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.

Three Ugly Mugs

A couple days ago, I got the pleasure of fishing Boulder Creek with Howard from Wind Knots and Tangled Lines, and Sanders from Up the Poudre. We met up at around 10 at Rocky Mountain Anglers, and headed to one of my favorite sections in town. Things were a little slow early on, but they quickly heated up and fish started coming to hand. Howard kept up the tempo by catching various shrubbery and leaves, since he doesn't fish to many nymphs. In a few months, we'll be able to fish dries and that won't be a problem. Anyway. here's the photo roll:

44 Wind Knots And Tangled Lines

Whitecaps On Lily

44. 44 Wind Knots and Tangled Lines . No, not 44 Howard's from Wind Knots And Tangled Lines. That would be the end of the world. This wasn't quite so bad, but it was close. 44 wind knots. That's how many I had to untangle. I got to Lily lake at around 1 in the afternoon, and there were over 100 people there. There was a wedding at one end of the lake which accounted for about 80 people, but the other twenty were all fishermen. 15 were spin fishermen, all catching nothing. The other five were fly fishermen, all around the lake casting dry droppers. Well, I wouldn't call it casting. The 40 mile per hour winds were preventing that, so it was more like waving a stick. That 7 weight carp rod I left at home seemed really nice right about then. But I was there, I had taken the drive, and I was ready to fish. I stood down near some rocky structure and false casted for a minute before the wind calmed down. I laid in my cast with Erin's Lily Bugger, started stripping, and repeated. I managed to sneak a few casts in, with no luck. Then the wind kicked up once again. What kept running through my head was, "You can't catch fish here unless you see cruisers." Dang. That thought kept running through my mind as I snuck casts in through the wind. It went through my head right as a red flash went off behind my fly. Wait, what? Another flash. Wow. Then a second later, whack! Fish on! I fought the big pretty fish for a minute, brought him to the net, quickly took a picture, and let him go.

Little did I know this was the only fish I would catch all day Little did I know this was the only fish anyone caught all day. Of course, until I went around and asked. Nope, no one else had caught a fish. So a couple hours later, once I had enough of fighting the wind, we headed home. As we drove by, a line of cars appeared on the road. From staying a week in Wyoming, I knew what that meant. But I had never seen one in Colorado before! Bear! Yes, that's right, bear! And not a usual Black Bear, either. It was a BIG Brown Bear. I went on down the road, leaving my parents and all their worrying behind. Sadly, the zoom on my camera was jammed. Good thing I got close enough to take this shot :)