The Ultralight Championship

(Insert Eye of the Tiger here....)

Well, here it is at last. (Long last, I know....) Tenkara pitted against a 2wt. They go blow for blow to finally put to rest the speculation on which is the Ultimate in Fly Fishing. Can Western Fly Fishing stay on top, or will it be trumped by this millenia-old new comer?

The Tenkara rod used for this is the Fountainhead 11' Caddis rod with a furled thread leader. I will admit now that I really like this rod. So much that I haven't yet felt the need to "upgrade" to a TenkaraUSA rod. Sorry Daniel-san (I wonder how often he hears that one....?) If you want a bit of a comparison between the Caddis and the TenkaraUSA Iwana, Troutrageous! did a great one here.

Fly of the Week: Shad Fly

Do to a hectic schedule, a laptop that was down all last week (hence no FotW last week) and being a bit under the weather this week, things have been a bit quiet around here. I have to apologize for that, things will pick up again, promise!

Here's a neat little warm water baitfish fly: the Shad.

Fly of the Week: the Lite Brite Buzzer

It seems that every time I'm on Youtube looking for a fly video for here, the one I find is made by Davie McPhail. Either this guy makes some cool looking bugs or it's a damn conspiracy.

Anyway, here is (yet another....) fly by Davie, the Lite Brite Buzzer. This fly is real simple to tie but yet the end product looks like it wouldn't be.

Fly of the Week: the Fluffy Minnow

Since it appears that iMovie needs more than 40 minutes to upload a 5 minute video to Youtube and work seems to think that I should show up on time, this is a bit later than I wanted to post this. But rather late than never, I guess.

So without further ado, the Fluffy Minnow.

Fluffy Minnow

Hook: Streamer Hook - size 4

Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash

Underbody: Bill's Wooly Bugger Maribou Chenille Olive

Overbody/Tail: Olive Rabbit strip

Head: Pale Pink Lazerlights

Product Review - Bill's Wooly Bugger Maribou Chenille

Bill's Crazy Chenille! 

I got this stuff from the local fly shop probably around 2 years ago. I vaguely remember tying one fly with it to try it out. I then threw it in with my other chenille/yarns and promptly forgot about it.

Tonight I was tying some streamer patterns and buggers and stumble on it. I have Bill's Wooly Bugger Maribou Chenille in olive, but it comes in about 2 dozen colors. Anything from Oyster to red.

My new "catch" - some vintage fly gear

Was at the auction the other week (silent auction to be specific) and bid on some old fly gear. Among it was what appeared to be an old Medalist and (what I really had my eye on) a Wright and Mcgill Featherlight fly rod.

The Featherlight was a bust but I did get the Medalist paired with some no name fiberglass rod. The rods most telling feature is that it's brown....The Medalist is a 1494 AK.

Quick research shows that the oldest this will be is 1979. Still, it's in very good shape for being potentially over 30 years old. More research is forthcoming.

What really has my interest is the rod. As mysterious as it is, I would love to learn more about, if only what kind of blank was used. Anyone have any ideas where to start?

New York Trip 2012

I have to say that my trip to Lake Ontario this year was a giant success. The kids got there time in at the beach and we got to relax and get some fishing in. Even broke in a brand new rod (literally.) Big shout out to Fat Nancy's Bait Shop. Very helpful with info and if you need to return a rod 2 hours after you bought it. They didn't laugh once(while I was there.)

The Misses (almost) caught her largest fish to date; a smallie in the harbor that the knot to the hook snapped on just as I was reaching to bring him in. Don't know what jackass tied that knot..............

This trip was especially sweet as I got to fish with my Grandfather, which I haven't done in longer than I can remember.

Enough blather; here's a quick recap.

Me and my fish spine shots....

In the winter this is teeming with salmon. Now, some smallies. (Second rod-notice the UPC still attached. Ha!) 

Fat Nancy. 

Harbor smallie - Schwing!

The Harbor.

Salmon River, near where it empties into Lake Ontario.

The only Sheepshead of the trip- landed by Pop Pop. 

Mr. Stonelfy was checking out of the hotel the same time we did. 

View of the Lake from my Uncles. 

A New York summary and an early Happy 4th

The trip to New York has been great! Lots of relaxing, a bit of fishing, and the calming effect that both bring was much needed. The only bad part is that it was much to short.This is our last night here.
Since we're heading back tomorrow I wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July. Stay cool and stay safe. Internet and phone reception suck, so a more though recounting will come soon, alone with the just almost finished Ultralightweight Championship. But to summarize this trip, all I would say is this:

Great things in the Works

Just  a quick update: I haven't forgotten about the Ultralight Championship posting, pitting a 2wt western rod against a Tenkara rod. Things are just going a little slower than expected.

Having to finish (start) a project that I started (should have started) a month ago and this week I was contacted about a possible new job, so things have been a little faster paced than I expected. Not to mention that I'm going up to my uncles cabin in NY next week, to max relax and hopefully wet a line or two.

So in the meantime hold your horses and watch this. Christmas in July, anyone? (Disclaimer: foul language abounds. But that is offset by the fact that it's a Christmas tree covered in friggin bacon!)

Fly of the Week: the Jungle Beetle

Terrestrials are in full swing right now, so it only makes sense to present one as the FotW. And this is one of the sweetest beetle patterns I've seen in a very long time. If you have some Jungle Cock and a UV torch lying around, you're going to have a lot of fun with this (and if not, just watch anyway. This fly is damn good.)

You'll Always Remember your First

Your first car. Your first kiss. Your first job. The first time you fucked (Hey this is a family blog!) 

Maybe not you're first fish (depending on age) but the first one that mattered. The one that made you realize that there just might be something in trying to slip a piece of steel through a fishes jawbone and showing your mastery of it.

The first time that you realized that this was not the most important thing in fishing.

There is something about your first that's magical. You're first wild trout or your first steelhead. The first never seems to be the biggest fish, the hardest fight or the world class trophy. But it is the most endearing.

Fly of the Week: Texas Rose Muddler

The Fly of the Week this week is the Texas Rose Muddler, a Muddler Minnow variant. This is a very nice variant that I can see working great for warm water fish, but I really wanted to include this video because of the way that he does his half-hitches.  I was taught a way that wraps the thread around your finger but his way, with a little practice, seems to be worlds simpler.

Fly of the Week: Golden Crane Caddis

Use the Crane. There is no defense against it.

This caddis emerger pattern is smooth, silky, and oh so buggy in the water. Fish this one right in the film or just under the surface.

Golden Crane Caddis

Hook: Size 10 (this is a nymph hook but an emerger hook is best. Sorry, I was fresh out.)
Body: Tan Spectrablend
Rib: Copper Wire
Wing: Gold Mallard Flank
Hackle: Partridge

Care to Tanago? The Devolution of Fishing

Fishermen and women go through stages in their lifetime; an evolution map charting their delving into the sport. Most are very similar.

You work at catching any fish you can. Then you target specific fish. Trout. Bass. Tarpon. Carp. Then the biggest versions of said chosen fish you can get your greedy little hooks into.

Some will then deviate via the gear. Ultralight. Only fiberglass. Only Dry flies. Shall I shudder and say tandem rigs? Like monkeys into man we walk the span that most fly fishers already have and will tomorrow. It's evolution.

But it looks like there's a growing number of anglers that are devolving.

I've heard whispers around the Internet and read forbidden texts about a style of fishing where it's not the biggest and the baddest but the smallest and humblest that are the quarry.

Tanago.

I first heard of it on a blog post talking about a Daiwa rod that, to my naivety, I thought was a new Tenkara rod. In a way I was right. But then again I couldn't have been more wrong.

This post linked to one by Tenkarabum(TB). After reading that one I was both shocked and befuddled. Did someone really land a blacknosed dace?? 

TB referred to them as minnow rods and I think that is a very apt description. Very soft rods to feel the power of very small fish.

I can see the appeal. Sort of.

The appeal is that these rods open up those waters small enough to step over; with an environment that is just barely friendlier to life than the surface of Mars. Or those waters that you know get stocker trout but have been overfished and only the fingerlings are left.

Waters you wouldn't have given the time of day to you could now court, romance, maybe even love.

But I would worry about getting that one fish on that is to powerful for these petite rods. A fish that can't be controlled could easily be played to the point of a fatality. And I feel that would be the irresponsibility of the fisherman.

But on waters you know couldn't support fish over the certified size of a dink: oh, the fun to be had!

I don't know if I personally am read to dive into this subspecies of Tenkara quite yet. And as for the bait casting version of this; all I can ask is what kind of bait do you use to catch slightly bigger bait?

But I do look forward to seeing if this mentality of fishing works its way out of the shadows and more anglers embrace devolving.

Billy Bass and my Charlton Heston Impressions

As many of you know, I've been working at putting Tenkara and my 2wt through their paces to determine with one comes out to be the Ultimate in Lightweight Fly Fishing.

This isn't about that. Sort of.

Gee, Scobby, don't look like
fish are in there!

I was out on my local stream last night hitting it with the 2wt. I was here the other week with the Tenkara and figured that the 2wt should have a shot at these waters too. Fair is fair.

I'm not getting into what I did, where I did it and who it was with. That would ruin the surprise. This story starts on the way back from the testing.

Fly of the Week: Tenkara Fly by Davie McPhail

If you fish Tenkara, you know instantly what I'm talking about. And if you don't I'm sure you've seen them; the funny lil dry flies with the hackle the wrong way.

Well, here's a video from Davie McPhail that shows you how to tie one of those funny lil buggers, and he takes it to the next level with a couple of nice details that I think will work great. Enjoy!

Getting hassled by the Man

At least that's what's happening to OJ(Owl Jones, not the other one. Although he seems to have the same problems too...... must be all that white girl killing thing.) Anyway, if you somehow missed it, read the latest episode  here.

To respond, he's created some newfangled what's-it called Communists Conservative Outdoors. We're supposed to stay tuned, so, umm.... stay tuned.

Tenkara, Browns, and a setup for the UL Championship

I really didn't intent to go fishing today. And when the impromptu urge hit me, storm clouds where heavy in the air and the first few patters of rain were hitting my windshield. I had errands to run at the Big W store and I had to pick up a few things from my old house, so I figured that the evening was a wash. (Get it? Raining....wash...... ba dum bum.)

But when I walked out of the old house, the skies were a bright blue, the sun was shining and the storm clouds were almost completely over the horizon. I took it as a sign and decided that the stream at my old honey spot would be just what I need to wash out the bittersweetness I get every time I move more of my things out.

Oops....

Seems some of you were on here while I was working out the kinks for the new design for the blog. Sorry about all that craziness. Hope you guys were laughing while I was cursing.

-A

Getting Social

I've broken down and done it. No nothing illegal.

What I've done it brought Flyfishinado to Social Media.

I'm dabbling my feet in this since Social Media gives me the mixed feeling of eating to many chili dogs prior to getting on the merri-go-round.  So to start I've opened a Twitter account and a Youtube Channel.

Youtube has an action packed video of some trout rising out of a pool on my local beat (well, about as action packed as any video of trout rising can be) and Twitter allows me to zap my inanities straight to you. Day and night. Forever. (I would also like to apologize for everything beforehand. My doctor does say I'm getting better. I promise.)

So let's link up, plug in, or whatever catch words they're using this month, and let the craziness begin.