FREE Nautilus Reels Ringtones

Looking for an new ringtone for your phone?

Well Nautilus Reels is giving 3 free ringtones one for the Nautilus NV, Nautilus CCF, and Nautilus Feather Weight.  Pick the ringtone that matches your quarry.  

I'm not endorsing these reels. I don't own one, unless Nautilus would like to send me one (a Nautilus Feather Weight #5 would be nice).  So I can't comment on their quality or performance.  

The ringtones are just fun to have on your phone.  Click the link below and visit Nautilus Reels or the links I have under each reel.

FREE Nautilus Reels Ringtones 

The Nautilus NV series are the lightest
reels and most versatility reels.

Nautilus NV Ringtone.

The Nautilus CCF is for the largest of species.

Nautilus CCF Ringtone.

The Nautilus FW is for fresh and light duty saltwater outfits.

The Nautilus FW Ringtone.

The American Museum of Fly Fishing's - Annual Fly Fishing Festival

The The American Museum of Fly Fishing's is holding it's Annual Fly Fishing Festival this Saturday August 14, 2010 on the Museum in Manchester, VT.

Activities will include: equipment appraisals; live music; casting rods from rod makers, Leonard, Granger, Heddon and even the Wonder Rod.

Casting Competition - Sign up to be a part of our first casting competition at our pond. Winner will win their choice of an AMFF hat or t-shirt from the Brookside Angler, the Museum giftshop!
Tackle Swap - Check in at our Swap table to register your items... or find something new!

Children's Activities - Kids can make a Clown Fly and learn the steps to real fly tying, or go into the gallery for a scavenger hunt.

Participating Vendors and Craftsmen

Antiques and Collectible Dealers: Historical Angling Artifacts; Shenandoah Antique Angler; Seacoast Appraisal Service; Classic Fly Fisherman; David Foley Sporting Books; Hardy North America; Lang's Auction; and Ellie's Attic.

Craftsmen and Rod Builders: Newfound Woodworks, Inc (Canoes and Kayaks); F.D. Kretchman Rod Co.; Carlson Rod Company; Jordan Mills Rod Company; and JH Becker Custom Bamboo Rods.

Festival Admission: $5 adults; $3 kids (5-14); $10 family (2 adults and 3 children); Museum members are free.

It's a nice way to break from the summer heat wave here in the east. Plenty of shops in Manchester for none fishing members of the family, not to mention the Orvis Head Quarter's and store.

Circa 1870 Tenkara Scene - "American Sporting Scene - Trout Fishing "

This is another print from the Library of Congress's digital collection that I found while doing my Tenkara research.  As you can see it is a 19th century scene showing men and women on the bank of a river "Tenkara" fishing for trout.  This lithograph is circa 1870 by John Walsh & Co..  The original measure size D (roughly 14" x 20").  I did clean up the image removing the patina.

Enjoy

Making a better leech – "The Modeled Leech"

When I was out with my boys on a stream this past spring they found a leech while rooting around the bottom. Here is a shot of that leech.

Notice the modeling pattern, we all know woolly buggers make a great leech pattern. For years I've been palmering them with grizzly saddle hackle for that modeling effect.  Here is what I think is a better leech pattern and in keeping with the K.I.S.S rule I'm using very miminal materials.  Now every body of water will have different colored leech so tie this pattern in brown, olive, bright green and gray.

 Modeled Leech

                                        Hook – Mustad 79580 or any streamer hook

                                        Size – 4-12
                                        Thread – 8/0 or 6/0 Olife
                                        Tail and Body – Olive Marabou
                                        Rib – .32 gauge Greem Parawire
                                        Head – Black Brass or Tungsten Bead
                                        Weight – .022 lead Wire

Mash down your barb and slip on bead.

Wrap your lead wire to the hook and push it towards the bead.

Tie in your wire.

Take a black Sharpie and model both side of one marabou feather.

Tie in your marabou feather with 5 or 6 wraps and advance your thread.

Wrap your marabou forward (counter clock wise)
and tie-off, then trimming the waist.

Advance your wire (clock wise) and tie-off.

Go in with your Sharpie and enhance the modeling.

 

Secure with a Whip finish and head cement.

Smolt of the Month Contest at "Flyfish Journal"

Whether we want to admit it or not we've all caught young of the year, runts, minnows and other minute fish on a fly.  Many times we launch them out of the water when we set the hook and get comments from our mates like "stop bait fishing this is a fly only."

Example of a diminutive wild brown trout,
but to large for Smolt of the Month.

Well "Flyfish Journal" has a contest for you "Smolt of the Month".

The rules are simple:

     1. Caught on a fly;
     2. You caught the fish.

Go to  "Smolt of the Month" for all the info.

Send all entries to questions@theflyfishjournal.com by midnight August 31, 2010.

The winner will recieve a pair of  Smith sunglasses, Backdrop Backdrop,  a "Flyfish Journal" shirt, stickers and a one-year subscription.  Not to mention bragging rights.

Good Luck.

Notable error in "Eastern Fly Fishing" on page 40

While in the doctor's office the other day I was skimming through some of the fishing rages in the waiting room.  I'd noticed an obvious error on page 40 of the Spring Creek, PA article.

Walt's worm a favorite fly of mine and many others here in the east.  It is a very simple pattern and very effective.  It imitates a host of subsurface insects most notable crane fly larva.

"Eastern Fly Fishing"  March/April 2010

Walt's Worm on page 40.

As you can see none of the materials are correct.

So here is the proper recipe:

Walt's Worm

Hook: Mustad 9671 size 10-16

Thread: 6/0 Tan

Weight: .015 lead wire

Dubbing: Hareline Hares Ear Plus #1

Walt's Worm tied by The Jersey Angler.  Photo:The Jersey Angler

For a step-by-step instructions go to

The Jersey Angler page "Sometimes Simple is Best..."

Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail

Recently I found a site that shares some of North Carolina's western fishing spots. The WNC Fly Fishing Trail map was produced by the Jackson Co. Tourism Authority with the help of local guides and fishers.  It's well though out and I know I'll use it when I find myself in North Carolina.


Here is a video from the site explaining the  WNC Fly Fishing Trail.

The trail pledge is "As a true sportsman, I pledge to never litter and to avoid trespassing on private lands. I will respect the rights of property owners, and always leave the streams in better condition than I found them."  Words we all can live by.

WNC Fly Fishing Trail

Click the caption for a PDF of the map or visit the site http://www.flyfishingtrail.com/

Ayu zu "River Trout" by Utagawa Hiroshige

Here is a Japanese color wood cut by Utagawa Hiroshige (1842 - 1894) some time  between 1868 and 1894.  The original measure 9.6 x 10.8 cm.  I found this print in the Library of Congress digital collection while I was doing some of my Tenkara research.  I'd clean it up a little but I didn't go as far as to remove what looks like a fold (the blueish line left of the chop). 

Enjoy

Dragon Fly Nymph

Here is another pattern that follows my K.I.S.S. rule (Keep It Simple Stupid). It's a dead simple, and only requires 3 materials: marabou; wire; and micro dumbbell eyes.  It you tie it on a 4X or 6X long streamer hook its also a damsel fly imitation (make sure to keep the body narrow).  It works in still and moving water.  You'll want to tie some in black and olive.  It works well in a Czech nymph rig as the point fly.

Hook – TMC 200R

Size – 8-12

Thread – 8/0 or 6/0 Brown

Head – 1/120 oz. Micro Lead Eyes

Tail and Body – Brown Marabou

Rib – .32 gauge Brown Parawire or Copper wire

1. Mash down barb and and create two thread humps for the dumb bell eyes.

  2. Secure your eyes with figure of eight and some superglue and tie in your wire.

3. Tie in marabou with 3 to 4 turns of thread.

4. Advance your thread to the eye of the hook.

5. Wrap your marabou forward and over the eyes.

 6.  Counter wrap your wire forward and tie off.

 7. Whip finish and your done.

The Replacement.

I lost one of my favorite rod's in my divorce a few years back.  A Fenwick fiberglass fly rod.  My first fly rod was one I made when I was 17 from a yellow Fenwick Fenglass blank and single foot Fuji guides.  A real noodle stick, I still have it but haven't fished it in years.  Along the way I picked up a Fenwick fiberglass fly rod (now in the possession of my X).  So while on eBay I found a very clean Fenwick and pick-it up.  I have to give credit Cameron at "The Fiberglass Manifesto" who's blog I've been following and gotten me to thinking about replacing my old Fenwick.

 Original Tube showed some wear. 

But in side was a very clean fiberglass rod.

It looks like it was hardly used.

FF79 – 8' – 3 3/8 oz.  should through a 5wt quite nicely.

 

Feralite "Twist On - Twist Off.

Now I'd need to match it with a reel, may be a Pflueger or Martin.