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.

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.