Friday Angler Interview- Mike Daley a.k.a The Rusty Spinner

(Editorial note- Again, this was not published on Friday- between Blogger being down for over 30 hours this week and a lot to do, I was not able to post this interview on Friday... but I will still keep striving to get interviews done on Fridays when I am able to!)

Hendrickson hatch brownie

One of the great things about the interwebs are the ability to network with other folks with similar interests. I was very fortunate to have been introduced to Mike Daley who writes a popular blog called The Rusty Spinner. We share a lot in common and have had a lot of conversations- but not in person yet! Mike is a great angler that I look forward to spending some time with. He has is own take on things and tends not to mince words too. Check out his blog when you have the chance.

How did you get your start in fly fishing?

I started fly fishing the way so many other bug chuckers do; my father taught me. That is to say that he taught me as best he could. My dad was never a fly fisherman, but for whatever reason, he put a fly rod in my hand when I was just six years old. I distinctly remember catching my first trout on a fly that year. It was July of 1979, and an eight inch Battenkill brown took my hendrickson dry just downstream of what is now the covered bridge museum in Shushan. My great-aunt and uncle owned a home there, and I spent nearly every weekend that summer trying to repeat the miracle. i don't remember it happening. Everything aside from Dad's initial casting lessons came from books and time on the water.

You grew up in an area of New York that is noted for some great fishing and you fished hallowed waters (the Battenkill) from an early point. How would you rate the river today compared to yesteryear?
 

Yesteryear? Wow, am I really old enough to have fished in yesteryear? I guess I am. (yes Mike, you are...)

Truth be told, the Battenkill has never been quite the fishery that its reputation suggests. That isn't to say that there aren't a lot of fish. The fish are most certainly there. That isn't to say that there aren't some big fish. They're also there, and in surprising numbers. What characterizes the Battenkill - and to my memory has always characterized the Battenkill - is that the fishing can be very, very difficult.

One of the problems facing the river is a general lack of mid-stream and bank-side cover. As a consequence of this, crystal-clear water, and relatively high fishing pressure and recreational use, the fish are extraordinarily wary. Nowhere else in the country have I seen a seven inch brookie follow a #20 BWO imitation for seven or eight feet downstream, only to turn away at the last moment. I've always been of the opinion that if an angler can catch fish in the Kill, then he or she can slay them just about anywhere else.

I'll take a moment here to say just how pleased I am with all the work being done on the Vermont side of the river. The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, and the Orvis company have devoted enormous sums of money and quite a bit of time to improving the fishery. Over the past two or three years, they've been installing woody debris along the river's banks. This is what is needed to reduce mortality (as a result of predation) among yearling fish. The state stopped stocking the river years ago, and installed no-kill regulations along much of the river's length. The result is a burgeoning population of native brook trout, and more frequent catches of young browns, which were rare a few years ago (again as a result of predation ... damn mergansers).

Dry fly upstream, nymph with indicator, wet fly swung or stripped streamer? (and why?)

I love it all, but if conditions are right I will always run a streamer first. There are few things I've experienced as a fly flinger, that I think compare to the thrill of a big fish attacking a big fly. And it's not only the initial take that so impresses me, but also the visual nature of the experience. Just as it's a thrill to see the upturned snout of a large brown trout take a dry off the top, so too is it a thrill to see a large fish charge through the water in pursuit of a stripped streamer. The experience has - with some frequency - left me shaking, smiling, and disappointed all at the same time.

Hendricksons are coming off right now and it seems like you are having way too much fun out on the river… is this your favorite hatch of the year or is there another that gets you just as excited?

Sulphurs, drakes, olives, trikes, and ephrons ... I love them all, but there is something special about the Hendrickson hatch. In my neck of the woods, the Hendrickson is the first mayfly to emerge that has the effect of bringing genuinely large trout to the surface. It is also the first hatch after what has been a long, cold winter. I look forward to it for months, and have been known to grade my whole season based on the strength of the Hendrickson hatch.

You just joined the switch rod revolution. So Che Guevara, tell me what you think of it and some applications you are thinking about beyond the typical anadromous fish that are normally targeted with these rods.

Steel!

Che was a maniac and a murderer, and every teenager who wears a Che T-shirt should be punched square in the face - by a twenty year-old Mike Tyson - for idolizing the devil. (See? I told you Mike doesn't fool around...)

Having said that ... switch rods are sublime fishing tools. They are versatile in ways that single-handed rods simply cannot be, and as such, their application goes well beyond steelhead and salmon. I fish my 11' 8# switch for run-of-the-mill stream trout. Even though the rod is marked as an 8# and throws a 450 grain line with authority, it has an incredibly soft tip and allows me to play smaller fish as I would with a 4# or 5# singlehander. I can perform single speys, double speys and snap-Ts with little effort, and all these casts come in handy when there isn't room for a backcast (there often isn't any room on the rivers I fish). I also use the rod when fishing from my pontoon boat. The added length helps me keep line off the water, and to get just that much more distance when I really need it. This is a bonus when carp fishing, and getting too close is sure to spook the fish.

Many folks come to you with questions about Orvis CFO reels and indeed your blog has a section devoted to these classics. How did you get into them?

When I was a boy - and to a certain degree even now - I was fascinated by fishing magazines and catalogues. I remember having once sent away one of those little cards Orvis used to include in so many publications. You know the ones ... three dollars for ten flies, a fleece fly wallet, and a three dollar coupon on an order. Well, I sent away the card, included three dollars cash in the envelope, and have received an Orvis catalogue ever since (shrewd marketing). 

Those catalogues were my first introduction to the CFO, and I have admired the reel ever since. I started my collection when I went to work for Orvis in the old red clap-board store in Manchester, Vermont. The new store is beautiful, but I've some really fond memories of the old place.

What makes CFO reels so special to you?

The CFO is special for several reasons. Foremost, it is an incredibly simple yet efficient piece of engineering. It does its job incredibly well. I like to think of the CFO as the Hardy Lightweight perfected. It uses a check mechanism that is similar to the Hardy reel, but the CFO's spool sports an exposed rim that allows for palming. Early versions of the CFO were among the first mass produced reels, which were machined from solid aluminum stock whereas the Lightweights and most other reels were cast. There's a certain elegance to the porting, as one would expect of a reel designed by Stan Bogdan. The many variations and "special editions" appeal to the collector in me. The prize of my collection is a gold anodized and hand inscribed variant that was manufactured and sold in 1979; the reel is absolutely mint, and I have its original case and paperwork. The chronology and history I've included on my blog (http://therustyspinner.blogspot.com/p/history-of-orvis-cfo_03.html) was a labor of love, and I suppose that more than anything else it is that history that draws me to the reel.  

  

Very Carpalicious!

We have talked about alternative species a lot and you seem to have the warm water bug for this year. What are some of your plans (without giving away locations)?

As much time as I spent fishing the Battenkill when I was a boy, I spent many hours more fishing the Hudson and its tributaries for bass, pike and carp. It wasn't a question of preference or passion, but rather opportunity, availability, and mobility. As a kid, I relied on my father for a ride to the Kill; the Hudson was right down the street. I'd like to get back to those warmwater roots a little bit this year. Pike are definitely on the agenda, as are carp and bass. I'll chase them in the Hudson as I always have. I'd like to take a largemouth in excess of eight pounds. That one is probably a pipe dream, but not impossible given the water I fish. Bowfin and musky are on the list, but it's anyone's guess if I'll have the time to make those trips. 

What is it that has you so excited about these species?

Smallies on the top!

As I mentioned, chasing warm water fish hearkens back to my youth just a little bit. So I suppose there's some nostalgia there. The real appeal, however, is two-fold. First, the fish are nearby and readily accessible. I can walk out my front door, hop in my car, and in five minutes be rigged up and tossing flies for pike, bass or carp. Second, the size and power of these fish can leave a bug chucker shaking in the bow of a boat. It's about the pull, the explosion only a truly big fish can provide.

Okay, you are offered a dream trip with unlimited budget. Where are you going and what are you fishing for? (my money is on farm pond bluegills….)

Oooooooh. So many options. Unlimited budget means unlimited stops along the way, right? Kamchatka comes to mind. New Zealand is almost cliche, but hey ... it's freaking New Zealand. The UK for carp. Mexico for bass. Canada for pike. Wisconsin or New York for muskies. Mongolian taimen ... Costa Rican sailfish and roosterfish ... I really dig roosters. Amazonian peacocks ... and whatever the hell else will chase a fly in the Amazon.

And yes, I'd finish it all off fishing for farm pond bluegills ... with my three kids ... probably be the highlight of the trip.

Ben Jose- pretty fish, not so pretty man...

This is something I think about a lot: you and I have not met yet. Our mutual friend Ben Jose introduced us on Facebook and we have had a running dialogue and many phone chats since then. I feel like I know you already. So do you think that social media has a big role in fly fishing, for good or ill and what do you see that role evolving into?

Likewise Drew. I'm glad Ben made the introduction, and I look forward to the day we might flog some water together. 

I don't think one can over-estimate the impact of social media on our sport. The internet, blogs, Facebook, Twitter ... these technologies may seem frivolous at times, but I'm at loss to think of any other institution or invention that has done so much to bring together so many varied and oftentimes disparate ideas. The new media gives us a new perspective, and new ways of doing things. Consider, for example, tenkara fishing. Tenkara would not be what it has become without the internet, blogs, and Facebook. 

If there is any drawback to social media it is that it lacks, and - to my way of thinking, at least - cannot provide that most essential quality of human interaction ... the ability to look another man or woman square in the eye, shake his or her hand, and know that you've met a person to be trusted. Anglers - competent anglers especially - are suspicious by nature, and inclined to carry their secrets to the grave. The only way to ever truly learn anything from these men and women is demonstrate the strength of one's character. I don't know that this can happen in a Tweet or weblog.

Where does it all go? If I knew that ... I'd be a wealthier man.  

  

You had the steelhead bug pretty badly this past winter. I was hoping to get out with you one day. Tell me about your season.

Happy Birthday Mike!

I have the steelhead bug even now, Drew. I don't know hat it ever goes away. I imagine steelhead to be the piscatorial equivalent of heroine. Have it once, and it's all you'll think about until you get your next fix. 

This season was by far my most successful - if success is to be measured in terms of the fish brought to hand. I don't necessarily know why I did so well. It may be that there are more and better fish in the river than there once were. This certainly seems to be the case, but I haven't any empirical evidence to prove the point. It may be that I'm just a better steelheader than I used to be. God knows that I like to think that I've managed to improve over the years. It may just be that I spent more time on the water this fall and winter than I ever had previously, and if there is any single universal truth in fly fishing it is that you can't catch fish if you haven't a line in the water.

How does it feel to be labeled a “dirty ass nympher” in the minds of some steelhead aficionados? 

Dirty Ass Nymphing works...

It hurts Drew. It really, really hurts. Even now I can feel my eyes welling up with tears.

Actually, to anyone that would make the mistake of trying to label me, I would suggest they find better ways of wasting their time. Do I nymph for steelhead. Yep, sure do, but I swing flies too. And truth be told, I tie cleaner and more elegant traditional spey flies than most of the guys who would choose to brand me as a dirty-nympher (that's more a comment on their lack of skill than it is my particular prowess).

I wrote something a while ago about this very thing ... http://therustyspinner.blogspot.com/2011/01/open-letter-from-dirty-nympher.html

Finally, are you going to be able to show the error of the trout snob way to Ben or do you think you will have to beat it out of him? (Ben cannot see the point of fishing for anything but trout and salmon- for being a relatively bright human being he can be obnoxiously stupid at times)

Ben's a good man. He'll come around. If I can just get him into that first carp ...

New State Record White Sucker!

Gorgeous white sucker!

 On Monday I went to the post office and mailed out some paperwork to the state fisheries biologists and I just got confirmation- I am the current holder of the state record for white sucker (Catastomus commersoni)!  This beast of a fish is a whopping 6.34lbs (or 6 lbs 5.44 oz if you prefer). It was 25 1/4" long with a girth of 14" around the dorsal. Folks, this is one of the biggest white suckers I have ever seen and I have seen a lot (and targeted them for years). To give you some comparisons, the IGFA All Tackle World Record for white sucker is currently 6lb 8oz. My fish is about 2.5 oz from the world record. They don't get much bigger than this!

How is that for a big sucker?

Before you ask, yes, I was intentionally fishing suckers with a fly. Yes, I am crazy. No, I am not the only one who does this (right Jean Paul?). Yes, I will do a lot more of it in the future (like this weekend).

Eggi-Juan Kenobi firmly in place

A big thank you to Dave Hise of Casters Fly Shop for coming up with the Eggi-Juan Kenobi fly. That thing is a killer on lots of fish, but especially on suckers. I am hoping to play with a few redhorse this coming weekend on those things!
 

I did have to keep the fish because it was a record. I did feel some remorse for removing such a large, old fish from the wild but the species is in no immediate danger (being the most widely distributed fish in Vermont). I promise that I didn't just huck the fish off a bridge or something though: this sucker shall live on! My friend Al Moorehouse took the fish and is doing a skin mount for me. Thank you Al- for all your help!!!! (Name suggestions are welcome!) 


This feels magical!

Gives us a kiss Precious!

It's Pickin' Up!

My first of the season!

The season is getting going- better late than never. After record flooding and fairly high water levels in many Vermont streams and rivers things are finally pulling back together. More importantly- the fish are on!

I headed down to "the Creek" and found it surprisingly uncrowded. Very nice to see but indeed unusual for the past year or so. I did see one guy and quickly realized it was Tyler from Classic Outfitters. Just before I went over to talk to him I hooked up with my first smallmouth of the season- a spunky 18" hen with a round belly full of eggs. Pretty sweet!

Tyler "swinging" for gar

As I walked down to see what Tyler was up to, he said "Do you have any gar flies?" and pointed to a 3 foot fish in shallow water. He had it slash at a Zonker a couple of times but it stopped responding to it. I set him up with a Clouser I had that I thought might get the fish interested. I should know better and carry gar flies with me- this isn't the first time I have seen these critters around in May.  Despite my help the gar wouldn't eat. 

My first MC smallmouth this year (not the last!)

I got another nice fish- this one 19.5", a Master Class smallie! Just what I was after! After a couple of photos she went back in. My guess is that she was about 3 lbs or so. This fish is what a lot of guys will tell you is a "5 pounder". Five pound fish can be found but they are a rarity to be honest and they are usually at least 22" or 23" long.

I got into another fish close to where the first one came from. Another gorgeous fish at 17" and it jumped quite a bit. Not two minutes after releasing that fish I had a bump... I thought it was a small fish when it first showed until it tail walked over a branch... this was a good one! It went in the air a couple of times and I brought it in. Another fat female but this one was a bit longer- 20.5"! This fish was pushing 4 lbs too. Very pleased about that!

That is a piggy! (I do mean the fish)

I told Tyler what I was doing and showed him the technique I was using to get their attention but for whatever reason they weren't responding for him. He did get a couple of nice bass on Sunday but sometimes these early fish can be fickle with color and presentation. The first fish that show up are female and they can be a bit more difficult than the males. They have a preference for different flies than the later fish do. If you want to find out what those flies are you will just have to hire me to take you out!

And so it begins....

Weird Day

Trophy brookies in that?  Yessir!

It was a strange day on the water and by the end of the day all I could think of was a quote from Ghostbusters adding in my own quotes to it:

"Huge brookies in ditches, suckers taking Clousers, largemouth in fast water, cats and dogs living together..... mass hysteria!"

That about sums it up. Kevin and I did a float and ran into some exceptionally large brook trout in a place they really should not have been. Very cool to see, but weird, very weird.

Suckers eating minnows?

Then we hit a Lake Champlain trib in Northern Vermont. Kevin put on a big ol' chartreuse and white Clouser minnow and I had on a big olive cone head zonker. He was at the head of a pool and hooked up within 5 minutes. Awesome!  As I ran over to it to see what it was it didn't look at all like the bass we were looking for. Sure enough, it wasn't. It was a big ol' white sucker that latched onto his Clouser. Cool catch, but a sucker on a Clouser..... weird...  The fish was 18", had warty protuberances on it, and was spilling milt. A spawning male. 

Where did this come from?

Not long after that I was standing in the same spot slowly working back my fly and something hits it. I got a look pretty early on and it looked very bass like and it was..... but not a smallie- a largemouth in fast water. Good sized fish, 18", but not what I expected.... weird.....

Kevin got a 12" fallfish then walked down to water I had been fishing and hooked up again with that Clouser. This time it was a smallie- a fat 17" lady.  Females come in first so things are just starting. 

This makes sense!

I managed to hook into and lose something and that was pretty much then end of getting into fish. Seeing how high up the lake was on this trib..... weird....   seeing how high the lake is..... weird..... Kevin outfished me 3 to 1.... weird (not really, but had to say it!)

And I should have some big news this week- a pending state record!  More about that when it goes through!

Apparently I was fishing with a pregnant man too!

Friday Angler Interview- Pat Cohen

Pat with some of his deer hair magic

I haven't met Pat Cohen (yet). I was introduced to him thanks to my buddy Ken Capsey (redneck pike nut extraordinaire) through his blog then I found him on Facebook. Social media being social, who woulda thunk it? It didn't take me long to see how talented this guy is. He whips up deer hair flies like nobody else. As a matter of fact, this year one of his deer hair bugs took down all the competition and Pat was declared the 2010 Fly Tyer of the Year on Flytyingforum.com (take that you classic Atlantic salmon fly guys!). Pat is definitely one of those guys that really loves what he does and is pretty damned good at it. Ok, that is an understatement- the guy ties like nobody's business! 

Without further adieu, Mr. Pat Cohen, ladies and gentlemen!

How did you get your start with fly fishing?

Honestly it was a total accident. I have always fished, unsuccessfully most of the time. My Dad, Brother and I would always drown worms chasing the local bass. The only thing I ever caught was sunnies. I would go to the local tackle shop regularly, in search of that magic lure. I bought everything I could traditional gear wise, scents, special soaps to get rid of human smell...whatever they said I needed. I was the favorite sucker of a customer I'm sure, desperate to catch a trophy. One day while fishing in the Schoharie Creek I remembered that my brother had an Eagle Claw combo rod in his trunk. I grabbed it and went to town whipping that thing around, totally out of control until I managed to get line out. I had no idea what I was doing. I felt as though I needed to be in the water to do this as well, so for the first time I left the comforts of the dry bank and wet waded into a stream. I caught nothing, but something clicked and it all felt right. Then the obsession began.

It seems like warm water fly fishing is the name of the game for you (most of the time). What is it about warm water fish that gets you going?

Pat in his 'yak chasing bucketmouth bass

I wish I had a great philisophical answer for this, but I don't. Warm water species offer the same unique challenges that cold water species do. One of the things that I really like about warm water fishing is the lack of conceit and ego that goes with it. There are no warm water snobs in the fly shop, but it is filled with trout snobs. The world of warm water fly fishing is still fresh and new, it's just beginning to be accepeted by fly anglers. Look at the craze over carp that has sprung up recently. What an awesome fish on the fly. The flies for warm water species are still developing and there is so much to be invented and tied. They can be artful and functional. The places that warm water fishing puts me is another thing I love. I have pictures of otters, bald eagles, fields of wild flowers, beautiful scenery and some beautfiul fish as well. Things that I would have never discovered unless I was floating my kayak down a warm water stream or lake.

Do you have a favorite species (I will take a guess that it might be a Micropterus species) and why do you like that fish so much?

Nice smallie Pat!

The first time I caught a smallmouth bass it was like magic, an awakening. I had never caught a fish that fought so hard. I fell in love immediately. Smallmouth have become my main choice of fly target, but I catch anything with gills. They grow to trophy sizes and can be relentlessly finicky when it comes to eating a fly. They fight all the way in and continue to let you know how they feel about the situation until you finally let them go, usually splashing you in the face with one last flick of their tail, like they are getting the last word in. What a pretty fish to.

What other species do you like to target?

Big pickerel Pat

I enjoy largemouth bass, perch, bluegills, and crappie. I have a passion for walleye on the fly. I am infatuated with pickerel on the fly. Carp, thanks to my buddy Alex Cerviniak, have become an obsession. I target some cold water fish as well. I do enjoy going to small streams and catching brookies. I was crazed this winter with steelhead and lake run browns.

Are there warm water species that you haven’t caught yet that you want to try to get sometime soon?

I am beginning to target pike and tiger muskie this year. I have yet to get either on the fly.

I noticed you really got into metalheads over the winter. How did you do this past season?

The man even carries fly tying materials on his head!

Oh man...what a winter. I went into this winter knowing nothing in the beginning about these fish. I bought some books, talked to some friends and hooked my first one thanks to my friend Brian Price. He showed me the methods that got me started with steel. I love my warm water, but I find myself thinking about next winter from time to time. I caught a ton of fish, including my first few on the swing. I bought a switch rod and learned to spey cast. I learned high stich nymphing techniques. I learned how to tie new flies. I actually broke my first rod this winter on a big buck. Exciting stuff man...I have definitely been bitten by the steelhead bug...I will be back...

Would you be willing to share your magic fly with my readers….

Schoharie Specials

My magic fly...that would depend on where I am fishing. I have a fly that I tied for a Smallmouth stream not far from me. This fly...oh man...the first time I got the colors down I went out with this fly alone. I caught 40 smallmouth, ranging from 13-18 inches and two walleye 18 and 25 inches...All in 4 hours. It's a take off from a Half and Half, but this fly is deadly on the smallies. I call them Fleeing Bucktails. I tie them in multiple colors now, but that blue is the go to...my buddy Steve named it separate from the rest...The Schoharie Special...He caught his first walleye with that fly, something like 28 inches.

 

 

Do you ever target trout besides steelies?

I do target the monster lake run browns that Ontario has to offer.

On top of your angling exploits you have been getting a lot of attention for the flies you tie. I think that you are a total Gandalf-class wizard with deer hair. What is your secret?

The fly that got Pat the Fly Tyer of the Year- congrats!

My secret....practice...Top water fishing has become a passion for me. I tie a ton of top water flies, I constantly experiement with design and color patterns. The main thing I would tell people new to working with deer hair...Use the right thread, GSP is the answer. Use the right hair, you want the belly hair of whitetail deer or elk hair. One big mistake I see people making is not using enough hair in each clump when you apply it to the hook. You want to use as much as you can handle to make sure the bug will be dense.

Do you have any plans on writing any articles to help out folks like me that seem to have nothing but trouble with deer hair?

some of Pat's gorgeous divers!

Actually yes, there are some things in the works. I have an article coming out very soon in a German magazine called Fly and Tie on how to tie a deer hair mouse. There were 36 step by step photos going with that. I have some other little projects in the works, I will keep you informed. There are some video step by steps on my blog site that can help as well.

You have some pretty innovative ideas in fly design. Where do you get your inspiration for your flies? 

Topwater- the hair is packed tight!

A lot of my ideas come from experience on the water. What I enjoy about fly tying and fishing flies is that we make the fly move. We give it life, as if it is an extension of ourselves. When I set out to design a fly, I try to make the fly fluid, I want movement, even when the fly is at rest I want it to have life. In order for a fly to be successful it needs to get the attention of the fish. That may mean color, movement or shape and size. These are all things I take into consideration when tying. I also will on occassion look to spin gear and try to mimic some of the movements that a lure will make. I tie a top water fly called The Crank. You need to see this fly to believe it. Cast it out, utilize a two handed retrieve, this fly dives under water and wiggles back and forth like a crank bait. Let the tension go, it pops back to the surface...Deadly.....It's made from stacked deer hair...

The flies you tie are not always to be fished with. Can you tell me about a few of the patterns that you tie up for display?

A Punk Rocker with its natural prey in its mouth.

I tie a fly called the Punk Rocker. It is a bluegill imitation with a giant peacock herl Mohawk. People seem to respond very well to that fly. I have actually fished with it as well. It's deadly on largemouth. There needs to be adjustments made to fish with it though. I also tie a hummingbird for display. Both of those flies are stacked deer hair bodies.

How much demand do you have for display flies?

The demand for the Punk Rockers is pretty high. When I tie at shows I can't make enough of them ahead of time or enough when I'm there to meet all of the demand. It's pretty exciting that people like my flies that much.

Do you think that the artistic flair that you have with your flies come from your "real job"? (check out some of Pat's work here)

Pat at work, inflicting pain.

Haha...my real job...Well...I think that my abilities in art have definetly helped me along the way in fly tying. Being a Tattoo Artist makes you think about things a little different then most people. You are constanly hit with problems, visual problems. People will come in with horrible cover ups or impossible design ideas. Everything has limits, including flies and tattoos. My job as an Artist is to look past those limits and solve the problem at hand. Fly tying is the same to me. We are presented with situations that may be out of our control. We all think we understand fish behavior, but the fact is they are animals. We can only assume, but never be certain. As a fly tyer I need to realize those situations and prepare for them. I try to include multiple solutions to multiple problems in every fly that I make. My abilities in art make that visually possible for me.
 

Let’s get back to some fishing… if you had the chance to fish anywhere for anything where would it be and what for (and why)?

We need to get you into some big boys...

Man that's a tough question. I respect all fish and never get tired of catching any of them. I have an obsession with fish that have teeth. I watch Jeremy Wade on River Monsters and Larry Dahlberg on The Hunt for Big fish and get excited every time they fish in South America. I would love to catch a tiger fish or a wolf fish. Canada for monster pike has always been an exciting idea. Or giant muskies in Musky Country. Or bowfin, longnosed gar, alligator gar....I would love to catch a peacock bass...There are so many fresh water species that I want to catch. That being said...My first love of fly fishing is smallmouth bass and the Schoharie Creek...If it was my dying day and I had one last chance to fish, it would be there. My family and friends know the run I would want to be on, with the Eagles in my yak.

Any big fishing plans for this year?

I'm going to Cape Cod in three weeks to fling flies at stripers for the first time. I've got some paddling trips planned locally for pike and tigers....unfortunately no exotic destinations planned...

Thanks a million Pat! Looking forward to getting together with you this season some time...

Drew thanks a ton....I can't wait to get together and rip some lips....

Check out Pat's blog- Super Fly- you won't be sorry you did!

Florida- Day One on the Flats

Marty casting like a champ with Cordell at the helm

Cordell was concerned about the tides. Marty, Tim and I arrived in Miami right at the full moon and the tides were going to be big. We would be hitting the launch site at low tide in the morning.  Cordell wasn’t sure what the full moon would bring for fishing- it could be really good or it could be really bad. Either way, the three of us were really excited to get out of the dismal Vermont winter we had left and get out for some tropical fishing.

I was a bit out of sorts that morning. I had forgotten the compression sleeves I bought to help protect my arms. I had some good sun block but I had visions of casting lobster arms for the rest of the week. I didn’t get a lot of sleep either because I was too wound up. I was hoping to get shots at bonefish and barracuda but my primary target was sharks. I have wanted a shark on the end of a fly rod for years now. The fight is supposed to be amazing and let’s face it: you are catching a shark on a fly rod!

Sunrise from the launch site- Marty S. photo

Glassy waters on Biscayne Bay

We got to the launch site to a beautiful pink and lilac sunrise starting. There was virtually no wind and the water was glass. Things were looking good. We got everything set up in the canoes and set out. Yes, I said canoes. Cordell does all his fishing on Biscayne Bay standing up in an Indian River Canoe. I guide on Lake Champlain standing up in a Bear Creek Big Duck with pontoons on the side and we had brought that boat down with us. We were now on the salt in canoes chasing bonefish, reds, barracuda and, hopefully, sharks. Life was good.

The water was beautiful. Cordell commented that it was a rare days that the Bay gets so calm. He had Marty in the front of his canoe and I had Tim in the front of mine. We followed Cordell- he was poling and I was paddling. And I could not keep up. Cordell has the timing of the pole down pat. He moves his boat effortlessly over the shallows while scanning the water for fish. I have to admit that it was very impressive to watch him move that boat. It didn’t take long for fish to appear.

We were spooking small ‘cuda, snapper and needlefish on a regular basis. Now and then schools of bait would jump too. Then we started seeing tails. We had bones! Cordell had Marty casting we could see from a distance as we closed in on them. As we got near we saw the nervous water and a big school of bones swam between the boats. Two or three dozen bonefish moved through on a mission. That rippling will always be seared into my memory.  They moved so fast that no one had a chance to get a shot off. We kept moving south watching for more fish.

Tim hooked up! Note the ball of seaweed on the line.

Tim looking pleased!

Tim and I passed a mangrove point as the light improved. There were clouds filtering the sun but it was bright enough to see well and the wind had not picked up. As I scanned the water looking for fish just like I do at home, I spotted several little black triangles popping up and down out of the water. Bones! We had bones not 50 feet away to our left. I alerted Tim and abruptly turned the canoe and moved him toward the fish. His first cast didn’t produce, but the second was a different story. Tim remembered to strip strike and did it well and had a fast moving fish on the end of his line. The reel was spinning as the bone tried to head to the safety of the depths.

Gorgeous fish Tim!

It made a good run but never quite made it to the backing. As the bone took off initially it managed to get a clump of seaweed stuck on the line. I was a bit concerned about that since we didn’t know how big this fish was. I had complete confidence in the 3X Orvis Mirage Fluorocarbon tippet but I knew it would be good to get rid of the weeds. The fish never got into the backing but it didn’t matter to Tim who was grinning like a fool. He had caught his first bonefish! I felt pretty good myself for recognizing the signs and putting him onto the fish too.

We got some great pictures and released the bone. I barely remember taking the shot of the fish as it swam off, but the resulting picture really tells the story of Tim’s first bonefish ever. If you look closely at the middle of the shot you can see the ghost of the flats swimming by Tim’s shadow with his arms raised above his head in triumph. Cordell picked that picture out immediately as the best shot of the day and the one that really tells the story best.

Bonefish release

Tim and I switched up a couple of times as we tried to catch up to Cordell. He was at least a mile ahead of us. We went past a bunch of bonnethead sharks and I marked the location. Those were a fish on my catch list. When we got to Cordell and Marty they had just been working some redfish. Biscayne Bay is not known for its reds but Cordell has found some and some bruisers at that.  We went back through the area and good a good look at the school- a couple of dozen fish ranging from “little” 30 inch fish to ones that were well over 40. No one wanted to play with us either.

Capt Dan the shark hunter!

Marty told us on the way down to here they had a good shot at a permit. Cordell had spotted the tail from quite a distance away and had quickly poled Marty to its location. It had been a big one and Marty had been fortunate enough to get 3 shots at it before it took off.

On the way back toward the launch site I rigged up my 8 wt for the bonnetheads. These small relatives of hammerheads are crustacean specialists and aren’t often targeted with flies. I had been doing my research and found out that a simple crawfish colored rabbit strip fly with lead eyes was the ticket. I put on a heavier leader of 1X Mirage without a bite tippet: the teeth of this small shark weren’t likely to cut the leader. Tim was on deck at this point and we found some fish to hunt.

The photo of the photo- Marty S photo

It didn’t take long for Tim to find a playmate. The bonnethead swatted the fly and took off fast. It went to the backing in no time. The shark never went airborne but it did make a great show of itself. I watched the fly line head out of the guides and then some backing. Tim put some line back onto the reel and then it made another good run. Definitely a fish worth tossing a fly at!
When we got the fish close to the canoe, I jumped over the side to make it a lot easier to land. Once it got close I got my Boga-grip on its lower jaw. These guys do have teeth but they are pretty easy to handle. The teeth are well under the fish and unless you do something really stupid they will have a tough time getting a grip on you. After posing for some shots we let the shark go.

Not a big shark, but it still has teeth!

 It was my turn now! There were still plenty of bonnetheads around this cove. I tried for a while and all I managed to do was foul hook two. I wasn’t too happy about that and after an hour or so of trying we gave up and started toward where Cordell and Marty went to.

On the way toward them we were seeing scattered bonefish here and there and I had a couple of good shots but I wasn’t ready for them. I had put down the 8wt and picked up my 10wt Pike Saber and was on the lookout for bigger sharks. I had the right gear- an Orvis Mirage reel, the Saber, a Rio Outbound Tropical Intermediate Tip line and 300 yards of gel-spun backing. I had built a special leader too: 30“ of 25 lb mono, then 30” of 50 lb fluoro (to prevent the skin of the shark from rubbing against the leader and abrading it during the fight) and then 18” of 61lb Ultra Wire. I had a bright orange shark fly tied on too. We had seen some larger sharks earlier in the day and I was ready for them.

On the lookout for sharks

We were getting pretty close to the other boat when I looked to my left. There were three fish swimming toward us. Round faces and black sickle tails- PERMIT! Tim and I got a good look at them before they did what permit do- scatter faster than the blink of an eye. It was cool to see nonetheless.

Marty and Cordell were yelling at us that they had been seeing a lot of sharks. Cordell said that they had a group of bulls and blacktips around the boat. He was actually touching them with his push pole. Marty agreed and said that they were big enough that he didn’t want to fall in. I thought “Now I am in business”.

That group of sharks never appeared and the tide was starting to head out. Pretty amazing to watch that volume of water start leaving the flats. We had a couple of decent shots at some smaller sharks but they showed no interest. Then a good fish appeared. It was a pretty good sized black tip- 6 foot or so. About the biggest I wanted to get into.

I cast at it at an oblique angle leading it on. I stripped it past the fish and WHOOSH! It turned fast and jumped at the fly and missed it. Then it spun around again and smashed at the fly again… and missed it. Then it just lost interest and swam away. It was very cool to see that much power and speed in a fish. I can still see it clearly in my head: a perfect combination of force and grace focused with such intensity on my fly.

With the tide going out Tim poled me around trying to find more sharks but it wasn’t to be. We saw some large barracuda that I could not interest. There was a big sea turtle kicking around too. Bonefish would occasionally show up and disappear just as quickly. All in all it was very cool to watch. We finally ended up trying to catch some snapper along a boat channel- getting a lot to follow but none to commit.

We took the boats out of the water. It was Day One of Bonefish Boot Camp. There were more to come. Time for some Cuban food and regrouping for tomorrow's raid on the flats.

New Carp Article

I wrote an article for Fishing Headquarters Magazine- a new online mag about fishing in the Midwest and beyond. The piece was a primer on carp on the fly. Check it out- plus check out the goodness about bowfin, redhorse and other finny critters too!

Open publication - Free publishing - More andrew ragas

Friday Angler Interview- Clark Amadon

I have to apologize that this Friday Angler Interview is late. Things got messed up with my trip to Florida (hence the week off of for the Angler Interview) and I am still playing a bit of catch up. 
I was hoping to have this interview up last week but being in Florida made it tough. The Mad Dog Banquet is tonight and I had hoped to put it up last week to gather some attention.. the best laid plans....  so without further adieu...

I met Clark a couple of years ago while I was doing my teaching internship. We met at school one afternoon and started talking fishing. Next thing you know I was a board member of Mad Dog Trout Unlimited- the chapter that Clark has been president of for a while now. Clark is a very personable guy and enjoyable to spend time with. He is an excellent fly angler, even catching gorgeous wild rainbows on a horrible dump cast (I witnessed this last year). He has been a huge part of the work that Mad Dog has done in the past few years.

Clark chasing after the ever elusive Atlantic salmon

How did you get your start with fly fishing?

My father-in-law gave me my first lesson on the Lamoille downstream from Ithel Falls in Johnson back in 1977.  I don't think I caught anything but it is a place near and dear to me.  Bill was a great outdoorsman who loved fly fishing got trout and bird hunting.


What do you enjoy most about trout fishing in Vermont?

I love the challenge and the unknown..what's going to happen next, Vermont rivers have an intimacy that Western rivers I've fished lack.  I like the privacy since most VT rivers and streams are pretty uncrowded.  What's not to love about the beauty, gee whiz it's a lovely place to fish.  Sometimes I even catch a trout, that's fun, too!


As the chapter president of MadDog TU you have done a lot of work in the past few years to help out trout in Central Vermont. Can you explain some of the things that the chapter has done while you were at the helm?

Clark with a gorgeous Connecticut River brookie

We are active in riparian projects in the Winooski, Dog and some in the Mad River.  There are projects like these each year.  We've also been on the forefront with signage re "rock snot" ,a.k.a., Didymo (an invasive algae that has gotten into several Vermont streams and rivers).  We've lobbied around issues of habitat lose which could arise if small hydro dams or diversions are developed.  The Chapter also was a partner in removing a dam on a tributary of the Dog River- Cox Brook.  That was very satisfying in re-connecting a river system!  Many, many chapter members have been involved.  We like to do intimate projects working directly with local land owners.


Right now what would you consider some of the biggest threats to trout and their habitat in Central Vermont?

I think habitat lose is always a significant threat, which means poor riparian bank habitat.  The rivers and streams with good buffers are usually healthy systems.  Disconnected systems are significant as well, remove barriers and dams and rivers are healthier.  Poor hydro dam management contributes to warm water.  If we could even out water releases, which produce power, we could still produce power and keep rivers healthier and we'd like higher minimum flows, of course.  I could go on and on but I'm also concerned about "user conflicts" like the conflict between boaters and in stream fishers.


If the chapter was given a grant for $500,000 to do any kind of cold water work in our district, what project or projects would you?

Even out dam releases at Little River Dam, higher minimum flows there, too, remove dams, like the Warren Village Dam on the Mad.  Pay landowners who do riparian buffer projects.  Umm..$500K is a lotta loot!


At a recent public meeting about special regulations on a local trout river, you spent quite a bit of time talking to folks who fish with bait. I thought that this was a great thing. What do you see are the biggest hurdles for these two communities coming together to work to improve the resource and do you think it is possible to bridge that gap?

A real tough one...maybe the issue is somewhat related to "consuming" a resource.  TU folks generally practice catch and release and bait folks tend to keep trout.  However, TU do eat trout and bait fishers do release them.  I think there's an elitist issue, too.  I'd love it if folks who love to be in the outdoors and want their kids to love the outdoors could meet and agree and that so we could work together.


The annual MadDog Trout Unlimited Banquet is coming up quickly! Can you tell the readers where and when it is, and give a few snippets of what might be on the menu?

The MadDog TU Banquet is this Saturday the 30 at the Barn Door Restaurant in Waitsfield, VT.  We have fish, pork and a pasta options, unfortunately, we can't take anymore reservations.


Who is this year’s guest speaker and are there any “bonus” opportunities with him?

Fishy Fullum is the guest presenter!  A former outdoor writer from the Albany NY area and fly tyer of great renown!  He's doing a fly tying seminar at 3:00 on the 30th at the Barn Door!


Are there any work days planned soon for MadDog if any local anglers want to get out and help us out? What do we have on the books to do for boots on the ground this year?

I think we'll be on the rivers doing some riparian buffer projects either the Saturday of May 7th or 14th.  We'll be doing 2 projects on the Dog and one on the Winooski.


 
Let’s get back to something fun…. Do you have a go to fly for VT rivers?

Pheasant tail nymph, prince nymph, smallish 18's to 20's.  I've been fishing more wet flies lately, too.  It is a graceful and productive method.  When I can fish dries...elk hair caddis.

I know you have done some traveling and had some cool angling experiences. Could you share a story or two?

I fished the Sauk River in Washington one April Saturday many years ago and within 20 minutes i got my 1st steelhead, out west anyway and I got a bull trout!  I thought I got a laker out of a western river, they look alike, at least to me.  Catching my first brown, a fat bugger, on the Madison in the Park, it was magical. I used a small black soft hackle, so a wet fly caught that fish.  Later that night on the Madison shared a pool with a grizzly!  Scared the pants off both of us!  Also had a great day catching bonita off Catalina Island near Long Beach, CA.

What kind of fishing experiences, both local and travel worthy, do you hope to have in the coming year or years?

Man, I gotta get my first Atlantic salmon...hope to be on the Margaree this fall.  Some day gotta go to New Zealand, too!
 
Thanks a million Clark!

Florida Trip- Day 1

The canoe on the road

 The excitement had been building for a while for this trip and it was finally happening. I was heading to South Florida with Marty and Tim Sienkiewycz to fish with the Bonefish Whisperer- Cordell Baum Jr. The planning had been going on for months now: gearing up, tying flies, researching our target species- all the stuff you do before a big trip. And now we were on the road. And stuck in gridlock.

The drive the night before was fine. We left Vermont around 4:30 or so and drove until midnight to Delaware. We drove instead of flying because it allowed us to bring my canoe to fish with. Cordell fishes the flats of Biscayne Bay out of a canoe and the three of us are very familiar with that style of angling. I guide on Lake Champlain the exact same way. By bringing a second canoe we would be able to mirror what Cordell was doing. We were heading to Bonefish Bootcamp afterall!

The early Saturday drive started off alright but we got caught up in slow traffic on 95 near Washington, D.C. It seemed like half the population of New Jersey and New York were heading down to Florida with us. It was stop and go traffic on a road with a posted speed limit of 70 with no discernable reason for the slow down. It was frustrating. When we hit North Carolina in the afternoon it got worse. The skies blackened then opened up. Hail like I had never seen was coming down. It was nearly the size of golf balls. Folks were pulling off the road to get shelter underneath the overhanging trees on the edge of the highway. When traffic started rolling again we passed some melting hail that looked to be closer in size to a tennis ball. The fiberglass canoe would not have survived that.

We hopped off the highway shortly after that to try to make up some time on roads that parallel 95. This didn’t last long. Those roads were shut down. We had just missed the series of tornados that ripped through the Carolinas by about half an hour. It was devastation on a scale I had never seen before. Houses were torn apart and debris was strewn everywhere. After getting back on the highway we decided to drive to South Carolina and find a hotel for the night. We hadn’t travelled more than 450 miles in 14 hours of driving. Frustration was firmly entrenched.
A good dinner and a 2 am start to the last leg of the drive refueled us. The traffic was light but it was obvious that others had the same idea. We passed families with sleeping kids in the backseat frequently. By 7 am we had passed into Florida and made it to Miami by 12:30. Cordell was true to his word and waiting for us right by the road.

Cordell trying to hitch a ride into his driveway!

Cordell Baum Jr. is a true character. You can tell by your first look at him. Without question the first thing you will notice is his long blond hair, which is shorter than it used to be he would later tell us. He has a very rich face with skin that has definitely spent some time in the sun. His smile is infectious and his deep voice is filled with warmth and excitement. We felt welcome from the moment we stepped out of the truck. We took a few moments to unload the truck and get our gear stowed away in Camp Morningwood- the cottage Cordell has available for visiting anglers. It is a nice set up and perfect for a couple of guys. We were definitely going to be pushing it with three. One of us would be sleeping on the floor each night but the price is great and the hospitality was even better.

Cordell getting Marty rigged up for peacocks.

Since we were raring to go we all strung up 5 and 6 wt rods to head to the canals. The canals around Miami are home to a wide variety of fish: natives like largemouth bass and sunfish swim alongside intentional introductions like tilapia, grass carp and peacock bass. There are also a number of aquarium fish that are present- mostly cichlids like guapote, Midas cichlids, Mayan cichlids and a bunch of much smaller species that are of little interest to anglers but fascinate a fish geek like me. We were all pretty excited about some light tackle freshwater fishing to get ourselves psyched up for hitting the flats in the morning.

Marty's first peacock (of many)

Cordell got us on the highway and we started for an off ramp next to a lake in the canal system. He pulled off the side of the road into a grove of trees and Marty followed with much honking from motorists behind us. This is the only way to access this lake so it doesn’t get that much pressure. Within moments we were by a culvert looking at a bunch of fish. The huge blue tilapia want nothing to do with flies but the peacocks are another matter altogether. Marty got into the first one. Not a big one but any fish was going to work at this point.

The peacock bass in South Florida took a big hit in the freeze during the winter of 2009-2010. There were massive die offs because of the cold. Peacocks are an Amazonian fish that can’t handle temps below 60 for long. Miami had a three week period where the temperatures remained in the 40’s. Fortunately this past winter wasn’t as bad and the fish are recovering. Since it has not been long after the big freeze the population isn’t as big as it once was and there aren’t as many of the bigger specimens. This is going to change quickly however. The fish grow fast and are definitely starting to spawn which was going to work in our favor!

Tim gets in the game

Tim picked up a second peacock similar in size to Marty’s. Gorgeous colors on those fish. I could not get anything to stay on the hook. I got a couple of good takes but I was not sealing the deal. I was tired from all the driving and lack of sleep and it showed. A huge snook coming through the culvert got our attention. The fish was in the 15-20 pound range and Cordell explained that it was not unusual to see these saltwater predators stalking the canals. He also fishes freshwater tarpon in the same areas.

After working these fish for a bit we packed up and headed to another stretch of canal that Cordell haunts. There are lots of bigger peacocks in the area and other fish as well. It was a 20 minute drive (which is fairly quick by Miami standards) and we were parked behind some fast food joints. The fish were there though: much larger peacocks, some Florida gar and a variety of other exotics. I was having fun watching jewelfish, a small bright red West African cichlid, chase each other through the maze of limestone along the edge of the canal.

Marty pleased with another peacock- chartreuse and pink was the hot color.

After watching Marty and Tim both nail some nice peacocks I was getting ready to get into something myself. I had a couple of shots at good sized Florida gar but they were not interested in the least. None of the native sunnies wanted anything to do with my flies either. I had some half hearted swats at my fly by some peacocks. Mostly they seemed less than interested though. But along one canal something gold caught my eye and I pitched my orange and green Clouser minnow right to it. I watched the fish hit that fly hard and I knew I had a guapote! 

The guapote is a fish I am very familiar with- I have kept it and bred it in aquariums. The guapote (more properly Parachromis managuensis) is a fish that is primarily black with gold or silver vermiculations. This highly aggressive cichlid will readily attack anything that comes in the neighborhood of its nest- including a fish keeper’s hand. Considering the teeth that they have and that they can reach about 20” this makes a pretty formidable fish on a 5 weight.

My guapote! Like a smallie with teeth on steriods!

The fight was awesome!  It dug deep into the canal and peeled line off the reel. It took about 5 minutes to land. I got some great shots of it and then released it to get back to doing what it was doing- making more of these little terrors. Definitely looking forward to finding them there next time I hit the canals!

I never ended up with a peacock in hand that first day. I had a good solid take from a really nice fish but the fly popped from its mouth. Marty and Tim really outfished me. I will blame it on my lack of sleep and being overly excited but the reality is that they simply got the job done better. All in all this was a good warm up for what was to come in the morning- off to the flats of Biscayne Bay with Cordell!