The Salty Riffle

Patagonia's Guidewater Wader and Deep Wading Jacket Reviews.

2012-02-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

I have been using Patagonia gear for the last couple of years now. I used to wear Simms and let me start off by saying they make PREMO PRODUCTS. No complaints with the quality of gear. I just didn't like where they were going with their waders. I felt like I was wearing an armored suit. Yes, the durability was sick but they felt more stiff and too heavy for me. This is just my personal preference. So, I decided to switch wader companies and with that, technical clothing as well and have been equally if not more happy.
Patagonia makes top notch gear from waders, to technical clothing, down to casual clothing. They just simply make durable, quality, comfortable gear that performs like it should and like it has been designed to do. I just wanted to give you my review on just two products I have been using from Patagonia.

First, their Guidewater Waders. To me, just as good as the waders I used from Simms. No, they are not gortex. But, these waders are extremely durable, puncture resistant, lightweight, and waterproof. The biggest difference for me was I loved the way they felt. They felt like breathable waders to me again. These were much more comfortable to me. I would say I am pretty tough on gear due to the amount of fishing I do and I am not the type of fisherman who only fishes the easy access spots. Not that there is anything wrong with that. There are some who can only fish those spots for different reasons such as medical, handicaps, etc. Totally 100% understood. However I am the type of fisherman that likes to walk and hit a lot of spots. Move around. Got through woods, brush, wade across water, etc. I put a lot of miles and wear on my gear and I expect a great product, especially from a company like Simms or Patagonia to hold up. For waterproofness, Patagonia uses their H2No® Hydrostorm barrier to keep you dry. And it does exactly that! When it comes to durability, I have been very impressed especially with the Guidewaters. I have their old lightweights as well as a pair of their Watermaster waders and have never had a leak from wear and tear. All three models have held up like I would expect them to. I have walked through briars, climbed fences, brush, etc. Never had a puncture. However, the Guidewater waders are much more bulletproof than the watermasters and lightweights. They have mid weight fabric in the midsection and heaviest weight fabric at the seat and knees which of course makes sense because that is where all the heavy wear is. I also like the merino wool-lined booties to help with added warmth and moisture wicking. I also like the quick-release buckle system on the shoulders and on your upper back to help you get quick relief when nature calls without having to fully pull down your waders. A big plus in my book. Of course they have a flip out internal zippered pocket to hold a small fly box, keys, cell phone, what ever you want to shove in there. There is also a gear keeper patch that is on the front chest section of the wader. You can attach hemos and 1-2 retrievers for quick and easy access to nippers especially if your traveling light. I'm in love with the waders. They are a top quality product. Very durable and puncture resistant. Extremely waterproof. Lightweight and very comfortable. I couldn't ask for a better product and as usual, Patagonia doesn't disappoint.

Product number two I want to discuss is the Deep Wading Jacket. I wanted a new jacket first and foremost. Secondly, I wanted one that was lightweight and that I could wear 365 days a year and if I needed to bulk up underneath it for warmth I could. If I was fishing in the summer in a long sleeve shirt or t shirt I could wear it then. Beautiful thing about much of Pat's gear is that it is packable and or streamlined. Low profile stuff. Love that! Makes layering a breeze. Anyway, I decided to go with the DWJ and can't say enough about it. It's exactly what I wanted in a jacket. Very lightweight. Feels like you don't even have a shell on. Waterproofed with H2NO Technology. This is directly from Patagonia: 2.5-layer H2No^® shell fabrics are waterproof, windproof, breathable and highly packable. They combine a water-repellent shell fabric with our H2No waterproof barrier and a raised pattern on the inside, instead of the full-coverage interior scrim used in 3-layer fabrics. The raised pattern makes 2.5-layer fabric packages lighter and more compressible while still protecting the waterproof barrier. I have been out in downpours and fished for hours and this jacket kept me bone dry and the jacket itself dries very quickly and is ready for action again in no time. Easy to layer underneath with. Has two fleece hand warmer pockets which is nice in the colder months as well as two generously sized pockets for fly boxes or other gear you want to chuck into them. The pockets are placed high for wading purposes especially deep wading purposes, hence the name. I have had other jackets that were cut too long and would get soaked inside in the bottom of the jacket. Was it a big deal, no but I just felt that why make a jacket that is cut that long for wading purposes? Make it a boat jacket. Just my two cents. The DWJ has a D-ring in the back for a net. I really like the reversed StretchCoat® cuffs. This of course allows you to stick your arm in the water without water going up your arm and getting you soaked. Also, will stop water from creeping in during a rain no matter how heavy it is. A very roomy hood with drawstrings inside as well as in the back to give you a more fitted fit. No problem throwing it over any style hat or one of my ways of rolling, a brimmed had with a beanie over the top! This is just a no frills, simple, easy, wading jacket just the way I like it. Light. Extremely waterproof. Durable. Enough room for items to store if you choose. And the cut of the jacket is perfect for what we do when wading in the rivers.

Jacket retails for $249 and the waders retail for $399. Two thumbs up both of these top notch products from Patagonia. Check them out at your local dealer or www.patagonia.com

The Measure Net Gear Review

2012-02-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Ok. How many times have you heard, "Oh that fish was at least twenty inches." Or, "That fish was pushing eighteen or nineteen dude." Ahhhh, the ever so popular guessing game of just how long that fish was. Well the guessing game is over. Hence the Measure Net designed by Jeff Abel. I have been using these nets for over a year now and I can't say enough about them. First, foremost, and most importantly, the measuring of fish. All nets come with a mesh bag with a built in measuring ruler at the bottom of the bag. Once you land your fish, you simply take the number at the head of the fish and add it to the tail of the fish and you get your fish's length. EASY BREEZY! Doesn't get any easier than that. You can also purchase a separate rubber bag for your net which is what I did. I personally like rubber nets cause I think they are easier on the fish and your hooks don't get caught like in a mesh bag. But that's my personal preference. The other thing I really like about the Measure Net is it's light weight. I carry this net behind me tucked down my wading belt. I don't even feel like I have anything there. The nets are so light which is huge in my opinion. They are made of lightweight aluminum and very sturdy. Plus there is a nice padded handle with elastic loop at the end of the net. Wooden nets are very nice. I have and still own one but don't use it anymore. They are much heavier and depending how you carry them, they can be a pain to carry. Another great feature is that the large long handled (The one I use) and the guide nets all have a telescoping feature to make the nets longer so you get an extended reach. Not gonna find that feature on many other nets. Jeff hooked me up with the Junior Guide Net which is the newbie to the lineup. This baby is gonna be my boat net for my new Sea Eagle SE9 boat. Really pumped to get this bad boy broken in!

Jeff has covered all species and size of fish with this line up. Whether your fishing small rivers or creeks for little wild trout, hitting the Bighorn in search of a pig brown, or going for steelhead, salmon, or saltwater species, one of these nets has got you covered.

There is also a custom wooden titanium measure net (Custom Orders Only) as well as a folding travel version. Last but not least price. Aside from all the other great features these nets have, the price is certainly one of them. They are much cheaper than most quality wooden nets out there. $22-$110. Not bad at all. That's a price any angler can live with. I highly suggest and recommend you pick one of these nets up. A net that is very lightweight, has a quick and easy method to measure your fish with accuracy, and a wicked good price to go along with it. What more can you ask for? The Measure Net gets a huge two thumbs up from yours truly. I guarantee you won't be disappointed and you'll love it as much as I do. Call your local fly shop for one or you can buy them directly from http://www.themeasurenet.com/

Here is a picture of a recent Farmington River brown I got on my last outing. A nice 16 inch fish..................

Dirt Nap Added to the Step By Step Tying Instruction Page on the Steel Canvas

2012-02-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

I just added the step by step tying instructions for the Dirt Nap on the Steel Canvas. Check it out on the Step By Step Tying Instruction Page. http://www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com/

Remember to Check out the Steel Canvas

2012-02-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Just a reminder. I run two blogs/sites. This one, the SR and the Steel Canvas. That blog/site is dedicated to everything fly tying and I also showcase my signature flies. Getting a lot of views especially for only having it up for a few months but want to continue to build up the following. You can find the link to the upper left of the page or you can check it out at http://www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com/ Thanks for checking it out!

Striper Life Love

2012-02-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

Striper Life hooked me up!

Big fan of the gear and if your a conventional gear nut you need to check out the homemade lures they produce! Got em up on the blog/sites so check the out when you get a chance. You'll find them to the left with the gear links. http://www.striperlife.com/ If your a striper nut, you gotta rock a Striper Life hat and or shirt. I encourage all my saltwater fly fishing nut friends to grab one and show some Striper Life Love!

Somerset Show Write up and New Patterns Added to the Steel Canvas

2012-02-04T12:15:00.001-08:00

Check out the little ditty on the Somerset Fly Fishing Show last week on the Steel Canvas.

Also, two new patterns added to the fly pages. Esox Luscious to the Pike Page and the Topical Solution to the Bass Page.

Morning of Solitude

2012-02-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

After the illness ridden start of the month I had, I was in big time need of some river time. Hit the Farmington this morning with rising fish in my mind. I haven't done a lot of dry fly fishing over the last year or so, so this winter, that has been the goal. Was on the water from 7am to noon. Winter caddis coming off the whole time. I stuck with the pupa on top and all said and done, nailed around 10 fish. Did nymph for a very short stint and nailed a nice 16 inch fish. Was a cold one even the temp was around 40. Windy at times. Cold went right through me but of course as I always do, stayed wading in the water waiting for that next rise and take. Not many people on the water today so the solitude was very nice. Came across a few other anglers but not many. Average fish was between 12-14 inches on top with one at 15. Really pretty browns. Off the water by noon. Grabbed some lunch and now back home writing this up. Enjoy the pics. Got some nice shots today.........

A New Fly Fishing Vessel Purchased

2012-02-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, spent a lot of time researching and investigating a boat for my fly fishing endeavors. I have a Freedom Hawk yak which is awesome. Love it. But I wanted something that I could bring a friend or two with me when fishing either floating and fishing rivers, lakes or ponds, and saltwater. I looked at every 2-3 man pontoon boat that was trolling motor compatible. Every price range. That was a huge factor for me. I just simply was not going to justify a lot of expense at this time and it also comes down to what you are going to do with it. I wanted something versatile. All kinds of water capable. Lots of space. Standing and being able to fish (A BIGGY). Quality materials of the boat. Stability. Reputation. Good warranty. Something I can feel comfortable with having my kids in. And of course price. Well, I found it and I decided to go with the Sea Eagle SE9 Motormount. The Fisherman's Dream Package. Along with it I got a swivel seat for the rear, rod holders, anchor system, and an electric pump. Plus, I throw my Yeti Tundra 45 in there and not only to hold the eats and drinks, it's a seat and a standing platform as well. I'M STOKED!! I can float and fish rivers for trout, pike, smallies, etc. Lakes and ponds for bass and pike. Of course take it to the saltwater and hit bays, coves, estuaries, and my favorite, the flats to sight fish! This boat will do it all. I looked at the Fold Cat but I just wasn't convinced about the versatility. The SE9 has more room and is wider for increased stability. Can hold more people and gear. Just a better choice for me. Plus, it is something I can take the family out on a joy ride this summer which will be a blast as well.

Will be at my house by next week! Can't wait to get this thing on the water! Check out the SE9 and the other boats and yaks that Sea Eagle has to offer at www.seaeagle.com or just click on the link to the left of my page. Tight ones all!

New Links Added Below

2012-02-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Hope all is well. Hitting the Farmington River tomorrow for some much needed river time. Hope you all enjoyed the most recent write ups and contributions by Brian O' Keefe and Landon Mayer. Was stoked to have such too great fly fishing talents and industry professionals on the SR! Great stuff.

Also, just added a few new links below. Catch Magazine, Landon Mayer's site, and a new buddy of mine, Joe Kayafas's blog Trout Man. You'll find all these new and great sites and fly fishing resources at the bottom of my page. Peace and hair grease y'all and will report back on my fishing over the weekend.

Landon Mayer and His 3 Key Elements to Help Offer the Best Condtions on the River

2012-02-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to have Landon Mayer contribute and share some of his knowledge on the Salty Riffle. Landon is a full time fly fishing guide in Colorado, accomplished author, and a Ross Reels Pro Team Member. Landon is very well known for landing BIG FISH and the tactics that it takes to do so.

I reached out to Landon about contributing to the SR and he was more than willing to do so. Here is a very informative piece on 3 key elements that Landon feels are very important when trying to get the best conditions for your time spent on the water. I know your gonna enjoy this as much as I have. Thanks again Landon! Greatly appreciated my man!

Timing is Everything

By: Landon Mayer

As a full time guide in Colorado I have come to understand that fly-fishing is a way of life for me. Every season is a new challenge trying to crack the code of “Prime Time” and I believe the best way to accomplish this is in investigating all categories of timing. Whether it is the time of year, weather, day of the week, or time of day, each decision can offer the choice of new disciplines or the best feeding behavior from the trout.

In my opinion you cannot find a better state in the U.S. that offers four seasons of top-notch action on the water. This is made possible by the 300 plus days of sun every year that leaves the tail waters open year round, freestones coming to life after run off, and still waters melting into quality fishing as the year moves on. To simplify this approach, I look for three key elements to offer the best conditions: cover, oxygen, and food supply.

Cover: Without cover trout will simply not feel secure or have a chance at survival from predators above. The most obvious cover is deep water and structure but it doesn’t stop there. Riffles, shadows, weather, and water clarity all play a roll in the element of cover. Make this the first and most important thing to look for.

Oxygen: Following cover, trout need oxygen to survive in any water way, especially freestone rivers like the “Eagle” where the heat of late summer can at times lend no relief to warm water. Trout and insects thrive in oxygenated water. Cold water, deep runs, seams, drop offs at the head of deep runs, riffles, and pocket water provide this healthy environment.

Food Supply: Let’s face it…. trout are lazy by nature when it comes to food supply. The easier it is to consume the meal that burns less energy, the fatter the trout become. I find it funny how humans view size as a negative thing, but if a trout looks obscenely fat it is the coolest catch of the day. It is the same effect humans deal with at the drive through. While the food cooked at home takes longer, but taste better, a five-minute session at the drive-through window gets you junk food “now”. When trout are consuming food they want it delivered to their face! Look for water like the edges of seams, in front of rocks, tail outs of deep pools, eddies. If you want the fish to expend energy chasing a meal, remember it has to be substantial enough to supply the nutrients lost during the nut.

Tight Lines,

Landon Mayer

Woodland Park, CO

Further information on Colorado’s seasons, or techniques in Landon Mayer’s latest book “Colorado’s Best Fly Fishing, or at www.landonmayer.com

Hatch Magazine is Having a Photo Contest

2012-01-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

My friends over at Hatch Magazine are having a photo contest and the prize is a pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses! Submit your best photo and get a chance to win! Check it out at http://www.hatchmag.com/photo-contest-maui-jim-guy-harvey-sunglasses-collection

Dead Drift Angler hits the Farmington River

2012-01-30T09:27:00.001-08:00

My man Adam from Dead Drift Angler doing it up on the Farmington this weekend.........

I will be out there this weekend myself. I am in much need of some water time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Opportunity

2012-01-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Check this out folks! Some of my flies are headed off to Alaska this summer with head guide of HRO Adam of Dead Drift Angler! Last year Adam took a few of my flies to AK with him and did real well. Well, this year, he and two of his guide friends of the lodge he guides for are taking a bunch of my patterns to AK for the upcoming season. Streamers for bows, dollies, and pike! I'm stoked and really looking forward to seeing picks of flies hanging out of the mugs of some Alaskan fish! Thanks for the opportunity Adam!

Check this out on Adam's blog! http://deaddriftanglers.blogspot.com/2012/01/steel-canvas-is-off-to-alaska.html

Fish Porn Page Added to Blog

2012-01-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

Ok. Yeah I know every blog and site has a fish porn page or some facet of fish porn on there. But, I just couldn't help myself! HA HA! Just a few pics of me and some of my water dwelling friends! Will add more over time but I had to drink the cool aid!

You can find the page on the upper left hand side of the blog.

Yeti Coolers up on the Links!

2012-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

Hey all. Added the greatest coolers in the world to the links page. Yeti Coolers is now up on the left side of the page as a link. Just click on the Yeti Roadie and your off to their website........

Check out the Wayward Drifter's Most Recent Write Up

2012-01-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hey people. Check out buddy Mike Nutto's most recent blog entry on his blog The Wayward Drifter. A good read and so very, very true. Go to the bottom of my page and click on the Wayward Drifter link. Sure you will enjoy it as I did.

Tying at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show

2012-01-25T05:42:00.003-08:00

Hey all. Well the BIG one is coming! The Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, NJ. Friday-Sunday. I am looking forward to meeting up with some friends of new and old. I will be there in the am to walk around and enjoy the show. I will then be tying at the Catskill Fly Tiers Guild table from Noon-3pm. Will be spinning up some trout flies for a few hours so if ya get a chance, stop on by.

Pro Angler and Photographer Brian O Keefe of Catch Magazine Fame Doing It Up On The Salty Riffle

2012-01-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

Brian O' Keefe, professional photographer and angler from Catch Magazine and from the Confluence Film Drift, was nice enough to contribute a little sumpin sumpin to the Salty Riffle! I reached out to Brian before the holidays and he was more than happy to contribute a nice essay as well as his top notch pictures. I am a huge fan of his photos so to be able to throw some of his pics up on the Salty Riffle is something special to say the least. I hope all of you enjoy this little ditty as much as I did. Thanks again Brian! Much, much appreciated and those flies I promised will be on their way soon! Enjoy folks!

When I had the urge to own and build a cabin I thought about the location long and hard. I spent my youth fishing in Montana and have made dozens of road-trips after the driver license years. Then, there were the steelhead rivers of the Pacific Northwest, several Alaska possibilities and alpine destinations with great hiking, hunting and high lakes. I just about signed on the dotted line and nearly took ownership of 5 acres on the Jefferson River in Montana when I shifted my interest to Eastern Oregon.

The two big counties in Eastern Oregon are Harney County and Malheur County. They are both on the top ten ‘largest counties in the country’ list. They are also on the top ten ‘least populated’ with many more antelope, mule deer and trout than people.

It was the streams and massive landscapes that drew me to this desolate corner of Oregon.

In the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s I had found a few good fishing spots and since then, I have found quite a few more. They don’t come easy and many flat tires and “where the heck are we” experiences add to the mystique. As a bird hunter, I was in some of the best of the best, especially for chukars. For wildlife photography I was clicking away at big mule deer bucks, owls, hawks, waterfowl and wading birds.

There is one fairly well known river and that is the Owyhee. Boise anglers flock to the banks and at times it is quite crowded. After the Owyhee, the list of well known rivers and streams drops off dramatically. Then, there are the lakes and reservoirs. Many have sizeable rainbows that grow fast in insect rich waters. There are brookies in the high country and a few whopper bass here and there. 10 miles from my cabin there is a ranch lake with really big crappie. If a person could befriend all the ranchers and have access to their lakes and ponds, life would be pretty good.

The wild and crazy rock formations, the remote hot springs, the pockets of aspen meadows, etc bring a certain kind of person to these areas. They are called desert rats, locally. Some probably have a long criminal record and come to this region for the lack of people and others are drawn to the empty dirt roads, the wildlife viewing and absolute high desert wilderness. I came for the trout and birds, but find myself searching out places with stunning vistas, historic relevance and interesting geology. That means having better tires, more gas and good binoculars.

If the average angler could see some of the hatches and the size of the trout, this region would get more attention. But, these rewards do not come easy. It takes a long time and some serious dedication to search maps for these special places.

And, just when you think you have found something cool, a swarm of mosquitoes, thicker than anywhere in Alaska, descend on you and a full speed sprint is needed to get away. Or, a couple rattlesnakes buzz you. Or, the next gas station is just out of reach, in both directions. Almost every state has a place or region to get away from it all. These places appeal to people who appreciate simple pleasures. These are slower places. Places where nine year boys drive $100,000 farm equipment and the nearest roll of duct tape is at least an hours drive. Places where restaurants are few and far between and an Oreo Blizzard at one of the three Dairy Queens in SE Oregon is such a welcome treat. If you are ever in these parts you might start calling creeks, ‘criks’ and waving at the rare drivers coming the other way. That’s a good habit, as they might be coming back and will find you on the side of the road with two flat tires and lend a hand. California license plates? Not so much.

Take a Look See at Steel Canvas

2012-01-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

Some new patterns for pike and large and small mouth bass are in a post on Steel Canvas! Check em out y'all!

Also, since I added the Step By Step Tying Instruction page on Steel Canvas, the views have shot up tremendously! Looking forward to seeing the numbers rise even more. Thanks to all who stop by to view both sites.

Geoff Samples Gives Us the Low Down on the F1 Reel

2012-01-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sand Shrimp Pattern Added to the Steel Canvas

2012-01-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

Just added my sand shrimp pattern up on the Saltwater Page. The Jimbalaya Shrimp. This is a great shrimp pattern to fish on the flats and anywhere these buggers are. Check it out when you get a shot!

Free Streamer Tying Clinic at HRO

2012-01-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

I will be doing a Free Streamer Tying Clinic at the Housatonic River Outfitters, Inc. Saturday, February 18 at 10:00am. Will be doing some of my go to articulated and non-articulated streamers. Class will run until about 2pm or so. Materials provided. Just bring tools, vise, and a few threads in different colors. See ya there!

Step by Step Fly Tying Instruction Page Added to the Steel Canvas

2012-01-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

Step by step tying page has finally been added to the Steel Canvas. It is located at the top left hand corner of the page under the fly pages. Featured fly at this time is a pike pattern called the Turn-Pike. I was going to do a trout fly first, streamer more specifically, but seeing I am tying up pike and bass flies right now, this is what I put up. Check it out when you get a chance.

Site and Page Views Keep Going Up and Up!

2012-01-13T04:43:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note. I am wicked happy to see just how many views the Salty Riffle is getting. The numbers on really on the rise! Last month alone 917 views. Today by 7;30am, already 48 views. Should have 7,000 by the end of the day. Average monthly views are now around 700 or so, maybe more. Were at 500. This is really exciting to see. Not bad for a blog that has been up for less than a year. I thank all of you who check in or follow the Salty Riffle. Much appreciated!

Remember, the Steel Canvas is my other blog and the pic and link is located in the upper left hand corner of the page. Or, you can go straight to www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com Views there are picking up and that has only been up for a few months so I like where that is going as well. Have a great weekend! Stay hooked folks!

Flight of Ideas

2012-01-12T10:22:00.001-08:00

Thinking lately, very strongly, about selling the patterns I have with Rainy's from my blog/sites. I have multiple patterns in for review right now and have received a lot of great feedback and interest. So, I should know by the end of February if not sooner what new patterns are going to be accepted and produced by Rainy's. There will be a few. Which of course makes me very happy. Right now the Sand Lace A Lot is available through Rainy's and your local fly shops. If they don't have them, you can ask your local shop to get them in for you. I don't fish the salt around here in CT, especially the flats, without that fly. Big or small, those stripers and blues love it!

So, I am thinking about offering them for sale here right very soon in the near future. Or, I might just wait until I have a list of flies I might offer for sale via my sites. Something I might be offering and doing via the site but just requires a little more thought. So, stay tuned for more on this.

Breaking In New Year The Right Way

2012-01-08T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Been meaning to post this fishing report on the Farmington River. Sickness has run rampant in my household for the last week but better late than never. Fished the Farmington last week with top water action in mind. Have done so much nymphing and streamers over the last year, haven't thrown a dry in some time. So, that is my focus for this winter's trout game. Anyway, hit one of my favorite dry fly stretches of the river. Some fish rising but not many. Some winter caddis on the water but again not many. Water was cold. 37 degrees at 10:30am. I was there on the water but 7:30 knowing I was a little early but wanted to scope out what was going on. Then the rain came. Rained on and off for a while so with the new cold rain, higher flows (about 650cfs), cool water temps, things were not looking to be in my favor. Did get a couple of nice risers right in front of me. Again not rising with any consistancy. I did manage this beautiful brown over 18 1/2 inches which rose and took my fly just below where the fish I was targeting was.

Headed to another spot where fish regularly rise but not a single rise. But, catching this on New Years Eve was a great way to break in the new year.

Dead Drift Anglers Blog Up and Running!

2012-01-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hey all! My good friend and head guide of HRO Adam just started up his own blog Dead Drift Anglers. Adam is a great guy and along with being the head guide at HRO he also guides every year up in Alaska as well. I did a write up of some of his adventures some time back here on Salty Riffle. This year Adam and a few of his guide friends are taking a bunch of my streamer patterns up to AK with them to whoop up on some of those Alaskan Bows! Listen check out his blog at www.deaddriftanglers.blogspot.com and you can click on the icon at the bottom of the page in the Links Section. Nice blog Adam. Looking forward to seeing more from ya buddy!

A Few Things Added to The Fly Pages

2012-01-04T09:09:00.001-08:00

When you get a chance, added another color variation to the Screamin Banshee and Turn-Pike. Also, added my bugger variation, RB3 on the Bass page as well. Check em out when you get a shot!

Some New Jig Flies on Steel Canvas

2011-12-30T05:12:00.000-08:00

Posted a few pics of some new jig flies for large and smallmouth bass on Steel Canvas. Check em out when you get a shot!

Fly Fishing Question Poll Posted

2011-12-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of people tend to do this on their sites and blogs. I think it's a pretty cool thing to do. I always find interesting what other fly fisherman and women like. What they like to fish for, what they like for gear, do they travel, where have they been, what kinds of flies do they like to throw, etc. Questions are endless. I am going to do a poll question here and then post the results for all to see after the poll is close. First question of the poll, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPECIES TO FISH FOR?

You will find it located at the bottom of my page above the Links. I hope all you visitors participate! Poll closes 1/7/12 at 11:59pm. I will post results afterwards.

Have a Happy New Year!

BTW. I added a wonderful photgrapher and owner of BS Flies, Lynn Scott, to the Links down at the bottom of the page. Check his sites out when you get a chance.

Step by Step Instruction Page to be Added Soon

2011-12-28T06:45:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to get a step by step page up for some time now. Just have been doing other things on the blog, tying flies, and of course lets not forget the busy holidays. So, I am in the works for putting up a step by step, pic by pic, tying page. Not sure how often I will change the pattern. I will probably do by monthly or something to that effect. Not quite sure yet. If I can do it monthly I will. Will probably start out doing one of my trout streamers first but seeing I am doing pike and bass at the moment, might throw one of them up first. I will mix it up of course; trout, saltwater, pike, bass, etc. This way, I will cover all species. So look for it soon. Hope to have it up in the next week or two. Stay Hooked!

New Pike Flies on Steel Canvas

2011-12-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

When you get a chance, take a look at another new pike pattern of mine on the Steel Canvas http://www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com/ I call her the Screamin Banshee!

Simon Graham of Baltic Pike Flies Write up on Steel Canvas

2011-12-24T09:20:00.001-08:00

Hey all! Santa is a comin tonight. Pretty excited myself. Listen, I just posted a write up on Simon Graham of Baltic Pike Flies on Steel Canvas so check it out when you get a chance. Peace and Happy Holidays!

Kype Magazine Now on Salty Riffle and Steel Canvas

2011-12-23T03:26:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that Kype Magazine is now available to you via the Steel Canvas and Salty Riffle! The Marketing Director contacted me the other day and asked if I would be interested in jumping on board with them and offer the magazine on my sites. I jumped at the chance! This is a great fly fishing magazine and resource. They will also be putting an ad in each issue of the mag to help get the word out about the Salty Riffle and Steel Canvas. Kype Magazine on the sites! Add in the mag! Couldn't ask for more.

What's great about it is that all you do is click on the magazine icon and it brings you right to the featured issue. And, it has the PAGE TURN feature so all you do is click a button and it turns the pages as you are reading them. Simple easy breezy!

You will find it located AT ALL TIMES on the upper left hand side of my site, just under the Fly Pages.

So a BIG THANKS to Kype Magazine for giving me the opportunity to offer their magazine to my readers. Check out the first issue today. My good friend Mike McAuliffe of Rise Form Studios has a great article featured in this one.

Peace.........................

Scott S4S 9ft 6wt Review

2011-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

This past year I began fishing with Scott fly rods. Specifically the S4 and S4S series of rods. Got a couple of the now discontinued A3 rods as well. Bottom line is, after fishing with Scott's, I'm not looking back! Ever! Can't say enough great things about these rods. From cast ability, to accuracy, to power, smoothness, to their lightweight build, and of course lets not forgot the aesthetics. These rods are simply a beautiful piece of work. Plain and simple. I am fond of all of my Scott's but one of my favorites has to be the Scott S4S 9ft 6wt. It is probably the best streamer stick I have ever used. Yes it is in their saltwater lineup and although the S4 series is a fast action rod (And it is FAST!), the S4S series is a little faster and makes casting grain lines with big flies seem like your throwing #14 dry fly. It's that good. It is definitely the tool you want for this type and style of fishing.

When fishing streamers, I like to cover a lot of water, move quite often, and make a ton of repetitive casts. To me this is streamer fishing. The right way. Of course I say this laughing because there isn't necessarily a right and wrong way but there is such a thing as more effective and efficient ways. The first thing I noticed right off the bat was how well it was made. The craftsmanship in these rods is simply amazing. Low glare blanks, type 3 anodized corrosion resistant reel seats, Recoil snake guides, stripper guides fully housed in titanium frames, simply a beautiful piece of work. You know from simply holding it this rod is simply bullet proof and designed to withstand the rigors of the salty brine. So taking on freshwater applications will be a walk in the park.

Once I put it together and held it in my hand, I was delighted to see just how light it was. I knew that with using this as my streamer stick, this was going to be a huge asset seeing how many casts I would be making each outing when chucking streamers. I can tell you that my time on the water with this rod which has been a lot especially over the last few months, there has been no wrist, arm, or shoulder fatigue what so ever. Ok getting back on track. Once I made my first few casts, I noticed the power right away. Wow can this rod throw a line! Built for power. Floating lines, grain lines, doesn't matter. It loads very quickly and generates very high line speed to get that fly where ever it is you need it to be and quickly. Fifteen, twenty five, or sixty feet plus. Doesn't matter. Some rods do one or the other well but I found that when I was pounding the banks on the Bighorn this past October, making short, quick, repetitive casts was the name of the game and the S4S did it with ease. The rod tracks perfectly so your fly goes where you want it to which of course is always important. It is also a very smooth casting rod. The line glides through the guides with ease and makes your job so much easier and much more pleasant.

The rod is very responsive. When stripping streamers, I like to animate the flies with a lot of movement. Jerks, twitches, jigging motions, etc. There is no delay in the rod when moving that tip. You jerk the rod or snap the rod in an up and down motion, that rod snaps right back in place ready for the next jerk, twitch, strip, etc. Of course the responsiveness of the rod really shines when you set the hook. You get that hit, you put the wood to the fish, this rod responds quickly and immediately which is huge when fishing streamers. Fish generally are hitting the fly fast and hard leaving the angler a very short window to set the hook hard and properly. No problem with the S4S.

This rod has no problem at all picking up line either. I was very impressed at how quick the S4S could pick up a sinking line (200 grain to be exact) with most of the line subsurface, and allow me to bring all the line up and out of the water and make another cast effortlessly. Again, whether I was making short quick casts or bombing big long casts, this rod had no problem handling the task. I could have 10ft or 40 feet of line out. Again, didn't matter. I have used the Rio DC 200 grain streamer line and the Sci Angler Mastery Series Kelly Gallup 200 grain line. I love both of these streamer lines and would recommend either depending on your preference but now I am only using the Sci Angler fly lines. Personal preference and I will end up doing a gear review on that one as well in the future.

I have to say that if your looking for a streamer stick (Or saltwater stick) and haven't decided on one yet, you have to give the Scott S4S a cast. Or two. Or three. Believe me. It is the real deal. I even purchased the 9ft 8wt S4S and that is my go to saltwater stick when fishing the flats, bays, coves, estuaries, etc. Can handle big fish, small fish. Big flies, small flies. The 2 piece series goes from 8-12wt and the 4 piece series goes 5-12wt. Check them out at www.scottflyrod.com

Some New Pike Patterns Posted on Steel Canvas

2011-12-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hey all. Just wanted to let you know that I posted some new pike flies I tied up on my other blog/website dedicated to flies. http://www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com/ When you get a chance, check em out. Tight ones all and have a great holiday. Santa is just a week away!

Mike McAuliffe's Article in New Issue of Kype Magazine

2011-12-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

When you get a chance, check out my good friend Mike McAuliffes's article in Kype Magazine. A great read and such a very true article. I really enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will too.

http://issuu.com/kype-fishing-magazine/docs/digital_issue/1?mode=a_p

Salty Riffle Flies Name Change and New Patterns Up on Fly Pages

2011-12-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

Hey folks! I have been toying with the idea of changing my fly blog/site name. Wanted something unique, very meaningful, and of course a pretty cool name to boot. So, I decided on the name Steel Canvas. As fly tyers we are artists. Fly tying is an art in itself. The materials are our brush. The hook is our canvas. I really dig the name so Steel Canvas it is. www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com

I also posted my baby bunker pattern, Plante's Peanut as well as the chartreuse version of the Foxy Lady. Check them out when you get a chance. The bunker pattern is in the Saltwater Fly Page and the FL is in the Streamer Page.

Sand Lance-A-Lot is Now Available for Purchase

2011-12-13T12:21:00.001-08:00

The new Rainy's catalog is now out and the Sand Lance-A-Lot is now available for orders. Really proud to see my fly in the Rainy's catalog. Here is the link to the fly in the online catalog: http://www.rainysflies.com/Flies/flies_Detail.php?ProductID=5888

They are now reviewing multiple fly patterns of mine as we speak and more will soon to follow. The Copper Golden, The Biggin, JP's Sculpin along with a bunch of other flies are on the agenda. They are of strong interest to them and they really like what they see so far. I will report back more with updates. This is a process as I have learned so I will report back once I of course no more.

Hope everyone is doing well. Hope your getting out fishing. I plan to get out this week and get back at the vise for sure. Been a long several weeks of no fishing and tying so I am really looking forward to getting back at it

An Update and A New Years Resolution

2011-12-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well, been kinda busy with other non-fish related things of late. Have sent off more flies to Rainy's for review. Spoke with Jesse there yesterday and really liked what he saw especially the sculpin pattern. I still have to come up with a better name for that one. Anyway, have only tied a little and haven't fished in a few weeks but as I said, some other things of importance have come up. But, over the next few weeks, will get back at the vise again as well as hitting the water so look for some new content.

I have a New Years resolution already done up. Next year I am switching gears and putting a lot of my focus on the warm water game. I said that last year and dabbled in it with pike and bass as my primary focus. However, I didn't devote enough time to it between trout and the salt. And of course I always say if your going to really learn something new and truly get the most out of it, you need to dive in head first. Emerge yourself in it. Make that your main focus. Whether your learning to nymph, streamer fish, fish for a new species and learn about a new species, you need to focus on that and emerge yourself in what your doing and what you are trying to accomplish. So, warm water species for me next year it is! Of course, I will get out and hit my trout as well as the salt especially on the flats sight fishing. But, I am looking for new experiences and new species to go after and where I live, there are a bunch of great opportunities for warm water fishing. Pike are my #1 target with large mouth bass running in second. So, this winter, my fly tying is going to be heavily focused on pike and large mouth. Got some great ideas I just need to get down on steel.

If I don't get back before the holidays, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Be good. Be safe. Happy Holiday!

Intro to Fly Tying Clinic Went Great

2011-11-21T05:04:00.000-08:00

Quick little diddy. Clinic went great on Saturday. Small class but was a really good one. Will be doing another intro clinic in the future. Check out www.saltyriffleflies.blogspot.com for write up and pics.

Just a Reminder about Salty Riffle Flies

2011-11-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
FYI. I now have two blogs. This one, and www.saltyriffleflies.blogspot.com This website/blog is dedicated to flies. My patterns as well as already established ones. I update it frequently with flies, info on flies, maybe new materials I am using and info on how to get them, etc. All things fly tying on this website/blog. So when you get a few minutes, check it out!

You can go directly to the site or click on the link to the top left hand side of this page listed Salty Riffle Flies.

Tight ones all!

Finding Fish and Covering Water

2011-11-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

This was an article I wrote for my local TU Chapter's newsletter a couple seasons ago. Thought I would post it on the blog.

One of the topics that comes up a lot is, “How to I know where to find fish” and “How do I cover the water efficiently?” So, I figured I would dedicate this article to those topics and give you some of my tactics that I use to make the most out of your day on the river or stream.
First lets talk about finding fish. This is a question that I have been asked multiple times and when your new to the sport going out and looking at the water and wondering where to begin can be overwhelming. When looking for trout, you have to know what type of habitat they like. You want to focus on structure such as protruding rocks, downed trees, deep runs that are lined with big rocks on the bottom, undercut banks, etc. Anything that provides the fish shelter and safety from predators. Trout love to hold up along side and behind rocks, lay underneath downed trees, and hang under undercut banks waiting to pop out for food passing by. Trout also love the most oxygenated water. That’s not to say that trout don’t hang out in slow placid pools because they do. This type of water is really nice dry fly water. However, the slower the water, the longer the fish has to analyze your offering and they tend to be a little spookier so make sure your approach is on the stealthier side. Didn’t mean to get off track. So, look to fish the riffles and fast moving runs. Now, I am not talking about raging rapids, but the water that forms riffles and runs. Yes, trout will hang out in heavier and faster moving water but use your judgment. Trout generally don’t like too fast of water because they don’t want to exert more energy than they have to. You also have to remember that the current on the bottom where the trout generally are is much slower than the current on top so they could be holding in water you might think they are not in. Like I said, use your judgment. You also want to focus on fishing the seams. A seam can be on the side of rocks and the area between where the fast and slow water meet in a riffle or run. This water is moving slower than the fast water and faster than the slower water. Another spot to find trout is the shelves. Look for deep water that comes in right after much more shallower water ahead of it. Trout will hang in these deep drop offs waiting for tender morsels to come by.
Covering water is very important as well. Sometimes people don’t cover the water efficiently and when they don’t get takes right away, they move to a different spot. Or, they trounce around the pool, riffle, and run like a jumping bean spooking everything from here to Montana. You want to make sure you cover the particular area you are fishing efficiently. I like to start out by fishing the water closes in to me. This is a pet peeve of mine and I have seen this scenario a bunch of times. People will see a rising fish or a riffle across the river and trounce all through the water to get to that riser or riffle. Most likely, spooking a bunch of fish right in front of them. Oh yes, I have done that before myself but I have learned from my mistakes. Take your time and fish outward. Make multiple casts and take a few steps outward. This way, your covering all the water in front of you and will probably catch a few more trout than you thought you would. Make sure you fish the entire area before moving on. Another helpful hint is something that I have done over many years and that is splitting the area of river or stream I am fishing into three sections. These 3 sections can vary in widths depending on the size of the river. But for the sake of this article, I will use these examples. Section 1 is the water that is closest in towards me. I fish from a few feet in front of me out to about 10-15 feet give or take a foot or two. Section 2 is the water that is in the middle of the stretch you are fishing. This is approx. 15-20 feet out or so. Section 3 is the water that is closest to the far bank and that can be anywhere from approx.20-30 feet out and up. I do this primarily by eye and not in exact feet or any kind of measurement but this is a very loose gauge to help give you the idea. Of course, each stretch of the river or stream whether it’s the West Branch of the Farmington or the Yantic River, could be wider or more narrow. Sometimes it changes from bend to bend. However, no matter how wide or narrow the body of water is, you can always break it down into these three sections and it will help you focus on fishing the stretch of water more efficiently.
I hope you find these tactics and tidbits of info to be helpful. Finding the fish and covering the water efficiently goes hand in hand. Combining the two at the same time will most certainly put more fish on the end of your line which will help build confidence each and every time you go out and hit water. Have a great fall season and hope to see some of you out on the water. Stay hooked folks!

Quick Farmington Report

2011-11-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

Fishing was slow on the Farmington Saturday. Went out with friends Mark and Ben. Basically put in a full day and 4 fish to show for it. But, better than taking home a donut. Water clarity was great. Flow was over 800. River looks good but wow, the changes! Tons of trees down. Holes have changed features. In some spots it's like fishing a different river but this could be a good thing. Some olives were out later in the day. A few caddis here and there. Hopefully will pick up in the next couple of weeks. Good day with good friends.

Remember, Intro To Fly Tying Clinic this Saturday from 9-5pm at the shop. $75 for the class. To book your spot call the shop at 860-672-1010.

New Patterns on Salty Riffle Flies

2011-11-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I just added a few patterns to the fly pages on Salty Riffle Flies. Some are a few of my ties and a few are already established patterns like the miracle midge on the nymph page and several dry flies done up all sparkle dun style. Check em out when you get a chance.

Hitting the Farmington this weekend. Looking forward to nymphing it up and chucking streamers. Will report back!

5100 VIEWS!!

2011-11-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Just a little note. We are at 5100 total views since inception which was February 2011. Average views per month is just under 600. 613 views last month alone. Wow! Pretty happy and excited to see. Great stuff!

Thinking of Fishing the Bighorn River, Check out the Bighorn Angler

2011-11-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

As you know, I recently went out to Montana and fished the Bighorn River. Two of my buddies and I stayed at the Bighorn Angler in Fort Smith Montana. If you are interested in hitting this world class fishery, I highly recommend staying with these guys. Eric Anderson, owner and operator, is a great guy and very down to earth. Shares a lot of his knowledge and know how on the river to help make your trip a very successful one. The accommodations are simple and clean. You get the basics that you need when on a fishing trip. Clean room, shower, bed, and mini fridge. What else do you really need when on a fishing trip. If your looking to stay at a high priced lodge and want five star accommodations, this is not that style of place. That is IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM a knock on the place. It's just more on the basic end. To me, it was perfect. This is the type of place that I like. I don't need the Hilton when I go on a trip. If that's your thing, cool. Too each his own.
Eric also owns the restaurant in town called Polly's Place. Again, a nice layed back place to sit down with your buddies, pound back a couple of beers (You have to bring your own beer before you get to Fort Smith. No alcohol is served on the Crow Indian Reservation. We bought ours in Billings after we landed) discuss the days fishing, and enjoy a nice, quality, filling meal. The food was great! After a long day of fishing on the Horn, these wholesome meals really did the job! Plus the people that worked at Polly's made the experience even more enjoyable. A bunch of jokers and fun people to be around and that's a huge plus in my book when your away from home. It simply just enhances the whole experience! They made us feel wanted and right at home.
Another great feature of the Bighorn Angler is the drift boat rental. If you want, you can hire one of the shop's many guides and have a guided trip. Or, do what we did, rented a drift boat and floated the river ourselves. The Horn is really easy to float. Most of the river in the first 22 miles is like a big spring creek with riffle and runs mixed in but are very easy to navigate through. The river braids up so there are many side channels to go down and fish which makes the floating experience even better and a little more adventurous. We all took turns fishing and rowing throughout the day. Perfect for 3 people. The process is simple. You rent the boat. They trailer it to your launch point. You show up, load the boat, and float and fish. You exit at your take out point with your vehicle waiting for you at the lot. They pic the boat up for you and bring it back to the shop. Next day, repeat. Easy breezy!
The fishing part of it, well take a look at my pics from the trip and they will answer your questions for you regarding the fishing. We caught a ton. Lots of numbers for each of us and plenty of big fish. Average was 15 inches with many in the 17-18 class. Several 19-20 inch fish. My biggest was a 23 inch hog which I made my main pic for the blog. The nymphing as is the streamer fishing is great during the fall time. We choose this time of year for that type of fishing specifically. Nymphing I hear is great all year long. Dry fly fishing is epic during their many great hatches. Streamer fishing has it's specific times but when it's on like it was for us, it's on! Truly one of the best fisheries I have fished.
So, if your looking to fish a top shelf fishery, and your looking for a good outfitter and good accommodations, you can't go wrong with hooking up with the Bighorn Angler. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Well Wishes Go Out to Friends After Storm

2011-11-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let me friends in Jersey, NY, and CT know that I am thinking of ya and wish you guys well due to this frickin storm. It reeked havoc all over Jersey, NY, and western/middle CT. I spoke with some people and they tell me parts of CT look like a war zone due to all the trees and lines down. I'm very lucky that it missed our part of the state. VERY LUCKY! Be safe everyone and hope things get back to normal real soon.

Intro to Fly Tying Clinic November 19th

2011-10-29T18:10:00.001-07:00

Will be doing an Intro to Fly Tying Clinic at the shop, Housatonic River Outfitters, November 19th starting at 9am. I will go over essential techniques and show you how to tie some basic flies that cover different styles- a nymph, dry flies (Catskill and Comparadun), a soft hackle, and a basic streamer like a wooly bugger. If you have a vice, bring it, but if not I can provide up to 2 vises to borrow. You will need to bring/buy basic tools (bobbin, scissors, bodkin, whip finisher, hackle pliers) and some basic assorted threads. We will of course have vises and materials for sale. I will provide the materials (other than thread) & hooks to tie the patterns during the class. Cost will be $75, paid in advance, nonrefundable, and clinic will run all day, ending sometime in late afternoon (4 or 5PM or thereabouts). After this class and a little practice, you will be ready to attend our free tying clinics on Saturdays in January & February.
Contact Torrey or Harold at the shop to book your spot 860-672-1010.

And............A Few More

2011-10-28T16:17:00.003-07:00

More Bighhorn River Trip Photos

2011-10-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

A Quick Trip to the Farmington River

2011-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hit the Farmington River yesterday for a few hours with friend and head guide of HRO Adam Francheshini. Overcast all day. Light rain started when we got to the river but later turned into a steady heavy rain. Chucked streamers for 4 hours. At the first spot we hit, Adam got several hits right off the bat. No hook ups but it was a great sign. I rolled a small fish but quickly after that rolled a much larger fish. After repeated attempts to get them to strike, I realized it wasn't going to happen so I kept moving up. Had a fish about 20+ hit the fly on the move but didn't hook him. That was a sweet fish! Kept moving and casting, moving and casting with no other action. Moved down in the spot we were in and nailed a nice 18 inch brown on a tan Foxy Lady.

We then moved to a few other spots. Made a ton of casts and covered a lot of water with no other action. Last stop we hit. Same story for most of the time spent there but I was able to hook a beautiful colored up bow. 16 inches but thick....AND STRONG! Guy had been hitting the gym!!

He took a white Dirt Nap. We ended our day there and we look forward to getting out together again soon. Great time Adam. We will do it again soon! Tight lines all............

Big Horn River Trip

2011-10-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

Back from my Bighorn River trip. One word. AWESOME! Simply an awesome fishery. Floated the river for 3 days and fished for 4. Great weather at 68-71 degrees. We all got into numbers of fish as well as fish in size. Well over 150 fish for the days fishing not to mention the ones hooked and lost. Average fish was 15 inches with many in the in the 17-18 inch range. My best day for size was 18, 19, 23 inch browns with a bow just under 20 inches. Streamer fishing was great as was the nymphing. A thank you goes out to Rich Strolis for tipping me on some of the nymph patterns. Thanks man! Only a handful of nymphs were needed. A great fishery to break in new fly patterns especially streamers. Lots of success with some new patterns. A great trip with two great friends. Lots of laughs. Lots of beer. Lots of fish. What else could I ask for! A beautiful river and beautiful scenary. I was reminded why I love Montana so damn much....................

On board with Regal Vises!

2011-10-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

Very happy right now. Officially endorsed by Regal Engineering & Regal Sporting Technologies. A huge thank you to my good friend Mike McAuliffe of Rise Form Studios for hooking me up with Regal. A big thank you goes out to Regal as well. I'm so impressed with the vise. Got the Medallion with the bronze pocket base. This thing is built like a tank. You know your tying on a solid vise when tying on this thing. The jaws are super strong and have crazy holding power. Plus, I love the simplicity of it as well. It truly is the Bulldog of vises. Looking forward to tying on this thing for many years to come. If you get a chance, go on Facebook and hit the LIKE button for me. Thanks and tight ones all!

Salty Riffle Flies Site/Blog

2011-10-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hello there. Well as you can see I have started another blog. Salty Riffle Flies. The Salty Riffle has been going very well so far. A lot of good reports and information going up on a pretty regular basis. Some great contributions to help make the blog even more informative and interesting such as Collin's Corner. Almost at 5,000 views since February. That is over 500 views per month! So, pretty damn good if I do say so myself and the Salty Riffle will keep on trucking. However, I wanted to start another site solely dedicated to fly tying and a place to showcase my patterns as well as already established ties. This site will be nothing but fly tying. Reports on new materials and ways they are being used, posting tying classes I will be doing at the Housatonic River Outfitters, pics of flies, etc. I will be doing a Fly of the Month page which will be picture to picture tying instruction on a specific pattern. There will be links for fly tying product companies and their materials. A page called Mug Shots which will be all pics of fish with flies hanging out of their maw and just a bunch of other cool stuff that revolves around fly tying. Doing the blogs is a lot of fun and I really enjoy doing them so if you can do one why not another you know.

It is still brand new and still in the building phase so I will be adding a bunch of stuff to it the coming 2-3 months. So, hope you join to follow the site and I am looking forward to getting this going. Take care and tight ones!

FOILED AGAIN!!!

2011-10-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, have been trying to get out and fish for albies on a charter through Manhattan Fly Charters but mother nature has had other things in mind. FOR THE PAST 4 WEEKS!! More rain and wind a comin. Well I guess that's the way the ball bounces. Well, tying a bunch tonight. At least I can pretend I'm on the water.............

Pat Cohen's Website is up in the Links

2011-10-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all, need to check out Pat Cohen's website. Pat is a wonderful fly tyer and many of his creations are just flat out SICK!! The man is magic with deer hair. Is on the Clear Cure Goo Pro Staff. Check it out at the bottom of my blog. Look for Super Fly.................

Some Tying Clinics Coming to the Shop Soon

2011-10-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Looking to hold a few tying clinics at the shop in the upcoming months. Looking at doing a Streamer Tying Clinic and Nymph Tying Clinic after the upcoming holidays. Also, looking at doing an Intro Fly Tying Class coming up in early to mid November. More to come with dates and times. Will probably do an all day intro class which will be a pay for clinic but the streamer and nymph might be on the freebie winter tying clinic list. Will keep you updated.......................

New Gallup DVD is a Must for the Streamer Junkie!!

2011-10-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm a huge Kelly Gallup fan. I think he has brought a lot of great techniques and information to the fore front especially when it comes to streamer fishing. Two weeks ago I purchased the new Kelly Gallup DVD, Advanced Streamer Fishing.

What a DVD! First of all, it's loaded with great info and tips to improve your streamer game. Kelly has a wonderful way of breaking down things to where anyone with half a brain can understand. He talks about fly selection and how to sequence colors. Discusses fly patterns new and old. Discusses how to break down the water your fishing into grids and making sure you cover the water effectively. This is something I really try to focus on when I am on the water no matter how I am fishing but I love Kelly's "grid" method. He goes over presentation and how to strip the flies using his famous "jerk" strip method. Very effective. I can attest this one. He also talks about "jigging" streamers for trout. Appears very effective in slower water and water like eddies or calm slicks behind rocks and boulders. He talks about how important it is to keep the fly moving. Talks about trout behavior and predation and many other tidbits of info. It is shot in HD which makes the footage and fish porn much better than his first DVDs although they are great as well. What's nice to see in this footage is how everything that Kelly talks about, when applied, can land you some of the biggest trout you will catch.

For me, my favorite part of the DVD is when Kelly talks about predation and how to trigger the biggest fish in the river to go after your fly. He talks about how to trigger that predatory instinct whether the fish is hungry or not. He makes a good comparison with a grizzly bear. If you are ever confronted with coming face to face with one, which I did when in Alaska, you don't RUN!! Running away, in the animal kingdom, triggers that predatory instinct in predators to chase. Whether they are hungry or not. It is possible food trying to get away. You come face to face with a grizzly and immediately run, chances are that grizzly will be right on your heals. Same in the water. It's not natural for a sculpin, gobbie, fry, crayfish, etc. to swim up to a big brown, bow, or brookie. Their reaction is to stay clear away and if too close, flee! It's the fleeing piece you want to create with lots of movement. He also of course talks about startling the fish before making the fly boogie. Slap that fly on the water. Make noise. Then get that fly moving. I have been doing some of these things on the water and have for some time. However, Kelly included a bunch of new tidbits that I am already implementing and like what I see. This DVD has certainly given me more tools to get out there and be more successful with my streamer game.

Another thing Gallup talks about, and I think is a great piece of advise, is "leaving your dry fly rod at home." In my nymph clinics, I always tell people that if your going to become a better nymph fisherman, you need to focus solely on nymphing for a while. When you head to the river, you have to avoid those rising fish. Focus on your nymphing game. Work and work and work on those techniques. It's too easy to get frustrated and go back to what you are comfortable with and what you know. Kelly talks about that when he is streamer fishing, which he does most of the time, he is trophy hunting. He knows he can go after smaller fish or more fish nymphing or dry fly fishing. He knows that. But when streamer fishing, he is looking for the biggest fish in the river. 20-25 inches plus. Like me, he will NEVER COMPLAIN about catching fish 17-20 inches. Those are great fish and I will be happy catching those all day long. I love that size of fish. Plus, smaller fish will hit streamers especially big ones as well. Which again, your not going to complain. I will never complain about catching fish. But, you are looking for the biggest fish in general. By focusing on your streamer game when on the river, you are going to focus on your techniques and your head is going to be there and there only. It forces you to sequence your flies, break the water down, cover it effectively, etc. Your only going to get better at the more you do it. Plus, streamer fishing is, to me, one of the most fun and exciting ways to fish. Period. I have always fished streamers but my interest and desire to fish them more and more has grown 10 fold over the last few years. I fall deeper and deeper in love with it each day I am on the water. Plus, I have spent a lot of time reading and watching Kelly's stuff which has only helped me improve my game. He says leave the dry fly rod at home which means focus on this only when you decide to do this. Get your head in the game and put your time in. There is no substitute for time spent on the water. No doubt. It makes total sense and I am glad he touched upon this in the DVD.

So if your a streamer junkie like me, you need to get this DVD. You will find yourself watching it over and over again and I guarantee you will find a bunch of helpful information to add to your streamer game.

MAW SHOTS!

2011-10-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Just added another page called Maw Shots. Just a cool page with flies hanging out of the fishe's maw. Only a few photos in their now but will add more soon. Will continue to add pics as time goes on.

Recent Goings Ons.........

2011-10-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Spending a lot of time tying of late. The creative bug has hit and has hit in a big way. New streamer patterns and nymph patterns coming to mind and being created on the vice. Took some out to the water to see how they move and work in the real environment and I love what I have seen. Can't wait until the browns get raring to go and put on their "halloween costumes" as Kelly Gallup calls them. I got some nice big streamers for em to blast! Just put up the yellow Dirt Nap on the streamer page so check that out.

Hit the Salmon River in CT the other day. Slow day. Appears that this has been the story of late there. I did manage a couple nice fish. One on a tan Foxy Lady and another on JP's Cranefly Larva. Lots of midges, and crane flies coming off the water. I'm sure the fluctuating flows and water/air temps hasn't helped much. I am heading to NY/NJ for albies on Friday and hoping to hit the Farmington on Sunday.

I just added Collin's Corner to the blog. Friend and manager of the Housatonic River Outfitters Torrey Collins will be posting a little somethin somethin each month. Today, I will be throwing up the first of many posts by Torrey. Check it out to the left of the blog.

Tight lines all!

Satan's Kiss on the cheek of a Pike

2011-09-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Buddy Aleksandar Vrtaric sent me this pic this am. He went out this morning and hooked up on a sweet pike. They truly are a beautiful fish. Fly that landed it? Satan's Kiss. Awesome! I'm really happy to see and hear this. That's a cool fly if I do say so myself. Not one of my larger streamers but I designed it to go at multiple species. Trout, smallmouth, and yes, pike.

Aleksandar Vrtaric Photo and JP's Baitfish

2011-09-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

I had to share this photo. Buddy Aleksandar Vrtaric, whom I think is a bad ass photographer, took this photo when he was pike fishing. I love the photo especially the angle he took this at. Most of all, he is using a JP's Baitfish in the photo. Told me he got a pike on it to boot! Battery died so he didn't snap a photo but that's ok. Maybe next time. Another killer photo from AV! Nicely done my man.

The Dirt Nap added to the Streamer Page

2011-09-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I have been working on a bunch of new flies. Streamers and nymphs mostly. Can't wait to get out on the water this fall to break most of these bad boys in. Once tested and fish approve, they go up on the page and stay in the box. I just added a new streamer to the Streamer Page. The Dirt Nap. Go to the page and check it out. Tight ones...................

Steelhead 101 Article by Torrey Collins

2011-09-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Friend and manager of HRO Torrey Collins wrote this article up about a year and a half ago for an online e-mag I did. I thought that seeing steelhead season is approaching us quickly, I would post the article for all read and enjoy. Torrey just sent this to me a day or two ago. Hope you find it informative. Enjoy!

Great Lakes Steelheading 101

If you’ve ever thought you should give this fishery a try, be forewarned, it’s addictive. Remember that I said this when you find yourself driving at 2AM in the snow to get to your favorite steelhead spot before first light, or when you pick up a one night a week bartending gig to save enough money to get the latest Sage spey rod. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya……

The Fish

Steelhead are truly an amazing creature, both beautiful to behold and a spectacular fighter when on the end of your line. Consider yourself lucky or skillful to land 1 out of 3, and if your landing ratio is 50% then you are the man when it comes to playing fish. Between their amazing speed (well over 20mph in a burst), spectacular jumps, blistering runs, and the relatively light tippets often used to hook them, most battles seem to end up with them as the victor. Depending upon the river, expect steelhead to normally run anywhere from 4-12 pounds, with Lake Ontario fish averaging a fair amount larger than Lake Erie steelhead, due to a richer food base. Steelhead use the Great Lakes like an ocean, gorging upon the abundant forage of minnows & insects, growing large and then returning to their native river when the spawning urge hits them. While 12 pounds would be a big fish on most NY, PA & OH Lake Erie tribs, on the Lake Ontario streams & rivers of NY it’s not at all uncommon for fish to top 15 pounds, occasionally 20, and on rare occasion even reach the mid 20’s. If you hook one that size, the odds of landing it are seriously stacked against you! When fish are fresh out of the lake, they are often bright chrome silver and they typically go berserk when you hook them. As their weeks pass in the river, they begin to color up like a typical rainbow trout. Over time they can get very dark, and in the Winter I’ve seen fish that were almost black after holding in the river for a long period of time.

Run Timing

In our neck of the woods, the tributaries of Lake Ontario & Lake Erie in NY and PA, steelhead will start running up the rivers as early as September, and can be available well into May, depending upon water levels, temps, strain(s) of fish present, and the individual tributary. A combination of photoperiod (amount of daylight), water levels (preferably high), and water temps (as they relate to lake temps) determine exactly when the fish run the tribs. The ideal scenario is elevated water levels, and water temps such that the tributary & lake temps align, triggering a run if the time of year (photoperiod) is right for that strain of steelhead. Optimum water temps for fishing are generally considered to be 42 to 58 degrees, but I’ve had fantastic fishing at moments in water that was well down into the 30’s.

Seasons of the Salmon River, NY

The river I’m most familiar with and used to guide on is the Salmon River in NY, a Lake Ontario tributary that is a dam controlled tailwater, creating relatively stabile conditions that make it fishable straight through the Winter. While steelhead are a possibility there 12 months a year, with a Summer run strain called Skamania that typically produce a small run from June through September, the real run usually starts up around mid October, and fish are usually present until at least mid May. September sees the King & Coho Salmon starting to migrate upriver, with numbers building as the month progresses. In October, the steelhead overlap with the Salmon, as well as big lake-run browns (some as big as 15-20+ pounds)- this is the best month if you want a shot at a mixed bag. November is one of the most popular months, usually seeing large numbers of anglers, heavy runs of steelhead, some more big browns, and weather that isn’t too brutal yet. Relatively stable water conditions see fairly predictable runs of fish, and in the past several years the numbers of fish have been on the upswing, quite possibly the heaviest runs yet. December sees good numbers of fish, and reduced angling pressure as we move into cold weather with snow. January & February see the lowest fishing pressure of all, and also the coldest, snowiest weather, along with some damn good fishing at moments, especially on sunny, milder days. As we move into March & April, the fish are in spawning mode and move to seek gravel to dig their redds in, often migrating up smaller tribs such as Trout & Orwell Brooks to do their thing, or moving into side channels in the main river. Mid/late April through much of May sees drop-back steelhead that have spawned & are now focusing on eating as they slowly work their way back to the big lake.

Tackle/Equipment/Clothing

If your budget doesn’t allow a new rod for your first trip, your 9’ #6 trout rod will do. However, a 10’ #7 rod would be better, and is considered by most to be the all-around stick for most Great Lakes tribs, able to roll cast heavy split shot & indicators, swing flies on sink-tips, as well as fish moderately light tippets & play big fish in a variety of different sized streams. Good rods exist in this category for as little as the mid $100 range, and go up to over $700. In the under $200 category, it’s hard to beat the Temple Fork Outfitters Pro series ten footers in either the #6 & #7 models. In regular one handed rods, #6-8 line weights in 10-11’ lengths are the preferred tools of the trade, with lighter line weights better for lighter tippets and/or smaller fish. My current favorite is a Hardy Demon 11’ #7 rod, it is one sweet rod. Spey rods are growing increasingly popular and are a common sight nowadays, with popular sizes ranging from 12 ½’ #7’s to 14’ 9 weights. Bigger/longer Spey rods will handle heavier flies & heavy sink-tips better, especially on bigger rivers. Switch rods are also currently popular, typically about 11’ long with a modified shorter Spey type grip, capable of being Spey cast or traditionally overhead cast. Unlike a true single handed rod, switches are rated for a Spey Line- so if you plan to mainly overhead cast them, typically you would use a long belly WF line (Rio Steelhead lines are popular for this) and go up about 2 line weights, give or take one. I won’t go into the exact details why, but this is because Spey lines use a different system of line rating and actually weigh more than a regular fly line of the same rated line weight. I recommend starting your Great Lakes steelheading with a one handed rod, and then if you get into it by all means try out the Spey and/or Switch rods.

I like reels with a mid to large arbor and a very smooth drag, they pick up line quickly and help keep you from breaking fish off. Single handed rods match up nicely with reels that have a diameter of at least 3.5”, preferable 3.75” or even 4”. Backing capacity should be at least 100 yards, and 150 yards or more if you fish really big rivers. I prefer 30# backing to the normal 20# most people use, but if you cannot fit enough 30# on your reel then go with the 20#, it will be fine. Some of my favorite reels include Lamson-Waterworks, Hardy/Greys, and Ross- all these companies make great products at a variety of price points. If you need a high performance steelhead reel on a budget, it’s hard to beet the Lamson Konic #3.5 in the mid $100 range, with the same butter-smooth, sealed drag system as their $400 plus models. Their mid to higher end models such as the Velocity, Litespeed, & ULA Force carry a higher price tag but are well worth it if you have the dough, sporting even more durable finishes, larger arbors with better retrieve rates, and even lighter weights. Spey reels are considerably larger to hold the longer & thicker Spey lines, as well as to balance out the longer and heavier rods. Diameters will typically run in the 3.75-4.5” range.

You can do most of your steelheading with a floating, weight forward fly line. Any general purpose one will do, but I prefer a line with a more aggressive taper to better turn over split shot, indicators and the like. My favorite is Rio ’s Indicator line (formerly their Nymph line)- it has an ultra short front taper with a bright orange high-floating tip on it to help detect subtle strikes. Add in a loop-on sinking leader in a fast sink rate (7” per second or so) such as those made by Rio, Airflo and others for those times when you want to swing flies instead of dead-drifting them.

Rivers such as the Salmon in NY will put you on your ass if you don’t have studs/cleats on the bottom of your wading shoes or bootfoot waders. These can be in the form of studded boots, or you can buy Korkers strap on cleats. When the temps get cold, as they often do during prime steelhead season, nothing keeps your feet as warm as bootfoot waders. Some people wear their stockingfoots all Winter, but I have a hard time keeping my feet warm when it’s truly cold unless I wear my bootfoots. If you fish much in snowy conditions, be aware that felt soles often pick up snow like glue on the bottom of your boots, so go with a non-felt sole (such as as Aquastealth or the new Simms Vibram Streamtread) & make sure it is studded.

Always dress in layers, and try to avoid natural fibers such as cotton (hold moisture and can make you cold, damp and uncomfortable)- stick to modern, high-tech synthetic thermals and fleece. Companies like Simms and Patagonia make great, cutting edge products, but less expensive options exist that will also get the job done. The one natural fiber I like is wool, and I always wear a heavy wool pair of Smartwool or Patagonia socks. For maximum warmth, underlayer them with a thin polypropylene liner sock, just like serious hikers do. I have sets of mid-weight & heavyweight thermals for different temps, as well as fleece pants & tops in varying weights also. A good, windproof fleece or softshell jacket is great up top, and the final layer should always be a breatheable, waterproof shell of some sort, preferably made of Gore-tex due to it’s durability, quality, comfort & high degree of breatheability. Fingerless fleece or wool gloves will keep your hands from totally freezing while still maintaining some degree of dexterity. Top things off with a warm fleece or wool hat for cold weather, or maybe just a baseball cap for milder times.

A good pair of polarized sunglasses is invaluable. They will help you to both read the water and figure out where the fish may be holding, and also to help you spot fish. Eye protection is their other job, from both UV light, errant hooks and flying split shot. On more than one occasion I’ve had split shot hit me when there was nobody anywhere nearby.

Flies for Steelhead

Keep things simple in the beginning, you really don’t need a lot of different flies to catch steelhead. Stick with basic patterns, and have a modest assortment of sizes and especially colors. At times color can be critical, and at other moments the presentation is critical but the fly isn’t. I’ve caught far more steelhead on an Oregon Cheese Glo-Bug than anything else, the next closest competitor would be a distant second.

Egg patterns can work all season, but excel when the salmon & steelhead overlap in October and November- that time of year sees tons of loose eggs drifting in the water. Many people fish egg patterns that in my opinion are too big- focus on medium to small patterns in shades of yellow, orange, pink and chartreuse, and throw in some light blue ones too, at times they work when other colors don’t. Think more pastel/natural colors in clear water, sunny conditions and/or heavy fishing pressure. Fluorescent colors are most effective in low light, off-color water, and on fresh fish. Remember too that fresh eggs are brighter in color, and after they’ve been in the water a bit they wash out & become paler. Play around with colors though, steelhead don’t play by the rules and at times the craziest color is the best. Along with the well known Glo-Bugs, Sucker Spawn is another favorite egg pattern, and the more I fish them the better I like them, they look very fishy when they get wet. Traditionally they are tied with one color of yarn, but I often tie them with two different colored strands of yarn, I think they are even more effective like that. Estaz flies could be categorized as an egg-type pattern, they are easy to tie and quite effective. I always carry some in a variety of colors, with peach, butterscotch, chartreuse, pink, pearl and orange being steady producers for me. Other colors work too of course. I like to add a short tail to them with a contrasting color of antron or Glo-Bug yarn.

During Fall egg patterns rule the roost, but as we move toward Winter, nymphs often outproduce them. Also, the longer steelhead stay in the river, the more they behave like trout & key in on typical trout food. Popular & effective ties include black stones, golden stones, Hare’s Ears, Pheasant Tails, Princes and caddis larva (green, chartreuse or olive). Sizes are typically anywhere from #6-14. You can use the standard versions of these, but it is often more effective to make them a little funky by adding a little fluorescent color, some sort of flash, hot beads, or a combination of these. Try a black stone with a wing case made of blue or copper Sparkle Braid, or a caddis larva tied with chartreuse Ice Dub, or a nymph pattern with a thorax dubbed of fluorescent dubbing (hot pink, chartreuse or fluorescent orange). I often use Ice Dub or Prism Dub on my steelhead nymphs with good results. Black stones in a variety of sizes from plain to gaudy seem to be the most popular of all steelhead nymphs and are consistent producers.

As with trout, many steelheaders swear by Woolly Buggers, with the color black being a versatile choice. Other good colors include olive, brown, white & purple. Egg-sucking versions with pink, orange or chartreuse egg heads are often even more effective than plain ones. Think sizes anywhere from #2-10, with #6-8 being the workhorses. Buggers can be swung or dead-drifted.

While they don’t technically fall into the category of true flies, Trout Beads are growing increasingly popular, and they often outfish traditional flies by a wide margin. They are molded plastic beads, pegged to your leader 1-2” above a bare hook with a tooth pick jammed into the hole in the bead & then broken off. These are the same beads they use in Alaska to hammer the big rainbows. They work every bit as well on steelhead, and I’ve seen days when flies weren’t working well at all, but the fish were hammering the beads. Consult with the local fly shops to find out what the current hot colors are on the local fisheries. Remember though that if you fish a fly area, they don’t fit the legal definition of a fly.

Rigging

You will need some weight to get down near the bottom where the fish are. I prefer tin split shot, because it hangs up at lot less than lead and is non-toxic. The most useful sizes on the Salmon River are the AAA & SSG, but on smaller tribs and/or lower water condition you will find trout size shot in #1, BB & AB useful. If you are using standard Water Gremlin lead shot, the most useful sizes are BB & 3/0, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some smaller size B’s and some big #7’s to cover the whole gamut of possible conditions.

A plethora of different strike indicators are currently available, from yarn to molded polystyrene to pinch-on foam and many others. My current favorite indicator for steelhead are Thingamabobbers in the ¾-1” size, usually the 1” for the Salmon River . These are round, molded, balloon-type indicators that use trapped air for floatation. But unlike real balloons, they can be re-used many times and don’t usually pop. They are relatively easy to cast, very buoyant, and quite sensitive. FYI, the 1/2-3/4” sizes work great for regular trout fishing.

Fluorocarbon tippet is preferred for abrasion resistance & reduced visability. 2-3x are my go-to sizes for dead-drifting flies in the Fall, and in the Winter I typically use 3-4x. 0x to 5x would cover the full gamut ranging from swinging #2 Woolly Buggers to dead-drifting small nymphs in low, clear, slow water. If you made me pick only one, I would tell you that 3x is my all around go-to size- it’s usually light enough to get me the hook-ups, but heavy enough to land a big fish in a reasonable amount of time. I hate to have to baby a big fish due to an overly light tippet, and personally I rarely fish as light as 5x. You can use lighter tippets in the Winter because the fish are holding in slower pool water, and the cold temps make the fish’s fight much more subdued and manageable, even with a lighter tippet. When swinging flies, especially bigger ones, tippet diameter is generally not critical and you can usually get away with 0x or 1x. I try not to go any smaller than I have to, I think anglers often go lighter than they need to in an effort to hook more fish. Without a doubt at moments you need to go light to hook steelhead, but often, especially when they are in fast water (which is the norm when water temps are upper 30’s or higher ), you can get away with surprisingly heavy line. I’ve hooked many steelhead dead-drifting egg flies on 1x tippet when nymphing fast water in the Fall, even in clear water on sunny days. When selecting tippet size, consider water speed, clarity, light conditions, fishing pressure, expected fish size, and fly size. I usually start with a slightly heavier tippet in the early AM, then go down a size when the fishing slows. When the light levels drop at the end of the day, I often bump the tippet back up a size.

Keep your leaders relatively simple. For dead-drifting my flies with or without an indicator, I generally start with a 2’ butt section of 25-30# red Amnesia, tied to 3’ of 12 or 15# Maxima Chameleon (if using an indicator it typically goes on this section), I put a loop in the end of that, and then I tie 4-8’ of 1x fluro to the loop I just made. A #18 black micro swivel or a tippet ring is tied to the other end of the 1x, with the tag end of the knot left about 3” long, and an overhand knot is tied in the end of the tag- the split shot goes on here. 12-24” of tippet is tied to the other side of the swivel, and your fly goes on the end of this. Resist the temptation to tie a 3-4’ long tippet to the swivel as many anglers do to get more hook ups- it will only increase the number of fish you foul hook & “line”, and hinder getting your fly down to the fish quickly. Remember that on the Salmon River & other NY tribs, you can only fish one fly most of the year, and in the fly area your total leader cannot be longer than 15’ from fly line to fly.

Technique- the basics

I guess you could say this is what separates the men from the boys. You can have two anglers rigged identically with the same flies & similar rods, and one is hammering steelhead and the other isn’t. I see this happen frequently. Good technique can make all the difference between a slow day and a great one.

Dead-drifting your flies is the most consistently effective tactic. Typically egg or nymph patterns are employed, and where legal, try a two fly rig with one of each. You can choose to dead-drift with or without a strike indicator, depending upon both conditions & personal preference. Adjust your weight until your leader or strike indicator is moving slower than the foam on the surface or ticking bottom occasionally, but not dredging it. If you are getting too much bottom contact and too many snags, light up your weight a bit. If you aren’t catching fish and you aren’t snagging the bottom occasionally either, then you probably aren’t deep enough, so add some more weight. There’s an old adage about the difference between a good nympher and a great nympher being “one split shot”, and I’d say there’s some truth to that

High-sticking without an indicator works great in broken water with medium to fast current, spots where you can get relatively close to the fish, and is my personal favorite tactic. The basic drill is a relatively short up & across cast with the rod tip elevated to keep all fly line off the water, and then lead the drift with your rod tip slightly ahead of your line/leader- let the fly come around and swing below you, hits can come at any point during the drift. Keep all slack out of your line & leader when fishing like this. I think I get down & stay down better with this rig and method, and the tension on my line gives me great strike detection. The limitation on this method is how far out you can fish, and that is determined by your ability to keep your fly line off the water- once you reach a distance where this is no longer possible, you are better off with an indicator rig. Lengthen your leader as necessary to reach bottom if you are fishing especially deep water. Set the hook on anything different or suspicious, you are using a combination of both sight & feel. Some bright line such as Amnesia or golden Stren tied into your leader helps to track it & detect subtle strikes. The bright orange fly line tip of the Rio Indicator line also helps in this regard.

Indicator nymphing excels where the water is slow to moderate, where you cannot get close to the spot you want to fish, or where you need to run a long drift along a distinct current seam (often the case in cold water/Wintertime). It is also good for suspending your fly just above snaggy bottom structure. Make sure mend your line to take the bow out of it, so that the indicator can drift naturally without your fly line pulling on it and making your fly drag. You can wiggle your rod to feed line out & extend the drift as it goes downstream of your position. Due to the surface current being faster than the bottom currents, the fly line will keep edging ahead of your indicator if you don’t keep an eye on it and mend when necessary- try to mend before your indicator starts to drag, and if you can mend your line without moving your indicator, that is ideal. Strike detection is purely visual, so watch the indicator like a hawk, and do a quick hook-set anytime your indicator twitches, pauses, hesitates, stops, goes under, etc. Don’t assume these movements are caused by the stream bottom or you will miss many fish.

Swinging flies is fun when the fish are in the mood to grab, and you can cover water in a hurry. Loop on an appropriate sinking leader (experience will have to be your guide), tie a short 2-4’ heavy tippet to the end of it, and then make an across stream cast, immediately followed by an upstream mend to quickly sink your offering. Follow the drift with your rod tip down low. When the fly has swung below you, let it hang for a moment- fish sometimes follow all the way in and wait to hit your fly until it’s sitting below you “on the dangle”. Faster water will require faster sinking leaders and/or more of an upstream & across cast with several mends in order to sink your fly into the strike zone. Conversely, in slower water you might actually have to mend downstream to increase the bow & fly speed to swim it properly. With some time invested, you will soon have a good feel for when your fly is swimming properly.

Location, location, location

Just like in real estate, location can make or break you. When I talk about location, I’m referring to several things- the stream you choose to fish, the section of the stream you pick, and the actual spots you choose to stand & fish to. Pick the wrong stream, and there may few if any fish in it. Or you may be there at the correct time, but you are fishing the lower end of the river and most of the fish are holding in the upper reaches. You might even be in the right pool or run, but if you are fishing the slow water and they are holding in the heavy current, then you are once again in trouble.

The internet & fly shops in the area you are fishing can help you to be on the right stream at the right time. Because steelhead are a migratory fish, they are sometimes here today, gone tomorrow. Smaller tributaries especially can have a bunch of fish move in during high water, and then get caught out or drop back down to the lake as the levels recede. The optimum time to fish smaller streams that are dependant upon rainfall is right after some high water, when they are dropping & clearing. Be flexible and willing to move to a different tributary than originally planned if necessary to put you onto good fish catching conditions.

Dam controlled tailwaters like the Salmon in NY have steady releases of water & minimum flows, so you can generally depend that at certain predictable times of the year, there will be fishable numbers of steelhead present. Minimum flows ensure that there will be enough water for them to run the river & hold in it. It’s nice not to have to worry about whether fish are present or not.

Water temps have a huge effect on what type of water the fish hold in. Under optimal temps in the low 40’s to upper 50’s, steelhead typically love to hold in fast, broken water. I love fishing them in this water type. It never ceases to amaze me how many people focus on the deeper pool water in the Fall, when you have ideal water temps and so many of the steelhead are holding in the fast, relatively shallow pool heads and pocket water. Yes, they will catch some fish in the pools, but more success would be had if they focused on the faster water. As water cools into the upper 30’s, they will start to hold in slower water, but many will still be in moderately fast water too. As temps drop into the low to mid 30’s, the bulk of the fish to be in the slower “frog water” in the pools & pool tailouts. Look for them on the current seams between faster and slower water- in the Winter they will be on the slower sides of the seams. When lying in this slow water, it is not uncommon for them to suspend a foot or two off the bottom, so be aware of that when setting up your strike indicator rigs & adjusting the distance from your float to your fly.

Seasons affect the location of the fish too, due to water temps as mentioned above, but also due to other factors. In the Fall steelhead will often positions themselves behind spawning Salmon so they can feed on their eggs. Anywhere you find Salmon holding in the Fall, drift egg patterns right behind them. Sometimes even large steelhead blend right into the bottom, so don’t hesitate to fish even if you cannot actually see the steelhead. The other favored Fall location is in fast, broken water. Steelhead spend most of their life in the big lake, swimming in deep water. When biological urges send them up the rivers, they find themselves nervous & twitchy, in a shallow, confined environment with a bunch of crazy anglers throwing all sorts of creations at them. I think the broken water helps them hide & gives them a sense of security. It also has more oxygen in it. If you are used to regular stream trout fishing, you will be surprised at how fast the water can be that steelhead will hold in. Just make sure you have enough weight on your line to get your offering down & slow your drift.

The cold water of Winter slows the fishes metabolism way down and pushes them into the deeper, slower “soft” water where they can hold while expending very little energy. Look for bubble lines that show you where the current seams are, and fish on the slow sides of them. Slow pool tailouts are often good Wintertime locations. Strike indicator techniques are very effective at this time of year, and very efficient for running longer drifts right on the current seams where the fish are typically holding.

Late Winter/early Spring sees the fish thinking about procreation, and they will move to areas with suitable spawning gravel Prior to the actual spawning, they will hold in the nearest “dark water” or in nearby snags, deadfalls or pockets. Side channels off the main river or smaller tributaries feeding into the river will often draw fish into them like a magnet at this time of year. If the water is clear, fish can often be spotted. I would leave actively spawning fish alone, but remember that there will often be actively feeding fish right below them in deeper water- you may or may not be able to see them, but always assume they are there & fish for them. When done spawning, they are referred to as “drop-backs”, and they aggressively feed as they work their way back downstream to the lake. At this point, they will respond to a variety of flies & presentations. As they start to actively feed again, they will start to regain their original chrome coloration they had when they first entered the streams, and fishermen often mistakenly think they caught a fresh fish that just ran up the tributary.

When you pay your dues and learn the good locations, you will find fish returning to same spots year after year given similar conditions. This is where paying your dues pays big dividends. I’ve learned many spots over the years by watching others catch fish. I remember a subtle pocket I would have probably never fished had I not seen people catching fish out of it. Every time I fished that area, somebody would be fishing it, and whoever was in it always seemed to catch fish. Finally one day nobody was there, and sure enough I threw in the pocket and absolutely hammered fish. It’s good to have a mental inventory of spots like this, especially when the fishing is tough or it is really crowded.

Now Give It a Go!

I hope what I’ve learned the hard way over the past 20+ years of steelheading helps you find success. By far I’ve logged the most on the Salmon River in NY, it’s still my favorite, and everything I’ve shared in this article was mostly learned there. But the lessons the Salmon River taught seem to mostly apply to all the other tribs I’ve fished over the years too. So if you haven’t tried steelhead yet, give it a go, I think you will be presently surprised at just how much fun it is.

A New Page Being Added to the Blog

2011-09-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Hope all is well in life. This weekend's Nymph Clinic went well. Small group. Housy was well over 2,000 CFS but for the on water instruction part, we managed with what we had. These clinics always do well and are a lot of fun to do.

My friend and manager of the Housatonic River Outfitters, Torrey Collins, is going to do a monthly write up for the blog. Collin's Corner will be added to the blog starting this month. It is free and open to Torrey to write what ever he wants and to touch upon any topic he wants. Torrey is a wealth of fly fishing knowledge. I have been with the shop for 6 seasons now and have learned a lot from him. He is like Rain Man when it comes to remembering and recalling information. He can read an article from 1987 and tell you what it said and what the content was. Crazy! So, this will be a nice little addition to the blog. Look for it in the left hand corner of the blog. Will be fun and guaranteed informative.

Rained Out

2011-09-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like our Albie charter is gonna have to wait until next Friday. Lots of rain and T-storms moving in the NY and NJ area. So, we are going to try and do it up next Friday instead. Good call to do this. When we go, we want to hit the fishing right.
My buddy hit the Salmon River in CT. DEP stocked it a day or two ago. He got a couple of fish but it was slow. Will hit that river a couple of times here after work. Still one of my favorites. One of the prettiest rivers in CT. I am really looking forward to getting up on the Farmington here soon. No place I would rather be than on a river in the Fall going after browns and bows!

New Patterns A Coming

2011-09-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Have not been out fishing over the last few weeks due to other family and household things needing to be done. I will be hitting the salt this Friday via Manhattan Fly Charters going after Fat Albie! Looking forward to this big time! I also will be going after some Housatonic River trout Saturday after my nymphing clinic is done. Haven't fished the Housy all year. These next couple of months are going to be awesome. It's my personal favorite time of year to fish. I love the fall. Nothing beats it. I have several new streamer patterns I want to break in on some big browns coming up here soon. The flies I have been working on really look awesome and like all my flies, I have put a lot of thought and time in to them. But, the true test is on the water. They gotta pass the water test. Bottom line! If they don't perform and catch fish, me no likey. They go by by. But, I have to say that I think these bad boys are going to do it up right! I will be posting some of the new patterns soon so keep an eye out for them.

Also, got something else in the works which I am pumped about but mums the word for now. Have great day and get out and fish!

Nymph Clinic 9-24 from 10-2pm.

2011-09-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

I am doing a Nymph Clinic at the shop I work for, Housatonic River Outfitters Inc. in Cornwall Bridge, CT on 9-24 from 10-2pm. It clinic covers everything from leader formulation, split shot placement, indicators, flies used, "nymphing" water, techniques, and gear used such as lines and rods. Half the class is indoors at the shop and the other half is on the water. By the end of the clinic, you will have the knowledge to help you put more and larger fish in your net. Cost is $75 per person. Call the shop to book your spot.
860-672-1010.

Scott S4 Rod Review

2011-09-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a gear hound. Love fly fishing gear. However, over the years I have found with many companies my favorites and have been sticking with them ever since. When it comes to fly rods I have fished with many brands and have hopped around a little to say the least. But, I have to say that I have finally found "The Rod" for me. I took the plunge into using the Scott rods and more specifically, the Scott S4 and Scott S4S series. All I have to say is, WOW!!! These fly rods are the best fly rods I have ever fished with. First the S4. These are the sticks I am using for almost all of my trout fishing including a S4S 6wt for streamers and I also have a G2 for light line dry fly fishing. Anyway, the S4 rods. First off, they are very fast. Can generate high line speed. They load and unload very quickly and match my casting tempo perfectly. They are quick and responsive. Very powerful. They load quickly at long and short distances alike. I can cast long distances and punch out line when I need too. This rod makes it a breeze. The rods are very light in the hand which makes casting all day a pleasure. The rods track extremely well. The fly lands at the location you cast it. Hitting your target is effortless. It is a very smooth casting rod. Very fluid. The other thing that I like is that even though these rods are fast/tip flex rods, they are sensitive and can detect the lightest of takes and strikes. This is especially important when nymphing. Aesthetically, these are the most beautiful rods I have ever fished with. The graphite has the original color which is a stealthy grey color. The reel seat is buckey burl which is simply the nicest looking wood reel seat I have ever seen. Nickel silver hardware. Titanium Recoil guides give you a piece of mind so you don't have to worry about breaking them. Unless of course you close it in a car door. But lets not go there shall we. Scott also included alignment dots as well as a fish measuring wraps which are nice added features.

I have been using the 9ft 5wt for dry fly fishing and 10ft 5wt for nymphing. The 5wt has performed wonderfully at long distances and short distances a like. It can make those long bomb casts as well as those nice delicate presentations that are needed especially when fishing small flies to weary fish. It is really a "do it all" tool. I personally like a 5wt for dry fly fishing because I think it is plenty of rod for big fish and not too much rod for smaller fish. You can go long or go short on your casts. Go big or small with flies. I also use it for an all around rod on smaller rivers and streams.

The 10ft 5wt is my go to nymph stick. Lots of power to really set the hook hard and bring the fish off the bottom as well as the ability to bomb an indicator rig with shot and multiple flies. Again, even though it is fast and responsive, it does have a sensitive tip for detecting the lightest of strikes with or without an indicator. The extra foot allows for better line control and mending especially at longer distances. It allows you to have longer drag free drifts to keep your flies in the feeding zone longer. Can handle big fish and small fish alike. Lots of power in the butt section for fighting fish, for controlling the fish, and stopping them from going places you don't want them to go. It also feels really good in the hand. Even though I am casting a 10 footer, I feel like I am casting a 9 footer. Simply the best nymphing rod I have ever used. Amazing is how I describe it.

I highly recommend that if you are in the market for purchasing a premium, top shelf fly rod. Look no further. Scott has created one of the best, me personally the best, fly rod out there. Stop by your local fly shop and ask to cast one. I promise you. You will not be disappointed. http://www.scottflyrod.com/

I will be writing up a review of the Scott S4S series really soon so check back here within the next two weeks.

Blue Sky Leaders for Sale

2011-09-11T06:33:00.001-07:00

Getting rid of some brand new Blue Sky Furled Leaders. I have been fishing these for a while for dry fly fishing. Like them but have switched back over to using the Rio Trout leaders in longer lengths for dry fly fishing. These leaders are brand new. (2) 8ft 4 inch Stillwater Light leaders, (1) 8ft 4 inch Stillwater Medium, (1) Medium, (1) Heavy. Worth around $60 for all of them. Will let em go for $30. Contact me here if interested.

Guide Trip and Bald Eagle Dog Fight

2011-09-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

Had a guide trip yesterday. Half day for 4 hours. Beautiful day as far as weather went. Fishing was ok. Slow for the most part. My guys hooked and lost several Trout. One of my clients landed a few small salmon par but that was about it. The Farmington TMA is still high but very fishable and is clearing up nicely. The end of the trip was the best part of the day. We got a chance to witness a dog fight between a bald eagle and what looked like a red tailed hawk. That was frickin awesome! Never saw anything like it. Plus, we were so close to the action! That eagle would not let up. AMAZING! Good day with a couple of good guys.

A New Blog to Check Out

2011-09-06T05:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Another blog to check out when you get a chance. A friend of Mike McAuliffe's and Janos Czfra's, Mike Nutto, has a real cool blog. Gotta check it out. http://thewaywarddrifter.blogspot.com/

There will be a link down in the link section at the bottom of my page as well.

Also, hit the Barn Island area with my friend Steve. Quiet overall. I did manage to break in my new Scott S4S 9ft 8wt. That is my baby for the salt! Landed a striper just over 25 inches and another smaller schoolie later in the am. Steve got a couple bumps but that was about it until the wind kicked up big time and blew us off the water. Hitting the Farmington this Thursday but I might need an ark for that one...............

A few more Sculpin Patterns..........

2011-09-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some more ties using the Sculpin Helmets and Articulated Shanks from Flymen Fishing Company.....

Hurricane Irene Ties

2011-08-30T03:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few "Hurricane Irene" ties. Wow, crazy storm. But, we got a beautiful week to make up for it. Hope everyone on the east coast is ok. These are some new sculpin patterns I came up with using the new Sculpin Helmets and Articulated Shanks from Flymen Fishing Company. These products are awesome! I can't wait to get these flies onto the water and into fish.

Scott Fly Rod Review Coming Soon

2011-08-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Will be posting up a fly rod review of the Scott S4 and S4S rods. I have found utopia! These rods are bad ass sticks. Scott has definitely hit a home run. Bar none, the best fly rod I have ever had from performance all the way down to the aesthetics. I will get this review up soon. You can check them out at www.scottflyrod.com or just click on the link to the left of the blog page.

Simon Graham Pike Fishing Report Coming Soon!

2011-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all. My blog mate Simon Graham will be sending me an all inclusive pike fishing report from the Netherlands by the weekend so I will hope to have this up on the blog early next week. Really looking forward to seeing what types of crazy numbers he has put up. I got a whiff of the numbers of fish he has caught so far and it is f'n nuts! Can't wait to read it myself and share it with all of you! Tight ones all.

New Streamer Added to Streamer Page

2011-08-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just added the Nuttin To It. This is a new streamer that I came up with this past Spring. First day on the water, this fly produced. Got me into several browns and bows. Really simple and effective. I love the movement in the water. The marabou used is black barred blood marabou. This stuff is amazing. Wicked soft and supple and the movement in the water is simply nuts! Great material and it really makes this fly what it is.

Flymen Fishing Company Doing it Again!

2011-08-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Spoke with Martin at Flymen Fishing Company makers of the ever so popular and kick ass products, Fish Skulls and Nymph Head beads. They have some new products coming out Sept.1 and once again, FFC did it again! The new Sculpin Helmets and Articulated Shanks. I have been toying around with a sculpin specific pattern now for a year and finally have an idea that I like and think will work well. PERFECT TIMING!! I ordered some new helmets in olive and brown, the two colors they come in, and two sizes of the shanks. Can't wait till they get here next week! The Sculpin Helmets come in two different colors and two different sizes, large and small. They are heavier than the skulls so they can be fished extra deep. The shanks come in three different sizes

This pic here gives you an idea of how they work and just how easy they are to tie with.

To check them out and read up on them more go to http://www.flymenfishingcompany.com/ or just go to the icon link on the left hand side of my blog page. Martin will be adding pictures of the Sculpin Helmets soon but in the icon on the website, you can see them and see what they are like. These are going to be a blast to tie with. Oh the possibilities!

Kayak for Sale

2011-08-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

Ocean Scrambler XL Kayak 11 1/2 ft long. Sit on top. Bungee storage in the front and rear. Large Gaspache internal storage in bow. Small internal storage in front of seat. Also, includes Stand N Fish System (http://www.standnfish.com/) Really makes this kayak a fishing machine! Comes with anchor, anchor rope, anchor system, two fly rods holders, padded lean post with work area and two fly patches, oar keep, and stake out post, and paddle. Extremely stable boat. Can fish 360 degrees around the boat. Can jump, bounce, etc on the boat and not tip it. Very stable. I have used it in the salt on the flats, deeper water, ponds, lakes, etc. Awesome set up. I have a Freedom Hawk 14 that is why I am selling this. I will never sit and fish again. Looking to get $600 for it all.

Get in touch with me if your interested

New Nymph added to Nymph Page

2011-08-21T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Just added a nymph to the Nymph Page. This is a pattern I came up with a couple of seasons ago to imitate a baetis nymph when the olives are around. Has been very successful for me and I have found that even when the olives are not around, fish will take. It tends to imitate a lot of different mayfly nymphs. It is a generic pattern hence the name The Impostor. Very easy to tie and very effective. How I like em! Check out the pic in the Nymph Page.

RIP George Kelly

2011-08-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

A gentleman that I met through a mutual friend and my TU Chapter has passed away. Although I didn't know him very well, I had the pleasure of meeting him and chatting it up a few times. Capt. George Kelly, 95 yrs young, passed away several days ago. Fly fished and ran his boat into his early nineties. George also defended this country in WWII and for that alone I thank him dearly. RIP George. Wherever you may be, I hope your catching the big one.

One of George's best friends and one of mine, recently wrote a little story about his friend. I want to share that with you. Hope you enjoy it.

My friend Capt. George Kelly,

By John Springer

Another brother of the angle passed on. We met at a saltwater club meeting that I joined many years ago. George was about 82 then and asked me if I wanted to go fishing sometime; it was the start of a wonderful friendship. We never got to fish Montana or any far off places; the furthest we got was the Connetquat River on Long Island. What we did do was spend many days fishing his beloved Thames River, all year long. George was one of the most interesting people I have ever met; of course he was part of the Greatest Generation. When we fished, he told me war stories that were very hard to imagine. If you saw the movie Saving Private Ryan, you remember the soldier with the gas can on his back and flame thrower, that was George. The Japanese snipers held up in caves and would not surrender even when the war was over. They kept killing Americans. George was one of the many brave Americans who went in with a flame thrower and took care of

the problem. How many of us could do that? I don’t think I could. He was injured several times while in the service but he never regretted going in to defend our country. He had many interesting jobs in his life from being a dance instructor, game warden, and even a steeple jack. When I met him he was working as a maintenance man in a nursing home, while he was in his 80’s. He knew how to fix anything from his boats to his home; he helped me on several projects at my house as well as gave me instructions over the phone on how to get my lawn mower to run better. Growing up during the depression makes you learn these things. We always fished during the week; many times we had the river mostly to ourselves. Our day always started the same, I would show up with a full gas can and we would launch from his dock in his back yard except for the time of year we had the boat on a trailer. We would head out of what I called Kelly Cove and troll around looking for fish; he knew ever inch of the river. George pointed out many things over the years and would tell me the history of them like the barge up at Dow Chemical that caught fire at the turn of the last century during winter when there were not many houses on the river and many people died. Other stories were about where they loaded apples or hay on barges to be shipped out. He also showed me all the spots he and his wife Kay would fish many years ago and catch stripers as well as other fish they took home to eat. Later on, when he became a fly fisherman, he would throw all his fish back except a Blue fish every now and then to eat. At the end of our fishing time, we would park the boat and while I gassed it up he would go in and let Kay know we were back. During our time fishing Kay would make a Chocolate Cream pie every week with Mighty Fine Chocolate pudding and fresh whip cream. She did that for me really, because I know George’s favorite pie was Lemon Meringue. We would talk for quite some time each week then he would shake my hand and say give me a call next time you want to go out. George never put his boat away and we would fish all winter as long as it was not frozen in. George was always ready to go fishing.

The Connecticut Rhode Island Fly Fishermen’s group started an award years ago; it is called “The George Kelly first with a helping hand”. They did this because George was actually always there first offering to help in anyway he could. I remember how many times he sold raffle tickets all day in the hot weather at the yearly picnic not really getting a chance to see the yearly guest speaker like everyone else. He took every task seriously and was very dedicated to TU as well as Conn/RI. He donated many trips to the raffle table for people to bid on to raise money for both groups, never asking for anything in return. The past 2 years were rough on George with several medical problems we did not get to fish much. When he went to live in the nursing homes, I would go to visit him often and bring my laptop computer. After I ate lunch with him, we would look at some of the many fishing pictures I had taken and also the places I had been recently; he enjoyed them all immensely and when I showed him pictures taken of him on his boat we would talk about the spot it was taken and what was going on out there then. About 3 weeks ago I gave George his last laugh with one of my stories. I had taken one of my wife’s girl friends to try fly fishing and I mentioned how she said I came across as “intense” in my way of teaching. George laughed and laughed, so that’s how I will remember him. George is up there fishing now with many of his old friends. Catching some very big fish I am sure he is young again and has his full strength back in his arms hands and legs. He’ll know all the good spots to take me when my time comes I’m sure.

KAYAK FOR SALE

2011-08-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Ocean Scrambler XL Kayak 11 1/2 ft long. Sit on top. Bungee storage in the front and rear. Large Gaspache internal storage in bow. Small internal storage in front of seat. Also, includes Stand N Fish System (http://www.standnfish.com/) Really makes this kayak a fishing machine! Comes with anchor, anchor rope, anchor system, two fly rods holders, padded lean post with work area and two fly patches, oar keep, and stake out post. Extremely stable boat. Can fish 360 degrees around the boat. Can jump, bounce, etc on the boat and not tip it. Very stable. I have used it in the salt on the flats, deeper water, ponds, lakes, etc. Awesome set up. I have a Freedom Hawk 14 that is why I am selling this. I will never sit and fish again. Looking to get $700 for it all.

CONTACT ME IF YOUR INTERESTED

Article in Hatch Magazine

2011-08-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

The guys over at Hatch Magazine, formaly Fathammy, asked me to contribute a little something for the mag. So, I sent them over a write up I did about a year and a half ago about using side pressure when fighting fish and the importance of such. If you want to check it out, give it a gander at http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/under-pressure/77147#comments

Thanks to the guys over at Hatch Magazine for publishing it! Tight ones all.

Farmington Fishing Slow

2011-08-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Well, over the last few weeks have been fishing the Farmington. Has not been on fire but fishing had been decent up until yesterday. Very slow day. Only a couple of fish for my buddy Mark and I. Did knock off early around 1:30pm or so. Rainy day, lots of people on the water. Was very surprised! Usually with conditions like that, you have most of the river to yourself. Wanted to hit a few of my regular spots but there were multiple people in every one of them early am. Last few weeks we focused on mainly the upper TMA. Have done well. Biggest fish was 16 inches but you won't hear any complaints here. A bunch of smaller browns and bows. Going to give it a break for the next few weeks. Going to hit the salt and maybe some smallie fishing. Break it up a little bit. Gonna get back up to the Farmington first week of September to fish with my cousin and his friend Chad from Fat Hammy blog. Should be a great time.

Fish on the Farmington have been feeding on top. Some small olives coming off and I have ended up getting a few on small olive patterns. Some fish were keying in on the caddis as well. Tans and small black caddis coming off. However, the fish were feeding on midges but they appeared to be feeding on them in sizes smaller than a 30 because I threw Griffith's Gnats in #24-30 and no dice! GG's are my go to midge pattern for the Farmington and normally they work like a charm on that river. Nada! But that's the way it goes sometimes. Have been getting the dry fly bug of late so looking to find more rising fish next time out up there. Well, will post my reports when I get out again. Tight ones.............

Korkers Product Line for 2012. Press Release from Korkers!

2011-08-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Sam at Korkers for sending the Salty Riffle this great information and a early look at the new gear for 2012! I myself am anxious to get my new Korkers Chrome boots. Will be shipped off to me Sept. 1 and I can't wait to get those bad boys on the water! Korkers also has a new boot called the Metalhead, (Sensing a steelhead theme here). Another fantastic looking boot which I am sure will be a hit on rivers and streams everywhere. Here ya go boys and girls enjoy!

KORKERS proudly announces its product line for 2012. Please use the link below to view our online Press Kit containing ready-to-use press releases, product images, product videos, and the latest information on our flagship technology, OmniTrax 3.0 Interchangeable Sole System.

Spring 2012 Press Kit

Thank you in advance for taking the time to review our product line. To make an appointment with Korkers at booth #923 at IFTD in New Orleans, simply respond to this message and we will assign a time and date for you. If you have any other questions or would like product images please follow up with the media contact below.

Sincerely,

KORKERS

Media Contact:

Sam Houser

800-524-8899

Sam@Korkers.com

Korkers Throwing Some Good Hard Info Salty Riffle's Way!

2011-08-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I was able to get Sam from Korkers to send me some information on what is going on out their way as far as the steelhead fishery. Some new information on dealing with some dam issues. He is also going to be sending me Korkers 2012 Press Release for their new gear that is coming up! If your a Korkers fan like I am and wear their boots, you'll love this! I will get the Press Release up soon. If your into steelhead, check this info out. Good info and great reading!

Steelhead are hot right now with huge numbers over the Deschutes dam. Also, check out this great effort on behalf of ODFW, PGE and others in creating a run for steelhead and salmon above the infamous Pelton Damn… http://www.deschutespassage.com/deschutes-passage-fish.html. Another big dam issue in the Northwest is the Elwha dam being removed and an effort to put in a hatchery which is completely opposite thinking to some… http://www.moldychum.com/home-old/2011/7/13/restore-the-elwha-without-hatchery-fish.html , http://whitefishcantjump.com/post/7592195232/the-elwha-debacle

This is very prevalent in the discussions concerning the ODFW hatchery program on the Sandy River… http://whitefishcantjump.com/post/4826312708/sandy-river-hatchery-program-headed-to-court

Some New Gear Reviews Coming

2011-08-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Hope everyone is doing well and catching fish. I will be posting some gear reviews soon of some new gear I have been fishing with. Some Patagonia stuff and some new Scott rods. I made the plunge into going back to the high end sticks and when it comes to the Scott rods, all I can say is WOW!! Probably the nicest fly rods I have ever seen and used. And if you know me well, I have fished with every fly rod from here to timbucktoo. Awesome fly rods! I will post the gear reviews soon here. Looking to hit the flats this Sunday so I will report back on how the fishing was. If we don't have the high sun, will be looking to fish Barn Island area. Should be a rockin, line tugging good time! PEACE AND HAIR GREASE!

A Great Online Magazine.............A Good Find Indeed

2011-08-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Figured I would share this with my blogging world. Just stumbled upon this great online fly fishing mag called Blood Knot Magazine. It's an online publication and filled with great articles and info about what else.........fly fishing. They are a little different from the norm because they look for articles that are a bit from the norm. Articles that break the "normal" mold. I like that a lot! They are also always looking for people to write and submit stuff to them. So, I plan on getting on board and submitting some articles with hopes of getting them published in their mag. Would be really cool and fun to do. You might already know about this resource but if not, check them out for yourself. Just go to the bottom of my page and click on their link to check out the magazine. Tight ones all!

Henry Going to Work!

2011-08-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another pic from my guide trip Sunday. Henry's dad sent me this photo. Henry is in the middle of a tussle with a 15 inch rainbow. This kid is going to be a good fly fisherman if he keeps up with it. Hope he does. We need more youth interested in this wonderful sport of ours. Rock on buddy!

Tan Foxy Lady Up on the Streamer Page

2011-08-01T15:01:00.001-07:00

Been meaning to get this photo up but just haven't done it. No other excuse, LOL. This is the tan version of my Foxy Lady. One of my go to colors in this fly. Check it out in the Streamer Page to the left of the blog.

Fishing the Farmington with a few Buds

2011-08-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Got to the river yesterday around 6am with my friend Mike Harrington. Started fishing shortly after 6am. Some caddis activity already. A few midges. Fished a nice run that I hadn't fished in a while. Going to make sure I fish this stretch more often. Hooked a nice brown in some fast water. Made one jump and he was off. Fish was approximately 17 inches or more. Nice fish. I then went up a little further in the run and got this nice 16 inch bow

Was all colored up with a nice dark red line across it's body. Pretty fish. My buddy Mark arrived and took the photo. We all fished a little longer then I had to take off for a few hours to guide. After my trip, met up with the two again. They got into fish pretty good closer to the dam. My buddy Mike got into a nice 20 inch bow. You can check it out in the video below along with footage of me hooking and landing a nice bow I got later in the day. We fished for a few hours afterwards. Foul hooked a couple of others but was slower later in the day. A great time with two good friends. We will be getting together soon to do a full day on the river within the next two weeks so stay tuned for the report. Looking to hit the salt this Sunday looking for stripers and blues on the flats so I will post report soon. Tight ones all!

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE THE VIDEO FOOTAGE MIKE TOOK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCDAWGSmVx8&feature=email

Guide Trip Report

2011-08-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Had a really nice guide trip yesterday on the Farmington River with father and son duo Tim and Henry. They spent a father and son weekend of fishing the Farmington. Both get out a couple of times per year but I think after the trip, Henry is going to get into it more often. Focused on the upper stretch of the river. Caddis were coming off along with a few midges. After doing some instruction, started the guys out nymphing. Both were pretty good right off the bat which of course doesn't ever hurt when your a guide. Dad hooked up shortly after I got them situated. Hooked and landed this nice little brown. Henry kept at it and hooked a couple of nice bows but they ended up popping off at the last second. Dad ended up hooking and landing another brown and losing a couple others.
Took them to a different spot down river and worked with Henry on his dry fly fishing and an attempt at tricking some rising fish. This kid was a natural and in the next few years with some practice, he is going to be a very good fly fisherman. Had a couple opportunities but no dice despite changing up flies every few drifts. Had one come up and attempt to take the fly but missed it! Well that happens sometimes. A good half day trip with two outstanding gentlemen. I hope to see them again soon.

Under Pressure!

2011-07-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Two seasons ago I wrote this article for an online publication I was doing for a brief period of time. I also had it featured in my TU Chapter's Newsletter. It's about using side pressure when fighting fish and just how important it truly is. It was geared towards the beginner fly fisherman but you would be surprised at how many experienced fly fisherman don't utilize it. It can be the difference maker of you landing or losing that big brown you have been dreaming of.

Under Pressure

Last season some time, a friend of mine and I were walking back up to the parking lot of one of our favorite holes on the Farmington River. We were walking river side when we came up on a young man hooked into a very large brown. He was very quiet and you could tell his concentration was very intense. He did not want to lose this fish. We both made a quick comment about how nice the fish was and as we both started walking away when we heard, “Ooohh!!!“ “You guys jinxed me. I was fighting that fish for ten minutes.“ My friend and I felt bad for the guy. It was a very nice fish. However, I didn’t want to be the one to tell him why he lost the fish.
Over the years and after much time spent on the water, I have come to realize just how important applying side pressure is when fighting a fish. I have also noticed just how many people haven’t come to this realization yet. I am sure when we all started out we did this but I will speak for myself when I say, fighting the fish took place by keeping the rod high whether I was facing down stream or not. Oh yes, I landed my share of fish but I would lose quite a few as well. But, I learned quickly just how much applying side pressure to the fish when playing it will help keep more fish on and increase your fish to net ratio. Which brings me back to the young man. During his battle with the large brown, he was fighting the fish very tight and close into himself as he was facing downstream. With his rod bent over, almost in half, he was giving the fish all the advantage in the world and it was the fish, not HIM, who was controlling the fight. He was fighting the fish with the tip of the rod which is the weakest part of the rod instead of using the butt section, which is the strongest part of the rod. I would venture to say that the majority of the time you do what this young man did, you are either going to snap the tippet or the hook is going pop out.
When I hook into a fish, I first keep the rod high and begin stripping in line. Within seconds, you are going to have an idea of what that fish is going to do i.e. head up stream, head down stream, or just tussle in place. Scenario one. If I am standing in the river facing the far bank and the river is flowing downstream to my right, if the fish gets down below me, I immediately drop the rod on an angle to my left applying side pressure. Scenario two. Same situation but the river is flowing downstream to my left, I drop the rod to my right on an angle applying side pressure. Another thing. When the fish is downstream and you are applying side pressure to either the left or right, if the fish decides to go the other way, simply drop your rod to the other side continuing the side pressure. For example, if you are applying side pressure to the left and the fish decides to go to your right, drop your rod over to the right continuing the side pressure. Scenario three. If the fish decides to head upstream and stays up from you, whether upstream on the right or left, I still drop my rod on an angle to the right or left to apply side pressure. I am letting the butt section of the rod do the work not the tip of the rod and in all the scenarios, that is the key. Another tactic you can use when your applying side pressure is what I call ,“walking the dog.“ When your applying the side pressure, slowly bring your rod upstream and as your doing this, the fish obviously is heading upstream as well. Kind of like, walking your dog. Your leading him where you want him to go. This will help position the fish slightly above you. Then, lift the rod straight up and in doing so, this lifts the fish up to the top and the current will assist in bring the fish back downstream where you are waiting with your net.
Use the rod to your advantage and take control of the situation. Don’t let the fish manipulate you. Now, that doesn’t mean the fish isn’t going to take you for a ride by jumping out of the water, making big head shakes, long runs deep into your line and possibly backing, so on and so on. You want that. That’s the good stuff. But, by staying in control of the fight instead of letting the fish control the fight, is going to be the difference between landing that fish or losing him.

More from Bruce Chard!

2011-07-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Bruce just sent me a few of his articles that he has written for Fly Fish America over the last two years. Good stuff. All you have to do is click on the link and read away! You know anything that Chardy writes is going to be informative.

Click here: Fly Fish America - June / July 2010

Click here: Fly Fish America - May / June 2011

Click here: Fly Fish America - September 2010

TWO NEW CLINICS COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER

2011-07-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here are two clinics I am doing coming up in September. I am doing a Nymph Clinic Sept. 24 and another HRO guide Keith Godfrey are doing an Intro to Saltwater Fly Fishing Clinic. These clinics fill up quick especially the nymph clinics so secure your spot now.

SEP
24
Indicator Nymph Clinic with HRO guide Jim Plante
||Saturday September 24th 10AM-2PM:|||
Covering leader/tippet make up, split shot and indicator placement, gear used, flies, matching the hatch, covering the water, and nymphing/casting techniques. Clinic will be both inside & on the water, so bring your waders and gear, plus a pad & pen to take notes with. Max of 8 people total, cost will be $75 per person, paid in advance & non-refundable, clinic happens rain or shine.
SEP
10
Intro to Saltwater Fly Fishing Clinic
||September 10th, Saturday- 10-4PM:|||
Our guides Jime Plante & Keith Godfrey will run this clinic, maximum class size is 8 people. Things that will be covered: Tides, weather/wind, how to find fish and where they like to be, forage, gear, casting techniques, leader make up, flies, and there will be a mini tying clinic on how to tie up some basic proven saltwater patterns to get you started. Hooks and materials will be included. Just bring vise, tools, and threads. Cost is $75 per person, paid in advance & non-refundable.

New Blog added to the Links Page

2011-07-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all! My cousin's good friend, and has become mine, Chad Schmuckler who is a fly fishing nut like the rest of us, has started his own blog along with his buddy who happens to be a custom rod builder. Fat Hammy is the name of the blog. It's still in it's beginning stages but is looking pretty tight! Very well done so far and a lot of good information on there. Chad also really enjoys photography and has snapped some nice pics for his blog. He and my cousin are coming up to fish the Farmington with me in September so I am hoping to get some great photos of fish and other things. I added it to the links section at the bottom of my page. Check it out when you get a shot!

BRUCE CHARD FLORIDA KEYS FISHING REPORT!

2011-07-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

A BIG thank you to my man down in the keys Capt. Bruce Chard for contributing to the Salty Riffle blog! I met Bruce at the NJ fly fishing show two years ago when he was traveling with Yellow Dog to promote Confluence Films movie Rise. Great fly fishing movie by the way and Chardie starts the DVD off right with talking about the palolo worm hatch and the tarpon fishery. He and I have kept in touch over the last two seasons and he has been kind enough to contribute a little something to the blog despite his crazy and busy life. Here is a little background on Bruce. You can find his website and blog info at the bottom of my page in the links section. This report makes me want to book a trip with him right now! Hope you enjoy it!
Captain Bruce is a full time Florida Keys Flats guide. For over 17 years now he has guided many anglers to their catch of a lifetime. As a Federation of Fly Fishers MASTER Certified Fly Casting Instructor, Capt Bruce has conducted, taught, and hosted many of his own personal fly fishing schools internationally in the Bahamas, Guatemala, Belize, and all over the U.S. As a paid speaker at sportsman shows around the U.S., Bruce has had the opportunity to establish a working relationship with many of the largest companies in the fly fishing industry, leading to the development of the Capt Bruce Chard - Jim Teeny Professional Grand Slam Series of fly lines - The Chard Permit Fly Line, Chard Tarpon fly line, and Chard Redfish-Bonefish fly line, by Jim Teeny Co. (a leader in the development of the most specialized fly lines in the world). New this year is the release of a full line up of Captain Bruce Chard - Jim Teeny Professional series premium hand tied saltwater leaders. These hand tied to perfection leaders cover all the angles from special tapered permit leaders to extra stealthy bonefish leaders, and easy to use barracuda/shark wire tippit leaders to super strong tarpon leaders in both traditional and Kick butt designs. These superb saltwater leaders are some of the best saltwater leaders on the market today.

Bruce is the top salwater member on the Ross World Wide advisary staff , and is also on the Simms Ambassador program where he helps extensivley in the design , promotion, and testing of future fly fishing products. Capt Chard is also a top pro staff member with a number of other well know fly fishing companies like Ross Reels USA, Jim Teeny Fly Line Company, Cliff Boxes, Gamakatsu Hooks, Buff Headwear,Seaguar, Whiting Farms, and Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures.

Annual Fishing report for the months of March – June in the Florida Keys!

March in the Florida Keys can offer some of the year’s best overall fishing if you can get some warm weather in-between cold fronts. When the water cools down after a cold front the flats fishing can be tuff for fish are staying deep till the water starts to warm up. When that happens look out! Huge tarpon, bonefish, and permit will raid the flats with a vengeance offering some of the most incredible fishing known. Giant Barracudas and sharks are prevalent in the shallows and offer great fishing on cooler days when the top 3 are a little scarce.

April – Mild cold fronts start to give way to warmer average temperatures and this brings the big migratory tarpon into the pre spawning basins to lay up. Permit and bones still very prevalent as well. As the water warms the tarpon move into the huge sweeping channels that cut through the endless shallow flats. The stage up begins when the tarpon then gather in big schools and start to migrate out on the ocean side flats.

May – This month offer the world famous palolo worm hatch. Oceanside coral flats go off with little red worms that swim on the surface trying to make it out to the reef. All the huge tarpon in the world seem to show up for the big hatch. This time of year is the busiest in the Keys. Bone fishing is unreal and untouched because everyone is busy tarpon fishing. Permit fishing slows while they spawn in the deeper waters.

June – Warm weather is very persistent in June. Tarpon still migrate heavily along the ocean and back country flats. Bones and permit work the super shallow flats like unreal tailing with comfort. Isolated thunderstorms start to build in the late afternoons to help cool things down. No more threats of cold fronts at all.

Gear

You will find nothing but Ross Reels and Ross Fly Rods on my skiff. These high performance rods and reels are built tuff to stand up to the endless harsh saltwater environment. The best fly line for the salt is my Bruce Chard Professional Series Tarpon, Permit, and Bonefish fly lines distributed by Jim Teeny Company. Simms helps to keep me out of the sun and looking good while helping to keep my tackle dry. Buffs help to keep the sun off my neck and face as well.

Guide Info

Capt Bruce Chard

WWW.BRUCECHARD.COM

305-872-4996

Hotel and accomadations - http://www.brucechard.com/home/thesailerhousekw.html

http://www.brucechard.com/home/hotelrecommendations.html

Guide Rates Page is Up

2011-07-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Just added another page to the site. Have been meaning to do this but building other parts of the site first. Just added a Guide Rates page to the site. You will find it located on the upper left hand side of the page above the Contact Page.

Got another half day guide trip on the Farmington this weekend. Will report back on how it was. Also, fishing myself with a couple of buddies that day as well so it should be a good time!

2 More Flies Up

2011-07-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Just added two more nymphs up on the nymph page. A micro mayfly nymph I call the Mini May. Also, a RS2 Variation that I came up with earlier this year and has done well when the BWO's are around. The RS2 is one of best baetis variations around. Everyone should have those in their box. Sizes 16-22. Luckily, we have a lot of species of BWO around so both of these flies get used often. Go to the Nymph Page to view. Hope all is well with all of you. Hope your lines stay tight. Good fishes!