Super Fly

Chickadee

2012-02-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of deer hair Chickadees that I made for a fellow tattoo artist by the name of Eric Hornung....Check him out at Anti Hero Electric Tattoo in NJ...

Kicking it old school

2012-02-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin....Let's start with this...

Searching for winter Steel Head is never a warm endeavor. I've fished colder...Frozen guides, chapped lips, chilled fingers and snott-cicles....These are the things that steelheaders endure to chase those silvery, rose cheeked torpedos.....

I had a busy week at work...Tax season and college refund checks have arrived...everyone wants a tattoo...yesterday....that being said...I have a bad back...Sciatic pain runs down the family tree..I have met it..My back already hurt from a long week, I decided to play chase with my cat Bugger...while tossing his deer hair mouse, something went horribly wrong. I felt the dreaded pop....The slow burn manifested into searing pain...my lower back was on fire...Excellent...

The alarm goes off at 5:30am...I try to roll out of bed...only to find my face glued to the pillow with snot from my lingering cold...I break the bond...my face comes off with a rip and I go to step down only to find that my left leg does not want to work...I come very close to crumbling on the floor in a pile of man and beard...not wanting to be defeated...I mustered up the strength to get past the discomfort and made my legs work...Every step shot fire from my lower back to my knee...I try to get dressed...Oh man...I've ever worked so hard to put socks on before...Finally finished it's time to hit the road...

I'm cruising down the highway...about 45 minutes into my 2 1/2 hour journey..my stomach decides it wants in on the action....I ate pizza the night before. I need to start listening to my inner self more...I know I shouldn't have done that..My lady's words ring in my ear..."babe...you are lactose intolerant."...me of course being a man that cannot be held back, a man that will never be forced to live a life without the food group "pizza."...I pay the price...I make several stops along the way...In the end..I realized, it wasn't the pizza, not the delicious melted cheese that I hold so near and dear, but the simple fact was that my butt and the toilet seat were having separation anxiety....they needed to be together...

I make it to the river...a little late..but made it none the less...I gear up...it was a slow paced affair to say the least...I begin the trail walk...slip, and bam...something popped again...only this time it was that pop that saved my day...everything aligned...my pain went away and I could walk more like me, not like
the hunchback....

I meet up with the guys...Rusty Spinner and Ben....The Steel Head followed...My first cast put me on a fish....it was short lived, I broke off...Several more hookups throughout the day by all....

Fishing with these two guys is a pleasure...laugh, smile, joke around and catch fish. It's that simple...They know their stuff and utilize it well. These guys get on fish, hands down two great steel headers...I learn every time I fish with them.

I was fishing my 1960's Fenwick 9ft 9wt glass rod, and a made in the USA Pflueger Medalist 1495 1/2...A perfect drift...the take...an epic battle ensued...I brought a beautiful Steel Head to hand...the first of the season that I landed...With my 50 year old gear...

photos courtesy of Mr. Spinner

I hook into a beast later in the day....one bad mama jamma steel....It takes me into backing on the first run...get a little back, goes again...I finally have to give in and follow it down stream a bit...A huge jump...another run....I get my line back...another jump....Ben shouts out how big it is...the excitement grows, Rusty Spinner is ready and steady with the net....pressure to the bank, the head shaking continues....my rod tip banging up and down....I get the fish almost within net's reach...then slack line...the hook straightened out...the one that got away..from what we could see, the estimate was around 16lbs....next time...

CCG EYES

2012-01-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

GET YOUR CCG EYES...

now carried at www.rusuperfly.com

Bronze Logo

2012-01-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you who follow me through my random, sometimes nonsensical ramblings...I am an artist by trade. I make my living applying art to skin, creating bold logos and illustrations...When I went to college, my main focus was sculpture...I studied the human figure, through both life drawing and sculpture. We were fortunate enough to have a bronze foundry in our sculpture studio. I studied at Binghamton University for two years, a majority of that time was spent in the foundry learning to sculpt for and cast bronze statues. What a process...hot, steamy, dirty, sweaty and slightly dangerous. When molten metal pours from the crucible into your hydro cal molds, it's an amazing experience...At that point you lose all control of the artwork inside...The wax has already been burned out through the use of a kiln, leaving a hollow mold inside with tubes, canals and vents. This infrastructure insures proper flow of the molten bronze...If there is any carbon deposits left or moisture left in the mold, it shoots a spray of molten metal into the air resembling Old Faithful. If the metal touches cement in any way, watch out again...The moisture in the cement is quickly turned into steam and shoots into the air...Dangerous...fun....but the end result if all goes well is a magnificent piece of precious metal that took the shape of your creation....

This is my new bronze tying vice embellishment made by an extremely talented foundry owner...Benjamin Jose...
Benjamin Bronze Studios...518-653-9192....benjaminbronzestudios@fastmail.fm

This man and his sculpting partner have talents like you have never seen...Amazing metal smiths to say the least. They took my logo from a flat print, a jpg image and sculpted a magnificent piece of art from it. Give these guys a shout...let them know that you heard about it from me...get your personalized bronze made today...

CLEAR CURE GOO

2012-01-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that www.rusuperfly.com is now a proud carrier of Clear Cure Goo products....The Goo is the Poo....get yours....

and don't forget....the new Clear Cure Goo Eyes are available for order as well...
www.clearcureeyes.com.....it doesn't get any better

Sulking Sculpin

2012-01-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here's 4 dozen Sculpins heading out to Michigan for use by fly guide Kelly Neuman...

Included in this batch is a new color that I am offering....a yellow version...sure to be a killer...

Shaggin' Dragon

2012-01-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

This is a fly that I have been playing around with...dragon fly imitations in general have been a part of my carp fly arsenal...I have caught fish on all kinds of variations of this fly. This is the end result of all my playing and testing. It is a custom blended wool dubbing on the lower body section, olive wire ribbing, an olive mallard tail and a flashback....the upper section includes Hareline's Wiggle Dub, a blend of olives and browns, bead chain eyes, turkey flat wing casing and an orange thread head. The wing case is coated with thin CCG and then the thread wraps and case are finished off with Hydro...This fly will catch you fish...trout, bass, pan fish or carp...you name it...now available on the store....

Tradition

2012-01-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

As per request....deer hair poppers are now available on my site...1/0, 2/0....they all have a red face....black, yellow, chartreuse, olive, brown and white are the body colors. They all have rubber legs, double weed guards and Clear Cure Eyes. The bellies are all coated with Clear Cure Goo for durability and the face is coated for that extra POP every time...They are tied on Mustad Stinger Deer Hair hooks...Get some...

1-1-12....First of the New Year

2012-01-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

The first fishing trip of the new year...chasing steel...hooking suckers....

Northern Hog Nosed Suckers to be exact..not exactly what I was looking for as the first fish of 2012 but a fish none the less...

We got to explore some new water...runs that I have never fished before...It was a mild day, a good day for river walking. Remnants of the salmon spawn and rot still remain...

The troops held strong and determined...This season's steelhead catch ratio has been very poor to say the least.....To date...quite a few fish hooked up, nothing to hand...My Dad got to feel that all mighty head shake yesterday for about a second before breaking off...The very last cast of the day put me on a fish for a second before the great snap off...Keep on keeping on...The troops...getting ready for Schoolhouse....

Steelhead get me through the winter months...I do enjoy it, but not anywhere like the enjoyment I get from my warm water species. As I swing a streamer or drift a nymph for the 200th roll cast of the day..I find myself daydreaming of stalking carp and chucking hair bugs for buckets, stripping streamers for pickerel and bouncing crayfish for smallies...Spring can't come soon enough....

Sulking Sculpin

2011-12-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

The olive Sulking Sculpin has been a great fish catching success...now I'm offering it in two additional colors...rust and black...great on the swing or bottom bounced with a sink line....

Spider

2011-12-27T19:49:00.001-08:00

My first attempt at a realistic spider....

Birds....

2011-12-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

A gift for my Mom...
Western Tanager..

A Scarlet Tanager

A pair of Cardinals for Joe... www.flyrecipes.com

Punks off to South Carolina

2011-12-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

As I begin to box these up and write out the shipping label....I feel a little pit of jealously forming in my stomach....As I sit here in the makings of a typical Northeast winter, my Punks lay ready to bask in the warm Carolina sun....ahhhh...one day I will be without freezing temps, snow and ice....one day...

12-21-11

2011-12-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

New Punks out the door...rush delivery.....

Recent Birds

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

These are a few recent display fly orders...flying away to their new homes...

Cold Feet?

2011-12-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

Last year my brother and I had the idea to get together for out father's birthday and do some winter fishing. It has now become a yearly trip. The gathering of cold feet happened this last weekend. The weather of course was going to be cold...but not as bad as last year..19 degrees and a blizzard...This year it was a balmy 21 when we arrived..warming up to about 30 throughout the day...

We fished our butts off...breaking regularly to warm the toes...A sub break in the afternoon...a few laughs in between..all in all just a great day for the three of us to spend some time together and attempt to catch a fish...some flies were offered up to the river gods, as well as split shot, leaders, tippet and some of our sanity...some advice on casting and high sticking....a few fish were hooked into...but nothing landed. We had the good fortune of running into a friend of mine...The Rusty Spinner...shared some water...shared some laughs...

This is the look of two cold guys questioning my thought process as to why winter fly fishing is a brilliant idea....

Maybe next year we'll do the birthday fishing trip six months before...in the 80 degree sun chasing warm water trophies....although I don't know if it would feel right chasing birthday fish without the cold feet....

Rite Bobbin

2011-12-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest...I never gave my bobbins a thought...I picked up whatever I could buy for less then $10.00 and used it...struggling to make the tension on the thread correct by constantly bending and unbending the bobbin...Cheap bobbins break constantly..especially when tying with deer hair..The amount of pressure put on the cheap stuff will eventually break them. After replacing them multiple times it begins to add up...This year at the Symposium I was approached by Rite Bobbins. I gave a chuckle at first because I knew the price on these. They asked me to just try it out and give it go. So I did...That being said all of my bobbins are now replaced with Rite Bobbins CERMAG....

These bobbins offer total thread control with the click of an adjustment knob on the side of the bobbin. Instead of two metal pieces coming up and constantly getting in the way, you now have one metal stem coated in ceramic...it fits comfortably and effortlessly in the palm of your hand. Want more tension...turn the knob...less...turn it the other way,....Each click gives you about one ounce of tension..talk about total control. With the squeeze of your hand the thread stops completely...let go and it's back to business...These bobbins are so smooth..words can't even explain it.

I am proud to announce that I will be offering these on my web store for sale. They have changed the way that I view bobbins and tie my flies. I think they will do the same for you...Stop by my shop..pick one up...you won't be sorry...

Show some love....My friends and fellow fly addicts

2011-12-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

These are two of my buddies....outstanding fly makers and all around great fly anglers....chasing everything with gills...especially if teeth are involved...Brian Price and Ken Capsey...

Tight Lines Fly Shop

Vermont Fly Guys

Born in the hills of West Virginia and graduating from WVU with a B.S. in Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Resource Management. I currently reside in the Green Mountains of Vermont with Lake Champlain at my doorstep. I'm an avid fly fisherman and fly tyer..I have flyfishing experience from the Deshutes in Oregon to the coast of Maine. My specialty is Eastern streams and rivers and of course the world famous Great Lakes Salmon and Steelhead from Ontario to Erie. I have made the "Runner Up" three times for the tying contest in the world published "Fly Fishing and Tying Journal" , one of the originators of the Ditch Pickle Classic http://ditchpickleclassic.blogspot.com/, and recently joined as a Board Member of the Friends of the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. I specialize tying Pike/Musky, Bass, Great Lakes Steelhead, and Trout. Brian has been fishing since he 4 years old. 30 years later, he is going on 15 years of fly fishing and fly tying.

Joining me in the Vermont Fly Guy's flyshop this year is friend and fishing cohort, Ken Capsey. Ken is a native Vermonter whos home waters lie in the depths of Lake Carmi, Lake Champlain and the Missisquoi River. Ken is also one of the originators of the Ditch Pickle Classic, and maintains a following with his pike fishing blog http://pikeadventures.blogspot.com/. Ken and his Pike flies will be featured in a book in 2012 by Ad Swier from the UK.
All of the flies we offer are tied by us personally right from our own home. We offer flies that we fish and will be taking custom orders as well. We take great pride in our flies and go to great measures to make them the most durable and effective flies on the market. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with any of our flies, please contact us and we will gladly replace any fly within reason.

Another fishless day

2011-12-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Rusty Spinner and I hit the SR together for the second time yesterday...The day began with fish talk and high hopes. Fishing with RS is always a pleasure...lots of sharing of fish info, fly porn and laughs...I do think that the discussion of the tattoo and body modification industry and the things that people do to themselves was a little eye opening for him...another day at the office for me...We decided to chance a drive further up north to take a stab at another special river first.

This little river, another Ontario Trib. is where I managed to catch my very first Steelhead. I have a few friends that fish it religiously and very successfully. I have not managed to catch a fish on it since that day. This river for the life of me I cannot figure out. It's as fickle as a sixteen year old girl buying a new pair of shoes. One day it's on...the next it's empty...I can't pattern it. We gave it about two hours there..chucking streamers and nymphs at every pocket, run and pool we could find...Notta...

We ventured to the SR...For some reason...Mother Nature is still teasing us with fairly mild weather for the time of year. This means that the river is still full of people. We scoured the water for open spaces...secret locations....we fished high and low...fast and slow....shallow runs...deep bends...slow pools...eventually towards the end of the day we found what we were looking for...

We both hooked into beautiful rosy cheeked torpedos...they were all brought within arms reach...actually both of us managed to get them to each other's feet...The problem...we left the net at the car...The water was high...safety first...no chasing the steelhead...They all managed to save their dignity and not give us a sexy fish porn pose...no proof us this warm water bug chucking bearded man fooling them with one of his cold water creations...next time...we bring the net...

I did however get to put a huge bend in my Fenwick....a smile on my face for sure...steelies watch out...The Rusty Spinner and I will be back for revenge...there's a lot of winter to go....

The Drift....

The Tug....

The Drift...

The Set....

The Reason....

Carolina Wren

2011-12-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

A little deer hair work for my friend Cameron at The Fiberglass Manifesto...A Carolina Wren...of course it's just a display fly...not intended for fish catching use...

Playing around...

2011-12-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

An all wool version of a shad....

All wool Mullet....

Playing around with flex tube and CCG...

11-27-11

2011-11-28T06:10:00.000-08:00

The bandits....

My Brother Chris

My Brother-in-Law..Dan the Wee Man

We journeyed to the Salmon River again today...hoping for some Steelie chasing...We met up with fellow maniacs John Collins and Mike Nutto...We walked high and low...swung streamers...bounced bottom....There was no action to be found. The water dropped to 335 cfs...41 degrees....and was littered with turkey stuffed fishermen everywhere...

Needless to say....the fish outsmarted us...This game of steelhead cat and mouse is an interesting one for me. First off..I hate winter..I hate the cold. I started this type of fishing last year...I decided to learn to love winter, embrace the cold, the snow and a new species of fish for me...Everything about this sport of steelheading is different then what I am used to. The flies are different, the technique is different, the fight is different, the take is different...even the people chasing them are different. Which makes finally catching one of them that much more exciting...I feel like I have earned the take when I get it...

No Steelhead were landed...but I did stick a healthy Brown with the Fenwick...I hooked into a Steelhead that ran like a freight train and broke me off in less then a second...Always a good time...

11-25-11...getting perchy

2011-11-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

After an amazing Thanksgiving meal on Thursday (thanks Mom)...my brother and I decided to hit the water for hour today to burn off a little gravy...We hit a local resevoir with rabbit strips and bead head pheasant tails to hook into some perchie goodness...Perch we found...I put the new(old) Southbend glass 5wt to the test...recently snazzed up with a 1494 Pflueger and a Cortland 5 wt floating line....perch were just asking for their fresh lip piercings...My brother hooked all of his fish on flies of his own design...The CC Crusher...a blend of lead eyes and bunny strips that proved to be deadly...

Heddon 8306 Mark1 8'3

2011-11-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

So I have a deep appreciation and fascination with vintage fiberglass rods..Simply put..I love everything about them. I have to give credit to Cameron from the fiberglass manifesto for sparking the obsession. I now have 5 glass rods, all dating back to the 60's. I have a ridiculous number of reels as well...my collection mainly consisting of old Plfuegers......although I have a Martin and an old single action Cortland as well....I love hearing that click...All of these rods and reels perform just as well as when they were made. They are tough, the casting is slow and smooth and I'm able to still cast sink lines and big flies like a graphite rod.

I recently broke the ferrule on one of my rods..a Heddon 8'3 8 wt. It was on a pickerel trip, the rod slipped apart just a bit and snapped the metal in half. It really was my fault for not checking it more. So I did some questioning and found a man to send it to to have it repaired. Andy Manchester Jr. of Old Yankee Rodsmith's did an amazing job...Not only did he fix the ferrule, he repaired the hook keep, replaced the cork handle and re-clear coated the rod. When I received the rod back in the mail, less then a 3 week turn around....it looked as if I just went into a store and bought it new off the shelf. I will be in time sending the rest of my glass collection to him for restore...Amazing to say the least. It's probably all in my head, but the rod even seems to cast smoother now...If you are in need of a new rod, Andy also does custom builds, glass, graphite and bamboo...need a rod repaired or restored..he's the man...over 40 years experience perfecting his craft...Give him a call....

Andy Manchester Jr.
Old Yankee Rodsmith's
1-203-435-7948
andymanyankee@yahoo.com

Here's some pics of the rod in progress....

All ready to chuck some fluff....Thanks Andy for the great craftsmanship...Tight Lines and Fiberglass Loops....

New store items

2011-11-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

I added a few new nymphs to the store today...

SF Golden Stone

SF Black Stone

SF Steelie Golden Stone

SF Steelie Black Stone

www.rusuperfly.com

Symposium...The day after

2011-11-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite shows of the year that I participate in. An incredible group of talented tyers from all over the world. It is an honor and pleasure to tie along side of these individuals. I made new friends, had some frosty barley pop with old friends. I feel inspired and awed by the amazing flies being produced by some of these folks. If you are a fly tyer or angler...you owe it to yourself to come to one of these events. There were some great opportunities presented to me at this show, details to follow at a later date..Let's just say I formed some new relationships with some great companies. Here's some photos of my booth from the show. See you all in January...

Fly Tying Symposium

2011-11-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

The car is loaded an ready to go...The International Fly Tying Symposium in NJ is this weekend. Stop by and say hello...I'll be packing an stacking bass bugs all weekend..I also have a healthy assortment of other flies for you to check out...

Some new work...I was playing around with some articulated deceiver designs utilizing the eyes made by Andy Weiss of Germany. You can purchase them directly from him...Pretty crazy looking approach to eyes...

For all of you salties out there....feed this to a striper...This is a fully functional deer hair diver squid. It needs a bit of fine tuning, but the idea is there...

11-13-11

2011-11-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

My usual routine this time of year is to begin chasing Steelhead and huge Browns on Lake Ontario tributaries. As much as I enjoy doing that...my real passion still remains with my warm water fish...A day like today..a little warmer, a little sun...gets my blood going for some warm water action.

Phil and I took the yaks out of winter storage and hit a local favorite hot spot lake for some bass, panfish and pickerel action...We easily hit into the 20+ fish a piece category...some beautiful fish were caught and released for sure...

I utilized one fly only today in two different colors. I was using the Strip-a-Boo Leech...I usually use this fly for smallies and carp...but in a couple of different color patterns......It worked like a charm today...I will be updating the color offerings on my website... www.rusuperfly.com

I kicked it old school rocking only a Fenwick glass rod and a Curt Gowdy Signature...both equipped with Plfueger reels...made in the USA of course. There is something magical about these rods and reels...Something special...I'll save that for another post....here's the porn...enjoy....

New Bird

2011-11-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

As the appreciation for flies as art increases...my creativity grows and my use of deer hair continues to expand. This is a new demon bird display fly that I made for a fly shop...

Clear Cure Goo Eyes

2011-11-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Clear Cure Goo has done it again....Brian has started a line of realistic eyes that will knock your socks off....They will be available in a few weeks...make sure to check them out....

This is the logo I drew for them....

SF Hex

2011-10-31T21:15:00.001-07:00

The all new SF Hex is on the site and ready to fill your boxes...
www.rusuperfly.com

4/0 Bugs

2011-10-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

not for the faint hearted...these are not your grandfather's bugs...4/0 hair bugs...6-7 inches long...for the Bug Chucker that drinks the Tiger's Blood....Mustad salt hook....Clear Cure Goo on the collar and belly....can you say durable...

Salmon...again

2011-10-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Took another trip on Monday...This time I brought first timers, my dad, my sis and my brother in law....Awesome trip...this time of year there are salmon bombs lining the river banks, so careful stepping is required. A lot of dark fish in the river...We were able to get into some fresher fish later in the day...Everyone hooked up, everyone landed some...The first salmon for all of them...Congrats...A good successful outing.

I swung streamers all day with great success...I think the days of chucking lead and eggs are done for me. I'm beginning to understand the fishery more and more. I am still a warm water guy at heart, but I do enjoy this resource tremendously.

Here's the porn....

Soon the salmon will be gone...then the real angling begins...my personal winter favorite...Steelhead....

10-23-11

2011-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hit the river hard today...swinging streamers and nymphs....hooked into some beasts...

My first of the day swinging a black leech through a great little riffle..
that's right..a sucker to get the skunk out

To the real battle...

My biggest landed of the day...

Dustin getting into some tow truck lovin'...

Steve getting his fair share as well...

Unfortunetly the fellas did not land any of their fish today...the day was bright, fishy, a little smelly...no one was injured, no one was wet...flies were lost...I had a treble hook sunk into my shoe....a few near horrific hookings of each others faces...a jolly good time...not bad for the first time these two guys have fished for salmon....

Hell Yeah Grammite

2011-10-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

My hellgrammite pattern off to make it's debut in Colorado....Good luck carp and smallies....haha....

And it begins

2011-10-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Let's start with this...I am not a purist...not by any means...let me explain...I love to catch fish...in the mouth....fairly...play them quickly, take a photo and let them go on their disturbed but merry way. I like to swing streamers when the conditions are right to do so...I also dead drift nymphs...If the fish are devouring size 12 stones then why would I not follow suit. What I do not do is throw so much weight on my line that I drag bottom and cast my fly line as if it were a spin rod...

I began my winter fishing routine this last weekend. It was an event that doesn't happen often enough. I got to fish with my brother. We had a great time. Unfortunetly we did not get on many fish..in fact we actually only hooked into two all day. Such is life..It was a blast watching the salmon run upriver, jumping and smashing into our legs. Of course this time of year brings out the not so sportsman sportsman. When I bring someone with me I teach them to fish for salmon...No lifting, snagging or lining. We fish the lower river usually where they are still aggressive.

We stood witness to some of the most appalling behavior I have witnessed. These guys stood on the bank, in a narrow channel and literally lifting every salmon out that swam through. By lifting I mean, so much weight you can't cast it, dragging it on the bottom until a fish swims past you and snapping the rod up frantically to snag a fish in the face or belly. They would play the fish and go home with it acting puffy chested as if it were a success. I find this behavior disgusting. These people should have their right to fish stripped from them and their gear auctioned to support the advancement of the fisheries.

I brought my switch rod to the event...Put a healthy bend in it with a monster king on the end of the line. I fought this fish back and forth for about 10 minutes before the hook pulled...It made my day even though there was no landing...

A nice Coho that snuck up behind my feet and chilled while I fought the King...

My weekends from this point on will consist of salmon, steels and browns...Stay tuned for lots of fish porn action....

Custom order Up

2011-10-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

Articulated Double Deceivers...these flies are about 7 inches long, tied with Mustad hooks and Clear Cure Goo Fleck on the heads....off to Michigan for some monster Brown hunting...

Baby Brown

Baby Bow

It's big streamer season....order yours...www.rusuperfly.com

CCG Baitfish

2011-10-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

A new experimental pattern that so far has produced...and produced well at that...Bucktail, peacock herl, flash and a body made of Clear Cure Goo and tubing...realistic profile...fish killer...it needs to be honed and cleaned up a bit...but expect to see more of this one....

Bass, Crappie and a Pickerel

2011-10-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

All of these fish will consume the same exact flies or lures when presented at different locations in the water column...Here is the proof...

I caught this crappie off of the bottom utilizing the same fly that I took this Largemouth with in the weeds...

Phil, utilizing custom made jigs and a spin rod...Jigs that I tied as an experiment for him...Caught bass, pickerel and crappie utilizing similar colors presented in different locations to catch all of these species...

I'm normally a meat and potatoes bug chucker...big flies for big fish...but there are times when keying into a specific size and colored baitfish will catch everything in the water....This was one of those times...

10-8-11....

2011-10-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day...a family spent day...A day that does not happen often enough...but it did require a few moments at least to be spent on the water...My brother Chris, Phil and I snuck out for an hour outing to chuck some goodies at carp. It was a bit tough going at first but we persevered and all managed to hook up. Chris recently involved himself in fly tying. He used the flies that came from his own vice of his own creation and caught his first fish using them..A moment in time that every fly tyer remembers well...Congrats...

Then Phil...not having much luck hooking carp with spin gear, starts pulling smallies out of thin air. I have never seen a bass in these waters, but he found them...and slammed them....Nice work...a new smallie jaunt has been found...

My fish for the day....He devoured a black bead head stone like it was the last bug on earth....

The water is cooling...take advantage of these next few beautiful days and hit the last of the warm water species...before too long it will be frozen over and I for one will be standing in near freezing streams chasing steel...

Success

2011-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Another happy customer...This is his first Pike on the fly ever...hooked by the Fleeing Bucktail...nice job mate...

www.rusuperfly.com

Stacked, packed, trimmed and shipped

2011-10-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

Some new stuff out the door....

To Michigan....

To Washington.....

Visit my store to get yours... www.rusuperfly.com

10-2-11...Fall Pickerel

2011-10-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite times of the year to slam some super aggressive Pickerel...We hit it today...over 30 fish landed...double that missed...killer...

The new fly that rocked the house until a beast swam away with it stuck in it's jaw...
Equinsu ocha....soon to be available at the store...

This and other flies hard at work....

Coop getting some....

Now for the confession...Forgive me fellow fly rodders for I have sinned against our sport...While out slamming picks...I broke the metal feral on my fiberglass rod...With not much time left I decided not to go back to the Jeep and set up a new rod...instead I grabbed a spin rod from the back of Phil's kayak...The good part...instead of tackle I used my weighted flies...The melancholy news...it worked great..I slammed pickerel with flies using a spin rod..It changed the action of the flies and I couldn't keep fish off of the line...I'm not really sure what to feel about this..I know I'm going to change my retrieve methodology with a fly rod though...I actually learned quite a bit by doing this today as surprising at it may sound....Feeling a little dirty after this event, I immediately ran home (with smirk)..and took a hot shower from the inside out....Back to the bug chucker tommorrow...

Bear's Den

2011-09-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Some new artwork that I designed for Bear's Den Fly Fishing Company...I do believe it will be made into stickers and shirts...

My site

2011-09-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's up and functional...a new way to view and purchase my flies...My store is up and running....Super Fly
Go there...check it out....any and all comments are welcome.....

Punks to Washington

2011-09-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of Punks heading out the door to the state of Washington...

9-26-11

2011-09-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

With the recent flooding..my usual jaunts are unfishable...It's forcing me to explore waters that are a bit further away. I'm still in search of a good fishable stream to slam some fall smallies, but so far everything looks like a muddy mess...So lakes have been the destination. I went to a new one today...not a very big lake, but crystal clear to it's max depth of 13 ft. I could see every fish in the water..Catching anything required 6 lb flouro tippet and long leaders...I've never really experienced leader shy bass before...Nothing in the monster range, but a good few hours of fishing, 6 perch all over 12 inches and fat and 4 large mouth, a few pickerel mixed in as well. My camera broke half way through the morning so I don't have many pics...

The bite shut down at about 10:30 am and I moved on. Lake number two..This lake and I have been doing battle for the last couple of weekends. It's a huge lake...I tend to stay in the shallow backwaters where I won't get run over by an out of control speed boat. I brought two set ups with me. There are carp in this lake the size of tree limbs. I started out searching for buckets, but by the time I found my first carp the bass rod got stowed and the hunting began. This was a learning experience to say the least. I found carp...lot's of carp...Sunbathing and cruising, not one feeder. They are rather amusing when sun bathing..They ride the current, turning side to ro side, almost looking like they are going to flip over. I tossed flies in front of them, dropped them, twitched them, drifted them, bounced them off of them...nothing...I spent 5 hours stalking carp that I could not get to eat. They were so uninterested in me that several actually swam up to my kayak, looked at it and went under me...at first it was a bit frustrating, watching all of these monsters and getting no response...then it was just amusing...Once the obsession kicked in it didn't matter that I wasn't catching any, I just needed to find more...So that was the day..quietly poling through the flats watching lazy fish sunbath...but it was a fun..humbling and relaxing..As I sit here and write this, my back and shoulders ache from paddling all day...I ponder..maybe the carp had the right idea...relaxing lazily on a beautiful day in the sun before the winter sets in.

A few new Puinks out the door...

2011-09-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Some to Germany...some to Canada....Punks across the world....here's a few new ones off to new homes....

Clear Cure Goo

2011-09-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

The shirts and stickers that I designed for CCG are up and on the all newly designed website... www.clearcuregoo.com go there...check them out...if you are not using CCG on your flies already...you're missing out on a ton of potential...

DEMO

2011-09-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

I will be at LLBean in Colonie Mall this Sunday, Sept. 25 from 12-4pm demonstrating the making of deer hair mice and Dahlburg Divers.....Stop by and say hello......

9-19-11...Sick Day

2011-09-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today was a stay in bed sick day...haha...I'm a bad sick person...I can't stay still regardless of my health or anything else for that matter. I have the cold of all colds...sneezing, snot, cough, body ache and tiredness...you know the drill...I saw the sun shining and couldn't help myself....I mean...really....it's gonna rain again soon...I know it is...off to carp I went...Armed with a small box of proven carp catchers, my trusty 3880 Sage fly reel and a new 9ft 7 wt streamlight from LLBean..it was on sale for 89.00...couldn't pass it up....I strung it up with Cortland Fly Line's Silk line, 8wf...to the carp I went for an epic two hour carp blast...

I walked the lake...not finding any life at first...A little disappointed at first I pushed on....I got to the back of the lake to the other flats...I studied the water...then two shadows appeared....then more....then more still...the fish were acting as if they were spawning again...jumping out of the water, following each other around in groups...I tossed nymphs today....Rubber legged pheasant tails, black stones...the carp chased these flies down as I stripped them across the bottom...10 hookups...8 landed....2 hours of fishing....EPIC to say the least...

9-18-11...Laked it up

2011-09-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hit a big lake today...Phil and I hit the water a bit on the early side I would say....at least for fall weather...8 am and a balmy 39 degrees F to start the kayaking off right...Fog so thick you could barely see in front of you...I am not a big lake angler...not by any means...I don't like trying to find fish in acres and acres of water. I can read rivers, sometimes at a remedial level, but better then huge lakes. I look for the obvious things that everyone looks for...The structure right under you nose. I have begun out of neccessity to study lakes in more depth. Since my rivers are unfishable at the moment I have had to adapt to big water lake fishing. This is proving to be a frustrating endeavor with a fly rod...Some success was had today...but not without it's aggravations...
http://blog.timesunion.com/flyfishing/fall-lakes/1719/

Some of Phil's slam dunks...

A few of my catches for the day....

and for my best catch of the day....

Two new flies were prototyped and tested today...oh my....The first fish of the day was caught on one of them...I post up some pics and description of this when I am 100% satisfied with the design....Stay tuned...

9-12-11....Salmon

2011-09-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

I never head up to the Ontario tribs this early in the year...I usually wait until there is much more of a mix in the river..Kings, Cohos, Browns and my beloved Steelhead...Usually around Columbus day weekend...

Today was a beautiful day and there was an early run of Kings and Cohos in the river...My Salmonoid chasing buddy Dustin went for a ride with me today....Well....we saw fish...there was a pod hanging in one of the deeper pools with a few stragglers mixed in the river in various locations...I swear these fish nes the limits of where we could fish...They were just on the other side of the closed sections...safely laughing at all of us for even trying....

It was not the run that was built up...Apparently upon asking around we were a day late and a dollar short...To say the fish present in the river were skittish would be an understatement...4lb flouro tippet was shyed away from like it was a piece of rope...The only guys that we saw hooking anything were rocking spin rods and more weight then my shoe would scale in at. I think I even saw one guy toss a grappling hook....The good news..DEC was out in force ripping guys off the river that were wrong doing...We also learned of an access point that I was not aware of...Good find for the day....

I managed to catch three Fall Fish...

which as I sit here and sip on a Guinness is quiet amusing really...2 hours and 20 minutes one way to catch minnows....The good news...Vladi worms work on Fall Fish....I did manage to take an early dunking in the river...I'm hoping that will be all for the season...I stepped on a rock, slipped and went head first into the SR...The good news..It's not November and the water was 69 degrees followed with an air temp of almost 80 today...refreshing really....

I think I will give it a few weeks before tackling this again....It really is my cold weather thing anyway....I had a weekend planned for big things, high fishing expectations...Pike on Sunday and Kings on Monday...I was unsuccessful on both accounts..but had some laughs during the pursuit....That's what it's all about...Head held high, reflect on what was learned and plan another one...

More Customer Success

2011-09-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

I just received these photos in an email from a recent very pleased customer...Success....to say the least....Nice job Dave Q. Glad I could help..

9-11-11...Epic fail

2011-09-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Another day spent on the water chasing the water wolf with no hook ups to speak of. I think the waters that I am trying to do this in are not appropriate...Time for more research. Here's a few photos of the last ditch effort to hook a fish for the day...

Steel Head...2011...Fly Boxes

2011-09-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

I took a break from production tying this week to prepare my boxes for the upcoming Steel season....Streamers like mad...eggs and a ton of nymphs...I'm not a swing purist by any stretch..I love to swing streamers, but when the going gets tough...I nymph...The 2 1/2 hour ride one way to par take in this winter fun is much better when at the end of the day I can talk of the fish caught...So here's some pics...

STREAMERS...
This box includes a ton of speys, wets, leeches and other assorted rabbit strip strteamers....

EGGS....
This is sell explanatory, eggs, crystal meth and other assorted obnoxiously colored egg looking things...

NYMPHS....
I never used to pay much attention to nymphs...but now they are a winter staple for me...When not chasing cold water species with them they all double as panfish, bass and carp flies....Worms, stones and other assorted insects...

A couple more weeks and these will all be put to good use....

9-4-11...Another day on the water

2011-09-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

We decided to race the rain...and won...fishing we went...for the second day in a row...by vice is screaming obscenities at me for lack the of attention...40 fish landed between the two of us...not the size we were looking for...but weather that was less then favorable may have contributed to that...fishy hands is still a good day none the less....

The "new" fiberglass rod that recently came into my collection was put to use today as well...6'3 Berkley parametric Curt Gowdy signature rod, with original aluminum case...attached to it...an old Pfleuger brass reel..good times...

For the record...the spin rod lost today...Articulated Zoo Cougars, Wool Belly Strippers and Woolly Bastards in Perch patterns were the makers....

9-3-11...Hit the water

2011-09-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Took a break.....showed a few fish who was boss...just a few though...Phil smoked me...18-6....spin gear wins today....here's a couple pics...

the only fly that worked today....the Wool Belly Stripper in white..as seen in the Crappie's mouth...

New stuff

2011-09-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit since I posted...If you could see my tying area you would understand why...I haven't been fishing in almost two weeks...I've been stocking up for upcoming shows and events..I'll post pics of that stuff soon....Here's a few orders that have gone out the door....

Number one....

Number two....

Number three was a request for a Munch fly done as a Brown Trout imitation....

more to come...stay tuned....tight lines

Some pre-mades for the Cortland Demo tomorrow...

2011-08-26T05:20:00.001-07:00

A few flies that I found some time to bang out for the demo at Cortland tomorrow...12-5....rt 13...Faith Baptist Church...see you there

Bear's Den

2011-08-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is an order for a fly shop by the name of Bear's Den in Taunton MA...These guys rock..check them out...http://www.bearsden.com
Here are the flies....

Upcomiong Demonstration Sat. Aug. 27

2011-08-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

I will be a guest demonstrator at the Faith Baptist Church Outdoorsman Fest on Rt. 13 in Cortland NY this Saturday from 12-5. I will be demonstrating how to tie deer hair bass bugs...Stop by and say hello.. They have door prizes, a free pork dinner, various hunting, trapping and fishing vendors and exhibitors...

8-21-11...My day with Drew Price

2011-08-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

What a day to say the least. I met up with fellow warm water enthusiast and guide Drew Price yesterday for an angling adventure. If you haven't checked out Drew and his special form of fly angling you are missing out on some great stuff. Drew is on leading edge of warm water fly angling to say the least. We had bad weather coming but decided to make a go for it anyway. The goal of the day was to target two species that I have never targeted before...Long Nose Gar and Bowfin. The techniques are quite different from anything I have done before. The info online is minimal at best. Drew specializes in sight fishing for these magnificent fish. Off to the lake we go..

The day started off with a bit of sun...We were on the water for an hour or two, spotty sunshine at best. Over the mountains the distant roar of thunder and dark clouds loomed. We pushed on trying to find basking Gar. The lack of sunlight made spotting these fish near impossible. The thunder got louder, the clouds got darker...then bammmm...the lightning began...out of nowhere...it crept up like a weather ninja...We were a fair distance away from safety at this point...So down went the rods and up came the paddles...The lightning at this point was close enough to light a fire under both of our butts...We paddled...paddled hard....then the clouds let loose and the down pour begin...Instead of paddling around the bay we decided the safest course was through the swamp to the other side for cover...

We jumped ship and carried the canoe through thigh deep slop mud for 50 yards...This is not small stream trout angling..This is combat hardcore fishing...

After fleeing through the swamp and landing on the other side..we scurried to the car, waited out the lightning and loaded up planning on calling it a day of no fish...Drew wanted to check the radar one more time...His dedication to a successful outing came through at this point. He said lets wait it out a bit and give this another try,. The weather cleared up and we hit the water again. Sight fishing for bowfin began at this pint...These fish are intense. When you come up on one they sit in the water and stare you down...All you see is beady little black eyes and a grimmace of go ahead...make my day....They eat a fly with a vengeance...and explode once hooked....We found plenty of fish, but due to poor weather overall, we had a hard time getting many to play. We chased bowfin for a while then gave the Gar another chance...

We hit the other bay at this point...We were on the water for maybe 35 minutes when the clouds started to roll in again...It looked as though the storm was traveling away from us, but instead it came straight in....Lightning began again...We paddling like madmen once again to get to safety...This time not through the swamp..We ended up having to ditch the boat on the bank and run to the safety of the car to wait out the lightning storm. This time we called it a day...Safety before fish...

It was an awesome day...no Gar caught, but I hooked up a couple of Bowfin and can't wait to do it all again...If you are looking for an awesome adventure...something different...a different species...leave your dry fly box and 4 weight at home...no waders necessary....dig in and get down and dirty..learn a thing or two about a different species and some new angling techniques give Drew a shout...The man is doing stuff you didn't even think was possible...all on the fly...he's a great dude, friendly, knowledgeable, catch and release, has the gear you need and will put in the time and effort to get you the fish you want...Master Class Angling...

http://www.drewpriceonthefly.com/
http://wn.com/DrewPriceOnTheFly
http://dponthefly.blogspot.com/

Customer Success

2011-08-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Eugene Shuler states..."One of the best divers I have seen or used"...proving his success with these pics of a beautiful bucket mouth hanging from my fly....

Check out Eugene's fly fishing forum... www.southeastflyfishingforum.com or if you find yourself in the Smokies and in need of a great guide...here's the info...

Eugene Shuler
Fly Fishing the Smokies
828-488-7665
828-421-0172

New flies out the door

2011-08-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Some Punks heading out to Tennessee....

One out to Upstate NY

Now these we need to talk about. I was contacted by a guide in California with a custom request. He was attempting to match the hatch...the hatch being baby Merganser ducks...Big Browns were tearing these little fluff balls down...I made him some baby duck flies....The heads are tied on separate...they actually wobble when stripped..They look like ducks in distress on the water...A little CCG on the belly insures proper orientation in the water...I can't wait to see the pics from these in use...Check out John Rickard at www.wildwatersflyfishing.com/set_that/

My designs for Clear Cure Goo

2011-08-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Brian from Clear Cure Goo has produced new bottle labels, stickers and t-shirts with these images drawn by yours truly. If you contact him through the website they should be for sale very soon.... www.clearcuregoo.com

8-14-11...Escape from the Vice

2011-08-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

I took an escape from the vice...really just blowing stuff off for a couple of hours...Hit the creek with my buddy Mark...He had some groovy water to share...We fished around and then I saw this spot....Oh what a spot...I cast a few times and nothing..Put on a 15 ft fast sink tip, 4 inch Fleeing Bucktail....Tossed it out and bam....18 inches of Bronze....

Tossed it back to the same spot....2nd cast...16 inches of Bronze....

Then the dark clouds came rolling in...packed for the day...
Sitting at the vice now looking at a pile of bugs that need to be trimmed....

8-13-11...Night Fishing....again

2011-08-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well the stage was set...All the literature states fishing on a full moon is the answer to hooking into monster walleye..Now my biggest one during the day measured in at almost 29 inches....and yes it was on a fly...So I have tried nights three times now...Last time we had no moon at all and I caught a 24 inch eye...Last night Phil and I rocked out 5 hours, covering multiple spots on foot over a 15 mile stretch of river...We each hooked into a nice smallie....that was it...Bats flying around ours heads, a near Dobson encounter and two shooting starts was the only other bit of action...Every technique of retrieve I could think of was employs, every color fly had, multiple styles, multiple depths..I even as a last resort put scent on one of my flies....I missing the boat on the night time fishing...Honestly..I don't even see the allure to it...You're in the dark, with the animals, insects, and winging flies past your head hoping that your as good of a caster as you think you are so you don't hook into the biggest sucker on the river....I'll stick to mornings....

8-10-11...the Vice

2011-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've been cranking away at the vice like a madman lately to keep up with the orders...Here's a few recent happenings....

To Nova Scotia

To Mass...

Oversees....

Stay tuned...I've got some huge projects I am working on as well...Check out the Clear Cure Goo website to see the new logo that I drew plus the all new T-Shirt and sticker designs that I created.... www.clearcuregoo.com check it out on facebook as well....they will be for sale shortly...go see Brian at NOLA..he will have them there....

8-3-11...Carp

2011-08-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Another morning of carp on glass.....it just doesn't get old....

8-2-11...Order Up

2011-08-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

New flies out the door....

7-31-11..Smallies

2011-07-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Toaday was a great day on the water...Phil and I hit a spot we haven't fished since he tipped his yak there last year. IT started slow, but then gained momentum...We both boated about 8 fish...Some bangers in the mix for sure. I got to test out a new rod and break it all in the same day....Killer rod though...Cortland Diamond Back 10ft 7wt....I mixed it up by using my leader kit from Rio...A fast sink 15 foot section was added to a 350 grain line....I was able to chuck 8 inch streamers 70 feet like it was a dry fly. I started the day by using some small streamers and bouncing some Sili Craws....I was hitting decent fish but not the ones I wanted...

Out came the big flies..

8 inch, articulated bucktail streamers....Yup...second cast and slam....PIG in the boat...Lock and reload....Very next cast...Pig in the boat....BIG FLIES>>>BIG FISH...I sell these flies as well if anyone is interested....or any other color combo you might like....

Night Fishing

2011-07-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

OK...I'm not a guy that is easily intimidated...period....but fishing at night freaks me out....Dustin and I came up with the idea of giving this a whirl the other day. I usually don't have much trouble targeting Walleye on the fly, early mornings seem to work out just fine....however...everything that I read suggests that the best bite is at night. When the big boys come out to hunt...as well as all the ground dwelling animals of the North East...bears, raccoons, fishers, martins, coyote, bob cats, the mountain lions that are spotted all over but DEC claims we don't have...etc....

I normally don't let these things get into my head...but turn off the lights, deplete me of the one sense that I cling to the most, the sense that makes my living and allows me to create the art and flies that I make. The most important sense in my life..MAYHEM in my brain....Every noise, EVERY NOISE sent me into a silent panic on the inside..what the hell was that...I know I heard something....Quick grab the maglite and do an eyeball scan...That's right an eyeball scan...Take the lite and scan the woods behind us to check for little beady glowing eyes...

We had a lantern, headlights and the mag...The first night we actually ran into a couple of other guys that were doing the same...not with fly rods, but Walleye hunting none the less...Now fly fishing at night comes with it's own set of difficulties...After slapping your back or head one or two times you learn the importance of a side cast...and crushing down barbs...

The animals aside...the thing at night that affected me the most were the insects. Spiders that could walk off with your child, Dobsons that sound like B-52s flying at your head. In fact, we had a run in with a Dobson...It bombed my head, I swatted at it furiously, then it flew over and landed on Dustin...We both hiked up out skirts and screamed like school girls...After regaining composure we went to the lantern for re-rigging to find this spider hanging out.

The pic does not do it justice...If I put this spider on my palm, it would have filled my hand...Anything with more or less legs then me is not ok....end of story...Once again skirt came up and off I went back to the water...

We hit another spot after a bit and finally had a hookup. Bent the rod over and got off....I cast again this time hooking solid into a jaw...A 24 inch Walleye came up...Fat, healthy and angry. Walleye seem to fight a bit different at night. Instead of heading straight back to the bottom like early morning or daylight hours, at night they tend to pull side to side and wherever they want...The take was a lot more aggressive then the daytime as well....

We tried Friday night and Saturday night....One fish brought in between the two of us...Saturday cost me the life of my Sage Large Mouth rod...It was a dear friend that will be sent back to the company...After a big double haul with a weighted fly, it exploded like a gunshot and broke it's butt....I will try this again in the near future...as soon as the the phantom spiders crawling on me and Dobson buzzing leave my thoughts....

First Carp on the Fly

2011-07-31T18:59:00.000-07:00

I had the rare opportunity to fish with my Brother this weekend. It's always a pleasure to get to hang with him and spend a little quality fish time together. He had never caught a carp on the fly before...so the mission was set. I guaranteed him a fish to hand...I plat guide from time to time when out fishing with people...but seeing that is was my brother and I made promises of hookups...the pressure was on...At first there was nothing to see...The wind picked up a bit and the sand decided to hide behind the clouds. Not ideal for a first carp outing. Eventually as we made our way around the lake the conditions turned in out favor and we had some success. We spotted many tailing fish...I had him toss flies to most of them with no takes...Then he found one that would play. A nice fish of about 7 pounds...Surprisingly there was not a lot of fight in the little guy, but a first carp is a carp none the less....Congrats to Chris....A job well done...

orders up

2011-07-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

A Sili Craw order out the door....

Another Punk off to a new home....the H-Bone Punker...

7-25-11...The Rusty Spinner

2011-07-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

We all have our home waters. The water in which no matter where else in the world we may find willing fish, stays sacred in our hearts. The water in which the passion of fish on the fly began and grew. One of the things that I love about being a fly angler is getting the chance to share my waters and see other angler's waters as well. Now this is not an honor that comes easy. We all measure up other anglers to determine whether or not they are worthy walking in our sacred rivers. I was given such honor this weekend by The Rusty Spinner.

I have fished parts of this river once before. Another good friend had shared it with me last year. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am the worst navigator known to man. If my life depended on it I would never be able to find my way back to the places that I fished over the weekend. I cannot share the name of this secret water under penalty of ostrasism from the elite group of angers in the know of this water. That makes it even more of an honor that I could walk it's banks and step foot on it's bottom.

The scenery is a bit different then what I am used to. It was reminiscent of a post apocalyptic city scape. I was half expecting zombies to appear from behind boulders to attempt to eat our brains and steal our carp.

Even with the falling buildings in the distance, the factories, treatment plants and whatever other urban development that surrounded this gem beauty was to be found.

As we entered the river the fish were there waiting. Pods of carp lay in the available pools waiting for our offerings. It appeared that they were going to play a bit of a different game then we had in mind. We had some follows, I even hooked into a pig of a carp...It ran me out, played it for a bit and was broken off by the treacherous rocks that lay everywhere. This river was some of the toughest wading that I have ever done. Trenches, holes, uneven surface, unsteady boulders..etc...This river will beat you up as we found out. Mr. Spinner took a step on a rock that was a bit unstable and sacrificed his leg to the river.

Not that long after I did the same. I misjudged the depth of a trench stepped a bit off and rolled my ankle over a rock. It instantly turned purple and looked like a golf ball...

Battered, bruised and swollen we pushed on to finish our quest to find willing fish. We caught all sizes of smallies along the way. The last fish of the day was by far the best bass that I got into.. It displayed some impressive acrobatics for us before being unhooked and released back to the waters in which it came.

The man, the myth, the legend...Rusty Spinner in action......Smallie hunting off of the boulders....

We did get into some carp as well...That being the ultimate goal of the day...For anyone out there that has not caught a carp on the fly....I feel for you...You are missing such an angling experience words can't even explain. Get out and give it a try...If you like seeing your backing, hearing your reel scream for mercy, your rod bent end to end, being frustrated out of your mind by their uncooperative behavior, and a genuine knee shake when you do land one....Then this is for you...and their ugly mugs do grow on you after a bit...As my lady exclaims..."They are adorable."

Many thanks to The Rusty Spinner for sharing his wonderful water with me. It is truly a special place. I look forward to more fishing adventures with my new friend...Until next time...Tight Lines and Screaming Reels.....

Sili Craw

2011-07-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

This fly has been responsible for more fish landed this year then any other in my box at the moment....They are for sale...email for details...

Satisfied customer photos and fooled fish

and more photos just came in the email tonight...Success with the craw...

Order up

2011-07-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

This is a fly being sent of to a man named Tom Zacoi...He has one of the largest fly collection going, including some of the biggest names out there. All of his collection will find it's way to The Fly Fishing Museum in NY one day. I was honored with an invite to be part of that collection...Here is what I sent to him...

This is another order out the door to a friend and warm water affectionado...Punk...diver...some Sili Craws....

7-21-11...Carp in the yak

2011-07-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Today was the day...I put the kayak...into the carp lake....It had it's challenges...a little wind...murky water....weed beads and mats covering most of it...some very skinny water...spooky fish...all in all...I learned a lot...I know where they are....That's all that counts....

The catches...two fish at 20 inches....one at 22 inches...

Now this photo may seem a little pointless...nope it's not a rock..look close...It's two snapping turtles getting busy making little snappers....

This is the new fly that has been slamming the carp...

My Maggot Cluster...
size 10 Mustad s80-3906
ice dubbing
micro chenille burned at tips

very simple...very effective...the bigger fish even chased it down as I stripped it in....Tight lines...

7-20-11...Fish on glass

2011-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

This morning started a little rough...Alarm went off...so did I...off to sleep again...I finally throw myself from the covers and load up...Kayak on top..rod in the trunk...I hit the ground running...Kayak loaded..gear in the hull...I begin my descent to the river...still half asleep apparently...I tip the boat over knocking all of my gear into the creek...ahhh...great start I though...After flipping the boat back over which by this time weighted 200 hundred pounds half full of water...opening all of my boxes and draining them..I was off to catch fish...

My goal was to add a few new species to the landed on glass collection...A few smallies and some fall fish came to the boat...Now the glass rods are fun...I really enjoy the old reels more then anything..You're not going to make a 70 foot cast with these things...I'm not going to give up my graphite any time soon..but they add a little something to the experience none the less...

I just thought this tree was kind of cool...and I pulled a nice fall fish from underneath it...so it made it to the blog...

Walleye on the fly...for Auglaize Fly Shop

2011-07-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a few that were all caught on flies in the creek that I just wrote about....Walleye on the fly is an interesting thing to say the least. People tell me all the time that it can't be done..haha...tell me that and I'm going to do it of course. Minnows, hellgrammites, leeches, crayfish, nymphs and an intermediate sink line is all you need...and of course the correct conditions. Walleye tend to be light sensitive...deep darker water, shady areas, a cloud covered sky, evenings, early mornings...all good times to target them...Grab the same box of flies that you would use to catch smallies...I have not caught a walleye on the surface, but I have a friend that does at night...Good luck and tight lines...

7-17-11...Smallies

2011-07-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share one of my favorite places with you all...This is the creek that sparked my passion for fly fishing and my deep rooted love for Small Mouth Bass...This is a special place...often overlooked, misunderstood and abused. Years of farm waste, pesticides, silt and debris including garbage and other human waste products have pushed the ecosystem to it's max.

The fishing can be extraordinary..The scenery is breathtaking...

The banks and surrounding area are filled with wildlife..Eagles, Hawks, Green Herons, Wood Ducks, Mallards, Deer, Black Bear, Snapping Turtles..etc...

The aquatic life is abundant as well.. Smallies, Carp, Rock Bass, Fall Fish, Walleye, Suckers and assorted other species that accidently make their way into the flow...

Todays score....

Over the last year the fishing has suffered. This year nothing seems to be the way it was...The silt build up is becoming so great that there is no longer the abundance of forage that there once was. When you took a step, it seemed as though the river bottom was alive, it moved...The crayfish scurried everywhere to avoid being stepped on. That is no more...The rocks are brown and slimy...Crayfish are scarce...Bait fish seem to be minimal...Don't get me wrong...There is still life...but something is a miss...A 30-40 fish day was common...now you're lucky if you hit 10...I can only hope that nature will prevail, the river will cycle and life will overcome...Time will tell...Take care of our waters...They are precious gems...

Punk away

2011-07-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

another Punk Rocker off to a new home to reek havoc on a mantle somewhere....damn punks...must be the mohawks

7-15-11...Carp

2011-07-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Yup...more carp today....Hitting them with the old Heddon 8 ft glass 7wt with an early Pfleuger brass reel...fun times

My first mirror carp....it ate a new fly, the maggot cluster..I will post pics of that later this week..

A nice common....devoured a red SJW cluster...

Order up

2011-07-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sex Dungeons and Zoo Cougars were on the order for today...Custom colors, weed guards and a switch from marabou to rabbit on the backs...out the door to an eager bass enthusiast...Oh yes Mr. Galloup....they catch the green trout as well

7-14-11...Fall Fish

2011-07-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

When I speak of these fish...everyone seems to know what I am referencing...but with 50 different names for the species. I call them Fall Fish...They are listed on DEC'c website as such, that's what I'm going with...To the point...If you have not targeted them, you are missing out. Mix the fight of a carp with the bull dogging of a smallie...you have the fight of a fall fish....They get big..Last year I caught one that was pushing 23 inches...they are a beautiful chrome color...they smell a little funky...they croak when you have them out of water...by croak I don't mean die...just a noise...They eat the Sili Craw with ferocity....Go catch one and let me know what you think...You will not be disappointed....

7-13-11...Carping

2011-07-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

So a little carping was in order this morning....Dustin landed two...a little on the small side but no one's judging...

I hooked into the biggest carp I have ever caught on the fly...only to have the hook snap at the bend...Just as I set it....I hooked into two more only to have both of those hooks bent straight on the first run...No fish landed for me...These were flies that were not tied by me....My hooks don't do this....Oh well...lesson learned...That's why I tie my own....

7-8-11..Smallie

2011-07-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

I took a bit of time from my vice this morning, although I sit next to it at the moment writing this post. I decided to skip all of the nice days this week and tie orders..choosing today to make my way to the stream. I pull up, skies are a bit grey...unload, paddle up to where I want to be...fighting the high murky water remnant from the random thunderstorms of a few days past. The rumbling began..at first I though it was a bike, or a car with a leaky exhaust...but no, it became louder..I finally gave in and looked to the sky...what a mess of grey and black swirls...I let my drift carry me downstream heading back to my Jeep...the lightning started...still fairly distant...one more cast...hit a pig of a smallie...

The excitement took over and I needed to make a few more last minute casts...I drifted past my car...the blackness closed in and the lightning got closer...I through in the towel just in the knick of time...The last strap was tightened, lightning came so close to me it appeared to have hit my vehicle. The thunder crackling was instantaneous, as if the ground was going to open and swallow me whole...As I closed the door, the clouds dropped dime sized rain at the ground...chasing me from the river back to the vice...

7-7-11....flies out the door

2011-07-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of orders out the door today....Punk Rockers are taking over the world one home at a time....and of course some flies to catch fish in the mix as well....

These divers are made more durable by adding Clear Cure Goo to the bellies, around the eyes and the collars...There are two 30lb weed guards, just stiff enough to keep the weeds off but not stiff enough to miss strikes...The deer is so dense that I can write on them with a ball point pen...The tighter that you pack the hair, the more cork like the bug becomes..adding durability to the fly as well as making it float more successfully. The less water the fly absorbs, the higher it will ride. I like my bugs to sit in the film...by adding a little CCG to the bellies, it helps bring them into the film. These should be bass snatchers for sure....Tight Lines...

7-4-11...Happy Fourth and buckets

2011-07-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

First off...Happy Fourth of July..I'd like to thank all of the men and women of our great nation that have sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we all share...

In celebration of my personal independence I tossed deer hair bugs at bass...Here's how it went...Slow....but I did manage a few in the boat...and got bit by a pickerel...merely a flesh wound....

7-2-11...Balance

2011-07-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

I found my center once again today...Back to my favorite fish....

and a few extras that I enjoy as well....

7-1-11...

2011-07-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Now I'm not going to complain...I did catch a fish...Dustin caught fish as well...This is a first time experience for me...I went fishing, it was a beautiful morning...Sun high in the sky, not much wind and mud plumes all over. As I walked around the lake, through the weeds, over the rocks, in the mud...something happened..Something clicked...an unsettled feeling....melancholy...I felt as though I wasn't sure why I was there...I felt bored and unsatisfied...I think tomorrow will be a change of scenery and a change of species...I think I'm having smallmouth withdrawal...Bronze in the boat, Sage bass rod in hand...ahhhh....

6-29-11...Smallie Flies

2011-06-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Another big order out the door.....To a smallie lover and carp affectionado...

6-28-11 Carp on Glass

2011-06-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

I picked up a couple of vintage Glass rods, 2 Heddons...I bought a couple of old Pfleuger reels to go with them....Then I used them to chuck bugs at carp....Oh yesssss...fun was had...

6-26-11...A case of mistaken Identity

2011-06-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

So a buddy of mine gives me a call about two weeks ago...Dude..I have my boat on the lake...we're slamming Pike left and right...You need to be here...So today was the day...I went for the 2 hour drive to the Pike paradise...I woke up with the worst headache, dizzy, nauseuas, generally uncomfortable. I went anyway..a good day to fish is any day you can get out..Tying has been so busy lately that I haven't spent much time on the water. We head onto the road...

The skies were grey, the wind was picking up. We make it to the lake, a very big lake...26 miles long, 7 miles wide, 55ft deep...Not the ideal lake for a small water fly angler like myself. We pick out the shallow weedbeds...cast after cast, 3 foot waves slamming the boat....That slow rocking motion, side to side, up and down...oh man..not helping the potential vomit situation....Finally, an 8 inch articulated bucktail deceiver, tied in fire tiger slams a big one...Pike Pike yells my friend...As I bring the fish in, I see Pickerel...Which as a side note I would normally never complain about...I love these guys...They are aggressive, fight like mad, eat flies with bad intentions and look good doing it. But I was here for Pike...The identity of the fish my friend had been catching was mistaken...not Pike, but Pickerel...

We fished our arms off, cast after cast, fly after fly, motor here, drift there...repeat...One more fish, another Pickerel boated by me ended out day. We had a steady downpour for a majority of the afternoon, with changing wave conditions...This trip just re-affirmed my dislike of huge waters and motor boats...We did have a good time overall though, my buddy Johnny is a great guy and appreciated the invite to something different...however....Back to foot and yak for me...

In fact, on my ride home my step dad wanted to do a little fishing this evening. We went to the creek...I hooked two little smallies and Phil landed a beautiful Fall Fish...Back to my comfort zone...On foot tossing fluff in small water...

Gaeron.....

2011-06-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

I entered a blog fly tying contest not that long ago...I was fortunate enough to win one of the categories. When I was asked if there was a prize that I had in mind...My choice was simple...make me some of your favorite flies...

The man's name is Gaeron...What a great fly tyer...He makes some stuff that you would never find in my vice. These little tiny dries, mating midges...I wouldn't even know where to begin with such a creation. As a tyer of big streamers and bass bugs, I couldn't imagine tying something so small. Cheers to Gaeron...Check out his site if you haven't before...Thanks again for the great work....
Life on the Fly

6-16-11..Carp

2011-06-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

I needed a little carping fix this morning before I go on vacation...No fishing for five days....oh well...that's how it goes sometimes....San Juan worms in red were like carp crack today....even straightened a hook on one....Big casts to day to hit the tailers....50-70 ft....very spooky fish...any fly with weight hitting the water sent them scattering today....weightless Juan's were the answer....

Now go get your carp on!!!!!!!!!!!!

6-15-11...Flies

2011-06-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Here's some new flies out the door and ready to meet their new keepers....

6-13-11...Smallies

2011-06-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

A little spin in the yak tonight produced a couple of nice piggies....High, murky water didn't help the catch ratio, but two boated is a good time none the less...The bigger one ate an eight inch articulated deceiver tied up in smallie colors...The other one ate a fleeing bucktail...good times...

6-12-11....

2011-06-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

The plan was simple...my buddy Alex was driving over to hang...we were on a mission for carp. The sky was full of clouds, the air thick, no sun and a bit of rain. Plumes were popping up here and there....we fished and fished....a few hookups, a whole lot of spooking and a whole lot of casting. The water was so murky you could barely see a fish, let alone the fish see our flies....I was glad we got to get together before he begins the ext phase of his life...back to Michigan...Good luck my friend...The story as told by Alex...Rat Bastard

This was the first bullhead I have ever hooked with a fly...

I went out again later in the day for a little fun with my 4 wt...