Striper Switch Rod

The summer is finally here! As I am winding down with my summer semester classes, I have been busy for the past several days trying to finish my "Stripersurf Classic Switcher." I got the blank last fall, and finished it just in time for my trip to Boston, where I will revisit my old stomping grounds in search for one of my favorite gamefish-striped bass. The blank is a nice progressive design by Batson Enterprises, 10'8" for #8 line.

The finished rod doesn't feel overly stiff, so it will be a lot of fun for an average schoolie. I just took out it for a photo shoot and will test cast it tomorrow, trying to find the best line match. Speaking about lines-I reserved several Outbound clear-tip lines for classic presentations, some Airflo models, and a bunch of shooting heads of different lenghts as possible contenders... With some luck, I will know much more about its 'on the water performance' next weekend.

New Wallet

I have recently participated in the fly tying contest organized by Cameron and Fiberglass Flyrodders. It turned out I was the lucky winner of a beautifully crafted streamer wallet by Marc Crapo. Marc is a true craftsman, and his wallet is absolutely stunning. Check out his website to see more of his work!

Juvenile Herring

Tied on the size 2 jig hook, inspired by Rich Murphy's designs.

More Streamers

First Days of Spring

Today was the warmest day this spring. I decided to check out the local spring creek and look for early dark stoneflies.

I found the creek in a very nice shape and pretty clear. While getting ready to do some quick exploratory casting, I noticed sporadic stonefly activity. No trout activity was visible, though.

I did not want to make any conclusions before checking out some more productive stretches. Stoneflies tend to be localized on this silty creek, and when I reached my little 'secret' spot, I was greated with the flurry of trout activity. It was getting warm, and I just could not resist putting waders on and getting several trout before a kayaker paddled over a pod of trout and put them down for awhile.

It was nice to be on the water after the long winter and great little wild browns again.

Second Tip for Resava SG Prototype Glass Rod

I wrote about this rod in one of my old posts in Serbian. I built it a couple of years ago utilizing different tip and butt sections of Batson E glass blanks, creating a semi-parabolic staggered ferrule rod (tip 6" longer.)

A couple of months ago I finished another tip section, which now works much better with #5 line (original fine diameter tip was suitable for #4, but worked fine with #5 line for short casts.)

Resava is a small, cascading mountain stream in Eastern Serbia. I used to fish it all the time, many years ago, and it is a perfect water for short rods.

Soft Hackle Flies and Late Night Music

Humpy Flymph

Hook: Daiichi 1640
Thread: Pale olive
Tail: Yellow mallard, 3-4 barbs
Hump: Tan ostrich, paraloop style over thread body
Hackle: Woodcock

Wet Poodle

Hook: TMC 206 BL

Thread: Black or charcoal

Butt: Peacock herl

Hackle: Starling

Photo vs. Scan

It is hard to capture the subtle color and flash blends on baitfish imitations, due to the highly refractive nature of certain fly-tying materials. Often the fly will appear different, depending on the angle it is viewed from.

Even though I don't have/use a dedicated photo studio for taking pictures of my flies, here is the same fly captured with the camera (upper image) and with the scanner (lower image).

Lambskin & Possum Larvae

Lambskin & possum larvae, tied on heavy weighted hooks with lambskin body and possum dubbing.

Is Spring Far Away?

Articulated Crease Fly

Articulated version of the popular crease fly-weighted in the belly and towards the rear for erratic swimming action. (Upper picture added on January 31. I included the split ring for better hook connection.)

Bunny Bait

Revisiting the Past...

Revisiting the past, while anticipating the future...

Happy Holidays!

Waterlands

Saltwater fly fishing inspired posters for my upcoming recital...

Fishing with a Friend

There are not many better ways to spend a glorious September day than to go fishing with a friend. We were on a pristine brookie stream for several hours, and ended the afternoon on the beautiful spring creek, throwing terrestrials to brown trout. Here's Jeremy with a nice brownie taken on a cricket imitation.

An Ode to a Cricket

Warm September wind and quiet afternoon on the Wisconsin spring creek were a dream-like combination for some cricket magic. Fish were everywhere, looking for a tasty meal delivered by the late summer zephyr. Glass rod delivered low casts and bent easily under the strain of wild, hungry browns. It was good time to be on the water-the fish gods were smiling!

A Day of Fishing the Cape (Fishless Photo Essay)

Last weekend I spent a day looking for stripers on the Cape Cod. Rainy and windy weather were remnants of distant hurricane activity, and I kept moving around looking for the best locations, covering beaches, estuaries, surf and flats... Unfortunately I did not find much of the bird and fish activity, and the single splash on a gurgler in a tidal creek was as close as I came to catching a fish this time... Nevertheless, it was a great day, and as it goes with fishing, there is always the next time!

Here is the panoramic view of Chapin beach in Dennis, during the low tide.

Sili-skin Baitfish

Getting ready for NE salty weekend...

Coldwater vs. Warmwater

I did a bit of both during the past ten days... Fishing was just OK, but still fun, nevertheless.