An Angler Wannabe

New site warning

2007-04-04T23:01:00.000-06:00

I've decided to spend more time on my blogging so I reinstalled Wordpress on one of my hosting accounts and reactivated www.anglerwannabe.com. So, if you are linking to this blog or receiving the RSS feed, please update your links.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to having fun on my blog again (which means MORE fishing!!)

Thank heavens I don't have to worry about this

2007-04-03T07:20:00.000-06:00

Alistair over at The Urban Fly Fisher ran across a carcass while fishing and pondered the fate of the sheep over the rest of the fishing season. Don't think I'll see anything like this in my area.

I usually enjoy his photography of the European rivers, but I'll pass on these photos.

Hook.TV Sneak Peak

2007-04-02T15:45:00.000-06:00

Now this looks interesting.

I got an email today from a new social community for fly fisherman called Hook.TV. It's literally like a MySpace for anglers. They host video content from established providers such as the Trout Bum Diaries and Deep Stream Productions along with user submitted videos. They also provide a free blog for members and future contests.

I'm actually pretty excited about it and will dig in deeper after work today. BTW, my user name is obviously anglerwannabe on hook.tv so look for me.

I've been owned

2007-03-22T14:15:00.000-06:00

The pond owned me again. And this must be turtle mating season - they are everywhere!

Beat the pond

2007-03-15T09:29:00.000-06:00

I'm planning to master my local pond. I am tired of not being able to even get a panfish when I go out during my lunch breaks.

I got some great advice from Kevin, a former VA fishing buddy of mine. I've always been more of a trout fisher while he likes big bass and warm water species. I chatted with him over IM the other day and he told me what I need to do to catch bass out of the pond. I'll report on my success with his suggestions over the next couple of weeks. I'm determined to beat that pond!

Texas Trout 12-29-06

2006-12-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine was in Texas to visit his parents over the holiday. His dad is an avid fly fisher and has a cabin/house within walking distance of the only public trout stream in the great state of Texas, the Guadalupe. The water is extremely low right now due to a drought in the area. Therefore, fishing is expected to be a bit slow.

I drove in from Houston starting at 7:00AM yesterday. It was a bit drizzly but my friend's father said it should help the fishing. I got in around 10:30a. After I toured the cabin and chatted with their english-accent speaking 5 yr old (they just moved back to the US from the UK, we headed out to the Trout Unlimited leases to see if we could get some freshly planted trout.

We arrived at one of the spots and found a few folks fishing already. Neither of us caught anything at this location.

A game warden came up to us and asked for licenses. I showed him mine, but Scot was in visiting and he didn't have one. So, the warden said that he would give Scot 15 minutes to go get one or he would get fined 150.

We headed back to the rental car to drive Scot up to the hardware store to get a one day license. Unfortunately, Scot's father accidently locked the keys in the trunk. I happened to have kept my mobile phone in my pocket so luckily we could call for help. We called Scot's mother to see if she could get a hold of the rental car company. Well, it turned out that when we called his mother, she was waiting for EMS to arrive because she had just fallen and broken her nose and banged up her knee. This was turning into a really odd day.

I got hold of the rental car company who sent out a locksmith about 30 minutes later. We got into the car, grabbed some BBQ and went to another location.

We had a bit more luck there. Scot's first 3 casts found a 10 inch trout on each retrieve.

I even pulled in one of the 10 inchers on a bh nymph. I missed a few strikes.

The wind kicked up and then we were pelted by very very cold rain.

Overall, it was still a lot of fun, even with the strange events that happened. I'm definitely going to join the local TU and get a lease so I can continue to fly fish for trout. Fly fishing around Houston for bass in murky still water just isn't the same as standing in a cold river, watching trout rise to flies on the surface.

3 months!

2006-08-17T12:22:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been almost 3 months since my last post. That tells ya that I haven't had time to fish in a long time and am very itchy to hit the water.

We have numerous ponds in the Woodlands that I plan on visiting soon. My kayak is still in Austin unfortunately. Fly fishing from the shore just isn't too much fun. As soon as I have time to get back to Austin, I'll hopefully pick back up posting.

I did take my son out to one of the lakes (or pond... at least it doesn't have a fountain in the middle of it) across the street from my house. He caught a 8 inch bass and thought it was the greatest thing ever. He wanted to take it home and put it in his fish tank.

Saturday at Padre

2006-05-20T22:12:00.000-06:00

I got up bright and early this morning to make the long trip to Port Aransas. The weather was looking good - upper 80s and partly cloudy. That's pretty typical for this time of year on the coast. I previously picked up a fishing map for Laguna Madre so I decided to see if I can could find the flats near Port Aransas.

When I got to Port A, I had to board a ferry boat to get over to the island. On the way to the island, a dolphin followed us to the other side. It was pretty cool.

I had to drive a ways before I found an area that looked kayakable. I was very pleasantly suprised when I got out on the water. It was clear. I could actually wade in it and see the bottom. How nice! I could get used to that. Althought I only landed one fish - a speckled trout, I did see lots and lots of fish including redfish and sheapshead. I even saw some tailing redfish. The wind was about 15-20 miles per hour at times and I had a hell of a time casting. The only time I was able to reach the tailing redfish, I landed a clouser right on top of them and of course, spooked the hell out of em.

My camera seems to be taking blurier and blurier pictures lately, but I'm putting some on here anyway. Sorry for the quality.

This picture is actually of a school of redfish. You can't see them in the pic though.

Heading to Laguna Madre tomorrow

2006-05-19T16:47:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I think I'm going to seek some clearer water than Galveston Bay water. I'm thinking of heading to Port Aransas tomorrow. Although it's supposedly a 4 hr drive, I think it'll be worth it. I'm going to watch my Fly Fishing for Redfish in Texas video tonight and hopefully I'll be able to catch something tomorrow.

Trout in Texas?

2006-05-08T22:55:00.000-06:00

Yes, there are trout in Texas. I spent this Saturday on the Guadalupe river with my brother, a non angler. I brought my kayak and he rented an inflatable two seater. I felt very sorry for him as it was like paddling a bed mattress down the river. The water was relatively low this time of year so we got stuck on a lot of rocks. When there were rapids, man was it fun. I haven't had an adrenalin rush like that in years. He almost went off a small waterfall but managed at the last second to get out of the boat and pull it to the side.

I did manage to fish a while but only got one bite. I have no idea what to fish with on the Guadalupe and didn't do any research. The guy that drove us to the get in spot said a buddy of his caught a 24 inch trout a few days ago. Guessing from the looks of the guy, I'm sure that trout was dinner.

I'm definitely going to have to get back to the Guadalupe and spend some more time fishing before the mass of tubers hit the river.

It's so cool

2006-04-30T20:39:00.000-06:00

I bit the bullet and bought a kayak this weekend. Although it's probably not the best time to be buying one, Fishing Tackle Unlimited on I45 was having a flyfishing and kayaking event and I just got carried away. Plus, I could save some good money. I ended up going for the cheapest sit on top kayak I could get, the Mainstream Kingfish. It was only $399 (or something close to that). It's an 11'8" long 30" wide kayak that weighs 46 pounds. I had to get a bunch of safety accessories as well so it drove the price up.

A very helpful guy, Shane, helped me through the whole process. Turns out that he was actually a stocker but said he can't say no when someone needs help. I really appreciated it and will be a loyal FTU customer now. I have a lot to learn about saltwater fishing so I need all the help I can get.

I took it out to Christmas Bay again and slapped the water with my line for about 2 hours. I had more fun in the kayak than I did fishing. Kinda scary. It was so stable and felt fast. I know it's probably a dog compared to the others but it beats the crap out of my old pontoon boat for speed.

I can't wait to get on the water again.

In a new world

2006-04-23T19:52:00.000-06:00

So, I'm now in hot and humid Houston. I'm definitely missing the cool clean waters of the Provo. But, I'm also excited about learning my new home waters.. the Gulf of Mexico.

I've taken a couple of trips to Christmas Bay (about an hour from my temporary residence) and haven't had much luck. The entire bay is wadeable so that's nice since I don't have a boat yet. But, the whole wading when you can't see your feet thing is weird. It's hard for me to get used to. I keep reading about the stingrays in the area. I think this will accelerate my kayak purchase. All the cool bays and tributaries in the Galveston/Freeport area look so kayak ready.

I've been doing some tying of saltwater flys lately. They are a lot easier to create than the little bitty nymphs I was trying to do in Utah. I just need to find a few flys that work most of the time and I'll be set.

Yesterday, I went to Christmas Bay and started getting some activity on a red Deceiver pattern. I ended up getting it hooked in something subsurface and couldn't get it free. I kept pulling over and over, from all angles, but it was just stuck. So, I pulled harder and harder until ... SNAP... I broke my fricken rod in two. I felt like a complete dumbbutt. That was the end of that.

So, I went up to a fishing store that I had never heard of.. Fishing Tackle Unlimited. I picked up an 8wt 9' Temple Fork Outfitters rod as a replacement. The price was right and I have heard the TFO rods are great for the money. I had to have something, right?! I'll deal with getting a kayak later.

I went out today and had absolutely no luck at all. I didn't wade out very far so my guess is I was in the shore fishing area that most fish stay out of. There were lots of bait fish flipping out of the water, but I didn't even get a bite.

I stopped and ate some flounder in Surfside, hoping that the proximity to the fish would make the food better. I've decided that I'm not much of a flounder eater - didn't even finish it.

Eagle CO results

2006-04-23T19:43:00.000-06:00

Trying to catch up real quick. So, I wasn't very successful in Eagle (par, I know). I caught a small - really small - cutthroat and an equally small brown. At least I caught something. There were a few folks up and down the river and I didn't see them catch anything.

I was there about 2 hours. Although it was about 28 degrees out, I got an awful sunburn. I was pealing like mad at my first day of work on Tuesday. It was a bit embarassing.

In Eagle CO

2006-03-30T21:00:00.000-06:00

Bright and early tomorrow morning, I'm heading to the Blue River at the damn in Silverthorne, CO. I stopped at Fly Fishing Outfitters fly shop in Avon and was told it should be great fishing tomorrow morning. I have a bunch of little midge nymphs that I hope will work. The cool thing is you pull up to the outlet mall, park and you can walk to the river. Wish me luck!

New type of fishing

2006-03-29T14:32:00.000-06:00

It's final now. I'm leaving the fishing paradise of the Wasatch mountains in Utah and will be moving to the Houston area. I'm going to miss the clear streams up here along with trout in lakes. It's bass, catfish, and sea critters for me now. I am close enough to the coast now that I'll be doing lots of saltwater fishing. I've never fly fished in the ocean, but I've heard it's hard to beat.

There is one trout stream in Texas, the Guadalupe River. It's maintained by the largest TU group in the country so when I went a few years back, there were people everywhere. But it is trout fishing in Texas so I'll likely join that huge group.

On Friday, I'll be in Colorado (driving to Texas). I'm stopping at the Roaring Fork river outside Vail for some fly fishing Colorado style. I don't know what to expect.

Sunday 2-26-06 Report

2006-02-27T13:54:00.000-06:00

The weather was beautiful (60 degrees in February) on Sunday so I decided to head out to the Provo to start the fishing "season" back up. It takes me forever to rig up a weighted, two fly dropper with a strike indicator so like an idiot, I never changed flies. I did change depths though.

I went to the access point by the bridge between Heber and Midway. First, I went to a place next to Charleston. There were soooo many people there that I left. It appeared to be a spin casting access point too.

I only hooked one only. He shook the fly after about 5 seconds. I thought I had a tree limb at first. I don't think I set it right. Anyway, that was the whole excitement for the 2.5 hours I was there.

I'm getting excited again. I bought a tying desk on Saturday so I have a nice permanent place to store my stuff. Looking forward to some time on the river and at the vise.

Started it up again

2006-02-21T13:07:00.000-06:00

Ok, I couldn't stay away. I've decided to just go back to using Blogger/blogspot for my flyfishing blog. I lost a year or so of posts due to the switch but that's OK. So, if you are an old reader of my blog, here it is again, just under a different URL.

I Finally got a boat

2005-03-13T14:15:00.000-06:00

Smallmouth bass on the Shenandoah, watch out. I picked up a Blue Heron 9 Pontoon boat today. Not sure when I'll have time to go, but at least I know I can now ;-)

I love this picture

2005-02-23T12:31:00.000-06:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15432983@N00/5305749/

New Template

2005-02-22T12:55:00.000-06:00

My blog design was getting a little out of control so I'm starting over from scratch. I'll be adding in some of the other components of the page slowly over the next few days.

Gunpowder River - Maryland Pictures

2005-02-21T20:49:00.000-06:00

More Maryland

2005-02-21T17:57:00.000-06:00

Maryland is the place to be. I desperately want to find a job in Frederick. I got a book called Guide to Maryland Trout Fishing: The Catch and Release Streams
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that discusses the good and the bad of the MD streams. I'll be visiting Big Hunting Creek very soon and will give a review with pictures.

I'll be picking up some pictures from my Gunpowder trip this evening and will try to post them.

Au Sable two fly flyfishing competition

2005-02-17T13:30:00.000-06:00

I'm considering entering the Au Sable two fly competetion in May. Here's more info about it if you are interested. Looks like a lot of fun, though it may be about 5 minutes of fun for me when I lose both my flies.

Urban Flyfishing on the Kelvin � A book from ebay!

2005-02-15T14:17:00.000-06:00

Urban Flyfishing on the Kelvin � A book from ebay!

Interesting post. It does make you wonder.

It's a great book btw.

Big Hunting Creek info

2005-02-15T08:31:00.000-06:00

Big Hunting Creek in Maryland

2005-02-14T22:55:00.000-06:00

One of the best things to come out of the Rapidan TU flyfishing show was that I found that one of the best trout streams in the area is only about 30-40 miles from me. Big Hunting Creek near Frederick MD is supposedly an excellent place for native brook trout and stocked rainbows and browns. I can't wait to get out there. As soon as I can gather some information about it, I'll post it.

Rapidan TU Flyfishing show

2005-02-14T21:11:00.000-06:00

I spent some time at the Rapidan TU flyfishing show in Middleburg on Sunday. It was very well attended for a little show. I wanted to win one of the door prizes so bad, but I didn't. I did pick up a great DVD by Mel Kreiger called the Essentials of Flycasting. It is very well done and learned a lot from it.

If you want some info about it - click here:
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I was really enjoying a presentation he was giving at the show, when my wife called and was expecting me to come home. So I missed the end of it. I highly recommend the DVD.

New Bulletin board system installed

2005-02-10T13:08:00.000-06:00

I decided to set up a bulletin board system for my blog. I have NO idea if anybody will use it, but I think it's pretty cool. So, let me know what you think and post away.

Dean

Fly Fishing Techniques: Casting Accuracy - MidCurrent

2005-02-09T09:06:00.000-06:00

Fly Fishing Techniques: Casting Accuracy - MidCurrent

Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but looks informative enough to post on my blog.

Gunpowder Trip 2-5-05

2005-02-06T08:25:00.000-06:00

I may have finally found my home water. I went to the Gunpowder Falls river Saturday morning. My wife and son had been in Texas for a week and a half and she was flying in to BWI around 5. So, I had to be in the area anyway.

I started at Backwater Anglers outside of Monkton/Hereford. Theo helped me with directions to the good spots and gave me a selection of flies including some small black stoneflies (expected around noon) and some midges. Amazingly, he only knew of two books about Maryland fly fishing and he was out of both. Theo told me to take two rights out of the shop and park right past the high school on the left.. before you get to the bridge. There was only one car there so I pulled in and had a nice conversation with a local angler in the parking lot. I went down to the river which was about 1 to 2 feet deep and fairly fast moving at the bridge access point. I cast a size 16 black stonefly up and let it drift across and there was a violent take. It was a small rainbow maybe 9". He put a good fight but I brought him in and released him. Beautiful colors and very healthy.

Unfortunately, that was it for fish for the rest of the day. The water was extremely cold and when I got out of the water, I was about a foot deep in snow on the banks. There wasn't anywhere to get warm. At least the air temp wasn't below freezing so I had no problems casting.

I took some pictures of the river, but will have to wait a while to get them developed as I have 20 more exposures on the camera. I need to get a cheap digital to take fishing with me. I don't want to take my good digital fishing. My last one ended up in at the bottom of a waterfall in Georgia.

So, I really liked Gunpowder. I don't know what it would be like when the weather is warmer as I bet it is filled with anglers. I only saw one other person on the river that day. He had been skunked so I felt lucky to get my one fish. The fly shop down the road was great, good prices and nice folks. It's about an hour and a half from me so not too bad of a drive. Now if I can get a job in Baltimore, I would be set!!

Trout: Reading the Water - MidCurrent

2005-02-02T13:07:00.000-06:00

Trout: Reading the Water - MidCurrent

Excellent article from my favorite fly fishing news source.

New state to explore

2005-01-31T21:59:00.000-06:00

I'll be in Maryland this Saturday so I decided to pick up a MD fishing license and head to the Gunpowder in the morning. I have no idea where to go. I'm having a hard time finding any info about the area online. I couldn't even find any Maryland fly fishing books though I know they exist as I have seen them. William H of Eastern Trophies Fly Fishing mentions on his site that between Prettyboy Dam and Bluemount Road (MD 138), it is catch and release, flyfishing only. Sounds like where I ought to be. Hopefully I'll have some luck this time and I won't completely freeze. I ordered some stuff today that will keep rod guides and lines from freezing. William mentioned using Spam, but that sounds awful.

2005-01-23T13:57:00.000-06:00

Ice on Stoney Creek 1-05

2005-01-23T13:54:00.000-06:00

Kevins first trout of the day on Smith Creek

2005-01-23T13:46:00.000-06:00

Bridge over Stoney Creek at Lutz Mill

2005-01-23T13:45:00.001-06:00

Stoney Creek 1-2005

2005-01-23T13:45:00.000-06:00

Passage Creek

2005-01-23T13:43:00.000-06:00

Smith Creek

Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited - Home

2005-01-22T19:28:00.000-06:00

Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Just joined the Rapidan TU chapter. I'm looking forward to getting involved in TU again and meeting some new fishing partners.

Desktop Backgrounds : Pictures of Trout and Underwater Photographs

2005-01-19T01:05:00.000-06:00

Some nice Desktop Wallpapers that anyone can use. My wife really likes the cased caddis larvae background... kidding.

Desktop Backgrounds : Pictures of Trout and Underwater Photographs

Skunked and way cold

2005-01-18T12:26:00.000-06:00

I keep forgeting that fishing involves water and water freezes below 32 degrees F. I got all ready to head out to Passage Creek outside Front Royal Monday morning at 5:30AM. It was so cold (around 20 with 15 to 20 mile per hour wind gusts) that I could hardly gas up my car. I guess I thought that I could handle it as soon as I hooked up with the first monster stocked trout of the morning. I was wrong. I made it out to Passage right before sunrise. The water looked a little fast, but it wasn't too high or discolored or anything so I slipped into my waders and pulled out my new Fly Logic rod. The rod cast beautifully... until the line froze to the guides. There just wasn't a heck of a lot I could do other than knock the ice off with my bright red numb fingers every cast and retrieve. I tried some bh nymphs and a Murray streamer that I tied. After about an hour of pure misery, I packed it in and drove over to Murray's Fly Shop in Edinburg. I asked Harry if it was even worth fishing now and he said "sure, fish eat in the cold too." He recommended a white size 10 Murray Strymph and a black maruader. I went ahead and bought a few and asked about the best location on Stoney Creek. Harry said to go to Lutz Mill about 2 miles up the road. So I did. The temp was up another couple of degrees to 22 and there was a little sun showing so I jumped back in. No luck again unfortunately. I actually froze to a rock while I was casting, it seemed very comical at the time. The water in my felt soles froze my feet to the rock I was standing on.

I took a bunch of pictures that I'm getting developed now. I don't think I'll have them online until Thursday or Friday, but I will post them. The additional Smith Creek ones will be on there too.

BTW, take a quick gander at the eBay listings on the right. I have some work to do on the formating, but it's pretty cool to get live eBay listings on your site.

Must be insane

2005-01-16T08:21:00.000-06:00

I have decided to fight the elements again and go fishing in some of the coldest weather we have had so far. I plan on hitting Passage Creek, east of Edinburg on Monday AM. The forecast is snow overnight tonight, windchills of -5 and 10 to 15 mile per hour winds. Sounds like perfect fly fishing weather. There are only a few situations where I wouldn't go fly fishing. High winds would do it for me. I hate casting when it is windy. I'll bring a camera and post some pictures later. Can't believe that the days I have off are always frickin cold.

2005-01-06T10:14:00.000-06:00

FlyLogic Rod arrived!

I got my new FlyLogic rod yesterday and my first impressions are very favorable. I went out in the rain last night to cast it. It felt great. I think my cast has been suffering from bad rods. I'll blame it on poor equipment. One of these days, I need to try a really expensive rod and compare it. The FlyLogic 4-5 wt really feels miles better than my other rods.

2004-12-30T18:39:00.000-06:00

Just picked up one of these from eBay. I needed a better 5 wt so I hope this one is good. For 59, it wouldn't be much of a loss even if it wasn't better than the ones I already have.

Fly Logic - fly rods & fly reels with logic

2004-12-21T12:03:00.000-06:00

Try the Search box over in the righthand side of the page. It only searches on fly fishing sites that I have in my bookmarks, therefore the results are very targeted. It works great for finding fly patterns. If you know of any other good sites to add, let me know.

2004-12-14T14:14:00.000-06:00

Smith's Creek

Kevin and I took off at 7:00AM on Monday to Smith's Creek outside of Harrisonberg. It was a brutely cold and windy day but we fools took off work and we weren't going to miss out on a day of fishing.

We met Billy at Blue Ridge Anglers who gave us a map to the place and let us know that we were really going to enjoy it. He was right. We had a great time. The water was a little murky, but it helped us hide from the trout. It had been raining the last few days so we were lucky that the water was fishable at all. The place hadn't been fished in 2 weeks so it was ready for us novices.

You can't ask for a better maintained stream. It had easy access. It had fast water sections and still water. It was like a completely made up place. Couldn't get any better as far as I am concerned. I caught 2 browns and a huge rainbow (that got away - my mistake). Kevin caught a bunch more along the lines of 8 browns and 3 or 4 rainbows. He pulled in at least one 16 incher. I'm sure there were some much larger ones in there but on my 5 wt, it was a blast. I was planning to use my 5'6" 3 wt which I am glad I didn't. We were most successful with black wooley buggers, murray strymphs and bh prince nymphs.. all pretty large. I wasn't planning on fishing with larger flies so didn't tie any. And if you are interested, I did try the fuggly bugger and no, it didn't work. The damn thing floated. Anyway, here are the pictures. I have some more that I took on a disposable camera that I'll post later. Anyway, I love that place. I'll be back.

2004-12-09T00:31:00.000-06:00

I had to post it. I call it the "Fuggly Bugger".

I wanted to make a really loud fly to get the brown trout's attention in Smith Creek. I think I succeeded. I only hope that if I decide to use it, that I don't ruin the fishing for the rest of the day.

2004-12-08T10:16:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard "if it doesn't fit, don't force it"?

Well, I have but I didn't listen.

I wanted to make some progress on finishing up my St. Croix SCIV rod last night so I worked at getting the handle on the rod. I must not have the proper tools as it was very difficult to bore out the cork. I got it within 5 inches of the handle and pushed a little too hard and POP, the cork split in two. About all I could do at that time was push it back down and hope the glue keeps the top cork close to the bottom cork. I checked it this morning, and it isn't bad, but I haven't got to the line guides yet so more room for goof ups.

2004-12-07T16:29:00.000-06:00

I'm almost set for the outting on Monday. Got a pair of new waders from LL Bean. I typically don't splurge on the best stuff, but they had some waders that Simms made for them at half price. Couldn't pass it up. Also got a new vest and some flies. My fly tying is going slow, so I'll probably have to pick up the rest of the recommended flies when I stop by Blue Ridge Angler on Monday morning.

We had a massive round of layoffs at the company I (and Kevin, my fishing partner) work for. Neither of us were affected. So, our trip continues as planned.

2004-12-01T17:24:00.000-06:00

Smith Creek Article - I'm getting excited!

2004-12-01T15:21:00.000-06:00

Flyfishing Entomology

A comprehensive, and very scientific, entomology web site that I ran across today. It may be a little too technical for me. Troutnut.com is more up my alley, but as a reference, this is an excellent site.

2004-12-01T13:20:00.000-06:00

I FINALLY get to go fishing! I'm very excited about this trip because it is for a full day (taking off from work), a new stream, and I'm paying a per rod fee so it better be good. We (me and Kevin) are going to Smith Creek near Harrisonburg a week from Monday for the whole day. More info about the stream is at Billy Kingsley's fly shop (www.blueridgeangler.com). If I tie some decent flies over the next week, I'll post some pics.

2004-11-23T12:03:00.001-06:00

Column in the Roanoke Times

Some great commentary and advice from a newspaper in my area.

2004-10-26T11:13:00.000-06:00

Went to Franklin Park on Sunday night to basically just cast a fly. I need to raise my confidence level when casting heavy flies in the dark. I'm scared to death that I'm going to hook my face. Needless to say, considering the cold weather, nothing was hitting. It was still nice to get out and cast.

2004-10-17T23:09:00.000-06:00

Taken from the FFF ClubWire - October 2004 Issue

One Mississippi Two
By Allen Crise – FFF Certified Master Instructor

Now what would you think of someone driving along in traffic or walking along the side walk, thinking that no one is watching them, raising their arm and hand to along side there head Saying "One- Mississippi- Two." If you have been to Fly Fishing Casting Class with Allen Crise, of Ft Worth Fly Fishers, it might not seem so strange. You might walk up to them and add a
little help by saying 'Don't let your wrist break back". Or "Make that an Up cast not just a Back cast."

I have been teaching fly casting at many of the fly fishing shows around Texas and for the FFF. Part of the casting class is muscle training. Using the hand and arm like it might be holding a six-gun (cowboy at heart). Keeping the rod tip low to start. The Student is taught to raise his arm, hand and elbow to lift the rod high enough to get the rod hand up to the student's ear. In Texas I have the typical bass caster bait caster or spinning fisher person. They have been casting with anything but a fly rod for years. Their style is easy to recognize. The hand is kept low the elbow is held at the side, the cast is performed with a flick of the wrist. Ending with an extended forearm. My teaching for fly casting is to stop all the habits that they have learned to do, to cast a lure or bobber over a worm. To do this I start my class of about 10 students set up with 5 wt outfits from 7-1/2 to 9 ft. I try to keep the shorter rod for the smaller students.

I have found that the shorter rods are easier for the smaller students or kids to learn to cast. I think it is the weight that has to be STOPPED, to perform the fly cast that gives a 60 to 80 pound student the trouble. The shorter light weight rods make it that much easier, just moving and stopping less weight.

After a short introduction to the equipment covering the weighted fly line, rod length and action, how to hold the rod. The single action reel how to grip the reel handle with the finger tips. I have them pull out 20 feet of line. They of course go to waving the rods. This is OK with me. As this
gets them a custom to the rod and flying line. I will demonstrate good cast, bad cast and the reasons for both, with 'my rod'. I try to never take a rod from the student's hand. If I have to show them I place my hand on theirs.

”OK Everyone set their rods on the ground”.
"Time for some muscle training”. In every sport we have been taught we had a "Follow Though".
Batting, bowling, tennis, golf. In Fly Casting we have STOPS. It is the STOP that make this rod cast a weighted fly line 70, 80 or over 100 feet. To train the body to perform the stops we are going to do a little body training.

OK everyone hold a six-gun We are from TEXAS Right?
Of course we keep the barrel down at the ground safely pointed down. This is the same place we keep the fly rod tip. Right at the water, Raise you arm so you palm is facing your ear. That is right. See up by my hat brim. STOP. Move your hand forward about 6 inches STOP. Lower your elbow to your side. REST.

Now to get the line flowing behind you, you will have to pause to let the 30 ft line travel back this is the timing and the hardest part for many to get. Lets call the stops STOP one and STOP two. For the pause I want you to say the word "Mississippi". So it goes like this. Raise the hand to the ear say ONE- MISSISSIPPI move the hand forward six inches. Say TWO STOPPING the rod lower the arm/ elbow to the side, REST. The numbers one and two are STOPS. All the fly casting you will be doing will for a while will have these two STOPS a back or up cast STOP and a Forward cast STOP. You can do this exercise while watching TV or waiting for the Bathroom, those of you with teenage daughters will get a lot of practice. Ok pick up your rod. Lets see some great STOPS."

I then show them one more time some great stops and loops. I explain the loops and how they carry the line. I have them pull out the fly line to have about 30 feet out. I have marked the fly lines at thirty feet with three permanent marker rings. I then go to each student and placing my hand on theirs and my other hand under the elbow. WE do some easy 'Pick up and Laydown' cast. I keep the casting as soft and easy as I can. Not letting them over power the cast. All the while saying "One-Mississippi-Two, Rest". The hand under the elbow ensures that they are raising the elbow and arm and not giving me a lazy wrist cast. Repeating the "One Mississippi, Two, Rest" rhythm to ensure the pause and timing of the cast. Watching for the breaking wrist of a spin caster. I spend about 5 or 6 cast with each student. ensuring that they have the feel of the cast and the reward of watching the line travel full length on the forward cast.

For some women and kids I will change to the word POWER for the speed up and stop of the cast, if they are not using enough power to get the line out. I use hula hoops as targets set at 35 ft or so. This is to gives a sense of a goal achieved, when they see the yarn fly land in the ring. I am trying to instill how easy it is to make a good 40 ft cast with out the Power that spinning or plug casting requires. I try to get to each student twice. Reinforcing the timing and form. One. Mississippi, Two rest. is something they can take home.

This is a quick overview of my group classes where I have many students to teach and expose in a few minutes I do cover a lot more, as I am demonstrating the good cast and bad cast. I will cover the loop, how to form and how it carries the line. How many different ways you can cast i.e. side arm, cross body, back handed, and how the wind will effect the cast you choose. If I have "Casting Coaches' Helping they soon pick up on the rhythm of the timing and casting.
I will have them place the rods on the ground as I give some important information. This does two things. One it give the arms a rest. and it opens the ears. Some people can not hear with a fly rod in their hand. (If you are 12 years old for sure.)

Equipment names are given so that if I say the stripping guide, grip or the butt of the rod they know what I am talking about. This is a running dialog as I give them tips and how-to’s of fly casting. Shooting line is demonstrated as is mending and slack line control.

I never leave a class without giving them a how-to on 'fighting a fish'. Now to hold the rod. How high to hold the rod and how-to strip in the fly line. I feel that if I leave this part off I have not cover the important of fly fishing, catching the fish. There is something wrong if I see a student running up the bank dragging the fish behind him saying "Ol' Al sure did teach me how to fly fish". I snap a mouse trap or fly box on the leader end. Then have them retrieve the "Fish" with out lifting it off the grass, or ground. This is a very helpful training aid that will very quickly teach that they can not wind up all the line and lift the fish in the boat, as a bass fisher will do. They have to "go to the fish". This is also a time to teach the Release part of our creed.

2004-10-15T11:35:00.000-06:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33850-2004Oct14.html/?nav=yahoolocal

Could be a very interesting development for the bass fishers in the area. Not sure what it means as a whole though.

2004-09-27T11:22:00.000-06:00

An article about the Hughes River.... very close to my experience a few blogs back.

2004-09-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

My brother (twin brother actually) was in town the past few days. Knowing that I would do most anything to get out on some water and fish, he planned trips around my needs. A couple of days ago, we took a trip to the Shenandoah National Park. We hiked down the mountain so I could fish the Hughes River. Unfortunately, I hadn't planned on fishing that day so I was completely unprepared in the fly department. I saw a very large (about 10 to 11" brook trout), but didn't catch anything. I'm pretty sure the flies I tried were too large.

Yesterday, we took a trip to Monticello. On the way, we stopped in Harrisonberg at the Blue Ridge Angler. I met Billy, the owner and their dog. Very nice helpful guy. I told him that I had about an hour to fish to which he responded... "no problem, you could go to Mossy Creek or Dry River and have great fishing "(or something like that). He said to just get some bushy flies for the Brook Trout and I should be set. So I got 3 flies and headed out to George Washington National Forest which was about 10 minutes from the shop. I was there for about 5 minutes and then caught a 8" brookie. I was excited to show it to my brother. I don't think he was as excited as I was but I guess that's understandable. The place where we pulled off was easy access to the road so there was a lot of trash and worm cans. Not the prettiest scenary, but still better than not going.

2004-08-10T08:28:00.000-06:00

Article about Bamboo Poles... from Houston amazingly enough.
HoustonChronicle.com - Doggett: Bamboo poles making a splash in modern fly fishing

2004-08-02T06:33:00.000-06:00

I stopped by Franklin Park last Friday after work for a little relaxation and fishing. I caught quite a few very little panfish. Nothing special though.

I then tied on a white deer hair Clouser with some pink-ish Flashabou. On the second cast I caught a log... at least it felt like one. Then the log took off towards the moss on the shore. I had a hell of a time keeping it from getting caught up in the muck. I was scared that I was going to break the tippet or that the fly would come loose... I don't tie knots very well. But neither happened and I landed about a 24" 2-3 lb catfish. A catfish on a fly... crazy. Even crazier is that it was in that little stocked puddle with the fountain in the middle. I am addicted to fishing that puddle now. You never know what you will pull out. Now I'll have to see if I can get a chain pickeral! I'll try to stop by there on the way home!!

2004-07-26T21:52:00.000-06:00

Franklin was calling my name Sunday night so I went out in the rain and drizzle to see if I could catch some panfish and bass. I took my 8' 5 wt as I haven't played with it in a while. I brought some Clousers that I tied a couple of weeks ago. I didn't follow any pattern, just improvised with the material I had. They were primarily white with some peach flashabou and chain eyes. The fish weren't interested in it all. I switched to a storebought clouser with more yellow and less red with red eyes. On the second cast, I caught a 12" smallmouth bass. It fought really hard and I had a tough time keeping it out of the moss on the surface close to shore.

I also caught probably 10 panfish on #10 olive wooly buggers that I tied. I could hardly retrieve the fly without it getting attacked. I did catch one fish with some odd markings a mouth opening about the size of quarter. Not sure what it was, or even if it was different, but it seemed a little different.

Letort trip last tuesday

2004-07-23T13:26:00.000-06:00

I can now say I fished the world famous Letort. I can also say that it
beat me. Just as most people have noted in eastern fly fishing
literature, its a very difficult river to fish. The water was crystal
clear and with no rocks or bolders to hide behind, I had a real hard
time not spooking them.

I stopped by Cold Springs Angler in Carlisle to pick up some flies and
get advice. I got some terrestrials (ants and letort crickets) and went
on my way. The stream was probably 5 minutes from the shop. When I
pulled into the parking area, a younger guy (can't believe I said that -
I m getting old) was just leaving. We chatted for a bit. He didn't
have any luck, said he spooked them all. He also mentioned that he saw
quite a few snakes.

Unfortunately I didn't have any luck either. I spent about 4 hours there trying to get any of the large (saw some that had to approach 20") trout to pay attention to my flies. I tried griffiths gnats, scuds, bh nymphs, etc with only one fish showing any interest. Therefore, I didn't have anything to put into a log book that was kept in a mailbox on the banks. Word of advice, be prepared for some of the mudiest conditions possible. I spent 80% of my time in about 2 feet of mud. It was a weird experience.

I never did see any snakes, but I did see some large and small fish. My casting is probably not good enough to catch anything because you can't false cast over the water, but I'll definitely be back to see if I can at least catch one fish. It was still a great experience.

Upcoming Trip

2004-07-16T06:37:00.000-06:00

I'm planning to try my luck on the Letort in PA on Tuesday with Kevin.
I've got to get some tying supplies for little midges and sow/cress bugs
at either Orvis or Anglers Lie today. I haven't tried tying anything in
the 24 -26 size so I'm sure it will be a challenge.

Ill post pictures of the river and are on wed.

Franklin for an hour

2004-07-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

I snuck out of the house last night for about an hour to go wet a line.
The Franklin Park pond/lake was 1/2 full of moss and algae. I tried a
black wb with a little flashabou mixed in. I couldn't get annything to
hit but bluegills. They were swarming like flies.

I need to get some deeper fishing weighted flies so I can get the large
fish. Maybe next week.

2004-06-29T10:32:00.000-06:00

An excellent article about a legendary fly fisherman in Central PA. I haven't read anything by Vincent Marinaro or even anything about him, but the article peaked my interest. I'm going to see if I can find some of his books on Amazon or eBay.

Central PA Magazine - WITF's Monthly Magazine

2004-06-28T10:48:00.000-06:00

I've found the greatest place on earth... Pennsylvania. I know, hard to believe, but I went there on Saturday to go to a flyfishing show in Boiling Springs at the Allenberry Resort, home of the PA Fly fishing museum. Although I didn't make it to the museum as I was too anxious to get on the water, I will definitely go back to the resort soon. The Yellow Breeches Creek ran adjacent to the property.

I went to the Yellow Breeches Outfitters to get some flies and hopefully a book on PA flyfishing. I was very happy to see that the shop was very nice sized and had some friendly people working in it. I was told that the Yellow Breeches Creek ran right outside the shop. The trout are all stocked right now so any kind of terrestrial would work. I picked up some Shenk Crickets, various ants and my favorite standby, the Wooly Bugger. There is a one mile section of the creek that is catch and release only that runs right out of a stocked pond. I was told that it will be pretty crowded so I was expecting to see some folks there.

What I didn't expect to find was people every 10 feet.

I hiked past the cnr section and found a little secluded section of the stream where a fork of it combines into one. I fished for about 2 hrs there but only got one strike. I have a hard time casting with my little 6'5" 3 wt rod. I got caught up often in the trees on the bank. Although I didn't catch anything there, it was a great experience. After some of the folks left, I went back upstream to where there were tons of people. I found a small section that I could "claim". I caught a trout there, but lost it when I was getting ready to pick it up. There was also one that was rising below a branch that just wouldn't go after any fly I tried. I'm sure I spooked it. I saw some folks catching some of the nice stockers so they were definitely in the creek.

The thing that I really liked was the tradition and focus on FLY FISHING. Everyone was curteous and I didn't have to worry about beer sloggin cheese fishing people messing up the experience. There was even an ancient old guy there on the banks that had a cane and he was fishing as well as he could. It was obvious he had been doing it for years and a creaky old body wasn't going to stop him.

I'm so excited to find this area. There are a ton of creeks and rivers there that I can try out including the famed Letort. Can't wait to go again!!

2004-06-21T08:59:00.000-06:00

Went to Franklin on Sunday... used my father's day fish card. It was extremely sunny, but very nice outside. I had a dismal day fishing though with 2 fish caught in 2 hours. I would call it a complete waste of time except for the 2 lb small mouth I caught near the end on a Clouser. Unfortunately, I ended up knocking the eyes off of it somehow (great casting skills obviously) and the fly just didn't work well when it didn't sink. I did see some of the large catfish I mentioned in an earlier post. They were trolling around on the surface. I would have mistaken them for carp except for the coloration.

I think I'm going to invest in a nice 7 wt rod soon and lots of clousers. I haven't caught a harder fighting fish than that smallie.

Stories

2004-06-12T10:45:00.000-06:00

Here in Purcellville VA, we have a nice little Park called Franklin
Park. It's where all the ball games get played around here. Well, it
also has a little stocked pond. I've caught a few Bluegills in it and
the occasional bass, but nothing really worth blogging about.

I keep getting reports from people saying there are in fact large fish
in there. I have heard of chain pickeral, channel cats in the 10 lb
range and lunker bass. It's hard to believe especially if you see it.
I think I need to invest in a sinking tip line or leader. I've been
told the secret is get the fly deep. Sounds like it may be worth
trying.

Nice trip to the mountains

2004-05-24T10:40:00.000-06:00

Had about 4 hours on Sunday to go fishing. I decided that I needed to
take advantage of it and headed straight to Shenandoah National Park. I
chose to fish White Oak Canyon because the description in Harry Murray's
book, described it as being easy access to parking and with the limited
amount of time I had, I didn't want to spend it hiking.

So I made it there around 6:00pm. I was hoping to get re an hour of
fishing for the native brookies in before the darkness ran me out.

As expected, the stream was made up of a bunch of series of small
waterfalls. It was a beautiful scene. I saw multiple hatches including
some kind of yellow stonefly looking thing, a mayfly, and a black
stonefly. They seemed to be interested in a small elkhair caddis which
worked very well. I also used a yellow elk hair caddis as I was hoping
the color would be a good enough imitation. It worked great. I caught
8 beautiful Brook trout in the typical small size. I missed probably 15
others that got off the hook or hit the fly and spit it out.

I could have stayed all night and actually semiseriously considered it.
But, I had to go to New York the next morning to take my daughter to an
Avril Lavigne show.

I didn't think that a rushed fishing trip like that could be fun, but it
was wonderful. I came back full of life and energy, counting the days
when I could sneak back up into the Park.

2004-05-12T12:55:00.000-06:00

Good article on the upcoming Cicada "hatch" that should happen any day.

ESPN Outdoors

2004-05-11T08:02:00.000-06:00

Ran across this nice little regional site the other day. It has some very nice pictures and info about streams in the area.

Riffle and Rise - Home

2004-05-10T12:07:00.000-06:00

Still my favorite fly fishing shop in the area. I really enjoy the Angler's Club. I highly recommend it to people in the DC area.

Murray's Fly Shop

2003-09-22T12:37:00.000-06:00

Take a look at this little gadget Philips

Although the camera only does 640x480, it's pretty cool nonetheless.

2003-09-16T07:31:00.000-06:00

Morphix Site - News

Morphix is a Linux distribution based on Knoppix built around the idea of modules. I have it installed on one of my home PCs now. It still needs some tuning, but appears to be promising if development continues.

2003-09-11T11:43:00.000-06:00

Another topic that I love to gab about is Linux desktop distributions. I have probably installed every English distribution on Distrowatch.com at least twice.... some probably 20 or 30 times (like Mandrake and Redhat). I have yet to come across the "perfect" distribution. I always go back to comparing them to OS X or XP. None are even close to parity from a UI and fit and finish standpoint.

So far, the winners for me are RedHat after Ximian is installed, Mandrake, and gulp, Lindows. I have yet to be able to successfully run an APT-GET Update all on a Debian distribution without thoroughly screwing up my whole system. Mandrakes URPMI isn't much better though I know enough about it to recover.

Anyway, I'll probably rant and rave about future releases here as I love installing Linux for some strange reason.

2003-09-11T11:31:00.000-06:00

Big Carp pictures from around the world

I would love to get one of these guys on a flyrod.

2003-09-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

So Blogger is making their service free now! Woo hoo! Game set and match... I now know which blogging software to use! Thanks Google!

2003-08-02T06:56:00.000-06:00

Guess I ought to start out with a little about who I am... and why I think someone might want to read the stuff that I post here. The first part of the question is easy. My name is Dean Burris. I'm in my mid 30's, though a guy, probably on summer college break, who worked at one of those booths at a local amusement park where they are given megaphones but obviously not told not to abuse them, guessed my age at 38. I think I am scard for life. Anyway, I have a 13 month old son and a wonderful daughter who is 12 but shows maturity beyond my own sometimes. We have relocated from Texas, to Georgia, to Arizona (or hell as I call it), to Texas and now to Virginia. We love Virginia, but it is a little pricier here than we like. The fly fishing opportunies (at least fresh water which is what I do) are a hell of a lot better than Texas.

I'll have to finish the background at a later time... my 13 month old calls...

2003-08-01T14:21:00.000-06:00

First brilliant post of the blog