Negative Low and the Full Circle

I am back in Boston, after eight years of living in the Midwest. I completed the full circle, since exactly twenty years ago to this month I arrived from Europe to Boston!

This is a week of negative low tides, following the September new moon in Boston Harbor. The x-ray view of each depression and structure provides important clues to a shorebound fisherman. With plenty of baitfish around and relative scarcity of stripers, each outing becomes a new challenge. Tide after tide, you become the one with the austere nature of surf swept shorelines, hoping that the big one will surprise you with a gift.

Goodbye Trout

I already smell the salt in the air!

Last Two Minnesota Builds

I have just completed these two rods-both are built on white Kabuto fiberglass blanks.

The Pink Panther

Drunk Trumpeter Baitfish

The latest reincarnation of my floating baitfish concept, influenced by the shape of ima lures.

Wild Balkans

Watch the full episode. See more Nature.

Watch the full episode...

Goodbye Driftless

 

 

 

Gurglers in the Rain

White Bass Madness

I've just had an incredible day of fishing: approximately 30 white bass landed, a few smallies and a crappie. Receding water levels, stable weather window and plentiful baitfish turned the gamefish on!

Pocketrod

A quick and easy build: pack rod!

Homemade Micarta Reel Seat

I have just finished this uplocking reel seat and turned the grip for the new 7pc pack rod. The completed rod pics will be coming soon...

Today's Mini Slam

The closest thing to SWFF in the Upper Midwest would be lake fishing for warmwater predators. While packing for a morning of fishing, I took a photo of this little swift resting on the tree near my place.

I was on the lake jetty at 9AM today, throwing 185 grain med-sink head/Slickshooter combo with my Ultralight SW 4wt... This combo makes effortless casts even in gentle to moderate breeze.

This has been a strange year, with lots of rain. The jetty was covered with 2-3ft of water, and I had to wade out there to reach the end. I had slight hopes for white bass, but didn't find any. Instead, I landed a crappie and a nice sized sauger, even though it shook the DNA Clouser while I was fumbling with the camera in a thigh-high water. The fishing was slow!

Little later, I stopped by the nearby trout stream, to add a trout to the list of species. The water was high and murky, but I was able to land a little tiger trout on the swung leech. Ultralight SW proved to be a fun rod on a trout stream with WF4F line-a true dual purpose stick.

Softicity

Thread: pale olive; Body: palmered ginger CDC ; Wing: pale dun CDC; Soft hackle: snipe

Striper, Spigola, Suzuki

Black & Blue

Bluewater Glass/Graphite 8'6" 12wt

Bluewater/offshore fly rod, built on Lamiglas composite 12wt blank, featuring EVA grip, and EVA/Syncork fighting butt. I used Fuji K's for strippers and Minima 4's for the running guides.

Another Norie Early Spring

I have just completed another Norie Early Spring 7' 2/3wt fiberglass fly rod...

Clockwork Orange 7' #2/3

An ultralight fiberglass 7' 2/3wt fly rod, built on Norie "Early Spring" taper blank.