Jeff Smith
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Southern Missouri in late August for me! Should have it by then I would suspect…..
Zip front camo hoodie with flybox pockets and a rod holder loop next would be cool.
Jeff
Seriously though, what about a sew on embroidederd patch to put on your vest etc?I don’t generally fish walleye in stillwaters. My favourite haunt is in rivers. Streamers tied with marabou and Flash-a-bou in colours similar to popular spinners/spoons etc work great. Think 5 of Diamonds, Red Devils that sort of stuff. Chartreruse/black with a silver body or silver Krystal Flash in the wing is cool too. Natural colour Clousers are very effective as are crawfish patterns. I have also taken them on big dragonfly nymphs on occassion. Floating line in about 4-6 feet of water, esp around the tail or mouth of a run or pool is great. I have also taken them in the base pool of dams. Loads of fun and good eatin too!
Those are some pretty cool looking flies. I think I need to tie some up for the Bulls in the Oldman.
Lots of them on eBay, from cheap to exorbitant.
JCNot a big fan of buying my fly tying stuff on ebay, esp something that can cost mucho bucks.
JC is one of those things that I like to see/handle prior to purchasing. the eyes are prone to splitting, a problem I already have as my cape is old and has been handled lots. While easy to fix, I prefer to buy stuff un-damaged.
Split nails are certainly something that you need to keep in mind, regardless of source, esp for a first time purchaser.
I have one cape. I can’t recall where I got it. Bought it many, many moons ago. I use it sparingly as I haven’t seen much for sale in recent years.
It is pretty cool stuff to tie with from a nostalgic point. Adds a certain touch of class to streamers. I have used some larger eyes as wings as well as the mottled feathers along the side of the cape.Those CDC flies are really cool. I’m just putting the finishing touches to an article I’m writing about CDC flies. There is an incredible amount of potential wrt tying with CDC.
I do know that during the big game hunting season, encounters increase dramatically. More people in their living rooms, gut piles everywhere, and the bears are trying to put on the weight. Also, I know that there are plenty of bears around here that have learned what a gun shot means and come running towards the sound like it was a dinner bell. They are becoming more aggressive, aren’t afraid of hunters anymore, and are straying into parts they don’t normally visit. Two years ago, a huge grizz was trapped out near the desert. This past fall, I think three or four hunters were mauled, and I would see stuff like this every hunt.
I can’t resist pointing out that in nearly every encounter between bears and hunters, the hunters are armed – yet hunters occasionally still get mauled.
Maybe that’s an object lesson in why you shouldn’t be over-confident just because you’re carrying a gun in bear country.
bd
Often the hunter is pre-occupied with gutting his kill. Down on thier knees, covered in blood etc, rifle off to the side, working in very low light and bingo, you have just set yourself up. The bear may not even realize you are there if it approaches from the far side. I have had a bear approach like that once. Talk about a close encounter but we both came away unscathed!
It is a prime example of why one should hunt with a partner in bear country. One works on the animal while the other stands watch.Here in Alberta while fishing or hiking in bear country, I carry both bear spray and, when outside the Parks, a short 44 mag rifle. Obviously, inside Banff, Jasper etc it is spray only. My first line of defence after situational awareness is my bear spray. The rifle is for camp defence or defence of another person who is in imminent danger. Ie: I may have a bit of time to make a carefully aimed shot into a kill zone. But, this is something that requires skill and serious practice. You don’t want is a wounded bear on your hands or to injure the person in danger.
Put up a wall of spray and you should turn the bear. Bears don’t like to be pepper sprayed any more than I do, it burns a wee tad!
I have seen some folks who carry those little purse or pocket sized sprays, you are just adding the spice to dinner IMHO. Carry the proper size canister.I use a daypack by Timber Hawk, roughly 1600cc I think. While it is meant as a hunting pack it works great for fly fishing as well. It has a large main pouch as well as a smaller one on the back where I carry fly boxes. As well there is a small pocket on the top. That top one is perfect for carrying my camera.
The main pouch is large enough to carry lunch, water, raingear/sweater, a small cookset plus Pocket Rocket and fuel, F/A and survival gear etc.
It is Mossy Oak camo and quiet so staying stealthy is easy.
I haven’t fallen in so I don’t know if it is waterproof but I have hunted and fished in a good downpour and wet snow fall and my gear has stayed dry.
There are a number of excellent quality hunting packs that double as fly fishing day packs IMHO.
Hope this helps.
JeffThanks guys. Great ideas I’m going to play around with. That black background is very interesting. Love the blacklight/neon effect.
Zach: When I shot against the barn board I was hoping to have the wood grain show as well as the flies so I had the flies sitting directly on board vs blurring the background. Even with differing lighting angles it still became too silvery I believe.
Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll give them a try.
I ended up reshooting against a corkboard. Came out quite well. I haven’t had the chance to re-shoot on the barn boardwith a filter on yet. (Had to work night shift on my supposed real job)I’m not sure exactly why he didn’t think it would repro well in the magazine as I have seen old barn board used in other shoots.
I shoot my tying sequences using either a grey or med navy blue background. This particular shot was my “family portrait” of diffrent life stage patterns.I have used streamside shots in the past. I rather like them but for now winter rules.
Muchly appreciate the input!
JeffCool story, your dog looks pretty proud of himself! Pretty determined to retrieve your bird too. Extra food tonight I’ll bet.
I don’t fish the Bighorn but my go to streamer on the Bow, Oldman and Crowsnest is the Alexandra. Works pretty good in stillwaters as well.
Another good one is a simple white marabou wing, silver tinsel body and a red hackle beard. About as simple as they come.You guys can have your funky noodles.
My all time fav on the trail for a quick break is Bannock. It is a great excuse to take a restful break while getting things together. I’ll build a small fire where possible or just cook it on my Pocket Rocket. Fresh raspberry jam smeared on it and fresh brewed coffee and I’m ready to get back fishing or hunting.
Oh yeah: Life is good! 😎
