Hopkins to Portray Hemingway in Film

Via Fly Fishing Examiner comes word that Sir Anthony Hopkins will be taking on the role of Ernest Hemingway in an upcoming film about the author / fly fisher. Read more on the Examiner.

Reasons we bought a NJ Fishing License

NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Photo


A 32 pound 11 oz female lake trout was captured during a recent survey of Round Reservoir by State fisheries biologists:

"Weighing in at 32 lbs.11 oz this female Laker surpasses the current state record caught by Greg Young in 2002 by 3 ounces. No state record accolades will be given in this case however, as this fish was hauled in by Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries biologists during their annual gillnetting surveys, which are used to monitor the lake trout population. The massive lake trout was returned to the reservoir alive and well."

Asian Carp within 8 Miles of the Great Lakes?

Asian Carp have been detected beyond an electric barrier designed to keep them out of the Great lakes - from JSOnline.com:

The Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged Friday that tests taken earlier this fall revealed 32 positive DNA samples for Asian carp above the electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, some within about eight miles of the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

The Journal Sentinel first reported the apparent barrier breach Thursday, though the Army Corps refused to acknowledge it until Friday morning.

There now appears to be nothing left standing between the supersized, ecosystem-ravaging fish and the world's largest freshwater system other than the constantly swinging gates of two busy navigation locks, and it may be only a matter of time until the fish are jumping and flopping in Lake Michigan waters from Chicago to Door County - and beyond.

"It's a disaster," said Dan Thomas, president of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council. "Heads should roll for this."

Reader Harry Campbell writes with a call for action:

"This is a genuine environmental crisis, and the Army Corps of Engineers should close the lock on the Calumet River and chemically cleanse the waterway as soon as possible, and not cave in to barge operators who oppose the closure. Please use whatever influence you or your publication can bring to bear to help make sure the Corps of Engineers moves quickly ­ before it's too late."

Black Fly Fishing Friday

Fresh from our TurDuckEn induced coma we bring you Black Friday Deals from friends of FlyFishMagazine.com.

Sierra Trading Post
Sierra Trading Post is pleased to announce our Black Friday promotions. From 12am to 8am on Friday, November 27, 2009 customers can recieve Free Shipping on all orders over $100! From 8am on we will be featuring 'Black Friday Bargains' on the home page, 10 items at great prices, these items will change every 2 hours until 4pm!

Shop at Sierra Trading Post on Black Friday and receive free shipping on $100 or more from 12 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Black Friday Bargains at Sierra Trading Post!

Joes Sports

Black Friday Sale! 15% Off Order. 11.27 Only!

And for those of you who want to read good and do other things good too: Alibris

Save $2 off $20 or more of books, music, & movies when you use coupon code ZEPPELIN on checkout at www.alibris.com. This coupon expires November 30, 2009.

Westfly founder Scott Richmond heads East

I recently had the great pleasure of guiding Scott Richmond for a couple days for carp and trout while in Charlotte visiting family. Scott is owner and founder of Westfly.

Westfly is a non-profit website that serves Western fly anglers. Westfly covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. It provides current fishing conditions, fly patterns, feature articles, entomology and other fish food information, and hatch charts for many western rivers. Westfly also has a very active bulletin board forum. Westfly, Inc. is a non-profit corporation registered in Oregon. It is an approved 501(c)(3) corporation under the IRS tax code. Its purpose is to advance the quality of Western fly fishing. This mission is accomplished by financially supporting projects and groups that will improve fly fishing in the West, and by informing and educating fly fishers through the website.

Scott did not hook any of the large rainbows on my private trout water as conditions were tough with high, muddy water and leaves choking even the most favorable drifts. I changed tactics to a smaller classic Appalachian stream and found success. No monsters but solid action on dries and droppers. Scott is well published with numerous destination guides for the West coast steelhead fisheries and quite savvy with techniques for success. Check out his site and forum at www.westfly.com particularly if planning a trip West.

Scott is also become a carp junkie and plans to visit often as we exchanged flies and ideas about tactics. I have some secret steelhead flies now and trip is in the works. Capt.Paul

Alligator Proof Waders

Above is a picture of me in my old office in Nashville. I have since moved to South Carolina and there are no pictures of me fishing. There is a small lake in my sub division that I plan to try once things settle down from the move. During my first trip to the river here in Columbia I ran across an alligator warning sign that assured me that all rivers in South Carolina would probably have gators in them. Since I do all my fishing while wading, this presents a problem for me. I was told by some of the people that I work with that most of them will leave you alone except for the ones that don't. This also presents a problem for me since my waders are not rated for gator bites. I will find some water to fish. It may not contain trout, but I will go.

Since I have left middle Tn. I have given up my job as editor for Flyfish Magazine and I am trying to figure out how to replace the loss of income. Maybe I can be the editor of the entire state of South Carolina. While I negotiate with our editor, my friend Phil will keep you up to date on all things fishy in Tennessee. The next time there will be fishing pictures and maybe a report on some new waters, or just a photo of some torn up Simms waders and my picture on a milk carton.

Phil Duke's Middle TN Report

Photo altered to protect the guilty.

My apologies to the editor in chief for accepting the position of Tennessee editor, writing one article in September, and then going silent. I also wish to apologize to my fan. I had one response to my first article and I would like to take this occasion to thank my loyal fan and youngest daughter.
My absence is a function of conditions beyond my control. Unfortunately, the Army Corp of Engineers in league with The Tennessee Valley Authority have seen fit to make the Caney Fork River unfit for a fly fisherman who depends on a pair of waders to enter the river. September saw the watershed have over four times the average rainfall and October was not much better. Couple this with a dam determined by the Corp as being in danger of collapse and you have a generation schedule that kept the river rolling and unfishable except for those willing to fish from a boat. I don’t have a boat.
That was September and October. November saw a return to average rainfall and soon the Corp returned Center Hill Lake to a safe level so that repairs to the dam could continue and stopped generating around the clock. Unfortunately the TVA turned on the sluice that turned the tail water side of the dam into a geyser that boils up ten feet above the stream level adding 1800 cubic feet of water per second to the stream flow. The sluice was added to the apparatus of the dam to aireate the water to prevent fish kills due to low oxygen levels. We have seen fish kills in late summer and into fall.
I visited for the first time in two months late Friday, Nov. 13. The generation schedule showed that only the sluice was activated. I wish I’d had my camera with me as the boiling water at the bottom of the dam is impressive.
I walked down to the boat ramp just below the dam. I normally fish there shortly after the generators are turned off as it takes several hours for access points down river to be accessible. There are usually fish to be had there but they tend to be small as this is where the river is stocked but if you take the path from the parking lot at the dam and follow it down stream about one half mile there is a set of stairs which takes you down to the gravel bar next to a stream that terminates into the Caney. Unfortunately that path takes a lot of fisherman to the same spot but if you can get some elbow room the fishing can be pretty good.
When I arrived about 4:15 in the afternoon the parking lot was almost empty. There were a couple of fishermen walking up from the dam and I inquired as to their luck and they replied that had not had a strike and had not seen anyone else catch a fish either. I walked down to the dam and saw the water made rough by the sluice and noticed two seasoned citizens on the bank each with a line in the water. While I was marveling at the turbulence caused by the sluice each reeled in a small trout, put them in a fish basket with several already in captivity, rebaited and resumed fishing. The power baiters seemed to be doing just fine in troubled waters. I stayed no more than five minutes and walked up to the trail leading downstream. It is a short walk on a wide path covered in fine gravel.
When I got to the stairs there were a pair of long rodders leaving the river. They had been there for about three hours and had no luck at all. They had thrown everything in their fly box and not had a strike. The sluice was sending water over the second step from the bottom of the stairs and there was about two feet of water over the gravel bar. One of the two fishermen who I had talked to said after two hours and no action he climbed the stairs, sat on the highest tread and brought out a bottle of wine and spent the last hour drinking away his troubles. I decided to spend Saturday raking leaves.
Word has it that the TVA will suspend the sluice in December. If the rain heavy rains do not return the river will once again be fishable and as the fish have had plenty of time to fatten, this could be an interesting winter on the Caney Fork. In the meantime I’m headed to the Harpeth.

Do you know what it means?

To fish New Orleans? I do now: http://captgordon.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/awesome-new-orleans-redfishing/

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...

We are not sure if they are still available but our striper fishing friend to the North, Jason Puris of TheFin.com fame, is giving away some hats from the folks at Nat Geo. Even if they have all been snagged, you should take time to read his post...

"They said "great" we'll send you some hats. Since I really like the Hooked logo I was psyched to get some Hooked baseball hats to give out to some of our users. Then, the package arrived and this is what I got.

Friday Wall Hangers: The 19' Tall Trout

For the angler who has everything: a 19 foot tall trout statue from Direct Manufacturing. On sale now for $11,780 and ships in 4 to 6 weeks.

"This Trout is a great way to add decoration to your wild life display and fishing supply store. Also great for displays at sea food restaurants!"

Forward March

Thank You Veterans

Words from song writer Sam Tate and images from the folks at Project Healing Waters seem appropriate as we say thanks to all those who serve or have served.

Deals: 15% Off from Joe's Sports 1 day only

Veteran's Day Sale! Receive 15% Off Your Order at JoesSports.com. Exclusions Apply. 11.11.09 Only.

Hells Bay Skate-skinny,sexy and affordable

The Skate; a small, rugged shallow water performer
At 12 ft. - 9 inches in length with a 45 inch beam, the Skate, Hell's Bay's smallest craft is made with tough Kevlar and weighs just 250 lbs. Its draft is a mere 3 ½ inches with engine and six gallons of fuel. Hell's Bay recommends a 9.9 or 15 hp two stroke tiller-steered outboard for power.

"It's light and it's versatile," said Hell's Bay boat designer and sales director Tom Gordon. "Beyond using it as a fishing tender on a yacht it can also be used for extreme shallow water fishing and as a hunting boat.

"The Skate can even be loaded into the back of a pickup truck if needed. It can also be useful in restricted no combustion motor zones where an electric trolling motor is allowed. Duck hunters will love it," added Gordon.

This is on my Xmas list. Should work well for carp, small ponds and skinny water found anywhere. I have always been a fan of these premier boats. Check it out at www.hellsbayboatworks.com Capt. Paul

Redfish dude goes albie fishing

I get to go albie fishing once or twice a year these days. Today was that day. The above pic is a "taste". The rest is just to rub it in for Murdock:

http://captgordon.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/albie-fishing/

Buff now with 100% Merino Wool

Buff now with 100% Soft Merino Wool. Think cool in summer, warm in winter, and it doesn't get stinky because it is naturally anti-microbial. We will be field testing this in Colorado very shortly.

Check out all their great designs at the Buff website.

FTC disclaimer - Yes they sent these to me. Yes I am keeping it. A bald guy can never have enough Buffs.

Road trip

Photogs: Alex Landeen

Normally you wouldn't refer to a guy who loves to take pictures of automatic weapons as a "Fat Guy" and sleep well at night. However, since Alex Landeen is part of Fat Guy Fly Fishing we hope we can get away with it. His work really catches your eye and points out the difference between the hacks and the pros. Check out the Landeen Photography blog to see his work and get some great photography tips.

New on the digital newsstand: Fish Can't Read

I ran across the debut issue of "Fish Can't Read" a bit late since it came out in September. I open it up and find that this publication has some excellent contributors (K. Barton and Alex Landeen etc.), shocking photos (is that Gracie sans hat?), and some great fish photos. This one we will read.

RIP: Russ Blessing Inventor of the Wooly Bugger

If you tie flies, most likely the first fly you ever learned to tie was the Wooly Bugger. If you fly fish for trout there is also a very good chance that your first trout was on a Wooly Bugger. According to an article from Examiner.com, Russ Blessing, inventor of the Wooly Bugger passed away last week after a battle with cancer. Mr. Blessings simple and prolific contribution to the sport of fly fishing most certainly will live on in angler's fly boxes and tyers vises.