Fishing

Overdressing a fly pattern abdomen, thorax and wing are easy to do. The temptation is to do this because visibility of the fly is increased…life like appearances might be enhanced…the shape will be more realistic. Tying sparser (much like tying on smaller hooks) is a leap of faith for many. Here is a nice review of the sparsely dressed Flymph patterns at Bakslengen (Vegard Jønnevald). Stillwaters really test your faith in smaller patterns, once one gives up the comfort of Woolly Buggers and the like. Here my wife plays a nice stillwater trout that took a small, sparsely dressed wet in the film during a Chironomid (Midge) emergence. My patterns above, although quite productive, are over dressed in comparison to some of the sparser dressed patterns that do attract a fish’s attention. Skinnier bodies, one turn or less of hackle and fewer thread wraps produce a sparsely dressed fly that does produce. Filed under: Fishing, fly pattern, flyfishing Tagged: Artificial fly, Bakslengen, dressing, fly fishing, fly tying, Flymph, Nature, Photography, sparse, Stillwater, SwittersB, Vegard Jonnevald, Wet Fly

Fly fishers world-wide should pause for a moment today, remove their hats and stand for a full minute of reverent salute – the Yellowstone National Park fishing season opened this morning at sunrise. [I know a lot of folks will roll their eyes at another mention of the Firehole. Well, roll away my friends. Catching it during decent water conditions early in the season (this week and into June pending the year) can be a life changing experience. Plan to hit it at some point.] SWMBO and I were fortunate enough to spend much of Wednesday on the banks of the Firehole filming a little project with Fire Girl Jess and watch fish rising to PMDs, BWOs and at least three different caddis through the day (Blue Ribbon flies says to expect four different caddis species…). That video project is still in editing, though I found myself combing through the A and B rolls yesterday looking for rising fish… Flows are down and the rivers are still cool – if we were still in the neighborhood we’d be in the Park today. (Dammit.) May the waters of the Park live long and prosper. Tags: Yellowstone National Park

Bad time to find a leak. Photo: Cameron Miller Our friend Bill Lenehan wrote up another great, practical gear-oriented tip for your reading pleasure. Thanks, Bill! Finding and Fixing Leaks in Your Gore-Tex Waders There are few items on your packing list to Alaska, BC, or Tierra del Fuego as important as your Gore-Tex waders and rain jacket. Arriving thousands of miles from the nearest fly shop only to find pin-hole leaks is no fun. Especially since you will only realize it when you are miles from camp stepping through the first run and will have to live with it for at least a day. Better to arrive knowing that you are leak free. At the end of the day, it is usually pretty obvious when you have a leak – your legs and feet with be wet and freezing. But actually identifying a pin-hole leak or an abrasion in the Gore-Tex that is now permeable used to be a challenge. Folks used to recommend filling a bathtub, pumping air into your submerged waders with a vacuum on reverse, and looking for bubbles. As you can imagine this is a bit of an awkward process. Here is an easier way: make sure your waders are completely clean and dry, turn them inside out, and spray them with rubbing alcohol. A small plastic spray bottle is perfect for this. Pin holes and abrasion spots will significantly darken and become very obvious. Just mark the spots with a piece of duct tape or a clothing marker. Wait for the alcohol to dry and rub liberally with Aquaseal, working the glue into the fabric with your fingers, or, on larger issues, use a Gore-Tex patch and Aquaseal (all still on the inside of the waders). Best to do this well before the trip because you need to be realistic about what can be repaired at home.  Big seam leaks are very tough to fix for the long term. If, after a good spray, the inside of your waders look like a Gore-Tex leopard, it may be time for a new pair. More Gear-Oriented Tips 3 Ways to Save Money on Fishing Gear Quick Nipper Lanyards 5 Ways to Simplify Your Gear

  The first Fly Commission production has finally been completed and uploaded to the web. It’s roughly 6 minutes of superb dry fly action from New Zealand’s South Island. And damn fine footage it is too! Share/Bookmark Related posts: Some North Island NZ Trout Goodness Winter in The Other New Zealand Fly Fishing Destination Do-It-Yourself New Zealand Fly Fishing CATCH THE MOMENT: Fly-fishing New Zealand 2012

oneday from mskexpo on Vimeo. Tags: Fish Stories

I realized this morning while putting this post together that there have been almost 900 photos uploaded on Instagram with the hashtag #yearofthebluegill. That number doesn't count the mess of photos that have popped up on Twitter and even Facebook using that hashtag as well. It's really gratifying to see the use of this hashtag grow and now with spring in full swing the photos are more about the fish than flies, gear, or even artwork. People are having fun on the water with one of the friendliest and colorful of fishes.Click the names to visit their respective Instagram page.@action_johnson@bcm0723 @bluehalogear @cordova_custom_rods @dryflydefiance @gnicholson3 @grousebum@mattmilesflyfishing @seansmm @shagmarksheriff @oconn178 @zabrown77Be sure to hashtag your photos with #yearofthebluegill or #glassisnotdead and it may turn up in a future post. Subscribe in a reader

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Bobby Redford makes the case for Bristol Bay in this LA Times op-ed. LINK