by Kirk Deeter   

I carry a lot of “atypical” things in my fishing vest. I mean stuff you don’t normally find at a fly shop. For example, I always carry Super Glue and dental floss, in case I have to fix a guide on my rod; Holly Twist yarn to make strike indicators; and nail clippers, in case my fancy nippers fall off the zinger.

But perhaps the most interesting thing I carry is a baby comb. (Okay, I hear the jokes from those of you who know me well enough to have seen what’s underneath the hat. What would you need with a comb, Deeter?)

Actually, I have become a stickler for combing out my flies before I fish them. I think if you run a dry fly through the teeth of a comb (work the fly on the comb, rather than raking the fly over with the comb) before you dab floatant on it (or dress it some other way), it’s going to look more natural, hold its profile better once it gets wet, and catch more fish. Moreover, if you comb the grit and gunk out of your flies after you are done fishing, they’ll last much longer than they will otherwise.

I’ve also started combing out streamer flies, partly for the same reason of keeping them clean, but also because I think combing through and loosening up the tail feathers helps to make those materials undulate and flutter better in the water. And that attracts bites.

You might want to give it a try. A 39-cent plastic comb doesn’t take up much space in your vest or pack, weighs virtually nothing, and can save you money on flies in the long run. If it helps you catch fish as well, what’s not to love?

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIE!

In honor of the red-headed stranger’s birthday, I am hosting a PADDLEFISH book promotion. The rules are simple. Buy a copy of PADDLEFISH right here anytime through this Friday 5/4 and your name will be entered into a drawing for this 2-disc CD set of Willie Nelson music.

With over 40 songs it earns the title “The Essential Willie Nelson.”

To sweeten the deal, buy two copies of Paddlefish and your name is entered twice. Three copies bought, you will be entered three times.

Good luck and Happy Birthday Willie! This is a song for you…

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by Kirk Deeter

There’s a special pocket in my fishing vest dedicated to one of the most important tools of all–the bottle opener.  While I have been known to crack a cold bottle of suds now and then, my very favorite thing to drink on a hot river day is an ice-cold Coca-Cola in a glass bottle–preferably of the Mexican variety, which is made with real sugar.

Thing is, I’ve narrowed down my choices to three openers , and I can’t choose a winner.

I’ve long been fond of my Simms fish-shaped aluminum opener, because that also doubles as a keychain. It cost $6, and I haven’t been able to destroy it, though I’ve done my best.

Yeti–the cooler folks–have recently introduced their own “beverage entry tool.”   This one looks like a tarpon, and it not only has a bottle cap lever, it also has grippy teeth that will help you twist off bottle caps.  It costs $10.  My only problem with this one is that I can’t ever remember where I put it, so maybe it needs a permanent home in a vest pocket.

The problem with that is, I’d have to displace my coveted church key, which reads “Schmidt’s of Philadelphia” on one side, and “Beer-Ale Brewers Since 1860″ on the other.  That’s a classic I’m pretty sure I cannot part with.

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by Tim Romano

Seeing how all those Mother’s Day caddis hatches are already starting to come off — with the insanely warm weather that much of the country is experiencing — I thought we’d share another pattern from Flyrecipes.com. This week it’s the Triple Wing Caddis, explained by Rob O’Reilly.

Rob says, “I have come to the conclusion that there are some fly patterns that I just plain LIKE to use. Sometimes they catch fish, sometimes they don’t.”

Rob goes on to suggest some fairly interesting uses and tying variances that I’ve never thought of for a caddis, like giant sizes to replicate mice or tying them in all black for big browns at night…

“On more than one occasion I’ve been heard saying things like; well, if I’m going to get skunked, it may as well be with a fly I like. The following caddis pattern is one of those flies. It is a great prospecting fly that has proven effective on some pretty selective fish at times. If fishing for you means long hikes, covering water etc., you might do well to include these in your selection. In the right size/color, I think they can suggest a wide variety of edibles for both warm and cold water fish.

The colors used in this tying sequence are very true to an originals I bought some time ago, but feel free to experiment. I play with the body and hackle colors mostly, and leave the wing a nice, easy-to-see color. I think a great deal of the effectiveness of this pattern comes from it’s buoyancy, and low-riding profile in the water. To keep it this way, I try to keep the hair wing from wrapping around the sides too much. To achieve this, pinch the bunches of hair in a tight clump on top of the hook shank, make 2 light wraps of thread, and begin to tighten on the 3rd. I use no more than about 5-6 wraps in total. When tying these in large sizes (or for bass in mouse-like sizes!) I’ll add some head cement to the tie-in point of each wing, AFTER the butt ends-of the hair have been cinched down. Tie them in an all-black color scheme if you’re fishing for big browns in the dark!”

Click here for the step-by-step instructions.

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by Kirk Deeter

I must admit to being slow on the uptake with switch rods. I guess I thought they were half-baked Spey rods. You might as well go the full 14 feet or so if you’re going to fish in the two-handed style, rather than being stuck in between the standard 9-footer and a classic Spey rod. But now I’ve seen the light and have grown to appreciate the niche functionality of an 11-foot switch rod.

My first dedicated experience with casting switch rods happened when Conway Bowman (pictured here with an Orvis Helios switch), Chris Santella and I went to Kodiak Island, Alaska to fish on the Karluk River and film The Kodiak Project. The Karluk is a prolific salmon and steelhead fishery, but I was surprised to see that it’s not that wide in comparison to other major Alaskan rivers like the Naknek or the Nushagak. To be honest, a longer Spey rod is almost overkill on the upper stretches of the Karluk, but I did appreciate that little extra oomph a switch rod offered when it came to making long roll casts with heavy streamers.  

I’ve since taken up fishing switch rods in Colorado, using a five-weight for trout. It’s great for covering water with streamers, and I’ve also taken a shine to using the switch with nymph rigs — I feel more able to mend and control my drift effectively. And it’s great for smart bombing small runs and pockets, where you want to lift your fly line off the current to avoid drag. Skittering caddis dry flies in fast pockets at this time of year is an absolute blast.

Another benefit of the switch rod is less fatigue. I have a friend who has bad arthritis in his dominant casting hand and arm. He’s taken up the switch rod, and working his other hand into the casting motion has allowed him to fish longer and more effectively.

I’m not trying to talk anyone into buying a new rod, but I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has fallen for switch rods, especially those in lighter weights. These rods have changed my outlook on fishing for the better, and taught me to keep an open mind.

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I wish I were wearing my lucky green Cloudveil fishing shirt and chasing bonefish in the Bahamas, but sadly this picture is from a few years back. Today finds me sitting in my house green with envy as my husband and my dad are in the Bahamas without me. Alas, I am but a Saltwater Cinderella.

I will spare you the details of how The Professor is on my annual family Exuma bonefishing trip without me, just know that in spite of the deep-seeded sadness that I harbor at not being there, I am happy that they are on a beautiful flat somewhere sightcasting to bones as we speak. Or perhaps by now they eating conch and downing Kailks.

Sigh. (Text pics he sent last night with a fishing report)

Apparently the fishing has been tough, fish are hard to find and spookier than ever but they’ve each caught a few each day.  Looks pretty damn fun to me.

But jealousy is such a terribly unattractive trait, so instead of being a green eyed monster I’ve decided to refocus on the positives of going green here on the homefront.

Bonefishing is fun and all but I have stocked up on greens and am headed to the kitchen to make a green protein smoothie and baked zucchini chips. I mean c’mon, the joint is jumpin’ here in ATX.

And speaking of kitchens. Over in Mobile the construction continues on the new kitchen project. Not that you can see them here since they are covered with protective paper, but the floors I picked are “green”. Not the color green, but environmentally green. They are bamboo, which I picked for the dark color and affordable, below-my-budget-price but I’m told they are a top pick for green builders.

As the kitchen passes the halfway mark, we have officially entered the decorative phase which, in my mind, gives me an actual reason (and a sense of superiority) to live on Pinterest 24 hours a day. Bonefishing, Pinterest, Bonefishing, Pinterest. It’s a toss up. Regardless, I seem called to repin all things green lately.

Thanks to Happy Habitat and Design Crisis for feeding my all these delicious greens. But all this does is make me want to do some more redecorating, which of course takes more green. So I have been hard at work trying to line the coffers by scheduling more book signings and selling copies of these.

Someone has to pay the light bill while all the men in this family are off to battle the bones.

As much fun as I am clearly having here at home, my mind keeps wandering to Exuma. I wonder if they have fresh conch salad at Big D’s? Is there a band at the Peace & Plenty bar? What’s the weather doing? Are the bonefish schooled up or scattered? What color flies are they taking? Could it be…

It ain’t easy being green.

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by Kirk Deeter

Here’s one from the “Don’t Try This at Home” file: If you make a fly rod carrier for your SUV and then decorate the tip sections of the long tubes to look like rockets, it might not be the best idea to park your vehicle near an airport. Especially near Washington, D.C. Unless you don’t want the Secret Service to question your wife and dismantle your project.

This was the lesson apparently learned by Robert Kerlin, an avid fly fisherman and a commercial pilot, who shared his story on the Trout Unlimited blog.

Two questions come to my mind: 1) What was he thinking, parking that thing pointed at a runway in this day and age? and 2) Where I can get a rod carrier like that for my vehicle?

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In my mind I’m still in Carolina. I can’t stop thinking about what a great time I had in Winston-Salem last week, and I still can’t believe how the whole event came about. Ready for this? Stick with me because it’s a great small world story — with random funny video at the end as the cherry on top.

As many of you know, I raced in the 2010 Texas Water Safari to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome, inspired by Ella Farnum (daughter of Bill Farnum, a very good friend to flyfishing and the F3T) as well as Rancey Luce (daughter of my dear Mobile AL friend Anna Luce.)

Well…last summer one of my best college friends, Meredith, read an advance copy of my book Paddlefish and also became inspired by Rett Syndrome. Especially since she realized she had a new neighbor, Nancy Grantham, whose daughter also has Rett.

Then we come to find out that Nancy Grantham in Winston and my friend Anna Luce in Mobile are age-old friends! They have been fighting together for a cure for Rett for two decades. When I was in Winston last week, Nancy pulled out these sweet pictures of their daughters Anna Stewart and Rancey from 1997:

This is all very wild since Rett is such a rare disease. Frankly, the odds of all these Rett connections are mind boggling. But I firmly believe there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason, and I witnessed firsthand from these girls that inspiration is contagious.

My friend Meredith was so overcome with the small-worldness of all of this that she decided to host a luncheon in Winston to help find a cure for Rett. She recruited Nancy Grantham as well as friends Anna Ball and Jen and next thing you know, this force of nature became a reality. After months of planning these women threw a fantabulous luncheon in Winston last week for 95 women — plus Nancy’s husband, Pat. And they graciously asked me to come speak and read from Paddlefish.

How good looking are these tables? The centerpieces pre-sold in two hours days before the luncheon. All for Rett.

I had such a ball. I cannot begin to break it all down, but sufficeth to say, it was a fun, hilarious, inspirational, dynamic trip to my old stomping grounds in Carolina.

The women I met were so welcoming and gobbled up every last copy of my book that I had on-hand.

And as if being there wasn’t gift enough, the beautiful brain trust who choreographed this magical afternoon blessed me with this hand painted paddle by a local artist named Sam “the dot man” McMillan who even has art displayed in the Smithsonian.

I will treasure this paddle as much as the one I raced with in the Safari!

In addition to spending time with the wonderful women who planned the luncheon, I met some of Meredith’s fabulous friends who celebrated with us well into the wee hours. Much love to my new friends Jill and Rosie (and so many others!)

And of course, I had the opportunity to spend precious time with some of my best friends in the whole world, my college roommates from Carolina. I know it’s hard to believe from the shiny proper veneer you see here, but the three of us used to be hell on wheels when we roomed together in Chapel Hill, which they should have renamed Strawberry Hill in our honor after freshman year. (If you get it, you get it, if not…)

But that was 23 some odd years ago and now we are all grown-up prim and proper mom sorts. Just well behaved ladies who lunch, that’s us.

Ahem.

That is until the post-luncheon wine-soaked after-party rolled on well into the late hours of the evening and devolved into a rousing rendition of “I Will Survive”.

Video evidence reveals that we were pitchy, rusty on the moves, and we mumbled most of the lyrics, but in our minds, in that very moment…we put the GLORY in GLORIA GAYNOR.

Besides, my book and my speeches are all about “perseverance” so I WILL SURVIVE seems an appropriate late night battle cry – for some aging sorority girls blowing off steam from the grind of daily life and most certainly for the families with Rett who are fighting the good fight each and every day.

Catch this humiliating video while you can because as soon as my friends see it they will likely force me take it down. To go ahead and answer your questions: yes there is a mystery hairbrush being passed around as a mic, yes people are trying to leave but we are shamelessly blocking the exit, and yes we are out of breath because we’ve already been signing a good bit of ABBA before this impromptu performance.

THANK YOU: NANCY & PAT, ANNA BALL, JEN, MEREDITH & BUDDY, AMELIA, CAROLINE, BETSY and everyone in Winston who celebrated with us last week. Until next time, much love…XXOO

(Now since many of you are reading this without the painful “I WILL SURVIVE” video that I have no doubt already been asked to remove, you can enjoy this little nugget instead…)

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by Tim Romano

Got a case of the Mondays? This 2:52 video by the BBC ought to cheer you up. I honestly don’t know how they shot some of it… It almost seems staged. Even if it is – I must say it’s an impressive show put on by an angler far superior to you or me.

Enjoy.

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by Kirk Deeter

The key to landing fish quickly is knowing how to get their heads above the water’s surface. Fish have all the leverage when they’re fighting nose-down. You have all the leverage when their noses point up, and you can usually skate a fish right into the net, or land it by hand. The key to making this all happen quickly, which is of mutual benefit for the fish and the angler, is knowing how to “lift” fish.

It’s often tricky, especially with large fish. Go ahead and try to pick a 10-pound dumbbell off the floor with a fly rod, fly line and 12-pound test leader. It’s almost impossible if you hold the grip normally, gently lift the rod, and expect the flexed graphite tip of the rod to make it happen. When lifting heavy fish, you want to focus the stress into the line itself (trust me, 12-pound Maxima is harder to break than you think) and the butt section of the fly rod. To get that done, you want to grip slightly higher on the cork, bring the reel seat flush against your forearm, and then lift with your arm and shoulder, not just your wrist. This dramatically reinforces the leverage you have on the fish.

Here is a photo my friend J.P. Lipton of “Roughfisher” (you should check out his website, which is dedicated to catching “rough” species like carp on flies) getting ready to land a 20-pound carp on an eight-weight.  The butt of the rod is about to snug up against his forearm, and soon after, he steers the fish right to the net.

Your landing efficiency will improve dramatically if you remember to use your forearm when lifting fish — especially heavy ones.

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by Tim Romano

Almost 10 years years ago I dropped everything I was doing, saved all my money, quit my job and headed to New Zealand for three months of fishing with my best friend. We bought a van, lived in it and fished 70 out of 90 days. Oh, to be in your early 20s again.

I’m glad I did that trip when I did, as even thinking about doing it now wouldn’t be an option. I will say though I do have dreams about taking a month long trip down a river like the cast and crew of Where the Yellowstone Goes in the video below. Three months — never gonna happen. One month, maybe. Personally, I would do the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Some day I will…

What about you? If you had one month to float any river in the world that you could — for a month, what would it be? Why?

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by Kirk Deeter

I’ve reported in Field & Stream magazine and on the “FlyTalk” blog about the proposed Pebble Mine site at wild salmon fishery at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska for several years now. Right now, dozens of advocates for Bristol Bay have converged on Washington D.C. to express opposition to the Pebble Mine project. They range from sport fishermen, big game hunters, to lodge owners, commercial fishermen and representatives of the native communities.

And they’re all saying the same thing: They don’t want Pebble to proceed (though this mine promises to unearth billions in gold, copper, and the like), because they don’t want to trade the most pristine wild salmon and trout habitat in the world for the riches to be had by developing a massive strip mine at the Pebble site.

This isn’t a political issue, it’s a cultural issue. When Sig Hansen of Deadliest Catch fame, fly fishing guides, the natives (over 80 percent of whom oppose the Pebble Mine project), Sturm, Ruger & Co., and Tiffany & Co. (the jewelry company with the pretty blue boxes) are on the same page, that says something. In The Hill former congressman Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) offered the following:

We live in a time where jobs don’t exactly grow on trees, but in Alaska, it is fair to say that jobs grow on rivers. The Bristol Bay economy is threatened by the prospects of two foreign mining companies seeking to begin mining in the area, and it is up to Alaskans to protect their own economy. Bristol Bay is legendary for sportsmen from across our great country. The sport fishing industry in Bristol Bay alone generates $65 million annually and supports more than 800 permanent jobs within the local community.

Every year more than 60,000 visitors travel to the region for recreational opportunities. They come to absorb the scenic views, fish, hunt, and study the wildlife. These folks buy plane tickets, stay in local lodging, hire tour guides, purchase gear from local supply stores, and enjoy the local cuisine. But all of what I have just talked about would be threatened by the creation of the Pebble Mine.

The advocates for the mine suggest it will add jobs to the region, but fail to recognize that the mine’s presence could jeopardize an entire industry. I support protecting the current Bristol Bay economy and the environment at the same time. If a conservative Republican from North Carolina with a lifetime rating of 11% from the League of Conservation Voters can fight for this issue, I hope you can too!

Here’s the real rub with Pebble. The mining company says it’s going to contain up to 10 billion tons of toxic waste behind earthen barriers, in the most seismically-active region in the world. And if there’s a problem, they promise to stock fish to make things right. Ask California and Oregon anglers how that “stocked fish” program is working to make things right in their states.

I don’t care if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, a communist, an anarchist, or anything in-bewtween–if you care about fishing and wild places, you should care whether or not the Obama Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency rubber-stamp an initiative that allows a foreign company to dig in American soil, jeopardizing the greatest wild salmon fishery on the planet, in order to send many of those mined minerals to China.

In coming weeks, you will have the opportunity to register your opinion on the future of Bristol Bay as the EPA releases its draft watershed assessment for public comment. When that happens, this is going to get really interesting.

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