Comments welcome
Visit our Forum

Return to Home Page

Don't Say Any More You've Said Too Much Already 

11/11/10 - How much information is too much information. When is it OK to post about a fishing spot? If you put a spot out on the web is it ruined forever? Will thousands of people descend on that spot and fish it out? Ask yourself are you one of the people who Kiss and Tell? Would you risk hurting someone's reputation so you could brag about your personal exploits? Probably not or if you did in later reflection you'd probably feel bad. To Kiss and Tell is generally considered bad form and doing so often has bad repercussions. Yet people do it every day when it comes to fishing.

In fact, I'm going to do it right now. With a high degree of confidence I can tell you that next season if you punch N45-52'-35.84" by W69-07'48.77" into your GPS and go there you have a good to better than good chance of catching a fish. Not just any fish but a Landlocked Salmon.

But I really don't feel bad giving up the location of Chewonki's Big Eddy Campground - chances are you've heard of it before. But chances are you haven't heard about N45-44'-2.0" by W69-2'-44.5" and there's an even better chance you won't go there even when I disclose the location.

No, not many people will drive miles of dirt road, boat and then hike to get to the confluence of Tumbledown Dick Stream and Nahamakanta Stream. That's a lot of work for a sometimes on sometimes off fishery that seldom produces a trout over 12" and so I don't worry much about giving up that location either. But if there were 20" brook trout there I'd worry about giving out those coordinates.

So does that mean there are degrees of Kiss and Tell when it comes to fishing because often there's no consequence to fear. I guess it does but who gets to decide when it's OK to tell about that wonderful day of fishing? I guess you do. At least until you post that information the web. Then your audience gets to decide as many who have posted locations and gotten flamed for it can tell you.

I'm not sure about all fishing websites but I do know that on many Fly-Fishing sites disclosing too much information will get you hate mail. Fortunately postings that tell all aren't that common. But it's been a learned response.

Often in the "early days" of web forums (1995 or so) people put up detailed information and didn't feel bad about it. They didn't feel bad because they believed only fellow fly-fishers look at this stuff so it's OK because a fellow fly-fisher won't hurt the resource. BUT, it turns out not all fly-fishers are protective of our fish resources and additionally other fisherman (some legal and some illegal) sometimes take a look at the fly-fishing websites.

So it does pay to hold some information back. Especially when the location information would reveal a fragile or easily accessed fishery. But what happens when nothing is held back and the location of a sensitive or unknown site is mentioned on the web. Well, nothing good happens. But it's not the end of the world either. Perhaps that location will get pounded for the next few weekends. Perhaps the fishery there will collapse under the pressure but unless people hit it soon and hard that information will go away.

Despite what you may hear out there information that is disclosed on the web isn't there forever. I know that for a fact because I've gone back and looked for information I've posted and can't find it. I'm sure nobody else is going to find it either even if I give them good search words. Why can't they find it - well because nobody has the time locate information that is on the 254th page of a Google search. It's too much work. Most of that secret information has already been out there for years. All anyone needed to find a location was a TOPO map (remember them and the big cabinets stores kept them in) and a compass. But it was a lot of work and that kept many locations safe.

Information overload is another thing that keeps some locations safe. If you've got a list of all the Brook Trout Class "A" ponds (never stocked) or all the Class "B" (not stocked in over 25 years) you've got too much information. I mean how do you sort through it all. I haven't been able to and I have the list. Well, actually anyone with web access has the list if they've downloaded Google Earth and then they follow this link to the Maine IF&W website. From there you can launch the Maine Fishing Guide and get stocking records, boat launches, roads, sporting camps, lake depths, topo overlays and tons more of information.

Check it out - you've got all winter to look :-)

The focus of this Thursday Review is winter trout fishing here in Maine. Which is something, unfortunately, that is severely limited.

But not all moving water holds fish in the winter. Riffles may be open but fish aren't going to be there. They will be hanging in slower, deeper pools and runs. So that's where you should be - leave those riffles for a warmer (water temperature) day.

Even moving shallow water will freeze from the bottom up (Anchor Ice) and that's another reason to stay out of the riffle areas. Algae covered rocks are slippery but not as slippery as ice covered rocks. So much for the water you should stay away from - how about the water you should fish.

Pools or runs with some depth and slow current are custom made for winter holding spots. Fish are protected by the depth, able to move into the shallows if we get a sunny day that warms the bottom and occasionally something will drift by providing an easy meal. Fish don't need much of a meal when their metabolism is low.

Springs are another good bet. Springs are as important to the winter fisherman as they are to the summer fisherman. That 55 degree water bubbling up from the bottom is bound to draw fish. And if you find a fish you'll probably find more than one. Fish tend to pod up when comfort becomes more important than feeding. Or said another way when fish have to choose between sharing space with another fish or freezing they tend to share the comfortable spots. So if you do hook-up don't leave that spot there's a good chance that fish wasn't alone.

Bottom discharge dams are another good bet. While Wyman Dam (which is closed all winter) isn't a true bottom discharge the water doesn't dump from the top. Because of that below the dam is a likely area. You might not be able to fish that until spring but after April 1st it's not a bad area to work.

What to use for a fly is a good question. Hendrickson's are out - streamers aren't as productive as they are when the water is warmer and the stonefly, caddis and mayfly nymphs are all burrowed down in the bottom trying to make it through the winter. So what's the best bet - midges!

Midge larvae and pupae are there year round and if you see fish surface feeding out in a glide in January chances are the main course is midge. Stock up on size 16 to 22 midge (red is a good color). Two favorites of mine are Herter's Bastard nymph and the Red Bird (shown in the picture). I like the Herter's Bastard better because when I'm fishing it is someone asks what I'm fishing I can reply "a little bastard."

Remember that midge larvae spend most of their lives on or near the bottom. So even though the stonefly activity in slowed in the winter a weighted stonefly is a good way to get a couple of midge patterns down near the bottom.

The time of day is also important. The perfect January thaw day for me starts with bright sun in the morning followed by a cloudy afternoon. You know, one of those few days we get where a warm front is moving in and with it comes rain - then freezing rain late in the day or early evening.

If I can get a few hours in before the rain starts I figure I've got half a chance and half a chance is about as good as it gets in January. Of course if it doesn't rain it's OK with me but the morning sun part is important. Morning sun seems to increase my chances especially if the direct sun on the bottom can raise the water temperature just a couple of degrees.

Fish seem to adjust to water temperatures. A cold day may put them off the feed in early June but that same temperature water in mid-winter would bring on a feeding binge. I know my expectations drop with water temperatures get below 40 degrees in the fall. However, let the water gets up to 40 degrees in the spring after a long cold winter and I'm looking to catch fish. It's all relative

I also gladly boot up with rubber sole boots once the snow flies. Felt bottoms just pack too much snow. Felt is as dangerous in the winter as rubber without studs is in the summer. So put on those rubber bottom boots (with studs) and be happy you have them..

Species of fish also makes a difference. I can't prove this but my feeling is that Landlocked Salmon are the easiest to catch during the winter. Togue certainly feed well when it's cold out but they aren't normally in any moving water that I fish. And the Brookies and Browns haven't ever been real cooperative during the winter months. Rainbows are also a good bet but we don't have much rainbow water that is open in the winter so for me - I like to head for some water that holds Landlocks.

When it comes to important winter gear ranked right up there with rubber sole boots are strike indicators. I don't fish a lot of strike indicators during the summer but I like them in the winter. I'm normally fishing a short line (less than a rod length of line beyond the tip top) and a fairly long, light leader.

The short line is manageable without stripping which helps keep ice out of my guides and light tippets allow the fastest sink for my flies. I'm not real worried about break-offs as the fish don't normally hit hard and if I get a fish on runs are short. My leaders are long (so I can get to the bottom of those runs and pools) and I don't worry much about a smooth taper because I'm not trying to turn over a long line or get a delicate presentation.

So there you have most of the things that come to my mind when I'm winter fishing. In summary, I fish slow and deep with a dead drift (including streamers if I put one on). I wear rubber soles. I look for deeper runs and pools and avoid riffles and I fish strike indicators which help me control my fly depth so I can work that water six-inches to a foot off bottom. Midge patterns make up the most of my presentations with a stonefly or two added for weight and streamers sometimes find their way onto my line but I don't strip them I fish them more like a nymph.

I hope some of that information helps you this winter and since the water temperature this morning is 42 degrees out back of the shop you don't have much time before these techniques will be needed so get out there and try it this weekend before the water temperatures really slow things down.  

03/25/10 - Notes on Nymphs and Nymphing

 Not all nymphs are created equal. Some nymphs are designed to sink  The Copper John is an example of that with it's streamlined shape and extra wraps of lead stuffed up against the bead and then overwrapped with copper.  That's a fly that is going down. Others are designed with a neutral density or even to float. Which one you should be using depends on the conditions and what you're fishing for. 

However, often when people stop into the shop and look at nymphs they are only thinking about bottom bouncing.  In fact the most common complaint I hear from people trying to learn nymphing is how aggravating they find hanging up all the time.  The get tired of losing flies. My suggestion to them is to back off on the weight they are using. My take on it, and this is just my opinion, is that bottom bouncing is an indicator.  If I'm using added weight I add enough to bottom bounce and then I back off a bit.  Once I've got an idea how much weight I need to get HARD to the bottom I lighten up and fish just UP off the bottom.  Those fish aren't stuck to the bottom then can come up to a fly. 

When I move to another run I just repeat that process.  If I'm using an indicator (yarn or Thingamabobbers are my favorites) I often don't move the indicator because every time I move it I've got a new kink in my line.  Instead I change my tippet length.  Say I need less length between my strike indicator and bottom, in that case, I cut my leader at the fly and then cut off 6 or 8" of my tippet and retie the fly.  If I need more length I again cut the tippet at the fly and then add a piece of tippet material to my leader and retie the fly.  Many people would rather move the indicator but I find tying a Surgeons Knot to lengthen and then retying the fly knot to be a quick easy way to make adjustments.  If knots give you heartburn by all means just move your strike indicator.

More commonly for my fishing I'm not using a strike indicator or split-shot. In water depths to say 4' or so I'll use a 7 1/2', 3X tapered leader, a size 14 Copper John (Copper color in moving water Red in stillwater), then 4X tippet tied off the bend tied to a small Brassie or Curved Caddis size 14 or 16 with 5X tied off the bend of that and then a smaller pattern that strikes my fancy that day - often an 18 Pheasant Tail   .  It works for me. 

If I move to a deeper run I often add a Mini-Lead head (12 or 24" section of sinking line looped on each end) or switch to a short head sink tip line.  I don't mind switching spools and over the years have learned to do it fairly quickly.  But with the introduction of the new Poly Leaders I may do less spool changing since changing to a sinking leader is so much easier. However, I just started using them late last summer and then had an Achilles Tendon injury that shut down my fall fishing.  I will be trying them out this spring to see if I like them as much as I think I'm going to.  They cast easier than a normal leader with split-shot on it and seem to sink well.

Another note on nymphing with split-shot, indicators, weight flies or a combination of them is how to cast them.  I often see people hesitating or slowing their casting stroke when using these rigs.  I go at it just the other way around. My strokes, forward and back, are just short of aggressive.  I want line speed as that's what keeps the flies from dropping as they fly through the air.  I do open my loops but only slightly.  The concession I do make to these rigs is to drift my casting hand at the end of the stroke - AFTER THE STOP.  Drifting your hand a bit after the stop helps soften the transition from backcast to forward cast and vise-versa end of the stroke. This helps prevent break-offs and tailing loops.

Size matters.  Unless there is Stonefly activity or fast fast water I generally have size 14 or smaller nymphs tied on.  Mainly because there aren't that many insects down there that are bigger than size 14.  Some Stoneflies, Dragonflies and Hellgrammites do get bigger than that but most Caddis and Mayflies aren't well imitated with size 8 and size 10 nymphs.  And, of course, attractor nymphs like the rubber legged Sexy Stone are also exceptions.

Also of note is that in Maine three flies are legal but three flies are prone to tangles.  I will prospect with three flies if fishing is tough but prefer two flies.  A favorite combination is to use a high floating dry and a small bead head dropper.  There is a fine line between nymphs and emergers. Hanging either off a dry is a good thing to do. Putting a midge out in back of a dry is also a good practice and catching a few fish on the midge pattern (and you will) is a great confidence booster.  You quickly become more comfortable fishing midge patterns when they start producing for you.  I do this more often in stillwater but it works on the river.

And with that I guess I'll end this Thursday Review and this will be the last one until next fall.  Tomorrow will start my Friday Updates and I guess my first Friday Update will be like many of last year's and read - the river is high and dirty. But that should change soon and since we've had 4 high water years in a row the odds are in our favor for a good year of normal flows.

Oh, one last thing.  Should anyone want to look back at previous Thursday Reviews you can find them by clicking here.

A Weighty Question

There has been a lot of banter on websites, streamside and here in the shop about the legality of split-shot on your leader.  The answer is split-shot is legal.  Why do I say that? Well because somewhere around the year 2000 the State of Maine changed the wording they used to define fly fishing.

There used to be wording in the definition that expressly banned the use of additional weight on line or leader.  Further there was wording in the definition of a fly that expressly banned the use of additional weight in the construction of a fly.  That's right - you couldn't even put a few wraps of lead under the body wraps. But that wording is gone. No announcement - no explanation they just dropped the wording banning weight and opened the door allowing added weight without guidelines.

You might ask what prompted them to to that?  And I'd have to say I'm not sure but my guess is beadhead flies. Beadhead flies got around the "no added weight" rule by incorporating the bead, and hence weight, into the fly.  No longer was the bead or weight added to the fly instead it was part of the fly.  The argument went something like this - that bead just happens to add weight but the reason I put the bead on wasn't to add weight I put the bead there for its attraction factor, fish love the flash.

So today the definition of a fly reads: FLY (ARTIFICIAL FLY): A single-pointed hook dressed with feathers, hair, thread, tinsel, or any similar material to which no additional hook, spinner, spoon or similar device is added.

And the definition of fly fishing reads: FLY FISHING: Casting upon water and retrieving in a manner in which the weight of the fly line propels the fly. No more than 3 unbaited artificial flies individually attached to a line may be used. (NOTE: It is unlawful to troll a fly in waters restricted to fly fishing only).

Both definitions allow weight if for no other reason than they don't expressly ban weight as they once did. So the real question isn't,  or shouldn't be, is weight allowed.  Rather the question should be how much weight is allowed.

In part that issue is addressed by the definition of fly fishing by the requirement "in a manner in which the weight of the fly line propels the fly" but that is vague at best.  I can easily cast a double-tungsten-beaded stonefly along with two SSG sized split-shot and a Thingamabobber AS LONG AS I'M USING A NINE-WEIGHT FLY ROD AND LINE. But if you put that same rig on my 5-weight - well - I won't be casting it much. 

Instead I'll be hanging the Thingamabobber, fly and weight downstream in the current (water-loading) and then slinging it upstream and out into the current without a backcast.  Why no backcast - because sooner or later that rig is going to hit me in the back of the head. 

So do I think that rig is legal with a nine-weight rod setup? Yes, I think so.  Do I think that rig is legal with a 5-weight rod setup? Yes, I think so. Does casting that amount of weight on a 5-weight meet the intent of the law. I'm not sure - I know that's the chicken answer but even if I was sure that would just be my opinion and the opinion that counts is the Warden's. 

And the Warden is in a tough spot because while I wouldn't want to false cast that rig all day long on my 5-weight I COULD CAST IT for several false casts and meet requirement of the line propelling the fly.

If you add up the weight I'd have on the leader it would go something like this: 2 SSG split shot weigh 3.2 grams - plus - another 3 grams for the tungsten double beaded stonefly for a total weight of around six grams in the fly and split-shot rig.  My 5-weight fly line is rated at 140 grains which converts to around nine grams so my fly line does outweigh my split-shot and flies and so my fly line would indeed be pulling the rig - tough spot like I said.

So do I have an answer - yep I do and here it is.  Two SSG split-shot and a double tungsten beaded stonefly are legal on fly fishing only waters - IF YOU WANT TO USE THEM.  Me - I'd rather switch my line over from a floating line to a sink tip line and cast rather than water-load and sling the fly I'm presenting.  But that's just me.

Vests - Chest Packs - Fanny Packs - Too many choices

03/04/10 - I remember when it was easy.  I had a leader that was too short and too big for my fly but it didn't matter because I didn't know any better.  I didn't have a vest and only carried one fly box and that box only carried a few wets, no nymphs a couple of dry flies and couple of streamers (Black Ghost, Mickey Finn and Gray Ghost - all size 6).  I got by, had a good time and I caught fish. 

Now I fish wearing a 31 pocket vest and when people pick it up they remark with wonder that I'm able to carry it all day long. In that vest I carry everything from pike leaders with bite-guards to 12', 7X leaders, 5 fly boxes, a small first aid kit, thermometer, floatant, split-shot, tippet spools, forceps (two), desiccant power, snacks, matches, strike indicators, sunglasses, two spare spools, UV repair cement, nippers, a fly threader, a net, a Ketchum release tool .............. well you get the picture ............. probably way more than I need on any one outing.  But if it swims in Maine waters I'm ready for it. 

This change didn't happen overnight.  First I went to a cheap vest with only a few pockets.  Then I started wearing a chest pack. I liked that but the things I wanted to carry filled it up.  Simply said it was too small. But in a moment of clarity I told myself I had gone to far and I retreated to my starting point of one fly box.  Of course, by that time I had learned that I had to have a decent leader and some tippet to rebuild my leader.

However, I couldn't hold that position long. Each time I reached for something I didn't have with me I'd make a mental note to add it to my "necessary" items list and start carrying it on the next trip.  Well, I climbed right back up the ladder to end up with 31 pockets and only a couple of them empty. And I'm happy because I seldom reach for something I don't have. I even found a use for my old chest pack. I use it when I wade the salt. It holds a couple of large fly boxes, leaders, tippet spools a bottle of water, a Boga Grip and keeps it all handy.

With these two rigs and, of course, a gear bag full of "extras" that stays in the truck most of the time I'm pretty happy.  But, one always wonders if there isn't a better way.  So I've been looking, wondering, thinking about this bag and that pack or how I might go back to one fly box, a couple of tippet spools and a new leader. Oh, how nice that would be.  Then reality kicks in and I know I just can't go back and start over. It just isn't going to happen. 

However, I always did like a chest pack. Of all the gear carrying rigs the chest pack is my favorite except for it's lack of capacity. Then along comes this rig. It's a chest pack combined with a fanny pack.  You can leave the chest pack on the fanny pack and keep everything behind you out of the way.  Or you can detach the chest pack and wear it in the conventional manner putting the "essential" items in easy reach while the "I might need" items reside in the fanny pack. I look at this and say to myself - this might be the answer.  I can get everything I need into this rig.

Wait, whoa somebody come slap me and make me stop.  I mean is there really anything wrong with my vest? Doesn't it do the job? Haven't I been happy with it for years? Yes I like a chest pack but ...................... Oh yeah, I remember when it used to be easy.

02/25/10 - Last week the most frequent questions asked here in the shop related to the topic of felt versus rubber wading boot soles. This week customer focus has shifted to fly rods or more specifically - fly rod action. When I started fly fishing rods were classified as slow, medium and fast. Fairly simple groupings that anyone could understand. Then came graphite.

Shortly after the introduction of graphite some rod design person realized that they could build an aggressive taper into a rod and generate line speeds that went beyond what was known as fast and that upset the apple cart. What to do? Add a new class by calling them slow, medium, fast and super-fast? Orvis addressed it by calling their faster than fast rods HLS (high line speed) and telling people if distance was the objective the HLS series was the way to go. Other manufacturers created similar new categories.

All of that settled out and dropped back to the three generally accepted groups we see today which are full-flex, mid-flex and tip-flex. Oddly like the old grouping of slow, medium and fast don't you think? It's like the old saying "the more we change the more we stay the same."

For those of us who suffered through this changing terminology there was one constant that kept us happy while casting. That was no matter what the label said if we test cast the rod and it felt good we bought it - if it didn't feel good we didn't buy it. And that still works today if you're fortunate enough to live near a fly shop that will let you test a rod or you are willing endure the hassles shipping rods back and forth to test cast them.

But if we've already got a favorite action do we need to go through the test casting phase? Some say no - just buy the action you've come to like and you'll be happy with the rod. And for a few years that has been a fairly safe way to go. At least, until someone upset the apple cart again.

What happed this time? Was it Boron, thermoplastic resins, nano ceramic coatings or black magic? Well all of those may be contributing factors but the people who upset the apple cart this time were golf club manufacturers. Yep, it was those golf guys.

The people who make golf clubs got into the graphite game much later than fly rod manufacturers and when they got into graphite it was all new to them. So unlike fly rod manufacturers who used their old mandrels to build with a new material the golf guys had to start from scratch. What they found was new technology that rod manufacturers didn't have back in 1974 when graphite took over the rod industry.

That new technology allowed for a change of taper along the shaft length. Thus they could fine tune the shaft for the different weight and shape of golf club heads. They jumped right past rod manufacturers and began building golf clubs that were so finely tuned they added yards to any golfers drive. Eventually rod manufacturers became aware of this new technology and many completely retooled their rod making facilities.

Today's fly rod has become a combination of actions. Many of today's fly rods offer what can only be called three rods in one. For example the light action tip of my 8' 6", Zero Gravity, 5-weight, mid-flex allows me to cast and form a loop close in, (say 10 to 15') with just a flick of the wrist. Something only my full-flex rods were capable of with any consistency. Yet that same rod with thirty feet of line and a single stroke will reach out to sixty feet and if you throw a double haul into the cast you can approach the backing knot. A casting feat that used to demand a tip-flex or fast rod.

Yep, once again it's time for reclassification of fly rod actions. Who knows where it will settle out this time perhaps we'll have two classifications - multiple taper rods and single taper rods. However, it works out I think it will make rod selection easier as actions may fade out of the selection criteria. Instead of subjective classifications like slow, medium or fast we'll select a rod based on the type of water we'll be fishing, the amount of wind we have to deal with and the size of the flies and fish involved.

Fortunately, the constant that got us through the last upsetting of the apple cart will get us through this one. The final and most important selection criteria was and remains does it feel "right" when you cast and fish with it? If it does - that's the one you want to buy and fish with.

Rubber Soles

02/18/10 - We're been back from camp and have had the shop open for two days. In just two days we've had over 10 inquiries about rubber sole boots. People are coming in and asking for them. That's a lot of interest. When I ask why they are thinking about rubber soles the general response goes something like this "I don't want to spread any junk around." An attitude I applaud.

What do they mean by junk? Well most are worried about Didymo an algae that thrives in cold, clear water and is showing up in trout streams around the world. That's one invasive but what about New Zealand Mud Snails or Whirling Disease? The picture on the left shows a close-up of the stitching on a wading boot. Those snails are small aren't they? Well, Whirling Disease and Didymo are even smaller. What's a person to do?

That's a good question. A quick but not very practical answer is don't go anywhere else to fish. That's right none of those Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) are here yet so if we don't go away to fish we can't bring them back. BUT that's not going to happen. Why? Well people like to travel around and fish and you don't have to travel far. New Hampshire has Didymo and Whirling Disease and a trip to fish the Great Lakes can expose you to New Zealand Mud Snails.

And then there's the issue of Maine's all important tourist economy. If we as anglers never leave Maine there's a good chance an Aquatic Nuisance Species will be brought to us by a visiting angler. So if never leaving Maine to fish isn't the answer what is? Well there isn't any one answer but education and attentiveness to things like cleaning, drying and checking our gear when leaving a watershed are the best answers we have.

There are some sure things for Didymo and Mud Snails. They are completely drying and or freezing your gear. Those two preventative measures will stop both of them. I freeze my gear fairly often during the season - especially if I'm moving from one watershed to another. It's easy to do if you're fishing out of your home base since almost everyone has a refrigerator freezer large enough to hold a pair of boots and waders. But Whirling Disease - well - unfortunately the spores for it can withstand both freezing and drying. However, luck may keep Whirling Disease out of Maine. It seems we don't have the host worm that Whirling Disease needs for part of its life cycle. Or so I've been told but I really can't confirm that - but - I'm still checking. If I find that to be true I'll post some information about it.

So what else, if anything, can be done. Well, equipment manufactures are switching things around a bit and trying to make gear that doesn't provide a ANS friendly environment and is easier to clean than existing gear.

Ta -Taaa...... enter the rubber sole wading boot. Yep, the rubber sole boot seems to be the big focus and rightly so, I guess, since wet or even slightly damp felt soles are a wonderful host for any ANS. But unfortunately no rubber sole boot I've tried so far has the traction of felt soles. I'm anxious to try the new Orvis EcoTraX boots.

The last rubber sole boot Orvis came out with just didn't have the traction I want. The boot sole did clean nicely but the grip wasn't there for aggressive wading on moss covered rocks - even with studs. They were and are better than sneaker soles but they weren't quite there yet.

However, Orvis teamed up with Vibram to come up with the EcoTraX sole. It's new and designed by Vibram who knows more about soles and grip than most anyone out there so I hold out high hopes for it. I figure at worse they will be better than the first edition of rubber soles. At best I'll put my felt soles away for good.

My guess is that traction will depend more on the studs than the rubber sole. The good part of that is the studs Orvis is now using are both replaceable and available (well at least available by the end of March) so that one can put extra studs into the sole if they wish too. I'm sure I'll be putting extras in. The area where I'll put the extra stud is in the arch area.

I have to say the rubber sole boots I waded in last season did pretty well in the traction department until I waded an area that had lots of round rocks. In areas like that sooner or later you are bound to step onto a round rock and have the point of contact be in the arch. When that happened I found the next point of contact dictated by which direction I fell. Studs in the arch area would have prevented that. Hopefully, the new Vibram designed soles won't actually need studs in the arch for that occasional misstep but I'll have some ready just in case.

But since they screw in, I'm hoping they can also be screwed out. That way I can simply remove them when I'm floating a section of river in my wood canoe and only occasionally getting out to wade. Those permanent studs raise the dickens with wood or fiberglass.

So how does all of this sum up? For me if the wading is aggressive - steep angles, fast water, lots of round rocks - I'll be lacing on felts. If the wading is mild to easy I'll be testing the rubber soles hoping to build my confidence in the grip of the rubber soles.

Either way I'll be using a 5-gallon pail of saltwater to treat my boots (rubber or felt soled) and my waders before I go from one watershed to another. If you want to get some additional information on ways to stop the spread of Didymo visit the website by Kennebec Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and click on the Didymo link. There are several videos showing how to treat gear with hot water, by freezing or using salt water.

Oh, and I don't mean to give the impression that only Orvis is working on a great rubber sole. Vibram must be seeing a increase in business from wading boot manufactures because others have contacted then just as Orvis did.

01/14/10 - We're heading for camp this weekend. No - we didn't just flash back to mid-summer. This trip is a winter vacation and there will be little to do with fly fishing while we are up there. There will be maps, planning hike-ins, fly tying and book reading but that's about it pertaining to the fly fishing world. We'll be back here February 16th at 10:00am so you won't see another Thursday Review until a few days after that.

One of my favorite streams near camp is Nahmakanta Stream which flows from Nahmakanta Lake into Pemadumcook Lake. It's about 5-miles as the crow flies but for those of us without wings it's about a 7-mile hike. And hiking is a big part of my stream fishing of Nahmakanta. Fortunately the Appalachian Trail runs along side all but the first mile of the stream. So I often pole and paddle my canoe upstream for that first mile, which is deep and pond like due to backflow from the lake at normal levels, and then hike upstream and fish my way back.

I've learned the stream pretty well and here's how I did that. This stream is one place where I honed my observation skills. Having spend many hours on the stream I've had plenty of downtime while there. Lunch while perched on a log or large boulder, rest times when I've fish hard and need a break or just plain kicking back to enjoy the spectacular views of OJI, Katahdin and Double Top have provided ample opportunity for streamside observation.

And it's as simple as that. Want to learn a water body - take time to look. Most everyone knows that trout hold facing upstream and that trout can't maintain a holding position in fast moving water. So, unless there were obvious rises telling me where fish were I looked INTO the sheltered water lies seeking holding trout. Guess what - I found some.

One thing that helped was where I choose to look from. As you can see from the "leaving camp" picture there is no lack of boulders in the area. The top of a big boulder is a great viewing point. However, being perched on top of a boulder will often put you in the trout's view - it's a two way line of sight - so don't move around a lot while up there or you'll spook fish into hiding.

Streamside ledges or high banks are another option. When I look at a pool or run one of the things I do is mentally fish the pool. I figure out where the fish might hold. At the tail of the ledge in this picture there is an eddy. A big eddy and when the fish hold in it they are facing downstream. Not down current - but - downstream in the overall scheme of things. And yes that did figure into how I fished for them. All that's well and good but there have been many days during which I've never seen a holding trout. So I search.

When searching while moving either upstream or down I don't pound the water. I move along looking for a likely spot and make a few casts. If I don't move a fish I hike on. I've found on small to medium sized streams trout will investigate almost anything that looks edible. They may not hit but they'll move to check it out. It's easy to miss that movement if you're just lollygagging along and not watching your fly do its work. It pays to concentrate on your fly when you're search casting a stretch of water. If you want to gawk at the mountains or bird watch - stop fishing and gawk or bird watch. Then when you return to fishing concentrate on your fly. It will move fish and you'll see them if you're looking.

Another thing to consider on Nahmakanta and other streams is water temperature. Until mid-June I'm apt to find fish in most any section of the stream. But come July that luxury is gone. The surface water flowing out of Nahmakanta Lake is just too warm for trout. July and August force fish into cold water seeps, spring fed pools and areas just below small cold feeder streams. The rest of the stream is barren - you just can't catch trout there. So I look for cold water and spend little time fishing between known cold water sites.

And then there's my favorite way of finding and catching trout - dumb luck. I've often said I'd rather be lucky than good. Many times I've followed my own advise and stopped casting to watch a bird doing it's thing or to gawk at mountain views and caught fish while do so. How? Well by just by leaving my fly in the water dangling downstream in the flow while lollygagging and doing my sightseeing thing. Yep, taking the time to observe the water, its flow, cold water sources, current seams and looking for rises are all well and good but a little dumb luck goes a long way.

Back in the day the end of September marked the end of fishing until April rolled around. Gear maintenance was something you did when you stowed your gear away and began the long wait. But today there is no clearly defined "end of season" and so no set time for maintenance. Many people use their gear year round and instead of stowing the gear for the next season the gear is left in a kit bag for easy access in case we get a "January thaw." The end result of that is a slow but steady buildup of normal wear and tear that, for many, begins to border on neglect. Occasionally I walk that path.

To keep myself from getting to far down that path I've adopted a routine. I guess you'd call it down day maintenance. For the winter season it's a wind blown Nor'easter day that finds me inside all cozy and warm with an urge to dwell on the fishing season to come. Mid-summer it's a hot August afternoon with plenty of sunshine (too much) and my gear and I seeking refuge from the heat in our bug free gazebo at camp.

In both situations my maintenance regime is simple. I dump my kit bag out - totally empty it - and nothing goes back into that kit bag until I've inspected it. Close inspection of my gear normally results in hours spent cleaning, restocking and lubricating one piece of equipment or another.

Here are a few things I normally find and address. In my fly boxes I always find gaps. Some of those gaps I can fill from the small normally empty box I carry to put dripping wet flies in (I call it my drying box) or off the fly patch on my vest. Other flies - the ones I've lost to trees, fish and bottom - are put on a list so that I can replace them. When I'm replacing flies from my patch or from my "drying" box I inspect them. I do a quick check of the points and inspect for rust. Dull hooks are, of course, sharpened and rusty hooks are discarded.

Reels, lines, leaders and tippet are always good for an hour or more of inspection and cleaning. I oil and grease the reels. Then I strip 30 to 40' of fly line off the reels and inspect the fly line for cracks.

Line cracks almost always show up in this area first. If I find severe cracks I add a new line to my list. Then I strip additional line off and use Zip Juice or some other approved line cleaner and polish up that line so it will float high and shoot like it was brand new.

When I crank the line back onto the reel I inspect the nail knot or leader loops for damage. Finding none I check my leaders. If I'm using a braided butt section I look for broken fibers and check the condition of the loops. If I have a regular tapered leader it gets checked for nicks, wind knots and general condition. And finally I wrap up the line and leader inspection with a quick check of my tippet spools. Near empty spools get put on my list for replacement. Having taken care of my flies, reels, lines and leaders I turn to my rods.

Fortunately fly rods require little maintenance. I never put my rods away wet. Well, actually, I may put them into the rod tube wet but when I get home they come out and get dried off. It only took one time to train me. That one time when I opened my rod tube a week later and smelled mold cured me of putting rods away wet. It's amazing how much mildew can grow on a rod bag and on the rod's cork grip in just a week's time.

So while I don't have to worry about mold any longer I do have to worry about worn guides and tip tops. A quick look at them tells me if there's a problem and there seldom is so I move to the ferrules. Ferrules get washed with rubbing alcohol and then waxed. I use an Orvis "approved" wax they supply with new fly rods. (I have extra 1" round tubs of it here in the shop - ask if you don't have one - they're free) If I've misplaced my tub of wax I just use the end of an ordinary candle.

Then it's on to waders, boots and wading staff. Generally I don't have to pay much attention to my waders. I already know if they're leaking. However, I usually take a quick look at the seams, check for abrasion and make a judgment call on whether or not they need washing. My boot inspection is much the same - just a quick cursory check will normally tell me if bottoms are separating or shoe laces need replacing. Then it's on to the wading staff.

I use a Folstaf. I've been using the same staff for over 20 years now and love it. I seldom wade without it. Frequently I hear negative comments about Folstafs that go something like this. "I don't like Folstafs because the ferrules always stick." Well, mine rarely stick and on the few occasions that sticking has occurred freeing them was easy. It usually is no more than simply flexing of the staff while gripping just above and below the offending ferrule. I've seen people beat Folstafs against tree trunks and rocks to free them and that's something I'd never do with a hundred dollar plus piece of gear.

Nope instead of beating my Folstaf ferrules I wax them just like I wax my rod ferrules. The big difference is I use a very tacky, sticky dubbing wax on my Folstaf. Sticky wax is a no-no on rod ferrules because a small bit of dirt or sand might get picked up by the wax and damage a delicate rod ferrule - that's not the case with a Folstaf. Those ferrules are pretty rugged and the sticky wax stays in place much better than the hard wax.

And with that done I'm pretty much done. Somewhere in that whole process I've usually emptied my vest and put everything back where it belongs and then I repack my kit bag as well and I'm ready to go. Or perhaps I should say I'm ready to go once I pick up the items I've put on my list. Now if I could just remember where I put that list.

Floating lines are where it's at these days. Hardly anyone fishes sinking lines and fewer yet fish sink tip lines. Sink tip lines are the Rodney Dangerfield of the fly line world. Yet like Rodney Dangerfield sink tip lines deserve a second glance.

Years ago Sinking Lines were prone to "sagging" when they sank. The line's belly section would almost always be deeper than either end. That drawback existed in full sink or sink tip lines. That's no longer the case because today's technology allows manufactures to create the tapered tips needed for good casting characteristics that actually weigh more than the belly of the line. Despite the smaller tip diameter compared to the belly diameter "Density Compensated" or "Uniform Sink" fly lines will and do sink tip first and that has it's advantages.

Sink tip lines are particularly good when nymphing where the water isn't deep. Shallow lakes and ponds, edges of impoundments and stream sections that run 6' or less are prime areas for a sink tip line. Many people fish these same areas with a floating line and do just fine. But if I'm going to work a sinking fly, be it nymph or streamer in those areas I prefer a sink tip line.

One advantage with a sink tip is an ideal hooking angle. A floating line rigged with a tapered leader and split shot will hinge at the leader to line knot. A sink tip line will eliminate the hinge and help maintain direct contact with your fly allowing for quicker hook sets.

Now I know some of you are thinking I use a strike indicator and that provides a straight line connection to my fly. That's true. What you may not realize is that if I'm rigged with a 4 to 6 foot sink tip line I too am using a strike indicator without the hassle of an added indicator.

The floating section of my line is my strike indicator. In fact, the first mention I recall of strike indicators was an article by Dave Whitlock (in the late 70's I think) that promoted using a piece of fly line as your indicator. Whitlock suggested you use a needle to thread your leader through the core of a 1" section of floating fly line and that became your strike indicator. His suggestion was that you slide the 1" section close to fly when fishing just below the surface allowing more precise strike detection.

Whitlock's 1" of fly line had no effect on your casting. There just wasn't enough weight to notice. With today's strike indicators that isn't the case. Even Thingamabobbers, as light as they are interfere with casting. Especially if you combine the strike indicator and two or three split shot. Ease of casting is one thing that keeps me fishing sink tip lines.

If bottom bouncing a nymph is my goal I try to select the shortest sink tip that will get me to the bottom. If I'm planning on swinging streamers or wets I follow the same logic and select the shortest head that will get me to the depth I need. A convenient way to convert your floating line to a sink-tip line is to loop a section of sinking line to your floating line. But adding sink tips results in clunky casting because the ends aren't tapered to help present the leader and fly in an efficient manner. So it's the integrated sink tip with its tapered tip for me.

So do I never use strike indicators and split shot for nymphing 4 to 6' deep water? Well, rarely. I carry a spare spool with a sink tip (short head 4 to 6' long) and if I can't pull a fish up to a dry I often change my line rather than put on a strike indicator and split shot. I know that sounds time consuming and bothersome but you'd be surprised how quickly you can change out a spare spool. I really don't think it takes me any longer than changing my leader system to accommodate a strike indicator and split shot.

So the next time you're out there on the water and thinking about swinging streamers or nymphing in water 6' or less give a thought to using a sink tip. You can use the looped sections of level line to keep your initial expense down and buy an integrated sink tip later if you like the technique. You may find the increased stability and direct connection to your fly are enough to get you to invest in an integrated sink tip.

12/24/09 -I got this in an email last year and have since seen it several times on the web. I don't know who wrote it but I hope they don't mind my sharing it with you - Merry Christmas and in the words of Tiny Tim "God Bless us Everyone!

Every season something comes along to remind me how long I've been doing this thing called fly fishing. Usually it's something so old that it's new again. The most recent case is a technique for tying a Humpy demonstrated by Charlie Craven in his new book "Charlie Craven's Basic Fly Tying" published this year. The book is a good one and it's packed with tips and techniques that make fly tying easier.

However, when it comes to the Humpy Charlie wrote " I have come up with my own version of the Humpy, cobbled together from a variety of different tiers' techniques." I have no doubt that Charlie believes his "cobbled together" technique is new but the first time I saw a Humpy tied that way was in a book written by Jack Dennis called "Jack Dennis' Western Trout Fly Tying Manual." Jack's book was published in 1974.

There are many similar examples in both fly fishing and fly tying. Soft hackled wet flies like the Partridge and Orange almost died away but today are a fast growing segment of most fly fisherman’s fly selection. Fly Rods also are going retro. If memory serves me it was just last season that almost every fly fishing magazine sported an article about fiberglass and bamboo rods making a rebound

On February 6th, right here in little old Fairfield, Maine there will be a bamboo rod gathering called Superboo. Superboo is an annual event celebrating it's 7th year and each year people visit to "re-discover" bamboo.

They haven't showed up yet but I'm expecting we'll soon see reels as a sub-category at Superboo. Why? Well, because click and pawl reels are also on the rebound. People are realizing drags are dangerous when using light tippets because it’s just too easy to use more drag than you should. 

Early on people realized that fly reels needed a devise to stop free-spooling and prevent backlash and the click and pawl system did just that. Since then drags have become progressively stronger and disc drags have become the norm. Disc drags strong enough to break tippet. So what do you do if you're breaking fish off because of too much drag?

You try to remember to set your drag light enough to protect your tippet and think "the next reel I buy will be a click and pawl" so you won't have to remember. Of course that train of thought jumps the track the next time you hook into a bigger fish and need that drag. I can tell you Jeremy was happy for a good smooth drag when he was fighting the landlocked salmon he's holding in this picture.

Fly line tapers are another segment of fishing where old is new. When weight forward lines were introduced they were just as the name describes. All the weight was in the front of the line and names like "Rocket Taper" were apt.

Today's weight-forward lines have morphed into a long front taper and they provide a delicate presentation. Much like Double Tapers. So much so that the front taper on most weight-forward lines is the same as that found on a double taper.  

So have the Rocket Tapers gone away? Nope. Rocket Tapers faded out but came back but today we call them "integrated shooting heads." Yeah, Rocket Tapers are so old they're new again

But I figure that's all to the good. Fortunately as these ideas get recycled they are almost always improved upon in one fashion or another. Those new "integrated shooting heads" come with a new fly line coating that doesn't have as much memory. The new "click and pawl" reels are fully machined instead of cast. The new tying techniques come to you illustrated in full color or better yet with a web address from which you can download a step-by-step video. Yep, it's all to the good and the constant reinventing of our sport keeps things interesting and improves on what we had - bring on that new (old) idea - I'm ready for it.

The high water we've had for the last three years my fishing has shifted from almost exclusively fishing moving water to about a 50/50 mix between moving water and stillwater. I know if moving water gets high there are always eddies, edges and other sheltered areas you can fish. Heck, when the water gets up into the trees you can find trout holding behind an Oak. But we've had more than high water. Often the water has been both high and dirty. For me high water is an issue you work around - high dirty water is a sign to go somewhere else.

So ponds are where I went. And that was fine with me because I like fishing stillwater. Spending all my time in moving water is more a matter of convenience than choice. The Shawmut section of the Kennebec is 5-minutes from my front door. Madison, Solon and Bingham are all within 40-miles. Yep, moving water is easy.

Stillwater is more of a chore. First off I need some sort of watercraft. I know you can fish ponds from the shore (especially near inlets and outlets) but the chances of hooking up increase dramatically when you can get around in ON the water. That's just the first gear change that I have make when fishing stillwater.

Another change is my fly rod. Most of my moving water work is done with a 5-weight, mid-flex rod. I like a 7-weight on ponds. Why? Sinking lines and big weighted streamers the main reasons. The 5-weight has a hard time with Depth Charge lines and size 4, weighted streamers. If I'm in my canoe it isn't an issue because I just string up both the 5-weight and a 7-weight. But if I'm in a float-tube working just one rod it's probably going to be my full-flex 7-weight. (And yes you can tell you've got an 8-inch trout on a full-flex 7-weight - full-flex rods put the fun back in playing small fish)

I don't have to change out my moving water fly box for a still water fly box. That's because I carry five C&F boxes in my vest - stillwater or moving water. But the selection of flies out of those boxes does change.

Dragonfly nymphs are my go to fly on a pond. Dragonfly nymphs are always around. They have a two year life-cycle and are in almost every pond. I seldom fish the Dragonfly Nymphs in moving water. Midges are another group of flies I seldom use on moving water - but they catch a lot of fish for me when I'm working a pond.

Lines are another change I make. In stillwater or moving water a weight-forward floating line is my most used line. In moving water for a sinking line I frequently use a sink-tip with a five-foot head. Not so on the ponds. Depth-Charge lines are my stillwater choice because of their 30-foot head. If I want to work a submerged ridge at 15-feet a five-foot sink-tip just won't get me down there - the 30-foot head does.

I also change out my leaders. For a floating presentation on moving water I'm often rigged up with a 9-foot leader as my base and by adding tippet to the leader I often stretch it out to 11 or 12-feet. I seldom use any leaders shorter than 12-feet presenting floating flies on a pond (wind makes me shorten up in a hurry). My leader choice for subsurface flies is much the same on either moving or stillwater. For both I'll often cut my leader back to 4 or 5-feet.

Can I get by with my stream gear on a pond. Sure. But making a few changes sure increases my hook-up rate. Buying a float-tube, canoe or pram is a big change as is buying a new 7-weight if you don't have one but the rest of the adjustments I make are relatively inexpensive. So if next summer is as rainy and wet don't let the high, dirty water stop you from fishing just make a few gear adjustments and move to the ponds.

Proper etiquette while fly fishing is an elastic concept. Etiquette compresses down to just a few basic rules when you're in a location like Grand Lake Stream, Maine or the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. Etiquette expands to include things like rotation through a pool and direction of travel when wading if you're on an Atlantic Salmon river or fishing the Test over in England. Most of the time people don't think much about stream etiquette. Instead they fish along and just follow the Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." and that works pretty well.

On Grand Lake Stream or in Pulaski the Golden Rule would keep you out of trouble. The rules of etiquette are pretty simple on those waters for they've been boiled down to don't stand so close that you are standing on someone else's foot and don't cast directly to a fish someone else is working and both of those sometimes get broken.

While fishing an Atlantic Salmon River stream etiquette gets a bit more complicated. I wouldn't want to wade into the middle of a Salmon Pool and start casting. Not waiting for your turn and not entering at the start of the pool can get you into big trouble.

So what is a person to do? Do you have to learn new rules for every body of water you fish? Well, no not really but you do have to be aware. Just following the Golden Rule will keep you out of trouble on most waters and paying attention to the action of others will teach you the "rest of the story." Or said another way the idiom "When in Rome do as the Romans do" is a something you should keep in mind when fishing new areas. I had first-hand experience with that mode of learning the local area rules just last week in Pulaski.

I happened upon a pool that had several people fishing in it and being a big pool it had room for several more. So I found a spot where the only person within casting range was a "Center-Pin" fisherman on the opposite shore. That gentleman was casting to the center of the river and drifting a long run like only center-pin fisherman can do. I stepped into the water and proceeded to fish "my half" of the river. I started with a short line and eventually increased my cast length so that I too was casting to the center of the river.

Since I hadn't gotten a strike I decided to reel in and change flies. While I was tying on a new pattern a "plop" right in front of me quickly got my attention and I realized the center-pin guy was fishing at my feet. My first reaction was to cast one at his feet just to see how he liked it. BUT - instead - I held back and put my rod in an "at rest" position and just watched this guy. Center-Pin fishermen are an interesting group to watch - they sure can work the water.

I wasn't sure how things were done out there and so I was hoping if I held off from fishing he would work the pool and then reel in and give me a chance to work the pool. Which is just what happened. After a bit the guy realized I was waiting and so he reeled in and stepped back a couple of steps and sat on a rock. I stepped forward and fished the pool for a bit and turned the pool over to him.

He was a good guy - he willingly shared the pool and was paying enough attention to the people around him so that he could fish with instead of in competition with someone. All was well but later I realized that if anyone wasn't following etiquette during that encounter it was me.

I later saw that scenario played out repeatedly. The guy on the right bank would cast to the feet of the guy on the left bank. After the right bank guy's drift got far enough downstream to allow it the guy on the left bank would cast to the feet of the guy on the right bank. It worked smoothly and the water was worked completely bank to bank. Yep, I was the guy who messed up the system by holding back and not fishing . And the answer to my question of "how would he like it" was he would like it just fine.

When in Rome..........................................................

Previous Thursday Reviews

Give me a boat - any boat will do - well...............

The water flow in Bingham is 6,000CFS and it is about to get higher.  The spring melt is bound to kick in soon and when it does the flow will approach 60,000CFS or better.  We won't be fishing for awhile. Or perhaps I should say we won't be wading the local rivers for awhile.  But before the rivers get too high and after the peak yet before wading levels we can fish the local rivers from a boat - but which boat? 

That's a question I get asked often and my standard answer is get a Jon Boat with a extension handle on the motor so you can stand while you run the river.  Now you might ask - do you own one and I'd have to reply - no.  

I fish the river from a canoe and most of the time I'm standing in it using a setting pole to get from one point to another.  I just like canoes and like the quiet, stealthy, close to nature aspects of getting around without a motor.  Poling lets me move up and downstream in my canoe with minimal effort if I read the river and its currents but the range of timely travel is limited while poling. I wouldn't want to pole a canoe from Norridgewock to Madison (about 9-miles) for an afternoon's fishing but a Jon boat would make that trip easy. 

They are stable, roomy, have a shallow draft and - did I mention they are stable? A Jon boat with a casting platform in the front like the one pictured here is a joy to fish from and while it may pound heading into waves it isn't often that you have white-caps on the river.  Now I know some people with a 14' modified V-hull are saying "my boat fishes just fine" and yes - I do have one of those.  And they do fish fine - but they aren't comfortable to stand in (unless they have a false bottom) and if you do stand in them - stay in the center away from the gunnels.  A modified V-hull also has a deeper draft than a flat bottomed Jon boat. That's just the way it is and it can't be changed.  

Regardless of the boat you use there are some key things to making them safe on the river.  An anchor system that pulls from the center of the bow is key to safe anchoring.  Organization is another.  Loose gear laying around is just an invitation to trip and fall overboard.  Access to life-jackets is another.  Life-jackets don't do you any good locked in the compartment under the seat.  Any good boat person will tell you ropes and maintenance of those ropes is another key to safe boating.  When you need a rope is no time to be untangling it.

There's another group of people who are probably saying "well drift boats are kinda nice to fish out of" and they are right.  But a drift boat is just what it says it is. Great for drifting but not so hot when you try to add power.  Drift boats have too much rocker and are too beamy to make good headway under power.  However, especially if I've talked someone else into rowing I do like fishing from a drift boat. 

So I guess that cuts my choices of river craft down to a canoe or a Jon boat.  And the deciding factor between them is the amount of distance I have to travel and the love I have for my, sixty year old, 20' Old Town Guide canoe.

"CLEAN: There are several ways to kill didymo. Choose the most practical treatment for your situation which will not adversely affect your gear.  

• Non-absorbent items
  • Detergent: soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in 5% dishwashing detergent or nappy cleaner (two large cups or 500mls with water added to make 10 litres); OR
  • Bleach: soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in 2% household bleach (one small cup or 200mls with water added to make 10 litres); OR
  • Hot water: soak for at least one minute in very hot water kept above 60 °C (hotter than most tap water) or for at least 20 minutes in hot water kept above 45 °C (uncomfortable to touch).
• Absorbent items require longer soaking times to allow thorough saturation. For example, felt-soled waders require:
  • Hot water: soak for at least 40 minutes in hot water kept above 45 °C; OR
  • Hot water plus detergent: soak for 30 minutes in hot water kept above 45 °C containing 5% dishwashing detergent or nappy cleaner; OR
• Freezing any item until solid will also kill didymo.

DRY: Drying will kill didymo, but slightly moist didymo can survive for months. To ensure didymo cells are dead by drying, the item must be completely dry to the touch, inside and out, then left dry for at least another 48 hours before use.

If cleaning or drying is not practical, restrict equipment to a single waterway.

NOTE: The thicker and denser the material, the better it will be at holding moisture (and live cells), the slower it will be to dry out and the more difficult it will be to soak completely with cleaning solutions." 

So while I'm sure the bleach wash is better than no treatment I think when moving from the West Branch to the Roach in Kokadjo that I'm going to opt for the hot-water bath (for my gear anyway). I found heating the water and soaking gear for 40 minutes is about a two hour process.  All you need for the operation is a pan or pail, camp stove and an igloo cooler.  You can see the whole process as I first did in by clicking here and watching the video. 

Two hours may seem like a long time but it really isn't.  If you camp overnight on the West Branch you can set the gear to soaking and go to bed.  When you get up in the morning you'll have safe gear soaking in the cooler.  And if you're traveling from one watershed to the other all you have to do is heat the water before you leave and put the gear to soaking.  By the time you get to your destination and eat your lunch the gear will have soaked long enough to be safe.   

Do I think Didymo is inevitable - no.  Do I think neglect by a single angler, boater, kayaker or canoeist can bring Didymo to Maine - yes.  Am I going to treat my gear between EVERY WATERSHED as though the watershed I just left is contaminated - yes.  Will it be me who brings Didymo to a watershed - no.   Will it be you?

This is a common question here at the fly shop. People will stop in and say some friends are taking me fishing and I'd like to have a couple flies of my own - can you help me select some? This question is asked with complete innocence for the person generally has no idea of concepts like match the hatch, imitative or suggestive flies, attractor or natural - they just don't know. Not only don't they know what a "can of worms" (forgive me) they've opened they also don't want me to spend the next hour telling them the difference between wets, dries, nymphs, streamers and any other category flies fall into. They just want some flies that will work.

What would you give them? Kind of a tough question isn't it? Well here's my standard answer.

Mayflies generally fall into three color schemes - light, dark and olive. For a light colored fly I suggest a Light Cahill. Maybe not the most common mayfly and it has a limited hatch window but thankfully it can imitate other mayflies. The size Light Cahill we sell most often is a 12, but I suggest a 14. It's not too small for a Light Cahill imitation and it's only a little large for a Sulphur. In a pinch one can even use it as a female Hendrickson since they are much lighter than the male Hendrickson.

For a dark pattern I suggest the venerable Adams. How can you go wrong. It's not particularly imitative of any one mayfly. Yet it's the most popular dry fly the world around. You can use it for general searching and expect to get a strike. It will do during a Hendrickson hatch, or for Lead Winged Coachman, Quill Gordon and most any other dark mayfly hatch. The combination of brown, gray and black just seems to work. If they will I suggest they get this fly in sizes 12 and 16. If not I suggest the 14.

And then I walk them over to the selection of Blue Winged Olives and explain that while Olives may fit into the dark category I make a special spot for them just because there are so many Olive Mayfly hatches during the season. If I'm not staining their patience I go on to explain that the Olives are a multi-brooded hatch and so are on the water all season long. And that they generally are the first and last mayfly hatch of the season. Then I tell them the only thing wrong with Olives is that they run small and I pick up a 22. Most balk at that but if I start them out by showing them a 22 I can usually get them to use an 18.

Then I mention Caddis. Some know what they are and some don't but if it's after the first week of June I use the phrase "Caddis is King" as part of my explanation as to why they should have some and then I take them over to the Elk Hair Caddis bin. Now I know a lot of people downplay the Elk Hair Caddis as a tired pattern that fish have seen too many of but for me it still works. So with confidence I suggest a size 14, Tan Elk Hair Caddis and if they are willing a size 16 or 18 black caddis to go with it. That generally takes care of the top water flies. But what about the subsurface ones.

Well I go easy on the subsurface ones for a couple of reasons. Most of the people who ask this question are beginners and for beginners casting weighted flies can be a challenge. So, a Cone Head Muddler or double beaded Stonefly just wouldn't be the thing. But a size 8 or size 10 Bead Head Woolly Bugger has a fairly small bead yet enough weight to break the surface tension and get them down a bit if they'll wait for it to sink. Again if they're willing I suggest an Olive one as well.

And that does it - there are five flies they can use and when they walk out the door I feel like they've got a good chance at hooking up.

KEEP YOUR TIP UP

I'm sure you've heard it - probably said it. It's generally good advise. Raising the rod tip while you're playing a fish does a number of good things for you. With the tip up the fish is fighting the flex of the rod instead of pulling against a taut line. There is also less line on the water and so less line drag. High rod tips will also help you clear obstacles and keep fly lines and tippet from being dragged over rocks. After the strike during the first run made by a good fish a high rod tip is a good idea.

For a beginner who isn't real comfortable with fly reels and the need to let go and allow the spool to spin freely a high rod tip is often the only thing that keeps the fish from breaking off. If the rod is pointing straight at the fish and an angler doesn't QUICKLY let go of the reel knob and allow the fish to take line a break-off is a common result. But if the rod tip is high often the flex of the rod will save the day and give the angler the time needed to realize they have to let go of the reel knob and let a strong fish run. But then what?

After the first or second run by a good fish holding the rod tip up - especially if ones hands are head high or higher - gets to be a chore. You could even call it tiring. So what do you do then? I lower the rod. Now that sounds simple but there is a trick to lowering the rod tip. It is important to lower the rod by swinging the rod tip to your right or left side instead of simply lowering the tip straight down so the rod is pointing straight out it front of you.

A rod that is pointing at the fish isn't doing you any good in your fight with the fish. If the rod isn't flexed it isn't part of the game. So I hold my rod off to one side horizontal to the water or maybe as high as 45-degrees but no higher unless I'm trying to avoid catching my line on something.

This does a couple of things the most important being it puts the rod flex back in the game. Another is the line is then pulling off to the side of a fish making it harder to run straight away. Think of pulling a log using a rope over your shoulder. Then think about pulling the same log using the same rope but with the rope waist high and off to one side or the other. It's much the same for a fish - pulling line straight out is easy compared to pulling from one side or the other.

So the next time you get onto a good fish keep that tip up. At least for the initial run, maybe even the second but when the tug-of-war starts don't give up the advantage the rod gives you by lowering the rod and pointing it at the fish. Instead lower the rod off to one side and put a strong bend in it.

Be sure and visit our Forum - Comments welcome

 

Rookie Mistake of the Year Award

November, 07 I started my Thursday Review articles with a write-up highlighting some mistakes I had made in the previous fishing season.  That is my mistakes and one a friend had shared with me.  His took first place over mine. The end result of his was a trip here to the shop to buy a few new boxes to replace the ones he MELTED while trying to dry his wet flies. 

When I saw the melted, warped fly boxes it was too good to pass up, so, when he was in the back of the shop I snapped a couple of pictures of his melted boxes and used them, along with some of my own, to illustrate some of the "rookie" things we do.   

Well, that post has come full circle and one of the boxes show up here last week at our first Tie-N-Lie of the season.  The box showed up in a Shadow Box award to be dedicated annually to the person who makes the "Rookie Mistake of the Year" and you can win.  If you want your name on the dummy, ah - I mean - award box all you have to do is send in your Rookie of the Year story. 

You can email your story to me or post it on the Forum in this thread (click here). We all promise to laugh with you not at you - sort of. 

There's no entry fee and no prize but you do get a chance to tell your story and help someone avoid repeating your mistake. Or, as I did in telling Neal's story, I suppose you can relate a story about a fishing buddy. The only requirements are that the story be true (this is a fishing site so some embellishment is acceptable)  and that it be about something that happened in 2008. So just below this is a reprint of the ROOKIE MISTAKES write-up I did last November that started this in motion.  I hope you enjoy it and send in your mistakes. 

Rookie Mistakes

11/29/07 Well, open water at fishable levels is some scarce.  So instead of reporting river conditions it's time to start the Thursday Review.  For those of you not familiar with the format the Thursday Review is something I do to pass the winter and supplement the Friday Update.

I thought I'd start this out with a review of some Rookie Mistakes I made this year.  Well most of them are mine - I borrowed another one from a regular Forum member.

Here's one of my recent ones.  If you click on and enlarge the picture of my boot you'll see the boot laces are sticking out instead of hanging down.  No, the laces can't defy gravity - they are sticking out like that because they're FROZEN.  Yep, all my gear was frozen that morning. 

I had fished the day before and had a long, late drive home.  When I got home I told myself I was going right back out the next day and heck leaving my gear spread out in the back of the truck would be a good thing - especially since I was tired and didn't want to mess with it.  Well the next morning I got up early - drove to the Upper Kennebec Gorge and went to the back of the truck to suit up.  EVERYTHING was frozen, including my waders which I had turned inside out. 

Now if you want a challenge try reaching down into the leg of a frozen wader and trying to pull it right side out - took me awhile.  But the real challenge came when I tried to get my boot on.  Even my Brogues with the side zipper don't go on easy when they are rock solid. 

I got them on and had a great day on the water - that Brookie on the right was one of my rewards but the lesson learned from this Rookie Mistake is - TAKE CARE OF YOUR GEAR - no matter how tired you are.  As my good friend Kenny Clark says "it's a damm poor cowboy that doesn't take care of his horse first."

Another Rookie mistake for this year is ignoring good fishing that's right in my back yard.  I spent a good part of my summer hiking and looking for ponds and beaver dams to fish.  Hiking and exploring are good things to do but I shouldn't have spent so many of the precious peak season weekends doing it.  Especially when Willie and Jimmy were sending me pictures of Shad there were CATCHING weekend after weekend while I was out hiking - not fishing much mostly hiking.

Click on the picture above and you'll see Willie holding a nice Shad.  Shad aren't here all season long and I know better than to be gallivanting off in the woods wasting a limited opportunity but I did it anyway.  I had a good time and found some good water but my time, from a catching standpoint would have been better spent standing along side Willie. 

One catch I did make was the moose skull and horns you see on the right.  I carried them out - reported my find to IF&W and later surrendered them to IF&W - per policy - and am still working to get a permit to legally keep them - but at least I can say I found them. One day I plan to have that skull hanging over the door of my camp.

I made other Rookie Mistakes this season.  None to severe - things like actually taking care of all my gear after a trip and then forgetting to put my vest back in the truck.  Not a big deal until you get to the water.  Fortunately I carry so much extra stuff in my truck it didn't matter I just outfitted myself for that day from the "extras." 

Another simple one was not having my camera and digging my cell phone out from inside my waders to use the camera in it. Now my camera has a lanyard on it so I won't drop it - my cell phone doesn't (it's normally off and deep inside my waders when I'm fishing so it doesn't need one) but I pulled my cell phone out and started taking a picture of a recently caught fish - two steps from shore.  Now I could have taken the two steps to shore and taken my cell phone out over land but no I stood there mid-calf deep and didn't think a thing about it until I almost dropped the camera - duh.

But the best Rookie Mistake this season wasn't even mine.  It was Neal's and it was a good one. I'm not even going to make a thumbnail of this one - it deserves to remain full size.

Yes sir - that's what happens to your fly box when you put it in the oven to dry out those wet flies so they won't rust up on you.  Yep - taking care of his gear just like he's supposed to but - well - to hot is just to hot.

So how about you.  Someone out there must have a Rookie Mistake to share.  If you do follow this link to the Forum and share it with us. 

It isn't even December yet and the freezing rain is pounding down we could all use a smile or two.

Be sure and visit our Forum - Comments welcome

12/04/08 - Most fly-fishermen have heard of the Leisenring Lift. Those that haven't will if they get into a discussion about wet flies and how to fish them. The Leisenring Lift has accounted for many a fish and will account for many more. Without a doubt it is one of the most effective methods of fishing wets and nymphs. But it works pretty well with streamers too.

The reason it works so well is the method creates the illusion of life. Here's the basic concept in Leisenring's own words.

"I always fish m fly so that it becomes deadly at the point where the trout is most likely to take his food, which is usually at or close to his position in the stream. I have always contended in my mind that there is a point in fishing a fly where its appeal-efficiency is low and a point where its appeal-efficiency is high. Since my flies are tied to act lifelike and look lifelike, I fish them so that the efficiency of these qualities is at its highest when it nears and arrives before the trout for his inspection. This is accomplished by allowing a gradual increase of tension caused by the water flowing against the leader, causing the fly to lift from the bottom and rise with the hackles or legs quivering after the manner of the hatching natural fly."

The idea was to get a fly down deep and lift it as it got to the fish. That lift changed it from a tumbling bit to a nymph rising from the bottom on its way to hatch. Well if you take that technique and turn it on its side and apply the same technique to a streamer you'll find it very effective.

If I think there's a fish holding in a likely spot I'll make a cast well upstream of and a bit beyond the spot where I think it is. Then I'll mend and feed line allowing the fly to drift down towards the holding spot. When the fly gets almost to the spot I'll stop feeding line and hold steady on the line.

Leisenring counted on the pull of the water on the leader to animate the fly and so do I. That fly drifting towards the fish is just a floating bit fluff until the line tightens and when the fly starts to moving the hope is the movement will draw a strike. And it often does. My favorite fly for that is a Muddler Minnow. Not only does seem to look like something to eat it plows just enough water to draw attention.

It's seems big fish have a hard time ignoring a small fish that darts across in front of them. I've had fish come from a fairly deep holding spot to hit a fly that was barely under the surface. Who knows if they think it was stunned fish that finally got its bearings or just a startled baitfish but something about dead-drifting streamers suddenly darting across in front or above them triggers an aggressive response.

Give it a try and see if it will work for you. I've caught a lot of fish using the sideways Leisenring Lift and I'm sure it will work for you.

11/27/08 Welcome to the Thursday Review. If this is your first visit let me open by telling you this sort of topic isn't normal for the Thursday Review. Normal would be a discussion of a fishing technique, some new product, or fly tying. Well this week's post is about fishing but a bit more political than most of my Thursday Reviews. This week I'm going address the question - Should the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic Salmon be listed as THREATENED or ENDANGERED?

If this topic doesn't interest you before you quit reading take a look at the map because if you fish in the colored area the outcome of this question may affect you. itat Areas, how much money will the Federal Government provide if Atlantic Salmon are listed, who will decide the path forward if they aren’t ENDANGERED and what’s the future of aquaculture if they are listed.

Yes, there is a lot to consider AFTER a decision is made to list Atlantic Salmon as ENDANGERED or THREATENED.

Yet all those things don’t come into play until the decision to list as ENDANGERED or THREATENED is answered. All those other things are results of the decision but the ONLY question in front of us right now is: Are Atlantic Salmon ENDANGEDED or THREATENED? Atlantic Salmon aren’t ENDANGERED.” In fact I said it just 3-weeks ago in a Trout Unlimited meeting where I voted to endorse the Atlantic Salmon ENDANGERED listing. I wish I could take that vote back.