Another exciting fly angling prospect is the yearly spawn of local warm water species. We have already noticed the largemouth bass taking advantage of warmer water temps by moving into shallow dark bottom areas of our local ponds to seek out unwary baitfish. This early activity will be followed by the crappie spawn affording anglers crushing strikes on well-presented flies.
It's time to go outside and play...
]]>I have a Winston LT 5-Weight rod and it's probably the most versatile rod I own.
]]> I have a Winston LT 5-Weight rod and it's probably the most versatile rod I own. I have used it to fish for Bass in North Carolina and Trout in Wyoming and Colorado. I love it. It's a five-piece rod, so I can take it anywhere. It's Medium-Fast action so I can comfortably use it to fish dries or nymphs. Streamers for Bass were even fun. It has a good, progressive taper so I can make close casts as easily and precisely as long-distance casts. Do other dry-fly-specific rods present the dry more delicately? Yes. Do other fast action rods cast farther more easily? Yes. But, if I were to own just one rod it would be my LT.For the past few years I’ve made a point of wearing breathable hipwaders whenever possible. In fact, I’ve been able to convince a few of my fishing buddies to do the same.]]>
The Dan Bailey breathable hippers are by far the best example of hipwaders I’ve had the pleasure to use. Besides functioning flawlessly, they have a few features that just make them that much better. For starters, the neoprene feet are actually made IN THE SHAPE OF A FOOT. Seems obvious, but not all waders are. This adds immensely to the comfort as there is not an excess amount of extra material bunching up in the boot. They have integrated gavel cuffs with Velcro tabs for drawing them tight. As a fly fisher with several sets of unused gravel cuffs piled on my book shelf, I find these simple and very quick to use.
All gravel cuffs serve a purpose, but having them in place to tighten after your boots are tied is a snap. There is also a Velcro tab at the top of each leg that allows you to adjust the fit, and prevent the waders filling with water too quickly when you do finally go a little too deep and get a soaker! If you’re a little more flexible than I am, attaching the strap that holds these up to your belt is probably pretty easy. Therein lies the only drawback to these waders. A closure that can be looped around your belt and closed with one hand would be ideal. The plastic buckle they use is a two- handed job, but I opt for threading my belt through. Minor inconvenience in an otherwise great product.
Rob O'Reilly
]]>What do fly fishing guides do with time off?...... They find new places to fish.
]]>2. Hollywood Celebrities complete the acquisition of south western Montana, turn their eyes on Wyoming and Idaho.
3. THe national guide-to-client ratio finally reaches 1:1.
4.Bill Dance takes over the Walker's Cay Chronicles.
5. Two words: Designer breatheables.
6. Hordes of teenyboppers take up the sport, following the runaway success of MTV's "Pimp My Drift boat."
7. The Micro-Nano, the world's first subatomic fly rod, debuts at the FFR Show.
8. Lefty gets tangled in his own backcast, Dick Talleur loses the ability to dub, and Bill Tapply starts an article with the sentence "Well, dude, we were, like, you know, fishing this one time, and we, like, got totally bored and, like, whatever."
9. A River Runs through it becomes a Broadway musical starring Nathan Lane.
10. Cortland introduces the 666 series of fly lines.
Courtesy of American Angler, May 06'
Bump
]]>Being a "fly guy," bugs have never bothered me, but it took me a few times of fishing this hatch to get used to them even landing on me. When the hatch begins it looks like a multitude of B52 bombers flying above your head. It’s a bizarre feeling to catch a brawny trout and feel the stoneflies crawling around in it’s belly before you release it.
My favorite area to fish the Henry’s is around the power dam at Ashton, it turns the water below into a tail water. The water temperature is constant providing a fertile environment for abundant aquatic life. I believe this part of the river is richer than any place else, including Box Canyon. Even though it doesn’t enjoy the protection of special regulations, there are still plenty of large trout.
The snow pack this year was impressive leading to what should prove to be a LONG runoff. Generally the "Stones" begin to emerge toward the end of May. Every year depending upon runoff the hatch times vary with water level and temperature. My advice is to try and hit the hatch at the beginning. The hatch can last a couple of weeks and eventually turn into a artificial hatch for a few day’s, but the fish seem to be much more aggressive at the beginning of the hatch. You can imagine that it doesn’t take many "Stones" to fill up a 16 inch trout so try to be on the water before the hatch kicks off for the day. If anyone is interested we’ll keep you updated on the blog of the runoff’s progress, so you can be there when the action begins.
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