Skeena Steelhead is not a book about fishing for steelhead. There are no tips on how to catch steelhead, no fly patterns, and no suggestions on places to fish. However, if you are interesting in steelhead and the continuation of this wonderful fish you will find this book to be of great interest.

The day was overcast, a thin mist was gently falling and yet the air was warm, with no noticeable wind. A day like this is the exception rather than the rule here on the waters of Montana. We sat on the edge of the drift boat watching the smooth flowing flat before us with eager anticipation for the first signs of the emergence.

Not every fisherman has the luxury of just being able to pack up and go. Family, work and social obligations take up most of our time. Chasing that pay check and working for that retirement is a top priority. The occasional week end fishing trip on a trout stream is a rare indulgence, especially considering the cost of the equipment and the trip. The chances of taking an extended trip are remote at best. But mentally I plan anyway. I've bought the guide books, talked to my fishing buddy and have even been tucking some money away for a few years. I'm finally going to make the time; Destination - the 'Great Smoky Mountains National Park!'

After we got home from church my wife suggested to me that it might be a good idea for me to head for a pond. It had been a stressful morning. Stress or not, who am I to argue with a chance to go to the water?

This was one of those Sundays that my wife suggested that I head to a pond to have some time to unwind. It had been one of those weeks and I would just as soon not remember it. However, it had rained some so I was not sure that many of the ponds were accessible.

Strolling down the first isle of tyers and booths at the international fly tying show near my home, I found myself unconsciously in "carnival mode". Carnival mode is that place you go to mentally when walking past a line-up of folks hocking their wares and trying to sell you something, should you foolishly make eye contact with them. And while despite the fact that I know it won't be that way at this particular event, I think it still kicks in for me in self-defense due to the crowds.

Weighted wire for adding to the shank of the hook, is normally applied to subsurface fly patterns for two reasons…

1. Faster decent of the fly pattern beneath the water surface.

2. To even the balance of the dressed hook, compensation for the anchor effect on the hook of the hooks bend components of the hook.

I have recently spent some time checking out the latest and greatest new rods, reels, lines and various other "must have items" that were presented at the latest Fly Tackle Dealers Show. Then we received an article from Warren Patterson "Are We Making Fly-fishing Too Difficult?" [FAOL – October 10, 2011] Warren asked an excellent question, "How much do we really need to know about the 'technical' side of fly fishing before we can start doing it? My follow-up question is: "Have We Lost Our Way?"

In the seventies, I began to construct artificial flies, hoping to find the right way to get flies of good quality. After so many years, I think I've find how to get what he wanted: the right way, at least for me, is simplicity.

I understand that the commonplace, according to which an assembly is the most bizarre and difficult to implement and more valid is a stupidity.

In my opinion, the model of a fly to be born from a simple idea and should be easy to achieve.

The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum is planning an expanded educational center at its location in Livingston Manor, New York. The expanded unit will include the Catskill Rodmakers Heritage Craft Center, and a permanent Wulff Gallery Exhibit area. This is scheduled to be a 3,200 square foot addition to the existing Paul Dahlie Education Building.
For more information visit the website as www.cffcm.net.

For fly fishers in the Northeast the Catskill Fly Fishing Center will be hosting a fly tying exposition at their center at Livingston Manor, New York on February 11th. 50 fly tyers will share new patterns and techniques. Contact the Catskill Fly Fishing Center at 845-439-4810 for more information.