My Winter Escape

[Ramble]

Once again I am trapped between the hard and soft water fishing seasons. The winter semester has also begun for school, which manages to further limit any fishing opportunities to weekends when proper conditions do exist. I am however left with one, glimmer left on the metaphorical horizon…my fly tying. I can remember back when I was around 9 years old and dad bought his/my 1st fly rod. Neither of us really knew what we were doing exactly but that wasn’t really the point. An instructional video, and a glance at a couple black and white illustrations later, and we were out at the river experiencing the finer points of a “back cast” and hooking trees with the best of them.

 

That Christmas Santa brought me my 1st vice and accompanying paraphernalia. Much to my mother’s dismay, I began hoarding large amounts of strange animal products, as well as raiding her sewing kit for string. I spent hours at the vice tying weird and wonderful creations, most of which would never touch the water. But in my mind I could see each of them in the corner of a hungry trout’s mouth.

 

We would spend hours at Milford in Prince Edward County catching 3 inch sunfish, after 3 inch sun fish on the fly at the millpond. Dad would spend more time dozing in the shade then fishing as I recall. Over the years spin casting took over, with fly rod rarely leaving the wall…but I kept tying flies. Then when I was about 15 I got back into it again...why exactly I can’t remember. Now I was more coordinated and was a much better at casting.

 

Every spring at the end of May I would head up to the Algonquin area with my grandmother and my sister and stay just outside of the park. On one of these trips we stopped at Tea Lake Dam picnic area in the park and I broke out the fly rod. Later that day I met a lady and her husband who were fishing the area for brook trout. She lives around Huntsville and at the time held some fly tying classes. We fished together for about 20 minutes and then she had me up in the parking lot teaching me how to cast. Seems I hadn’t improved much since I was 9. Forty minutes later and I had a proper cast, a couple of new flies from her private collection, a new definition for stripping and the roll cast under my belt. This was probably the single most important moment in my fly fishing career…certainly the most valuable.

 

The next morning we showed up that the picnic around 9 am. I set out with purpose on this day, and I had a new mylar fly tied on the end of my line that I was confident in. On my third cast I had a fish. I can still remember the runs and the sun filtering through the trees….every detail is still burned into my mind. That 1st fish was a beautiful brookie about 14 inches long. It was the most beautiful fish I had ever seen. All the excitement had hardly died down… when it all happened again on the very next cast with a similar fish. I was hooked for life at that point.

 

Since those early days in my fly fishing career I have learned lots of lessons…about fish and fly fishing. However…I’m not sure I’m any better at it. One of my favorite lessons I learned is a simple one. Everything eats aquatic insects. I now fly fish for all kinds of species: trout, bass, pike, panfish, suckers, carp and fallfish. Early season I target suckers and fallfish since there is very few trout streams around my area.

Fallfish

 

 

 

Then I add on pike and carp in May…although I have a poor success rate for both on the fly. August means bass and whatever else will cooperate.

 

When the opportunity arises I also do some casting for trout.

 

Like the species list, my equipment list has also grown. I have 2 two rods. a 5/6 weight, and 8/9 weight. Neoprene chest waders and I’m in the market for a 2nd, light weight set. Also I have a float tube, and am figuring out the finer points of casting from a canoe.

 

But getting back on topic, I love to tie flies. Since I began I’ve up graded my vice, and now have a wide range of tying materials that is still growing. I am not above scrounging road kill….I may have a raccoon skin stretching in the shed at my parents place from last summer. I find the raccoon fur makes a good dubbing for big meaty flies.

 

Here are a couple of raccoon dubbing flies. The White nymph is rabbit fur.

 

 

When I start off a tying session I usually tie a couple of fun streamers, poppers, or bright nymphs for fun. Then I get down to business and tie some that are a little more boring to tie but I like to use. I have a hard time tying the exact same pattern in a row so each time I’m tying I work in 2 or 3 flies of the same type into each session.

 

 

 

 

Personally I love tying and fishing with poppers for bass. Smallies on surface flies can keep my attention all day long…and size doesn’t matter.

 

Here is a picture of two poppers that had a rough season.

 

 

This popper is one of my best producers and needed some attention this summer. Some 3/0 thread a layer of 5 minute epoxy and it was back in action!

 

 

 

Here is some more pictures.

 

 

Here are a couple of Tom Thumbs that have seen more the one tour of duty.

 

 

Here are some other poppers I ties and painted.

 

 

Some streamers of different types.

 

 

Pike Flies

 

 

Big Top water Flies

 

 

Big Marabou Streamers

 

 

Small(er) Marabou Streamers

 

 

Nymphs

 

 

Foam Flies

 

 

One of my favourite dry fly patterns I sure when caddis or similar flies are hatching.

 

 

Large bead-head bugger in the vice.

 

 

Here’s a pretty red one.

 

 

I’ve been playing around with a very simple pattern for suckers, fall fish and panfish...here are some examples. I may need to shotren the tail.

 

 

 

Here I am going at it over Christmas break. Note the all the “stuff” on the table top.

 

 

I thoroughly enjoy fly fishing and fly tying. It takes a bit of work to learn bit it is WELL worth it. If you are of the opinion that fishing isn’t really about the fish, this may be just the hobby you’ve been looking for.

 

Feel free to post some pictures of your favourite flies if you have some photo's of them.

 

 

 

Till next time.

 

-Ramble On

[b2kptbo]

Nice work, I like the little poppers...

[mistyriver1]

Nice work. I'm with b2kptbo, I like those poppers.

 

I got into making my own muskie baits last winter, you're right is a great past time.

[mepps]

Nice job! I hope to start tying flys one of these days.

[Hookset]

Great post,

 

The lady from Huntsville sure started something didn't she ?

Proves that some time spent passing on wisdom from old to young is priceless.

I wonder if she knows the impact she had...

 

 

Hookset.

[poobah]

Great Job!! Fly tying is alot of fun, especially in the off season.

Here's a link you might enjoy, hundreds of patterns, and all with step by step pics.

 

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/archive.html

[Ramble]

Hey Hookset...I think she had some idea of what she was doing. She gave me all the tools i needed to hook myself on fly fishing. She was one of those people you meet that you know there is more too them then meets the eye, and at the same time you are comfortable around them at once.

 

Thanks for the link poobah....that's going to come in really handy.

 

-Ramble