Another Day on the Snake River

My boys and I visited the Snake River again.  The river was beautiful and so was the weather...  The fish we caught were all small, but it was great to be out with the boys!  My oldest was on the fly rod again and landed his first fish in a long time.

Somedays it's not about catching fish...  The boys fished their arms off with little return.  When we were all done we hit the A&W for a root beer and planned our next trip!

Quantum Hot Sauce - The Good Stuff....

Quantum Hot Sauce Grease and Oil

As you all know I have bitten by the "vintage" reel bug lately.  I have been picking up reels that are caked with grime and old grease.  Whenever I have a question about vintage reels and fiberglass rods I turn to the Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum.  Here are some cleaning instructions from Bulldog on the FFR forum.

After a good soaking you need to get your reel lubed up and ready for service.  Pickup some Quantum Hot Sauce to keep your reels in tip top shape.

Photo courtesy of Bulldog and Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum

This reel has been cleaned and lubed with Hot Sauce grease and oil.  Notice the red areas on the gears and spindle.

Keep in mind these cleaning techniques can be used on modern reels as well.  Just make sure you take it easy and make sure you don't overdo it.

Eze-Lap Hook Hone

Eze-Lap Hook Hone

Over the years I have not sharpened my hooks because I believed they were fine right out of the package.  Last season I lost the largest smallie I have ever caught because of a dull hook!

It was in late fall and I was fishing a weight forward Clouser-like pattern with large aluminum eyes.  The fish hammered the streamer in about 3 feet of water along a large rock outcropping and I strip set it really hard.  The fish jump 4-5 times and finally gave up  Once to the edge of the kayak I noticed the hook was just barely in the roof of his mouth....just then to my horror he flopped one more time and was gone.  I immediately inspected the streamer and found the hook was dull from bouncing off rocks and logs all day.  I lost the fish of a lifetime because of a dull hook?  I pledged to change my ways and sharpen my hooks before they went back into the box after a long day of fishing.  I am even going so far as to sharpen as needed on the water after flies snag or after excessive use.

I looked into hook hone options and decided on the Eze-Lap sharpener.  It is compact, light and the price was right ($6.95).  I have sharpened all of my hooks using the techniques outlined in this video that I found on YouTube.  Pretty dang simple and when you are done the hooks are amazingly sharp.

It really is that easy!  The groove in the hone makes it easy to get very sharp hooks. Here is a link to the Eze-Lap Hook Hone on Amazon.

The Snake River

My 13 year old son and I drove up to the Snake River in Pine City, MN today.  Had a blast fishing crayfish patterns under an indicator (a.k.a. Holschlag's Crayfish Hop).  The pattern had to be fished painfully slow and needed to bounce off the rocks to get them to bite.  No bounce.....no bite....I have never seen anything like it!

Beautiful day today in the low 80's.  Perfect day to wade with your son!

Arnold Bivans Fly Reel

The Arnold Bivans Fly Reel

I picked up this Arnold Bivans fly reel today.  The reel was made by Bivans Manufacturing in Los Angeles, California around 1949.  I saw it and had to have it!  My brothers always called me "Arnold" while I was growing up....

The green is very nice, but I found one that appears to be refurbished and painted tan?  REALLY nice!

The tan paint job is perfect!

Photo Courtesy of Andy Manchester

Adding a loop to the end of your fly line...

I just used this technique to add a loop to the end of my Factory Overrun Fly Line I got at Discount Fishing Tackle.  The line comes without a welded loop, but it isn't a big deal.  I don't tie nail knots often, so I also picked up an inexpensive nail knot tool at my local fly shop.  I know many of you can whip them up in no time with a paper clip, but I find it easier to use the tool.

Nail Knot Tool

The loops I put on with the series of three nail knots are very strong.  I used the same thing to attach my backing....

Enough is Enough

When I was going to college for water quality in the early 1990's they told us that one day water would be an issue everywhere in the USA.  We all thought the professors were crazy....

California has always been a hot spot for water related issues.  The drought is not helping things...  I hope they spare is river somehow, what a beautiful place.

Thanks to SoCal Fly Fisher for posting this in a place I could find it.

SA System 2 8/9 Fly Reel

SA System 2 8/9 Fly Reel - Made in England

A birthday present to remember!  A System 2 reel has a drag that will stop a bus.  All I need to do is fish....  The water is getting better, so I should be able to get out soon.