Vol. 13 No. 15

USING CRAFT FUR FOR HACKLE

There is no question about it. Small flies catch fish, and sometimes they work when nothing else will. Granted, large flies, as a rule, catch large fish. Bass and stripers love a nice mouthful of #4 Woolley Bugger with thick hackle, and a huge tuft of marabou. But what if the place you’re fishing has mostly sunfish and crappie, and you still want to use a Woolley Bugger (arguably one of the most successful fly patterns ever designed, for all species…at least in fresh water)?

THINNING THE HERD

As I was putting away one of my fly rods after a recent trip, I got to thinking about the different rods that I own. Now depending on your perspective, if you were to take a look at the number of fly rods I have, you might think that I own too few or have acquired too many. And some of you would argue that you can never own too many fly rods. Whatever side of the stream you are on sooner or later you’ll ask yourself, do I really need this many fly rods not to mention do I really want that many fly rods.

BE IT RESOLVED

Here it comes ready or not. A New Year is upon us. Some among us will be compelled to make New Year’s resolutions, those hasty decisions that we make when, upon looking at our life, we decide that change is in order. If you find yourself in that condition might I offer a few suggestions?

WHAT’S THE RIGHT THING?

We get a number of magazines, about four on fly fishing. One actually isn't 'just' fly fishing, but they always manage to have something... it is the Fishing Tackle Retailer. It just happens to be one of those trade magazines sent to fly shops and media outlets where someone might actually give them a little space. Some are better than others, but the September issue had some really neat stuff.

INFORMANT

The phone rings at FBI headquarters.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this the FBI?"

The New Scientific Angling

Reed Curry's book, The New Scientific Angling - Trout and Ultraviolet Vision, brings up another twist into the age old question of how fish, specifically trout, see and perceive the world around them. More specifically it raises the question of how trout see and perceive food items, and how the anglers might enhance their chances of fooling trout into taking their artificial by incorporating materials that have a UV signature.

CLARET SCOTT

I've found only three references to this fly, a recipe in Hardy's Salmon Fishing, another mention in an article written for Bailey's magazine some time between 1860 and 1910 and a third listing in The Catalogue of Hardy's Angling Specialties, as a good fly for the Forth and Teith. The fly is called either the Claret Scott or the Claret Jock Scott depending on the publication.

KG's IMPROVED SHOP-VAC

This is my version of the Shop-Vac fly developed by Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT. I always liked the fly, but I like to fiddle with things and this is the result of my experimentation.