Monday, December 9, 2013
Brad Bohen - Hangtime Optic Minnow Part 1
I wanted to share a video from a local legend, Brad Bohen. Brad is conducting a seminar at Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop in mid-January - I am stoked.
Brad's flies look very complicated, but after you watch the videos a few times you realize things aren't that bad. My first few were not great, but like anything else I'll get it it time.
Brad uses the Gamakatsu B10S hook in 2/0. I found the hooks on Amazon here for a great price. They are labeled as "Gamakatsu Black Stinger Fly Hook, 100 Pack", but when I got my order the box was labeled B10S. Great hooks! Brad is a fantastic fly tyer.
Here is a link to Brad's website.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Fuller Mini-Maid Vacuum
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| Fuller Mini-Maid |
My fly tying/reloading bench is famous for being cluttered with all kinds of materials, especially little floating hair clumps and feather bits. If I go on a deer hair packing binge....forget sitting at the bench with anything other than overalls....a real friggin' mess!
My last organizing session led me to look for a dedicated vacuum that can suck up my fur and feather bits, lead pellets and spent primers from my reloading press. The old Dust Buster just didn't cut it, the motor was too wimpy.
A quick internet search revealed an interesting machine, the Fuller Mini-Maid. The rave reviews prompted me to bite, so I ordered one up on Amazon. I'm glad I did...
The Mini-Maid is one of the smallest and lightest vacuums I have ever used. The horsepower of this little unit is impressive. Lead pellets, spent primers, dust bunnies, shotgun powder flakes....all of it was gone in the flip of a switch. My bench is spotless now!
No little bags to fuss with either!
If you want to keep your bench tidy I highly recommend this vacuum. The attachments will also be helpful when detailing the cars. The little dusting attachments will get into every nook and cranny and the motor will suck up anything I can fit in the hose.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
New Kayaks - Crow Wing Pro-Angler 1080
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| Crow Wing 1080 Pro-Angler |
As most of you know, I prefer fly fishing on foot. I took Tim Holschlag's stream side class a few years back and really got into wading rivers and streams. Wading is simple......I like simple.
I decided to make things a little more complicated by adding kayaks to the mix. We attended an event on the St Croix river last week called Kids on the Water. The event gave kids an opportunity to try a variety of different watercraft. My boys tried sit in and sit on kayaks, paddle boards, various types of canoes and the Hobie Craft kick boat. I was shocked how quickly the boys took to the kayaks! Within 2 minutes they were cruising all over the river with confidence. After the event we decided to make the investment in kayaks.
Crow Wing Kayaks
A local outdoor show called Minnesota Bound highlighted a company called Crow Wing Kayaks up in the Brainerd lakes area. Crow Wing manufacturers lightweight, stable, sit on top kayaks with a large cargo hold capacity. After the event on the St. Croix we know who we were going to call for kayaks.
We called Jim Bergquist at Crow Wing and discussed our options. After some thought and budget review we opted for the 1080 model. We purchased four 1080's total, three Explorers and one Pro-Angler. The specs for the kayaks are listed here. All four fit into the bed of my pickup, no need for tie downs or roof racks.
Canine Friendly
The family wanted to have the ability to bring our german shepherd with us on floats. The Crow Wing's large cargo area holds all sorts of things, including dogs!
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| Crow Wing 1080 - Canine Friendly |
We haven't taken our dog yet. I'm sure the first few times will be an exercise in patience, but she will eventually get used to the idea of riding.
Family Memories
Fishing will be fun, but the family memories will be priceless. My boys are getting bigger and bigger and next thing you know they'll be off to college. No phones, Ipods, XBox....just us, the river and the dog.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Old Yankee Rodsmith Fenwick FL102-7
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| New Build on a Classic Blank - Yellow Fever |
Here is what Andy wrote about the rod:
With this blank I decided to stray from my more traditional classic style and went with more modern trappings. The idea being utility and versatility. The blank features the Fenwick version of the sleeve over butt style ferrule union. I reinforced the female ferrule with a brass ferrule support ring. The thread is Gudebrod NCP, size A nylon to accent the mellow yellow blank shafts. The thread finish is low build epoxy for maximum durability.
The rod is appointed with a Fugi down-lock reel seat with a Pac Bay 2" detachable fighting butt. A NOS standard grade, modified Wells cork grip - 7 1/2" long. Black aluminum & rubber winding check, chrome plated folding hook keeper, 2 Fuji light frame Alconite stripping guides, 8 - expertly sized and placed in relation to the blanks spine. Stainless steel, chrome plated snake guides. Standard gauge tip top with zippered partitioned tube.
I own several of Andy's glass and boron rods and love every one of them. Andy balances out beauty and durability making outstanding fishing tools. Andy also repairs and rebuilds old rods, he sees all sorts of defects in factory rods and makes improvements on his creations. A fine example of Andy's preventative design is the brass ferrule support ring on this rod. The brass ring reinforces the ferrule union, a fine detail that prevents cracking in the ferrule (and looks good too!).
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| Brass Support Ring |
Here is Andy casting the rod ...looks great to me!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Coffee's Sparkle Minnow
Here is a pattern I love to tie for smallmouth. This step-by-step instruction is not mine.....Coffee did a great job, so why reinvent the wheel. Thank you Coffee for the great work!
"Pretty simple fly to tie; making the dubbing brushes (not shown; you folks know how to make them better than I do) took about as long as the rest of the fly."
hook - Mustad 79580 #6
thread - Uni 8/0 white
weight - lead free wire .030
tail - marabou white/olive
flash - Krystal Flash pearl
tail - marabou white/olive
flash - Krystal Flash pearl
body - dubbing brush EP Flash chartreuse
belly - dubbing brush Ice Dub pearl
head - 1/4" cone silver
mash barb and slide cone on hook
wrap some lead free wire on hook
push the wire forward into the cone, locking it against the eye
attach thread, wrap the lead and move it back to point above the hook barb
measure marabou (shank length)
tie in and wrap forward to lead
repeat with olive marabou
tie in Krystal Flash on near side
fold tag ends over to far side and wrap back to tail
tie in pearl dubbing brush on underside of hook
tie in chartreuse dubbing brush on top of hook
start chartreuse forward, sweeping fibers back
continue forward to cone and tie off; sweep fibers up and back
pull belly brush forward on underside of fly and tie down
take brush back along near side, go over the back of the hook bend and under the tail, then pull forward on far side and tie off (creates a fuller belly, maybe not necessary but I like how it looks); tie off.
couple swipes on the back with a black Sharpie is optional
Change colors as you see fit (a baby brown trout would look neat).
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Marking Your Fly Line For Better Casts
I'm going to admit something on this post that I hope you quickly forget....I don't practice fly casting as much as I should. Whew!....that feels good to get that off my shoulders. Like many of you I have good days and I have bad days when it comes to casting - an occasional wind knot still plagues me.
Last year I attended a knot tying seminar hosted by local fishing legend Bob Nasby. Bob is one of those dudes with a funky mustach that has fished everywhere and caught everything. He can cast with his left hand better than I can with my right hand...one of those guys that has really got it down after 42 years of fly fishing.
Bob showed me a little trick that has helped my casting considerably. The concept is so simple it is almost too embarrassing to unveil. If you employ this tip you should notice a difference in your casting abilities.
Mark(er) the head
Bob Nasby showed me how to mark my fly line so I easily locate the fly line "head" while on the water. Knowing the location of the fly line head is the key to a good cast. Rather than reinvent the wheel I will post Bob's instruction directly from Rose Creek Angler's website. Here you go!
Here's Bob with lesson #2
Lesson 2: The LOADING ZONE
The first thing we do in my casting class is to set the students up with a 6 wt. fly rod with WF-6-F line and a 7 ½ foot leader. We measure out the head length plus 5 feet and place a 10 inch long red mark on the fly line. If you remember from our last lesson the head length is the tip, front taper, belly, and rear taper. To locate the placement of the red mark, you need to find the end of the rear taper and measure out an additional 5 feet. (see fig.1) To find the end of the rear taper, locate the portion of fly line where the diameter is getting smaller as you go back from the tip. The end of the rear taper is the point where it stops getting smaller in diameter. This point should be quite noticeable without the use of a measuring device such as a micrometer, but if you have access to one, it may be helpful. With a permanent marking pen place a 10 inch long red mark 5 feet beyond the end of the rear taper.
Now you are set up for casting. With the line extended out of the fly rod and your line hand on this mark, you have the correct amount of line to properly “load” the rod. We place the mark 5 feet past the rear taper because with an 8 or 9 foot fly rod, 3-4 feet of the rear taper will remain in the fly rod guides. Some of the rear taper should stay in the fly rod to get the “head” to turn over. With almost all of the fly line head out of the fly rod, the rod will “light up”. If you try to learn to cast with a short length of line out of the rod, you will never feel the rod “load” and you will never learn to cast a fly rod. You have to feel the rod load and you soon will learn you can lay a fly out with only one false cast. Most fly fishers false cast way too much. All show and no go. They false cast because they can’t feel the load.
With the fly line lying straight out in front of you, with no slack in the line, and the rod tip to the ground/water you are now cleared for take off. Remember there are two parts to a cast. A back cast and a forward cast. When performing the back cast and the forward cast, I want you to think of the motion of starting a lawn mower. You start out slow and end up fast.
You start the back cast by raising the rod tip up and back. When you see the line leave the surface, stop your hand. Do not- do not bend your wrist at all. Just think of how your wrist is when you start that mower or when you throw a dart - you don’t bend your wrist then, don’t bend your wrist now. The only thing that should bend is your elbow. As soon as you stop your hand, count 1-2-3 and come forward with a smooth acceleration and then stop your hand. Do not bend your wrist when you stop. Wait until you see the line in flight and then turn the thumb down just a little (approx. 1”). This will push the rod tip down just a bit to allow the line to pass over it.
*Remember - accelerate just before the line leaves the ground/water on the back cast. Speed up, STOP your hand with your thumb just like your hitchhiking. Say 1-2-3, move your hand forward, accelerate - speed up - stop, count 1-2 then tip your thumb down approximately 1 inch and you just made a perfect cast (if you don’t bend your wrist). Remember - thumb on top of rod. Wherever your thumb points, that is where the tip goes and where the tip goes, that is where the line goes. If you snap the rod with a jerking motion, you kill the cast. Just stop your hand and do not bend the wrist. Bending the wrist is what all bad casters do. They think they have to snap the wrist. But, if you follow these instructions, you will soon make the perfect cast. The cast should feel just like fine silk. One last thing, trap the line under your index finger where the red mark is. You will know when you make that perfect cast, because the rod will want to jump out of your hand!
Here is a video of Bob at a local convention.
Don't want to mark it....just buy it!
Turns out that 3M has a line on the market that has taken the worry out of measuring and marking your own fly line (imagine that). Scientific Anglers HeadStart fly line marks the head portion of the fly line with a "bump" in the line that you can detect in your fingers while stripping. Strip in until you feel the bump, then use Bob's instruction above to load and cast the rod/line. Great stuff!
Scientific Anglers Mastery HeadStart Fly LineThe Scientific Anglers Mastery HeadStart Floating fly is costs $39.95.
First, this line is ½ size heavy for easier loading of your fly rod. Billed as a beginners fly line SA made modifications to other lines to produce an Easy-Fishing Taper. This taper really does help beginners learn to cast better.
The Scientific Angler HeadStart has the line slick additive called AST. A slick fly line casts farther and easier. The HeadStart line has all the pertinent information about the line printed on it, so at a glance you can tell which line you are fishing.
Features:
Half size heavy for easier loading
Forgiving taper optimized for most casting ranges
Telecast bump indicates best position to hold for casting
Short head eases turnover
Briaded Multifilament Core, low stiffness, moderate delivery
AST (Advanced Shooting Technology) - Scientific Anglers’ patented dry slick technology sets the standards for slickness. Advanced Shooting Technology (AST) Fly Line provides continual line slickness allowing the line to shoot farther as it moves virtually friction-free through the guides. AST fly lines easily shed dirt, algae and other parasitic drag particles allowing them to cast farther, float higher and stay cleaner than traditional lines.
SA ID - Scientific Anglers Line Identification is a result of their lab’s mission to continually improve their fly lines. SA ID is an innovative line marking system allowing you to identify your lines at a glance.
Streamlined Loops - Exceptionally slick and strong, welded Streamlined Loops produce smoother casts and easier turnover with a seamless fly-line-to-loop transition making for softer landings and cleaner pickups. The sleek design also maintains buoyancy for improved fly line floatation. Streamlined Loops also enable quicker connections between fly line and leaders.
Fly Line Care
I had a request to research and do a post about fly line care - another great topic for discussion! Good quality fly line has now climbed over $75 per spool, so you better make sure you are taking care of the stuff! If you keep your fly line clean and conditioned it will last for many years, but if you mistreat it you'll be dipping into the wallet again faster than you hoped.
Different brands....same steps
I combed the internet for fly line cleaning tips and found that the steps used to condition fly line were pretty much the same regardless of the manufacturer. The concept is pretty simple, wash the line in warm soapy water (many recommend old fashioned Ivory dish soap), give it a wipe down, use a fly line cleaning cloth for a deep cleaning, condition with a fly line conditioner then burnish again with the micro-abrasive cleaning cloth.
Rio Products has two videos that clearly shows the process and products needed to successfully rejuvenate your tired and dirty fly line. I like Rio's Wonder Cloth (and AgentX dressing) because the cloth is machine washable/reusable.
Stage 1 - Remove dirt and grime (after every few outings)
Stage 2 - Micro-abrasive cleaning cloth (after 5-6 outings)
Stage 3 - Applying a new finish (after 8-10 outings)
De-plasticizing....say no to crack
Our fly vests often times hold chemicals that can really damage the coating on our fly lines. These chemicals de-plasticize fly line causing premature cracking. Here are a list of things to avoid when handling fly line.
- Sun Screen
- Insect Repellent with DEET
- Aerosols
- Heat (leave it out of the truck or on the dashboard)
- No more automotive cleaners!
Streeeetch! No way!
For years I have read articles about the benefits of stretching fly line to get rid of coils (line memory). There seems to be two crowds out there when it comes to stretching fly line. One group swears by the stretch, won't leave the house until the line has been tugged and yanked into submission. Others deal with the coil on the water by laying out line hoping the line lays flat EVENTUALLY.
Well.....I am in the stretch-free crowd, especially after doing this post. Many of the manufacturers urge people not to stretch fly line because it actually can reduce the lifespan! How can this happen you ask? Once fly line is stretched and reeled back up on the spool the coating on the line wants to return to it's normal state. The line will constrict, forming an extra tight coil on the reel. Next time you go out the coil could actually be worse. All of this stretching stresses the fly line coating!
Here is what Airflo has to say about stretching fly line:
"There are a lot of people who think that stretching the line at home will help - this is a popular misconception and this will actually make the line worse as it will contract whilst on the reel and create even worse memory!!"
Instead of stretching, clean and condition your lines. Often times a good cleaning will keep your line supple and free of coils.
Don't forget the backing!
I'm not sure about you, but I rarely think about the backing on my reels. The truth is the stuff rots pretty easily especially if it is packed away when it is wet. Here is a story I found online that shows how important it is to check your backing every once in a while....
"As I was stripping in the ol' bobber for another grandiose lob cast (and thus making small popper-esque splashes) I saw a v-wake form behind my trailing flies and a fish made a great splashing lunge at the surface. Being rather dumbfounded I did the right thing-- nothing. The fish grabbed turned and then hooked itself firmly in the jaw as it made a blistering run that ran me all the way to my backing. Then as I watched my whirring reel change colors from fly-line green to backing orange the rod bucked and I heard a strange tearing/popping sound.
The entire fly line, brand new fluorocarbon leader, and two fresh flies-- gone. I'm truly embarrassed to even be telling this story. Shocked, I watched for a few seconds as the fish jumped several times, fighting the resistance of the 100ft of line trailing behind it. I felt sick. Not sick that I had lost a few dollars in equipment, but sick that I had just left a tangled pile of brightly colored, non-biodegradable, plastic crap at the bottom of the river with a fish attached. I searched in vain hoping to find the line, hoping to free the fish, hoping to correct the mistake I just made--"Bummer huh? I have never had this happen to me personally, but you'd be surprised how often it happens (look online and you'll find many horror stories). Keep an eye on the condition of your backing and the knot used to join your fly line. You'll be glad you did!
Take Care
I hope these steps keep your fly line investment floating high and coil free. Use products and materials made for specifically for fly line and follow the steps outlined in the RIO videos and you'll be in great shape.
Next we will be looking into fly rod and reel care...winter is long, so we might as well get our gear ready for spring!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
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