Wednesday, August 29, 2012

10 x tippet trials


    Every setup has its flaws. sometimes I have focused so much one one aspect of my setup, that I carelessly let it not be true to the rest of the rod.  In this instance... tippet.  
    I started reading a book last week and the first twenty or so pages are all about fly to line connections/construction. I quickly realized that there was in fact someone else out there who had thought about this as much as I had. (much more actually)  now I've been thru many tippet phases in my life; at one time, I had charts of numbers relaying lengths and tippet sizes to construct various leaders... I actually used to blood-knot five or so tippets together and think I had the best shit. Eventually, I came to my senses and realized that there were these tapered mono leaders I could get for just a couple bux. Years later, I began using furled leaders made by Kathy Scott.  Those short green magical thread wonders were now the shit, and remained my choice for years. (I still can't give up these yet) The last couple of seasons, I have been making my own. Not exactly furled, but close enough. Using a drill and about 20 feet of fine nylon sewing thread, I could make a pretty sweet 6 foot or so furled leader.  They work almost as good, and are free.      
  My reading pointed out one very serious flaw. At the end of my fly line, I had been using one of those straightened hook/eye pins, that you then can attach something to. Hinge!  It creates a loose hinge!. your line and leader won't act together as an extension of your cast, the hinge can screw up a perfect cast, knot up mid cast, and not provide the delicate presentation as your line lays down.    My rod doesn't have any hinges in it.. my line shouldn't suffer the same downfall.
    What I did is simple... I threw that little hook pin away.   The end of my line is now a simple loop made with a razor and some 14/0 thread wrapping it.  My saltwater setup was much easier.. the line had a core that was easy to separate, keeping the size of my wrappings down.  Trout setups.... a little different. my 2 main rigs are a 0 wt and a 000wt. finding a core may be impossible. anyways, my outcome looks great and is not bulky at all. now the leader.. I wanted something besides nylon this time, so I started with a 9 1/2 foot 6x tapered leader and cut off about 24-30'' from the fat end. Then I took a lighter and made a mono eye at the end. this little ball was slid into one of those leader connectors that is essentially a Chinese finger trap. a dap of superglue, some fine trimming, and now it will attach to my fly-line without a hinge.  
   Fishing with 6x is a little much for my style, and besides, I'd rather not have to make one of these setups every couple of trips out. so simple.. and again free. I took a sz 14 dry hook (thin wire) and cut off the eye. after filing this miniature ring to reduce sharp edges, It became my means of attaching 6x to an 18-24" length of 10x midge.    
    It works great!  

    A sz 16 elk-hair cadd grabbed me 5 natives pretty quickly. one badass hit like some sorta shark video... straight outta the water like a rocked. one of the best trout strikes i have ever seen... here he is..
little rocket
awesome fall colors.   
   ''''''On a side note""""""    
Clydes opens this weekend. I plan on becoming quite drunk on homemade "White-Out" white lightening Apple jack.  If you haven't a clue... Cool, More for me.   If you wanna learn... Go spend a few bux on a gallon of regular hard, freeze, press, freeze, press, etc.    the end result is hard cider that is super thick, super apple, and super strong.  a gallon usually produces maybe a pint and a half.    (its easy to carry fishing)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Mansfield flea market


   I scored a decent bunch of antique lures/decoys/reels today.  Aside from my usual fly fishing O.C.D. I have quite an extensive collection of antique fishing tackle. Every weekend (besides fishing) the yard-sales are combed for tackle. Today was an exceptional score.. There were so many lures, I had to pick thru many vendors offerings for colors I didn't have, or lures I have not yet added. Some today had glass eyes, or beat-in character. For some reason, to me, the shiny, untouched vintage lures aren't as appealing as the used, chipped, missing hook- clunkers. The older, used, beat on ones seem to tell me more of a story about their past. I know that it had been used for what it was designed for. Today also landed me a native Connecticut made Union Sunnybrook fly reel c.1900-1909.. My second one of that make, but this one in a silver colored finish. Another similar reel (in box) was unmarked, but just s cool. and finally... 3 decoys.. my favorite collectable. these 3 matched decoys are obviously used, handmade, lead paint folk/Americana pieces... totally sweet. 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

New shtuff in the mail


I got my new hooks today and am totally psyched...  sz 22 varivas wave barbless.  I couldn't resist. I got a book to read on my break, and more Hareline Dubbin garb. I'm totally addicted to their stuff, even wrote them for a hat or t-shirt.... don't bother, they don't have any. I made my own   shhhhhh.

August Skunkin

I found this hidden pool in the middle of a six hour hike last week. Looking upstream from here, it couldn't be a better spot to cast. not much behind, and the pool is about five feet deep in the middle. guess how many trout I caught. Zero.    what the phuck.
  Fall-fish were the fish we caught. friggin fall-fish. ..and sunny's.  Whats a fall-fish? they are annoying. aggressive little craps that eat any fly within sight. see example:
They are small, sometimes a big one tops the scale at like maybe 7 inches, but basically annoying. I know there are trout in the bottom of that pool, its downright perfect, slow, swirling eddy's, a down tree on the edge, tons of aquatic insects all around. All the right signs and all we could muster out were these. At least the dozen a-piece means we didn't get skunked, but it sure felt the same.  oh well, next time. At least i got another great hike

   The brook really is awesome though, tons of side flowing areas like the one above, complete with awesome deep(1-1.5ft) overgrown edges. kind of brook that makes you see mirage trout that aren't really there. What I mean is, if I were a trout, this is where I would live.
  Some of these spots have only been visited by me, a few friends, and the deer. There are no trails, (only game trails) no empty styrofoam worm cups, no balls of mono litter.   Not many people get several miles into the woods, so I think.... either way, its a wonderful, peaceful feeling.   
   It rained like a s.o.b the night before, and a little that morning. We were on-site around 7am, drinking beers while riggin up, and hiking thru mother natures fog en-route to the brook.  Thats how we roll.

  Anyways, the rain fog, and unrelenting humidity really fucked with my rig. Ya see, I fish Naked. What I mean is, I never applied spar or rod varnish to my latest boo. the "Ras.tick"  This rod is a post in it's own, so I wont bore you. but anyways, the downfall is that when it gets too wet, it makes the line stick to it and it bends; this day a little much :
maybe you don't notice, but the top half kinks to the left, only when wet. maybe I should spar it.  whatev.   the fly that worked (and is stuck in the lip of a 18" Ledyard brown currently) is ::::
TL



Friday, August 3, 2012

fishing or hiking?

   Lately I've been getting skunked.  my last two outings have resulted in 12 dace or some shit, 8 pumpkins and a rock bass. no trout.
   Am I still at this point actually fishing? It feels like I'm simply a hiker who chooses to hike with extensive fly-fishing tackle.  At least I'm getting in some good exercise.
  Today was no exception. I fished some familiar waters, saw tons of trout in 12-18" range, and managed to catch nothing but fuckin dace, or whatever those little silver shits are.    Oh well, not a total skunk, but not exactly catching either.
there were some decent 10-12" ers hiding in that strip of shade, and it went on for like 50 yards.  Should have been perfect for like 2 or 3 fish, but i didn't get any


This spot is awesome looking. I call it the Canyon bend. the Stream bed is literally like an underwater canyon.  deep, cold, and holding fish.  none that I could fool.
 
However over the last few days, I have Twice been very happy that I was fully prepared for a fishing hike. Can you guess?
Thats right. Toilet Paper. thank goodness. Always carry a small roll of dry toilet paper! at least when I have a shitty day of fishing, I dont smell of it
 That awesome Dogfish is like 18%alc so after the 2 Newcastle, I was feelin great at like noon in the woods, Hahaha . hey dont judge, it's my vacation week.




Dusky skinny waters



hit up some local water that was nearly inaccessible, possibly getting my hopes up too much thinking that I was reaching waters that not many people have seen.  well I might think that there was good reason for nobody going there, except I saw trout, and my bud had a few takes, unfortunately nothing was taken to hand. oh well, can't catch em all.... at least i found a cool spot. Thank you Google earth
shallow, but at least i could walk up the center halfway on the stones without disturbing the water in the deeper 'pool' area 




my bud, just before a few strikes near the tree on right