fish winds up in the net.

The Art of Seduction............

2011-05-03T22:42:00.001-07:00

"Why does a Frenchman kiss a lady's hand?....He has to start somewhere. In either seduction or fly fishing it is silly to proceed without a plan. This book is my plan for selecting a dry fly or emerger pattern to fish. And besides, no one is clamoring for me to write a book on seduction..."
-Gary LaFontaine in the preface to his excellent book The Dry Fly: New Angles .

Norman Mailer was a brilliant yet controversial writer, poet, playwright, novelist, and more. In his later years it was no secret that Carole Mallory was his mistress. Seducing him probably wasn't all that difficult....I mean, he was on his sixth wife at the time. Painters, authors, chefs, and a myriad others seek to seduce and I think what we do to the fish as fly anglers is no different.

The most important thing to understand is that seduction only works when the other party is cooperative, is contributing, and is in some way interested in what we are doing. That's the rub. Finding an interested subject.....again I believe our job astream is not much different.

Simply put, 'seduction' is the process of deliberately enticing some form of engagement. 'Seduce' stems from Latin and literally means "to lead astray", or in applicable language, to be led into making a choice that would otherwise not be made if the subject were not being controlled at the moment by desire or senses. Its a lot easier to seduce when the present state of the subject makes them open to it. And as anglers, if we want to be successful at whatever form of seduction we have in mind, we have to pick out the right targets......those who are most likely to fall for it. And yet often as anglers we treat all of our targets the same....come up with that magic cast, magic fly, magic that opens every fish mouth.....and that doesn't happen. Maybe in some things but not in fly fishing. It is important and what matters most is seeking out the right targets.

A lot of folks wonder how we catch numbers of fish consistently on guided trips. I believe the reason is pretty simple. I know the places well and have fished them in all conditions and seasons and am familiar with them and where the fish will be before a cast is ever made. We do a lot of nymphing at certain times of the year, and beginners are often amazed at the numbers we can amass. Again, I believe the answer is simple. Trout feed 80-90% of the time subsurface. That is a given. We spend our entire day fishing with flies I know work only to places I know the fish will be and using a method that corresponds to the way they almost always are feeding.....subsurface. Seeking out the right targets.

It works the same at other times of the year with the dry fly.....and sometimes in some places it can occur with dry flies all year. Two such friends and anglers Dr. Jim Sellers and Bill Feisler, both of Greensboro, have almost magical abilities with a dry fly. They know where fish are most likely to rise, what they will likely take, possess almost flawless skills to deliver the fly to the target...and they spend their time fishing to fish where they are most likely to rise with something that they are most likely to eat. Seeking out the right targets.

It takes time on the water, reading, studying, experimenting, and you have to be alert and soak in all that you come across. Keeping a fishing log, fishing a lot, and learning from your time on the water all contribute to success. Its a process of learning to spend most of your time in places where the method and setupflies/rigging you are using are being constantly presented to fish that are most susceptible to fall to your presentations.

Because in the end, the art of seduction lies in seeking out the right targets.

Its Time for You To Fly.........

2011-04-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

This article to be featured in an upcoming June 2011 issue of "Today's Men" magazine...

in 1992, Robert Redford's film "A River Runs Through It" won the Academy Award for cinematography and also introduced millions of people to a sport that most had probably never even heard of. Against a backdrop of rugged Montana scenery movie watchers looked on as Brad Pitt exclaimed "....in Montana, there's three things we are never late for....church, work, and fishing." The movie was not only about fly fishing, but much more than that it was a movie about relationships among people in the context of fly fishing. And fly fishing remains much the same outdoor, relationally rich activity it was then and that is has always been.

Fly Fishing is mostly different in terms of the equipment one would use. In Fly fishing, we fish for trout, bass, bream, saltwater fish......just about everything. The rod itself is usually seven to nine feet long, and has a very simple reel and a thick plastic line that is heavy enough when cast properly to pull a fly and sometimes weight with it a significant distance through the air. In regular fishing, one would push a button and cast a heavy lure on the end of a very thin fishing line. In fly fishing, the angler is casting the line and the lure (fly) is just being pulled along or going for a 'ride.' We use lures fashioned out of natural materials like fur, feathers, and hair, and often craft these items to resemble an insect, minnow, crayfish, or most any item that a fish might find attractive.

Over the two decades since 1992 the sport of fly fishing has grown leaps and bounds. It is a great activity that can be done alone, with family, friends, co-workers, and business clients, really anyone. It is a great networking tool and connection tool for establishing contact with a prospective client. I see a lot of this today, and its one of the primary benefits of the business I am in.

Here in the Triad, the sport enjoys an enthusiastic following. For me, it has provided a vocation and an avocation for more than two decades: I have been fly fishing for over 30 years and still love it just as much as when I began. As a Professional fly fishing guide and Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor, I own and operate a Fly Fishing Guide and Outfitting business that provides a good living, flexible schedule, travel to great places, and the opportunity to meet and get to know as friends some really great people. Most folks are not only clients, but also my friends.

Folks often get started in this wonderful sport in several ways. I got started early on with my father who made sure I had the opportunity to experience fishing. I later moved on to fly fishing because it was so intriguing and interesting. Many folks get introduced to fly fishing by a friend, family member, co-worker, or business client. Still others take a class or private lessons. Mac Cheek, one customer and friend of mine who I recently asked how best to get one started said "...you find someone like you, a professional who can show you the ropes and help you make progress." Mac did just that several years ago, and now is one of the best fly fishermen I know.

Recently I had the privilege of having lunch with a long time friend and customer David Carter of Greensboro, NC. David has been on many guided trips with me over the pas 15 years or so. In many ways David represents a good example of a typical path so many take in getting started fly fishing. As a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 paper products company in Maine, David left the 8 to 5 corporate job to become an entrepreneur. But before leaving, David had been invited by a group of guys to try his hand as fly fishing and he took them up on it.

A hunter and golfer too, David had a back surgery that would stand to limit some of his more strenuous activities. He had tried fly fishing once with the group of guys and loved it. David remembered seeing a guide in Maine, Cleo Dupwee, someone who was really good and had guided famous folks like Curt Gowdy to name one, and David was amazed at how Cleo could cast a weightless fly such a long way and put it in a coffee can. In David's own words....."I was mesmerized." Though it would lie dormant for a while longer, the fly fishing 'seed' had been planted.

David soon took opportunity to move south to North Carolina and he started his own company, a now very successful company called Emerging Technologies. Now a successful entrepreneur, David is also an avid fly angler. But before he got serious about it he recounts meeting now friend Steve Caldwell, a realtor from Roanoke, VA, and seeing Steve's license plate that had a fly fishing theme on it. David mentioned it to Steve and asked if he fly fished and Steve's response was "yes I do, we ought to go sometime." David took him up on it, and they did a trip to Virginia and got into quite a few fish. David loved it, and in his words David said "I was hooked...."

And such is the case for so many who start fly fishing. Like many young men who grew up playing and enjoying adventures in a creek or stream, looking for minnows, frogs, crayfish, and the like----fly fishing is a "mature" way of returning back to nature just like that. And the best part is that it is all happening and you are growing more and more oblivious to the stress, ringing phone, and all the stuff at the office that makes life so hectic. Its like going to play in the creek in the woods ......."a couch day" as my friend David Carter says.....a day of therapy so to speak that is more enjoyable than going to see a therapist.....

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the sport for me is the career opportunity it affords me. Teaching classes, private lessons on and off the water, doing group classes, guiding fly fishing trips, tying flies, and teaching classes for the University of NC at Greensboro, the City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department, as well as A Fly Fishing 101 Class for Guilford Technical Community College are some of the ways I earn a living and help many individuals like David and others start a wonderful lifelong hobby like fly fishing.

Finally, North Carolina is blessed to have a lot of creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds to play in. Once folks get started in fly fishing, they will find numerous places to enjoy their new hobby. Local venues like Stone Mountain State Park in Wilkes and Alleghany counties, South Mountains State Park in Burke County, Wilson Gorge in Caldwell County, the Mitchell River in Surry County, and the Smith River in nearby Henry County, Virginia-----not to mention the numerous local lakes Townsend, Brandt, Higgins, and local ponds and also fishing in Eastern and coastal North Carolina. The opportunities are nearly limitless......

Don't you think its time for you to fly?

Winter Lies......

2011-02-11T05:31:00.001-08:00

Not telling lies or fish stories, no, not talking about that. Fishing Lies......places you find fish...where fish live, eat, stay......where the big guys are.... Simply defined a fish lie is a place where a fish is and that also is a purpose tied to it....there are resting lies, feeding lies, holding lies, prime lies. Each offers fish something different.....a prime lie offers them everything in one spot. And in a typical stream its where you find the largest fish and typically the largest concentrations of fish. The photo on this post is showing a prime winter lie.....a deep green spot or trough bordered by huge rocks. The red arrow represents the direction of the current. The yellow lines are where the fish live in this particular run on Big Cedar Fork just north of Abingdon, VA. This is a typical winter lie for trout...not in a heavy riffle at the head of a pool, not in a swift run....not in a shallow tailout where you'd find them in summer. They are in deep water with a little current but not a lot...and where you find one trout you are almost certain to find more.

And remember......look for deep green spots with only a little current.......Good fishing....!

Jeff

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing
"Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion"
3703 Windspray Court
Summerfield, NC 27358
336.944.3628
www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless HTC Windows Mobile

Presentation is Everything.....

2010-12-31T11:37:00.001-08:00

"90 % of the game is half mental..." -Yogi Berra

Much of what I do and teach others to do is to think through problems on the water and find solutions. When I got into guiding years ago it didn't take me long to figure out that perfect days were few and far between...and for me to be consistently successfully in putting clients and fish and putting landed fish in the net I was going to have to learn to adapt. To think, to think ahead, and to learn the finer points of presentation.....which by the way, is the entirety of what we do the moment we beginning putting on gear. It includes our gear, casting, our knowledge (and study off the water), observation, practice, fly tying (if you do that), .....simply put its everything that contributes to a landed fish in the net.

Over the season I often make notes and write down ideas as they come to mind. Its winter and a good time to polish basic skills, so here are a few notes I have made over the years that have helped me become a better fly angler and guide. Hopefully you will find some helpful tips here as well....some are well developed ideas, some are still developing, still others are in the 'rambling' stage. But so it is......and hope it helps you greatly enjoy your time astream.

Notes From My Guidelog:

Size Matters The fly size when matching a hatching insect is of paramount importance, and ignoring it will likely get you some lonely drifts through water that is teeming with feeding trout....in other words... if you want that large brown trout rising in front of you to show you some love, make sure your bug is the right size. Here's a tip that works for me-- - capture a natural insect and make a note of or measure its body size in millimeters. To do this, you can put a business card in your vest and a Black Sharpie Pen. Then, take the captured fly, lay it on the card, and with a line mark each end of the body. You now have the exact length, which you can then take home and use a metric ruler to determine the body length. Once you know the body length, make note of it in your fishing log, along with the stream the bug came from, the date, all other pertinent information, etc. From this point on whether you are tying or buying your flies you now have a rule of measure that will help you select the proper size.

Be Extra Observant I love Yogi Berra and his famous statements of obvious facts....but he gets the point across. He used to say "you can observe a lot just by watchin...". Yep, I agree. But its suprising how oblivious anglers are sometimes. This sounds silly, but often what occurs on the river is that folks are more interested in casting than catching. Take times when there's a hatch, for example. What occurs during a hatch is that fish in different areas of the pool might be feeding on different stages of the fly that is hatching....if you don't observe the riseform, there's no way to tell exactly what the fish just took. One example is a cool weather hatch we have called Baetis or blue winged olives. These flies are swimmer type mayflies, and they love islands and smooth small gravel runs. Fish that station themselves in the riffles or near the riffles may only see ascending nymphs, or struggling emergers, or maybe a mix of the two. Fish positioned right or left or slightly downstream may be seeing emergers in the greatest number, while fish in the tailouts might see only a few emergers and a mix of duns and cripples (flies that are stillborn or die trying to get out of the nymphal shuck). That is one reason I believe there is no 'miracle ' fly .....otherwise we'd always be able to catch fish consistently no matter the situation and no matter the fly. And that is impossible. Don't believe this? Next time you fish a hatch or anywhere for that matter ask the handful of guys catching all the fish. My bet is that they are all using different flies.

If what you are using isn't working, and you can see fish still feeding on hatching insects, back up one life stage, change the size, or both. This is sort of playing off the point before this one, but sometimes it is the right fly, right size, but wrong stage. If you are using a dun or dry fly, try an emerger. If you are using an emerger, try a nymph or a dropper off your dry fly- -- you kind of get the gist of it. This is one technique that is very effective, mentioned by Gary Borger in his most excellent of fly fishing books entitled "Presentation" . It is in my opinion the best fly fishing book in print. If you don't have one, buy one. It is so packed with great information you won't want to put it down.
If you are using a dry fly, consider the imprint the fly makes or how the natural sits on the water. Each type of dry fly pushes a definite shape or imprint into the surface film. Consider the weight of a size 14 Hendrickson as compared to a #20 or #24 Blue Winged Olive. The Hendrickson is heavy enough to press not only its feet into the surface film, but also its body, which would mean the best fly would be one that mimics those characteristics. A comparadun, or Sparkledun, which sits low in the water with the body pressed into the surface film---would be a great choice to match a Hendrickson. The Baetis on the other hand, in a size #20 or #24 is so light that it can 'stand up' on top of the surface film and have none of its body making contact with the surface. This is why often a dun imitation like a standard BWO or Adams often works quite well when other flies fail, particularly when the fish are keying on the duns.

The profile or shape of a fly can be important also. Research has shown that trout do in fact key on the wing and the height of it. On cold days, damp, rainy days and days with high humidity often the hatched mayfly may have trouble drying their wings enough to begin flight. As a result, the fly may drift for long distances with the wings in a small clump on top of its body. When this is the case, I often switch to one of my personal favorites a short winged deer hair emerger....a deadly fly and one that customers often request when fishing over the more sophisticated trout in the VA and TN tailwater streams.

Sometimes changing the shape of the nymph pattern you are using can be effective. Crawler type mayfly nymphs (sulphurs, hendricksons, some bwos), like free-living (eruciform) caddis fly larvae, often assume a curled up posture when they drift downstream. They are curled up like the shape of the letter 'C'. We often call this the "tucked' position. They wiggle and wiggle, and then relax into this position as the current carries them along. Baetis, on the other hand, are swimmers and assume the shape of a stick much like midge pupae when they are adrift. At certain times of the year I find that certain BWO hatches the straight shanked patterns will perform two or three to one over the curved ones. I have often wondered if this isn't the reason why. If we notice it and we don't live underwater, most certainly the fish notice it. In fact, it would be enough of a difference to be a distinguishing characteristic.

Color rarely has to be exact , but it certainly never hurts. Often when we get the size right and shape right somehow the exact color becomes less of a factor. The shade (light vs dark) is probably the most important factor, and its the bottom of a mayfly that determines what color our fly should be. Occasionally, with certain hatches a general color is all that is needed. I find this with BWOs, and its the major reason why to this day I will just as quickly fish a gray pattern or an Adams if there are small blue wings hatching- --and it probably works 80-90% of the time so long as I have gotten the size and shape and stage of the insect the fish are keying on. There are instances in which I have noticed color can maybe add some 'spice' to the fly, as in the sulphurs that hatch on our local waters. Often the flies are yellow to yellow /chartreuse and also yellow/orange, and the females have eggs inside them as well. For these flies often I find an orange bodied fly works quite well even when then natural insect is obviously yellow on bottom and not orange at all. Go figure.

Though it is rarely mentioned, the way the fly behaves or moves may make a difference. Occasionally, you will find times where moving the fly, twitching it, skittering it, skating it, etc., will cause a fish to strike a fly it was previously ignoring. Sometimes the fish will show rare preferences for the fly to move a certain way. One such example is during a spinner fall, when adult mayflies are dancing about and coming down to the surface, they land and then tap the abdomen on the surface to release the packet of eggs, and occasionally the rise to this type of movement is a slashing take by a fish. Midges have a tendency at times, particularly during mating flights, to hover and buzz over the surface, to land and skitter, and buzz back and forth. And often the fish take notice and will take a small dry fly that is skated or skittered. I remember a float down the world famous South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho, perhaps the easiest dry fly fishing for large fish in the lower 48, when we fished moving our flies on purpose by our guide's instruction. I mean it was like bass fishing the banks for trout. And the end of the drift when the fly starts to drag or swing and pickup speed, that is a time that the fly gets noticed by a fish and often gets hammered. So it would be safe to assume that while we don't move our flies on purpose most of the time, there are indeed times that it might not only be warranted but also called for.

Feeding fish feed in a rythym if there's a steady supply of food or a hatch. Improve your score by timing the drift or arrival of your feathered fraud so that it coincides with when the fish was ready to eat anyway. This is a common and huge mistake on tailwaters I see.....its the one cast, two cast, then move on to another fish type of approach. The best thing is to continually cast to a feeding fish.....trying to time the drift to fit the fish's feeding rythym. On some larger fish I have presented two dozen times only to get a take on the drift when I was reading to move on. Other things worth considering it how long it takes a fish to rise. That is the time between rises plus the time it takes the fish to go from top to bottom, if you can see it. I like to observe a fish closely if its a good one, and make note of how long it takes the fish to rise, take a fly off the surface or pluck an emerger from the film, return to the bottom, and then do it all over again. The amount of time it takes for that to happen tells you how long you should wait between presentations to the fish. Our presentations are much more effective when they arrive at the exact time the fish was going to rise anyway.....which is precisely the point.

Fish often prefer to feed off to one side or the other. When you observe feeding fish make note of whether it is showing a preference in feeding off to a particular angle or side....then present the fly to that side. I have caught fish before and then discovered that they had a bad eye. Also, fish might have a dominant eye as well and prefer to feed off to one side.

Learn to recognize and mitigate drag whenever it occurs. Drag is to be avoided like the plague. There's obvious drag which you can see, and technically it is occuring whenever the fly is moving faster or slower than the current it's sitting in. Then there's micro drag, which occurs at a distance (often when dry fly fishing) and is hard to perceive in many cases. Micro drag is a primary cause of refusals on flat water with dry flies.....the flat surface makes it painfully noticeable. When nymphing, drag is just as important.....its not just a speed thing either. Drag on a nymph presentation means the fly is not able to sink or drift where it needs to be. Often folks fishing fast water or pocket water have this happen and never realize that because of drag the fish never saw the fly because it never reached bottom.....and they move on completely convinced that the fish weren't interested or there were none to be caught.....Big mistake. On guided trips we routinely fish behind other anglers all day long and catch fish by capitalizing on this.

Fish get spooked and lined far more often that we ever realize. Kirk Deeter of Field and Stream magazine once did a feature in which he stated that A lot of anglers have the necessary fishing skills to be successful but lack the necessary wading skills. I completely agree. If you walk heavily in the stream, pushing a wake ahead of you, splashing, ignoring the need to not cast shadows on the water either with your person or your fly rod- - -- then you will spook a lot of fish you would have had a chance to catch. Also, I'd have to say a straight upstream presentation not only presents a difficult line management situation but it almost guarantees that you will line the fish - that is land the line on top of the fish and with the splash, flash, and shadow the fish will spook and its game over. In my lifetime I have only seen two fly anglers who could cast so well they could fish this way to rising fish...... Finally, limit false casting....it only announces your presence to the fish.

He who chases two chickens goes home hungry. When fishing to feeding fish/rising fish, pick out one and go after that one specifically. One mistake that inexperienced and veteran anglers alike make is they get 'buck fever' and a bad case of MTS (Multiple Target Syndrome -common on the South Holston) where there are so many rises they cast here, there, everywhere and hours later have yet to catch a fish. Pick out a fish, present the fly to it. If it doesn't take, analyze what went wrong and correct it or present the fly again. If it quits feeding or spooks, then you can move on to another one. Like a game of pool, pick out fish and fish to them...and always be mindful of the 8 ball (trophy fish).

Misjudgement is a huge problem.....Misjudging the rise or location or depth if nymphing of the fish is a problem. Fish on the bottom are deeper and closer than they appear because of the principle of refraction and the way light is bent when it penetrates the surface. A rising fish will leave a ring on the surface. It takes a small amount of time for the rise ring to actually form, so the fish is often upstream of where the riseform actually appears/ occurs on the surface. The faster the current, the farther upstream the rising fish actually is....and the farther the ring on the surface will have drifted...to sum it all up a rise ring/riseform on the top drifts downstream just like your fly. This is a huge problem on tailwaters where numbers of rising fish exist. One key is to compensate a little, not a lot, cast a little farther upstream....but not too far. Cast too far and the fly drags before it reaches a fish....which is just as bad a mistake. Lead the fish a few feet but no more.

Fish and Cast Less, Rest the Water more.... This definitely applies more to tailwaters and small stream (wild fish) waters, but it is applicable anywhere. Two clients/friends who do this better than anyone I know of and is are easily the two best anglers/dry fly fishermen I have ever met are Dr. Jim Sellers and Judge Joe Craig....to watch them work rising fish is not only watching an exercise in efficiency but it is an art....and a joy to watch. Catch a fish, rest the water. Pick out another fish, calculate the strategy, present the fly. The result: still catch numbers of fish and catch the large/difficult fish no one else can catch. Its a lesson worth putting into practice...!

Fish aren't always feeding This mistake is one of those 'everytime out' mistakes. A typical scenario: its winter, I have worked all week and I can't wait to fish, so I leave home at 530am, head to the river, arrive to the river at 730am and the water is 34F, no bugs about anywhere, no obvious activity of anykind. I rig up with what I have caught fish on before. I go to a pool that I either know has fish or that I can see has fish. Cast , cast, cast, nothing. Same thing for the next two hours. And during that time every pool is like that. My conclusion? Fish aren't interested. My rig is wrong. My flies are wrong. Wrong. The problem probably is that the fish won't even be in feeding mode until 11am, right after you leave at 1030am convinced it was a bad day. They will feed from 11am til mid to late afternoon if its a nice day, then they will shut down just like they were or would have been had you arrived at 730 am and started fishing. The point: fish do things on a schedule sometimes, sometimes they get tuned in to daily hatches, sometimes they have already eaten (like a heavy hatch the day before- - -or a huge brown that ate two six inch rainbows before you showed up). The fact of the matter is sometimes they aren't feeding and there's nothing you can do about it.

Other measures to improve your score.....

Switching to a lighter tippet or a different material. If you aren't getting takes, switch to a lighter tippet or a different /less visible material such as fluorocarbon. That might mean going lighter to 6x, 7x, 8x. Learning to work a nice fish on light tippet will make you a better angler..... If you are nymphing you might switch to fluorocarbon. Whatever the case, you'll normally get more strikes on the lighter stuff. I use a product called 'Shock Gum' which is made by Rio, and its a milky white stretchy material that I tie into the leader butt. It has tons of stretch and protects light tippet when you set the hook or get into a large fish. I have had clients land 7 and 8lb fish using it on 6X material, which is no small feat.

Learn a variety of presentation casts. Learn to do a reach cast. It is the deadliest presentation cast there is for across and down and across presentations and in my opinion it is the most valuable cast in my arsenal for fishing larger waters and tailwaters. It is a presentation cast that allows the fly to go down first without the fish seeing the leader, tippet, or fly line by putting an aerial mend into the line. The mend increases the amount of time the fly drifts drag free to and over the fish. Most clients I have taught this to have noticed an immediate difference in the quality of their presentations, number of fish caught, and the number of larger, tougher, more mature and selective fish they are able to fool.

Learn to tie your own leaders. There are some good substitutes, like Rio's Classic Hand tied Leaders, but in my opinion tying your own George Harvey style leaders is the way to go. All standard fly shop leaders are built on what is called the Ritz formula or 60-20-20 (60% butt, 20% taper, 20% tippet)....which insures turnover and a nice straight leader. When drag free drifts over selective fish are the desire.....straight leader should not be a part of your vocabulary. When you are fishing to rising fish during a hatch, the last thing you want is for the leader to fully straighten out. If it does you get instant drag on the fly and the fish won't touch it. As far as I know, Frog Hair is the only company currently producing a George Harvey leader commercially. A George Harvey leader has a shorter, lighter butt which transfers less power, only enough to turn the leader over but not straighten it. The taper (middle) is tied with longer sections, and the final part is a long supple tippet. Anyone more interested in catching selective trout during a hatch will appreciate that the name of the game is getting a good cast that produces a lot of drag mitigating slack near the fly, not the rocket fast, high line speed, cast a pretty, small, tight loop game that is all too often the rave today.

Learn to Create Slack with your Casts..... Learn to throw lots of slack. The name of the game is getting good drifts, and slack is imperative if good drifts are what you are shooting for. Yes, this I even apply to nymphing. Let me go out on a limb and say that I fish nymphs a lot, I mean a whole lot, in all ways, and I abhor the tight line high stick method you see and observe so many people doing. We don't do this, or shall I say hardly ever do this, and in my opinion is a major reason people don't catch as many fish nymphing as they might. Why? One there's no slack and what is happening is they are actually creating drag by holding the rod high. Slack not only delivers a good drift but also is the reason the fly reaches bottom. It's not all weight that gets the fly down. But you say, "wait a minute, if I have all that slack I won't be able to set the hook." If you have too much slack yes that is true. But what I do and what I teach clients is proper line management - - - which includes slack in combination with mending in just the right amount. And we get consistent results , day in and day out in every conceivable stream condition.

Learn a Variety of Casts. Learn to do all types of casts----steeple casts, parachute casts, pile casts, etc, casts that make it possible to get good drifts. Many of the lessons I do for intermediate and advanced anglers, yes I said intermediate and advanced anglers--- is to teach them to throw slack and then manage it effectively. It really has very little to do with how well you can cast or fish a straight line.

Slack in the Leader is a Great Thing. Anyone more interesting in catching more trout instead of looking good will learn to put lots of slack into the leader....and sometimes doing it will look sloppy. Plenty of slack is a good thing if its in the leader, and maybe a little to no slack in the line. But the point is we are shooting for manageable slack --that is just enough that allows a natural drag free and natural presentation but that still allows for effective striking or hook setting. In my fly fishing classes, lessons, and schools, I often do a little exercise showing folks how much slack is actually manageable. I ask my students, "Does anyone believe if their leader, the entire leader, is piled up in a Dixie Cup, and they get a strike, that they could still set the hook effectively?" The answer, predictably, is usually "Of course not." The correct answer? Absolutely it is. You can pile up your entire leader in a cup, set a hook, and then connect on the hookset. Don't believe this? Give it a try. Rig up your rod, have a friend or spouse step on the fly, then pile the leader up right at their foot. Now stretch out, lets say 15-20 feet, 30 feet, whatever you like, of fly line. Now pretend you just got a strike and set the hook sharply. You will be surprised if you are like most anglers that you can still connect on the hookset. Herein lies the point.....you can do this when the slack is in the leader.

Learn a few tricks to put in your bag.....This is one where we can really get creative. One thing western spring creek guides and seasoned anglers often do is cast downstream and to the right or left of the fish, then they pull the fly upstream and into the line of drift where it will pass over the fish, then drop the rod tip which puts enough slack into the fly to get it over the fish without drag. Another trick that works well is to use some of the dry fly powders or dessicants like Doc's Dust and Frog's Fanny to create lifelike air bubbles on your nymph. Just rub a bit into the wingcase of a nymph or emerger, doing so on a subsurface fly makes an air bubble cling to the surface of the fly, exactly like what happens when a real fly comes to the surface to hatch. One last thing, which I have used a lot in both my own fishing and with clients, is to use something odd like a streamer or terrestrial or egg pattern...maybe something totally different from what you would normally use. "Hatch breakers" like terrestrials are a good example. Beetles, ants, and hoppers are such delectable treats for a trout that sometimes they'll take a terrestrial during a hatch even when they are obviously feeding on flies that are hatching. This happens a lot during mid-summer to fall blue winged olive hatches on Virginia's Smith River. I remember one past trip on the TN' South Holston when I was there with Ken and Sandy Van Hook of Pinnacle, NC. We had noticed several fish rising in the run in front of us as some sulphurs had begun to hatch. We saw a ginormous (gigantic + enormous) brown take a slashing strike at one of the 10 inch rainbows that were rising to the hatching flies. Yes, he was trying to eat that 10" rainbow. I dug out another fly box from the back pouch on my SIMMS vest, and found a 5-6" white Lefty's deceiver. We tied it on and two casts and a ten minute fight later that ginormous brown trout lay in my net.

Well, time to put some of this to work.....

A Great Leader........

2010-09-15T18:39:00.001-07:00

It was right during the beginning of the summer on the marvelous South Holston. I was with John Hardy and his wife Christy and I had just handed John my Sage rod that just happened to be rigged with a hand tied tapered leader. John had noticed how the leader gently collapsed on the surface, delivering the fly to its target with barely a ripple on the water's surface. His next cast was to a mid river ledge. John presented the sulphur dry I'd given him to the edge of the ledge and seconds later a nice brown of about 16-17" slowly rose and sucked in the CDC dry fly. It was game on.

Such has been the case all summer long on the South Holston, Watauga, and Smith Rivers and other waters where the leader makes a huge difference....and can be THE difference between catching fish and not catching fish. I often use both personally and with clients the Classic Leader in the 9ft length and then add a 12-18" tippet of 7X. That puts the leader at about 10ft and still makes it easy to cast in wind- - - which is a certain condition you'll encounter on big water. Technical tailwater fishing, at least successful tailwater fishing, hinges upon having a leader that turns over but doesn't straighten (straight leader = drag= no fish). A nice cast with the leader stretching out over the water nice and straight right to the fly is the last thing you want (contrary to what it might seem). Its the sloppy, pile the leader up throws that usually catch fish. The trick is learning to cast like that on purpose, and to use a leader that dumps tons of slack so the fly drifts naturally. This leader does just that.

Rio's Hand Tied Classic Leader is a great product, and over the past several months I have fallen in love with them. While I prefer to tie my own, with my guiding schedule I value fly tying time more than tying leaders, as I can buy these leaders and they are the closest I have found to what I custom tie for myself. Try one and see for yourself....its a great product.

A Different Medium....

2010-08-16T09:43:00.001-07:00

There he was, hanging out in a side eddy just waiting for a snack or meal to drift by. I could see him as the wormlike markings on his back became visible and then less so as he floated up and down in the water column, riding the gentle upwellings of current like a master of his element should. This brookie, who had already taken three swipes at my streamer without being hooked, sat poised to take another shot if the opportunity presented itself.

And this fish did give me another shot, and I finally netted the fish as I let the fly go deep and then ripped the streamer quickly to the surface, stopping just short of the surface and letting it sink as though it was dying.

It worked.......the brookie inhaled the fly and after enjoying the pleasures of a nice fight and a bent rod I released the fish so it could give someone else the same enjoyment that was for a moment mine.

This whole episode I have seen replayed in my own fishing and on trips with clients over and over again. So why so many near misses? Why did the fish take several shots at the fly? And why didn't I get the fish on the first go around?

I believe there are several things at work at the surface that contribute to such a situation like I have just described.

One, the surface is an area where three elements---water, air, and sunlight come together. The perception of movement, size, color, among others---all of these things are different at the surface than they are at the bottom.

Most trout streams we fish in the Southeast are quite shallow. In fact, I am convinced that given a choice trout much prefer feeding in six inches of water as opposed to six feet. Why? The reason is simple....they have to move less to feed up and down and side to side.....and they get more calories for the energy expended.

The surface is a sure place to feed if the food is on top. But from the underside, its a little different......if the food item is subsurface. This is true because the underside of the surface is basically a mirror for whatever is under the water....rocks on the bottom, vegetation, other fish, nymphs, .......my streamer being ripped just under the surface.

Don't believe this? Take a picture in a foot of water while standing in your favorite trout stream....there are many inexpensive waterproof cameras that can do this nowadays.
Or, if you have no camera, go diving in a swimming pool in shallow water and you will notice the same effect. Or, you can go to a pet store and take a look at an aquarium and notice the underside of the water's surface. The effect is all the same.

So what does this mean from a fishing standpoint? Well, that is a good question, and certainly one we won't do justice fully in a few paragraphs here. But I do believe it shows why that crazed (determined....!!!!) brookie took three shots at the fly before a different presentation on the fourth try resulted in a hookup. What happened? Right at the surface the fish sees the fast traveling fly and also sees a mirror image of it too on the underside of the surface. So when I have had a fish flash at the fly right at the surface and I don't hook up, I cast again, rip the fly through the same spot, then stop abruptly letting the fly sink as though it just died.........trust me it kills them.

But that you will have to see to believe..

Jeff

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing
"Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion"
336.644.7775
336.944.3628
www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless HTC Windows Mobile Smartphone

Satisfying an Itch....

2010-08-01T16:15:00.001-07:00

To a lot of people that tension that builds and builds all week and especially after a stressful one serves no good purpose but to make us crave some time away. And for most of us that translates to time on the water. But if you are like me heading to the hills for some stream time just isnt an option every time....and I have always found sometimes that is quite alright. It means I have to look at other opportunities---and those are often much closer and easier than I sometimes think. Such is the case with pond fishing. And there are times that I am glad I had to stay close to home.

We are fortunate in the Piedmont of NC to live near a myriad of ponds. Ponds are common if for no other reason than that our area has a rich agricultural heritage and along with it a beautiful landscape dotted with warmwater fly fishing haunts.

I have always been shocked at how few people do any warmwater flyfishing at all. Some folks think that its only for trout, and in so doing miss some great opportunities in their own backyards. Not me.

I love bass, bream, crappie, catfish ----yes catfish will hit a fly and its not at all uncommon, unusual, or surprising. All I need is a willing participant on the business end of my leader.....and I will have plenty of fun.

So find a pond or two to fish, you won't regret it. So what are you waiting for?.

Jeff

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing
"Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion"
336.644.7775
336.944.3628
www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Windows Mobile Smartphone

Summertime Smallies.....

2010-07-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this great smallmouth video with Guide Duane Hada, this is like our fishing opportunities in the Appalachians:

FOX 8 WGHP & Fly Tying with Roy's Folks

2010-07-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

Fly Fishing with WGHP FOX8 and Shannon Smith...

2010-07-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, That Time is Here Again........Smallies

2010-06-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

This will whet your appetite for some incredible smallie action this summer on area rivers. This is a clip shot in Minnesota on the St. Louis River, enjoy...!

Fly Fishing Smallmouth Minnesota from Arrowhead Fly Angler on Vimeo.

Battling a Gargantuan Rainbow in a Tiny Stream 5-7-2010 - Jeff Wilkins ...

2010-05-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

The day was Friday May 7, 2010. Diane Bertrand had joined me for a day of fishing on the splendid private spring creek I have access to. It is a fish haven, full of large fish and some gigantic rainbows. We started on the lower end and caught some fish, even some large ones, and Diane was getting warmed up for what was to come.

Little did I know I was about to witness a near perfect job of playing fish. We would tie on a fly, I'd give Diane a tip or two on where to cast, watch the drift, see the fish take, set the hook, and then the arduous task of landing a fish of gigantic proportions. Let me tell you....this ain't easy!!!! There are a lot of fly anglers that would have broken those fish off. But not Diane, she did everything I suggested, just as I instructed her.....and the result was almost every beast we hooked, which was probably at least a dozen fish over 20 inches, every one of them except maybe one I can remember ended up in the net. It takes a near perfect job of line control and rod control to pull that off. I mean when a six pound tippet separates you and a 10-12 lb fish who is dashing wildly, jumping, thrashing, head shaking......simply put bad things can happen. Unless you play them like Diane did. It was great....and a lot of fun to watch.

That is why Diane has now earned the nickname "The Dutchess of Trout...".

What A Great Winter To Learn To Tie...

2010-02-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

I have probably heard that more this year than ever....with all the snow and bad weather its been that kind of winter. I think we had about five consecutive no fishing weekends, weekends where most folks couldnt get out and fish. We continued to do our guided trips, and we did have some great trips, but fishing in below freezing temperatures and snow more than ever.

And if ever there were fly tying opportunities there were plenty of those. I had several folks say..."why didnt you press me to learn tying this year? Would have been a perfect time." I guess my reply would be you get into tying when the bug gets the best of you. And one last thing, you wont get into it and save money....what a joke! You will probably spend more! Well, might as wel be honest....

www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com
"Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion"

This is Almost Unbelievable.....

2010-02-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

This is truly amazing....the bird definitely uses everything at his disposal...this is absolutely incredible. I'm glad no one left a fly rod laying on the sand...

A Peachy Paradise.....

2010-02-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

Until the past week I had not spent much time in this part of Georgia,.....now regrettably I must say. It is such a beautiful place. Some of the most spectacular scenery you'll see anywhere, great hospitality, good trout angling from small streams to spring creeks to tailwaters, a little bit of everything.

And some monster trout in some waters. On a recent trip to the Soque near Clarkesville, GA and Batesville, GA the group I was with caught probably 30 fish over 20 inches....it was absurd. Huge fish, like we have here in our private waters. Fish that you'd more expect to come from Alaska and not the South.

This morning I told my wife that outside of a spectacular mountain range like the Beartooths in Montana, the Sawtooths in Idaho, the Tetons or Winds in Wyoming and the spectacular vistas that go with them we have really just as good fishing here and the fish are just as big and often larger. Its the Western experience that we are often after. But if its large fish.......we have those here!

How to Hand Feed a Pike....Well, not Exactly

2010-02-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

This would sure get your attention. Here a gentleman is releasing a fish and an unseen northern pike almost gets a chunk of his hand while he's doing it:

Dry Fly Fishing in the Dead of Winter.....Things are Very Alive!

2010-02-17T12:29:00.001-08:00

Here's a video clip of my recent trip with Tom Wolff. I had mentioned to Tom that I thought our chances of getting into some dry fly fishing was pretty good. "Really? " I think that was what he asked. I knew that where we were headed it was a real possibility. Rare is the day when these fish don't rise. A high water spate is the only thing that limits it....and then the subsurface fishing is to die for. Simply put, in my book it is the king of small creeks. Compared to the Smith River this stream is a ditch by size comparison. But I dare say that one mile of this creek has more trout than any mile - - Yes I said any mile- - of the Smith River. And many rivers for that matter. And where else do you find a thirty fish dry fly day in the middle of winter when its 20F, heavy snow on the ground, and snow showers in the air?.......We are now doing trips here year round...Let's go fishing!

Here'a a short clip of Tom casting to a rising rainbow which he caught. A pretty nice feat, given that Tom is right handed and he's going at it with his left. Impressive!

Dry Fly Heaven......? Pretty Close I'd Say...

2010-02-14T10:43:00.001-08:00

Dry Fly Heaven from Jah Raven Creation on Vimeo.

Go ahead and get a towel, you are going to need one after the saliva this one produces. It is awesome.....a good dreamy video to help you make it through our winter doldrums.....Enjoy!

Its Been That Kind of Winter.......

2010-02-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

When we started the fall and thinking of all the heavy rains we have had over the past year, and how now we are getting that consistent "El Nino" pattern of storms, one right after the other, I remembered thinking last October on a guide trip that this year we could be returning to winters the way they used to be. The past several years have been so mild its hard to remember that what we have had lately is the real 'normal'...and that its been a while since it has been that way.

I mean we've had a snow here or there, including a 15 incher back in February of 2000. I remember that one as we were getting ready to open a fly shop and had planned to open mid February but lost two weeks due to bad roads and two large snows back to back. Lake Brandt Road here was impassable for four or five days, as 15 inches of snow became 7 inches of hard packed snow and the plows simply couldn't do anything with it.

As far as fishing the last real winters I remember, or should I say real bad winter, was the winters between 1991 and 1993. In fact, during that time the famous mountain 'blizzard' of 93 was a historical event. 24-28 inches of snow in the high country and over 30inches on top of Beech Mountain...I remember that one well. That was the year it was so cold that everything was either frozen totally and unfishable or the TVA tailwaters were generating..and there was no fishing anywhere for almost six weeks. I almost went crazy.

I can remember at that time the game saver was the blackfly hatch at the Jackson River in Covington, VA. That once blue ribbon jewel below Gathright Dam held thousands of trout. I have seen bitter cold days with hundreds of trout rythymically rising as though they were rising to a sulphur hatch in May. I have fished it on days when the air temp was 9F -11F and caught rising fish on dry flies. Wild, stream-bred rainbows and browns up to 20". Air temp was that cold, the ground was covered with anywhere from 12 to 20 inches of snow, and there were 8-10ft long icicles hanging from the cliffs that bordered the canyon like walls of the river gorge. Simply, it was one place the sun never touched from late November through March. It was the coldest place on earth ....or at least it seemed.

So how much more winter do we have? If its like most years like this we still have four to six more weeks of it............Can you stick it out?

Don't Have A Bad Day Like Tim......

2010-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

A Last Resort For the Really Desperate Angler...

2010-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe not what you were expecting but here's what the last month and half has served up to us weather wise..... a fairly good snow in early December, followed by a doozy storm. We got almost 10 inches here, the mtns got between 14 and 22" depending upon elevation. In fact, on the 22rd of December Allen Allred and I were on a trip and we trudged though 2.5ft of snow to get to the river....he caught 20 fish and made a great day out of it. Then the mountains got a damaging ice storm Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Hwy 16/163 confluence near Glendale Springs looked like a war zone with all the downed trees that fell under a heavy burden of ice and snow. Big trees....like 18" in diameter and larger.

Then came another snow, then another, then another, and then the snow of the past weekend that dumped about 11 inches here and 10-12" in the mtns....and it would have been one of those 18-20" snows here and a "two footer" in the mountains had a warmer layer of air at 5500ft not sneaked into the mix and changed the snow to sleet, which accounted for about 6 -8 inches less snow than we would have gotten. Then two days of 45F weather and a big melt, then last night's snow of about 3-4 inches, followed by a quarter inch of ice....and almost two inches of rain/freezing rain during the day.....and we are still waiting on the changeover back to snow and the inch or two that might be left for us once this storm exits our area late Saturday.

Could it get any worse for fishing....any type of fishing?...Probably not. Well, maybe fishing in an aquarium isn't such a bad idea after all.

Desperate...........?

2010-02-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Desperate yet? A lot of people are......I love winter and love winter fishing...but hey I am getting there too. We have had two big snows, a sleet/freezing rain event, and two huge rains (deluges!).......if you were to come up with a forecast full of dire or din I don't think you could do it.

I could hear the snowplows today on our street finally exposing pavement for the first time in almost five days. We have had about 3 inches of hard packed snow and ice, what was once 8 or 9 inches packed as tightly as it could be...so much so that scraping or plowing had been a joke...until today. I walked outside and the first thing I noted is how pleasant the temperature was, and how much melting was taking place. I walked to our backyard and even took a gander at our small rock pond (pictured above). I thought to myself, I am almost desperate enought to take a few casts into it......hey, what if the neighbors see me I thought for a moment...... Of course then I thought again, maybe seeing me casting in the street and yard for years confirmed my mental state to them already. But when I looked at the pond I thought "......you know, that's not much less of an opportunity than any we have had lately with all this snow and ice. I mean right now it would be just as productive as Lake Brandt....and Brandt actually has fish in it."

Well, I pondered it a bit.......but didn't cast. Guess I will save this fishing hole for the weekend just in case we get the next storm coming through and the 3-5 inches of snow some are calling for....which is, in case you haven't yet heard, exactly what they are calling for!

On second thought, I think I'll go grab the rod and take a few casts into our rock pond........

A Winning Drive........

2010-01-29T16:39:00.001-08:00

Its that time of year again......and the Super Bowl is practically upon us. There are two teams that were #1 seeds that are going to play for professional football's most coveted prize....the Super Bowl Trophy. There are two teams that have sacrificed, worked hard, put in long hours, faithfully put in the time in the rain, snow, cold, heat, you name it. Simply put, a price was paid for admission to this game. And if its like this year's game, and like some of the the playoff games, the team that has the ball last ends up winning. And they have to figure out a way to do that. Great teams and players do just that.....figure out a way to turn something into a win.

Such was the case with a recent trip with regular customers and friends Larry Tomar and Dan Camia. We've spent many a day on the water doing trips together, and in all types of weather, and Larry and Dan are pretty good at this fly fishing game. Whether good conditions or poor, they usually do really well. Give them the right set up, direct them to the right spot, and its a done deal. They know the game, and they get the job done.

We were fishing one of my private waters in Virginia, a stream whose limestone pools are stacked with twenty inch trout. Some are true leviathans.....some are 10lbs or more. The water was up, had some color to it, and I knew we'd kill them. A rare gift....this day was going to be one to write home about.......like, "get ready guys........we are going to whack 'em good today and you guys are leaving with sore arms." Well, that was the way a typical day usually goes.

But not today. We fished rigs that work well on this river I know well, I mean, I know where the fish are under most any conditions and can pretty much guarantee that the guys are fishing where the fish are....and in this river....its not a question of whether fish are there or not....'cause they are. At lunch we'd had several fish on, two large rainbows landed, both over 20 inches and one of them a 25 inch beast that took Larry 10 minutes to land, and one large Redhorse sucker. This is the dream stream....and I am thinking....what is the deal?

We had fished hard all over fish and they just weren't eating. We took a break for lunch and I had to think of something.....and just like either the Colts or Saints may have to do in the big game......something had to give and we had to put together a winning drive. I was thinking to myself, "this ain't cutting it." But I knew the rigs and flies we were using were right, and we were fishing the right places. I do this everyday, and fish like to do what they do and not change a whole lot if they don't have to. They are simple creatures with two goals in mind: 1) live to see tomorrow, and 2) get something to eat. Everything else is gravy.

We had a hot streamside lunch and grabbed our rods and headed back to the water. Within a few minutes we had three hookups. Landed one fish, then had two come off. Not stellar, but as much action as we'd had all morning. I had a hunch. What is a hunch? Well, according to the dictionary it is something like this. hunch : (hunch) n. an impression or intuitive feeling that something might be the case. Yep, that is what I am feeling. Okay, well what's intuition? According to the dictionary its an instinctve knowing without use of rational processes......well, that sounds right on. We'd already used all "rational processes"......whatever I was feeling, I said "Guys lets hop in the vehicle and run upsteam while we still have some light left. The sun's been on that water all day. We ought to be able to stir up something there." It paid off....

So we headed upstream, and I had every intention of fishing the same way with the same rigs as we were before. Like a good football team, stick with what got you to the big game. And don't make any fundamental mistakes.......and be focused. We got in the water, Dan hooked up on three or four drifts in a row and landed a nice 20inch rainbow. Larry hooked up below us and it was a nice fish and broke off. Larry caught one rainbow, and then we moved upriver to another deep hole and he hooked a leviathan of a rainbow, what I believe might have been double digits....10 pounds or more that is. He did a great job playing the fish but it made a really powerful burst and broke off. But we were getting action...and a good bit of it. And to think we were doing what we had been doing all morning long.

We had about an hour of daylight left, we hit another spot. Larry got six strikes on ten casts and caught a couple. Again, doing exactly what we had been doing all day long. The last spot yielded several nice fish, 6 landed altogether, and several that came off. And as you might guess, we were doing the same thing we'd been doing all day. Thankfully we didn't spend the rest of the afternoon trying all sorts of crazy stuff and waste the time we had left, we stuck with what I knew normally works this time of the year and under these conditions, we made sure we got good drifts, were very intently focused on the drifts, and most importantly we didn't stop believing and give up. And we found a way to win....to put together a winning drive.

Maybe that is what is coming for the Super Bowl. The team that sticks with what got them there, stays focused, does what they do best, and who doesn't give up.....and maybe the one who has the ball last ......we'll see.

We didn't get a Super Bowl trophy or anything but the trophies we got are still in the river....just waiting for the next time......

Talk about Determination......

2010-01-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in my fly fishing I let the little things get to me- - - less than perfect weather, a little too dry, too wet, too sunny, too cloudy, you name it ...its very easy when things are slow to find lots of things to get frustrated with and about.

Being a fly fishing guide for a living has its set of challenges...always at the mercy of the weather for one. One day the river is perfect and your clients do well, then a two or three inch rain comes in the night blowing all possibility of fishing. A lot of times we call it well before the day arrives, mostly based upon my past experiences with certain areas, the way they respond to heavy precipitation and runoff, a knowledge of the watershed and how much it is developed....all these variables go into it. But then there's determination....and also a 'hunch.' Its that 'gut feeling' that, you know what, for some reason I feel like we might be able to make a go of it today . So I call my client and explain to them the conditions, explain forthrightly about my opinion about our chances of doing well or poorly, and then propose either 'go' or 'stay.'

Occasionally where determination meets a hunch you catch things just right and have a banner day. Such was the case when Mark White and I went on May 27, 2009. Mark and I had communicated by phone and email and we rescheduled a time or two- - -and before our trip we got one of those 2-3 inch rains in the mountains.....and here too, and wow , were things high and muddy almost everywhere. But I had a hunch that if we went exploring on some water I knew of , water that sometimes ran high but clear during weather like this, I thought maybe, just maybe we could catch it just right. I picked Mark up at his place in Germanton, and we headed up into VA and onto 58 West. We headed toward Mt. Rogers and everything we crossed on the way over was high and the color of Campbell's tomato soup. It was ugly. And with each mile I crossed my fingers a little harder that we wouldn't find the same thing where we were headed.

We arrived at the stream, and at first sight we came alongside it .....it was high but it was a nice color, ...."just perfect" I thought to myself. Inside my head the thoughts were going just like so many, many times before... I kept telling myself "when its like this we can have the day of days...". I knew fish not only fed during runoff like this, but that if you know the water well, where the fish hold, and how to rig and how much weight to use and so forth, the fish were not only very willing, but also quite aggressive and forgiving....much more so than at lower flows.

The result? We whacked 'em. Mark caught a lot of fish, probably 30 or more, including a couple of large fish, one of which was a citation rainbow. And to think....everyone else stayed home today.....and we had the whole place to ourselves! We both had a great time, and Mark not only got into a lot of fish, but gained experience in less than perfect conditions......adding to his bag of tricks for the next time he encounters a river in this condition and he's fishing on his own. Will he be able to do well? I'd say yes, as he did real well on this day.

So, sometimes when you get a lemon you can successfully make some lemonade. Yes, sometimes you'll get blown out and shut out and will have to concede that its a no go. And yes, it happens all times of the year and happens to everybody eventually. But often you get an unexpected break, as we did, and when you do it can be incredible...........sometimes so much that you won't dislike big weather systems when they come through but will be looking forward to them.

When you are a fishing guide, you have to find opportunity where you can. Fortunately its not like the guys above in the photo, that's real determination!!!!!

How To Successfully Spook more Trout.....

2010-01-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

You don't find articles like this much, but here goes. Here's a funny how to on a very interesting topic: spooking fish. I can think of 10 ways you can become more successful at spooking trout. They are tried and true methods and work with near 100% effectiveness when done properly. Here they are:

1) Wear blaze orange clothing, like a nice orange hunting hat or toboggan and a long orange jacket. Make your clothing as bright as possible.

2)Run into the tail of the pool in such a way that it creates a ton of noise and sends a wave or waves into the rest of the pool.
3) False cast twenty five times, and only after 25 times do you let the line touch the water.

4) If #3 fails, allow several of the forward casts to slam the water or better yet, rip through the surface making maximum commotion.

5) For maximum effect, do #'s 2, 3, and 4 simultaneously, and hope no one is watching, at least no one who might know you. If #2, 3, or 4 doesn't get their attention this one, #5, certainly will. They will leave the area, leaving the fishing all to you. Of course the fishing is over, but now you have the solitude you wanted all week long anyway.

6) Get at one end of the pool and do #5 and have your fishing buddy go to the head of the pool and do the same, with each on of you trying to out do the other.

7) Have your fishing buddy throw a few large rocks and a handful of gravel into the water. But don't do this over stocked fish, they like the sound of gravel because it sounds like trout pellets smattering the surface and you'll fail to spook them properly.

8) Start at the tail of the pool hastily and noisily wading as quickly as you can through the pool, seeing how quickly you can make it to the head of the pool. The bonus with this is you'll get some great exercise, just like Sylvester Stallone in some of the Rocky movies.

9) Wear some of those new non-felt soled boots and fall in. Don't make it a half fall, the goal is to make it - - - as they say in the hills - - -a good 'un.

10) Have your fishing buddy get at the head of the pool and have him run back and forth, taking care to stir up as much sediment as possible, turning the pool into a nice shade of brown for you. One word of caution, if he takes the word 'run' seriously and takes you up on it, he may fall . ....but that's not all bad, he's fulfilling #9.

There are very few times that I'd say anything I do I would always 100% guarantee results but this one comes close. I promise that if you faithfully do one, a few, or all of the above you will be very successful at spooking trout!...............

In all seriousness, I am kidding. But you'd be surprised how many of the above things are the very things people do....I mean some of them are the most common errors in fly fishing. The goal is not to do them, of course. And the result is you'll spook fewer trout.....til next time

Wow.....That's All I Can Say.......

2010-01-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Fly fishing DVD Video - 2009 Drake Flyfishing Video Awards Winning Clip

This is incredible.......too bad we don't have this around here......apparently they get mice the way we get jap beetles.....they could only be so lucky. Imagine throwing mice flies on the SoHo in TN?......How awesome would that be?

Enough Already.......Right?

2010-01-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

I was doing some web updates to our sites and going over the coming weeks' schedule of guided trips when an email came through to me from a customer Kevin Frank. A relative of his in Galax, VA, Tracey Snow had taken some photos of the New River in the Galax area of the ice jams and it was incredible. I asked him if I could share some of the photos with customers and he said that was fine.

You don't see this much around here, and except for a brief period last winter of a week when it was really cold the last time the New was like this was five years ago. I had a guided trip scheduled, if you can believe it, and the temp when I met the guys was 9F....yes 9F. And the river looked just like this. I had been hired by a group of guys, one of whom was getting married, and for whom this was a 'bachelor party' so to speak, one last hurrah .... For that reason it was do it now or not at all. So I met them at the Riverhouse cabins and we stayed in until 11am after the temperature had risen to a balmy 22F. We rigged rods and then we went to a remote stretch of Helton Creek...surprisingly there was enough unfrozen water to fish. We ended up doing ok, catching about 25 fish in truly bitter conditions. By 4pm, the guys called it a day.....and another great day was in the book. But it doesn't always work out that way.

This last month's cold is record setting for sure....much of the NC mtns and VA were below freezing for weeks....that is below freezing......and as low as single digits at night. Hard for anything to remain liquid in that. The picture above of the New River was just before 3 inches of rain fell on top of all the snow and ice.....and what a nice messy result came from that. Just downstream of this area, where I do smallmouth fishing in the summer a lot, the flow is normally 900 -1200cfs....it peaked at just under 60000cfs, yes sixty THOUSAND. That is 25000 more than the previous high.....wow.

But at least now its not solid like the photo above....

2009 Goes out with a Bang.........

2010-01-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Buster Lewis and I spent a day doing a Guided Fishing trip and we had a great day, and not only caught a pile of fish but also several 20 inchers, and including one fish that was near 10lbs.....a real beast. A great day, and it snowed on us all day which was great, and also a great way to put an exclamation point on a great fishing year and also usher in what we hope is another one.

I spotted this large rainbow holding in a shallow run, and pointed out to Buster where to cast his fly. He put the perfect toss and drift on the fish, the fish lifted up slightly and took the fly in, Buster set the hook, then it was off to the races and we eventually ended up in the next pool downstream before I finally slid the net under the fish. The fish filled my two handed net up, and I estimated it at close to 10lbs. Nice work Buster!

Good Eats...........

2009-11-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

I must say that I love traveling, you couldn't do what I do for very long and not like it. Its the reason some quit. I must admit in those travels you always find good eats no matter where you are....funny how either before a trip or after one you always stumble across something that tastes good. Amazing how many of those places over the years get included in your fishing memory bank- - -so much so that they become a part of the trip too. Some of my Escatawba road trips might include a stop at one such place....Dodges Store. Chicken, Biscuits, Taters, etc., you name it and it all tastes good. Not sure what it does to one's cholesterol level, and I am not sure that I'd really want to know, but man it sure tastes good. Just like in the photo, add a box of flies fresh from the vise, a few strike indicators, all your other gear and you're all set.

There are many such places, and if you've never tried some of the local stuff man you are missing out. Near Escatawba there's the Eagles Nest, run by the Nesters. On the South Holston, I can do just fine with an unbelievable cheeseburger from Webbs Store ....they might get title for best burger in the lower 48. I mean you are licking the plate afterward and contemplating ordering another one (which you'd probably do if no one were around). Trap Hill Grill, Stone Mtn Store, Helton Creek Country Store, Mtn Rogers Store, The Bait Place on the Jackson run by Larry Andrews, ....there are so many great places.......

Its delicious......now where's my Prilosec and Statin medication...? Just kidding of course .

You Can Always Learn Something ....

2009-10-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

When I met Chris and his 8yr old son Billy in Boone, NC on the moist morning of October 10 little did I know what a great time I was in for. Chris and I had talked several times on the phone and via email, his 8yr old son Billy I'd never met but been told of his excitement of fishing and his overall enthusiasm.

That was right on the mark too for enthusiastic he was, and a really good caster and good fisherman, an testimony to Dad and the time spent and investment in bringing him to that point.

We rigged up and got in the water. I saw pretty quickly that Billy could cast very well, I mean really well, I mean its just not that often that you have an 8yr old that can put the cast exactly where you say and do it the first time. I was stunned. Only minutes into our fishing I realized I had a real angler on my hands......and his potential is unreal if he sticks with it - -which by the way, won't be an issue given his obvious passion for what we were trying to do.

There's a famous quote, though I love it, I am not sure who's words these are, but the effect remains the same. It goes like this: "Its what we learn after we think we know it all that counts." Ouch. And how true.

With the sound of the bubbling riffle in my left ear and Billy waiting patiently to my right, I took out my fly box and started to reach for another pattern to try. Honestly, the fish were being a little tougher than they usually are and quite honestly I could not figure out why. It was then that Billy stated with authority and confidence- - unlike that you'd expect from an 8yr old- -"...hey those smaller flies right there, I usually catch my fish with flies like that. Maybe we should try one." When you are a guide and hear that there are some choices to be made. Conceding to trying a fly, I mean come on its like admitting defeat or that something isn't working.....but given how the fish weren't responding I was willing to change the game and honor Billy's request. I replied, "so you think we should use a small fly like this one?" "Yes..." Billy replied. So I picked the fly out of the box, tied it on, and I mean if it wasn't the next cast that Billy's fly drifted right down the trough we were just fishing and that I knew held fish--- - and his line dashed upstream and indicator went under. With the quickness and poise of an angler way beyond his years he set the hook, played the fish, and I netted the fish for him. He was happy and I was stunned.........I was thinking maybe Billy needs to be the one guiding me! Needless to say that whole moment impacted me a great deal and I'll never forget it.

I guess we all need to eat some humble pie and learn to be a good listener. It paid off for both of us today.....and Billy was right! Hmmmm.............I'll bet if my lovely bride reads this she'll agree that I need to be a better listener too.........! Oh well, there's work to be done so why don't I finish this up and go eat another slice of pie.

Billy, you can come with me anytime!

2009 Wyoming Trip a Blast...........Again

2009-09-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Every year its a blast to take a group of customers to Teton Country near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Usually its a blast, and I always try to make it a memorable experience for everyone, but somehow every year its seems to get better and better. Sure the fishing is part of it, but everything, the scenery, the unbelievable food (both in town and in the backcountry), the fellowship, sometimes it just leaves you thinking ".....man this is incredible." And for me every trip seems better and better, and the excitement of every trip is just like the first. You get to see first hand that God created some mighty awesome scenery, stuff that leaves you with no other words but ".....Wow."

I departed on Thursday Aug 20th and my plan was to arrive in the evening, usually I get there and try to get things situated- - - rooms, food, final plans with my outfitter, etc., and sometimes a quick drive and "try" on the streams we'll be fishing so the fishing conditions and my assessment are 'first hand' and not second hand from some weeks or months old internet fishing report or even hearsay. Seeing and doing with your own eyes is the best way. That was my plan.....so much for my plan.

We were an hour and a half late departing Greensboro due to thunderstorms, and we finally got off the ground only to arrive about two hours late in Atlanta, and missing my connection to Denver which meant I'd also be missing my connection from Denver to Jackson,WY. Oh well, it wasn't all bad. I met a really nice guy Joel Coykendall, Sr Vice President of Northmarq Capital of Jacksonville, FL. We had great conversation, both on business, politics, outdoors, fly fishing, my flyfishing business and his Investment business, and also discovered that his mother lives in Boone, NC in a retirement community. Its a small world..............

I arrived in Atlanta, Joel and I saw each other again at the Delta phone counter, both of us trying to get new flights to our destination. With the time, I saw that my day was over, so much for doing anything I'd planned to do. And my bags and tackle....? Well, they ended up in Denver on the plane as they never were able to switch my bags to the last flight I just barely eeked onto to Jackson, Wyoming. While waiting for the flight I got something to eat, and noticed all the soldiers from Fort Benning, GA. It didn't take long to realize these guys were headed for Afghanistan. Made me think of how thankful we should be of them and their commitment to protect us.... which is what they are doing over there......despite the mainstream media's (yes NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, New York Times - that names most of the culprit) inability to report the truth about all of that. But I thanked one of them and bought his meal, and thought to myself "these guys get little affirmation because of the spin job the media has put on our war effort over there." So to all the service guys thank you for protecting us.

I did manage to get a direct late flight to Jackson from Atlanta, and ended up on the ground at around 10:00pm in Jackson Hole. My bags and tackle never made it, so it looked like Jeff would be making a return trip to the airport to get the bags when they arrived on Friday at noon or after. Several of the guys arrived at different times, Pat Burney arrived on Thursday, Mikael Tedeborg and Mike and Steve Lalumondier all arrived on Friday, and Bob Manning on Saturday. One by one I got up with them, and once we all connected we headed off to drop bags off at our lodging and then downtown to get some food and everyone a fishing license. After that we headed off to the Hoback Canyon, the upper portion, and caught quite a few cutthroats on dry flies, some up to 15-16", and then headed back to town. We had dinner at Mountain High Pizza Pie and enjoyed some very unique Pizzas from one of Jackson's best places.

On Sunday, we arose to gray, drizzly and chilly weather......I mean really chilly given what we'd come from. It was in the mid 40's, that's chilly to Eastern flatlanders like us. We had a hearty breakfast at the Virginian Restaurant, one of the best breakfasts in Jackson, and after loading up on some great food we headed south to fish the Greys River near Alpine, Wyoming. We fished the section above Murphy Creek, the fly fishing only section. It was slow because of the weather change. We only saw a few fish rise, then some significant rain set in.....and it got nasty. We caught a couple of fish, had a streamside lunch, then decided to head north to hit another stream. We headed to upper Granite meadows near Granite Hot Springs to the upper Part of Granite Creek, a wonderful small cutthroat stream. Within minutes we were into fish, and we caught a good many nice cutthroats, some up to 16-17", along with several whitefish too. It rained on and off the whole time. We went up to one last stretch of the stream, and it was there that the mother of all thunderstorms pounded us. It was like a wall cloud crawling over the mountain ridge above us, it moved fast (like 40-50mph), and winds of 60mph plus and driving rain- - - -it rained buckets. The last two guys made it back to the van just in time to avoid the worst-- - then it came. It rained cats and dogs, and with that we decided to head back and get cleaned up and have dinner. After all, we had managed to make a decent day out of it with some good fishing on Granite Creek. We ended up having dinner at Sidewinder's, and a few of us had the famous Chicken Fried steak.......man was it delicious.

On Monday, we got up to cool temperatures (low to mid 30's) and headed over to one of my favorite places, Bubba's, it was outstanding. The guys raved over the food and I heard many great comments about how good it was.......I mean it is great stuff and if you are in Jackson you have to eat breakfast there. To our right was a guy who had moved to Jackson from Marietta, GA and was telling us about Jackson and how it was for him to move there. He mentioned that he'd moved out 10 years ago and how much he loved it now. Having breakfast with him was Frank Simms, the gentleman /fly fisherman who started the Simms Fly Fishing Company from the ground up. A very reserved, quiet gray haired gentleman who looked like he was very much enjoying life. Given how Simms has grown and what he must have been paid for the company I guess he probably would be smiling. But it was neat to know who he was. After breakfast we headed off to fish the Gros Ventre, Crystal Creek, and Gros Ventre canyon. We caught some fish, some on dries - -Mikael Tedeborg had the best fish, a 16" cuttie, but overall the weather was "iffy" and the fishing was slow compared to what it can be. We still caught some fish, fished in a known grizzly area (exciting!), and since we were heading into the backcountry on Tuesday we decided to quit early and go back to town to get dinner and pack our stuff for the backcountry part of the trip. We ended up having dinner at The Bunnery and then headed back to our rooms to pack.

On Tuesday, we rose early and headed up to get a hearty breakfast at The Bunnery. We then headed north on 191 to Moran Junction, then right toward Buffalo Valley on the upper Snake/Buffalo River system. We met Josh Roth, and Scott Leeper his helper, at the overflow parking area at the Turpin Meadows trailhead. There we got our stuff out, put it on the tarp, and watched the guys pack it on horses for the ride in. I and the guys were excited, heading on horseback 10-12 miles in and fishing from there is a treat these days, talk about getting away from it all- - - this is it. Once we got to camp and got unpacked, we suited up and headed down to the river, the Soda Fork of the Buffalo, where we caught quite a few cutthroats and whitefish, a handful of the cutthroats measured 17-19", and all of them caught on dry flies, Schroeder hoppers in Tan size 12 just as I had prescribed during our pretrip preparations. We returned to the campsite on the Soda Fork to a dinner of Elk Fajitas, Cheese, Crackers, Elk Sausage, salad, and homemade Pecan Pie, all prepared in Dutch oven style over an open fire by our camp guide Josh Roth. Believe me, Josh can cook and his magic puts a smile on everyone's faces. After dinner we gabbed around the campfire for a bit and then one by one we all turned into our tents for the night.

On Wednesday, we got up early and had coffee by the campfire, the early morning silence was shattered by the sound of three sandhill cranes doing what they do- -squawking like a raptor- - it was neat to feel so close to the real wild side of this magnificent country. After a spectacular sunrise, we had a fabulous cowboy casserole with eggs, bacon, potatoes, Eggs, and cantaloupe and some outstanding Josh Roth cowboy coffee. After breakfast, we geared up for a ride over to the North Fork, my favorite Wyoming trout stream, for it is full of undercut banks, foam lines, deep bends, flatwater, and rising fish.....and it looks like a trout stream I would design if I were to design one. It is magnificent, and loaded with cutthroats and brookies, some of the former 20" or over. We caught some nice fish, some of the cutties up to 18", lost some good ones too, and also tons of brookies up to 12" . Two of the guys caught 30 each in one spot, to end the day, and Pat Burney had a first ever - a double, that is a rod in each hand and a fish on each one, and another first ever, a 'Triple double' with Mikael Tedeborg beside of him with a fish on as well. Three rods, three fish on, amazing..... We finished up fishing and packed our stuff back on the horses, and headed back to camp and rode in to the wonderful smell of a Chicken Curry dish Josh had prepared for us. Josh's wife Jay Jay is Indian, so he is well versed in spicy dishes, and man this one was out of this world. We had Chicken Curry over rice, Salad, corn on the cob, rolls, and a homemade German chocolate cake, all cooked Dutch oven style over an open fire....delicious. We spent some time talking about the day's fishing by the fire, and talked about other stuff too, and then turned in. Everyone was so tired from a full day that sleeping was not a problem.......

On Thurday we awoke to another wonderful breakfast, some of the stuff the guys demanded a recipe for it was so good, one of those things was the bread and sausage gravy. We had a breakfast of homemade bread, Josh's sausage gravy, Eggs, and fresh cantaloupe. It was outstanding, and I think we all fought over the leftovers. Josh is lucky we didn't lick the dutch ovens clean...it was that good. We started our day with a 7 mile ride up to Divide Lake, a blue green jewel tucked away in the shadow of Joy Mountain, and up around 9600 ft. The ride was spectacular, and we spent the morning casting to rising and cruising cutthroats, some of them up to 18-19", and several of the guys caught up to a half dozen or 7 of them before they turned off. We caught them on dry flies, stripping wooly buggers, hand twist retrieving Copper Johns deep, you name it. We caught them all ways and it was great. Added to it was the fact that half of the time you could see the fish before they smashed your fly. And man was the water deep.....like a few hundred feet deep only 50ft from shore. It was literally blue green. We quit about lunch time, ate lunch, saddled up, and headed down to the lower North Fork to end the day. We found some good fishing there too, everyone caught fish and I had the pleasure of watching Steve Lalumondier catch a nice cuttie that was rising and was being terribly selective....we put a Jeff's South Holston CDC emerger on him.....bang, that was the end of that. The score Steve 1, 18inch cutthroat 0. Well done, and best of all i got a great video clip of Steve fighting him (below). After fishing we headed back to the horses, suited down, packed up, and headed back to camp. We rode in to the smell of big T-Bone steaks (a real steak, a Wyoming slab of beef!), Josh had started dinner and was grilling those big steaks over the fire. The smell after a long day on the trail and water was great..... We had a great dinner of Steak, Cowboy potatoes, homemade Cornbread, and Peach Cobbler. Again, what Josh can do with a dutch oven over a fire is truly incredible....and incredibly good as well. After dinner and a short campfire sit, we all turned in to our tents for some shuteye.

On Friday morning we got up and had another wonderful breakfast, our last in the backcountry. It was kind of sad that our backcountry experience was coming to a close. We enjoyed a breakfast of French Toast, danishes, Link Sausage, and fresh cantaloupe and fruit and it was outstanding as well. We all packed our gear up, and Josh and Scott broke down camp while several of us went down to the Soda Fork for a little last hurrah fishing. I walked down with the guys, Pat and Mikael went way upstream, I stayed downstream with Bob Manning. He caught several large whitefish and also an 18 inch trout that we believe might have been a lake trout from its markings and color pattern. I'll be sending the info regarding the catch to Wyoming Wildlife to see if they can determine/confirm that it is that. It was strange, but I guess if you are going to catch a strange one let it be large! The other guys caught a fish or two, we headed back up to the campsite and unsuited so Josh could pack our gear up for the ride out. We all grabbed our lunches and headed to our horses. With packing complete, we saddled up for the 2 hr ride out. It was great, but everyone I am sure was both tired, sort of down that the trip was coming to a close, but very much looking forward to a nice room, bed, and did I say SHOWER after several days in the backcountry. I am sure we all looked like a bunch of dirty rascals, unshaven and rough to be sure, but we would soon take care of that once we got back into town.

We got back to the trailhead and the cars, and as the guys unpacked our stuff off the horses we one by one took our bags to the vehicles. We thanked Scott and Josh, and I told Josh "see you next year" and we were off. We stopped by several areas on the way back to town so the guys could get some nice shots of the Grand Tetons and the Snake River, several places that are well known and magazine famous for their photogenic beauty. Once we took a few pics we headed back to town and to our rooms. Everyone was able to unwind a little and also take what I would say was one of the best showers or our lives.....I had to quickly unpack and repack some of our bags which I took to FedeX to have shipped home. I came back to Cache Creek Lodge where we were staying and some of the guys walked into town to do some shopping, looking around, etc, pickup something for their families, etc. We planned on doing dinner at 7:45 at one of the places we always hit, usually on the last night, that is Merry Piglets Mexican Grill. It is mexican and tex mex food to die for! After a nice meal, we all returned to the Cache Creek to pack for the trip home.

We got up early Saturday morning, 400am to be exact, and packed our stuff into the vehicle and headed off to the airport as they were recommending everyone arrive 2hrs before flights due to the construction area around the airport and the fact that Saturday morning is a very busy time at Jackson airport. We got to the airport, and all of us were to board flights for home. I left at 7am, all the other guys 7:58 or 8:00am. Mike was the last to leave, he got to sleep in and had to fly out at 10am. I flew to Salt Lake City, UT, had a three hour layover, what a nice airport it is!!! I then flew to Atlanta, had another 3 hour layover, and then arrived home to Greensboro a little before 9pm. My beautiful bride was in the baggage claim was there to meet me, I hugged and kissed her and I'll tell you as much fun as the guys were and as great as Wyoming is this is home. And I was glad to be back! And missed Wyoming too, its such a great place.

Already starting to plan next years trip..............we have a spot for you- - - join us!

Hopper Fishing in Wyoming

2009-09-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Next to beetle fishing in the East my favorite fly fishing has to be hopper fishing in the West. Enjoy....and join us next year in Wyoming! Check out more at www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com.

Please Wait.......

2009-08-21T05:47:00.001-07:00

Good morning Jackson Hole, I arrived on the last flight last night just before 10pm-and missed seeing the sight of all sights, the Grand Tetons, as they were shrouded in clouds and darkness -- arriving much later than expected due to two delays, one in Greensboro, and another in Atlanta. There were bad thunderstorms all about. I had to switch some flights around and finally got a flight to Jackson at 640pm Atlanta time.....so much for casting a fly yesterday. Waited in the baggage claim for an hour and no bags.....turned out they went to Denver and never got switched over the plane I was on. Oh well, I hope they get my clothes, stuff, and most importantly rods! Did meet a great guy from Jacksonville, FL on the plane, we talked flyfishing and a whole lot of stuff the entire time and I think I might have gotten a future trip. Also was very intrigued by the # of soldiers, there were several large groups of them en route to Afghanistan. As I saw them I thought of how they are the real heroes today and how the media will never portray them that way......I thanked one of them it was neat to see his reaction. I was thinking of how here they are headed to be in harm's way and I am headed to Wyoming....made me feel silly complaining about all the above. Looking forward to a great day today, mostly tracking my bags down- I had planned several things but they will have to wait until I make sure my bags are going to get here. Will meet the guys one by one as they arrive here with everyone being here and on the ground by tomorrow at noon- - - then the adventure begins!

I guess though through probably 40 fly throughs in Jackson Hole only one issue with luggage is a pretty good thing.....in all those trips this is the only luggage issue I have had. That's pretty good given how many changes are taking place in a short period of time. But it still makes for some fidgeting waiting on the stuff to arrive so I can get on with the trip.

Photography..........A Bonus to Fishing

2009-07-31T04:02:00.000-07:00

I must say that as much as I love fishing and guiding others I also have a deep affinity for photography. I take tons of photos. And the great thing is that many of the places I go regularly are so strikingly beautiful in some way that taking a good picture.....well...you could say.....anyone could do it. I mean lets face it, a place like the Grand Tetons is pretty amazing even if you take a bad picture of it. I am not sure you could take a bad one of that place.

Photography for me is such a bonus to being outdoors, enough so that I like it enough to do it alone even if I am not fishing or the fishing is slow. I am not alone in that sentiment. Well known fly anglers and authors Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser, the latter whom I know personally, both love to take pictures. So much so that if the fishing is off or slow, then so be it......its off for a photo shoot. Its that good.

So take a camera and add to your experience...........and I promise it won't keep you from catching a large fish-----just like taking a landing net won't do that either.........I promise

Its that Time again......

2009-07-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things is catching fish on top...nothing beats a moment when any fish, and especially a large fish decides to eat on top. I don't know if its the surprise factor of the unexpected strike, the commotion and noise that breaks an often early morning, late evening, or moonlight silence....or seeing a large fish come to the top with the express purpose of annihilating your fly. Personally, all of the details matter not, I'll take a surface take over them all.....whether the fish is large or small. Large though is what I prefer....how about you?

We are entering one of my favorite times, I know , you've heard me say it before about 'favorite times'- - -they are all my favorite times. My favorite time is whenever I can go. But there's something about topwater, whether largemouth bass smashing a bug from beneath a layer of green muck and salad the way they do at our pond here - - - and let me tell you get a bass of 2-3 lbs or more and it will scare the daylights out of you and cause you to mess up your britches-- - - a panfish softly kissing a popper or black ant, or a tiger with fins- - - a smallmouth- - that breaks the early morning foggy silence with a surface shattering strike so swift, precise, and quick that you never even saw the fish- - - at all. I love them. Actually I love them all

An Unbelievably Large Rising Brown

2009-06-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

This one is not around here but some fish like this exist here, most notably the South Fork of the Holston in TN. Its not uncommon to see fish like this, over 20 inches, rising to a heavy hatch. We caught one such fish last year, way over 20 inches, on a size 16 dry fly, 7x tippet; it was caught and landed on the South Holston by Lynn Roloff during the legendary sulphur hatch. She did a masterful job of landing the fish.

Down and Across Presentations

2009-06-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

We do a good many trips on the tailwater rivers of East Tennessee, most notably the South Holston and Watauga Rivers, and frequently encounter situations where downstream presentations are required. The South Holston is this way. The down and across presentation using a parachute reach cast and with the fly landing slightly to the near side of the rise/fish is hard to beat. I find that whether I am fishing or guiding someone it is the deadliest presentation you can make on a larger, streamwise, mature fish that is rising. The reason is the cast produces plenty of slack which makes for a long drag free drift and it shows the fish fly first instead of tippet, leader, and line. Here Robert Ruzicka scores on a downstream presentation, as he did about 80 -90 times in two days of guide trips with me on TN's South Holston- - - -which could be called the 'Henry's Fork of the East'.

Wow Thats a Big Bug.......

2009-06-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

These guys come off every year on streams that have them, it is the e.guttulata mayfly, better known as the "Green Drake", and because of its immense size relative to other flies we see it is a real meal for large trout. This particular bug was filmed on an Ashe County stream on May 27,2009 and what is funny is to see smaller fish try to take one down with two or three attempts. For a native trout this is a nice meal, the equivalent of a nice New York Strip for us. This mayfly is a burrower type, that is they are found in streams that have some mud banks or at least some bottom mud/sediments- - - and that is where they are found. The nymph is best imitated by a large Gold Ribbed Hares Ear or a Tan/Gold wooly bugger with the tail trimmed short. They can be from size 8 to 12 but this guy was a size 10. Only a few streams in our area have these flies, and where there's a fishable hatch of them its a known thing.

In our area several Ashe County streams have them, the Davidson River has them, and one of the best hatches occurs on Beaverdam Creek in Shady Valley, TN. In most places the hatch occurs between one week before Memorial Day to Memorial Day to one week after Memorial Day, or over about a two week period is when they can occur. The hatch is short lived. The spinners, a large whitish size 10 fly you'll see at dusk, is normally referred to as a 'coffin fly', and looks like a small piece of chalk hovering in the air. They are huge as well, and as you might have guessed, fish love to eat them. This is one mayfly you can hear fly by as well as see it fly by. For more information on Green Drakes visit Jason Neuswanger's excellent site here http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/771 .

Fishing an Idaho Early Spring Skwala Hatch

2009-05-09T12:40:00.001-07:00

This one is unreal. I remember years ago seeing heads poke out of the water like this eating flies, it was on the Picabo /Nature Conservancy section of world famous Silver Creek, the "graduate school of trout water" that lies about one hour south of Ketchum, Idaho. A past trip with friends Daryl Knight and Brad Frazier was an amazing trip in terms of seeing huge fish and some incredible dry fly fishing. Enjoy!

Playing and Landing a Beast of a Rainbow

2009-05-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

client Dr. Jim Kaley playing a huge rainbow in the NC High Country on a guided trip with me. He and his wife Martha landed 3 citation sized fish, 2 rainbows and 1 brown, along with over 40 other fish from 11-18 inches, all on a full day guided trip with me. It was a blast, well done Martha and Jim, the fish fear you!

Cause for celebration indeed, a nice fish comes to net.....after wearing Jim's arm out of course...! But a willing price to pay for a nice fish....we'd do it again? Absolutely!

Some Red Hot Rainbows......

2009-05-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Friend and regular Client Dr. Patrick Burney gets into a hot rainbow at Escatawba Farms in Covington, VA. These fish are Shasta rainbows, they are the hardest fighting rainbows you'll catch east of the Mississippi.

Wow Thats a Good One......

2009-03-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

We have all done this before.....you see a big fish, you get excited, you make a cast and there in the middle of your soon to be perfect presentation a nice puff of wind from the wrong direction blows the line and rig into the rod and man what a mess you have. Its one of the joys of fly fishing......well, maybe not. Its probably one of the most stressful things about fly fishing, and on the wrong day it can put you in a bad frame of mind.........know what I mean?

I often get asked how in the world I manage to keep my cool untangling lines and rigs and fixing stuff when either less than perfect conditions or repeated bad casts cause frequent snafus like the one above. The truth is, it is sometimes nerve wracking no matter who you are, guide or no, but I will say the only thing that has helped me untangle some real bad messes has been the fact that I have made a mess of my own so many times and then had to fix it that I have gotten good at it- - -and because of my many mistakes. Mistakes are good after all!

Its great to know that with even a real mess you can learn something. Almost like there's a life lesson in every tangle. A tangle gives you time to stop, reassess the situation, make necessary repairs and adjustments, and rest the fish. . . all things that are worth doing. And sometimes you still get a chance to catch the fish.

Now lets see if I can go out on the water next time and put all of these wise words into action.......

This Is Incredible....

2009-02-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

Its That Time of Year Again.....

2009-01-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last year it was the Giants and Patriots.... this year the Cardinals and Steelers. Not my Panthers.........hopefully you feel my pain.

But the show goes on. And every time this time of the year comes around I have the crazy idea of creating some flies with team colors like the teams in the playoffs or Super Bowl. I always have the idea, but have never followed up on it. This year I did just that.

About two or three days after it was clear who the playoff teams would be, I took a break from tying some fly orders and played around with some new materials, creating several new fly patterns to try out. Another plus is that occasionally when playing around creating some new flies something actually works.

I had purchased some tinsel materials a while back, in fact it was last Christmas if memory serves me correctly. The materials were closeout stuff, like 80-90% off stuff, and was like packages of icicles - the silver, tinsel like material you buy in a package and that is messy and once you put some on the tree it is a mess and finds itself all over the house. Simply put it takes you months to clean it all up. But the stuff I found was multi-colored, and much like tinsel, and was a neat mixture of red, magenta, green, blue, gold, silver, yellow, blue, and more. It was this stuff that was the main ingredient of my new creations.

Using the famous and effective Copper John fly as a pattern, I went on to tie my rendition of a Copper John in the colors that would match the playoff teams. I tied a Tennessee Titan, a San Diego Charger, a Philadelphia Eagle, A New York Giant, An Arizona Cardinal, A Baltimore Raven, A Pittsburgh Steeler, A Carolina Panther....I think you get the idea. The tying was fun. The trying them out was very interesting........and the results - - -or how the fly performed- - -and to parallel that how the corresponding team performed in their games to come - - - it was both interesting and ironic....

The Tennessee Titan, the Carolina Panther, the Baltimore Raven, The New York Giant, the Philadelphia Eagle....all flopped. We fished them over some favorite holes full of fish on the streams I guide- - some streams like Escatawba/Dunlap Creek and Helton Creek and others- - - so whether or not we were really fishing over the fish or fishing where the fish were- - - this was a non issue. The flies were fished over tons of fish.....and there were clear winners. And I must say the Charger fly showed flashes of brilliance, then floundered. The Steeler fly emerged as the clear winner.

In fact, on a guided trip I met Phil Rea of Raleigh, NC up in Ashe County for a trip on January 9. It was a cold day, post cold front and snowy weather w/high water, a challenging day. But we caught fish, in fact we did quite well. And one hole we got to I said to Phil, "I have been doing this experiment with flies tied in the same colors as NFL teams.....and this one works pretty well....its called the Pittsburgh Steeler fly. " He said, much to my surprise, "....thats great, because I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan." Hard to believe.

And the fly caught fish. After fish. After fish. I must admit in my head all I saw was dollars and cents as this might be a new pattern I could sell to customers. It was working well and worked consistently well. And a new fly pattern was born. The truly amazing thing is that the Steeler fly emerged as the clear winner of them all.

And that is interesting as they are one of the teams that are left in the hunt for the Super Bowl trophy. I must say first that I love the Panthers. Jake we would strangle you but forgive you. Admittedly, deep down for several reasons I am a Kurt Warner fan. Its more about him than the Cardinals, but it wouldn't bother me at all if they won the big game. But that Steeler defense.....Mike Tomlin.....James Harrison.....Troy Polamalu....... And then there's the effectiveness of that Pittsburgh Steeler fly.....is that a harbinger of what is to come? Will they take home the trophy....? We'll see

Line Control is Paramount

2008-12-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a short clip that was put together after a recent guided trip with a regular client/customer Mac Cheek of Greensboro, NC. Though we didn't fish with the intent of getting these clips, they worked out perfectly for putting together a short piece on line control and fishing subtle currents. Great job Mac...

This is the first of many such clips that will be forthcoming over the next several months.....Good fishing!

The Rewards of Sticking it Out...

2008-11-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

15 degrees, 30mph wind......Cold. There's no other way to put it. And if you don't have some stuff to keep you warm you are quickly asking yourself what I asked myself recently...."Am I crazy?" Of course, you can still find yourself asking that if you are clothed well!

Cold was the word on Thursday Nov 26,2008 when I met Carter Davenport and his friend Patrick Williams for a fishing trip at 0'dark thirty here in Greensboro, NC. We rode up to the mtns, and we knew it would be cold. We made a quick stop at a Walmart on the way up to renew Patrick's license and to grab some gloves and hand and toe warmers. And man was that a good idea.

It was bitterly cold. The first hour or hour and a half was fishing on the ice trimmed edge of the stream, casting into 32.8F degree water that had some small chunks of ice floating in it from an obviously cold still night of low temps in the teens. But I encouraged the guys (and myself!) and assured them that better temps and weather and fishing lay ahead of us, even if not for the first hour or two.

And like clockwork it began. The second place we put in we got almost immediate results. Patrick scored a couple of fish, a couple of good ones, 15-16" fish and one that broke him off (his beast of the day, it seemed like a big fish- - -a large rainbow that departed adorned with two of my favorite winter flies). But that's okay, I'll take losing flies to a big fish over losing them to a tree anyday. Carter soon followed. Like a dozen or so fish in the next 45 minutes, one of them being this brute of a rainbow that must have weighed 6lbs or more and was one of the heaviest bodied rainbows we've seen this year. I must say, and I think the guys would agree, after some fish and that trophy all of a sudden it didn't matter much how cold it was.....Bring it on.

We fished a while longer, caught a few more fish, and had a hot lunch- -chili and trimmings, hot chocolate, and coffee streamside, warming ourselves inside before heading upriver to fish several more places.

The rest of the afternoon was phenomenal. Patrick scored a "Grand Slam), a brookie, brown, and rainbow at least 15" long, as well as between 30 and 40 trout on a day that had most anglers at home tying flies or sitting by a fire. Not us, we had business to do.

Carter also caught at least that many fish. Just proved to me once again what I have believed and practiced for years. That is sticking out some less than ideal conditions to have a chance when a big fish decides to eat. That happened today, and along with 60 or more fish that all decided eating was a good idea too.

Its just as I remarked to Patrick, ".....are we fools for being out in this?....." to which he enthusiastically exclaimed, ".....well yes, fools for trout that is." Well said.

Good things and treasures are found in and through some very unusual circumstances. .......
Whether I am crazy or not.......!

I Must be Crazy.......

2008-11-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

High Winds, mid 20's, wind chill of 0F or less, and lots of snow....in fact near whiteout conditions. I love fly fishing and will fish in nearly any weather condition except a thunderstorm (even did that in my younger days.....boy was that foolish!!!!) but when it is like it was on Friday November 21, 2008 it is just about at the edge of bearable. At least it was at the edge when the wind was blowing. Hardly bearable winter conditions is what my friend and our Men's Ministry pastor Rick Trautman and I found when we arrived at the river on this particular day. I mean it was so incredible that it snowed probably a 1/4" or more in the back of his SUV before we could get completely geared up and in the water. But I love winter fishing and even sometimes on the coldest of days I doubt my decision to step into the water....and find my mind thinking....."am I crazy?" I mean lets be honest, sometimes discomfort and being cold can become pain if you are not properly dressed or prepared. But then again I remembered a slogan that dons my son's wrestling warm up jacket........."Pain is just the feeling of weakness leaving the body...". Now wrestling and fly fishing are obviously very different but the inside "push" to trudge on when things are tough (enter "near blizzard like weather" ) is much the same......its reaching into the gut for that last little bit of whatever that pushes you to go on.

Funny how catching a fish, or maybe a large fish, can change everything. If I could recount and write down all the moments like that in my life whether it was fishing at the coast, or fishing a pond, or maybe a river....whatever it is....that something like a bluefish blitz, a mayfly hatch, a trophy fish - - - all in the "midnight" hour came at the time I least expected it then it would be one of the most interesting things I have ever written.

Like the time that my friend Dave Powers and I, back when the flyfishing community was just learning about albacore, that he and I fished the sand spit at Cape Lookout and for probably 4 solid hours hooked up on those fish and ended up landing about a half dozen of them from 8 to 14 pounds- - -a considerable thing if you have ever tried doing it from the surf. Not to mention that morning the wind was howling (20-25 knots from the East - a bad direction), the water was pretty churned up, and that we actually passed Lefty Kreh (yes, 'the' Lefty Kreh- - -he actually fishes NC/Cape Lookout regularly) on the dock there that morning at Harker's Island Fishing Center- - - and he even remarked to us " you guys are going to have you work cut out for you today....the wind is terrible and coming from the wrong direction...probably won't amount to much..." But to his surprise and ours it turned out to be bad conditions but the result was the opposite. Or the time that my fishing friend Malcolm Robertson, cousin Tim Cooke, and I were on the South Holston in November, on a quiet day, where we watched Malcolm stalk, stay low, and make literally hundreds of casts with a size 18 pheasant tail with a 9 foot 3 weight Winston Rod and a 6X tippet to finally coax a huge brown, like 28 inches long and probably at least 8-9 pounds to take his fly. The investment....? All Day. The result....? Malcolm not only managed to hook the fish but landed that fish too. And it was funny to watch the bait fishermen on the bank then start to "stay low" where they were sitting, sitting there as though they were now convinced that doing so would mean a trophy fish for them too. Or maybe the time that Malcolm and I were fishing a dusk sulphur hatch that was so incredible that we couldn't stop.....never remembering we had not planned to fish here until dark so we didn't bring a flashlight. We forgot that we had a mile walk through heavy forest back to the car.......I mean it was pitch black and there were numerous times I was down on my hands and knees "feeling" for the path. We got back to the car at almost 11pm and I pulled in my driveway at 2am....Yikes. The result....? An incredible hatch I'll always remember even if it meant getting lost in the dark and feeling the uncertainty we felt for probably 2 hours.

Where am I going with all of this.....? A simple point. If you have a good day on the water, catch lots of fish......, a huge fish.... sometimes it will cost you something. Sometimes it will cost you alot. Sometimes there might be some discomfort and pain involved. But sometimes its like life too- - - that stuff is not all bad and it has something good in the end for you. And sometimes the very thing that you find difficult and even frustrating is the very thing that is pushing you to go on and do better. "Suffering" has its benefits.

So from just coming off the heels of fishing in bitter cold, below freezing temps, blowing snow, wind chills at zero or below, ice in the guides, the rod tip frozen so much the line won't move.....that sounds like a pleasant day doesn't it? would I do it again? Absolutely. When are we going?

Ok, that confirms it. I must be crazy..........

Well Done.......!

2008-11-23T05:14:00.001-08:00

Sometimes everything goes perfectly and the big fish that you have on ends up in the net despite giving one heck of a good account of itself......and that's exactly what happened on Friday November 14, 2008 when I met Scott and Diane Bertrand of Greensboro for the second of two days of fishing in the mtns.

Scott and Diane were up for the week taking some vacation time and we had already fished earlier in the week and done pretty well. We had fished under challenging conditions on Tuesday Nov 11, 2008 and still caught a good many fish, but today offered hope of something much better, a stream with greatly improved water levels and that still had a touch of color to it. And the hope rang true, as it was a great day. It was great being that it was on the heels of a trip the day before where we had a 50 fish day and landed 3 fish over 20 inches. Today was to be a close to near repeat of that.

Diane really worked for this fish. And I must say that as a guide that is perhaps the most satisfying part of it for me. I mean, don't get me wrong I love it when big fish lose all caution and just take the fly without hesitation. We all love times like that. But Diane worked for this one. We could see the fish. It successfully evaded our efforts for over an hour, but we kept at it. We endured some tangles and many fly changes. But Diane stayed at it. She made good casts.....concentrated on good drifts, nice mends, all of it. Then the moment happened.......just before we were ready to leave Diane made one more cast. It was the one.

The fish let the fly pass its position, and I watched as Diane carefully took in line to control the slack, made a careful mend, then for reasons that none of us know the fish turned and swam slowly downstream and inhaled the fly in .....to which I said without hesitation "he's got it......" to which Diane responded with a perfectly timed hookset, and the battle was on. The fish made a hard run across the pool, made a wallowing splash that would make a wallowing pig in a pen proud, then made another hard dash up a few feet, then it jumped. We gawked at the size of the fish as it made an effort for freedom in the air. The fish then sped upstream and when it reached a shallow ledge it leaped again for freedom, this time at least four feet out of the water, and landed with a big splash but still hooked up. The battle then became a bulldog battle on the bottom. I watched as Diane responded to every "coaching tip" I would give....she kept the rod up, gave line when necessary, took up line too, and did a masterful job at this cat and mouse game of give and take......I mean as well as I have ever witnessed. And she did it on light tippet, another feat that isn't easy no matter how long you've been fly fishing. I told her I was amazed and wished I had video taped that fighting of a fish to use as an example to my fly fishing school students as to how you effectively fight a big fish on light leader material. Needless to say I was impressed!

We photographed the fish then released it to fight again another day. And Diane went on to catch another couple of fish like that, one of which we got to net and another in which the fly just pulled out as I was preparing to net the fish. It was a great day..........indeed....lots of fish and some big fish and an impressive display of fish fighting skills by Diane. Simply put, she did a fantastic job. And this was one of those "get the net......!" for sure.

Get the Net....................!!!!!!!

2008-11-23T04:59:00.001-08:00

Normally "demands" aren't good- - - and if our wives, kids, or someone else demands us to do something often we don't react well to it......(sorry honey and everyone else). But let me tell you, if you are a fly fishing guide those are sweet words.......words any client is free to say firmly and loudly....because the reason they are saying it is a really big fish is about to come to hand. "Get the net..." as a phrase is real music to my ears. Of course, the other things going through my mind are how the fish is being played, line managed, the fish's next move anticipated, etc., as well as the tippet size, and absolute firm belief in the ability of the knots I just tied to hold just long enough for us to get the large fish in the net.

The day was Thursday November 13, 2008. I had met Dan Camia and Larry Tomar, both regular guide trip clients and friends for a trout trip. The forecast was for heavy rains the two days prior to the trip.....and after a fall season plagued by low and clear water conditions, I for one was excited at the outlook. Some would have seen the forecast and written the day off. But the stream we were fishing I knew well, and have fished it in the swollen waters of early spring after a snowmelt to the low water of fall when it bares its bones in October. I knew if the water was high and had a bit of color we could do well... and well we did.

Larry landed three rambuncious rainbows, 23", 22", and 21" and all on a size 20 flies.....I know big fish don't hit small flies.....or so they say. I watched in amazement as for once a group of large fish would lose all fear and throw caution to the wind.......which is often what they do when the conditions are like we had. They still eat, they go into a hunt and kill mode, and I have always felt like deep down that is when the largest fish in ANY stream will go on the prowl and decide to eat something.....like a 20 plus inch brown that eats those 8 inch fish we often catch.....and believe me that does happen......

Larry will receive three Trophy Fish Award Citation Certificates from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for his fish as part of the Angler Recognition Program. I will bask in the emotion and excitement of seeing three nice fish come to net like that. And I will wait for the next phrase of "music to my ears....." and that is "Get the net..................." . Please say that as often as you like........its always welcome

Fall Fishing in the High Country

2008-10-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

I could really say my favorite season is all of them...I mean I really love fishing no matter what time of the year it happens to be. But I must say of all the seasons Fall holds a special place with me. Maybe its the beautiful leaves and a landscape rich and ripe with color; perhaps its the refreshing "crispness" of the air; maybe its the low, clear water and small fly fishing, especially the blue winged olive hatches on the Tennessee tailwaters; I am certain of one thing, all of these reasons make the fall one of my favorite times to be outdoors.

Most of you are aware of my love for photography. It goes without saying that fall is a great time for taking pictures (photo: upper Helton Creek in Ashe County, NC). Combine some red, yellow, and orange leaves as a backdrop for a spawning brown or brookie and you have the necessary elements of a great photo coming together.

Most folks are aware of the leaf change and when it occurs. Here in North Carolina, the High Country will see this transformation begin in late September and continue through October. For the most part, from 2500' to 5000' the peak time is sometime between the first and third weeks of October. Weather can change this: a wet spring followed by a dry summer makes for the most striking display of color. Late Season rains can make for more "brown" leaves as in this year. A prolonged mild summer/early fall can push the peak later to late October and early November. So the weather plays a big part.

And the last part......ever have the joy of fishing during the peak leaf drop? I mean like when you snag a leaf on every drift. It seems like you snag the on a low backcast, during a presentation as the fly is drifting, at the end of the drift when the fly swings, while stripping line or making a pickup- - - -in each case the fly snags a wind resistant leaf and you get to witness the end of your leader/tippet become a twisted up, balled up mess that would make Don King's hairdo look tame.

But then again, just like all fishing---we take what we find and make the best of it. And the fall season is one of the best...

NC Stocked Trout in 2009 will be sterile.....

2008-09-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

In a news statement from the folks at the North Carolina Wildlife Commission in Raleigh fisheries supervisor Mallory Martin has some interesting plans to share. Hatchery- raised trout stocked in NC streams beginning in 2009 won't experience parenthood. That's because all brook, brown, and rainbow trout will be sterile and unable to reproduce.

The NCWRC gradually has been shifting its production of trout from those that can produce fry to those that won't be able to spawn offspring.

The impetus for converting to sterile trout is to help preserve the native Southern Appalachian brook trout, said Mallory Martin, the commission's regional fisheries supervisor in Marion, NC.

Hatcheries raise northern brook trout, which have mixed with native brookies, reducing the native trout population. Genetic assessments show 39% of NC brook troutare pure natives, 9% are direct descendents of northern brookies and 52% are a mixture. Sterile trout can reduce this hybridization. "The primary reason is to preserve the genetic integrity of our Southern Appalachian brook trout," said Doug Besler, cold-water research coordinator.

When fishery technicians begin the 2009 stockings, all 800,000 fish will be sterile or, as they're known to biologists, triploids. About half the fish stocked in 2008 will be triploids. Triploids look and act like non-sterile fish but grow faster. Each year, fishery technicians release hatchery fish into 1,100 miles of hatchery supported waters and into 18 delayed harvest stream segments and lakes managed for catch and release. Martin said only a few reproduce in the wild. Another benefit to stocking sterile trout is that any less hardy hatchery fish that make their way upstream into wild trout sections can't breed with naturalized rainbows and browns and consequently weaken their gene pools. He said the agency until 1970 supplemented wild-trout streams with stocked fish.....no longer.

"We don't go back to wild trout waters with hatchery fish," he said. Martin said NC might be the Southeastern state to go with sterile trout. Virginia has been experimenting with triploids. Idaho stocks triploid rainbows to protect native cutthroat trout. To create triploids, hatchery workers pressure-treat trout eggs inside a metal chamber. The pressure results in an extra set of chromosomes, three rather than two, thus making the unborn fish sterile. NC WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION @ 2008

In Over My Waders......

2008-09-23T07:39:00.001-07:00

......Could it be from the rains of Hurricane Fay, or maybe an unannounced change in the release schedule by the TVA on one of the TVA tailwaters, or perhaps a lapse in judgement of a rock ledge on the New River........actually its none of those.

Its that time of year again, and Fall is a big season for us here at Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Fishing. Fall is the time that many of us celebrate the change of season that brings with it some great colors and scenery, cooler temperatures, fewer of those pesky bugs and no seeums of summer, and great hatches of blue winged olives and rising fish. It ushers in perhaps the beginning of several months of my favorite time of the year....cold weather.

Why? There are fewer anglers. On the worst of days there are sometimes NO other anglers. And often the fish don't care. They still have to eat. Also, there's something in me that just likes to put on tons of fleece, gloves, you name it and go out and catch fish on a day where other folks will say "the odds are against you." Its sort of like being handed the ball at half court with one second on the clock and in position to launch a winning long range jump shot. But even in the most impossible situations those shots do sometimes go in. And so it is with the worst of days. A score is always possible.

When I think of being in "over my waders" I think of the challenges and opportunities of the new year coming. The planning and preparation for a new season begins sometimes several months to a year in advance. In this economy you simply can't wait around and let things happen. what used to take a few weeks to plan and fill like classes and trips now can take months. What used to be easy when "the movie" (a River Runs through IT) came out is now a great challenge....and that is marketing events and pretty much everything I do. Fall is the time when all of our fly fishing schools, classes, trips, pretty much everything that we do all year long has to be brought to completion as far arrangements and plans. So when a class or trip comes about it has been the result of many months of preparation, marketing, and planning. Sometimes when you are or want to be on the water everyday, or several days in a row like it can be when business is good..... it literally feels like "in over my waders."

But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.....

Heading for Home.......

2008-09-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

All good things come to an end........after rising early at 5:30am, we all packed into our van and headed down to turn our vehicle in and catch the airport shuttle. All of us were to fly out this morning, Aug 30, and by 6:30 we were all at the airport checking our bags, getting our boarding passes, then through the security checkpoint, and finally to the gate. We had a slight delay as all operations stopped as Vice President Cheney arrived /landed and was shuttled to his destination. Finally we were cleared for boarding. I couldn't pass up the opportunity for one last gander and video clip of the majestic Teton range as I walked from the gate across the tarmac and boarded the plane. In minutes we'd be off for home...and another great trip in the books. Soon I'll be planning and preparing for next year's return, Lord willing.

Fighting a Green River Rainbow....

2008-09-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

On our Wyoming 2008 trip we fished the famous Green River midweek. The river is a phenomenal trout stream, and ask any guide in the Jackson Hole or Pinedale area or in this area of Wyoming and they'll likely tell you their favorite stream is the Green. It is a great river and loaded with large fish. And it has many deep GREEN serpentine bends....hence the name. In this video clip Dr. Gary Lee is playing what turned out to be a nice rainbow. Gary later hooked a really nice brown but it came unbuttoned. Out of this deep run we got 3 rainbows, that one large brown, and several whitefish.

Riding out from the Backcountry....

2008-09-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten about the incline at the end of our ride out of the backcountry on our trip, but quickly remembered when we reached it and it was time to ride out. Looking down beside you and seeing a 1500 foot drop off is a little unnerving but horses seem to do okay with it. Not to mention that all of this is taking place at 9000 feet. The stream at the bottom of the drop is the Buffalo Fork of the Snake, a fine trout stream.....wild cutthroats all the way to be exact. Its also very lightly fished compared to other area waters......mainly because it takes so long to get to the accessible water.

Arriving in North Fork Meadow...

2008-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

After about an hour and 15 minute horseback ride from camp, we settled into North Fork Meadow on the North Fork of the Buffalo. Our outfitter Josh Roth had talked up the stream a lot, swearing us to secrecy, and man do we see why now. By the end of the day everyone would call this the "dream stream". We broke up into groups, Pat Burney started in the middle, Munsey and his dad Munsey Sr. went downstream, and Gary Lee, Ken and Gregg Williamson and I went upstream. Everyone pretty much whacked them good, I worked with Gary most of the time and he tallied 60 fish altogether with the largest fish a 17-18" cutthroat that smashed a #10 Schroeder's Parachute Hopper. We caught a mix of cutthroats and brookies. Upstream and downstream of us the guys were getting into cutthroats of 18-20" with a couple or three or four fish caught that were 20" . The best part was the majority of the fish came on dry flies, BIG dry flies. It would be conservative to say we had a 100-150 fish day, all in all it was awesome. And it truly was the "dream stream". We won't say where Josh, .......promise!

Backcountry Breakfast.....

2008-09-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sleeping under the stars is great, having breakfast by a fire in the meadow deep in the backcountry is even better. Everything tastes better here. From a breakfast casserole over the open fire with eggs, sausage, peppers, eggs, and pepperjack cheese to french toast and link sausages.....man all of it was absolutely delicious and expertly prepared by our outfitter and camp cook Josh Roth. Josh's dutch oven entrees drew the praises of all our guys as we feasted on the well prepared dishes. I usually lose some pounds on our trip because of all the hiking and the dry climate but not this time. I think I maybe picked up a few pounds......great food Josh and thanks again!

Mia the Dog......

2008-09-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Most western outfitters who do horse pack trips into the backcountry wilderness of the West have a dog that comes along. Our Wyoming Sampler is no different. The outfitter we work with on this portion of our trip is Josh Roth, a real cowboy and an outstanding outfitter who really does a great job at what he does. Josh's specialty is horse pack fishing trips in summer and big game hunting trips in fall and early spring. And he's good at it, as our customers raved about on, during, and after this particular trip. And his dog Mia (pronounced My-uh) was an extra touch of entertainment on the trip. From sitting around the fire, to during our meals, and all times in between there she was. She was a real show to be frank. Part blue healer and border collie, she had unbelievable energy and would literally play fetch with a stick or whatever else you would throw for as long as you would stand there and toss the stick for her. She came along on all our horse rides too, running behind, with, and ahead of us on the fringes of the trail, on a seemingly unending adventure jumping over bushes, logs, and chasing whatever crossed her path.....and squirrels were a favorite of hers. The trip was very enjoyable, and having Mia along was a real treat.....and all of my customers loved her.

Soda Fork of the Buffalo.....a "Dream Stream"

2008-09-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

All trout water is good in my book, some better than others, and out West its plentiful. Occasionally, though, along comes a stream that seems to define what an ideal stream is. Such is the Soda Fork of the Buffalo. A high alpine tributary to the Snake River, it originates in the Yellowstone backcountry...that is the part of Yellowstone that is totally inaccessible except to those willing to go by foot or horse 9 miles into the backcountry. And that's the minimum. Because of that, you could almost count on two hands the number of fishermen this water sees in a year's time. And it shows. Not only is the river and riparian area clean and pristine, the water teems with big, wild, and willing cutthroats....and lots of them. In our fishing we averaged about a 15-18 inch fish out of every nice run and pool there was. Some of the better bends might cough up three or four of them. The best pools gave up fish of 18-20 inches....and the best part? The fish would eat a size 10 dry fly with reckless abandon. Does it get any better than that?

Riding In 1500 Feet above the Buffalo Fork of the Snake

2008-09-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

One of the most thrilling aspects of doing a backcountry trip is some of the incredible scenery along the way, and our Wyoming Trip in August 2008 was no different. One of the best views of the whole trip was the trail ride alongside the Buffalo Fork of the Snake River.....for probably a quarter mile we rode a skinny trail long the edge of a high ridge at probably 9000ft, all the while looking down about 1500 feet to the river below......wow , was it ever breathtaking.

Riding into the Wilderness....Turpin Meadows

2008-09-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Our trip began with a ride in on Aug 24, 2008 with a seven mile horseback ride into the backcountry through the beautiful Buffalo Fork River valley and Turpin Meadows. After meeting Josh Roth our outfitter at the trailhead at 9:00am, we packed up the horses and headed in to our final destination- - -a high alpine meadow on the Soda Fork of the Buffalo- - -a stream that after our day of fishing the next day everyone would consider a "dream stream". The ride in had a few thrills, one at the very beginning that is in this video clip- - -and that is riding in over a high ridge with the Buffalo Fork about 1500feet below us. No guardrail, no obstructions.....just a drop off.....and wow what a view it was.

Green River Antelope

2008-09-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Part of our Wyoming trip in 2008 was to fish the Green River near Cora, WY and I drove down to the Warren Bridge area to check out that part of the river prior to our trip here later in the week. I keep a finger on the pulse of all the places we fish through the friends, outfitters, and guides that I work with and through there, but I always like to check things out first hand to confirm the current conditions. Every fall the antelope migrate from all over NW Wyoming down the Hoback Canyon and through the buttes and sagebrush flats and grasslands on their way to their wintering grounds in the Red Desert near Pinedale, WY. They are interesting animals, requiring very little water to live. Go thing too, other than the river you won't find much water in this area. It is a river through a desert.

A Real Life Bullwinkle.....Well, maybe not

2008-09-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

As I left Jackson, WY on Friday morning Aug 22 at a little past 5:30am I stopped into Smiths for a cup of strong coffee and a donut and then headed south on 189 toward the Hoback Canyon. I was headed today to sample the upper Hoback Canyon where we would end up fishing near the end of our week in Wyoming. I anticipated red hot dry fly fishing as the hoppers were everywhere. It was 36F when I got out of the van, but surprisingly even that early in the morning red hot dry fly fishing with a hopper is exactly what I found....to the tune of about 25 cutties on top. It was great. An extra treat was seeing this moose on the way in. Actually there were two moose (or is it meese......plural?...who knows but they were big!) and they calmly watched as I went by them. I felt a little nervous as they can be aggressive and are often known to be more dangerous than a grizzly. Fortunately these guys just gave me a look and decided that getting out of the area was a good idea.....what a thrill and what a great thing to have the camera on me.

Whoa.....there's a Buffalo...and another and another....

2008-09-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

They are pretty common, at least in this part of the world anyway, but still an interesting animal and always neat to see anytime you encounter them. I encountered this group of bison on my way up to fish the upper Gros Ventre. I had just left Jackson, WY and the rental car place and was headed up the road to Kelly and had just passed the massive Gros Ventre Butte when this large group of bison decided they wanted to cross the highway. And of course, when they decide to go somewhere its a good idea just to get out of the way.......which I promptly did of course.

Wyoming Sampler Trip 2008.....Official Day Six

2008-08-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

After a great night's sleep we had a big breakfast at the lodge, and packed our lunches, then rode to upper Hoback Canyon an hour and 15 minutes away. Munsey Wheby Jr, Gregg and Ken Williamson fished the lower section of canyon and Munsey caught 20-30 fish (several good fish including one fish that was 18-19" and several that were in the 14-15" range all cutts). Gregg caught 25-30 fish (several 10-12" and one 18" beast and a few 15" too), Ken caught 20-25 fish (several 10-12 inchers and one 15-16" cutt), Pat caught about a dozen (several 10-12 " fish and a couple 14-15" and one 17" w/great colors), Gary caught 6 fish ( one 14" and raised several large ones but missed them), Munsey Sr (caught 4 fish, all cutts). This part of the Hoback is little known- - -almost unknown for the most part, and it takes some effort getting to. The guys remarked about how they found it hard to believe such a small stream could have the large fish it has. In some places you could almost jump across it and it harbors some 20" cutties. Most of the fish were caught on PMX dries, a Jeff's Redneck Caddis (the big fish hammered this fly), and a few were caught on a Copper John Dropper size 16. We caught lots of fish, saw antelope on the way in and a large herd of buffalo on the way out. In the distance we could see the growing "New Fork Fire." We rode back as the sun set on yet another day in this angling paradise. Tomorrow is our final day, and a float on the Snake River is what we'll do.

Wyoming Sampler Trip 2008....Official Day Five....The New Fork Fire

2008-08-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

When I fished the Green River on Friday 8/22/08 one day ahead of our group I noticed a couple of small smoke plumes that appeared to be a small forest fire. In two days of high winds and dry weather the flames were fanned so much that the fire is now a widespread thing. It has been named the "New Fork Fire" by the locals, as it is right on one of the best trout streams in Wyoming, the New Fork River. The fire has burned thousands of acres and still rages on. In the photo the coverage of the fire has more than tripled in size from only a few days ago. If it continues we'll likely see this one on the national news as it is very close to threatening some homes and ranches that are nearby. We noticed the thick air, the smoky haze covering the valley. At night, you could see the "glow" of the fire from miles away on our deck. Fires are a part of the process but it sure feels scary knowing two mountain ridges less than 10 miles away separate you from a raging fire.

Wyoming Sampler Trip 2008....Official Day Five

2008-08-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

We rose early, it was below freezing! We had a big breakfast at the Village Inn, then we were off to the Green River, and more specifically the lodge we had reserved, the DC Bar Guest Ranch's Wind River Lodge. When we arrived, we quickly hopped out and unloaded, packed up our fishing gear and lunches, and headed down to Green. It was very windy, to put it mildly. It was also chilly (20-25F degree drop in temp from when I fished the Green on Thursday of last week), and near 40mph wind with gusts to 50 .....tough casting conditions to say the least. We fished at the beginning of the Bridger Teton Forest, Pat caught 7 or 8 a few rainbows, several whitefish, Gary (3 Rainbows, had a large brown on, 3 whitefish), Munsey Jr (caught a dozen to fifteen with some plump rainbows, a couple of large ones where we ended), Munsey Sr caught a couple rainbows, Gregg(caught 15-20 fish, 1 near 20" brown and several rainbows) , Ken caught 10 fish, several rainbows, and broke off a good one later in the day on a dry. Where we finished up there were fish rising, Gary nailed a rising rainbow, Pat a brown, and Gary had a large fish splash his dry. Since it started to turn even cooler and the wind never laid down we packed it in and headed home. Last week when I drove down to Cora I saw what appeared to be a forest fire, and sure enough it was. The "New Fork" fire (the New Fork is a famous trout stream also) in a couple of days would turn into a large forest fire- - - -so much so that the whole valley had tons of smoke and haze. Many thousands of acres were charred and still more are burning as I write this. The fire is uncontained at present. A tough day but everyone still caught some fish....and some did quite well considering the conditions.

Wyoming Sampler Trip 2008.....Official Days Two, Three, and Four

2008-08-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

After a great dinner at Merry Piglets Mexican grill on Main Street in Jackson Hole, we got some rest and then were up bright and early on Sunday. We headed to the Virginian (the best breakfast eats in town!) and had a hearty breakfast, then we headed north to Turpin Meadow in Buffalo Valley to meet up with our backcountry guide Josh Roth. Josh and his trail hand Gil would accompany us into the backcountry seven miles on horseback. We saddled up, the guys packed our gear, and soon we were off. It took us two hours by horse to reach camp, we passed several breathtaking views of the Buffalo Fork of the Snake, some of which we were riding a trail that was about 1000 - 1500 ft above the river and STRAIGHT DOWN. I have fished in mountain areas most of my life and have seen some great scenery but this ranked right at the top.
It was quite dry and dusty on the way in, Josh had packed us lunches and water and we ate when we reached camp. Then it was unpacking the gear, grabbing the fishing gear, and we all geared up and headed off for the river. We were in one of the most beautiful meadows you could imagine, ready to fish the famed Soda Fork of the Buffalo. We would soon find out why the stream received so many great accolades......because it was loaded with large cutthroats who gobble size 8 and 10 dry flies with reckless abandon. Several of the guys caught double digits, when we all met back up at camp I always like to find out how everyone did, there were sheepish grins on nearly every face. Several guys caught some really nice fish, Gregg Williamson and Munsey Wheby both caught fish of almost 20inches long. Both of them caught several large fish, all of them cutthroats. All together there were probably 50-60 fish caught all together....the majority of them 14-18 inch cutties. And the river was like a winding, serpentine like blue/green snake, winding its was through an alpine meadow lined with firs, willows, and tall grasses. Simply stated, it was a jewel of a trout stream. And devoid of any sign of other fisherman....not one single footprint anywhere.

After fishing, we returned to camp where Josh had prepared a dinner of fajitas made with Elk, peppers, and seasoning, it was so tasty we all wanted to lick our plates. We also had a salad, and finished it off with a golden cake with chocolate frosting that Josh prepared over the open fire...it was incredible. After the cake, we all sat by the fire for a while telling stories and recounting the day's incredible fishing. Then each of us one by one retreated to our tents for a good nights sleep under an incredibly clear, blue, and starry Wyoming night sky.

We started Monday with an awesome breakfast, Josh made a great casserole dish with potatoes, cheese, eggs, and bacon, and cowboy coffee (my favorite)....everyone raved over it and constantly remarked about how good it was. After breakfast, we packed our gear and Josh and Gil loaded up the gear and our lunches . Soon we were off to fish what everyone after today would call the "Dream stream".....the North Fork of the Buffalo. And a dream stream it was. Munsey, Pat Burney, Gregg Williamson, Ken Williamson, Gary Lee, and Munsey Sr.- - all of them caught tons of fish, some up to 20" - -Gregg's monster cutthroat was the largest of the day. The fish smashed a dry fly, Gregg was quite excited about it. I worked with Gary most of the day as the fishing was slow for him the first day..... not so on this day. Gary caught several nice cutthroats including one beautiful 18" fish, plus a ton of brookies, and what was a slow day the day before ended up being a 60 fish day for Gary- - and "most fish" honors for Gary on the day. I must say Josh took us to one of his "backcountry jewels", and I must say if I designed a perfect trout fishing stream for dry fly fishing it would look a whole lot like this one. Deep, blue-green bends, foam lines, undercuts, overhanging willows, you name it....the perfect dry fly fishing stream. I don't think I am exaggerating in saying the guys caught somewhere between 100 and 150 fish, a combination of cutthroats and brookies, and the most of the being on big dry flies....Schroeders parachute hopper (I keep "preaching" about the merits of that fly- -and go thing that the guys loaded up on them too ), yellow PMX's, Dave's Hoppers, Adams Parachutes, Various caddis in a light color. They simply killed dry flies today. Gary caught a double, a pair of brookies, something I have never personally had happen out west when guiding someone. I'll be posting a picture of those fish when we return home at the end of the month.

With the sun starting to fall, we packed it in, packed up the horses, and headed back for camp. Josh wanted to get us back before it started getting dark/dusk as grizzlies frequent this area and they commonly walk the horse trails and paths during low light periods. We made it back to camp, unpacked our stuff, and sat by the fire while Josh and Gil got dinner going. We had some large marinated pork chops (awesome!) , cowboy potatoes, salad, and a peach cobbler that Josh whipped up and cooked over the fire. Pretty impressive to have those types of dishes and especially desserts like that out in the wilderness. And was it tasty .....incredibly delicious would be the best way to describe it. After dinner and sitting by the fire we all turned in in hopes of getting a good night's sleep.

We got up early, had French toast and sausage by the campfire, then geared up for a few hours fishing before we had to pack up and begin the ride out of the backcountry. It was extremely windy, like a weather system was moving in, and the wind blew 40mph sustained at times and gusts even higher than that. The guys caught maybe a half dozen of cutthroats, maybe 8 or 10 whitefish, but definitely more difficult fishing with the weather. Also, it was early and cutties don't always come up during the cool morning hours. We all came back to the camp, ate our lunch, and headed out 2hrs on horseback back to the trailhead where our cars were.

We all thanked Josh and Gil, loaded our gear into the cars and back off to Jackson were were. It took us a little over an hour but we made it back and checked into our rooms. After unpacking and doing some laundry, we were off to have dinnner and then back to get some rest and get ready for our jaunt down to Cora, Wyoming on Thursday to fish the Green River and also the upper Hoback Peak canyon. It should be great fun.....the adventure continues....

Wyoming Sampler Trip 2008 ....Official Day One

2008-08-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

I met Gregg Williamson on Friday night, Gregg's flight had arrived at 8:30pm and I picked him up at the airport. Gregg and I got up early and fished the famous Flat Creek on the Elk Preserve- --man was it tough. Two fish follows and that was it. Of course, we only fished for probably an hour. At least the one of the cutthroats that gave a look was a really good one. (photo above: Munsey Wheby, Jr. releases a nice dry fly caught Snake R Cutthroat, Granite Creek, Hoback Canyon, Wyoming).

After fishing, Gregg and I headed back to the airport and picked up the other guys. Dr. Pat Burney, Dr. Munsey Wheby, Munsey Wheby, Jr., Dr. Gary Lee, and Gregg's brother Ken Williamson from San Diego. We got everyone, went up to Schwabacher Landing to let them get a picture of the Grand Teton Range, then we headed to High Country Flies and then to ORVIS Jackson Hole to get everyone a fishing license. I had placed a call to our friends at Cache Creek Inn where we were staying and they worked it out so we could check in early (1:00 as opposed to 4:00pm)...which ultimately meant that we could get our stuff unloaded and off and fishing in probably an hour and a half afterward. And that's what we did. We unloaded our stuff and packed our fishing gear, and hopped in the vehicles and headed south out of Jackson. Since no one had had lunch we stopped at McDonalds on the way out of town, then we were off.

We drove south through Hoback Canyon and arrived to find no one fishing Granite Creek, a jewel of a native cutthroat stream. We got in and several guys caught a fish on their first cast. We used an assortment of Schroeder parachute hoppers (the best all purpose late summer fly in the West in my opinion), PMX's, Jeff's Rubberleg Caddis, and also a dry/dropper combo utilizing a small Prince nymph. In any case, the fish were on. Munsey Wheby caught the first nice fish I saw, a 13" cutthroat. The guys individually caught anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen fish apiece, about 40-50 fish between everyone. Gregg Williamson had the largest fish of the afternoon, a gorgeous 18" cutthroat that inhaled Gregg's parachute hopper.

With light fading fast we decided to hit the Hoback on the way home. The guys tallied another dozen fish or so, with Gregg's brother Ken- -on his first fly fishing trip- - -caught 7 cutthroats and had one very nice one on that came unhooked. All in all it was a good afternoon, although there were times the wind was howling at 30-40mph. But it didn't stop the fish from feeding. We packed it in and headed back to Jackson, and had a nice dinner at Merry Piglets- - -a fantastic Tex/Mex restaurant.

We are all quite excited as we will be getting up early tomorrow morning, having a hearty breakfast, then we'll be heading north up to Turpin Meadows just north of Moran Junction and just Southwest of Yellowstone National Park. From the Turpin Meadows trailhead we'll ride horseback 2 hours into the backcountry, and 7-8 miles from any development or roads. The only ways in are by horse or foot......and cell phones don't work here at all!

At first it was counting the days.....now its counting the hours.

Truly Native......Truly Special

2008-08-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Its Friday Aug 22, 2008, I left Jackson Hole at 5:30 en route to Bondurant, then to the upper Hoback Canyon Wilderness area. It was chilly, at least when you are used to 90's. It was 34F when I stepped out of the van and suited up.

I had passed a small group of antelope and two moose on the way in. And this is a bear area, and I was fishing with the feeling I was being watched....it was eerie with no other anglers around.....no one around. I finished rigging up and fished through a couple of runs until I came to a nice willow lined corner run or hole, it had some decent depth to it. The first cast with a parachute hopper and a nice cutthroat came up and munched it. Four more cast to the same run, four more cutties. And all of them decent fish. Little did I know that it was hopper time and that the next three hours would be filled with 20-25 native Snake River finespotted Cutthroats.

The Snake River fine spot is indigenous to the Snake River and its tributaries. That is, it is a true native to the area and has always been here. They are a genetically different subspecies, and the Jackson Hole area and neighboring waters hold good numbers of them. Simply put, it is native trout angling at its finest. It is known for a ravenous appetite and willingness to feed on top....and the latter is does indeed! When it comes down to it, if the conditions are stable what you have is the best dry fly opportunity you'll ever get.

Where the Buffalo Roam...

2008-08-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

After landing yesterday in Jackson Hole I took the road away from the airport to Kelly, and along the way saw the usual scene here.....grassland or savanna with a Grand Teton backdrop, with the grassland dotted with a herd of bison. It is a wild place for sure....

One of the things I have always loved about Jackson Hole, Wyoming is its beauty, whether water, land, the creatures therein- - -there's just something that stirs my soul about this place. And its always been that way, since my first trip here in the mid 90's.

I stopped to check out these bison, and they snorted, stared, and then posed as I snapped off a few shots of them before they decided to move on. There must have been thirty of them or more. They just continued to eat while I moved along so I could try some fishing on the Gros Ventre before darkness came.

I was thinking while I was driving about how often really incredible stuff - - -like seeing these beasts- - -suddenly become part of a fishing trip. And that's another reason I love what I do

Mountains of Flies, For The Mountains of Wyoming!

2008-08-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things is getting ready for a trip, and usually the last two weeks before a departure for a Western trip I am consumed with last minute details. One of those details is filling the boxes with some great patterns. This year is no different, and no less than fifty or sixty dozen worth the last few days before this year's Wyoming trip.

One of the things I usually polish up on is tying efficiency and speed. I mean I need to be able to crank out as many flies as possible as quickly as possible - - -not only for the "guide's box" but also for several customers too. One thing is for sure, when it comes to flies I go crazy- - -that is crazy in tying lots of different patterns in hopes of having a full box of "cutthroat chocolates" for the trip.

Another thing is for sure too. That is no matter how many flies you tie or buy there'll always be one "gotta have it" fly that no one was expecting. And that's what makes fishing fishing- - - -and tying tying.

Well, enough typing for me.....back to work and see if I can crank out a few more dozen before the day is through.

Counting the Days...

2008-08-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Its August again, and other than summer fishing around our area it always means its time to head to Wyoming. On August 21 I'll be heading out to do a weeklong trip with six great guys. Its a dream trip in many ways- -I mean these guys are fantastic-both as clients and friends, and I can't wait to experience the wonder of this part of the West. Every time out is just as exciting as the first time almost 20 years ago.

There's something about getting ready for the trip that is just as exciting as the trip itself. Some of it is the planning- -which I enjoy. For some it is the talking up the trip, yet some its the anticipation of a week in paradise that never comes soon enough- -but one thing is for sure no matter which one you enjoy its all fun.

We'll be doing a horseback trip into the wilds of Wyoming near the headwaters of the Snake River. We'll be lake fishing at 10000ft and fishing the Soda Fork of the Buffalo--the headwaters of the Snake River that has its origins at the edge of the wilderness area of Yellowstone National Park. Add to that some wade fishing on the world renowned Green River, the Hoback, the Greys, and a float down the Snake as our finale- -it all adds up to a great time. I can't wait......10 days and counting

Life is Good....

2008-08-10T14:44:00.001-07:00

I was sitting here this weekend reflecting on how great a summer it has been and working on building a website with my dear friend Anthony Hipps, and later tying some flies that Anthony had shared with me. I also thought of in two weeks how I'd be hopping on a plane and heading out to Wyoming for two weeks. All in all right now life is good. Not to say there aren't some challenges here and there, but all in all things are better than I deserve for sure. I praise God for that, its all his grace.

Then I thought that is really the way it is here in our country. I mean when it comes down to it we have it pretty good. Most of us live in a nice home. We have a vehicle, maybe several. We don't worry about where the next meal is coming from. We can sleep at night without fear that an intruder is going to break in and invade our home. Simply put, if we have the above things that effectively puts us in the upper 5% of the world's population. And, things aren't as bad in our country as the media would have us believe.

And then there's fishing. In North Carolina, we have access within hours of everything from brook trout to blue marlin - - -everything from the expanse of the gulfstream to wild trout streams you could straddle. All in all we have it pretty good. 4000 miles of designated trout water and probably as much more that is not designated. We have some of the best saltwater and estuary fishing anywhere, our Outer Banks are world renowned for the surf fishing you can enjoy there. In the Piedmont we are 1.5 to 2hrs from what many consider (and I agree) is the best smallmouth fishery in the county - - -the New River. The Piedmont is laced with everything from slow, meandering sand bottomed creeks and streams to ponds to large reservoirs-- - some of which have been host to some well known bass fishing tournament circuits- - even the Bassmaster Classic. And, as if that's not enough, we are bordered by Tennessee to the west, home to the South Holston and Watauga River tailwaters -- - two streams that rival any in the country on a good day - - -and the SoHo which many believe is the best trout stream in the South and maybe top 2 or 3 in the East- - to which I also agree. And then there's the Jocassee Gorges area in South Carolina (very rugged), the mountains of north Georgia, the commonwealth of Virginia - - - with its hundreds of fishing opportunities. Simply put we are in a fisherman's paradise. With all of that said I'd say life is pretty good......pretty good indeed.

What goes into a new Fly.......

2008-08-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

"Do you tie your own flies?".....a customer asked just recently. "Yes, I do" I replied. "In fact, its one of the most enjoyable aspects of fly fishing to me, and the best part of it all is when you design a fly of your own and go through the sometimes days, weeks, or even months of tweaking it to get it right", I continued as I contemplated briefly how I had just done this with a few new sulphur patterns for the demanding hatches of the Tennessee and Virginia tailwater rivers.

I was sharing a great day with client Dr. Bose Ravenel of High Point, NC. "The interesting thing too is that its tied with shipping foam, yarn, a pinch of fur and a duck feather, and is really very simple" I stated. "But best of all the fish love it" I said after that, and this day they indeed did. I watched as Dr. Ravenel hooked fish after fish with it, and on a stretch of river that is known for its great hatches and numbers of fish but also for how difficult it can be to get those fish to take a fly. But today was different, and the fish seemed to love the fly. And it had been that way all summer long with this pattern. The fly seemed to hit on something, and the continued success with it earned it a permanent spot in my guided trip fly box. I couldn't help feeling good about it and feel guilty as I watched Dr. Ravenel hook up several times on good fish with this fly when guys above us and below us weren't hooking up like he was.

I must say that one very satisfying aspect of the tying part of what I do is figuring out what makes a fly work or tick. And often the side that customers don't get a peek at is all the personal R&D (research and development is what I call it) that goes into it, plus many late nights here and there tweaking the fly to get it right. And often I have maybe a hundred hours or more in tweaking and developing a fly.

One other aspect is that when I test a fly I already know where to take it to give it a real test. I don't fish it in riffles or fast water or totally base my judgements on the merits of a fly by fishing it in that type of water, I choose places /water types where I know the fish will be selective and where I know from experience more and likely they will be very difficult to catch. That way I know for sure the fly has merit.

One last thing is that I give a few to my fly fishing guide, fishing bums, and fishing friends whom I know will give it a real test and give me an honest opinion of it with no sugar coating. That input is critical and can reveal the weaknesses of a pattern really quickly. Often they offer input into changing certain materials or aspects of it. All in all its a pretty good deal. I get good info, they get a new fly pattern.

So there it is on the design of a fly. It is late summer and I have accumulated some "experimentals" to get out on the water and try. Wonder if my wife will see through my need to do some "R&D" fishing with them.............and I might hear what I sometimes do ...."Are you sure you aren't just going fishing?" she'd say......to which I reply....."yep, Honey, looks like you caught me again." But it was worth a try....Good fishing to you til next time

A Picture Paradise.....

2008-07-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Fly fishing has so many hidden treasures, I guess any outdoor activity does. I mean, its the fishing we love to do and it keeps us going back, but I must admit that while catching fish is important there are so many other pluses to this wonderful sport.

For some it is the allure of just being outdoors. For others its the scenery, or just being in a wild or wilderness place. And some it is the wildlife or trees or plants or animal life. For me one of the big pluses has always been the opportunity to photograph so many neat and interesting places, people, seasons, you name it. Simply put, you almost never run out of great photographic opportunities. And with a profession like mine, the opportunity to snap off several dozen to a hundred pictures every day means a lot of enjoyment on my part.

Photography has changed a lot too. I mean the cameras are a technological miracle. While I still enjoy shooting a 35mm SLR and film I must say that the modern digital cameras have become my camera of choice. Often customers and folks who visit our website ask "What type of camera do you use?" I usually grin as I know they must be expecting some super complicated answer, and its funny because I have never really been much of a photographer and you could put my technical knowledge of cameras and photography in general in a thimble.

For many seasons (20yrs) I used a Ricoh RDC-300. If you have seen one or are familiar with one, you know what a dinosaur it is. It was one of the first digital cameras ever made, and at the time was a fairly high end camera. It did great macro shots, which I love for shooting mayflies and other insects, and close ups of fish too. In fact, it did a superior job even to some of the digital cameras of today - -many of which carry a high price tag. I shot tens of thousands of pictures with it, and really loved that camera, that is until a warm spring day on the South Fork of the Holston in Sugar Grove, VA two years ago.

I was mid way through a trip with good friend and client Mike Workman and his son Kyle who live in Thomasville, NC. We were on a trip and Kyle, a soon to be graduating high school student, was doing his senior project on fly fishing. I had located a couple of behemoth rainbows for Kyle, and we got into position to make a cast. Kyle made a cast to the nearest fish, the fly landed, sank, and just as it began to drift the fish made a sharp head turn to the right and finned over slowly and inhaled Kyle's fly. It was as if the fish had been programmed to do it. I coached Kyle as he set the hook perfectly and the rainbow tore up the pool in front of us, the great fish realizing full well that it had made a terrible mistake. Kyle played the near 2ft long rainbow perfectly, and the fish, tiring of its valiant fight gently came to the surface as Kyle glided the fish toward my net. Just as I reached forward the left front velcro pocket on my casting shirt came open and "kerploosh"....into the drink went my trusty Ricoh. I netted the fish and grabbed the camera too, both elated and disgusted at the same time. We landed the fish, released it, and then I realized what a shame we'd get no picture of this huge fish. And also I knew this time the camera was probably going to get its watery fate, having escaped previous and numerous encounters like this over the years.

So I decided to invest in a new camera. After a lot of reading and researching I settled on a Canon Powershot. I am a Canon fanatic anyway, so that part was easy. The model is an A630, and has more features that I could possibly use. It is a 8.0 megapixel and can be used in auto mode or manual like a standard SLR. It has black and white, color, enhanced color capability, and let me tell you - - for macro shots of bugs and flies it has a minimum focus distance of 2cm. You can literally fill the frame of the picture with a size 28 Midge or the real insect and see either in perfect detail. And as an added bonus it also is able to shoot short videos. And to sum it up, the camera must be very well sealed as it has already survived a dunking on the South Holston in Tennessee and the New River in Virginia.

So there you have it. I'll say it again......I love pictures and I love taking lots of them. If the fishing is slow I can always find a good picture somewhere. I guess to me there are so many wonderful places we fish around NC, TN, and VA that I'll never run out of those opportunities. And that's fine by me.....

Thanks My Dear........

2008-06-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year.....our anniversary, a time to celebrate and say thank you to my beloved. Sometimes I think I must be the most blessed man on the planet. I love what I do, best of all my biggest fan is my wife and she supports me in pursuing a dream. What a blessing that is too.

We are off to celebrate our anniversary, and will spend some time hiking (Kat loves to hike, I am doing it again to get in shape- - -she walks circles around me and I do it daily with my work it seems). We'll also be fishing, which is actually how we met- - - not many of my customers know that but its true.

We used to fish together a lot, but having a house, two businesses, kids, life gets really busy sometimes and before we know it time has passed us by. A good thing though, and something important to us, is that we still "date" like we once did. And for several days now we are doing to have a "fishing date" again. What a woman who would go on a fishing date....thanks honey! We'll be doing some small stream fishing, some river fishing, hitting some great areas near Roan Mtn Tennessee, and more. We'll be fishing at 5000' or more.......too. And we'll also be getting into some smallmouth bass.
Thanks honey, and thank you Lord for blessing me with such a fantastic woman.

Lovin it........Summertime bass that is

2008-06-23T19:27:00.001-07:00

One call does it all......not Domino's but a fishing call that is. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon here at home, my wife and I were taking it easy, I was tying a few flies. Our oldest son Ben was away in Ohio on a summer missions trip with our church, and our other son Josh was headed to youth group. Then the phone rang. It was our Men's ministry pastor Rick Trautman, and he had one question...."want to go fishing?"

It didn't take too much more than that to get me going, I replied..."..sure." He said, "we can take the boat over to Lake Higgins for a few hours, or maybe hit a pond or something. What about that pond at your place?" I immediately replied, "...that sounds great, lets try the pond at my place."

I then said goodbye and put the finishing touches on a bee popper I had been tying. I stopped before I was finished and started gathering stuff- - - my fanny pack and rods-- and insect repellent- - -never forget that in summer- - -and after about 15 minutes of wandering around getting those things together I sat back down at my tying table and finished off the soft bodied bee popper. Just as the last turn of the whip finisher took place, Rick walked in front of the window and I knew it was time to go.

We grabbed our stuff and headed over to the pond. It is so great to have a great spot within a couple hundred yards of our home in the woods in Summerfield, NC. Not only is it close, it has some huge fish. After about 45 minutes of fishing, we worked our way around to the east side of the pond, a great hotspot that has a knack of giving up some huge bass. My oldest son Ben had caught a 1o.5 pound largemouth last year in the very spot Rick cast. I heard him exclaim, "....got one" ...then I saw the deeply arched rod and heard the reel's drag start to sing a sweet tune as the giant bass struggled for its freedom. About ten seconds into the struggle there was a large surface boil, and a monstrous splash as the 10 pound plus bass leaped from the water, and then landed with a thundering splash that sounded as if someone had catapulted a watermelon from the bank into the pond. The fish buried itself in the grass, Rick must have held on for over 5 minutes as the giant bass just sat there. He kept steady pressure, then tried giving slack line in hopes of it swimming out of the grass and breaking free where the fight could be brought to a close. The fish did nothing but lie there. Then back with steady pressure and a steady but precise pull Rick started putting pressure on the fish. It began to move, then move a little more, and we both were sweating knowing that the line had to be near its breaking strength. Thank goodness for good line and great knots, they both held as victory and a landed trophy hung in the balance.

Rick gently steered the giant fish to his feet along with lots of grass, and when he lipped the fish and held it up I was literally stunned. My heart was pounding in my chest.....so much so I could hear it. I think his was doing much the same. It was the largest bass of his fishing career, and Rick is an avid fisherman. That is saying a lot, and it was a true trophy moment for sure.

I ran back to the house for the camera and photo card, snapped in the card, then hurried back to the pond while Rick held the fish in the water. When I returned we snapped several photos and then Rick released the large fish gently back to its watery domain. We both sat there, still somewhat stunned at it all.

What a great afternoon.... and what a huge fish. What an incredible thing when a giant fish decides to eat.......and what an even more incredible thing to be tied to the thing it decides to eat! Congrats Rick on your trophy.....I am envious!

In Over Our Heads in New River Smallmouth.....Literally

2008-06-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

I must admit every year we go through the same old thing, it gets hot, we get low, clear water conditions, and everyone and including sometimes me fret over how the weather is going to affect the fishing. And those are valid issues for sure, but I am all about making the best of a less than ideal situation. The nice thing is, a less than ideal situation for our small mountain trout streams makes for an ideal situation for fishing for smallmouth with a fly rod. So why fret?........Grab your rod and a few poppers and streamers and let's celebrate the arrival of some of our most enjoyable fishing....chasing smallies with a fly rod.

Last summer I had the pleasure of meeting and fishing and getting to know Dr. Mike Martin. "Mikey" as he is affectionately known by me, my wife Kathy, and maybe his wife Ariya- - -has as much passion and zeal for fly fishing and fly tying as anyone I have ever met. His spirit and love for it is contagious, and you know it when you meet him and talk with him. And he's good at it too. Mike is a Dr. in Martinsville, VA, and spends many days chasing trout and other species all over, and especially on his home water - - -the beloved Smith River below Philpott Dam. We both share a passion for that place, and the sulphur hatch and the great terrestrial fishing too.

Mike joined me for a day of smallmouth fishing on the New near Fries, VA. We met early up off 58, and headed over to the river. The fog lay over the river thickly, it was as if the river lay asleep under the moist, layered canopy that would soon enough be burned off by a hot, summer sun. We got in the river, and within a few minutes we were hooked up on a nice smallie on a popper. We fished and fished and caught smallmouth after smallmouth, and I think Mike was hooked on them just like I and so many other trout bums are. The picture above was our late afternoon stop at a large shoal in the middle of the river, and I had an idea for a funny picture. And Mike, being the fun guy that he is, went right along with me. The funny thing is that he actually had a fish on in the above photo. We laughed and joked afterward about how funny that would be to share with my customers. And my customers loved it. In fact, it stirred more interest than any photo I posted all of last year. We laughed about it, but Mike I am sure felt more refreshed than I as it had been 95-97F all day and humid on top of that and it felt good for a second or two to feel relief from the heat. Way to go Mikey!

We fished all day and even into the evening, taking advantage of the popper bite that often happens the last few hours before dark. And let me tell you, it was on. We caught several fish of 2 pounds or better, and even a 4 1/2 pounder that slammed Mike's foam popping bug and then gave an incredible ten minute battle with several jumps that I am sure Mike won't soon forget. After that fish we carefully negotiated half the width of the river in complete darkness and made our way back to the car, putting the finishing touch on one of the best days ever on New River smallmouth.

Thanks Mikey! Lets do it again soon.....that 4 1/2 pounder you caught is still there and guess what- - - - she's now 5lbs plus.

The Time is Now....

2008-06-08T12:22:00.001-07:00

One of the favorite things for me all year long is what sometimes gets most trout bums "bummed" out, that is the onset of blistering hot sunny days and scorching temps. Gone are the good flows of water of spring, hatches of big mayflies, and easier to catch trout....no its gotten low and clear and you are left wondering if our trout will make it through another drought period like last year. As disturbing as it might seem, our trout fared pretty well last year, suprisingly so, and only isolated areas had a significant problem. Our neighbors to the west in Tennessee weren't so fortunate, as some areas of the Smokies lost a great deal of their rainbow trout populations.

When its really hot, I do one of three things when it comes to guiding or fishing on my days off....I put on the hiking shoes and fish some high elevation waters where water temps are more favorable. Second, I love tailwater fishing anyway, and some of my "home water" is the Smith River tailwater, just 40 minutes from my doorstep. The first several miles of it remain "chilly" even in summer.....chilly you say? Yes, try 46-48F even in the worst of summer heat. And the terrestrial fishing is superb and perhaps my very favorite anyway, so I take the summer heat in stride. And then there's the South Holston and Watauga.....like the Smith some great fishing is still possible even in the summer heat.....and the Holston even gets a mega Sulphur hatch in midsummer right during full generation. But lastly, a fishing very dear to me is fly fishing for smallies, aka, "black bass", or "bronzebacks", or "a leopard with fins", whatever you call them they are like hooking into a ready to explode stick of dynamite. Often clients wonder why I get so torn up over them........that is until they find themselves hooked up to one. After one, the deal is sealed.......and they are from then on a smallie convert.

We are fortunate to have some of the best smallmouth fishing in the world.....yes , I said world, and its right at our back door. The New and James Rivers are smallie heaven, and we frequently catch smallies up to 4 -5 pounds on flies, and best of all, most of the really big fish are on topwater bugs! Also, for a great summer experience where you won't usually ever see another angler you might try any one of hundreds of small NC and VA streams that have smallmouth. Our state, North Carolina, has numerous great waters such as the Mitchell (one of the top 5 outstanding resource waters in the entire state), the French Broad, the New, the Little River, the Uwharrie River, the Mayo River, the Roaring River, Yadkin River, Watauga River, the Johns River, lower Wilson Creek, and the list goes on and on. That barely scratches the surface. Basically, the Wildlife Commission will tell you that ALL of our trout waters contain smallmouth on the lower end - - - that is the marginal areas that are hatchery supported- - -well those become smallie havens in the summer.

Don't let the hot weather bum you out, a break from the hot weather will come soon enough. In the meantime grab a rod and a few streamers and poppers and find some smallmouth water. You won't be sorry you did, and you might find that they are as worth a gamefish as any trout that ever swam.

May Mayfly Madness.......whew thats too many M's

2008-05-01T00:17:00.001-07:00

It happens every year, sometimes its May, sometimes April if its early, sometimes June, on the SoHo in East Tennessee it can even be December or January. Its mayfly madness. In this case, one in particular. It causes not only a great rise of trout, but normally sane people to stay up all night long tying flies, driving six to seven hours and fishing 1o hours all in the same day, to laying out of work or calling in sick. Sulphurs........

There are three flies in particular, and they come in #14, 16, and 18. Not only do the fish love them, fishermen love them. These three flies comprise what we call the "Sulphur Hatch" and is one of our main events every angling season.

May 2008 was no different.....we have some incredible rises of trout. One trip was with Dr. Tom Wolff of Winston-Salem, a great friend and customer of 20 years, and his brother Dave who drove down from Pennsylvania to join us on the South Holston. Late in the afternoon, when the water hit that magic low to mid 50's temperature the bugs poured off.....and there were rising fish all over. And a few hours later we were witness to one of the heaviest spinner falls you'll ever see in the East. And then there was the annual TN Tailwaters school and trip, this years trip was off the chart. Peter Spirito came all the way from Port St. Lucie, FL, and Lynn Roloff from Greensboro, NC, and we were joined two days later by Joe Craig of High Point, NC, and Ron Davis from Winston-Salem, NC. The hatch was blanket and quite unlike it has been in many years, we had two 100 fish days and some fish over 20 inches on the dry fly. For the three days total it was a 300 fish trip, and the best part is 98% percent of the fish were on dry flies.............................and the bugs are still coming off. Better finish typing so I can tie up some extra emergers and get some shut eye before joining my group of three guys for another great time fishing the sulphur hatch.....I love it!

Fishing with a true American hero.......

2008-04-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

His name is Porter Halyburton. And on Monday, April 7, 2008 I had the pleasure of guiding Porter and his friend Dr. Don Lucey of Greensboro, NC. We had an incredible day, a perfect day to be honest. It was a day with many fish, over 100 in fact, and also some nice fish. That was the story for our trip.

Only for this decorated war hero, it wasn't so perfect some 43 yrs ago when he was shot down 60 miles north of Hanoi and spent the next 7 1/2 yrs as a prisoner of war. After graduating from SMA and Davidson College, Halyburton volunteered for service in Vietnam. A Naval Flight Officer, his F4B Phantom was shot down over North Vietnam on October 17, 1965. His story is one of the most incredible stories of faith, hope, forgiveness and courage you will read.

In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam War, the lifelong achievements of Porter Halyburton were recognized by the U.S. Navy. His military decorations include the Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, seven Air Medals, a Navy Commendation Medal, and the POW Medal. A recent book, Two Souls Indivisible, tells of his friendship with a fellow pilot, an Air Force Pilot, African-American Fred Cherry. The Vietnamese, knowing that racial tensions were at a high in the US hoped to create animosity and torture by making Porter take care of Perry who had been injured when he was also shot down. The plan backfired, Porter and Fred became close friends and survived the horror of being POW's.

Some great background information is available on the details of Porter's story. Porter's bio is very interesting, and incredible might be a better word for it. What a great story to give hope in the world we live in today, unfortunately our media won't tell you the other side of the story....that is what our great servicemen past and present do and have done day in and day out. All the media tell you is the negative, not the positive and how these men are the reason we can live in freedom here today. But then, of course, the media never has been a friend of the truth anyway. An agenda, sickening bias and sadly little more can we expect from them.

Hats off to all our servicemen and thank you for the price you were willing to pay for all of us, even those who would speak bad of you and would put your lives in danger by not giving you in the field what you need to get the job done. We honor you and appreciate your sacrifices for our freedom, it isn't free like some people think.

The Joy of tying and fishing a huge fly.....

2008-04-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Just a few nights ago, I was checking out a few new foam cutters I got in a big shipment of fly tying materials and was thinking about how much fun it is to tie a large fly. Not as what we normally think of as being large, say a 10 or 12, but rather a 4 or 6. Ever tie a size 6 dry fly for trout? Better yet, ever fish a dry fly that large? If you have you are certainly in the minority. There are few people who live somewhere that trout regularly eat bugs that large. But believe it or not, there are places that fish love to eat bugs that large. Like the Snake River, one river we'll be floating on our Wyoming Sampler trip in August of this year. Not only do fish eat flies that large, they absolutely kill them- - -those fish, many of which are native fine-spotted cutthroats , are mean and crash the surface in pursuit of a big bug or fly.

One the lower Snake, I remember one summer when I was fishing with two good friends from High Point Burt Whicker and Larry Pritchett. Not only do these fish eat big stuff, but they like the flies fished with an active retrieve. I mean its the kind of fishing that makes you feel like you are at home on the New working a popping bug. And the strike, well you'd better have a good hold on the rod or it might be taken away from you. Simply put, these cutthroats think they are bass. I have fished a lot of places out west, and this is the only place I've ever seen fish feed that way most of the time. I can even remember the final day of our wilderness float where the first fish slurped down a size 4, yes a size 4 (almost 2 inches long, and a dry fly!) chernobyl dry I'd just put a whip finish on less than an hour before.

I must say, I wouldn't trade small fly fish all together for fishing big flies---fun as they are. I still love to see big fish rising to tiny bugs. There's nothing like it. But an occasion visit to the other end of the fly spectrum I'll take..........and enjoy it just the same.

Angling Legend George Harvey passes on.........

2008-03-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Monday March 24, 2008 marked the passing of one of the truly legendary anglers and fathers of American flyfishing, George Harvey (center in photo above, shown between Joe Humphreys, also an angling legend, and George Daniel, Winner of 2007 U.S. National Fly Fishing Championship). He passed away at age 97! Known the world over for his great impact on the sport he challenged the fly fishing world with new ideas about fly design, presentation, and his ever popular philosophy and design of what we now refer to as "slack line" leaders.

Though I never had the privilege of meeting him, I certainly feel like I did through some of his works and also by using what I feel is a must for folks looking to fish our area tailwaters and improve their presentation skills- - - the slack line leader. George's leader formula runs almost perpendicular to the assumed best Ritz formula for a leader which is a 60-20-20 formula. This leader is 60% butt, 20% taper, and 20% tippet, just the sort of thing that makes a fly line transmit tons of power into the butt which then turns over the taper and tippet and makes for a nice straight as an arrow landing........exactly what you don't want when fishing over tough fish that have little patience with drag, micro-drag, or less than perfect drifts.

George had a better idea. His slack line leader took into account that when you fish over tough fish that require long and drag free drifts, you want a leader that turns over but does not straighten. And you want to use a cast that is an open loop aimed high, just the opposite of the "high line speed, tight loop, throw it a mile philosophy" that is all too often the rave today. George's philosophy is a butt that is smaller in diameter, and overall shorter, and that transmits less power from line to leader to taper to tippet. A long mid-section and long tippet completes the formula and results in a leader that turns over but never fully straightens, and that often lands in a controlled "pile" that gives loose curves all the way to the fly and gives the long, perfect drifts that tough fish love.

George's leader philosophy really hit home to me almost 20 years ago when I was first trying to figure out the deal on Virginia and Tennessee tailwaters. Once I learned the formula, began using it, and combined it with a reach cast my catch rate went way up. And some of those impossible fish started to fall to my slack line presentations. All of a sudden those fish weren't so impossible anymore.

One of the recipes I find that works well for making a George Harvey dry fly leader, and one I have used for years is as follows: 15 inches of .017, then 15 inches of .015, then 15 inches of .013, then 12 inches of .011, then 12 inches of .009 (2X), then 14-18 inches of 3X, 14 -18 inches of 4x, 20 inches of 5X, then 18-24 inches of 6X or 7X. If you don't tie your leaders, Frog Hair fishing makes a commercial knotless George Harvey Slack Line Leader that is pretty good. But I must say that a knotted, hand-tied leader is superior to the knotless ones, in my opinion.

You can learn more about George Harvey, his life, and his many great contributions to our sport here . Thank you George for all the ways you enhanced our enjoyment in flyfishing.

Fishing High Water.....

2008-03-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

HIGH water.....I'd say to some its a boon, others a bane, for us a BOUNTY! I must admit, seeing a bank full river gets me excited. I know a lot of folks don't share that sentiment, and I certainly don't mean flood stage, but I mean high, fishable water.

When you guide for a living, you often aren't at the luxury of having time off to fish when the conditions are at their best. Often, its right the opposite......even downright nasty conditions that would make even a duck or a polar bear question the decision to be out and about. But its amazing what having less than what most people consider ideal conditions will do for your ability to adapt and change your tactics and techniques and still catch fish.

Over the years I have learned to not only adapt but to really enjoy the challenge of catching fish when the cards are stacked against me. I mean, I love it when everything goes right, perfect weather, no wind, plenty of bugs, lots of feeding fish- - - don't get me wrong I'll take that any day. But then again when things are like that I think maybe we should catch fish. But what about the days when others would take one look at the river and automatically assume that they aren't going to catch fish with the river so high and off colored. I mean the kind of conditions where one might take a quick look and say, "That's it for me, I am headed home." All too often I've heard that, even had guide trips where I knew we could really do well but the folks I am taking didn't share the same positive outlook. And I'd be thinking inside my head......"....if only you knew what the conditions would do for us today, not only will we catch fish, we could have a day you'd remember the rest of your angling days.

Like Escatawba. This is one place where spate conditions mean a real bounty if you know how to rig properly, read the water, and present the fly properly. I mean you can really catch numbers of fish you'd never catch when the stream is normal or low and clear. And then there's the Smith River.....legendary brown trout that are as selective as any on planet earth, except for when Town Creek at the upper end of the special reg area gets stirred up. In that stretch of river which regularly stumps even the most skilled of anglers we fish wooly buggers and literally tear them up. I once guided a good customer Ray Matherly of Dunbar, West Virginia, where we fished during a tropical storm. Heavy rain, wind, and all. Ray still wanted to do the trip, and I was charged by his "trooper" spirit. And the whole time I was thinking this could be a day that we really work those fish over. And so it was........final count Storm 0, Ray 30 ......30 browns and an unexpected largemouth bass of about 12" at the mouth of Town Creek. Yes, there are times that you can occasionally have your way with those fish. And lastly, there's the South Holston. Let a heavy rain come and make the river cloudy and the same fish that were darn near impossible become suckers for the right nymph (a flashback pt nymph).

So the next time you hear of some heavy rain coming, pack the rainjacket, make sure you have some streamers and flashback bead head nymphs, a box of split shot, and a "trooper " spirit. And, one last thing............Let it pour!

Roanoke River Spring Shad run.....

2008-03-14T22:02:00.001-07:00

It happens every spring......just so happens it happened a little early this year. The annual shad run on the Roanoke River that is, and if you've not gotten in on it it is a hoot for sure. Often called a "poor man's tarpon" by some, these fish migrate from the ocean back to the freshwater rivers from which they were born. In North Carolina, we are fortunate to have several coastal rivers that get them.....the Roanoke, the Tar, the Cashie, the Neuse....just to name a few.

Five or six weight fish they are, and on anything lighter and you have a nice battle on your hands. Some of the larger fish are 2 to 3 pounds, and give an impressive fight even on a stiff rod- - - and if you are lucky some of the better ones you will get a jump or two out of them as well.

I recently went down with two friends, one Rick Trautman, Men's ministry pastor at our church, Westover Church here in Greensboro, NC, and my good friend Brad Ball, also from Greensboro, NC. All in all we guessed between 75 and 100 fish were caught during the day. Rick christened his new fly rod well, catching several nice fish and the largest fish, about a 3 pounder. Brad christened his 5wt as well, catching the first "other than trout" species on it. I, lastly, broke the only fly rod that I had. While fighting a fish, I broke the reel seat and reel completely off and heard the reel and the pieces as they hit the casting deck. I spent the rest of the time with the reel taped to the butt of the rod with first aid tape! It was ugly!!!! but I guess in a pinch you make the best of what you have. I was just happy to be casting some, as the recovery from a car accident and surgery have been on going for the past three and a half months. Catching a fish was a bonus, and well, its just a rod and it can be fixed.

At the present rate you have probably two weeks left to catch the run, after that it will be stripers. . . and tons of them. So don't miss it while its here!

Too Funny not to share.........

2008-03-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

When I saw this billboard, it took a second (I know, I am slow) to hit me but then I laughed so hard I almost laid an egg. The fact that there's a moose on the billboard didn't bother me, the lonely moose hardly gets consideration anywhere......even though he is one of the most majestic creatures of the American West. Few things scare him, almost nothing could.

I was thinking if there had been a cutthroat on that sign instead......wouldn't we all have been in an uproar? Or maybe a brown, or maybe a rainbow, or shall I dare say it......a native brookie?

Isn't it interesting how putting a trout on that board, or for that matter any fish we're passionate about, would be a lot different to us because we love them?

It makes me think about a backcountry trip about 15 yrs ago I did with a customer into the Shining Rock Wilderness. It was his invite, him taking me camping and fishing. And it was a great experience. I'll name no names so as to protect everyone. But we hiked in what must have been five or six miles. He was already there, had set up camp, and was ready to feed us when we got there. His wife had met me at the trailhead, as she had also driven up after gettting off work early. When we arrived, we could smell the aroma of something great.......After enjoying about 90%of it, it was brought to my attention that this was brook trout, natives, the kind we rave about......I can't tell you the mountain of guilt and shame that came over me as I thought...."Oh, no, folks at home find out I have eaten a native brookie I am in some deep stuff."
In any case, it was a big deal at the time, but I still think about it.....it must have had some effect --I mean to still be writing about it to this day, even now. My defense was, and there was truth in it, that I had no idea that he had caught trout and that they were native brookies until I almost swallowed all of one. Isn't it funny how we readily let someone else have it and so quickly let ourselves off the hook. As I swallowed the last bite I think I must have been planning my statement of defense.

I must say though, that it was pretty tasty, I imagine a lot like what spotted owls and bald eagles taste like. And no, I haven't eaten those..................

Wyoming Sampler Trip 2008......counting the days!

2008-03-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

There's something about having a big trip in the future that you get to plan for. Sometimes it seems the planning for and getting ready for and tying flies for is as much a part of the fun as the trip itself. That's the way I have always looked at Western trips. After a summer off from it, we'll be doing it again this August.

Our trip will begin by arriving in Jackson, Wyoming, one of the great jumping off destinations for many western fly fishing trips. Even the approach when landing at the Jackson Airport is one of those oooohhhh ahhhhhh things where one minute you are looking at bright blue sky and sunshine and the next minute you see the Grand Tetons come into view in such a way that it seems you could just reach out the window and touch the top of them. And that's only the beginning.

Like previous trips, we'll be arriving in Jackson, WY around midday, with enough time to shuttle all my customers and me to put our gear away for the evening, head to town to get everyone a fishing license, grab some last minute grub, snacks, or gear items, then we'll head off to hit either world famous Flat Creek (20 inch plus cutties are the norm), the Gros Ventre River (pronounced Grow Vont--that is French for "Big Belly"), or the wonderful freestone Hoback. After some fishing, we'll head back to town for a nice dinner and turn in. We'll arise the next morning, grab a hearty breakfast, then we'll be off to meet our outfitter /trail guide at the trail head to the Teton Wilderness just north near Moran Junction, which is north of Jackson. We'll horseback into the Teton Wilderness, set up camp, put our stuff away, and suit up with waders and head off to fish the Soda Fork of the Buffalo. We'll fish til sundown, head back to camp, and enjoy a delicious cowboy dinner under the stars by a crackling campfire. Then off to catch some Z's and up early again to a great breakfast by the fire. After breakfast, we'll suit up and head off to fish Divide Lake, a backcountry high mtn lake filled with wild cutthroats and brookies. After a day of fishing, we'll head back to camp, have another nice dinner under the moon and stars, then turn in. We'll get up the next morning, pack our stuff, put on our fishing gear, and head off to fish some more, then we'll horseback back out of the backcountry. From there we'll head back to town for some supplies, then head south of town through Hoback Junction , Bondurant, and to Cora, WY, where we'll be at the Green River Guest Ranch for the night. After getting settled in, we'll enjoy a nice dinner, turn in, and off the next morning for breakfast then a day of fishing on the Green River, the gateway to the Wind River Wilderness and Range. We'll be spending a day and a half on the Green, then a half day on the Greys R - - a neat stretch of fly only water. The next day we'll fish the Hoback River and Granite Creek, and the final day we'll wrap things up with a float trip down the Snake River from Wilson Wyoming down to the 189 takeout, in pursuit of the Jackson Hole native fish- - - the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat. They are a separate and genetically distinct species from all others.

If it is anything like previous trips here, this will be the sixth for me w/a group of customers and it should be a great time for everyone. Great food, great fishing, scenery that has no equal and with folks I absolutely love spending a fly fishing trip with. I can't wait, lets see, 180 days and counting..........

"....now who designed that fly?.......Really?"

2008-02-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

I am always intrigued by the names of flies as well as the history behind them. I find it very interesting to know what the originator had in mind when he or she designed the fly. There's always something that seems to make the difference , whether a technique or new material, or whatever, some flies seem to possess a knack for catching fish when other flies fail. But when you consider how many flies are available now versus twenty years ago, the choices are limitless. And finding out some of the information about the original design, the tyer, and the philosophy behind the fly can seem an impossibility. Fortunately, that's not true of all flies, and certainly not of a contemporary nymph favorite, the Copper John. It is the Copper John, isn't it? Well,....despite popular opinion its actually called a Copper Bob. The Copper Bob was first.

The Copper Bob is the original fly, and was developed by Bob White. Bob grew up in Southern Illinois and started tying Flies long before he ever saw his first trout. His passion for fly fishing eventually would take him to Alaska, where he started guiding in 1984. He's guided 27 seasons between Alaska, Argentina, and Chile. In 1988 he was presented with Fly Rod & Reel Magazine's second Guide of the Year Award. His signature Copper Bob series was developed in the late 80's (long before the Copper John by John Barr) and has been designed to meet all the requirements of a "guide fly". They have fooled the wariest trout and steelhead from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Bob now designs fly patterns for one of the West's best custom fly suppliers, Montana Fly Company- -which is owned and operated by well known angler, guide, and fly designer Adam Trina.

So there you have it. The next time the question of who's fly is that comes up you'll have at least one answer.......the Copper Bob. That's a tidbit I am sure Umpqua Feather Merchants would rather not be known.....but its true!

Trips with Friends........

2008-02-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

There are lots of times I think to myself......" I must have the best job in the world." I certainly think I have the best customers in the world. And with many I have been serving them since they started fly fishing. Some customers I have known for more than 20 years.

Most customers end up becoming my friends as well. I get the privilege of taking them fishing several times a year, and we get to share a lot of victory moments together. Nothing beats seeing a customer get into a large fish, except maybe landing it of course. With many of my customers we fish often enough to introduce them to fishing under all weather and stream conditions. And many times we have a banner day when it looked like it could have just as easily been the other way. Such was the case on Feb 18, 2008 with my friend and customer Mac Cheek. We had a near perfect day, we quit counting the takes, caught at least 30 or more fish, lost several more, and a near 20" fish and another larger than that on that came off. More importantly it was incredible to just see Mac fish, and to see how good a fly fisherman he has become. It means alot since he and I started from the very beginning almost 2 years ago, with him learning to fly fish, and Mac is solid proof that if you spend time on the water and pay your dues it all pays off. I was not only impressed as I watched him fish, I was stunned!!!! His casting is well, quite nice if you ask me. Line control, impressive. And fishing prowess......well, the numbers speak for themselves. Until next time, we'll enjoy and savor the last trip..........and look forward to the next one.

Great Tying Weather....

2008-02-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a fresh fallen snow to inspire the day's fly tying orders. Like a few days ago, when the snow was a total surprise, and certainly not in the forecast. Even to our fishing buddy/meteorologist Austin Caviness. It was fine by me as I had a number of custom fly orders to fill.

Tying with a view like this is special indeed, and even more so with a cup of hot hazelnut coffee to my right and the crackle of a distant fire about. If I were to pick the best fly tying day it would be a lot like this, bluebird sky and all.

If its cloudy though, forget tying a fly. I will be scrambling for my nymph and big ugly box (streamers and all that other stuff I am embarrassed to show my dry fly purist fishing buddies). There are few things like snow and a cloudy sky that are better at bringing big fish out and making them eat. Some of the largest trout I have caught have been under those conditions. I guess its the low light that gives a large fish confidence that it cannot be seen. And some of the best early season hatches, particularly blue winged Olives, hatch in the very dreariest of conditions- - -and often on a river or stretch of water where no one esle is fishing. In any case, snow and cloudy conditions are one of the best times to catch a nice fish. The next time it happens, jump on it and take advantage of it.

The Art of Fly Tying.....

2008-02-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

Fly tying from the very beginning was intriguing to me. How different parts of various animals could be blended together to mimic a natural trout food was almost unbelievable....in some ways it still is.

If you tie flies you know what I mean. Its how that one particular feather seems to capture the essence of what makes an insect look or seem alive- -- maybe its the texture, the color, the way it lies flat or the way it bends. Simply put, it is amazing to me that how well certain parts of a bird or beast seem to match exactly an insect body feature or part you are trying to match.

This holds true especially for certain types of materials, like duck wings. The delicate wing quills can be separated into slips that mimic perfectly the wing of a mayfly dun. Or maybe it is the way the hackle fibers can be trimmed close to a stem, the stem knotted, and the end result ends up being a dead ringer for a grasshopper leg. Or the way ostrich herl is wound and then when fished it breathes....giving so much movement in the water that it perfectly mimics the gills on a natural nymph's abdomen. Or finally, the many ways a turkey quill can be sprayed and then trimmed to mimic a caddis wing, hopper wing, even wing pads on a stonefly nymph.

In any case, that is what makes fly tying an art. Just like an artist, a tyer begins working his "canvas" with a vision in mind and begins blending, trimming, tying, adjusting, trimming some more and then finally the end product emerges. And just like most artists, a good fly tyer will tell you that his best fly is one that he has yet to tie.

Crankin' them Out.........

2008-02-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of winter is it is a time that there's a little extra time to tie some flies, play with some new designs, but more than that just slow down a little and enjoy it.

Often customers ask what do you do in the off season? Really, we don't have one. We are fortunate to live somewhere we can fish year round, so I continue guiding during the winter months. Also, I do lots of teaching ...particularly winter fly tying. And lastly, I tie for shops and also custom orders for my customers, so often I am busy with that no matter what the weather outside holds. That is another facet of the sport that makes it so fun. I often think as I am tying a fly, if this fly were drifted over that favorite gravel bar on the South Holston and allowed to sit almost still I can see that 18" wild brown rise maddeningly slow and sip it right in.............

If you are a fly tyer you know what I mean. Half the time we are tying we are conjuring up images in mind of that perfect cast, perfect drift, right over that spot we've been waiting to throw our latest creation. Getting the fish to rise to it causes a burst of adrenaline inside, something that really goes even further to over the edge if he actually eats it. And to a fly tyer, there's no feeling like, definite confirmation from the one whose opinion....well when you get down to it--- the only opinion that--- really matters.

Much of my winter time when I am not on the water is consumed by tying custom orders. Just today working on a custom order for the South Holston, about 5 dozen bugs that hopefully will give the person I am tying them for as much joy as I had in tying and fishing them myself. And everyone of those flies I am thinking where and how I'd fish them.....and often customers ask just that. I usually tell them how I'd fish them, knowing if they are successful they will be back for more. And I can't help but feel like I have caught fish too when they do well. And lastly, customers are one of the greatest sources of feedback that there is. Sometimes, I will go through several changes to a fly pattern before it becomes one of the "standard" offerings I tie. And many times, a customer helped tweak the fly through suggestions.

Oh well, ......enough rambling for now. I'd better get back to tying, .........there are many dozens left to finish before the day is through. Good tying.......!

Friends from afar....well almost...Not that far

2008-02-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

It was one of those days you hope for. After meeting up in Shady Valley, TN, John and Madie King and I were off. We crossed the Beaverdam and Cherokee National Forest enroute to one of the places dearest to me, Helton Creek.

John and Madie are like a lot of folks, they love to flyfish and are really good at it. They are young, they are professional types, John being a physician , and they live in Columbus, MS. And they don't mind driving a long way to find some good fishing. Just my kind of folks, and absolutely a pleasure to spend a day on the river with. I met them a few years ago via an eBay transaction. We started talking, and set up a trip.

Our day on the Helton was magical. It was one of those days where we got into a load of fish. First it was brookies. Lots of them. What started for them as just wanting to catch a brookie ended up being double digits of them, in the first place we stopped. In fact, I think we caught about 25 fish the first place we stopped to fish. We hit a couple of other spots, and with much the same result. The last hour of the evening was filled with rising fish and about a dozen or more for John, all on dry flies. What a way to end the day.

Besides being a good fly fisherman, John is quite the fly tyer as well. In the spring I received a "care package" with some great looking flies that John had tied. Great is an understatement, they were fantastic.

I believe one thing I have always loved about the sport is the people I have met and come to know through it. Some of the best folks walking this planet are fly fishermen. They are folks that you not only know as customers but also come to know and call them friends. And that's hard to beat! Not only do you meet some great people, but often trade ideas and perspectives about fishing, tying, and life.

I have the privilege of serving a group of the greatest people on earth.....you! Thanks for that, I could never repay all the benefit that I have received from knowing you all. Here's to more of the same in the future.

What a Game......

2008-02-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry, just couldn't help myself. Just like a questionable fishing day, like going out in the middle of a hard freeze, or the high, roily water that often follows the passing of a spring front, to an orange post thunderstorm stream in summer, to a river that has bared its bones in August.....the Giants weathered every storm thrown their way. Most of all they exemplified what has made a difference in life to me, take one on the chin, brush yourself off, and go on. And quitting isn't an option.

We couldn't pass up the is opportunity to celebrate with Manning and his Crew. A game filled with hype, and the usual predictions, and the usual "no respect" for a NY team that did something just as tough as 18-0, that is winning 10 straight on the road, all the way to the Super Bowl, and as a wild card.

Michael Strahan and Amani Toomer are the only Giants still left on the roster from the Super Bowl game seven years ago. Both veterans told inexperienced teammates to ignore the hoopla, its distraction and the parties, noting that those things are to be enjoyed during those years when you don't play for a championship.

Experts and critics doubted the Giants' ability to get it done. Why I don't know. "There is a way to get to anybody," the Giants Michael Strahan said. "And for us today, the way to win this game was to get to Tom Brady. Stop the run and get to Brady." And Strahan was right, get to him they did, to the tune of over 30 hits, 15 takedowns, and five sacks. The Giants mashed the Pats flat. Actually, they dominated them. Strahan said also "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.' And today we wanted to punch them in the face." Not only did they succeed, they dominated both sides of the ball.

Plaxico Burress and Tom Brady traded comments all week. I know he was excited, but I was nervous about some of the things Plax said....like in reference to winning, he said ".....I guarantee it." But Plax saw the title coming, last week he did say NY would prevail 23-17. That is what got Tom Brady's attention, and drew a response. "We are only going to score 17 points? Ok, is Plax playing defense? I wish he would have said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points" said Brady. Why would Brady say this I thought? The Giants are great on defense, and the pass rush they execute is the best in the NFL. Needless to say, with regard to the outcome, the Giants simply smashed them.....the Pats were Flats.

Anyway, I am almost a NY convert. Best of all, was on of the statements by Mike Strahan's parents. Strahan said, "Even when my parents were telling me, 'You're going to win', I don't know if I believed them." Strahan postponed retirement in August just to try for this trophy. How satisfying it must be to have finally have a ring and trophy. I love it!

Certified Casting Instruction.....What's the deal with that?

2008-02-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

Casting is one area that folks are always working on, regardless of whether the person is just starting out or has been fly fishing for years. And with my business we certainly get a lot of lessons and teaching opportunities where casting is the subject matter. With that said, we also get some questions as to what it means to be a "Certified Casting Instructor".

When I got into teaching casting in the early 90's, little was known about the program. When it became apparent that I'd be doing instruction in the future, and with so many new folks coming into the sport, I decided to pursue certification.I studied and practiced for months even though I had been fly fishing for several years. I took my test at the FFF Conclave in Gatlinburg, TN, and met some very interesting folks. Joan Wulff, Bruce Richards (of Scientific Anglers), Mel Krieger to name a few.....and the gentleman in the photo above is who I took my testing from . His name is Macauley "Mac" Lord, and he is the head instructor of the LL Bean Fly Fishing Schools.

Macauley was gracious and man was he good. This guy could cast, and most of us just stood in awe. But all of the teachers were like that, but the one thing that stood out was that there were no attitudes there......none....no, not one. Each one of them had the heart of a teacher, better yet, they saw themselves as lifelong students of fly casting....making all of us taking the test feel more like comrades or brethren than subjects. I must say the test, even though I had prepared for it, was no cakewalk. That was apparent too for all the other folks who were also being tested.

The Casting Instructor Certification Program began in 1992 for the purpose of enhancing the overall level of instruction in fly casting, including instructor knowledge, casting proficiency, and teaching ability. The objectives of the program are:To educate and enhance the growth of fly casting instructors by (1) establishing high standards for teaching -conducting teaching workshops that are a required part of the certification -(2) administering a test that assesses the applicants knowledge of casting, teaching ability, and casting proficiency -(3)conducting clinics on how to teach flycasting at FFF shows, conclaves and at consumer fishing shows -and (4) establishing and maintaining communication networks for certified instructors .

Who runs the program? The Board of Governors for Casting Certification developed the program and administers it. The volunteer Board is an arm of the FFF and is made up of some the most respected names in the world of fly fishing and fly casting, include Gary Borger, Mel Krieger, Al Kyte, Steve Rajeff, Joan Wulff , Tom Jindra, Macauley Lord, and other well-know experts. The tests for certification is administered either byone of these folks, one member of the Board of Governors, or by two Certified Master Instructors.

Why is it good for the sport? With FFF raising the level of flycasting instruction, beginners have a smoother entry into flyfishing. Flyfishers who want to build on their existing casting skill will have ready access to instructors trained to help them advance to the next level.The Program fosters the exchange of teaching and casting ideas among instructors across the continent.

Becoming certified requires a written test and a casting proficiency test plus the demonstration of the ability to communicate and teach others. The written test covers basic gear, lines, leaders, techical questions to insure that the potential instructor has knowledge beyond casting to the relevant equipment and fishing knowledge necessary. The proficiency and performance test requires :

1)Demonstration of six consecutive controlled casts at 35-40' with narrow, uniform loops on both the front and back casts.2) Demonstrate wide loops on the forward cast only on command.3) Demonstrate tailing loops on the forward cast only on command.4) Demonstrate the reach cast left at 35-40'5) Demonstrate the reach cast right at 35-40'6) Demonstrate the sidearm cast at 35-40' with narrow, controlled loops7) Demonstrate the pile cast at 35-40', and its use as a presentation cast8) Demonstrate slow, medium, and fast false casting at 35-40' on command9) Demonstrate normal roll cast to a distance of 40' on command with leader straightening completely10) Demonstrate presenting a fly to targets at 20, 30, and 40 feet w/only 3 attempts at each11) Same as #10 but over the opposite shoulder12) Roll cast to a target at 45-50'13) Demonstrate double haul casting with 45-50' of line14) Demonstrate a controlled distance cast to a minimum of 75' with line and leader fully straighteningVerbal and Teaching part of the Test: (the testee pretends to instruct the instructor)* explain and demonstrate how to cast narrow to wide loops, with the demonstration consistent with the "How to" needed to produce these types of loops.*explain and demonstrate the cause and correction of tailing loops*explain rod loading*explain and describe the casting stroke as it relates to casting distance*explain and demonstrate good timing when false casting*explain and demonstrate casting into a head wind* Explain and demonstrate casting with a cross wind blowing into the casting sideThe notion that the wind can cause the line to drift into the caster must be included in the explanation. At least one of several possible solutions must also be included. Possible solutions include the following: Pick up on the windward side but change to the lee side for the forward cast Cast only on the lee side of the body using the alternate hand or casting backhand.

As you can see the test is quite involved. Macauley was very much by the program above, but was very encouraging and I must say an excellent teacher. Myself and about twenty other applicants sweated through the testing, about half of us passed. It was a great experience for me, and it certainly gave me several new perspectives on fly casting, and more importantly, teaching it. In teaching casting, just being able to cast is not enough, what these folks are looking for are those who can teach. Fortunately, I was able to pass the test. And I must say I have been learning ever since!

"Does Montana Know about This.......?

2008-01-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

When its cold outside, its hard to imagine if spring will come soon enough. Cold is a relative term, and we certainly are fortunate to live where we can fish most of the year with no problem. But as cold as it has been lately, it makes one dream of the spring that is to come. And with it the planning of some special trips, perhaps near and far, but planning them for sure!

This begins our eighth season of fishing at Escatawba Farms. Of all the places we do trips to, it is always a favorite of our customers- - - and with good reason. We like it because seldom is the day when we don't finish with good numbers of above average trout, like fish from 14-20", and consistently. Catch a good day like we had last March, when I and one of my fellow anglers Tom Jackson had five anglers into a good number of fish, like over 200 of them to be exact.

If you've never given this trip a look, it is worthy of some consideration. Owner and Riverkeeper Derrick Barr and his wife Karen have one of the most attractively arranged and cared for properties you will find anywhere. Just pulling in the front gate past the majestic Escatawba Farms sign, down the long tree lined road to the house and the check in barn/building, you get the feeling of having driven onto a place right out of Southern Living magazine. And that's not even the saying anything about the fishing......Almost two miles of gin clear water home and three ponds are home to thousands of rainbow and brown trout from 14 to over 20 inches that will both delight you and challenge your fly fishing skills at the same time.

To top it off, I must say that Derrick and Karen get an A plus plus for the hospitality they give as well. Truly indeed when you fish there you definitely feel like the red carpet has been rolled out for you.....and they serve everyone that way. They definitely set a standard that is hard to beat.

You can check them out online at www.escatawba.com .

We will have a couple of trips coming up in the next six months here that we'd love to get you in on. This year I will be doing a first, a trip/seminar specifically geared toward one of my favorite types of fishing , Terrestrials. And when these fish are on them, its an incredible sight to see a large fish lift its head two inches out of the water to swallow a beetle or a hopper.....and they sometimes will take size 8 and 10 dry flies!

We'll keep you posted on the dates and details of these trips, maybe you can join us for one.....or both for that matter!