BWO

For the past several days I have been witnessing some exciting BWO hatches on the streams of the Driftless area. Here is the imitation I prefer to fish any time BWO's are hatching...

Hook: TMC 531 (size to match the naturals-this is 1X short hook)
Tail: olive angora/lite -brite blended dubbing (short) and wood-duck fibers (long)
Body: olive turkey biot
Thorax: opossum dubbing, slightly teased out
Wing: grey rabbit foot hair (or natural cream, for visibility)

Waterloo after floods

After several months I visited one of my favorite Midwestern spring creeks-Waterloo Creek near Dorchester, IA. The high water marks, flattened weeds and eroded banks were clear reminders that recent floods were devastating for many streams in SE MN and slightly less for the NE IA. Luckily, Waterloo looked and fished great yesterday afternoon. DNR bank improvements held out pretty well against the raging currents-only a single wall in the C & R section had some damage.

As it is always the case after the flood, the stream bed changed in certain locations. Certain holes were filled out, but the stream was in a nice shape. I fished mostly grasshoper imitations on my Lami 8' #5 and switched to brown leeches at the end of the day. The winds were gusting, but the sky eventually cleared and the fishing was just geting better by the time I had to head home.

Waterloo browns were willing, but slightly more finicky than usual. I landed nine fish-half a dozen on hoppers and three on leeches. I haven't hooked any giants, but all trout were in perfect shape and hard-fighting. I'll be visiting Waterloo soon again, once the season closes in MN and WI.

Back in Boston

My trip to Boston (and Bethel, ME) was truly memorable, even though my fishing time was pretty restricted. Each time I return to Boston it feels like going home to me-too many happy memories of old friends and fun times... As soon as we arrived, I drove around Winthrop, checking out our old place and my favorite fishing locations. I had two evenings reserved for fishing, and I fished only an hour or two each evening-that was all I could squeeze between visits to familiar places (including my favorite library in the USA and coffee shops I used to play in), errands and time spent with friends...

I fished various locations around Winthrop and Revere both evenings. Spring tides and strong SE winds brought plenty of debris along the beaches, and I found plenty of juvenile bunker each night. Unfortunately, there were no stripers or blues crashing the bait. I can only imagine how the fishing in the harbor will be in a couple of weeks, with the fall migration under way...

I have brought along my latest creation, a travel saltwater glass fly rod built on a vintage Lamiglas blank. Even though the catching was not great, I had a great time testing the new rod. The old Lami blank is unsanded and much faster in action than the contemporary Lami Honey blanks. I suspect it is an older S-glass model ( I actually have another in dark brown color), and it reminds me of a graphite, but it is heavier and little smoother.

The rod throws ST10 head effortlessly! Its shorter length worked reasonably well while wading shallow coves and flats, but it is too short for serious surf work. However, it is a great boat rod, and being shorter, it has lower swing weight and it is not too tiring to cast for longer periods. It would also be a great tool for fishing smaller pelagic species, where vertical lifting becomes crucial. I paired it with the Ross Big Game 4 reel, and it balances perfectly.

I must admit I was disappointed I haven't had a chance to properly 'baptize' the new rod. However, I will make sure I visit the Beantown every summer from now on... You can view the pictures of the rod below.