This week's fly is from Ronnie McKee (aka - stumphunter)

The pictures are crisp. The instructions are clear and simple, and this is a job well done. We are looking forward to more submissions from Ronnie and other new contributors.

I spoke with a good friend and fishing partner a few days ago, and he informed me of the new vest he had just purchased. A good piece of gear as far as vests go, I acknowledged as much and congratulated him on the recent purchase. However, after the meeting my mind began to work as well. Over the past few years I had actually migrated from a vest of many years, towards a hip/chest bag. My reasoning was mainly for the purposes of heat through the summer.

It had rained hard one night. We got nearly two inches. Not enough to break the drought, but enough that driving into a pond could be a problem. The rain came so fast that a lot of it ran into the ponds. This made the water a little murky. Still it was time to fish.

I headed out with two boxes of flies and graphite and boo rod. Most of the flies were ones that I had received or experiments I had tied up. I hiked in so I  would come in at one end of the dam.

Anyone who has read any of my personal work fully understands my devotion and interest in the history of fly fishing, therefore in my opinion this is one of the most outstanding published works on the history of this great sport that has been published to date. Normally I do not mention the authorship of the forward or the preface in my reviews, however in this case I believe it to be important as Fred Buller is one of the leading angling historians in the United Kingdom and the same can be said for John Betts in the United States.

The subject that I am about to cover, is not sexy; and it will not help to better understand the trout. However, it may impart the knowledge that will allow you to enjoy your days on the trout stream more completely. To me, fly fishing is fun and I do not care for those few individual who display bad manner and loud poor talk on a trout stream that I am fishing. However, it is possible that these boorish individual have never been educated in the proper etiquette and manner to be used on the trout streams of the world. Therefore I wish to share the following information.

Although up-stream Shotgun Nymphing will produce trout anywhere along DePuy's all through year, I usually carry one more type of "shotgun". It was because of infamous Southern or Southwestern winds in Paradise Valley. I again use the Middle Section of DePuy's as a case study for the "classroom of fly-fishing". The Middle Section flows like US Hwy 89 North-bound. So casting up-stream means one is facing and casting against winds. As a Livingston resident, I don't complain (or whine) over the winds. As an angler I can handle wind most of the time. One trick I apply all the time is to increase my casting-stroke, which is basically sending more power into my system (line-leader-flies) by adding extra speed and momentum to my regular casting form.

Roosterfish are native to the pacific from San Clemente, CA to Peru and the Galapagos Islands but rare north of Baha. We have tried for them in other places but this trip was just inside the Sea of Cortez north of Cabo and south of La Paz. The book says they go to five feet and up to 80 pounds. Attitude is not mentioned.

Many fly fishers live to fish the big major hatches. They dream of hitting that one perfect day when that dream hatch blankets the water and every trout in the stream has its nose poked through the surface film sipping them in like a hog at a trough. Been there and done that, and if they had a shirt for it I would have one, however, as wonderful as it is to witness such a natural phenomenon the fishing under such conditions are often less than spectacular.