It's Just Good to Get Out

This morning was just one of those days it just didn't matter what or if I caught anything...it was just good to be outside enjoying the beginning of spring.  The last week or two has brought warmer than average temperatures to the northeast and with that the blooming of many flowers and increased activity from many animals.  Many signs of spring are familiar and welcome following any kind of winter.  However, sometimes the rare and unusual sight greets the eye.  For instance, take this guy I spotted out in the yard....

An unusual grey squirrel

I have seen the rare black version of a grey squirrel but never one like this.  It just goes to show you that Nature is full of surprises and that sometimes you don't have to look farther than your backyard to see them.

Blooming forsythia, a familiar sight in spring

With trout season about a week away I was interested in going down to the millpond to "stretch out" some of those casting muscles.  Last week I picked up my first yellow perch of the year.  Today I was interested in maybe some large bluegills to put a bend in my tenkara rod.  I was unsure how active they might be because air temperatures have been warm but it usually takes a little longer to warm up the water.  But to my surprise I picked up an even dozen in less than an hour.

First bluegill of the season

I took all of them on a Kiwi's Killer, which has become my "one-fly" when fishing the millpond.  Over all it was a very good morning and I'm looking forward the rest of spring.  Hopefully next week I will have some brook trout or brown trout to talk about.

Variations.....

C. S. Special....Dark

Sometimes when I'm just about done tying flies for the night I like to experiment a little.  Most of the time this simply amounts to tying a variation of one of my favorite flies.  Today's post follows along those lines.  I have a few sakasa kebari that I really like such as my Royal Sakasa Kebari and my olive Bubble Kebari.  However, I have a newer fly that I plan to fish pretty hard this year....the C.S.Special.  A while back Chris "TenkaraBum" Stewart sent me some of his Shetland Spindrift "Nymph Yarn" and I thought to put it to good use.  So pictured above is a variation of the C.S.Special using just the dark strand of the nymph yarn (the nymph yarn contains two strands, a brown and charcoal black one). For anyone interested, I'll post the recipe on the fly box page soon.

C.S.Specials...original and dark version

Number One...2012

First fish of 2012

The long wait is over.  I haven't been fishing since last December.  Holidays, birthday parties, changing jobs and assorted other obligations have kept me out of the water despite a mild winter.  I was pretty sure the NYS DEC had not yet stocked one of my favorite places to fish...White's Pool...but I needed to get out and cast some flies.  I decided that whether I caught something this morning or not it would be worth it to get out. Only one other angler was fishing when I arrived at the pool, so there was plenty of room.  The signs of spring seemed to emerged overnight. Many of the stream side shrubs and trees are beginning to bloom and numerous birds were singing their brains out.  I wish I could have taken more pictures but my camera battery died after only one picture.  I tried only a few flies this morning but the winner for today was a lightly weighted bead head Royal Sakasa Kebari, size 12.  There were a number of yellow perch that took a liking to it, including the one pictured above.  No trout today but it was a good day to be out on the water and I'm looking forward to the coming season.  I hope every one else has a great fishing season this year!

Just A Thought....

Key chain pill holder

"Knock on wood"....It's never happened to me but I have read or heard about it enough.  A slip on some moss cover rocks or a case of "butter fingers" and a fly fisher might just watch a box of perfectly good flies go sailing down stream.  Now, some anglers might have another box on them and there are no worries but I tend to be "Mr. what if?"  I generally carry one fly box and one only.  I drop it and that would be a wrap for the day usually because I'm too far from the Jeep to get the rest of my flies or the only ones I have with me are in a single box.  So I have wondered about the best way to have a few extra flies on me.  The first thought was a  mini Altoids tin that goes in my pocket and that would work but I think I have found something even better.

A few Royal Sakasa Kebari and C. S. Specials easily fit into the pill holder

I had this key chain pill holder (available at many pharmacies) laying around and thought it would solve the potential problem of losing a fly box while on the water.  It could  be strung onto a lanyard and would be easily accessible.  It can hold 8-12 flies depending on their size.  For the "one-fly" tenkara angler that would be enough for an afternoon of fishing.  For other fly fishers it could provide quick and easy access to your go-to or confidence flies without having to fumble through various fly boxes.    Most importantly, if you lose that fly box...your day doesn't have to end prematurely.  It's just a thought.

Tenkara Rod Plugs

Moose antler line holders and tenkara rod plug

The last couple of weekends I have been trying to complete a batch of moose antler line holders to ship off to Chris Stewart the TenkaraBum.  I have made a few for a couple of tenkara anglers here and there but it's taking me a little longer than I would like it to, due to starting a new job. I was finishing up for the day when I decided to take a little survey of the scrap moose antler I still had on hand.  One particular little block of antler caught my eye.  It was roughly the right size for a previous idea I had had.

The first Tenkara USA rod I purchased was a 12' Yamame and I have loved it since the day I received it.  The only issue (if I can even call it an issue) was that the rod plug has always been a little loose and I have always worried that I would loose it.  This is where that piece antler came in. I decided to carve a replacement rod plug just in case the original should be lost.

Moose antler rod plug and original Yamame rod plug

I have seen other types of rod plug replacements on the Tenkara USA forum before.  Some have been made from foam or rubber.  Most replacements are made from inexpensive materials and will serve the purpose quite nicely.  However, I decided to make something that would last a little longer and might be just be good luck to have on me anyway.  I think for the next one I may carve the top into some kind of figurine...perhaps a trout.

What's In Your Fly Box?

My flybox for 2012

With the begining of trout season just around the corner, I have been giving a lot of thought to what my fly box should be filled with (I will only be talking about my freshwater fly box because my saltwater only has various clousers and blondes in it).  I have never been a "match the hatch" kind of guy....I'm not a big fan of spending more time changing flies than actually fishing.  As a tenkara angler I have been fascinated with the "one/any fly" approach but have shied away from that extreme as well for two reasons. One, with one fly, I don't feel prepared enough.  The second reason is that I love to tie flies....and tying only one pattern would get boring pretty fast.  So for this year I have elected to go with only one fly box (a small 3"x5" Flambeau foam box) to cover all types of fish and situations I may face.  During the year I may find myself fishing for small stream brookies, browns and rainbows in tailwaters and stocked lakes and bass and bluegill in shallow weedy ponds.  I wanted to reduce the number of flies I use so that I might concentrate more on my actual technique. For me, it would be a challenge to get all the flies that I felt I would need into such a small flybox and cover a wide range of waters and conditions. The following list of flies is my attempt to meet this challenge.

#12 Royal Sakasa Kebari and #12 Pheasant and Black Sakasa Kebari

Killer Bugs and #12 Kiwi's Killers

#12 Bead Head Royal Sakasa Kebari's

Wooly Buggers

#16 Usuals

#12 Bubble Kebari and extra kebari for specific locations...empty spaces are for flies from swaps or experimental flies

#16 "BWO" sakasa kebari's (olive thread and starling hackle)

I figure my Royal Sakasa Kebari and Pheasant & Black SK to be my "work horses" and the ones I will use in almost all situations.  I plan to use the Killer Bugs when fishing the tail waters of Westchester County and the Nissequogue R.  The Kiwi's Killer is my one fly for fishing ponds for bass and bluegill.  If I'm going dry I always prefer a Usual.  The Wooly buggers are perfect for the large bass I encounter and anything else that is not satisfied with just a few tiny bugs.  The bead heads will be good for when I need to get a fly down deep  and quickly. Throw in a few smaller #16's and leave some room for a few experimental flies, an Ausable bomber or flies from a swap and I think I have a box that's good to go......or at least that's what I think.  Who knows, the real judges are waiting for me out in the various ponds and streams I plan to visit in the coming season.  Even if this box is not the "ultimate fly box" that's OK the challenge and spending time outdoors is what's most important.

Water



Awosting Falls, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, New Paltz, NY

It dominates two thirds of our planets surface.  It has the power to shape the face of the land.  When it's frozen and on the move, there is no mountain on Earth which can oppose it. In it's free flowing form it can cut a path from the highest peak all the way to the sea.  As a force of Nature it displays many moods.  At times it can be seen as angry and will rush headlong down a mountainside tearing away boulders as it goes.  Other times it will meander slowly through a meadow and seem to be at peace.

Copperas Pond, Adirondack Mts, NY

It can bring devastation to entire coastlines in a single instant or color to a barren dessert landscape seemingly devoid of life.  Life cannot exist without it.  It connects every living creature on our world with everything else.  Snowflakes that drifted from the sky last winter melt and join it's brethren on the long journey back to the sea to start the cycle over again.  However, in this process, the substance gives life to the deer to slack it's thirst, it gives the trout an environment in which to live, it gives the frog a nursery to grow in, and it gives a child the chance to cool off on a hot summer's day.

The Earth has been blessed with an abundance of it.  It is this abundance which has allowed life to thrive and diversify into the amazing complexity of wonderful and bizarre creatures that inhabit our world.  EVERYTHING is dependent on it for it's existence.

Verkeederkill Falls, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Gardiner, NY

As anglers, as boaters, as hunters, as kayakers, as humans and stewards of our home planet it is our responsibility to ensure that this natural resource is not abused, that it is conserved, that it will be protected today and into the future to ensure the survival of all other species as well as our own species.  Water has the power to destroy, to shape, to inspire, and most importantly to sustain life.

Sand Street Beach, Long Island ,NY