July Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hemmingway Caddis

July Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hemmingway Caddis

The Hemingway Caddis is a variation of the Henryville, developed by Mike Lawson, with a Peacock Thorax and a Blue Dun Hackle for both the collar hackle and the palmered rib. It was named for Jack Hemingway, son of Ernest Hemingway, who preferred this variation when he fished the Henry's Fork in Idaho as he thought the Henryville Special was a little too brown in coloration.

The Hemingway Caddis is often used within Sierran streams, particularly Spring Creeks and slow-moving waters. Lawson usually ties the Quill Wings with two segments having the convex sides facing each other with some overlap. This is a quill flatwing style. Often, you will also see this pattern tied with one segment in a "Tent" style similar to the Kings River Caddis.

Either way, the quill wings provide a very good caddis sillouette. The colors of the hackle and body can be matched to the caddis found on the water.

The Hemingway Caddis has a extremely realistic narrow wing profile, is heavily hackled for good skittering and its charcoal color tone matches many real caddis. This is an excellent pattern to pull out when you have a late evening caddis hatch coming off. The darker color really shows up well in flat light and the profile is a dead-on match.

This is a very realistic looking dry caddis. It will float well in both still water and fast bubbling streams. It truly is a pattern Hemingway himself would be proud to fish with.

July Saltwater Lure of the Month: Boone Needlefish

July Saltwater Lure of the Month: Boone Needlefish

Over 70 years ago, a young boy in Charleston, South Carolina received a fly-tying kit from his parents.  This boy, Don Boone, had a natural gift for fly tying and was tying beautiful flies by the age of 12.  His father and his father’s friends loved his flies and would pay him small sums to make them flies for their fishing trips.  The more word spread, the more flies young Don would make.  And so, at the ripe age of 15, a business was born.

In 1953, Don moved to Florida and formed the Boone Bait Company.  He joined forces with his wife Vera and his friends Joseph and Arlyne Showalter, with both couples taking equal shares in the company.  Their first factory was an airport hanger on Highway 50 at a small airport in Orlando. The company quickly grew and became appealing to a businessman named Peter Foley from Norwalk, Connecticut who purchased the company and continues to be the president today.  Boone lures are now available in more than 65 countries and hold the distinction of being the first lure company to produce soft plastic baits.

Needlefish Jigs™: The Boone Needlefish Jig™ is a cost effective product that produces great results on a variety of bottom fish. Colorful abalone finishes are designed to attract and stimulate bone jarring, aggressive strikes. The slim, long hydrodynamic styling allows the Boone Needlefish Jig to drop quickly through the water column.

Each jig is pre-rigged with a VMC 3X treble hook. Hooks may be replaced with your favorite style and brand. Available in 8 sizes. From three inches long, 3/4 oz to eight inches long and 7 oz.

July Freshwater Lure of the Month: The Booyah Buzz

July Freshwater Lure of the Month: The Booyah Buzz

WARNING: THIS BAIT IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!

This month's bait is the Booyah Buzz, part of the family of buzzbaits better known as "Heart Attack Lures"!  Why are they called heart attack lures?  The bait is designed to buzz along the water as you slowly trail it behind you.  The bait's gentle hum can lull you into a trance. Everything is so quiet and peaceful.  And then all of the sudden, "WHACK", a big bass has tried to swallow that bait whole.  I guarantee your heat rate will skyrocket! It is truly one of the most exciting baits on the market.

The Booyah Buzz was created by the Booyah Bait Co. Technically, a buzzbait is a metal-headed lure with a rotating propeller on a wire arm, similar to a spinnerbait. This kind of a lure is designed to run along the surface.  When a fisherman casts it out, he then can buzz it over stumps, logs, brush, grass, docks, and other shallow cover.  The sound lures the fish out from underneat.

Professional Angler Bernie Schulz of Gainesville, Florida uses this buzzbait when competing on the Bassmaster tournament trail.  "A buzzbait is good for covering a lot of water in a hurry. I use it when I think bass are feeding on or near the surface. Also, it's good for locating concentrations of bass that may be worked more efficiently with a slower lure like a plastic worm or a Slug-Go."

"And one more thing," Schulz went on. "A buzzbait is a great lure for catching big bass. Tournament fishermen use it for culling smaller fish after they've caught a limit. I don't know why, but a buzzbait definitely produces quality bites."

One final tip on the buzzbait: Rig another rod with a plastic worm or a Slug-Go, and keep it handy. Then, if a bass boils on your buzzbait and misses it, cast back with the buzzbait again. If there's no strike this time, make the next cast with your followup lure, and let it sink. Nine out of 10 times that bass is still there, and he'll inhale a bait that drops by his nose.

Enjoy the Booyah Buzz and Happy Fishing! Let me know what you catch!

David

FishingEnthusiast.com