Vol. 13 No. 34

SQUIRRELLY TUBE FLIES

When I was a boy growing up, the very first game animal I hunted was Squirrels. The woods were full of the big Red Fox Squirrels. Not only were they great sport for a growing lad, they were also very tasty to eat, and on top of that they were a source of fly tying material.

Besides the Red Fox Squirrels, which were pursued in the forests of Oak, Beech and Maple, the northern pine forest had an abundant population of the smaller Pine Squirrels.

TROUT FISHING DURING RUNOFF

One of the problems with early season trout fishing in most waters is the problem with spring run-off. This is a particularly thorny problem in many parts of the west, especially in those years when the snow pack is deeper than normal. Streams can be high, cold and dirty for weeks, and even lakes can be affected from the steady influx of dirty cold water. For a fly fisherman that has waited all winter for a chance to wet a line an extended spring runoff can be excruciating.

DON'T THROW IT OUT

At least don’t throw it out until you have done some very important things. Those things could prevent you from having some difficult situations.

This isn’t about fly fishing, so you can tune out if you wish - but I’ll bet you will encounter this problem yourself at some point.

FUN FUN FUN

Still to wet to try to get the canoe into any ponds and rain is in the forecast so it may take a while. I decided to try a pond that I had not fished for a few years.

The pond had been fished out of bass and the gills had become stunted. I had a friend put in some flathead catfish, but those were caught out in a few years. I had made a large mistake, I think, in putting an article in the local paper asking people to leave the bass and catfish that had been put in the pond. All that happened is that a few folks went back out and fished it down.

ANGLING AND TROUT

It’s a good bet that many modern warm-water anglers have been frustrated at one time or another by a well-meaning person's Angling-Impaired assumptions about fly fishing. Many is the time that a person has seen my fly gear and immediately said, "Oh, you're a trout fisherman, huh?" I'm sure they mean no harm. But why is Angling so tightly associated with trout? I have a few ideas on the subject. Please bear in mind that they are strictly my own ideas, rather than proven fact.

PODCAST #4 Charlie Reading

Dr. Gibson interviews Charlie Reading. Talk centers about planning and fishing the trip you'll remember all your life.

BIVISIBLE MOOSE

This Bivisible pattern has survived the test of time on the water, and is a permanent fixture in my box. I began tying the Brown/Grizzly version with a heavy moose body hair tail to add better floatability. It has fished extremely well for me over the years. It’s a very basic pattern to tie and has become one of my most productive search patterns. It can be easily trimmed to adjust its position in the film by V-notching the grizzly hackle as well. This pattern simply catches fish when others catch more fishermen.