Tying Meat!

I am not normal…..

If you are Mrs. Brownliner you can attest to this with certainty.  If you are the Carp Whisperer, you can echo that sentiment as well.  In fact, if you have ever read this blog it was probably fairly apparent rather quickly.

Most fly fishers begin with trout.  From there they branch out into the salt or other warm water predatory species.  Some never branch out at all.  As a life long bass and still water fisherman, streams and trout just didn’t speak to me for a very long time.  I was used to big water, big hardware, and big boats.  So it was logical that my greenhorn years as a fly fisherman were spent chasing bass and stripers in the salt.  Double hauling a 1/0 Clouser into the wind made much more sense to me than a reach cast and three mends to float an elk hair caddis with no drag did.

I was living in the DC area at the time and chucking lead in Baltimore for schoolies was big fun.  This was also when I began to tie flies.  I took a class at the Orvis store in Tyson’s Corner, VA and I was hooked.  The idea of creating was absolutely fascinating to me.  I went out and bought (on VHS!) Lefty Kreh’s fly tying series as well and I began a journey that has been near and dear to my heart for the past 15 years.

I recently was going through some fly boxes as I was prepping for my annual trip to Presque Isle with CW and I found some flies that I had tied back when I had first began.  I recall at the time being very proud of some of my ties and even more so when they yielded a take.  Evolution is a funny thing…. My hackle turns were sloppy, my heads were not finished well… in general, they looked like they had been tied by a child.  In many ways they had.

So as I sat down to the vise to tie for my trip, I couldn’t help but to notice the attention to detail that only comes with years and mistakes.  It took me ages before I was comfortable tying flies for trout.  I don’t think I even owned hooks smaller than a size 2!

So as I sat down and began to tie, my mind started to wander down amnesia lane.  I had vivid memories of pulling specific patterns from the jaws of specific fish.  I remember driving a chartreuse over white 1/0 Clouser Minnow into the back of my head while fishing some bridge pilings at night in Virginia Beach…. I think I still have a small lump from that one a decade later.

Tying meat is just different.  Big hooks, big profiles, big dumbells, big popper heads, big weed guards, etc….  Hopefully yielding big fish!  The truth is I have enough flies tied to last for years yet I still tie more.  At times I wonder if it is a sickness or some kind of compulsion?  I give flies to friends…. hell I give them to complete strangers as well.  (good karma)

So just for the record….. this is the first fly I ever tied.  I landed a massive 12″ grunt on it and promptly retired it to the top of my desk where it remains!

Where has your tying journey taken you?   Fond memories?  Crazy stories?  Love to hear them if you care to share.  And if you have never tied meat…. go for it!  It will give you a good excuse to go buy that 8 or 9 weight rod you had your eye on.

Good Luck, Tight Lines, and Lots of Beef Jerkey,

MBL

Fly Fishing for Carp Seminar – Save The Date

With everyone’s busy schedules filling up fast I figured I would throw an open loop out for everyone to save the date.  My good friends at International Angler in Pittsburgh have been kind enough to ask me back again this year for another fun filled couple of hours to talk about my favorite subject!  No…. not wet T-shirt contests (although more people would probably show up for that talk) Once again we will delve into the fun in the mud world of fly fishing for carp!

I can’t promise to solve the mysteries of Atlantis, big foot, or the Lock Ness Montster.  But I can promise to break down fly fishing for carp into some very simple recipes for success.  More details to come!

When: Sunday, June 10th at 2:00PM

Where: International Angler – 5275 Steubenville Pike  Pittsburgh, PA 15205

What Do You Believe In?

In the immortal words of Crash Davis….Well, I believe in the soul, the c*&$#, the p*@!*, the small of a woman’s back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days….

I couldn’t have said it better myself when it comes to life and baseball.  But when it comes to fly fishing, what do you believe in?  We all have those special flies that we just trust, that we know deep down in the cockles of our hearts that just plain work.  Perhaps it’s traditional fly with a pedigree to match?  Or is it a junk fly that you would never tell your friends at the trout club for fear of ridicule?  Or better yet, is it a recipe of your own creation?  What is it about our pursuit that you have as much conviction in as your own religion?  Maybe fly fishing is your religion?  What gear would you never ever do without?  As I was sitting down at the vise prepping for my annual weekend trip with CW to Presque Isle Bay it got me thinking.  What do I believe in?

Well I believe in the Clouser Minnow, the wooly bugger, the back stabber, the blood dot, the white zonker, that fly fishing shows should divulge how many days on the water it took them to piece together 20 minutes of crappy footage. I believe that Lefty Kreh partied with Elvis and taught him how to throw a perfect loop.  I believe that inconsiderate anglers that can’t respect your space on the stream should have their line cut the next time they get too close.  I believe in the eugene bend knot, barbless hooks, over sized guides, full wells grips, fingerless wool gloves, and giving flies to complete strangers to honor the fish gods.  I believe in the perfect drift, the double haul, buying your crap from your local fly shop rather than online, consuming salted beef products prior to during and after every day on the water.  And I believe in still holding out hope for a long week in a secluded cabin with my wife and April Vokey….

Good night and Tight Lines

MBL

Blatant Self Promotion and Shameless Plugs

So at the risk of sounding way too full of myself, this past month marked a momentous occasion for yours truly.  No I did not finally get the long awaited call from Angelina Jolie letting me know that she left that slouch Brad for me.   (She did however inform me that she still closes her eyes and thinks of me every time he touches her)  It was far greater than that.  No… don’t get up… please really…. the applause is not necessary…..  What?  I must share?  OK… If I must….

Mr Brownliner, yours truly, ghost writing as none other than well…. ME…. was featured in the spring issue of The New Fly Fisher E-zine.  If you are looking for a full year of some high quality fly fishing education for less than a large pizza and a six pack then check them out!  http://thenewflyfisherezine.com/  You may be familiar with them for their own show on WFN as well as their association/production of the show that Orvis airs featuring Tom Rosenbauer.  Big thanks to Colin and the gang for providing me a few pages to talk about carp and all things brown line!

Come on…. no snickering… For the first time Mrs. Brownliner raised her eyebrow in shocked disbelief!  No no no… not over my sad pathetic pining over Angelina.  (no shock or disbelief there at all)  It was more over the fact that there were more than 10 people in the country… scratch that… world that actually cared about fly fishing for carp let alone had an interest in hearing what I had to say about it.  While I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon as John Gierach I am not, It was nice to see carp on the fly begin to get its much deserved respect.  Thanks again to the folks at The New Fly Fisher for the spotlight and a chance to talk about fishing on the fringes!

Tight Lines,

MBL

 

Artificial Habitat…. Authentic Fun

As most of you can attest to by my lack of blogging the past 7 months have been pretty rough for this rabid foaming at the mouth fly fisherman.  The twins have been amazing as they are growing, smiling, shitting, and screaming their way through their first year.  This week, both of them stood up for the first time with out a wading staff!  (proud papa)  They have even already learned to fight over the same toy.  Who knew The Hungry Caterpillar was so damn special?

So where was I?  Ah yes…. amidst a sea of far to much work, far too little sleep, and far too few hours on the water I finally managed to get my ass into a set of waders and wet a line with my good buddy CW.  In the card game of life these days I don’t have very many trump cards to play that make fly fishing a winning hand.  But when CW tells my wife that he paid his good hard earned money for a day on some private trout water and that he was taking me and that he will be a month behind on his rent and that he has nothing to eat and that his kids will be without Patagonia branded clothing and that the regional economy DEPENDS on my going fishing last Friday…… how could a girl say NO?

And so it was….. Two long lost fishing pals found a beautiful… and I do mean beautiful spring day on some private trout water in Western PA.  Now in the realm of full disclosure, this was far from wild.  The pools were manufactured, the trout were stocked, the landscape was cleared.  Yet despite all of this, the smile on my face was totally legit!

I had to chuckle to myself as two guys that routinely wade through urban waters, for wily carp as we drift flies past sunken shopping carts found ourselves in such a high brow setting.  The truth of the matter is that places like the one we fished are set up to allow average at best fisherman to catch well above average sized trout with well below average angling pressure.  I am not sure that I would want this to be my permanent fishing venue, but to see Steelhead sized trout swimming about my fly made for some pretty cool moments.  Sadly neither one of us landed any true hogs but we both brought quite a few good sized trout to hand for just one day reminded ourselves how much we enjoy being on the water together.

We both managed to lose a ton of flies…. not a shocker.  Lose a few fish…. not a shocker.  Consume large amounts of salted beef poducts…. most definitely not a shocker.  And even fool a few uneducated trout….. shocker!

So a big greatly appreciated man hug (3 back pats) goes out to my good buddy CW who sprung me for the day, put a smile on my face, and once again reminded me that his generosity knows no bounds.  May will bring our annual pilgrimage to Lake Erie for our warm water pursuit of bass, pike, carp, and anything else that will chase our fly so stay tuned as the pontoons take their maiden voyage!

Big Smiles and Tight Lines

MBL

Friends… Film Festivals…. and Free Time

I’ll take “Three Things I Can Never Get Enough of” for $500 Alex.

Yes, last night was the Fly Fishing Film Festival in Pittsburgh sponsored by my good friends at International Angler.  As most of you know, I have been in a state of cryogenic suspension for roughly six long months.  As much as I am itching to be on the water, I am not itching for a second divorce so for now I will just have to settle for a night out to watch other people fish.  (which does fall under the category of “fishsturbation” in the truest sense of the word)  I have been trying to work with the twins on their casting mechanics, but at six months old they are having a fairly tough time with the pause on their back cast….. things we will have to work on.

So how was the film fest you ask?  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  Then again that is like asking a starving man lost in the desert how he enjoyed the luke warm tap water and stale Twinkie you just gave to him.  The productions were for the most part entertaining and of really good quality. 

I always find it very interesting to see the reactions of the crowd to different genres.  For example, the opening film was a salt water production on tarpon with some amazing footage including a dog that jumps off the skiff to chase poon.  The hardcore trout guys in the audience didn’t have much of a reaction, but the salt water anglers were totally oohing and ahhhing.   Conversely the production on traditional English chalk streams kinda lost many of us that are more about chasing larger fish.

The best part of the night for me (aside from the box of Raisinets) was hanging with my boy CW and talking about…..

• Trips we have in the works
• Trips we wish we had in the works but are not that big of a stretch
• Trips that there is no way in hell will ever happen but it never hurts to pretend

For those of us that live and breathe this stuff, fly fishing is not just a hobby.  It is an obsession, a passion, and part of the fabric of what makes us who we are.  Sitting in a theater full of junkies last night was a pretty cool feeling.  Regardless whether you were fantasizing about a trico hatch, worm hatch, or toilet paper hatch the vibe was there.  Getting to drop a warm hello to fishing friends or friends I have yet to actually fish with just put a smile on my face that let me forget how long it has been since my waders have seen water.

Hopefully the water and I will become re-acquainted soon but for one evening it was nice to see some great takes, amazing fights, and some pretty cool fish porn.

See you on the water! (hopefully)

Good Luck and Tight Lines,

MBL

 

Trophy Cat Fish, New Years Resolutions, and Amazing Gifts

So as most of you know, the newly born Brownliner twins have dominated the landscape of my life for the past three months leaving very little time for fishing.  Much to my surprise I almost landed the big one at my company holiday white elephant gift exchange.

Sadly it was taken from me by one of the last people to open their gift and I ended up with a cake spatula that sings “Happy Birthday”…. just my luck.

So today being New Years, I figured there is no better time to put some of my angling/life resolutions for 2012 down in writing…

1. I will learn to tie and fish one new pattern per month
2. I will explore and fish six new areas or bodies of water
3. I will make a point to “pay it forward” once per month and help another (friends or strangers… doesn’t matter!)
4. I will take my two oldest son’s fishing with a level of patience that I have not given to them to date
5. I will finally give up the ghost and acknowledge the fact that my wife does not and will not grasp the appeal of fly fishing!
6. CW and I will navigate our local creek via pontoon from it’s beginning to it’s termination
7. With pending new video equipment I will commit to more video content on this blog!
8. I will figure out how to strike a balance between being a good father, good employee, and committed blogger/angler
9. I will smile more
10. I will wake up every day being prepared for the worst, hoping for the best, and soaking up each moment because you just never know when it will be your last

On a completely different note, I was once again completely blown away by CW.  He showed up at my house with his lovely girlfriend at our home for a bit of holiday celebration.  I had bought him a cheesy little wall sign for his fly tying man cave that I saw at Hobby Lobby.  (Twins make for a tight budget!)  He walks in with a huge honking box that weighed about 30lbs.  He told me that he doesn’t believe in traditional “baby gifts” but rather adult gifts in celebration of baby arrivals.  So I open the behemoth to find a beautiful fly tying cabinet engraved with my name.  He said since I couldn’t be out on the river as much this year at least I could finally get all of my tying supplies out of tupperware containers and ziplock bags…. truly amazing gift.  This is of course from a man that understands fishsturbation as much as I do!

Well it’s time to sit down with Mrs. Brownliner and watch a movie and try and get two future fly fisher kids to sleep.

Good Luck, Tight Lines, and have a happy and safe New Years!

MBL

Scratching The Itch and Other Musings on Fishsturbation

I have lost track of days.  Days have turned to weeks and weeks have turned to months.  For many, that is all they ever get.  They hit the water every few months and that is the whole enchilada.  Fishing is my happy place, my calm eye in the center of my life tornado.  So to quit cold turkey regardless of how noble the reason (I love you Hannah and Zachary) is a bit of an out of body experience.

I have read old magazines, frequented my usual web communities, watched countless fly fishing re-runs on my DVR, and organized my gear twice.  I can feel myself getting twitchy… anxious.  Is there something wrong with me?  Has the bug bit me that badly that I can’t spend a few months out of the water without all of the detox like side effects?

It doesn’t help knowing that a few of my friends have had some really solid days both chasing chrome up in Erie and trout across many of our streams.  We have had some good rains and conditions are looking promising this year.  The only thing not promising is my ability to even consider going anywhere just yet.

For now, I am going to have to settle for allowing my imagination to wander and my memories of many tight lines of the past year to get me through till December.  Wish me luck… I’m going to need it!

Alive!

Hey folks… under a mountain of dirty diapers and sleep deprivation, I am alive. I have not forgotten about you but for now slinging flies has taken a back seat to feeding babies.

Hoping to hit the water soon with some good chatter to follow.

Thanks!

MBL

Mrs. Brownliner Lands the Best Double Ever!

Monday afternoon Mrs. Brownliner hooked, played, and landed the best double I have ever seen!  They gave her a good fight but they were no match for her angling prowess.  I wish I could tell you that I taught her everything she knows, but all I could do was stand and watch in awe….

Welcome to the world Hannah and Zachary!  We will have you throwing tight loops before you know it.