Bucktail Kebari

The Bucktail Kebari

It's been a while between posts and fly tying experiments so I decided it was time to rectify both at the same time.  A few weeks ago I came across an article in the June/July issue of Fly Fisherman that utilized bucktail       in the construction of fly bodies.  I have always liked using bucktail hair in flies and look for any chance to do so.  The article instructs the tier to make a "rope" with about 6 bucktail fibers and the tying thread and then use this to wrap the body.  The great thing about this technique is that bucktail is fairly easy to work with and  comes in a great variety of colors, allowing you to mix and match fibers to create whatever color body you desire.  The fly above was my first attempt at incorporating this kind of body into a sakasa kebari.  I like the way it looks with it's segmented appearance.  It reminds me of a fly tied by Jason Klass of "Tenkaratalk".  Jason's fly utilized camel hair and is twisted to give a similar look.

A closer look at the body

In this case I used a mixture of brown and white bucktail fibers. In the future I plan to play with color combinations to see what kind of unique looks can be created.  For anyone interested the recipe is below.

Bucktail Kebari

Hook: Mustad C49S, size 10

Thread: Pearsall's gossamer silk thread, color olive

Hackle: Hungarian partridge

Collar: peacock herl

Body: bucktail fibers, 6 fibers, a mixture of brown and white

Hitting the Salt

My trusty kayak

If you spend any time reading through this blog it will be readily apparent that my preferred rod to fish with is a tenkara rod and I use it in traditional as well as non-traditional manner.  If I could choose only one type of fish and location to fish, it would definitely be for brook trout on a small mountain stream.  That being said, I still fish in all sorts of locations and with all types of equipment.  Lately, with trout fishing being a little slow I have broken out the saltwater spin rod and have been going down to the harbor to catch some fluke, bluefish and striped bass.  However, today I also broke out the kayak to add some mobility and fish several locations.  My kayak is not exactly outfitted like some anglers....but it gets the job done.  The morning started at 5am and got off to a good start with a number of fluke and sea robins (usually they are a pain but they put up a decent fight) caught on bucktails.  After a few hours....and no keepers....I began to head back to the harbor entrance.  I pulled the kayak out for a stretch and decided to cast a little when I noticed another angler nailing a number of striped bass....good size ones too!  I happen to ask him what he was using  and his reply was sandworms.  These are like candy for stripers.  After a little chit-chat he insisted that I try some, which I politely refused at first.  I'm glad I changed my mind because on my first cast I fought this guy.......

33" Striped bass

It turned out to be my first of the year and a keeper to boot.  I love brookies but there is something to be said for hauling in one of these guys. Where ever you went Brian (the generous angler with the sandworms) thanks again...you made my morning. For all of those reading this I hope your days of angling end with keepers that put a smile on your face (and maybe some filet's in your freezer).

An Early Summer Morning

Sunrise in the woods

My wife, kids and I went home (my home....upstate) to visit family this weekend.  And like any trip home I usually take a quick trip to the woods to do a little hiking or fishing (or both).  This weekend was no different. I woke up at around 5 am and headed out to find some wild brookies.  It was one of those typical early summer mornings.  It was quiet, a little humid, and with warm breeze...nothing uncomfortable though.  Insects could could be seen flitting from here to there.  A squirrel could be seen going about it's business and black-throated green warblers could be heard singing in the hemlocks.  It didn't take long to find what I was looking for, some peace and quiet......and some brook trout.

First brookie of the day

None of these brook trout or any of the others I caught this morning are going to wind up on the cover of a fly fishing magazine or mounted over a fireplace but that does not matter.  Each and every one is a remarkable work of Nature and a trophy to me.  The opportunity to be out in the woods and stream side on a beautiful summer morning like this is what matters most. I, for one, do not take these moments for granted.

Cabelas

Sakasa Kebari with a "twist" of green antron fiber

Recently, my wife and I had a chance to get away for the weekend and take the girls on a "kid-oriented" mini vacation.  For the last few summers we have visited Hershey and Amish country in PA.  My kids are 6 and 3  and really enjoy going to Dutch Wonderland.  It's perfectly geared to kids their age.  These trips have usually  been focused on them with little room for Mommy or Daddy's interests....and that is perfectly fine.  But this time I had to make a little detour on the way home.  For a little while now I have been dying to visit the Cabela's in Hamburg PA and I decided this year I wouldn't miss it.

The centerpiece of the Hamburg Cabela's (about three stories tall)

Looking down from the second floor of this huge diorama

I'm glad I went.  Even my wife was impressed with it's size and what could be found in it.  I primarily wanted to visit the fly shop to pick through some fly tying materials but at around 7 ACRES of floor space the rest of the store beckoned me.  The first thing you notice entering the doors is a "mountain" in the back center of the store that is about three stories tall and filled with various big game animals.  The taxidermists that put this display together did an incredible job and it's worthy of any great natural history museum.  An outdoors man or woman could spend a full day in this place very easily and not see everything.  Unfortunately, we only had an hour and a half to spare before getting back on the road to get through NYC before the rush hour traffic started and I didn't get to see everything.  Bottom line....if anyone one is traveling along I-78 in PA you owe it to yourself to stop in and take a look at the place.

A purple Royal Sakasa Kebari

But I digress....I went to get some fly tying materials....and I did. I managed to pick up some materials for some experiments that I plan on tying and hope to display soon.  For the time being I have two to show off.  The fly above is a Purple Royal Sakasa Kebari.  It's tied just like my favorite sakasa kebari but I used purple Pearsall's gossamer silk thread and purple dyed peacock herl.  I don't know how much I'll use it but I think it looks cool.  The fly pictured at the beginning of the post is a sakasa kebari tied with a twisted body of green antron (ala Jason Klass' twisted kebari).  I really like the way this one looks and can't wait to tie more with the other colors I picked up and then fish them.  It was enjoyable and productive visit.  However, for a while my 6 year old had a hard time trying to understand why Daddy was so happy to be in a "store" until an elderly woman passing by explained that THIS store was like Dutch Wonderland to Daddy.  At that point...She clearly understood.

My One-Two Punch

Carman's River near blind #8

I have slowly been coming to the conclusion that I'm becoming a "two-fly" angler.... my "one-two punch" if you will.  My fly box has been described as spartan and by most fly fisherman's standards it is.  As this season has progressed I have found only a 3-5 patterns have produced all of my fish no matter what or where I have fished.  But what I have discovered is that on virtually every trip one of the following two patterns have brought fish to hand....

Royal Sakasa Kebari & Killer Bug

The Royal Sakasa Kebari is one of the first sakasa kebari I created a couple of years ago and is still one of my favorites.  I have been able to catch fish any where with it from brookies to bluegills.  The color scheme was based on a Royal Coachman, which was created in 1878.  Mix this color scheme with the benefits of a reverse tied soft hackle and I have one heck of a fly. The second fly, the Killer Bug designed by Frank Sawyer has become my other "go-to" fly.  It was Chris Stewart's TenkaraBum website that first "enlightened" me to the potential of this fly.  I have tied it in the same fashion as Chris but lately have started tying it in the same way as the Tenkara Guides and Jason Klass.  Either way produces the same results.  In addition, both flies are simple to tie and have a generalized look to them making them effective in many different locations.

Typical stretch of the upper Carman's

For instance, last weekend I managed to get 3 hours to fish the Carman's River (one of Long Island's trout producing spring creeks).  I decided to only bring these two flies and once again I was able to land a few brown trout on the Killer Bug.

I usually stick closer to home, so this was my first trip to the fresh water portion of the Carman's.  The hatches are plentiful and the trout have a variety of items to choose from.  Usually "matching the hatch" is the way to go on a spring creek but I'm happy to know that having these two flies will give me a chance at a few trout.

One of the rivers residents, no those eyes are not evil.

Though I find fishing this kind of stream a little tough, it's a beautiful and peaceful place to visit and fish.  I plan to return as soon as I can....and of course I plan to bring my "one-two" punch.

The Little Rod That Could

Bluegill caught with 7'8" Soyokaze

I generally will not write reviews for books or equipment such as rods, lines, and things of that nature.  I leave that sort of thing to people who are more qualified.  However, in this post, I wanted to tout the capabilities of one of my newest rods.  A number of weeks back I purchased a 7'8" Soyokaze rod from Chris Stewart at Tenkara Bum (/Tanago Bum) with several purposes in mind.  I have been following talk on several forums regarding a niche type of fishing known as microfishing.  Many anglers are only interested in bigger is better.  I fall into that category sometimes but I also like a challenge.  Sometimes catching a 5 inch brookie in a tiny mountain stream can be more challenging than trying to catch many other types of fish (don't knock it till you have tried it).  I love anything about Nature and trying to catch a number of other tiny fish that are generally ignored I find to be an interesting challenge.  Even the smallest life in the stream or pond leads to a better understanding of the entire picture.  This was my main reason for purchasing this rod.  But there are others as well.  The Soyokaze will be a great rod to introduce my kids to fly fishing without worrying about too much line with a hook flying back and forth to catch another kids eye.  I also figured it would make a great small stream brookie rod.  Microfishing for saltwater fish in my local tidal creek also came to mind.  The bottom line is that this another rod in my arsenal for specific purposes.

Pumpkin seed sunfish caught on my new rod

I have given the rod several "test drives" at the local millpond.  Regrettably, I didn't have my camera or lost the pictures on my first few trips.  I was sight fishing with a #16 Royal Sakasa Kebari to a number of small sunfish on my first trip and the rod preformed exactly as advertised.  I caught a number of pumpkin seed sunfish in the 3-4" range and they are put a nice little bend in the rod.  However, during my third trip I was surprised by a pair of 9" bluegills.  With the first one I thought that the Soyokaze was done for sure but it did  an outstanding job.  Tenkara fishing has given me the ability to enjoy catching panfish again. But using the Soyokaze tenkara style has brought a whole new level of excitement and challenge to catching these fish.  The fight lasted a little longer than normal and I had to work at it.  The bottom line is that these rods can handle fish far larger than they were intended for.  I find it nice to know that if I'm carrying only this rod and I decide I need more of a challenge or want to switch to catch larger fish, I will have tool that can handle it.  For this guy though....I'll probably have to use something a little tougher....

These guys are always trying to swipe my catches.

It's A Shame It Can't Be Bottled.....

I have waited a couple of weeks to make this trip.  As I step away from the jeep and into the woods I feel the stress and tension of obligations and deadlines fade away.  The plan....spend a few hours fishing then go home to spend the rest of the day with my wife and kids.  As I walk downstream my senses seem to wake up, as if I have been asleep for a very long time. My nose seems to be the first sense to be activated as the smell of damp earth instantly greets me.  I stop to take a deep breath and look around.  Is it my imagination or does the green coloration of the spring leaves and new ferns seem to be glowing? It does not matter I take it in just the same.  The sunlight is filtering down through the leaves and spot lights a dew outlined spider and her web.  I stop for a minute to admire her handy work and then move on.  A moment later I stop in my tracks.  I hear the unmistakable music of a wood thrush, arguably the most beautiful sound one can hear in the woods.  I can't help but be impressed.  And so the hike continues until I reach the spot where I'm ready to enter the stream and begin to pursue my main objective...the search for some trout.

It does not take long before before I take notice of a variety of mayflies and other aquatic insects flitting about the water in the sun lit patches.  It also does not take long to bring my first brown trout to hand and a smile to my face.  I quickly snap a picture and send him on his way.  I move through riffles and pools and from pocket to pocket in search of my quarry. After a while I find several  more of his brethren here and there.  Each time is unique and never looses it's appeal.  Each is safely released so that they may continue in the cycle of life and death in the stream.

Before I know it, I see the last bend in the stream that signals the trip is almost at at an end.  My legs are "rubbery" from all of the balancing on slippery rocks and I'm tired but refreshed at the same time.  I exit the stream and think to myself....it was a good morning.  Other than my memories and a few photos, I have nothing to bring home with me.  How wonderful would it be be able to experience the feelings and sensations at any time I choose and not have to wait until the next time I can be stream-side?  It's a shame it can't be bottled.....