Changing the Game
Some things happen quickly, others are long overdue. When I moved into my new home a few years ago, I spent most of my time attempting to make sure I settled two little ones and two teenagers into their new digs. I suppose it’s logical, but the first casualty of our new surroundings was my “man cave”. Subsequently, my fly tying station and surrounding stuff got stuffed into a not so appealing corner. (Innver voice sternly stating, “Nobody puts baby in a corner!”)
With the promise of thawing rivers and hungry fish I managed to get my mojo back and carve out some me space and me time. Being a serial saver of things (translation: borderline hoarder) I began going through my fly boxes and I just shook my head. I literally had patterns in boxes that I tied 15 years ago and had yet to see the water. Some of them I didn’t even like when I tied them let alone now.
The purge was on! I honestly think I put an entire chicken and half a deer into a garbage bag. Before you say it, these were Frankenstien creations that were not even worthy of donation. With all of this new found space I sat down to tie with vigor and passion. Being that this was a bit of a “Game Changer”, my inner voice with a loud whisper said, “hey! Why don’t you tie some Game Changers!”
If you have never tied one, they are not a difficult pattern, but they are time consuming so be prepared to invest some time. I opted for a slightly shortened version of the feather game changer and am super stoked to get it on the water. With smallie season getting into full swing soon it just felt right.
So what’s the point? (not that I ever actually have one). This is the perfect time of year to CHANGE YOUR GAME! Shake it up, purge your fly box clutter, learn some new patterns, and get plan some amazing trips. It’s been a long winter for most of us and I for one can’t wait to get out.
See you on the water!
Tight Lines and Loose Pants,
MBL
Fly Fishing DIY Addicted #glassisnotdead
So I am not sure what has got into me lately but over the past year I seem to be obsessed with building rather than buying. Perhaps I am getting in touch with my inner frontiersman? Whether it is my home renovations or my fly fishing I cannot get this vintage, repurposing, build it yourself mentality out of my mind.
If you have been following me at all, you know I am building a skiff which will launch in March. (yes, that is a hard launch date!) I think that was my leaping off point. Yes, go big or go home! A few weeks ago I decided to build my first fly rod and I am totally pumped about it. My wraps are not quite perfect and I definitely made a few mistakes for my first build but overall it came out pretty darn sweet! The blank is a Blue Halo glass blank, 8′ 5 wt 3 piece. I outfitted it with a half wells grip and Ti plated guides and aluminum reel seat. It looks like CW and I are heading out on Jan 2nd to do some damage so I will let you all know how she fishes next week. Big thanks needs to go out to Cameron Mortenson at TFM since almost every resource I pulled for the build came from his blog. And before anyone bothers to point it out, yes I know I overlapped a few wraps and yes I know I have a bubble or two in my epoxy….
For any of you that were wondering about dipping your toe into rod building, the basics are not all that complex. It does take a fair amount of patience and a willingness to do a bit of learning but if you can tie flies you can build rods. No disrespect to Zeb Tonkavich, Shane Gray, or any of the other folks that are true artists when it comes to building rods intended. That is a whole other level of build and finish. I was just thrilled that nothing has fallen off (yet) and it doesn’t look like a 3rd grader put it together! Hopefully I will take a few more risks with my second build and we can see how we do.
My other holiday endeavor was to start building my own dubbing brushes. I thought about building my own station but when I added up the cost and the time, the good folks at Twister System already had this thing wired… get it? wired! So I picked up one for me and sent one over to CW for his Birthday. I quickly spun up a few squirrel tail brushes and pumped out my favorite sculpin pattern. Yes, I know I need to tie up a bunch of midges for Friday but I couldn’t help myself. Something inside just had meat on the brain.
Yes, this is madness! Where does it stop? Do I start sewing my own clothes? Forging my own tools? Brewing my own beer? Wait a moment. OK, sanity is creeping back in. Definitely not brewing my own beer. There are some things that I just can’t compete with.
So what have we learned today? Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and build something! It is part of our primal nature. For the stuff you aren’t going to build, Ditch the big box stores and support your local shops! Otherwise you will be asking some clueless dude at Bass Pro the next time you need help. I had someone reply to me the other day that they didn’t live near a local shop so that is why they shopped big box! Sorry, I’m calling bullshit. Almost every local shop that will survive the next 5 years has a pretty darn good web presence and good customer service over the phone to support it. Many will even ship for free. So buy local or at the very least, stop calling for free advice and then buying somewhere else. That just makes you a douche. Just sayin….
Anyhow enough preaching. I hope you all had a fantastic 2014 and are looking forward to a very fishy 2015.
Tight Lines and Loose Pants,
MBL
GOT CARP?
Yep!
Yes… I know, more of a “carpling” than a carp but after the long cold ass winter that still dumped snow in the month of April I was just happy to see the light of day. Ordinarily I would have been disappointed by the fight which more closely resembled reeling in a wet dish rag but considering the circumstances, I was thrilled to see the take. I had been busy at the vise over the past month and decided to give John Montana’s hybrid (trouser worm/soft hackle) a try. I loved the way the fly looked and it’s profile as it sat on the bottom was outstanding.
I gave one to CW to try out the other day and I was curious to see how he liked it. As fly fishers, we can be such creatures of habit and sometimes deviating from tactics that work is a tough sell. CW had been pitching eggs the next day to a pod of carp with no luck. He dug through his fly box and pulled out the hybrid and decided to give it a shot…. FIRST CAST Hook up!
Hopefully as things warm up we will see the big girls come into the shallows to play. Thanks John and Trevor for putting together the peanut butter and the jelly into a great looking pattern!
Good Luck and Tight Lines,
MBL
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
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
Adventures in Brown Lining 
