Nemo

Webster's has a new way to spell "pain".  As of Feb. 9th 2013 it is now to be spelled N E M O.  My back is sore beyond words and memories of muscles that I used to use when I played football years ago came back to me.  BTW...man's best friend is not a dog....it'a Sears Craftsman snowblower.  After 7 hours yesterday and a few more today the driveway and sidewalks are clear.

Top half of  a cherry tree that fell across one end of the driveway

Just because removing 30 inches of snow isn't fun enough, the top half of a mature cherry tree snapped and fell across one end of the driveway and proceeded to become buried in with the snow.  I guess after Irene, Sandy and now Nemo it had had enough.  That pretty much also was the same sentiment shared by a number of other trees on the street.  They decided to block the one end of the street. "Well then go out out the other end of the street." you say? No go there either. The one plow that made it to the street is stuck in the middle of the street and effectively keeps us put.  At least I can move freely on the driveway now.  I guess I can't complain too much.  Unlike Sandy, where we went without power for 8 days we only lost out cable and internet for a day (so of or neighbors were not so lucky). The other good thing was that my too little snow angels seemed to be having a fun time.

"Hey Daddy...these have your name written all over them!"

I put some of the time stuck inside to good use tying some flies.  My next post will cover some of that. I hope anyone else having to put up with Nemo has heat and light where they are and plenty of Advil.  Stay safe.

The Fly Fishing Show - 2013

Chris Stewart the "Tenkara Bum"

Well the long wait is over....I was able to secure a free day on the social calendar and head to Somerset, NJ for the annual Fly Fishing Show.  Being primarily a tenkara angler my primary interest was meeting up with some fellow tenkara anglers and talk shop.  In addition, I am ever on the lookout for new fly tying materials and was hoping to get some standard materials as well as some unique items.  I have been looking forward to doing something fishing related for some time now and this trip was just what the doctor ordered.  My first stop was at Chris Stewart's ("Tenkara Bum") booth to drop off some flies and pick up a new rod for backpacking purposes.  I have had my eye on the Shimano Kozuka 27NT that Chris offers for a while now so I purchased one.  My only problem with it is I have to wait a couple of months to give it a good try out on the water.  After conversing with him and his friend Allan for a while I decided to wander around.

One of my favorite sets of booths to visit are the booths with all of the very talented  fly tiers such as Don Bastian and Sharon E. Wright.  I find it hard to take my eyes off their flies.  Though there were many other great tiers at the fly fishing show I enjoy their flies the most.....maybe because their heritage flies serve as connection to the past of this great sport we all share in.

Daniel Galhardo giving a tenkara casting demonstration

I also stopped by Tenkara USA's booth to say hello to Daniel and thank him again for facilitating a fly swap for me with several notable anglers from Japan.  I was introduced to a few new faces and had some great conversations.  Daniel also gave a  really cool rod bag that will come in very useful on the water this coming year.

Tenkara USA rod bag

I also ran into a few familiar faces such as fellow blogger and tenkara angler Morgan Lyle.  There were a few others I was hoping to see but the day was over before I knew it and I had two little girls waiting for me back on Long Island and a Mommy who could probably use a break.

Moose Antler Tenkara Line Holder 2.0

New Moose Antler Line Holder with TUSA traditional line.

Since I first carved a moose antler into a line holder to be used to hold my tenkara lines I have looked for ways to improve them or simply make them bigger.  The originals were carved from the stem of the antler near the skull.  This section of the antler is like a tube and is less porous making it ideal for what I wanted.  However, I have only been able to obtain antler that had about a 2 to 2.5 " diameter.  I would prefer to have something that is closer to 3"  in diameter or larger. This would allow for a less tightly coiled line and therefore less memory in some lines. It would also allow a little more creativity in what can be carved onto the holder.  So basically I'm always searching for antler that is bigger.

Finished holder with another slice taken from the "paddle" for a future holder.

A few months ago I made a purchase of a piece of antler I thought was just what I was looking for.  turned out to not be what I was looking for but a very thick piece of antler paddle.  The paddle is the section between the stem and the antler tines or the pointy tips on the end of the antler.  At first I figured, "Well, this won't work" and planned to put it on E-bay to recoup some money.  But the more I looked at it the more I realized it could work for a different type of line holder.

This holder may have some advantages.  First, the slight bulge on one side acts like a nice place to hold the holder while winding line without getting fingers in the way (see above picture).  It's dimensions are approximately 4" long x 2" wide (at it's widest point) x ~0.25" thick.  The thickness is less than my original holder and may also be an advantage in some storage situations. The three connecting bars will also serve equally well with holding flies that are already on the line. One disadvantage though may be with the use of some lines that may develop "kinks" at the ends.  But a traditional tenkara line works very well.  

Original moose antler line holder and the "2.0" version.

It may not be perfect but it is functional.  In the end you have to work with what the antler gives you and in this case it gave me enough for another tenkara line holder.  Meanwhile the search for a larger diameter antler stem continues....

The Grizzly King Sakasa Kebari

Grizzly King Sakasa Kebari

The Grizzly King is one of my favorite wet flies.  The first time I came across it was while perusing through web pages dedicated to those beautiful flies known as classic wets.  Many of these fly patterns have been around for quite some time and have very interesting histories.  The Grizzly King is mentioned in Mary Orvis Marbury's "Favorite Flies and Their Histories."  I have converted a number of these type of flies into sakasa kebari such as a Royal Sakasa Kebari, Trout Fin Sakasa Kebari and the Abbey Sakasa Kebari.  Others have done this as well and I think they make beautiful kebari.  For anyone interested the recipe can be found in my fly box.

Duck Season

Mallard Sakasa Kebari

I awoke this morning to the sound of duck hunters in action.  I only live a "stones throw" from the Long Island Sound so it's not unusual to hear them going about their business.  Today they sparked a little creative idea in me.  I picked up a pair of mallard duck wings back a little while ago and have used them several times for hackle in a few sakasa kebari.

I tie a fair number of flies for sale, swaps, and friends. Sometimes I just like to tie fun little diversions like this fly I call a Mallard Sakasa Kebari.  It reminds me of a mallard duck with it's grey body color, green head, and purple patch like on it's wings.  I don't know how well it will fish or if I will even cast it to a rising trout  but it seems with all that is going on in this world we can use all of the little distractions we can get. Recipe is below for anyone interested.

Mallard Sakasa Kebari

Hook: Mustad C49S scud hook, size 12

Hackle: mallard hackle from outer wing

Head: Pearsall's gossamer silk thread, highlander green

Body:  6/0 Uni-Thread, color grey & Pearsall's gossamer silk thread, purple

Variety

Various sakasa kebari

Between family, job, a hurricane, and numerous other obligations I haven't had a whole lot of extra time for other extra-curricular activities, let alone blogging.  I think it was high time that I got back up in the saddle with several posts that I had intended to post a while ago.  This past summer I had actually started a second blog....American Sakasa Kebari.  The purpose of this blog is to serve as a repository for variations and recipes of my favorite type of fly to fish and tie...the sakasa kebari. Anyone can submit their own take on this type of fly for all to appreciate and share.  The initial response was good and over 30 variations can be found on the blog to be seen by anyone interested in this fly.  I'm hoping to add many more of my own creations as well as those of many of the other very talented fly tiers out there.  If you are interested please feel free to contact me on how to contribute your own creations.  I think that sites such as this and others serve as great sources of inspiration and ideas for yet more variety.

Post Sandy

Hurricane Sandy Oct 28th 2012

First and foremost I would like to say thank you to a number of fellow anglers and bloggers who sent me e-mails wanting to know how my family and I made out following the mess that Sandy left behind.  In a nutshell we were not as fortunate as some but better off than most.  We were with out power for almost nine days and had to put up with some cold nights and long gas lines but things are slowly coming back to normal.  Without power it took a few days to learn how bad it was for many people across the tri-state area and beyond.  After seeing some of that I didn't feel so bad about our situation because we still had a roof over our heads.  No electricity also has some benefits.  I learned my six year old is a ruthless UNO player and talks a great deal of smack while playing.  I also managed to get time to make some horsehair fly lines that I have been trying to find time to make. In the end, just like Irene last year, for a time we lost power and our modern comforts. However, like any other bump in the road of our lives we clean up the mess, move on, and try to return to the routine of or hectic lives. I only ask that we keep, in our thoughts and prayers, those who we're not so fortunate and continue to struggle getting back to some sense of normalcy.