May Freshwater Fly of the Month: Adam's Parachute

May Freshwater Fly of the Month: Adam's Parachute

The Parachute Adams is perhaps the most important and versatile of all dry flies. It is a must have dry fly in a variety of sizes for fish on trout rivers all over the world. The white post gives the fly fisherman a focal reference point in all types of water. The pattern can be used as a mayfly or as a searching or attractor fly. Fly fishermen in all types of rivers, streams, and lakes should keep several sizes on the top row of the fly box.

Excerpt from:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/intermediate/part21.php

"A lot of people don't understand the significance of parachute flies. These hackled morsels are a lot more than just another dry fly. They land, float and look much different to the fisherman than the standard dry fly. To the fish, they also look much different than a standard dry fly.
First, the body of a parachute dry fly is suspended in the surface film. The only time natural insects have their bodies resting fully in the surface tension or film is during emergence or when they have been captured by that film and lay dying on the surface. For that reason alone, this is an excellent fly to use during the hatch when insects are emerging, and later during the mayfly spinner fall when adult insects have been captured by the surface film and lay dead or dying in that film. These are also the two best times for the fish to capture insects since the insects are most vulnerable at these times.
Second, the hackle on a parachute dry fly looks like the legs of an insect when viewed from the bottom. As an adult insect emerges from its nymphal body, it extends its legs outward to support its weight on the surface tension of the water. As it continues to crawl out of its shuck, it places more weight on its legs until it's free from the shuck. As the shuck floats away, the adult insect dries its wings and eventually flies away. Only during the wing drying phase of this emergence does a standard dry fly look more natural from below than a parachute dry fly.
Again, when the female returns to the water to lay eggs, its wings often get caught by the surface tension of the water and begin to absorb water. The female will spread her legs out to provide support for her body as she dumps her ballast of eggs and tries to rise above the water to fly away. They are rarely successful in flying away, but their legs and wings remain splayed out on the surface as they expire and float downstream. From the bottom, this also looks a lot like a parachute dry fly.
Finally, the post type wing of a parachute dry fly is easy for the fisherman to see. This is very important during heavy hatches and heavy spinner falls. If your fly looks exactly like all the other flies on the water, it's often lost in the crowd and missed strikes are the result. That's a good reason to use a visible post on your parachute flies.

April Freshwater Lure of the Month: 1/2 Oz. U-Spin Bait from Wizard Custom Tackle

April Freshwater Lure of the Month: 1/2 Oz. U-Spin Bait from Wizard Custom Tackle

Excerpt from: http://www.scout.com/outdoors/wired2fish/story/1468485-how-to-fool-suspended-bass-with-underspins

How to Fool Suspended Bass with Underspins

Suspended bass can be a nightmare for many anglers. Whether they’re suspended due to a weather front or the time of year, they’re notoriously difficult to trick into biting. If you can learn to effectively fish underspins for bass, however, you’ll be able to catch more and bigger fish when other anglers fall short. Fishing ...

Suspended bass can be a nightmare for many anglers. Whether they’re suspended due to a weather front or the time of year, they’re notoriously difficult to trick into biting. If you can learn to effectively fish underspins for bass, however, you’ll be able to catch more and bigger fish when other anglers fall short.

Fishing with underspins isn’t necessarily rocket science, but it can be a bit intimidating at times. These tips can shorten your learning curve and help you become an expert at this technique when targeting in-between bass.

To read more, click: http://www.scout.com/outdoors/wired2fish/story/1468485-how-to-fool-suspended-bass-with-underspins

April Freshwater Fly of the Month: Crystal Bugger Black Beadhead

April Freshwater Fly of the Month: Crystal Bugger Black Beadhead

The Wooly Bugger fly pattern has to be one of the most productive streamer patterns to ever be created. Over the last few decades the wooly bugger style of flies have without a doubt accounted for more and larger fish being duped than with any other freshwater fly. The main reason for the wooly bugger’s great success is its ability to be adapted to catch virtually any fresh water fish that exists and to be used in all the different water conditions that may occur. From trout to bass, rivers to spring fed lakes the wooly bugger can just about do it all. The Crystal Bugger fly pattern is a relatively new addition to the wooly bugger family. 

Simple enough the crystal bugger boasts a flashy estaz body instead of the traditional chenille to spice things up a bit. This added flash coupled with the undulating action produced by the marabou tail in the water makes this fly a definite steelhead spring time favorite. Another of the key features of this fly is the Spirit River metallic bead head. This bead head provides the fly with the necessary weight to get it down on the bottom of those big deep pools where the big steelies like to hang out.

Fishing the bead head crystal bugger is relatively simple. If you are going to be fishing very cold weather cast this pattern to your target and let it dead drift drag-free down the river. Fish that are in these very cold temperatures become very lackadaisical and will not aggressively search out and chase down prey. Providing a slow subtle presentation with the crystal bugger will help keep your fly in the fish’s strike zone for longer providing you with a better chance of hooking into quality fish. In summer these same lazy fish will now be ready for a more active and rapid approach. Continuously stripping in the wooly pattern will have the head-heavy fly dancing up and down in the water column driving the fish wild.

April Saltwater Lure of the Month: Wizard Custom Tackle's Double Header Jigging Spoon

April Saltwater Lure of the Month: 

Wizard Custom Tackle's Double Header Jigging Spoon

DOUBLE HEADER JIGGING SPOON Hand Made in the U.S.A. The Double Header Jigging Spoon is designed to have two different actions.

1)Head first as packaged works especially well around deep water docks and breakwaters like those normally found at the dam end of most highland reservoirs. The Double Header Jigging Spoon is particularly effective when pitched into the dock wells or along the breakwater and allowed to fall to the desired depth. Then sweep the spoon up and allow it to fall back,producing a reaction strike. The unique design of the Double Header Spoon allows it to swim back under docks and floating breakwaters. Fishing the Double Header with the stinger hook provided can produce two fish at a time action.

2)Switching the hooks to the opposite end creates a more controlled subtle action particularly effective on fish schooled under bait fish. This method is very effective around bridge piling sand standing timber. You can take two at a time when used with the stinger hook provided.

3)The third method can be used with either hook placement. Simply drop the spoon to the bottom and hop or stroke the spoon up, then allow it to fall back. Look for fish on under waterhumps, creek channel bends or points and bluff ends. Strike usually occurs at the top of your lift or as the spoon falls back in all three methods. Follow your spoon as it falls on a slightly slack line to allow the spoon to produce its maximum action. Watch your line for any indication of a strike or hesitation in the spoons fall.STRIKE IMMEDIATELY!TIP: You can affect the spoons rate of fall by changing the line weight you use for example changing the line from 12 lbs test to 17 or 20 lbs test will slow the rate of fall. Going lighter will cause the spoon to fall faster. Effective on all species of game fish.

March Freshwater Lure of the Month: Mepps Trophy Series Spinner

March Freshwater Lure of the Month: Mepps Trophy Series Spinner

When French engineer Andre Meulnart invented the Mepps spinner in 1938, it wasn't long before he realized it was an extremely effective fishing lure. He didn't realize, however, he had invented a lure that would revolutionize the fishing tackle industry. It would take a World War and an unusual series of events to do that. It would also take the vision of a man who could see the lure's full potential.

Todd Sheldon discovered the Mepps spinner in 1951. Owner of a successful tackle store in downtown Antigo, Wisconsin, he was having a bad day on Wisconsin's Wolf River. Determined to try something different, he tied on a small Mepps spinner that had been given to him by Frank Velek, a WWII GI who had returned from Europe two years earlier. Within two hours, he had creeled four trout weighing more than twelve pounds total.

Todd Sheldon was hooked on and began selling Mepps spinners, but soon discovered he couldn't get enough. Velek knew a French woman who sent spinners to the sport shop in exchange for nylon stockings. However, the lures were selling faster than she was wearing out her stockings, so Todd began buying his lures directly from Meulnart's factory.

Soon, other fishermen were experiencing catches like the one Todd took from the Wolf. But, they were catching all kinds of fish, not just trout. As the Mepps reputation grew, so did sales. In 1956, Todd sold his store and formed Sheldons', Inc. to focus his attention on his growing import trade.

The Mepps Trophy Series features all the colors preferred by trophy salmon and steelhead fishermen throughout Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes.

Available only in sizes #4 and #5, these Mepps spinners are designed for anadromous fish, from their perfectly formed eye down to their computer age extra sharp, strong hook. Available with either treble or single hooks. Blades and bodies are solid brass. Environmentally safe. No lead components.

The spinner shaft is stainless steel to resist the elements. Silver blades feature genuine silver plating for maximum flash at all depths and under all water and light conditions. Painted blades and bodies feature brilliant epoxy finishes that are both fade and chip resistant. If you’re planning a fishing trip to Alaska, these spinners were designed with you in mind.

March Freshwater Fly of the Month: Elkwing Caddis Olive

March Freshwater Fly of the Month: Elkwing Caddis Olive

The Elk Wing Caddis is one of the most versatile caddis created. Almost every river has blanket hatches of this must have bug. 

The elk wing caddis dry fly is one of the most popular and proven dry flies in the world. The dry fly pattern imitates the natural caddis, one of the most prolific insects across North America that trout feed on. The elk hair caddis can fish like conventional dry flies, as well as be "skated" across the top of the water to attract feeding trout. 

Invented on the West Coast by Al Troth, the elk hair caddis has over the years proved to be an un-paralleled fish catcher. In the tradition of all great flies its "why didn't I think of that" quality has reinforced its reputation and resulted in a continual presence on practically every trout bearing water in the world.  The best way to think of this fly is as a skater. This is because it is the perfect fly for imitating both the newly emerged caddis flies' maiden voyage (or, the take off), and also the skittering female dropping her payload of eggs under the evening sky.

Tips to fish:

When fishing a caddis hatch the Elk Hair Caddis should be fished using standard dry fly tactics. If you suspect fish are taking spent adults aim for a drag free drift, but if you suspect the fish are after newly hatched adults (look out for slashing rises) employ some judicious twitching of your artificial. Standard presentations will work when using the Elk Hair Caddis as a searching pattern.

References:

http://www.sexyloops.com/flytying/elkhaircaddis.shtml

www.FishingEnthusiast.com

March Saltwater Lure of the Month: Gibbs Minnow

Saltwater Lure of the Month: Gibbs Minnow

An excerpt from GearPatrol.com's "The Art of the Fishing Lure" to read the rest of the article on our blog at www.FishingEnthusiast.BlogSpot.com! 

I

f any item holds special mysticism among fishing gear, it’s the lure. Some anglers spit on them for good luck; many have favorites (my dad and I still call one spinner, which will be kept secret to protect innocent fish, our “secret weapon”); rules abound for their use, like “light on dark days, dark on light”. Or was it vice versa? There are spoons and buzzbaits, tubes and cranks, jitterbugs and streamers (and dry flies, wet flies, and a million other flies) to choose from. It’s a lot to keep track of.

It's understood that at their basic level, lures are deceptions meant to replace live bait, which are hard to gather and often expire prematurely, escape or are used up before the day’s work is done. But beyond that, a surprising majority of fishermen don’t really understand lures — and in this vacuum, myths abound. So we spit on them. And worship them. And generally pick them from our tackle boxes without much sense of why they’re the right choice.

And the lures (the good ones, at least) tend to work, maybe not every time, but on the whole — which, given recent findings about the intelligence of fish, is more impressive than we might have realized. In a recent study, biologist Culum Brown found that “fish perception and cognitive abilities often match or exceed other vertebrates.” Turns out they don't have five-second memories. More like a year, and maybe more. Brown has even written that certain fish species like the wrasse show similar tool use to primates and corvids (birds).

Fishermen have long known that fish are often smarter than they. But the rest of us probably haven’t given the lures used to catch these clever creatures their due. In fact, the best lures are really works of inventiveness, science, utility and even art.

The Gibbs-Delta  "MINNOW" is definitely one of the most versatile fishing lures available today, It can be jigged, trolled or used as a casting lure. "Designed Flexibility" of this sterling silver plated lure allows the fishermen to achieve the desired action simply by bending the lure. The one piece stainless steel wire, 3 extra strong rust resistant hook and extra heavy stainless split ring offer maximum strength to land even the largest gamefish.

February Freshwater Lure of the Month: Rapala Crankin Rap Shad

February Freshwater Lure of the Month: Rapala Crankin Rap Shad

In the 1930's, Lauri Rapala had a very simple revelation: wounded fish get eaten by big fish, so all he needed to do was to create a lure that resembled a wounded minnow.  Such a simple thought process, but it is one that has transcended generations and helped to catch millions of fish.  The Rapala Original Floater was originally made of timber, and this original intuition has spawned hundreds of different types of baits that solve this very need: how to make the baits look like wounded fish.  This month’s selection, Rapala Crankin Rap, evolved from that very first bait in Lauri Rapala’s garage to become the dynamic, dipping and diving bait that you will find in this box.  It's easy to use, durable, and most importantly - it catches fish!

Designed to target specific depth zones and keep you right on the fish, the Rapala Crankin’ Raps have you covered anywhere from 2 to 14 feet.  Their round body design and thin tail combine to produce an enticing wobbling action that bass and even other fish species can’t seem to resist.  Well constructed and durable, the Crankin Raps also feature holographic foil inserts and external scale patterns for added realism and underwater flashing.

The shallow-diving 03 and 05 sizes in the Crankin Rap feature a square-bill designed to plow through the water, while the deeper-diving 08, 10 & 14 sizes feature a round lip that allows them to plummet quickly to their desired depth.  Available in a variety of proven colors in each size, each Rapala Crankin Rap also has the running depth prominently displayed on its bill, allowing anglers determine at a glance which Cranking Rap to choose.

February Saltwater Lure of the Month: Luhr Jensen Pet Spoon

February Saltwater Lure of the Month: Luhr Jensen Pet Spoon

This pet spoon was created by Luhr-Jensen, a world class company with humble beginnings.  The company was founded by Luhr Jensen, Sr. in 1932 in an unused chicken coop on a depression-ridden fruit ranch in the upper Hood River Valley of Oregon.  In the words of Luhr, “Things were simpler then. We made a few different styles of spinners and had special relationships with our Northwest jobbers.  Everyone was “your friend”… it was not a bad time”. 

In 1932, Luhr was 41 years old and his family’s fruit growing businesses was struggling.  With some extra time on his hands, Luhr began stamping and assembling very carefully made, hand crafted salmon spinners.  His fishing knowledge and careful craftsmanship helped to create a very high quality lure.  Before he knew it, friends and associates started demanding his lures.  And so, a little factory was born in his little backyard chicken coop factory.

With the help of his wife and his son and daughter after school, the business grew and prospered.  Luhr was the lead creator, and the kids then replicated his creations.  Most of Luhr’s earliest creations can still be seen in some evolved form today, such as the Ford Fender, named after the Model A from which he obtained the headlight reflector and built the blades.

Luhr Sr. has long since passed, but 70 years later the company is as strong as ever. His lures today are still made in only the highest quality, just as Luhr always wanted.

Description:

• Heavy-duty construction
• Genuine chrome or gold plated corrosion-resistant finishes
• Versatile, multi-species design
• VMC® Perma Steel® 2X Strong hook

Everyone needs a pet, and Luhr-Jensen's Pet Spoon fills the bill nicely. The lure makes use of genuine chrome or gold plated corrosion-resistant finishes in a versatile multi-species design. The Pet Spoon features heavy-duty construction so it won't blink when facing down hawgs. Equipped with VMC Perma Steel 2X Strong hook.

The History of Fly Fishing - February 2016

The History of Fly Fishing - February 2016

Many credit the 1st recorded use of an artificial fly t othe Roman Claudius Aelianus near the end of the 2nd Century.  However, other than a few fragmented references, little was written on fly fishing until The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle was published in 1496 with The Boke of Saint Albans, attributed to Dame Juliana Berners.  The book contains instructions on rod, line, and hook making and dressings for different flies to use at different times of the year.  By the 15th century, rods of approximately 14 ft in length with a twisted line attached at its tips were used in England. 

The earliest English poetical treatise on Angling by John Dennys, said to have been a fishing companion ofShakespeare, was published in 1613, The Secrets of Angling. Footnotes of the work, written by Dennys' editor, William Lawson, make the first mention of the phrase to 'cast a fly': "The trout gives the most gentlemanly and readiest sport of all, if you fish with an artificial fly, a line twice your rod's length of three hairs' thickness... and if you have learnt the cast of the fly."

The art of fly fishing took a great leap forward after the English Civil War, where a newly found interest in the activity left its mark on the many books and treatises that were written on the subject at the time.

The Compleat Angler was written by Izaak Walton in 1653 (although Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century) and described the fishing in theDerbyshire Wye. It was a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse; 6 verses were quoted from John Dennys's earlier work.

A second part to the book was added by Walton's friend Charles CWalton did not profess to be an expert with a fishing fly; the fly fishing in his first edition was contributed by Thomas Barker, a retired cook and humorist, who produced a treatise of his own in 1659; but in the use of the live worm, thegrasshopper and the frog "Piscator" himself could speak as a master. The famous passage about the frog, often misquoted as being about the worm—"use him as though you loved him, that is, harm him as little as you may possibly, that he may live the longer"—appears in the original edition. Cotton's additions completed the instruction in fly fishing and advised on the making of artificial flies where he listed sixty five varieties.