Tying The Burglar And The End Of The Contest

First off, I would like to congratulate Howard on winning the Fill a Box contest! And a huge thank you as well to Mark, Alton, and everyone who voted on the poll over the last week. Howard, shoot me an email of whether you would like the book or the flies for your prize. Nice Job!

Marabou has always been a favorite material of mine, since it moves so much in the water. It wiggles side to side, up and down, and most importantly, it breathes in the water. So while playing around with some marabou the other day, I created the Burglar. How did this big ole streamer get its name? Well, it hops up onto your tying desk and steals ALL of your marabou. So be prepared for a demo within the next couple days, and bring a full pack of the good stuff. In more detail, you'll need: Size 2 Bass Hook, Tan Marabou, Purple Ice Dub, and Stick on eyes. All that fancy 'bou let's the fly move between pictures one and two as you strip the fly. Until then, good luck out there!

Fill A Box Contest: Let The Voting Begin!

After quite the delay, I am happy to announce that the voting for the winner of the Fill A Box Contest has begun! For those of you who don't remember, the idea of the contest was to tie a really cool box of flies and see who's box takes the cake. Well, now it is time for you to decide! Here are pictures of each  box to give you another look. For a more detailed look at each box, just search "Fill A Box Contest" at the top left. And to Howard, Alton, and Mark: Good luck! And feel free to vote for yourself or someone else (And don't feel bad, I would choose myself too).

Howard's Box, Side 1

Howard's Box, Side 2

Alton's Bass Box

Mark's Box, Side 1

Mark's Box, Side 2

Fill A Box Contest: Almost Over

With only a few days left until the  Fill A Box Contest entry final, I felt like I was forgetting something. Not just reminding everyone, but something really important. So Mark, I apologize that this took so long. Between fishing, fishing, and even some fishing, I completely forgot tot put your entry up. Finally, here it is! Find Mark over at Tie And Fly.

Not only did Mark fill a double sided box, but also a double slotted one. I have no idea how many flies this is, but I think it will be enough to last him awhile. I don't think I need to say much about the flies, other than the look like the quality of a 10 year old chinese girl (believe it or not, that is a compliment). Awesome box Mark, and good luck to everyone in the contest!

There is still time to put in your entry! Fill a box, shoot me the picture, and get in the race! June 30th is the deadline, so get to work.

Fill A Box Contest, Mid Way Update

My inspiration for creating the Fill A Box Contest came from Howard and all of his posts about tying. With that said, I was happy to see that he did indeed put up an entry (as well as give me a shout out) within a few days of starting the contest. So when I saw an email from someone named Alton (who doesn't have a blog, I checked) with the subject "Fill A Box Contest," I was pretty excited. That's right folks, at this point, we at least have enough entries for a finals round. So to everyone else reading this post, did I miss your entry or not see your email? Are you working on your entry? Not quite started? Skipping this one? Feedback isn't required, I just thought I'd give you all some brain food. And before I can blab any longer, I'm going to put up a picture of Alton's Box:

Now, there are two things that I really like about this box. First, it's filled with bass bugs and poppers, which are some of my favorite warm water flies. Also, Alton hand made the box, and after the Duct Tape Kayak I like anything hand made. Not to mention the fact that it looks freakin' sick!

For all of you who didn't see his post, here is Howard's entry from Windknots And Tangled Lines:

First off, filing a double sided box is a true effort. By my count, Howard has over 100 flies in there! Also, I was with him when he picked up hopper bodies from the Hopper Juan, so it makes me happy to see that they turned out so well. 

That's all for today folks! Get working on those boxes so they're done before the contest is (June 30th)!

Fill A Box Contest!

Its been awhile, but it's finally time to have another contest! For all you fly tiers out there, this is a great contest to practice on. Get going on some of your favorite flies, and fill up a box with sweet patterns. Once you're finished, post a picture of it on your blog or shoot me an email. We'll put up a poll and let the crazy internet people decide who tied the coolest box. And the winner? His (or her) choice of a dozen flies for whatever you fish for, or "Tight Lines; Ten Years of the Yale Anglers' Journal". So what are you waiting for? Start tying some flies!

Rules:
Since some people take longer than others to tie, you can enter your box anytime before June 30th. After that, we'll start the voting. Please title your entry as something along the lines of "Fill A Box Contest Entry". The winner will need to email their address for shipping.

End of School Fish-A-Thon; Day Three

After another great day at the shop helping customers, I just had to push my luck. Had to work every drop of awesome into my day. Also, had to test out a new reel. As I pulled up to the spot, things were looking good. My first four casts yielded follows or strikes. After that, not much action. I moved over, saw a BIG shadow, and sent a yummy little morsel his way. Boy, did he pounce on that fly hard. And after quite a battle, and the first 20 yards of my backing touching water, I managed to land the fish.

Now, seeing your backing sounds like fun. Let me tell you, it is scary as well. Any fish that is taking you over 100 feet away is not your Average Joe. If the fish makes a turn at 100+ feet away, it can put a belly in your line. That belly is slack line, so the fish has wiggle room to escape with. All I'm trying to say is, next time you see that White Dacron, keep tight on whatever is out on the business end of your line. Good luck out there!

Walk Softly, And Carry A Big Net

What You Feel Like With An Undersized Net

Now, those little nets you see people carrying in LL Bean magazines are great... for getting stuck on trees and throwing away. So once you're ready to man (or woman) up and buy a real net, go for it. Let me elaborate.

Any fish that is small enough to fit in a cute little net really doesn't need a net. But when you do catch a big fish, that little net on your back probably won't be sufficient. I remember trying to net a fish for a guy out on the Dream Stream last Fall. He wanted me to use his net, so I reluctantly picked up the tiny piece of wood that I would call a twig. As I tried to net his fish, I realized that it wasn't really going to work. The fish's girth was pretty big, and wasn't going to fit inside the 6 inch wide net. We caught the fish, using my bigger net.

So next time you are about to buy that new Wachter "Stream" 7 by 12 inch net, spend the extra 40 bucks and grab a "C&R Magnum Boat" 23 by 15 inch net instead. When you hook that fish of a lifetime and lose it because you don't have that extra reach and bigger bag, you won't be able to console yourself by saying, "At least I saved 40 bucks on my net".

My Nets. Use 32 Inch Bat For Comparison

Starting A Lifetime (My Beginnings On Fishing)

Blogger isn't letting me add pictures! Anybody else having this problem? How can I prove my Tales now? Well, you'll just have to believe me until the stupid loader works again.

      

           This is the story of how I first got into fishing. I was 5 years old, and living in Los Angeles. I had never done much outdoor stuff, and no one in my family did much either. Still, my Grandma had decided every boy needed to go fishing once. Once. Once. Once. Echo...  We arrived at the little stocked trout pond, paid our entrance fee, and started fishing. The gear setup? A bamboo stick with some corn and line and a hook. After fishing for a few minutes, my grandparents decided to go sit in the car. I continued fishing, trying to find a movement that would entice a fish. As I was slowly walking my stick up and down the bank, my rod went heavy. "I got one, I got one!" I called. But my grandparents could not hear me. I yanked the fish in, Proud and excited as could be, and looked at my prize. A beautiful 14 inch rainbow. I managed to unhook the fish, and since this was a catch and keep pond, euthanized it. To an adult, that means leave it in a bucket. To a five year old boy, that means beat it senseless with a large rock. Once that was all done, I walked over and showed my grandparents the fish. I then put the fish in the bucket and went right back to fishing. I managed to catch seven fish that day, using corn and my walking the bank technique. I made sure to fight it, unhook it, and beat it to death each time. After a couple hours of fishing, my grandma took me home and cooked the fish for me to eat. So I had the whole experience. Now remember, once, once, once......   Fast forward

     I fish hundreds of days a year, have spent countless amounts of money and effort in fishing, and will never ever stop. Once? No such thing.

Hey, the Photo Uploader works again!!!!

Quadruplets And A New CONTEST

Don't be a hater, don't discriminate. I went out these past two days and caught quadruplets, four different species of fish. I didn't leave any of the fish out, except anything that didn't live where I was fishing.

Let's start this one off at the beginning. I went out to find my first of the four babies, a trout. I fished a tight little stretch for about an hour, picking up lots of fish as I went. They were mostly small, but I did manage to pick up this good looking Brown on a PMX.

Now, it was time to find some big uglies, the Carp. I went out to a local hot spot that has really been producing for me the last week or so that night. Nothing. Well, not quite nothing. The carp weren't picking up on the flies at all, but I did find one cute little pond bass to add to my list. Not a big Bass, but a bass. Now all that was left was Carp And Bluegill. 

I woke up this morning around 8:30, and was on the water by 9:00. The Carp were hanging around, but they didn't seem very hungry. Finally after around an hour of casting, I tricked a Carp into sucking in my fly. I battled the fish for a few minutes, who gave one big run and then bulldogged his way back in. The fish was in the net, we were all set and three fourths of the way done, and the only fish left was a Bluegill. 

Wow, where can I start with the Bluegill? I've been tying a cool variation of the Backstabber, with a tail and some flash and things like that. Many bluegill were caught on this fly. Some very large Bluegill were caught on this fly. The one Bluegill worthy to make an appearance as the Bluegill though, was this guy. Why? Look at those beautiful orange markings. How could I resist such a pretty fish?

And so all this got me thinking. And this is how the contest comes into play. If you can catch four different types of fish in under 24 hours, you will win four flies. However, if you submit more than four, you will win more flies. The three people who catch the most fish will win a bigger, special, secret prize. Just email me photos of the four fish you catch. We will trust that they were all within the time period, so please be honest. Below are some rules for the contest.

Rules:

1. All fish must be caught within the 24 hour time period

2. Bluegill are considered Sunfish, and Brook Trout considered Trout (not char). Crappie can be their own thing. Saltwater fish will be individually judged to decide if they are considered the same species or not. 

3. All submissions should include a first name and contact email

4. All fish should be released after the photo has been taken

5. Tippet should be no larger than 3x, unless fishing for Saltwater fish or fish over 10 pounds. 

A (Shorter) Round Two

Only thirty minutes. That's all I got. I gotta go hang with the Bro's after this. That's what was running through my head. But there always was that thirty minutes. I got to the lake around 9:00. From the car, I could start to see the dark shapes moving, looking for a meal. At the same time though, they were trying to elude impostor foods. The first carp I decided to take a shot at was around twenty feet out. The cast landed softly around five feet from his face. Strip, strip, rest. The fish turned, swam towards the fly, and started looking in the mud. When he got to my fly, I set. Fish on! I fought the fish for awhile, having to bring back tons of line as my drag was way loose when I set the hook. I brought the fish into the net, and posed for a picture (above). I managed to pull one more carp in that next twenty minutes, just a smaller one. He did pose for a very cool release picture though, and put up a pretty good fight. A sweet way to spend some extra time. Go rip some lips (or suckers, or teeth, whatever fish you want. Heck, I heard the squirrel bite down at your local park is good, why not go check that out?)

In A Room Filled With Fish

People tell me I'm crazy, obsessed. Maybe I am. Hell, I'm sure I am. How else could I post so much on here? How else could I have just pumped so much money into gear? Why else would my room be covered in fish? Wait, covered in fish? Yes, covered. When I moved into my new house a few years back, my grandma did a paint job on it for me. Instead of the blue or yellow walls, my rooms is the Saltwater flats of Belize. I have two tarpon, three redfish, two permit, an extremely large baitfish, three puffers, one sea trout,  one jack, one snook, two bonefish, one ladyfish, and one flounder. Lots of fish. Not to mention that the background of the room is very realistic, with tall grass and crabs and so on. So here, take a look. This is just one section of my room, which includes the permit and the giant baitfish. I'll add little pieces here and there around my blog every so often, and explain what it tells a story of. Cross their eyes out there!

A Tale From The Vale

Loch Vale, that is. It's probably one of the prettiest lakes I've seen, and the fishing can be amazing. All Greenbacks, and occasionally a big one. During spawning, they turn bright orange and red. I got a chance to fish up at the Loch a year ago for my birthday. The weather was nice, there was no wind, and my backpack only weighed a ton. But we still made it up, gear and all, after an hour and forty five minute hike.  Waders were put on and we started casting. My friend and I suddenly yelled in unison, "Got one!" Both of the fish came to the net, beetle in their mouths. We worked our way around the whole lake, picking up a few fish as we went. When we arrived at the small creek that feeds into the Loch, things really started to pick up. We first fished the inlet of the lake, catching five fish each before heading up to the stream. At the first hole in the stream, fish were stacked like a big pancake breakfast. We had to lay down and cast to the fish without spooking them, but the hole must have delivered ten fish for me and my friend that round. We fished out way up the creek, catching more and more fish. Once we made it a ways up the creek, we would come back to the first hole and work a few more fish. By the end of the day, me and my friend both had fish counts in the high twenties. What a cool birthday! We hiked down quickly and caught the last bus of the day, saving us another three mile hike back to our car. We stopped for ice cream on the way home, which ended up being a bad idea (my friend threw up in the car). Other than that small thing, the day was super cool. Here's the fish, for anyone who actually read this far:

A Day In The Life

I just finished up on a great day at the shop, working on all the odd jobs and chores that could use doing. We got a new pontoon boat, which looks awesome. Actually, the whole shop looks pretty awesome. It's a polar opposite of how it was last year, under some old ownership. Now Chet's the bossman, who is pictured above. He didn't want his picture taken, so I had to trick him into it, hence the confused look. We also washed the windows and trash cans, so the shop looks nice and clean. Yes, we washed the trash cans. With peak season right in front of us, it should be awesome. We've got everything in here, including a large array of hackle. Probably the only shop in the state with a good selection, so come check it out! In fishing news, Boulder Creek is still flying high. It's possible to catch fish with heavy nymphs and streamers, but it's by no means easy. I'll try and get out there tonight and see if I can't raise some fish for pictures. I'll also be out near Deckers this weekend, and hopefully bring home a story. Until then, look at the sweet progress on the mural! Its almost finished!