Vol. 14 No. 12

FIRST LIGHT - part 2

Since it's 800 yards from the #23 pool up to the #28 pool, I grab the trout rod, a streamer wallet and I hop into the pickup.

I have a chance to scan the river which runs alongside the regional highway. I hadn’t seen the river on the drive in as it was dark, but in the growing light I can make out the sand bar on the #27. From the length and width of the bar, I can tell that the river is really low, even for the mid summer season.

A FLY FISHING ODYSSEY

What started as a "Wouldn’t it be fun to" may become a reality. Brad and I discussed the possibility of driving to the 2011 Idaho Fish-In while at the Michigan Fish-In. 

I'm retired and single; Brad is married and will be retiring at the end of this year. A trip like this would not be a problem for me but Brad would have to convince his spouse to let him go. 

THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT FISHING

I enjoy reading Rick Zieger's articles about his adventures fishing the farm ponds around his home. His stories about muddy roads, forgotten equipment, and boorish intruders remind me of many of my fishing trips over the years. It seems that this year had more than its share of misadventures for the Ladyfisher and me.

We made three trips to a particular lake that is about 80 miles north of our Montana home, and each trip was , fishing wise, a complete wash. On each of the three trips the wind was the spoiler. It's a reality, especially in many areas of the western United States, that wind can be a real demon. It can make fly fishing a real challenge and sometimes a near impossibility.

YOU'LL NEVER GUESS

I don't want my column here to turn into travel adventures, but on the other hand, I have never lived in Arizona before. My late husband JC and I spent six weeks in Texas on business many years ago and that was something else, and not a holiday at all.

However Trav has lived here for several winters prior to our being married and seems to have a endless number of adventures guaranteed to elicit 'wows' from me. Two this week are especially remarkable.

ORANGE

I had a chance to get out for a couple of hours. That would be time from leaving until having to leave for another function. So I grabbed two rods and took off with two hook boxes of flies. I also had forceps and tipped material with me.

I had flies that I wanted to try, and I had also received some in swaps and such that needed to get wet. I headed to a pond close to town and hiked to the dam.

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF FLY FISHING

Part of the purpose of FAOL is to provide a forum for the decimation of information about fly fishing. There are many great sources of information available to fly fishers in the print media and at a variety of web-based venues.

THE LAST HATCH

(Fiction by Neil M. Travis)

It had been a hard year in trout country. The winter snows had been thin and the spring runoff never really developed. By early summer the streams were low and warm, and the trout were lethargic and spooky in the warm shallow water. The prospects of having any quality fly fishing this season were quickly fading with the last days of summer. I had given up hope of any fall fishing and was preparing to store away my gear for the season when my wife called me to the phone.

MADSEN'S HATCHING CADDIS

Earl Madsen (1895-1964) created this pattern.  Earl was a river guide, a fly tyer, and builder of Au Sable River Boats in Grayling, Michigan.  He created many famous patterns during his lifetime including the Au Sable Skunk, the Madsen’s Barber Pole, The Madsen’s Hex Spinner and the pattern I present to you today, Madsen’s Hatching Caddis, which was probably created between 1920 and 1930.