Down The Hatch Fishing Festival

I'm sure most of my readers are aware that I'm spending a few weeks south this winter. I saw on Facebook last week that Orvis is holding a fishing festival at the Highland Brewing Company in Asheville NC. Being that Asheville is only two hours from where I'm staying I've decided to go.

Here are some links.

The Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/312624772270232/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

And the Orvis page: http://www.orvis.com/downthehatch

They say it will start with the Fishing Olympics- I can only guess what that is, but I'm sure it involves casting. Hopefully some blindfolded knot tying too. The day ends with a film festival. Ticket price is $10 but it includes two beers for anyone over 21, so how can you go wrong?

If you're within striking distance of Asheville you should definitely make the effort to go. If you see me there and we've never met, flag me down and say hello. Some other bloggers such as Cameron Mortenson of The Fiberglass Manifesto will be there, and I'm happy to see that some friends of mine from Michigan who work for Orvis and Scientific Anglers will be there as well. It should be a good time. I hope to see you there.

Here's a direct link to buy tickets: https://www.ticketriver.com/event/13988

Monday Morning Coffee Y'all

Hurrrggggghhhhhh- yawn, stretch, scratch, repeat. It's Monday morning, so lets have some coffee. FR coming at you live from the Deep South, Georgia to be exact. I'm down here escaping winter for a few weeks.

Yesterday while it was 13 degrees at my house, it was 70 degrees here in Athens Georgia. I went for a run and then a walk, talked to guys fishing for bass on a local river and even tossed streamers in a local lake for a bit. I have a new 8 weight salt water rod I'm in love with and a new streamer line to match. I'm thinking of heading to Florida next weekend, and who knows but I might have to toss something at a snook if I see one. Last time I was there they followed me up and down the beach like dogs.

So how could I bail on lovely Northern Michigan you ask? Easy- last winter convinced me that toughing the winters out is not my cup of tea. I don't have a  reason to stay- my daughter is grown and flown the coop, I'm once again self-employed, and if I can find a way to enjoy the best of all worlds I will.

the choice is clear

So yeah, I'm down in Georgia visiting friends and will be for the next few weeks until work calls me home again. I've gotten out fishing a couple times already (scroll down or click here for a trip report) I've caught some good fish and seen some bigger fish.

For some reason I have catfish on the brain. I used to fish for them at home and catch some nice fish, had some good fish fries. Somehow, being here in the South, it feels wrong NOT to fish for them. I'm ready to buy one of those $30 Shakespeare Cat Sticks and go sit on a muddy river bank. I had my eye on a trot line yesterday- 150 feet long, 25 hooks, $20. Now that could be entertaining. I think the South brings out my inner Huck Finn. I want to light out for the territory.

I woke up to a warm spring rain, so I'm going to stay in and write today, but I have plans to get back into the mountains after trout later this week. The fishing so far has been stellar in my opinion, and with continued warming will just get better and better. I'm told there's a black caddis hatch the last half of this month that is not to be missed.

I don't know much else. I'm working on a couple of magazine articles, plus some more blog posts. I got three posts up last week so be sure and check them out.

I'm out of coffee and it's time to get some writing done. Let's get after it.

gratuitous fish picture- brown from last week

Are Pheasant Tails the Ultimate Nymph?

What do all these fish have in common? They were all caught on pheasant tails or versions thereof. That last brook trout is seventeen inches long, my biggest Michigan brookie of the season. In fact I ended up catching a couple of hundred fish this season on pheasant tails, making it my most successful fly of the year by far.

Has FR gone soft?

Perhaps. But up until now there have been huge holes in my fly fishing repertoire, and nymphing has been one of them. I was never a dry fly snob so to speak, but it has always been an effective way to fish on my local rivers. We have a lot of in-stream woody debris which makes most nymphing an exercise in madness. Madness and knot tying skills.

Another hole in my repertoire was still water fishing, and I killed these two birds with one stone- pheasant tails. I'll write about still water trout in a later post.

The thing about the pheasant tail is that it is Every Nymph. You can have your Copper Johns and Prince nymphs, and they do of course catch fish, but at the end of the day they are attractor patterns, not imitations of trout food.

Have you ever seined a river and looked at what mayfly nymphs look like? All the ones that are NOT Hex or brown drake nymphs are small and various shades of brown. They may be up or down a size, but they all are variations on a theme. They are all trying to blend in with the river bottom, which is typically mud, silt, woody debris and leaves- all shades of sandy to dark brown.

This is what makes the pheasant tail so deadly. Tie it from size 14 to 18 and it will cover every mayfly and life phase in the river. Or you can skip all that and just tie size 16's which are all that I tie.

I'm not going to share some secret recipe here. I don't have one. In fact my flies are butt ugly. But they still catch fish. See above. I'm sharing several video links below because I tie several versions myself- the basic pheasant tail, a beadhead version of that, a bead head soft hackle version, and the simple version. They all catch fish. What I can say is that pheasant tails and these variations far out fished all the other nymphs I tried this year.

One thing I have started doing for most of my day time dry fly fishing is tying on a dropper. I realize this isn't revolutionary, but tying on even a short dropper with a pheasant tail attached has increased my catch rates noticeably.

This is the basic pattern. Add a bead head and you're golden.

This is my go-to soft hackle version.

I love this version. Definitely use a curved hook such as a scud hook. You won't be sorry.

Natural stonefly, scud, caddis and other nymphs have a place in your box. Go ahead and tie those flashy patterns if you like. But make sure you have enough pheasant tails.

Somerset New Jersey- Scenes From the Show

Okay, it has been two weeks now since I went to Somerset for The Fly Show, but I took some good pics and met some good people, so please bear with me. Time flies.

I got a call a few weeks back from my good friend and fishing buddy Chris Reister. He has a small sideline reel business called Willow Classic Reels. The gist was that he wanted me to ride shotgun with him to Somerset New Jersey for the Fly Fishing Show.

As it turns out I was available to go and I'm glad I did. 

We rolled into town on Thursday afternoon and set the booth up, had some hors d'ouvres and adult beverages at the vendor party, but knocked off early to be fresh for the show. 

It's my understanding that the Somerset show is the biggest fly show in the US and possibly the world. I don't know about this, but I can say it is truly an impressive show.

Chris has a nice display

After helping Chris get set up for the day Friday, I  made my rounds, saying hello to some old friends- Michael Schmidt of Angler's Choice Flies and Mike Schultz of Schultz Outfitters. Schultzy was there for Regal vises.

Mike and Mike on their vises

Then I went and introduced myself to Chris Willen representing Towee Boats. Chris and I have several mutual fishing buddies and it was cool to finally shake his hand. We had a good conversation about muskies and White River. 

Chris Willen and the Towee skiff

I got to talk Labrador brook trout with Mike Crosby of Hawke River Outfitters. I'm itching to go someday. He offers first rate fishing for Atlantic salmon and huge brook trout.

Mike from the land of Big Brook Trout

 I had a really insightful conversation with Jerry Jacques of Bristol Bay Sportfishing about the Pebble Mine. His lodge is just a few miles from the proposed mine site and they would be among the first affected by it. I've been reluctant to glom onto the anti-Pebble movement without being more aware of the details, but my conversation with Jerry was very convincing. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of Jerry and his lovely wife much to my chagrin.

I had a good conversation with Pat Cohen and watched him tie some of his patterns. His spun deer hair work is quite stunning. We got to talk smallmouth and carp. Pat is an example of what can happen when fly fishing gets into your blood.

Pat Cohen and some of his creations

Highlights for me were casting rods by Blue Halo and Beulah. Cortney Boice and Bo Harding of Blue Halo were super friendly and let me cast a couple rods. I'm a big glass convert and wish I could have cast their entire lineup, but obligations and a busy casting pool didn't allow it.

Cortney Boice with the Blue Halo lineup

I also cast an eight weight Beulah saltwater rod, and I have to say it has my eye. It will be high on the list when I'm in the market for another flats rod. 

It was a pleasure to spend time with and get to know German bamboo rod maker Rolf Baginski. His rods are some of the most sought after in the world and his book is already a collectors item.  

Rolf Baginski and the German contingent

Chris Reister and Rolf at the show

It was also a pleasure to meet Italian bamboo rod maker Massimo Tirocchi and have dinner with him Saturday night. Pictured below is Massimo and some of his fine rods. You can check out his website here.

 Then there were these vagabonds- Colin McKeown and Bill Spicer of The New Fly Fisher, representing for the province of Ontario. I got to spend quite a bit of time chatting with these guys during and after the show about fishing Ontario and beyond. Good guys.

shady characters, but they fish some cool places

I also had a good conversation with Daniel Galhardo of TenkaraUSA. I got some good insight as to why he has become such an avid proponent of the sport and I wish him the best.

Mr. Galhardo explaining Tenkara

I met and talked to a lot of fine folks at this show.  I put faces to names of people like Chris Hunt (TU communications director), Steelhead Steve (Facebook friend), artist Andrea Larko, not to mention some of the characters mentioned above. If we spoke or I took your picture but didn't include it here I apologize. This blog post would have to be three times as long.

By the time the show was over I think Chris and I were both gabbed out. We loaded the Jeep back up and pointed it west. We loaded up on 5 Hour Energy and sunflower seeds and drove all night on slick roads back to Michigan. I'm still digesting everything.

The Georgia Guide to Surviving Michigan Winters

Yeah, so I decided to get out of Michigan for the winter. This winter hasn't proven to be as harsh as the last, but it's a close second, more bitter cold than deep snow. Either way I can't abide it.

I got the invitation from friends to spend a few weeks with them in Georgia so I made my way down to the Peach State. By appearances it is also the Boiled Peanut State, the Biscuit State, and the Fried Chicken State. The local town has no less than four fried chicken fast food joints within sight of each other. It may be more like six, and it's like this everywhere I've been here.

Part of the appeal of visiting a warmer place is the notion of being able to fish all winter, and I have heard that northern Georgia has some trout streams, so I brought my gear and flies along. I sent out a couple of queries to acquaintances in my social media world and was pleasantly surprised when Louis Cahill of Gink and Gasoline got back to me. Not only did he offer up some prime intel, he offered to take me fishing.

We did indeed float last Saturday on the Toccoa River (big system, well-known, no secret). We threw streamers and saw some big fish. I even caught my first ever trout on a dry fly in January, once the air and water had warmed sufficiently to get some midges and caddis hatching.

Yesterday I followed up on a place that both a local fly shop and Louis had recommended. It was a bit of a drive into the mountains, past numerous small towns and tourist traps, until civilization began to dwindle, the landscape got steeper, and the rhododendrons took over. I drove out a narrow, winding mountain road until I reached a bridge and a parking lot. Then I took a walk.

Louis had told me about the trail. It's definitely the path less taken. There were no footprints, just a narrow single track winding off into the mountains, overgrown by bamboo and green vines with wicked thorns.

It takes a measure of faith to wander into the mountains by yourself, to a place you've never been. There is a tendency to look over one's shoulder while hiking in. The lure of good fishing, and the adventure of exploration egged me on. The frost was just beginning to melt as the sun rose over the mountain.

It didn't take too long to reach the river, but it was the kind of spot that you wouldn't find if someone didn't tell you how to get there. I found a rocky, swift river of clear water punctuated by deep green pools, and little sign of human intrusion.

The fishing started out slowly. I expected this, as the water was ice cold and there was still a chill in the air. Eventually as I worked upstream the air warmed, and when I reach one of said deep green pools I hooked a fish, a small brown. I cast again and caught a small rainbow, then a larger rainbow, and yet another brown.

first fish of the day

I was fishing a dry/dropper rig, using an emerger pattern called a Dust Bunny for an indicator. On one of my casts a decent rainbow rose and hit the dry and so I ticked yet another month off of my dry fly calender.

The trail upstream grew fainter. I scrabbled over broken bedrock against the swift current, avoiding the deep ledges, clawing up the banks through the brush and thorns. I fished several more green pools until I came to a swift, deep run that ran next to a low cliff face. On my fourth cast my fly pulled sideways in the current and I was fighting my best rainbow of the day, all of thirteen inches. I caught several more fish before heading back downstream.

I was going to hit the first big pool again before quitting for the day. I dropped into the river below it, and as I was wading upstream a trout rose two rod lengths ahead of me, so I cast well upstream. My fly disappeared and I set the hook on a thirteen inch brown. It gave me a good fight. My next cast was to the left where the river flowed through a slot in the bedrock. My fly drifted five feet before being pulled under, but when I set the hook this time it was met by serious resistance. The fish gave several big head shake and then began racing all over the shallow tail out. It was a good fish, mid-teens, and very strong. Several times I thought it was done fighting, only to have it take off on a fresh run. The drag on my reel had broken first thing in the morning and so I had to fight the fish entirely by hand, my glass rod bent to the cork.

Finally I was able to slide it onto a sandy bottom in shallow water. It was a brown trout over sixteen inches long- not huge, but thick and heavy for its length, and very strong. I snapped a few photos of it in the water before letting it go. It kicked strongly for deeper water.

I landed a few more fish before my watch told me it was time to go. It was a very pleasant day in a beautiful remote place. The only sounds I heard all day were those of birds, the sigh of wind in the trees, and the rush of current over broken stones.

Okay, so also the sound of my own whoops at the joy of fighting a fish, in a sweatshirt, in February.

What I Learned This Summer- I Love Glass

A lake brown caught on glass

This year saw a major shift in the manner and rods that I fish. After a few years of being in love with my Redington Classic Trout 3 weight I've finally fallen out of love. It has a nice forgiving cast. . .

BUT- it is inaccurate as hell. It drives me crazy. I'm always ending up with casts 3 feet on either side of my target. It will cast consistently 3 feet to the right of the target, but when you overcompensate your cast it then casts three feet to the left. There is no middle ground. I'm ready to stomp it into the ground. Or sell it on Craigslist as the best rod ever.

I quit fishing an 8 weight for the Hex hatch this season. I just wanted a more delicate presentation- less line noise on the water as I lay out my casts. I mostly used my TFO Lefty Kreh Pro 5 weight. It did a fantastic job, and I caught more fish over 20 inches this year than the rest of my fishing career combined.

But for daytime fishing, some Hex fishing, hopper fishing and all my brook trout outings I had one go-to rod- my Eagle Claw 5/6 weight glass rod. I bought it for $24 a couple of years ago.

Sure it has a crappy reel seat, but who cares? It is a nice short rod with perfect action, and surprisingly accurate. It rode around in the back seat of my car FOR THE ENTIRE WINTER last year and survived unscathed. If I broke it I would have replaced it for $24.  I have managed to land some surprisingly big fish on it, including my biggest Michigan brook trout to date, a 17 incher that took me for a few rounds before coming to the net. The Eagle Claw performed flawlessly.

Not my best shot, but you get the idea. The Eagle Claw strikes again

Even with all the night fishing I did this season, I easily fished the Eagle Claw more than all my other rods this season. And contrary to the fears expressed to me by some rod builders, the Eagle Claw has only fueled my interest in buying higher end glass rods. After all, if a cheap rod like that performs that well, what will a rod built with love by a reputable builder using good blanks and ahem, a decent reel seat, fish like?

I'm eager to find out.

For a good review of the Eagle Claw Featherlight glass rods I refer you to the King of Glass himself, Mr. Cameron Mortenson. Click here.

Monday Morning Coffee Break- December 1

Errrrrppphhhhhffffttttthhhh!!! Yawn, stretch, scratch, repeat. Is it Monday again? Then let's have some coffee.

Yes that is a photo of my breakfast. Those hash browns are stuffed with cheese and sour cream. And that's a half order. No I didn't eat the whole thing. I can't do that anymore. It has been several years since I've been able to do the all-American pig out. 

So what's new in the land of FR?

Well I've been working like a galley slave and moving. Now that I'm self-employed again life will be like that. I'll either be working myself to death or living a life of leisure. I finished my latest job so it's back to leisure. 

My move hasn't gone well at all. What should have been plug and play has turned into a circus of contractors, severe winter weather and county inspections. I've spent most of the last month in a hotel room. I just got my room extended another ten days. The contractor says he can set my  place Friday, which leaves me hooking up sewer, water and gas over the weekend. If the electrician comes Monday and the gas company Tuesday I could have lights and heat Wednesday. Maybe. If all goes well.

Thankfully with my work winding down I've been able to fish a little. I don't have any fish to show for my efforts, but it has been nice to get out again. I've been writing a bit. Tying flies quite a bit. I've been writing some blog posts too.

Zach tying at the cabin

This past weekend I went with my friend Zach Ginop to his family's cabin in the UP. The plan was to poke around some UP streams in search of steelhead. Friday was too cold so we just hung out and tied flies. Saturday we did said poking around only to find deep snow and unplowed roads. We fished a little, but most of the fishing in the UP will be shut down until May now. We had to drive back down here yesterday just to find open water and fishable accesses. Still with no fish to show.

unfortunately it's a snag.

The weather here has been hit or miss here lately. We had a shot of the polar vortex that dumped 45 inches of snow in a week, only to warm up and rain and melt most of it, then snow some more, then warm back up. It was warm and rainy all weekend, but 20 degrees today. I'm heading down to Tippy  dam tomorrow to see if I can find some big water fish.

Other than that I know nothing. I'm working on a few blog posts, so keep an eye out for them.

I don't know about you but my coffee break is over and I have work to do.

Let's get after it.