Birthday Salmon

I took my step dad Phil to the Salmon River this weekend for his birthday...This was his first trip to the river so I decided to head to the lower end of the river...I knew the crowds would be ridiculous but I figured he needed to experience the true circus of GL trib. fishing...that and the thought of fresher fish brought us to this particular run.

The water is still very low and warm, making it a safe time of year for a SR virgin...We found fish very quickly...The kings were running through the fast water like torpedoes...There were no Coho's to be found...but kings as far as one could see..We struggled with his spin rod a bit...me being a fly angler...was having trouble making his spin rod perform the way I wanted it to...I like to swing streamers to salmon...I love watching the take..Once we figured out how to make his line stop knotting and got the appropriate weight on the end of his line to use my flies with it...things were on...

The fish came quick..his first hookup was an awesome battle that ended in the typical breakoff...1 out of 20 are landed I explained...especially when the river is packed shoulder to shoulder with anglers...We fished that run for a while...hooking up constantly, but having a tough time landing fish with the crowds in the area...We moved on to the other side of the river...We found another great run of fish with no people....

Phil hooked into a fish right after moving...a long run...a great battle that ended with a swim in the river and a fish being bear hugged on shore...

 

Phil...battling his king just before going face first into the river...While laying there he held the rod high and swore he was going to land the fish regardless of the soaking....

 The is the face of a new addict...someone who after this battle has become addicted to the Dance of the Chinook...Phil's first salmon...

 This is the only salmon that I landed during our trip...It grabbed the streamer pictured above so hard it almost pulled the rod from my hands...Which for the record happened earlier in the day..I was hooked up and had the rod pulled from my hand and taken down river...I chased it down with a crowd cheering for me when I finally caught up to it...I also dropped two spools of flouro tippet into the river as my sacrifice for the day...All in all a great trip...lots of flies lost....lots of laughs...and everyone came home safe...

Salmon with my Dad

Spending time with family is always a great time...spending that time chasing big fish in a river is even better...Last weekend I got to spend the day with my Dad chucking fluff to salmon...Some epic battles...a run in with some hillrods that could have turned ugly...It always amazes me how rude people can be on the Salmon River...We found an amazing piece of water later in the day with no one around....we had countless hook ups and fights...some fish even came to hand....Great times...

The Stacked Deer Hair Diver

Well...you asked for it....here it is..In my opinion the most comprehensive deer hair stacking technique video on the market today. Watch me step by step as I explain everything I do to put deer hair on a hook and make a bass bug. This video covers materials, tools, application, trimming and finishing teaching you how to make the most durable bass bug possible. Learn to stack hair, make spots, make spots on spots, dots, bars and patterns, blend colors to create gradients, gills and how to apply double weed guards. The only thing you need after this video is to let imagination run wild and create your own fish catching work of art.

Available October 1st...

Hats

The all new Super Fly bald head protectors and make you look cooler hats are in....go to www.rusuperfly.com to get yours...

A huge thanks to Colleen Schaffer from Bodacious Embroidering for putting these together for me...Wonderful lady, perfect craftsmanship...Colleen will not stop at anything less then perfection for her customers...

Hats, jackets, towels, blankets, shirts, totes...pretty much anything you can come up with she will make a go at throwing stitches on it. Custom digitizing is available as well...Just check out my logo for proof..Give her a shout for a free quote...her turn around time is unheard of...

Bodacious Embroidering
Colleen Schaffer
518-254-0991 or 518-231-9172

cschaff1@nycap.rr.com

1st of the season

This was from yesterday...the first trip of the season to NY Salmon River....it's a zoo up there..but the salom are non-stop running....good times despite the crowds...My buddy Steven was able to land his first salmon on this trip...That's me working over a Vison Cult 13'2 8wt spey rod and an HDC reel...amazingly powerful setup...check us out at www.visionflyfishing.com

Birds

These were from a recent special order for a customer in VT...to see more birds check out the recent post on www.thefiberglassmanifesto.com

Some recent Smallies...

A little smallie action from a few recent trips...

Polar Minnows

Now available...www.rusuperfly.com
Swing them to Steelhead, strip them in to bass, chuck them out in the salt....these will do it all...synthetic material, 1/0...3 inches...or 2/0....4 inches....4 colors to choose from....get them...the swing is almost here...

A Gift from a fellow tyer

James Durbin....what can I say..the makes really nice really big flies that catch really big fish....This was a recent surprise package I received in the mail from the man himself...Check him out...if you don't know...you should...break out the 10wt, a foot long streamer from "Big Pike Flies as a Way of Life" and your favorite cigar and get to it...

Another Great Float

We had another terrific day on the river today. Smallies all over, some big...some small....gobbling up streamers like nobody's business. No walleye, but a good collection of Fallfish, Bronze Backs and Rock Bass were caught and released...The river took it's time this year, but it's getting back into shape. I saw for the first time an owl out in the open today...of course it was being terribly harassed by a group of angry crows....A beautiful Bald Eagle graced us with a fly by as well...Get outside...that is all I have to say...

Custom made Wooden Pens

My brother Chris is one of the finest wood workers that I know. He makes turning wood on a lathe look easy...His creations range from wooden cups, to bowls, necklaces and even cut out portraits of your favorite pet. Here is his latest artwork for all of us fish heads....Hand turned wooden barreled pens with metal fish clips. They are perfectly balanced in your hand, smooth and ergonomically perfect. If you write a little or a lot, these pens are a perfect addition to any fly tyers desk. This is my personal pen, to get yours contact Chris at ccohen1978@gmail.com or check him out on facebook Chris Cohen
Don't be afraid to hit him up with other crazy wood ideas...