Vol. 13 No. 38

BLUEGILL ROMANCE

Thiboux’s country cousin Bubba came to visit New Orleans and they decided to take in one of the Creole restaurants.

A young shapely waitress came over and asked, “Are you ready to order?”

“Yep,” Bubba replied, “I’d like a quickie.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“I’d like a quickie,” he repeated.

“Sir.  This is New Orleans, but even here, that request is insulting. I’ll come back when you are ready to order from the menu,” she said and walked away.

Thiboux leaned over to Bubba and said, “It’s pronounced ‘Quiche.’”

FISHING STREAMERS IN STILL WATERS

There is more to using streamers in stillwaters than tying on a Woolly Bugger, Muddler Minnow or Zonker and casting willy‑nilly about.

Streamers can be used as both imitative patterns and as attractors. But the first step in understanding the proper use of streamers in the stillwater environment is understanding the food chain. If there are forage fish (minnows) such as dace or fathead minnows present in reasonable numbers then you may be using the streamer as an imitative pattern, providing that the trout species in the stillwater are of the type that prey an forage fish as a matter of course.

ROAD TRIP

On Memorial Day, after we helped put out the American flags in our local park at 6 A M, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at our local truck stop and then hit the road for our first road trip since we got back to Montana.

The weather was marginal with a partly cloudy sky and a stiff breeze out of the south. The temperatures were in the mid-50’s and the weather man was promising rain by the afternoon. Everything here is very late. In the lower elevations the trees are just beginning to put out leaves, and most of the mountains are still completely covered with snow. Run off started on some of the major rivers early in May and then the weather turned cool and wet which shut off the run off. In some of the higher mountains we have been adding to the snow pack as recently as last week.

SLACK LINE - YOUR ENEMY

You’ve heard it before, line control is everything. It is THE thing which makes a cast work, proper line control.

What does that mean?

You’ve made a nice forward cast upstream and you’ve retrieved your fly line as it comes back toward you. Now you’re ready to make another cast. Just like trying to move the lawn sprinkler by grabbing the hose and pulling it, the sprinkler doesn’t move until all the hose between you and the sprinkler are tight - until all the slack is gone.

QUICK TRIP

I had several things to do on a day off. I had many of them done and was getting ready to work on the last couple of things when I came into the house to get a drink of water. The phone rang and being the good guy that I am I answered it.

It was one of the folks that I work with. He was in town and wondered if I wanted to go fishing for a while. He had about two hours before he needed to head home. I told him that I would meet him in about 15 minutes and we would head for a pond.

LaFontain's Legacy

Recently we spoke to Al and Gretchen Beatty about providing a fly pattern for the Fly of the Week. They graciously sent us “The House Fly” which we featured in our last issue. [May 31 – June 7] A few days later a package arrived in our mail box and it was copy of “LaFontaine’s Legacy” by Al and Gretchen Beatty. While not a new release [copyright 2008] it was new to me, and I thought it was possible that other fly fishers had missed this publication.

IMPROVING YOUR FLY CASTING

Those who wish to improve their fly casting, should first inspect their equipment, before signing up for fly casting instruction.  Few days ago I posted something on the bulletin board in response to someone wanting input about paying for fly casting lessons.  There were some FAOL members who get paid for fly casting lessons, and I think I might have gored their cow, from their response to my posting.   I am opinionated, just as everyone else, with their own opinions.  But I speak from my experiences in life, and learning from my mistakes…over the past 62 years.  PS:  I was a Senior Instructor in the U.S. Army, so I know how to teach someone properly so they succeed.

JC’s SALMONFLY

Just over a year ago, late May ’09, I was on the Henry’s Fork down in SE Idaho and took an opportunity to capture (and quickly release) an adult salmonfly. I held on only long enough to get a couple good pictures, including one of his undersides – what I like to call the fishies’ point of view.