Here there be monsters...

Swamp Thing

Bigfoot

Count Dracula

The Living Dead

NC Fly Fishing Team Member in the News

There is a nifty quote on CentreDaily.com about NC Fly Fishing Team co-founder, Chris Lee. The quote comes from their article about the United States Fly Fishing Championships that were held recently.

These are skilled anglers,” Ford said. “These are the best in the country.”
They qualified at open tryouts held in different states, including Montana, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon and Michigan. Even when they came up empty-handed Sunday, their prowess was apparent. Sampsell liked how Chris Lee, from North Carolina, quickly freed his line with a flick of his wrist.
“You notice these guys: They don’t get hung up,” Sampsell said. “These guys are good.”

Here is a link to the results from the US event.

Friday Deals: 15-20% off at Sierra Trading Post

Just a quick post to remind you that you only have a few more days to take advantage of an additional 15-20% off at Sierra Trading Post. Use the code ALOCTOBER9 at check out and save yourself some green. Think of it as Trick or Treet for anglers without having to worry about someone egging your house.

It all comes to a halt on 11/04/09 so be sure to check out their deals via the banner above.

Try knocking 20% off of one of these for bargain so good we can't tell you the price here in the open:

Water Skeeter River Lite Pontoon Boat

Orvis Photo Contest: Fame & Fortune for Pics

Submit your best fly fishing photos to the Orvis Fly Fishing Photo Contest for a shot at a Helios fly rod outfit or a $1000 Orvis gift card. In addition to the loot, your shot will grace the cover of a future Orvis fly fishing catalog, the angling equivalent of being on the cover of The Rolling Stone. Send your best stuff because I fully intend to "buy five copies for my Mother" if my submission gets picked.

Seven Sins of Fly Fishing

I am a huge reader of fly fishing articles,magazines and books not to mention the best sellers list. I must admit print has more junk than ever, with great blog sites and the Internet taking the lead. I was not a follower of the The Drake magazine until recently. Picking up a few old issues at the local shop, I found a rare toilet bowl keeper. Sometimes up to a few weeks, a true test of any magazine. One article in the recent fall/winter issues you must read is titled the "Seven sins of fly fishing". If you guide, hire guides, enjoy our sport or even the outdoors it is an enlightening piece. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. Got any back issues for sale? Let me know as they are quite hard to find.

Capt. Paul

Gear: Ross Balance

Most fly anglers strive for balance both in life and in their fishing gear setups. While you will most probably have to figure your life out on your own, the folks at Ross can help with your fishing gear. Match the perfect reel to your rod and you end up with a smoother, more effortless cast. The Ross Balance adjustable reel arm allows you to fine tune your set up by adjusting your reel forward or back to find the perfect sweet spot for your particular tastes.

The beauty of the Balance adjustable arm is that it can be used with any fly reel. Attachment is no different than locking your reel into a rod seat. No tools are required and no modifications must to be made to your reel. And since each person’s definition of Perfect Balance is different, you can easily adjust the reel to a position that feels balanced for you!

Weighing in at 1.6 ounces and priced at $139 available from Ross Reels.

Yuppie 911

The ever vigilant Editorial Trophy Wife found this MSNBC and the Associated Press article about a new symptom of the proliferation of cheap personal locators and other gps based alert electronics: Yuppie 911. Basically people who have no business in the outdoors, getting themselves in a tight spot that they never should have been in and then relying on the government to save their sorry hindquarters.

"Technology has made calling for help instantaneous even in the most remote places. Because would-be adventurers can send GPS coordinates to rescuers with the touch of a button, some are exploring terrain they do not have the experience, knowledge or endurance to tackle."

Some of the examples from the article really make you scratch your head in awe and wonderment:

They include hikers who pressed the button when they ran out of water on the trail. They refused rescue because they managed to find a creek but later pressed the button again because the water was salty. The third time they pressed the button during the same trip, the rescuers forced them into the helicopter and then cited the group leader for endangering the rescuers. Another example has a lady pressing the button when she got scared during a thunder storm.

"In the past, people who got in trouble self-rescued; they got on their hands and knees and crawled out," says John Amrhein, the county's emergency coordinator. "We saw the increase in non-emergencies with cell phones: people called saying 'I'm cold and damp. Come get me out.' These take it to another level."

What's next? Feeling tired and have a blister on your next back country hike? Press a button, pop a smoke grenade, and wait for your ride. People, the fine folks at search and rescue are not your personal taxi service. I do not want to think that you are calling them to bring you some Evian while I am in the woods somewhere sawing my leg off with a swiss army knife!

Editor's note: Even though it was cold and windy and there was very obviously an active volcano behind me, I did not press the button on my SPOT Messenger. I was however fully prepared should an emergency arise.



Because sometimes fly fishing is tactical

Things I Really Like Week: Headgear

Today's selection for "Things I Really Like Week" is something that almost every angler has but few think about, unless of course you forget yours on a hot sunny day. For a follically challenged angler like myself there are a few things I can do without on the water, but a good hat isn't one of them.

Aside from keeping my scalp from shedding its skin like a dried out serpent, a good hat is essential for keeping you cool or warm depending on the season. A good piece of head wear keeps the glare out of your eyes and allows your sunglasses to work better. The bill of a ball cap can even save you from the occasional fly embedded in the nose.

A good piece of head wear can make a break an angler's cred in the eyes his fellow fishers. For instance, I might wear a Indiana Jones style fedora on the water if the Editorial Trophy Wife would allow it, but she tells me the ball cap suits me better. I am a definitely a low profile guy and a few of my favorites on and off the water are my well worn Reel Pure glare proof lid and my UNC Tarheels cap. Both garner a lot of comments now that we have moved North of the Mason Dixon Line. The UNC logo says I can't wait for round ball season and the solo fly logo on the Reel Pure lid marks me as an unrepentant fly angler.

As you can tell from the stacks of them that I own. Fishing hats are one of the many things I really like.

South Jersey Reflection

Photo by the Editorial Trophy Wife. Click for a larger view.

Things I Really Like Week: Personal Pontoon Boats

For my second post of "Things I Really Like Week" I have chosen the personal pontoon boat. Mine is a Waterskeeter (and no the pontoons are not pink as some have suggested) but rather are burgundy. I spent less than $400 on this boat that basically fits into a duffel bag (a very large one mind you) and allows me to fish everything from tail races to still water.

The boat can go from fully disassembled to ready to fish in 15 minutes. It comes with two storage packs that hook and loop to the tubes, a rod holder, an adequate anchor system and a place for a small cooler. Once assembled, I can hoist the whole thing onto my back and carry it down to the river.

The boat handles like a dream in both still and moving water. Mine is more of a low water boat but I once got caught on a tail water with the several generators open and inadvertently took her through, what in my mind was, at least a class three rapid. I distinctly remember the view I had during the ride, water, sky, water, rock wall, sky etc.... I wouldn't recommend it because I have seen one of these boats flipped, but I managed.

The ease of assembly, the small size, and the fun of having a stable watercraft that I can take just about anywhere makes my personal pontoon boat one of the "Things I Really Like."

Lawsuit being brought against NC Division of Marine Fisheries

It's finally happening. The Coastal Fisheries Reform Group is kicking butt and taking names. No more silly politics. They are filing suit against the NC DMF to finally get them to do something about the gill net rape travesty in our state.

http://captgordon.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/lawsuit-being-brought-against-ncdmf/

Things I Really Like: Orvis Helios Fly Rod

I have decided to dub this week, "Things I Really Like Week" here at FlyfishMagazine.com. As the name suggests, my posts this week will be all about fly fishing related gear (and other things) that I really like. By way of disclosure, most of this we purchased on our own. Some, like the subject today, were most excellent Birthday gifts from the Editorial Trophy Wife. Some of these things came in the form of schwag. Trust me when I say that an item's inclusion in "Things I like Week" has nothing to do with origins and everything to do with performance.

My Orvis Helios 9' 5 Wt fly rod is probably is hands down the most versatile fly rod that I own. I have used it to cast everything from size 22 midges to the three inch long dragon fly over a dropper that you see me casting in the picture above. It is light as a feather which means you can cast it all day without wearing your arms out. It has caught everything from bluegill and bass to trout. It came close to catching a massive carp once but the tippet failed me. It has bluelined, brownlined, and just about any other kind of "line" I could get it near.

My own casting issues aside, this rod casts like a dream and I have found that it really excels when trying to punch the fly into tight spaces under the cover of bushes or between boulders on a mountain stream. Owning a high end fly rod is something that I thought (almost swore) I would never do. However, since I got the chance to put the Helios through it's paces, I have found it difficult to pick up any of my other rods. The Helios has quickly become my go to rod for 5 weight quarry.

We all have our favorite things and as the title "Things I Really Like" implies, these are a few of mine. Feel free to share your own in the comments section. More of mine will be posted as "Things I Really Like Week" continues.

Jobs working on the river that even we wouldn't take:

Found on Craigslist:

A couple of friends and I built an airplane out on the pier. We think we have enough runway to get off the ground before the river. Need pilot to land in Camden. Previous experience in experimental aircraft a plus.

Let's dissect this further:

First warning sign: "A couple of friends and I built an airplane..."

Second warning sign: "...out on a pier"

You have to love the optimism in the phrase "We think we have enough runway..."

Camden? Nobody goes to Camden!

Experience a plus??? Even these guys won't hire a recent college grad.

Vintage Shakespeare Stock Certificate

Suitable for framing and hanging in any angler's fishing room, $295 gets you this 100 share stock certificate in the Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Company. (editor's note: You won't actually own the shares as this is a "specimen" certificate kept on file by printers and such. ) The seller, Scripophily.com also has an excellent write up about the history of the company:

Although William Shakespeare, Jr., had some training in mechanics and craftsmanship, he spent his days peddling patent medicines in and around Kalamazoo. When not hawking elixirs, Shakespeare often grabbed his fishing rod and reel and bait-casted on the banks of the Kalamazoo River or at one of his home state's myriad lakes. Like his angler friends, Shakespeare was frustrated by the inherent inadequacy of multiplier reels, and in 1895 he fell back on his mechanical background and attempted to come up with a solution. Using a small jeweler's lathe, Shakespeare carved precise, curving grooves along the lengths of two round brass rods and created a device that wound back fishing line evenly on the reel spool. He named it the "level-wind," and took his creation on his next fishing trip. The level-wind worked well, drawing the line in evenly without the aid of a thumb. Those fishing alongside Shakespeare gawked at his homespun reel and asked to use it. Shakespeare made several more level-winds and handed them out. The level-winds were an immediate hit, and that was all the market testing Shakespeare needed. He filed for a patent and quickly prepared himself for his new entrepreneurial career.

Friday Deal: Carp Flies from The Carolina Bonefisher

Our own resident brown water fly fisher, Captain Paul Rose just did a major re-launch of his website, CarolinaBonefishing.com and in the process has unveiled an online store where you can pick up some of his favorite patterns for carp on the fly. Check it out. Prices range from $1.95 to $2.75 each.

While you are there be sure to read about our time on the water chasing carp with Captain Paul.

Blackwater

From location X New Jersey. I wouldn't call it urban but I have heard a siren or two while fishing here.




I caught this Chain Pickerel (or South Jersey Muskie as Capt. Gordon dubbed it) on the second pass. The first time he came three feet out of the water and missed my fly.

Good thing I remembered to put the Econo Lipper in the boat bag. (This is Pickerel #2)

Because these guys would chew your leg off if they could get hold of it.

Friday Deal: 10% Off $100 or 20% Off $150

This Friday we bring you an excellent coupon from our friends at Sierra Trading Post. Get 10% off $100 or 20% off $150 and in a rare move they are allowing you to combine this offer with their other on site offers. This means great savings on all your outdoor needs.

Sierra Trading Post October Promotion:15% off $100, 20% off $150 Valid through 114
Use code- ALOCTOBER9

WNC fly show

Fall is here and what better way to spend a weekend than micro beer tasting and a fly fishing expo in the Smokies. Most spouses would go for this package. Hell, send them to the spa while your at the show. Every fisherman deserves to get lucky once. Check out www.wncflyfishingexpo.com for info on the event and programs for 11-7 and 8. The Fly Fishing film tour is in Asheville,NC to coincide with the show that sat evening. I think I will even fish Sunday for those pretty brookies. Capt. Paul Rose

NatGeo: Hooked Extreme Angling 10-18-2009

Our friends from National Geographic are showing up again with new episodes of their excellent show Hooked. This time the focus is on Extreme Angling. In addition to the surf board shark fishing in this video, the episode includes a look at a striped bass wrestler.

Gear: Dollar Store LED Ring Flashlight

Cheap, Dim, with a Velcro band, it would be so much cooler if it had lasers (think Brooke Trout with lasers). Hard to resist at a buck. What's your favorite "re-purposed" item of fishing gear?

Pirates of the Flats- ESPN2 12-27-2009

Pirates of the Flats to Debut on ESPN2

Denver, Colorado - Officials from Orion Multimedia, America's largest producer of outdoor adventure programming, have announced that the much anticipated Pirates of the Flats series will debut Sunday December 27 on ESPN2. The series is presented in partnership with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and ESPN Outdoors and features a collection of luminary anglers including Tom Brokaw, Michael Keaton, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, saltwater angling pioneer Lefty Kreh, and acclaimed photographer R. Valentine Atkinson.

The series will be narrated by Brokaw and will explore the wonders of flats fishing through the eyes of this all-star cast who have each devoted a significant part of their lives to conservation causes. The series also will reveal some of the latest research funded by BTT and other organizations - information that will both help anglers catch more fish and better save the fragile coastal habitats.

Along the way, viewers will be activated to do their part to preserve these species so that future generations can experience all that these great game fish have to offer.

Is it just me...

or does it bother you when someone who picks up a fly rod once is lauded as a fly fisher? A recent article at About.com was titled People Who Fly Fish: Ken Griffey Jr. In the article it proclaims:


"One of the last people you'd expect to go fly fishing this time of year, Ken Griffey Jr. reportedly tried his hand at fly fishing earlier in the week with Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu."
"In fact, seems like the only thing they talked about was fishing, and what hand Griffey should be casting with."


Nothing against Mr. Griffey or the article's writer but shouldn't you have to somehow earn the title? I've thrown the ball around with my kid a few times but I don't fancy myself a baseball player. I'm not even sure I deserve to be called a fly fisher on most days...

Found in the Suburban Wild

Friday Headlines that smell like fish

Here are a few headlines that caught our jaded editorial eye this week:

Here's the reason we will be wearing long britches and snake gaiters the next time we mow our New Jersey lawn - An Alloway Township, NJ couple have discovered a new species of foot long leech - in their front yard. How high does the grass have to get for that? We immediately purchased some size 0 xxxxx long shanked hooks for use in the lake behind the FlyfishMagazine Corporate Compound.

A Charlotte woman has been accused of smuggling two live Asian bonytongue fish into the USA by attempting to hide them in bottles of, you guessed it, fish sauce. In what might be the best excuse ever, she offered that they were a surprise gift from her Mother who hid them in the fish sauce so that she wouldn't find them until she got home. It had absolutely nothing to do with her two brother's owning a pet store and the fish being worth $1,000 each...

From the "Why hasn't someone come up with one of these for fly fishing department?" Activision is releasing We Fish, the first fishing game designed for the Wii game system.
4 player split-screen and multiplayer modes, players can choose from five hilarious characters or play as their favorite Mii. Players travel to eight locations around the world and compete in 24 tournament events. Rapala: We Fish is packaged with the Rapala fishing rod and reel peripheral, letting players cast it, crank it and set the hook.

Folks in three Long Island, NY towns are taking steps to block saltwater fishing license fees that were slated to take effect. Via Newsday.com:
Each town argued in State Supreme Court in Riverhead that the state cannot impose a saltwater license requirement - which was to take effect today - because, under the original Colonial patents that created those towns, the authority to regulate marine resources was given exclusively to the town trustees.

Aquacalypse now: Is commercial fishing having the same effect on the oceans as Bernie Madoff on rich people?

**Update** Speaking of Madoff, this can't bode well for Able Reels. Madoff’s Brother, Sons, Niece Sued for $199 Million