Antique Reels and Old Fishy Photos

Antiquefishingreels.com has lots of great information of interest to collectors of vintage fishing reels. However, they offer an additional treat in the form of a gallery of classic fishing photos that features some of the biggest names in the sports history. You can tell by the size and number of fish in these photos that these were taken in the "good old days" of offshore fishing.

In the photo pictured above, Ernest Hemingway congratulates Helen Lerner And Her Husband Michael For Landing A Big Blue Marlin off the coast of Bimini.

GSMNP Fishing Report

Here is the latest Great Smoky Mountains National Park fishing report via the Asheville Citizen Times:

Rainy days have produced good hatches of Blue-Winged Olives around mid-afternoon. An effective dropper-fly combination is an Adams dry fly with a small beadhead nymph on a 2-foot trailer. Park streams are full and clear with water averaging 42-44 degrees. Best fishing is mid-morning to early afternoon.

The report also includes information for the Tuckesegee and Nantahala Rivers.

Where does an 800lb grouper eat?

Anywhere he wants to!

Federally protected Goliath Grouper, once spear-fished to the brink of extinction, are now once again plentiful. According to this Gainesville.com article some anglers say these massive fish, who can grow to as much as 800 pounds, are too plentiful. Often eating an angler's catch before he is able to boat it.

They are like cockroaches,?? said spear fisherman Dennis O?Hern. ?They are everywhere.????It?s almost impossible to fish anymore,?? said Fred Lifton of the Marco Island Charter Captain?s Association. ?You can?t get on a wreck without being inundated by them. You can?t get fish up, not grouper, snapper, permit, snook, cobia. They take everything.??

Wear Sunblock

My lovely wife found this joke online and made a point to send it in to the blog.

4 married guys go fishing

After an hour, the following conversation took place: First guy: "You have no idea what I had to do to be able to come out fishing this weekend. I had to promise my wife that I will paint every room in the house next weekend."

Second guy: "That's nothing; I had to promise my wife that I will build her a new deck for the pool."

Third guy: "Man, you both have it easy! I had to promise my wife that I will remodel the kitchen for her." They continue to fish when they realised that the fourth guy has not said a word. So they asked him. "You haven't said anything about what you had to do to be able to come fishing this weekend. What's the deal?"

Fourth guy: "I just set my alarm for 5:30 am. When it went off, I shut off my alarm, gave the wife a nudge and said, "Fishing or sex?" and she said, "Wear sun-block "

Fishy Fitness

If you are feeling a bit plump after this year's holiday season, you might benefit from a good fishing fitness program.

Madole, of Balanced Health in Santa Ana, Calif., specializes in physical therapy and health and fitness. He isn't a fisherman but recognizes the demands of fishing and knows how to deal with them in the fitness world.
"One thing I tell folks is, view their body as the most important part of their equipment," Madole said. "If you're not strong enough to pull the fish in, it doesn't matter."
His Fishing Specific Strength and Conditioning Program, developed five years ago, is custom built to fit the needs of each angler.

The program runs about $200 per month.

Media Fly Fishing Analogy of the Week

It is not uncommon for avid anglers to day dream about fly fishing while on the job. However, when members of the media day dream about fly fishing it can find its way into all sorts of unrelated places. This weeks award for use of fly fishing imagery to describe things that are not really related to fly fishing goes to Scott Peterson of the Lake County Reporter in his article "Time for a lesson about the keys for a happy life" which talks about his attempts at imparting wisdom to his son.

"Nathan," I said with great anticipation, "Have you ever thought about how lucky you are?"For a moment, the words drifted about the cabin of the car like a fly above a hungry trout. I braced myself for the bite, for the illumination, the span of the great abyss that exists between all fathers and their sons, the moment of truth, the breaking down of the walls, the primordial connection.

Well said words from a man who most certainly has fishing on his mind. It appears that he might also have laundry on his mind as well.

For weeks before that, I tossed ideas in my mind like a clothes dryer tumbles linens. In my head, I went through dozens of drafts, searching for the right combination that was not going to be too pretentious, too cloying, too overwhelming.

However, we don't give awards for laundry...yet.

(Editor's Note: The photo above is an important artifact to anglers, and writers alike. Let's have some fun and see who can be the first to identify it. As a hint, it is located in the United States and it's former owner enjoyed catching big fish. Put your answer in the comments. Extra credit if you can tell us the story behind it.)

Orvis, Scott and AFFTA Oppose Alaska Mine

Via Flyfish.com we read about the efforts of 37 outdoor industry companies, including the likes of Orvis, Scott Rods and the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, banding together to oppose Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine and protect the Bristol Bay watershed from industrial mineral development.

"The prospect of hard rock mining in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska scares the hell out of the world fly angling community and the businesses that serve it," said Robert Ramsay, president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA), which represents more than 400 fly fishing manufacturers, sales representatives, retailers, outfitters and specialty media.

The National Sporting Library

If you happen to find yourself in Middleburg,Virginia be sure you visit The National Sporting Library.

The National Sporting Library, a research center for horse and field sports, is an incomparable collection of over 15,000 books, periodicals, photographs, films, and manuscripts housed in a magnificent 15,000 square-foot facility. Paintings and sculptures by renowned sporting artists enhance the spacious Founders' Room, the John and Martha Daniels Reading Room and the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room.

Their fly fishing collection includes 36 editions of Walton's "The Compleat Angler" which according to the site is the third most reprinted english language book (behind the Bible and the works of Shakespeare).

100% Bamboo

Guys who fish bamboo fly rods can be pretty hard core and often shun all other methods of fishing in favor of the "trout grass". If that guy or gal is on your Christmas list you might want to consider products from the Shirts Of Bamboo website. SOB sells just exactly what they their name implies, shirts made of bamboo. They also carry socks and even women's underthings made from the renewable resource. They also carry yarn made from bamboo fibers which can only lead me to ask the question, "Who will be the first angler to catch a trout on a bamboo rod, while wearing a bamboo shirt and casting a fly tied out of bamboo yarn?" It could be the first ever "Bamboo Grand Slam" of fly fishing.

Dam Good?

We all hear about the bad effects that dams have on fisheries. This article in Scientific American says that in some cases a fishery can be "improved" by a dam.

"Dams destroy habitat and prevent fish from reaching their spawning grounds. Even artificial fish ladders to help facilitate migration are a poor second to the real thing.
Dams also change water temperature and regulate river levels and flows for agriculture or industry -- all of which can have negative consequences on the local marine life.
Still, some see a new fishery as being better than none at all if a dam is deemed necessary for flood control, water supply or hydro power. "We generally favor the native fish but we recognize that there are situations where a tailwater fishery can provide recreational and economic benefits," said Williams.

Buy An Island, Save A Reef

Now through December 15th the folks at Reef Relief are holding their holiday auction. They have hundreds of great items up for bid with the proceeds going to help protect living coral. One of the best items up for sale is Pretty Joe Rock, a private island located off Marathon, Florida. Reef Relief isn't actually selling the property, but instead hopes to refer a qualified buyer and if a successful sale results they will get portion of the proceeds. At 1.3 million dollars it's a bargain especially when you consider that a condo in Key West can bring just as much.

Adorable 2 bed 2 bath Cottage on a private island with mainland and on-site boat dockage. Just a short boat ride from Banana Bay Resort located in Marathon, Florida, the heart of the Florida Keys. Screened sunset patio, and open sunrise deck. Municipal power and water supplied to the island. Don't miss this chance to purchase your very own island!
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Year built: 1974 Waterfront: yes

Even if you aren't in the market for your own private isle, you should check out the entire auction. It is a rare chance to pick up some great merchandise / trips and also help a worthy cause.

Bad News for the New River?

Recent developments pertaining to the New River watershed have taken a disturbing twist. The New River, who's headwaters are located near Boone, North Carolina, is believed to be one of the oldest rivers in North America and is even thought to predate the Blue Ridge Mountain range through which it meanders.

Recently the Ashe County, North Carolina planning board gave approval for a developer to build homes within the flood plain of the South Fork of the New River located near the tiny community of Todd, North Carolina. Locals are concerned that the river will suffer from added pollution in the likely event of flooding and that the cluttering up of the creek bank with houses will hurt the area's appeal with the many tourists who frequent the area to take advantage of bike riding along the flat and scenic "Railroad Grade Road." What perplexes me is that even the folks who approved the construction projects seem not to like the idea of development on this scenic river.

After the vote, Zach Edwardson, the Ashe County planning director, told audience members that planning-board members struggled with the decision, and that the issue should be studied so that the flood-plain ordinance matches the intent of what board members would like to see happen in flood plains.
"Even some of the ones who voted 'yes' were not comfortable approving it," he said, and then turned his focus to the board members. "When this issue comes up again - and it will come up again - we can make a decision that follows all the rules in the books, but you as a person agree with."

I lived in this area of the New River for several years and can say that it is truly a resource that can never be replaced. Hopefully, our elected officials will take a stance to protect it.

It is not just private developers who want to build on the banks of the New River. Government seems poised to try and get into the act as well. Another possible problem for the New River is a proposed prison and bridge on its banks in the Cox Chapel area near the North Carolina / Virginia line. Fishing guide Marty Shaffner of Tri-state Angler Guide Service brings to our attention this project and its possibly harmful effects on the river. He says in a recent message board posting:

"the proposed bridge and prison construction would affect the river for at least a couple of years in siltation I am sure."

There is a movement to try to prevent the construction. Visit the aptly named NoPrison blog for information.

Coastal Stripers

No we are not talking about the Crazy Horse nightclub in Myrtle Beach. Mark Taylor of Roanoke.com gives us a primer on tactics for catching coastal stripers this winter.

The stripers typically hang around in the bay until water temperatures dip into the low 40s. Sometimes that can happen in early December, but in recent years the fish have been around into January. When the fish leave the bay they head south. Often, huge schools can be found just off the Virginia and North Carolina beaches. That ocean fishery is becoming more and more popular in January and February. Sometimes the fish even blitz the beaches.

A Day In The Life...

Fancy yourself a career as a fishing guide? Best be an early riser according to this Reuters article about "A Day In The Life Of A Fishing Guide."

4 a.m.
"This is when I normally get up and pack the cooler box and check everything. I'm out of the house by 5 am."

Too much turkey yesterday?

Perhaps this fish, trawled up from the depths off the coast of New Zealand, resembles how you feel after all of the holiday feasting you did this Thanksgiving. The fish, a Fathead (genus Psychrolutes), has been affectionately named, "Mr. Blobby" by the scientists who found him. That's not drool dripping from Blobby's mouthparts, but rather a parasite. (link via Amonline.net & Boing Boing)


Photo credit: K. Parkinson of the Australian Museum

New "Black Friday" Fishing Gear Deals

In preparation for all of the post turkey day "Black Friday" shopping madness, we have updated the Flyfishmagazine.com "Deals on Gear" page with a new layout that allows you to view all the fly fishing gear currently offered by our affiliate Sierra Trading Post in one convenient location.

Think of it as having one up on the competition. While all those other shoppers are freezing their hind parts, standing in long lines at the local "Wally World," you will be getting some of the best deals on fly fishing gear available on the internet without ever leaving the comforting glow of your computer monitor. Aside from the amazing savings, you will be able to revel in your superior shopping smarts and spend more of your limited time on the water.

Don't forget that Sierra is currently offering 10% off web orders of $110 or more.



Here is a run down of the other affiliate offers we have going for the month of November:

That nice lady with the accent from Overstock.com is offering $15 off of any order over $100 until 11-30-06.




Finally, if you are looking for the perfect gift idea for the angler in your life you can never go wrong with a selection of flies from Fishing Flies Online. They have great prices with freshwater flies selling for $1.00 each and saltwater flies going for $2.00.

As always, thank you for your support of our affiliate programs. We hate to stoop to crass commercialism but doing so does help us to partially fund the hosting costs for our various sites and we only bring you deals from companies that we actually purchase from ourselves.

A Carolina trout fisher on the Florida flats

Here are a few pics from my recent venture fly fishing the flats surrounding Key West, Florida. It was a short trip and the fish were pretty scarce but we still managed to have a great day on the water.

Fishing the Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving from all the Flyfishmagazine.com staffers. If you live in Iowa, today might be the day to fish the Turkey River.

Fishing at the Turkey River is a unique experience in Iowa. Big Springs flows directly into the Turkey River, which allows trout to survive year round. This section is heavily stocked and provides excellent fishing for trout.

With what do you stuff a turkey trout?

A pox upon them and their houses also...

Anglers who frequent the North Georgia Trout Online message board are reporting auto break- ins on the delayed harvest section of the Chattoga River that borders Georgia and South Carolina. One angler had over $3000 worth of equipment stolen from his vehicle while he was fishing. Here is a list of what was taken in case you run across someone wanting to sell you some high end gear that fell off of a truck:

"He smashed the rear driver-side window of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and took a 7' 4-wt. Orvis T3 with a CFO II reel and a 8'6" 5-wt. Sage Discovery with a Ross Cimmaron reel. He also took my L.L. Bean Canvas bag with my navy blazer, a navy Mountain Hardwear jacket, and Cole Haan loafers I wore out in Athens last night. (And my favorite tie.Why would you take a man's dirty laundry?) He left a 8'6" 5-wt. Orvis Frequent Flyer and Battenkill III reel, my wallet and knife, a pair of Van Staal titanium pliers and a pair of Ray bans on the dash."

The victim of the crime puts a pretty good hex on the low life scum who stole from him:

You will not find joy in using stolen goods. You might be able to afford more meth or moonshine if you sell them, but you will get caught one day. And as far as stealing someone's dress clothes, that's just mean. Now I don't have anything to wear to my grandmother's for thanksgiving on Thursday. While many crimes are justified by today's PC society, stealing remains the lowest of art forms, and it is personal. If you own either of these setups or wear anything that looks like mine and I run into you, I hope you have a receipt. The lawlessness and primal urge you surrendered to this afternoon in the woods by thieving is the same urge I might give into if I see you with my stuff. As Ned Beatty made clear in "Deliverance," your a long way from help on the Chattooga and no one can hear you scream.

I'm not so sure I would have brought up Ned Beatty due to the imagery, but it seems a pretty effective curse.

The only way anglers can seriously combat this sort of thing is to take precautions with their gear and watch out for their fellow fishermen when they are on the water. Be alert to what is going on around you and if something doesn't look right give it lots of attention. Years of retail management experience taught me that the one thing that every thief hates is attention. I would always make sure that any suspected shoplifter got the best customer service of their lives. Feel free to comment with your tips and tricks for protecting your stuff while on the water.

Personally, I fish cheap gear so it's not a huge problem for me. However, I am in favor of trained attack rattlesnakes as standard equipment on fishing trucks.

Found my next fishing boat

Tuna Por Favor

Brush up on your Spanish. Mexican fishing is a "rush".

Throughout the entire trip, my dad and I boated around 80 tuna, four roosterfish, three Dorado, and two Jack Crevalle. We saw one huge marlin Wagner estimated at about 630 pounds, but we couldn't maneuver the boat in front of him before he dove. All in all it was an unforgettable trip, and some truly phenomenal fishing

Advantage Mom & Pop

The New York Times has an article about the advantages of patronizing your local independent purveyor of sporting goods.

"You come in here and get personal service and a good story about who shot a deer last week," said Rotolico, 40, who moved to Maine 17 years ago from New York. "You learn the secrets of the area, but a lot of that information is really protected, actually."
Rotolico said his accent marked him as an outsider when he first moved to Minot (a nearby town, pronounced MY-nut).
"When I came up here I had no friends, and no knowledge of the area," he said. "I went to a little fishing shop like this and it took him forever to show me where to fly fish, but you build that trust. But these shops are disappearing."

Translation: The 17 year old kid at your local big box might be able to give you the latest cheat code for your PS3 game system but he probably doesn't know where the lunker trout are hiding. Also, don't expect the guy at the local fly shop to just give out that nugget of info without getting to know you first.

The Hairy Trout

Taxidermy artist Takeshi Yamada recreates famous carnival sideshow exhibits. Take a look at the hairy trout. Legend has it that this particular fish was the result of a spill of hair growth tonic into an area stream. (via BoingBoing)

This week's best media fishing analogy

USA Today sports reporter Jeff Zillgitt receives this weeks award for best use a fishing analogy in the media in his recent article about Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick.

"Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora, like a wary brown trout in a Montana stream, refuses to take the bait and pin Atlanta's struggles on Vick."

Obviously written by a man who has fishing on his mind. I have resolved to start using more fishing analogies in my professional life a Corporate Credit Guy. "If you do not immediately pay your past due amount I will have no choice but to file liens upon your project that will tie up your money in the same way that a novice fly fisher might wrap his line around a low hanging laurel branch." Well maybe in my case that wouldn't be such a good idea.

How could you (mis) use fishing analogies to describe your day to day work life? Be creative and leave your best work in the comments (make sure you let us know what your job title is as part of your post)!

NCWRC Studies Dwindling Public Boating Access

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is conducting a study to measure the effects of declining public boating access in the state. The results of the survey will help the commission determine where to best locate future boating access sites.

“The loss of access that boaters are experiencing is a statewide problem that is currently most acute along our coastal shorelines,” Myers said. “However, access issues must ultimately be addressed on a statewide level in a manner that ensures equitable opportunities to all waters within the public trust.”

The link to the survey can be found on the homepage of the NCWRC website.

Speak Softly and...

Via the Flyfishin' blog: This may be the best product review ever posted on the internet. A review of the hottest new product on every freestone stream angler's Christmas list- "The Stick."

Sporting Fly Productions - Kenai River

Last week I received an email from Steve Middlesworth of Sporting Fly Productions letting me know about his latest reality video project filmed while fly fishing Alaska's Kenai River. Mr. Middlesworth has promised us a copy for review so we are looking forward to seeing his take on this famous river.

Road to nowhere might be sunk

It looks like the recent election of North Carolina Democrat and former NFL player Heath Shuler to Congress could mean the end of the push to build a 600 million dollar "road to nowhere" around Lake Fontana in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Shuler has made known that he is against completion of the road which was promised in 1943 as a replacement for a highway flooded by the creation of the lake, as a means of providing access to family cemeteries

"Only seven of 42 miles were completed before high costs and environmental concerns halted construction in 1972. Supporters of the road have continued to lobby for its completion, saying it would give residents forced out by construction of the dam access to family cemeteries and homesteads. The National Park Service now pays to transport those people across Fontana Lake by boat for their annual cemetery decoration days."

Many people, including anglers and politicos alike, feel the completion of this road would go a long way towards harming one of the country's most remote wilderness areas.

Shuler said he intends to push for the settlement _ an option that has been endorsed by the Swain County board of commissioners, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander and the Washington-based taxpayer watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Alexander has called completion of the road _ which would cross one of the largest roadless tracts of land in the eastern United States _ a "terrible idea." Easley has said almost "any construction activity on the north shore of Fontana Lake threatens the delicate balance of streams, woodlands and wetlands that we in North Carolina are working diligently to protect and preserve."

Outfitter Profile - Carlton Murrey

The Asheville Citizen Times regularly publishes profiles of area business people. This time they chose Carlton Murrey co-owner of Curtis Wright Outfitters in Weaverville, NC. It gives some insight into the day to day life of the professional outfitter.

Favorite part of job: “When I was guiding a trip down in the North Mills River area, I looked out and said, ‘This is my office.’ I like being outdoors.”

Least favorite part of job: “Disappointing a customer, when someone is expecting something, and it’s not in stock, or a trip that didn’t go well,” Murrey said. “It’s unfortunate, but it happens.”

A Cautionary Tale

Another reminder of why you should wear a life jacket when float fishing.

"The bodies of the Roundys were recovered by a Utah Department of Public Safety sonar boat, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. In the search for Roundy and his wife, Utah authorities found three other bodies in the reservoir, which has 17,000 acre of body of water."

Fishing Report Friday

I have returned from the blue skies and 80 degree temps of Key West, Florida back to the markedly less warm Carolinas. The trip was great and I am currently working up a proper fishing report about my day of flats fishing with Captain Justin Rea of Sting Rea charters. I learned a lot about fly fishing on the flats from Capt. Rea and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you.

In addition to the fishing we had a lot of fun doing the tourist thing. Sadly though, it seems that simply hanging out at Papa's favorite bar did little to help my writing.

A special thank you to Flyfishmagazine.com staffer and middle Tennessee contributing Editor Jay Moore, for the blog posts he made during my absence. I know I am looking forward to fishing Jay's home waters in the near future.

Full scale posting will resume Sunday night / Monday morning. In the mean time, I have just finished updating the fishing reports page of Flyfishmagazine.com with new reports from Jay Moore as well as the guys from Champion Outfitters.

Fly fishing with the tourists

This summer I got to cruise to Alaska, and on one of our stops I had the oportunity to fish for half a day. The guides picked us up at the dock and took us to a remote location on the White River. By the time we got suited up, bought our license, and got to our spot, we only had about two and half hours to fish. The waders I am wearing in this photo are 5x. My boots had holes in them, and the drag on my reel was broken. By now I am thinking that this is a waste of $232.00, but on my first cast I hooked a 4lb pink salmon, and I forgot about all the other stuff. I was the only one in our group that could cast, so the guide put me in a spot by myself. I landed eleven pink salmon and three Dolly Varden trout in two hours. The largest salmon was about 8 pounds. It took about 15 minutes to get each fish in, so I had a fish on almost every minute we fished. The guide left me to help the other guys and I was on my own and loved it. Everyone caught fish and had a great time. Despite the equipment issues and the short time to fish, it was well worth the money and we all said we would do it again.

The Duck River, Normandy Tn.

Nice water below Cortners Mill

The Duck River is the longest flowing river in Tennessee and in the cooler months offers some great fishing. This is a picture of the dam at Cortners Mill. It is an old water powered mill that has been turned into a bed and breakfast.








Duck River rainbow. This one is not too big, but there are plenty of them.




Dam at Cortners Mill

Rockbridge Trout Ranch

Rockbridgehttp://www.rockbridgemo.com

I owe my love of flyfishing to my brother-in -law Richard Hulsey. Richard lives in Joplin, Mo. with my baby sister Jill. On one of my visits, Richard suggested we go fly fishing. I had no idea what to do, but he got me out in the yard trying to learn to cast. After about ten minutes and three beers each, he said I was ready to go. The next day he took me to Rockbridge,Mo., which is about 2 hours from Joplin on a spring fed creek near the Arkansas border. My first day flyfishing, I caught 6 rainbows 2lbs. or larger. Richard spent most of the day working on my tangles, but I was hooked. We have been back several times and are planning a trip for Thanksgiving. At rockbridge you will find great fishing, good food, and reasonable rooms. The river is stocked every day with large trout that are a lot of fun to catch. They don't know they are not wild trout. The only downside, is when you get pretty good at fly fishing, it gets expensive. You pay by the pound and you have to keep all that you catch. So when you hook that three pounder, keep in mind, that could be a $10.00 fish.

Texas Flyrod

Hexagraph
A year or so ago I used a Hexagraph fly rod for the first time. My cousin Kenneth had purchased one because a guide out West told him that if he could only have one flyrod, it would be a Hexagraph. I used it for about five minutes and liked it but really did not get the feel of it. Since then my brother in law Richard and his son Barrett both got one, so I had to get one too. Mine is an 8'6" 5wt. that is by far the best rod I own. It is effortless to cast and I can fish it all day without tiring. All of us bought the same rod, which is a matte green finish that is not always available. If you get the fully finished rod, it can run you up to $800.00, but if you call the folks in Kingwood, Tx., you might find one that you can get for less than 400.00. I know it's still a lot for a rod, but all of us are native Texans, and we just can't pass up a chance to support our home state.

Salmon Wrestling and Sierra Deals

I am going to be taking the next few days off to visit the Florida Keys in order to celebrate my wedding anniversary. The wife has advised me that if I even so much as think of a computer during our time in Florida, I might as well consider my truck to be my new home, if I get to keep that.

With that in mind, I have enlisted the aid of Flyfishmgazine.com's middle Tennessee editor: Jay "Salmon Wrestler" Moore to serve as guest blogger in my absence. Jay is well versed in the intricacies of fly fishing Tennessee's rivers and his fishing reports about his days on the Caney Fork and Duck Rivers have been quite popular with our readers. Maybe Jay will tell us where in Tennessee he managed to catch that salmon he is hugging?

To celebrate Jay's foray into the dark world of fly fishing blogging our favorite internet mercantile, Sierra Trading Post, has announced a 10% discount off of web orders of $110 or more. Jay knows that any angler worth his salt can spend $110 dollars at "the Post" without breaking a sweat. Remember this 10% discount is in addition to their prices which are already discounted between 35% - 70%. Click the banner below and start shopping before your fishing buddies buy up all the best stuff.



As usual this deal may not be combined with any others and expires 12-7-06.

Jay's Insider tip of the day: "Keep this under your hat, but Sierra has some great deals on Lamson reels - just do a search and see for yourself!"

reel pure's holiday gift pack

It is time to start thinking about holiday shopping. In that vein our pals over at reel pure have put together a great gift pack for the 2006 season. A paltry $45 gets you a reel pure t-shirt, a cap, a microfiber towel, and it is all cleverly packaged in a clear reel pure dry bag. You save $13 when you buy this package vs. the items individually and you are giving back 1% for the planet.

Personalized Fish Art

Have you ever wished that you could capture the beauty of that trout you just caught in a more permanent medium than a digital photo? Well unless you are a very talented individual or carry and artist around in the trunk of your car until now you have been pretty much out of luck. YourFishArt.com will take your photo and turn it into a bona fide work of art for as little as $79.99.

So you've landed a trophy fish, or maybe a colorful cutthroat trout on your favorite stream, and of course you snapped a photo. But, as we all know, the photo doesn't do the fish justice. Now what?
Why not turn your finest fish into works of art? At Your Fish Art, we specialize in creating personalized, custom art using a photo of your fish. We take the photo and hand-draw or paint the fish life-size or scale it to 13" (see Styles and Options and Pricing below). We preserve the details from each fish, creating an aesthetic, accurate, side-on portrait

Thanks to David at Headwaters Bamboo Rod Company for pointing this site out.

Drift Etiquette

You have just bought that new pontoon and can't wait to get it into the water and start fishing. Before you start rowing ask yourself if you know the rules of river etiquette. There are actually other boats sharing your water. To be a successful drift angler you must be mindful of proper river etiquette. Manners that begin at the boat ramp will keep your float stress free and will keep you in the good graces of your fellow anglers. Here is a link to an article by Joe Demalderis that outlines some of the rules of the river.

Now you come upon another vessel ahead of you. If the other boat is anchored and they obviously are fishing toward the right, pass far on the left. The reverse is also true. If you can’t tell, or aren’t sure, just ask what side you can pass on. Always give as wide a berth as possible. If the boat is underway and drift fishing, pass on the opposite side that they’re fishing again giving as wide a berth as possible. The wide berth will keep you out of their back cast and you from getting hooked. Keep in mind that the vessel being overtaken always has the right of way. This is the law and has nothing to do with etiquette. Once you pass the other boat you should never cut in front of him and start fishing. Go down river a long way, even to the next pool of riffle before you start fishing. If you wanted to fish that water you should have held your boat back and fished behind them.

Do you have a good story about bad form on the water? Share it with us by leaving a comment.

North Carolina Fly Fishing Team

Competitive fly fisher and owner of the Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing fly shop, Eugene Shuler has been working hard to form a North Carolina fly fishing team. His goals are pretty simple and well stated:

"This will (be) a competitive team with the goals of competition, and practicing against each other, in hopes of getting a team together to compete in the Team USA Fly Fishing National Championships in Boulder Colorado June 2007. The possibility of someone from the NC Team getting on Fly Fishing Team USA is pretty good."

The team held their first practice session recently and Eugene has posted a full report via the Southeast Fly Fishing Forum. Things seem to be going well.

Sometimes Simpler is Better

Michigan's Mlive.com talks about one anglers "Skirmish with technology." The war started years ago when they made the switch from a manual reel to a new fangled automatic. Some things are better left alone.

It was probably a simple arrangement for technology-compatible fishermen. It was a disaster for a no-tech guy like me. I was always hitting the lever by mistake, sending the line zipping back right in the middle of a cast, or failing to stop the rewind quick enough to keep the fly from getting stuck on the end of the rod. After a few tries, I gave up in disgust, tossed the automatic reel on the bank, reinstalled the no-tech one and resumed fishing and enjoying.

Wednesday: Trout in the News

Today's news from the world of our favorite salmonid:

The State of Montana is planning on moving around 1000 Yellowstone Cutthroat trout in hopes of saving them from falling victim to the after effects of a major wildfire. (Link via the Pioneer Times - Journal)

More threatened Bull Trout are getting lucky in Montana these days.

About 80 trout on Arkansas' North Fork River have died from the effects of low amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water caused by temperature changes in its source lake. Be sure to look at the pictures in this article. These are some large trout.

Knoxnews Columnist Sam Venable writes about a Sevier county couple who turn old plastic drink bottles into trout sculptures.

Attract Fish With A Porcupine

Bill Dance's odd looking but effective, Porcupine Fish Attractor. We have not yet received word if they will be available in Tennessee Vol's orange.

Casting a Spell

The California Literary Review discusses the book, "Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection" by George Black.


Some years ago, back in the days of its relative anonymity, fly fishing was considered an arcane art practiced by mildly addled, eccentric cranks. Few people even new what fly fishing was. Guides, the few that existed, were normally cantankerous, rarely sober and usually showed up in a battered pickup truck featuring a cracked windshield and a bed filled with empty beer and oil cans, a chainsaw and a hunting dog. Equipment was not easy to find. Graphite fly rods were far off in the technological distance and garishly-colored bonefish scrubs were not around. Rivers were uncrowded and the living was good.

Infamous fly fishing?

Ok maybe it is a translation thing but when you are trying to promote your high end fly fishing school should you really describe it as "infamous?"

Le Méridien Al Aqah has opened its now infamous fly fishing academy for the forthcoming sporting season.

A seasonal activity, fly fishing requires a great deal of skill and patience and the Fujairah Salt Water Fly Fishing Academy - run under the auspices of acclaimed fisherman Martin James – aims to offer anglers of all abilities the necessary insight and expert tuition required for the sport