Blue-winged Olive Martini

Tags

Blue winged olive, mayfly, scotch, spinner

 

Ok, let’s get the technical mumbo jumbo out of the way first.  I tied these BWO spinners, dropped them in a glass of water and snapped their pic with my cell phone.  Why the cell phone?  Why not?  It has more mega-pickle than my Nikon SLR.   So there you have it…you know all my secrets..ha!  The truth is I have been slowly shedding gadgets and gizmos over the past few years.  I don’t carry my SLR everywhere I go like I used to.  I travel light.  I carry fewer flies.  I even quit drinking booze.  I know!  What kind of self respecting outdoors man doesn’t steal a sip of booze from their flask now and then?  Me I guess.  I loved to fish from the first time I held a rod in my hand as a young boy.  It was pure passion.  Somewhere along the line the liquor became more important than the fish.  The passion got diluted in a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red.  At some point I realized I stopped being a fisherman and was just a drunk with a rod in his hand.  It’s kinda like being the guy who cheats in golf.  You don’t think anyone knows…but everyone knows.  So anyway…pour me a nice cold BWO martini.  It’s purity for me from now on.  Wish me luck.  I still dream of scotch.

The Mighty Bean

Tags

Bean Creek, Esox lucius, fly fishing, Hudson, Lenawee County, Pike

The Mighty Bean, a photo by Goyo P on Flickr.

I really dont like labels. But if I had to classify myself as a fisherman, I would say I was a Pike fisherman. I enjoy Bass fishing. I enjoy trout fishing. But I love Pike fishing. In the winter I love catching Pike on a tip-up. I love bringing them in by hand…feeling the weight of the fish. At first I was fascinated by their appearance; forward facing eyes and razor sharp teeth. Later in life I began to appreciate their adaptability. They can survive where others cannot. Pike fishing is much different than trout fishing. For one the environment is different. The rivers and lakes in Lenawee County are too warm for trout. It’s a harsh environment to live. Rivers here are rarely used for recreation. They are a place to drain a field to maximize crop production. Many are inundated with pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers. It’s a miracle anything survives in our rivers. But incredibly fish do survive..and E. Lucius is one of them. Secondly, Pike fishing requires hardware. The flies are BIG and meaty. Leave your 4 wt at home. You’ll need a powerful rod to cast big flies and land monster Pike.

Getting to small creeks like the Bean can sometimes be a challenge. There are no trails or walking paths, no TU signs pointing the way, no benches to rest or public accesses. Along the Bean there are waist high stinging nettles. I tried to stomp them down to protect my bare legs. I climbed over a fallen cottonwood to get to the river. I jumped in and flushed two Kingfishers. They scolded me as they flew upstream. I looked down and noticed muddlers and crawfish darting away. I pulled out my flybox and tied on a conehead muddler. The water felt cool on my legs in the 90 degree heat. Wading upstream was impossible…too many downed trees. So I worked my way downstream. The sandy bottom made it easy. I cast into every deep pool I could. I had a few Pike chase my fly but none would take it. Other pools were covered by fallen trees or overhanging vegetation. After an hour of snagging branches on my back casts I gave up. I waited at the bridge for my friends to return. Sherm caught one Pike. Stuart got skunked. I managed to land a decent sunfish while I waited for them.

Bean Creek runs through Hudson, MI in southwest Lenawee County. For more information about this beautiful watershed visit the Bean/Tiffin Watershed Coalition Website.

“Tenkara” now available on Etsy

Tags

180 degrees, fly fisherman magazine, izaak walton, tenkara

Tenkara, a photo by Goyo P on Flickr.

As featured in the latest issue of Fly Fisherman Magazine.

Quill Parachute PMD’s size 18

Quill Parachute PMD’s size 18, a photo by Goyo P on Flickr.

Every Tuesday evening I go to my friends house to tie flies. Since I’ve been tying a lot of BIG flies lately I felt the need to make a few tiny ones. I have a special fondness for quill bodied flies for some odd reason. They look more natural to me. It probably doesnt make much difference to the fish….but if I like them better I believe I’ll fish them better.

I’ve been trying to get more creative with fly photography….but I still dont take it too seriously. It’s mostly playful experimentation. I like the reflection on this polarized filter I had laying on my studio table. I may try some more reflection style photos the next time I tie dry flies.

Meat Locker

Meat Locker, a photo by Goyo P on Flickr.

So far this year tying flies at the Dexter Pub has been a blast. You dont have to go to many sessions before you realize these aren’t the flies your grandpa used to throw. Greg Senyo stated before his class that all purists should leave now! Ha! It used to ruffle my feathers a little to see so much synthetic material in flies but not anymore. I guess it’s partly because my natural flies are not as effective. With such limited time to fish and the price of gas it’s nice to actually catch a fish when I go fishing. I mean that is why I’m out there.