"Lords of the Fly"

 

In "Lords of the Fly" Monte Burke brings the history of tarpon fly angling and the biggest names in the game to the page in this great accounting of the fish, men, gear, lifestyle, and the fishery that make the amazing sport. A spectacular page turner...

McGuane

"The Longest Silence, A Life in Fishing," was composed by Thomas McGuane some twenty-plus years ago. His essays of both salt and freshwater angling span the globe, as McGuane pursues gamefish that most of us only dream to oneday have on the end of our outfit. Anyone that has spent any time on the water will appreciate how McGuane puts you in the moment; whether it be poling the flats of Key West in search of tarpon, permit or bonefish, or presenting a dry to a fat cutty on a gin-clear Montana stream, it's as if you're there with him, wind at your back, hauling line, presenting, and anticipating the strike. I found this book hard to put down. A great book for the spring season, when most of us are looking for a spot to wet a fly, trying to get our birddogs in order, and anticipating the upcoming fall....

Fishing Kelly Creek

Just returned from a week fishing Kelly Creek in Idaho. A beautiful place with only moderate fishing pressure when we were there. Not peak conditions, but we did find plenty of willing West Slope Cutthroat trout from ten to seventeen inches. Beautiful native fish in their native stream.

Caddis were the main menu items and, as usual, I found that standard dry patterns got more refusals than takes. I did most of my fishing with a soft hackle - a no. 14 Woodcock & Orange.

Albacore - a day off Monterey

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have been spending more time fishing since I bought an 18' Parker skiff. This, of course, was the plan all along.

Wednesday the sea surface temperature, wind forecast and fishing conditions made it possible for my friend Stan and I to launch at Monterey harbor and run 25 miles out to the offshore albacore grounds. In this El Nino year the number of albacore being caught close to shore is up over past years.

So we ran out and reached the temperature break, where the water was 61 - 62 degrees and the sea showed 'offshore' blue water. Set the trolling gear (10mm tuna feathers in 'squid' colors) and about 10 am we got our first albacore. It was exciting to see such a wild and beautiful creature appear out of the depths. Shortly after we had fish on all three lines and it was chaos - the good kind of chaos. 

After a couple hours the cooler was completely full of gutted, headless fish on ice, and we had three more fish head down in the 30 gallon bait tank. We were out of room for fish - save the blood covered deck. We decided to troll back to the break and head in. On the way we found a promising edge with weed, birds and current and had to stop and fish. Stan cut up our anchovy baits and squid that were regurgitated from the albacore already landed and started a chum line. Then he picked up his fly rod and cast a squid fly on a sinking shooting head while I fiddled with cleaning up the mess on the boat. Seconds later he was fast to a nice 23 pound albacore on a nine weight rod... a rod well suited to small striped bass or steelhead. Not everyday that you can hook blue water tuna on a fly rod - especially off central California.

We had a wonderful day of fishing and, after processing, over 60 pounds of excellent albacore loins, filets, and belly flaps for many meals this Fall.

A fish story

So, Pete and I are in la Ventana, BCS, Mexico for some fishing. We talked about catching a worthy Roosterfish, and it worked out that we did, on Tuesday morning.

I get a boat

I recently bought a fishing boat - an eighteen foot Parker center console. I love to fish, and living where I do there are few places that I can get to, fish, and return home the same day - unless I have a boat.

They say that a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money - kind of like field trialing. In any case, I have the boat and will now start fishing one or two days a week. 

Pete, Bob and I will be taking the boat to Baja del Sur in June for a bit of fishing, cerveza, and Mexican food. 

I have fished his area before and the fly fishing should be very good for dorado, tuna, roosterfish and several other gamey species. Now I want to do this in my own boat, under my own steam. We are pumped for the trip...

CA revised striped bass regs shot down

At a meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission today, the proposed regulations I wrote about last week failed to pass in a reported 0 yea - 4 nay vote.

Hear, hear!

Now, if we can figure out a way NOT to de-water the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta, maybe we will have a productive and continuing fishery.

In the beginning...

Once you're hooked...


I can see now where my life took the first turn towards the outside. My first fish, caught from a dock during a family vacation at Clear Lake in Northern California a lifetime ago.


My dad took the photo, and I have always treasured it.

Works as advertised

When Pete and I were in Oregon we did take a day to fish. The rod I recently bought from High Sierra Rod Co. (the 8' 3" 5 wt. 'Penta' cane rod) was really lovely to fish with. We threw some big October Caddis dries and were rewarded with some decent fish. Just after this photo was taken I slipped and dunked my digital camera. I was able to rescue some of my photos. This proves that my luck was not all bad.

Fishing the Sierra back country

Our extended family & friends spent the past week camping in the Sierras (near the Pickel Meadows Marine Corp training camp for those who know the territory). My cousin and I both purchased float tubes before the trip and made a couple of day hikes to lakes that were a bit off the beaten track. An uninflated float tube fits perfectly within an old external frame Kelty. I'd never tubed before and had a great time floating the lakes, mostly tossing nymphs (thanks Mike).

However, the trout were not cooperative. We both caught plenty of small rainbows on flies in the local rivers but could not even get a strike in the lakes. Finally I gave in to frustration. I switched from my old Pflueger to a spinning reel, attached a mid-size spinner, and began trolling the deep areas of the lake. The results we incredible ...

In the space of an hour I had three strikes and landed two trout, the first 17" and the second 18", each well rounded, probably weighing a bit over two pounds. Prior to this the biggest trout I had caught in the area was 13", and the biggest I had ever heard of was only 15". Wow.

The experience was bittersweet though. I nearly always catch and release in the Sierras but the second trout did not recover. I was using very light tackle (appropriate for the "normal" trout in the area ) and the 5-minute fight exhausted this fine fish. I spent 10 minutes trying to get her swimming again but finally put her on a stringer. Back in camp, we shared the filets for lunch and they were delicious - orange and firm. I also collected 4 or 5 ounces of roe and will try my hand af making caviar.

Hope others are also enjoying these weeks before the bird season kicks off again.

Fishing in Baja California

Every July I think of Baja. I have made occasional trips there, to Loreto and LaPaz to fish at Punta Arenas de la Ventanas. We have had some rare times there and caught dorado, sailfish, roosterfish, striped marlin, skipjack, bonita, cabrita, and many other species. My friend Bill Cleveland hooked a whale (a humpback, if I remember correctly) while wrestling a tuna to the boat, and the whale stripped  line until 'Pop!' and he was gone, along with the tuna. 

The yellowfin tuna in the picture above was caught using conventional 30 lb. tackle trolling a live bonito, which was caught earlier on fly tackle. This is a lot like being hooked to a horse... straight out and down, then an hour or so of getting the fish in while it does pretty much what it wants. I gave this fish to my pangero, Beto, who reported the next day that it weighed 56 kilos after being bled and gutted. This is not the biggest tuna in the gulf, but I don't really want to catch any that are bigger. 

We actually release most of the fish we catch, but usually give one to the pangero 'Para su comida'. The pangero can sell a fish like this one for much more than he makes taking us fishing. We usually fish from 6 AM 'til 1 PM or so, as it is very hot in July. On the ride back to LaPaz it is good to stop at a cantina in Juan des Planes and have a couple of achingly cold Modelo Especials right from the cooler. I love Mexico.      Photo by Clair Kofoed

Flyrod Technicana

Spent time yesterday with Larry Tusoni of High Sierra Rod Company at his great old stone building and shop in Angel's Camp, CA. His partner, Charles Irvine, had built a small stream rod for me in the late 90's, but I have sold my vintage Gary Howells 5 weight, and needed a replacement rod for the usual pocket water fishing I find on my favorite stream, the McCloud.

After casting an eight foot six weight rod of Larry's design, I ordered a 8' 3" five weight 'penta' 5 strip fluted butt dry fly rod. It will have a medium fast action, but a slow enough tip to throw a downstream wiggle cast. Most bamboo rods built today are 6 strip rods and Larry is one of the few people who make 5 strip rods. 

Here's the technicana part - a diagram and a quote from Nat Uslan of Spring Valley, New York.

Why Five Strip Construction? by Nat Uslan - August, 1974

When anything bends -- be it a tree in the wind -- an automobile spring -- an archer's bow -- or a fly rod, the material lying along the outside of the curve is stretched, while that along the inside is compressed. Were it not for the fact that every little element comprising, for example, the tree trunk were intimately united by nature, each would slide upon the next, thus enough so, in fact that but few glues in existence can equal its srength. The tendency of one element to slide over the next, while the rod is bent, is most pronounced along a line joining opposite corners of a rod built of an even number of strips.

Therefore the glue line is called upon to resist the strongest internal stresses, a situation precisely the reverse of a proper arrangement. The simple expedient of substituting five slightly wider strips restores order. No continuous straight glue line extends through the center of the five strip rod section. The heavy sliding stresses are then borne by the bamboo rather than glue.

In other words, a five strip rod is stronger and more resilient than a six strip rod, and thus, need not be as thick or heavy - that's the theory, anyway. Being a romantic and sucker for arcane technology, I ordered a new fly rod. Should be ready in six to nine months.

I feel Summer coming

About this time of year the sun starts to stay longer, daylight time kicks in, fruit trees blossom, and I feel Summer coming. Of course, my thoughts turn to trout fishing. Perhaps I will tie some flies and mess with my tackle a bit to hold off an ill-conceived, too early trip to somewhere for marginal Spring fishing in a run-off swollen river.

On a Western Tour trip with my grandsons a couple years ago we stopped for a few days on the Selway River in central Idaho. The water was clear as Absolut, the Westslope Cutthroats were dashing 4 or 5 feet from the bottom to take my Royal Wulff on the surface.

I feel Summer coming.