Breadfruit Sunset

PA Fishing License Sales Hit Five Year High

If recent fishing license sales are any indication, the rivers and streams in PA will be quite a bit more crowded this season.

Harrisburg, PA – The number of Pennsylvania fishing licenses sold through September 13 – 871,499 –has already eclipsed the total yearly sales for each of the last four years and represents the largest one year percentage increase since 1980, according to sales figures from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

“Fishing license sales are up 5 percent and overall stamp sales are up 4.36 percent over the same period from 2008, reinforcing thinking by many that people have returned to fishing as an affordable, family oriented activity,” said PFBC Executive Director Douglas Austen. “The commission is also finishing the second year of a multi-year direct marketing campaign in cooperation with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. We believe these efforts aimed at lapsed anglers have also had a positive impact on licenses sales.”

Among license types, resident license sales are up 5.47 percent; non-resident sales are up 3.41 percent; 7-day tourist licenses are up 1.55 percent; and 3-day tourist licenses are up 3.61 percent. Among stamps, trout permits are up 3.79 percent; Lake Erie permits are up 3.18 percent; and Combo permits are up by almost 8 percent. The good news also extends to boating, where registration renewals are up by approximately 5 percent from the same period in 2008.

This year’s sales are the highest since 2004, when more than 909,000 licenses were sold. In 2005, the cost of a license increased from $16.25 to $21 and sales for that year subsequently dropped to 823,175.

The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit our website at www.fishandboat.com.

Double Taps Hawaiian Style

I tried a different kind of fishing on my Summer vacation.

Not very much casting involved and these are certainly not the four weight rods I fish. Seven hours of driving around in 3000 feet of water and not so much as look. Nature calls and during my visit to the head, what do I hear but the a screaming sound coming from the back of the boat.

Fish on! 40 Minutes of trophy wife provided Gatorade, re-learning how to reel a level winder, and, as our Captain put it, "getting our a$$es handed to us" we saw what was on the end of our line. We had agreed to tag any Marlin caught but that wasn't what took our lure. I'll spare you the grisly details but let's just say that this is a blood sport and the trophy wife (who was filming the event) was quite surprised when the Captain drew a .38 and put two in Mr. Ahi's head.

**Updated Rumble Results 2009

Here is the actual release with the results from the 2009 Rumble in the Rhododendren. (Thanks Michelle)

FLY FISHING TOURNAMENT AWARDS $10,000 IN CASH PRIZES CHEROKEE, N.C.

(September 26-27): Even a weekend’s worth of torrential downpours could not keep the 22 pairs of fishing teams away from their chance at the $10,000 cash purse awarded at the 2009 “Rumble in the Rhododendron” Fly Masters Tournament in Cherokee, N.C. First place and $5,000 went to Fly Fishing Team USA member Josh Stephens of Robbinsville, N.C. with lifelong fishing friend David Woody of Andrews, N.C.

Taking second place and $3,000 was Brad Barnes and Curtis Condon of Watauga, T.N. Third place and $2,000 went to 2005 Fly Fishing Masters Southeast Champion Walker Parrott of Fletcher, N.C. and teammate Capt. Rick Hartman, a fly fishing guide for Kingfisher Inn & Guide Service off the Texas Coast. Barnes is a fly-fishing guide for Watauga River Lodge in Watauga, T.N. and Parrott is a guide for Davidson River Outfitters in Brevard, N.C.

Bad weather added a new layer to the competition as anglers had to complete the casting and accuracy rounds in light-to-heavy rains on Saturday. The fishing rounds on Sunday were delayed three hours because the river was so dangerously high.

The top 15 teams from the distance and accuracy rounds moved on to day two’s fishing rounds. The 15 teams were then narrowed down to five teams for the second round of fishing with one wild card team. As luck would have it, tournament winners Stephens and Woody picked the valuable wild card.

The tournament, which was presented by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fisheries and Wildlife Management and the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team, was filmed for a feature spot on the Sportsman Channel’s “Fly Rod Chronicles with Curtis Flemming.”

“With 10 more teams competing this year than in 2008, I would definitely say the tournament was a success,” said organizer Chris Lee of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team. Tournament organizers look forward to a larger turn out in 2010 and hopefully an even bigger cash purse.

More InfoFor more information the second annual Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Masters Tournament, please visit www.RumbleintheRhodo.com or call 828-421-0172 or 828-269-6529.

For more information on the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team, please visit www.flyfishingteamnc.com.

The tournament is sponsored by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fisheries & Wildlife Management, the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team, “Fly Rod Chronicles with Curtis Flemming,” Davidson River Outfitters, Cortland Fly Line, The Granddaddy Fly-Fishing Experience, John Hancock, and William Joseph.

Updated yet again with the fishing results :

http://www.rumbleintherhodo.com/images/2009RumbleFishingResults.pdf

Obitufishuaries

Obitufishuaries

I regret to inform the loyal readers of Jay Moore, the now dearly departed and former Tennessee Editor of Flyfishmagazine.com, of his passing from the Caney Fork watershed. You may have noticed that his regular posting has been absent for some time and you may have attributed the absence to the erratic generation schedule at the Center Hill Reservoir Dam. That schedule has been affected by the repair of the dam and acerbated by the torrential rains occurring in the watershed over the last several weeks. It would take more than that to keep Jay out of his waders under normal circumstances.

I am sad to report that Jay left us at 8:00 AM sharp on Sunday, September 6. Jay was always very punctual, leaving behind Tammy his loving wife, two sets of waders and shoes, several fly rods and reels, and too numerous and lovingly tied flies to list here. The service commemorating his sad absence was private. The trout of the Caney Fork though invited were absent from the ceremony but in favor of his demise.

Even though we all knew the end was near, Jay had the courage to enter the river a week earlier on what we all knew would be his last trip. I had the privilege to accompany Jay on that bittersweet occasion. We fished the river near the settlement of Lancaster about a mile downstream from the dam. We reminisced over our many trips on our way to the river and chose a spot that would be easy to approach to make it more comfortable for Jay.

When we arrived about 4:00 PM on Wednesday, September 6 there were two fisherman in the water who were preparing to leave and shared that they had been there for at least a couple of hours and the fish had been uncooperative. That news did not bother me as I was with Jay and Jay caught fish especially when no one else was catching fish. Even the power bait boys typically marveled at his ability.

At 6: OO PM we had not only failed to net a fish but had not even had a strike. Now Jay knows how to fish. He doesn’t go fishing as much as he goes catching. I’ve been with him when he loses count of his captures when the total is in the forties and we have been there only two hours. This afternoon was different. Jay kept changing flies; Wooly buggers, emergers, and nymphs. He would use each for a few minutes then change. He would try all of one color then repeat the order changing color. As always Jay was focused on the moment and not distracted by anything else, but after two hours the mink I saw working the shore threatened to turn into a skunk. I had never fished with Jay when he didn’t catch fish. I have, however, fished with Jay when I didn’t catch fish.

Then it happened, fish on. Jay’s rotation had just included a #18 gold Zebra midge. And a 10” brown was in his net. Jay said it was a 12” brown, but under the circumstances I agreed with him and tried not to sound patronizing. Nine more were to follow in close succession. Jay continued the rotation and landed rainbows, browns and brooks with the largest being a 15” rainbow. I personally think it was closer to 13”, but I withheld comment for the reason already stated. I on the other hand retrieved only five and finished with what Jay determined was a 19” brown which he actually had to net for me. I let him assist so that he could share the thrill of a large catch that I actually believe was at least 22”, but I accepted his measurement for the reason already stated.

So we bid Jay a fond farewell. He has been as excellent a friend as he has been a fisherman. I have been the recipient of not only several JayMoore flies (patent pending), but of many hours of enjoyment that could not have been duplicated in anyone else’s company. I shall miss him.
Jay, however, has gone to a better place, Columbia, South Carolina. At least that is what his boss told him. He accepted a transfer to the ProBuild facility in Columbia as operations manager. They needed someone with special talents and Jay has them in spades. I regret he is gone, but Tammy is looking forward to being there and Jay will do great in his new position. I particularly feel for the catfish, carp, and gar, how fun, who will soon feel the sting of a JayMoore fly (patent pending).

In his absence, I will try to keep you updated on the Caney as well as an occasion article on the Harpeth River. I will also try to get to the Buffalo River before winter.

Phil Duke, cub reporter

Franklin, Tn.

Editor's note: Jay Moore is not (as far as we know) Dead. He simply moved to S.C. If moving to S.C. evokes an Obiufisuary then we can't help but wonder what our recent move to the Garden State should evoke. Great work Phil - We look forward to hearing more from you about our favorite TN trout waters.

First Jersey Bass

He isn't a giant but he lives close by.

When Gill Netters Attack

Editor's note: The following is a report from Capt. Tom Roller about an attempted boarding of his boat by angry commercial fishermen. Capt. Tom Roller is a fly fishing and light tackle guide out of the Carolina's. Tom and other inshore guides, (including our own Capt. Gordon Churchill) have been working to stop the use of unattended gill nets in North Carolina waters. As you can see from his note below - some folks don't like what he is doing. Please take a minute of your time and sign this petition to change the North Carolina gill net rules. The redfish you save....

The following is Capt. Roller's own story - unedited.

Gill Netting conflicts are nothing new in North Carolina. While the North Carolina Department of Marine Fisheries (DMF) would like you to believe that these conflicts are rare and isolated, it is anything but the truth. Many of these commercial fishermen (who either do it part-time or are of the poorest and lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder) act as if the water belongs to only them and no one else – particularly when it comes to guides. They set nets on top of you, wrap up the spots you were fishing the day prior and even apparently try to kill gamefish like redfish just insothat you cannot catch them.

As a guide, I have had my share of run-ins even though I do my best to avoid conflicts. I am a private person and don’t like to tangle with the generally scary people who are commercial fishermen.

Today, after being out-of-town for over a week, I decided to embark, solo, on a redfish scouting mission in preparation for a week of trips. I launch my flats boat and tie up to a loaded dock that is just almost over-capacity with a large/old sailboat and a couple of dinghies. While paring my truck, I see a local commercial gill netter on his cell phone. As I was untying, I notice a skiff coming my way WOT through a no-wake zone. Right as I toss the last line into the boat that screams up at me, pushes a huge wake towards me that I have to rush to prevent slamming my new boat into the dock. As I try to get away, the two commercial fishermen (one of whom is a convicted felon with an extensive criminal record) use their boat to prevent me from leaving the dock. While they yell threats and how they’re gonna “be ready for me” and are going to be “ready for me in duck season” (in reference to my waterfowl guiding business), they start trying to force me into the sailboat moored to the dock behind me. I know this because the two netters look at each other and said, while five feet away - “push him into that sailboat!”

I some how get out of the pickle and go at a fast idle trying to get away – they do a u-turn and come bearing at me, one of them standing on the bow cussing at the top of lungs that I need “to come here” and apparently was getting ready to try to jump on and “board me.” When he was 2 feet away and ready to jump, I slam the throttle and get myself out of dodge very quickly.After this, I immediately call the local police. They send three officers who say they can do nothing. Big surprise. After they leave, one of the netters spits his tobacco juice all over my truck door (just about every time I use the ramp I come home to dip juice on my door). Police say they can’t do anything else about this. Big surprise.

The important thing to get out of this? This is a common occurrence down here in coastal North Carolina. The commercial fishermen behave as if they own all the water and try to intimidate anyone who they deem any sort of threat. They know that NC is the only coastal state that allows gill netting and are trying to muscle their ugly heritage through for a few more years.

Another point I want to reiterate – BEFORE you hire ANY guide or charter boat in North Carolina, please ask them what they think about gill nets and inshore commercial fishermen. MANY of North Carolina’s most famous and well-known FLY and LIGHT-TACKLE guides are big supporters of gill nets. While I don’t want to name them – just ask, you’ll find out and you’ll be very surprised.

Capt. Tom Roller

WaterDog Guide Service Light Tackle, Fly Fishing and Tours

252 728 7907

919 423 6310

http://www.waterdogguideservice.com/

Singlebarbed Sends Schwag

Some Sixth Finger fly tying scissors showed up in our mail box today courtesy of fly fishing innovator and brownline guru K. Barton of Singlebarbed.com fame. Now if we can figure out where the movers put out fly tying kit we will give them a try. In the mean time, they work great on our salt and pepper chin beard.

I had my “Ah-ha” moment last year while doing a little research on surgical scissors. I stumbled across a design that looked promising, bought a couple of sets to try, and liked the result but also recognized it had shortcomings.
Without a foundry and metallurgical skills, I managed to mock up a pair using wire – and that was close enough to be a proof of concept. I had something and the idea was good enough to pursue.

Get your own pair via his ebay store.

Found in the urban wild

No comment

Attack of the Killer Eel

Click to read.

**Editor's note: In our current internetless state due to our recent move, we didn't see that B2 over at Moldy Chum has the whole story on this with video. Don't fret for us as we will have FlyFishMag back up and running at high speed just as soon as the fiber optic guy gets the tubes from the curb to our new office.

Hardcore Kayak Invitational: October 3rd, 2009

Our friends from the Hardcore Kayak Fishing Team are having their first annual Hardcore Kayak Fishing tournament on Lake Wylie, October 3rd. With 28 anglers competing in the tourney, which is sponsored by The Great Outdoor Provision Company, it is sure to be a competitive event.

1st Annual Hardcore Invitational Kayak Fishing Tournament is ON. Tournament is Oct. 3rd and will be held rain or shine, north end of Lake Wylie on the beautiful Catawba River. Launch will be at 7:00 am. We will launch and have "weigh-in" and prizes at "Bobby`s" beside the Hwy 27 bridge in Mt. Holly. $2 launch fee per angler. Tourney will run until 1:00 pm. This is a CPR (catch, photo, release) artificial only, 5 bass limit tournament.

Entry is $35 per angler with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Mt. Island Wildlife Stewards. This is the first kayak fishing tournament in the Charlotte area . Invitations extended to Hardcore Kayak Fishing Team members and affiliates, fishermen from www.ncangler.com, and some special invitations such as media, NC Wildlife Federation anglers and Great Outdoor Provision Co. fishing team members. We are trying to keep it limited to 25-30 anglers.

The Hardcore boys are true to form, even when it comes to big time fishing tournaments, making us wish we were still within a weekend drive of this excellent event . For example:

We are not a kayak/outdoor retailer with the ability to "schmooze" factory reps. We are not (nor will we ever become) a big, recruiting, "pay $25 and get your T-shirt" type organization. We are only trying to help in our area and have absolutely nothing to gain.

For 10 years kayaking has been the fastest growing outdoor sport in the country. It is still fairly pure and affords us a sense of community. Let`s get together and enjoy what kayak fishing is today.

The following spells out their excellent way of thinking:

"Let`s think about it`s roots and consider how to keep it pure.
Remember Nascar started with a bunch of good ole boys running shine. There is a
revolution going on in fishing and we are the insurgents. "

Weather Underground for anglers

Planning a trip?I thought these interactive stickers were pretty cool. You can post them on your site or get the application on your phone to take on the water. The Searchable HTML Sticker delivers condition, temperature, pressure, and wind information. It tells the time, changes colors depending on weather severity (the blue bar turns red to indicate importance), and allows users to instantly click over to detailed forecast information, radar images, and travel information. Should the weather conditions being reported in this sticker indicate severe weather or weather warnings, the blue bar the top becomes red to draw attention. To top it all off, there's a search box that will let users jump to any location of their choosing. Capt. Paul

Flytying- EP Fibers Crab Fly Video

Murdock and I tried to make a video of this back at the Charlotte Show this past winter but there was some kind of malfunction. I just finally got around to doing it this past week. This is kind of how Puglisi showed me how to tie crab flies using his stuff. They work.

Crab Flytying Video

Above: Renown fly designer Zack Thurman shows off the goodies unveiled at Montana Fly Company.

FlyFishing Retailer Day THREE!
Immediate thoughts and observations:

• Instead of stickers and koozies, booths should pass out sample bottles of Visine. Lots of bloodshot dudes this morning!
  
• There's just not enough coffee in the whole wide world.
• I think Simms must have given away a zillion free hats...either that or suddenly everyone on the show floor is from Bozeman, MT.
• I wonder if that guy over there remembers hollering, "I got yer sculpin raaaahhhhttt heeerrrre!" (Really loud on the trolly going to the Patagonia party last night.)

More good stuff:
The Redington CPX Waders were actually unveiled last year, but they're among the hottest at the show, thanks to the front zipper that makes it much easier to get in and out of the waders. Fishermen are realizing that the convenience of being able to make a quick pit stop is well worth the $200 retail price.Patagonia is vowing big things ahead for its fishing category...since we all know such a number of its products are lifestyle crossover and not fishing-specific. But in the meantime, this new underlayer jacket called the Nano Puff is bound to be big hit among fishermen. It features 60 grams of Primaloft, and follows a trend in insulation that moves customers away from heavy fleece by achieving warmth and mobility without the bulk. The Nano Puff quickly packs away into a built-in pouch about the size of a pastrami-and-swiss sandwich. It retails at $150.
Chota Outdoor Gear has introduced the new Caney Fork wading boot with removable insole. The Chota guys have been wearing the boot around the show (without cleats of course) to demonstrate how comfortable and versatile they are. The Chota-brand sticky rubber and quicklace system look quality, and I got to test the ease of the screw-in steel cleats. And kudos to Chota--yesterday they made a nice donation to Trout Unlimited after a successful campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of spreading aquatic invasive species via felt-bottomed boots.

Now to track down some Visine...
Hilary

Handling the Backend

Sure, there's a load of great gear here at FlyFishing Retailer, but there are also booths that offer services and resources that help shops do business efficiently. Check out Pos.IM. That's Point of Sale Inventory Management. Pos.IM offers a point of sale system with a prepared data base that is intuitive for both MAC and PC flyshop computer systems.
It offers:

• Inventory control
• Post-purchase customer data management
• Seamless integration to the web

The company has been in business 20 years, over which time it's had to adjust and improve its services with advancements in technology. Now, managers say, it's even more powerful and easier to use than ever. Systems start at about $5,500 including the database. For more information, check out http://posim.com. Hilary

Wulff Royalty

Fishy celeb watch from FlyFishing Retailer: Please tell me I'm not the only person at FlyFishing Retailer who tackled Joan Wulff in the middle of a promotional appearance at the R.L. Winston booth! Please tell me I'm not the only one who forced this lovely lady into one of those awkward duo self-portrait shots. Anyone....? Anyone...? Oh. Well... Anyway, here's a picture I snapped of Joan, the pioneer, and half of me, the paparazzo. I was this close to asking her to run over to the casting pond and show me that 161-feet cast! I can't help being star struck. Hil

Ripped Out Waders Live on in Patagonia's Recycled Waders Program

Hello from FlyFishing Retailer Day Two! Expanding on its popular "Common Threads" apparel recycling program, Patagonia is introducing a partnership that allows ripped-out waders to never say die. Patagonia and Seattle-based Recycled Waders have teamed up to offer fishermen a place to reincarnate their beloved-but-too-far-gone breathable waders. The material is then used to make handsomely simple and well-done fishing bags, like the Messenger Creel, which retails for about sixty bucks. You can find out more about Recycled Waders at http://recycledwaders.com. In the meantime, if you talk to the guys at the Patagonia booth this weekend, you'll probably impressed by their enthusiasm for making leakers into keepers. Hilary

**Editor's Update**

The folks at Patagonia provided some more color on the Recycled Waders story:

Just wanted to say thanks for a fine post and offer a small correction. While we did feature a story on our blog, The Cleanest Line, about Recycled Waders, I wanted to make sure readers of your blog knew that Recycled Waders is their own company - they aren't part of Patagonia at all. We just work with them on the materials that they in turn use to manufacture their goods. Here's a link to the story about Recycled Waders. Complete RW contact info is provided at the end of the post:http://www.thecleanestline.com/2009/07/fishing-waders-trigger-deep-thoughts-about-gear.htmlkind regards, localcrewassoc. editor, TheCleanestLine.com

Showing a little skin

The fish skin digital image boxes are making a big splash at the Montana Fly Company booth. They're part of the new River Camo Products. The line also includes digital image coating on reels, nippers, scissors, forceps, hair stackers and sunglasses. The styles include river rock, traditional camo, rainbow and brown trout patterns. Showing skin=turning heads. Hilary
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

BYOR! Scott Custom Shop

Fav-of-the-day. I love the agate stripping guides on Scott trout rods, so I was excited to learn that I could actually build them into any Scott trout rod I want. It's part of Scott's Custom Rod program. You go into your local retailer and they'll log you onto the online program. Then you get a blank to build off of. You can choose your own reel seat, wraps, trim, snake guides, case--everything! You could spend anywhere from 800-to-1200 bones based how crazy you get. It looks like a fun way to personalize your investment. The program goes live in October. Hil
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

iPhone Fish-Fun at FRR

Intl. industry writer Paul Sharman tests the Montana Fly Company River Camo iPhone case. Hello? Hello? Yeah, this case is sweet. It's brown-trouterrific.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Heya Spey-a!

I found 11yr old fishy celeb and author Tyler Befus spey casting like a pro at FFR. He's the author of two books--the latest is "A Kid's Guide to Fly Tying" and his first was "A Kid's Guide to Fly Tying." He's trying to decide whether to show up the old guys at the casting comp this afternoon. Go get 'em, kid! Hilary
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Chopper gets all buggy-eyed at the Smith Optics booth at FlyFishing Retailer

So, Chopper at Smith keeps trying to get me to wear those big girly fancy glasses...and I vow to the second I get a small dog and blinged-out handbag. For now, I'm stoked on Smith's Evolve collection. The Evolve collection features frames made with Rislan Clear--a renewable, non-genetically modified castor plant material. And, of course, all fisherman should dig the Smith Polarchromic Ignitor lense. Chopper says Smith pros have spent countless hours on the water to improve the rosy tint that maximizes color and depth perception. I believe him. Holler from FFR, Hilary
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Get your sushi here...

WNC Fly Fishing Trail

Regardless of the type of trout water you enjoy fishing, this trail map has you covered. 15 spots in NC worth checking out this fall. Jackson County is home to the nation's first trail dedicated for fly fisherman.Maps available at wwwflyfishingtrail.com If you need a guide reference or other info for this area let me know. The Tuckasegee is worth the trip alone.Capt Paul

Found in the Urban Wild

Guest Blogger: Hilary Hutcheson

Industry types attending this year's Fly Fishing Retailer show in Denver, CO might just get a bit of a surprise when FlyFishMagazine shows up on their door step. This year instead of ruffians like Jay Moore and myself, FlyfishMagazine will be represented by a much more talented journalist.

We are pleased to announce that Hilary Hutcheson, PR Director for Outside Media will be our eyes and ears on the show floor. Look for posts from Hilary for the duration of the show about everything from new gear to industry scuttlebutt. We will also be closely monitoring the amount of schwag and free drinks that Hilary racks up and comparing it to our take from previous shows. Be forewarned, if she snags more than two middle aged balding guys we are fully prepared to have our corporate counsel draft a strongly worded letter.

Stay tuned for Hilary's unique view from the show floor during this year's Fly Fishing Retailer Show.

Bonefishing in Oahu

If you are planning a trip to Oahu anytime (or know anybody who is)

you may want to point them in this direction.

Bonefishing Hawaii

Gear: WTF?

Available from Fishingporn.com - $18 plus $5 shipping

NC Team Places 2nd In America Cup

The results are in from this year's America Cup in Frisco, Colorado and the fellows from the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team finished strong.


Ryan Harmon & Kevin Lowe 2nd place
Chris Lee & Eugene Shuler 3rd place
Michael Yelton & Paul Colcord 7th place

The tide turned slightly during the still water fly fishing day of the event with the win going to the competitors from the local team Blue River Anglers - Steven Bowka & Adam Boehlke. Congratulations to all.

***UPDATE*** Somehow we missed the fact that Kevin Lowe placed first individually in the event. Sorry Kev.

Another redfish video

It was another nice evening in redfish land. I shot another video. Want to see it? I knew you did.
9/1/08 Tailing Time video