Thanks to the Old Pueblo TU Chapter for inviting me to participate in their Halloween On The Fly Seminar day.  Mike Mehrer and his wife Julia hosted me for the weekend, and we stayed up too late a couple of nights talking. However, the Seminar Day went just great. We had a casting class from 8 to 9:30, and those in attendance did a great job picking up the Foundation Casting Stroke,  Hook Curve, Reach Mend, C Pickup, and a few other handy fishing skills. The seminar started at 10. Those that came were an eager audience, and the first ones to have a chance to buy our new book: Fishing the Film. I signed 20 before the day was over. Thanks everyone.

Mike Mehrer setting up chairs for the Seminar Day.

I’m off tomorrow for Tucson to speak to the annual Halloween on the Fly program put on by the Old Pubelo TU chapter. Looks like it will be a fun time for all. If you nearby, come on over and enjoy the day’s activities with us.

I’ve been away from the office this last week, sadly because of a funeral. But upon my return I noted an email from my friends Jeff Currier. In part he notes:

I’m headed to Tanzania as the angler for the latest Confluence Films project. Confluence Films has produced two popular fly fishing movies, Drift and Rise. We are filming a segment on tigerfish for the third movie to be named soon.  The fish in the second picture with the huge teeth is our boy. These fearsome beasts were discovered in 2008 and to my knowledge this will be the first attempt to put this subspecies on movie. The film will be released in fall 2011. Expect a day by day report on my blog soon:

To keep up with Jeff visit his site by clicking on his link to the right.

My, Grandma, what big teeth you have!

Well, well, well. The advance copy is a beauty to be sure. Our printers did a bang up job, but it wouldn’t have been much without Jason’s dedicated skill and pre-press efforts. There is still time to get your pre-publication price, postage and handling included. See the post below on Fishing the Film pre-orders.

"Hmmmm, let's see what this says about the Universal Emerger"

The last two and one-half days have raced by. The third day of the trip, Duane and I explored more areas that we had not fished before, and re-worked areas that we had fished on days one and two. The fish were not super cooperative (when are they ever?), but we did manage 8 landed out of 15 hooked. Why, you might ask, is the landing percentage so low? Well, we have all sorts of excuses to make ourselves feel better-we didn’t use a net, old tippet material that broke, the fish tore the hook out, another fish hit the tippet and dislodged the hook, we pulled too hard at the wrong time, etc. Take your choice, they all happened. We sat up late that night tying flies and toasting the river.

One of the salmon that surrendered its dignity to Duane's fly on day 3.

A salmon that was proud to take my fly.

Duane left early in the morning on day 4 of the trip, and I spent the morning fishing a spot that had performed well at the close of day 3. There were fish and they cooperated. I left after a couple of hours and moved to another section where I’d told my long time friend, John Beth that I would meet him.

John and our mutual friend “Doc” showed up at 11 am, and I informed them of the river condition and the fishing “exercise.” After they were brought up to date, we went in search of cooperative fish. There didn’t seem to be any in the river. Then about 3 pm, John hit his first fish of the day. It seems the bite was on-for John. I couldn’t buy a fish. John didn’t wasn’t to sell any of his, and no one else was offering any, even at twice market price. After this third fish, I checked his fly. It was a tan strip fly, not his usual grizzly barred strip fly. “Must look like a Gobie,” John told me. He was probably right, This invasive species has spread rapidly through the Great Lakes. At least they were salmon food.

I dug in the boxes and found a big Down and Dirty Collared Sculpin. It was close enough. The first big hen grabbed it with zest, and the cry “Gobie, Gobie,” went up on the river. While the “bite” lasted, John found fish after fish that wanted a Gobie snack, including a silver bright king that we both thought was a ginormous steelhead. Then it ended, and the day faded into the annuals of the 2010 salmon season with 16 hooked and 14 landed.

The Gobie Master, John Beth, with a fresh king that "just couldn't refuse."

The Gobie Apprentice with a big hen fish that loved the taste of the little fish.

Day Five started with a definite whimper—my whimper. Nothing. Every fish that saw the fly fled in terror. The day had dawned dark and cold with clouds that suggested snow was soon to come. But about 9:30 the sun broke through and the fish turned on. The Black and Purple Collared Leech was fish candy. My score for hits was great-7 fish on in a little over and hour, including a huge male that simply would not give up until the hook pulled out. The day ended at 11 am with my score 7 hooked, 3 landed. The fish certainly won that one. But I won, too. It had been a great week with enough action to hold my attention firmly from well before dawn until hours after dark.

"Mmmmm, those Purple and Black Collared Leeches are tasty."

As I was landing fish number three today, my cell phone rang. It was Nancy. The advanced copy of Fishing the Film arrived this morning. She says it is beautifully done. I’m really excited to see it for myself, but first, there are some more salmon that need to be taught about flies and fly fishing.

See Jason’s note below and get your pre-publication price for the next 12 days!

Our second day of the salmon trip dawned clear, and the pile jackets felt good against the cold of the early morning. The day was to warm considerable; so much so, in fact ,that by mid-afternoon it was short-sleeve weather. As is always the case with salmon, the first hour after dawn was the best. The fish were moving and took the fly well, but an hour later, and their lips were sealed. Off and on over the course of the day a fish would default on its vow of no flies, and by the end of the day we were five and eight—eight fair hooked, five landed.

We’d gone to search a new area for this trip. It was a place that we’d fished before, but we’d not been there this season. Only a glance was enough to tell us that our prospects were bleak indeed, and so we only stayed a few minutes, and then it was off to another favorite stretch that we’d not yet fished. On the way, we walked along the only stretch of legitimate rapids in the stream,  and I spotted three big kings in a pocket encompassed by a some boulders. A fish in there would be a handful; I had to try.

The line shot downstream and jerked tight. The big fish had the fly firmly, and turned to shoot off downstream. In the fast water there was nothing to do but let it run while I got into a better position. Like all big fish, it fought with its weight as much as with it muscle, and it used the current well. But the spring of the 9-weight held it against what seemed all odds, and several minutes later the big fish slide into the gravelly shallows. It was the last fish of the day; 6 of 9 exactly at 6 o’clock.

Fish 1 of day 2 just after sun up.

Last fish of day 2 that took a white Collared Leech with an orange head.

JB stepping in here for GB, since he’s off playing with large salmon otherwise indisposed. We wanted to get this up ASAP, so here it is…

192 pages; 7X10 inches; color cover with black text

After yesterday’s order issues, let’s try this again….

Fishing the Film is now available for pre-order, with the first books arriving sometime shortly after October 22.

The “Series Pass” for the entire 20-book series (of which Fishing the Film is the first title) has already been covered. For those who are interested in a single book, here’s the deal:

Single Book Pre-Orders
Fishing the Film pre-order pricing: U.S. book price is $25 shipped. (retail is normally $24.95 plus $5.50 shipping and handling—save nearly 22%). Are you in Canada? The book is then $35 shipped. Are you at another international location? The book is then $45 shipped. Pre-Order offer ends October 25.

ORDER ON-LINE HERE

NOTE: When you reach the “Your Secure Shopping Cart Summary” page, choose either the standard USA or First Class INTL, depending on your location (those shipping options cost you zero). IMPORTANT: With the way this pre-order thing got set up at the fulfillment center, it appears that you MUST make the choice on this page or the order won’t proceed properly from there. We’ll find out if there is way that this issue can be resolved/improved.

Note that these books are not signed. Due to our need to use an independent order fulfillment and distribution center, we can’t sign copies as they head out the door (we are also 2,000 miles apart). We realize that some people like to have signed copies in their libraries (we certainly do), so if you can track either of us down at a show or seminar, we’ll be happy to personalize your copy for you. Thanks for understanding.

Duane Stremlau and I arrived at the river a little after noon and were met by our friend Lou Jirikowic. “You’re in luck,” he told us, the salmon are coming in heavy.” And so they were. There were older fish there, too; ones that had run in the week before. But as we stood fishing, fresh-run salmon buzzed past on their way upstream. And even though the water was a bit turbid, we could still make out their gargantuan proportions in all but the deepest pools.

We started by the willows, a section that we fished often and knew well, and we weren’t disappointed. There were tails waving everywhere in the shallows, and the sounds of thrashing fish echoed up and down the watercourse. Many anglers, when confronted with this many fish, tend to “flock shoot,” aiming their cast at the pods and not at individuals. Two things generally happen. (1) They snag the fish because the fly is swinging through a mass of swimming and fighting fish bodies. (2) They don’t catch any fish. One must target a specific fish and work it until there’s certainly that the fish is not interested or until there’s a take. I nominally allow ten casts. If there’s no take, I target another fish.

For these big kings of the Lakes States, I’ve found that two colors consistently take them: something whitish and something blackish. I often use the Bullhead Silver Leech and Black Collared Leech. I usually dress the black flies with a little green, purple, or blue tinsel mixed into the collar. The kings also take an Oregon-Cheese-colored egg fly very well. So rather than trade off fly after fly, I’ll rig up a strip fly and hang an egg behind it: Bacon and Eggs.

Day one ended at 6pm with 16 fish hooked and 10 landed between Duane and me. The count was almost evenly split between those that took the Bullhead Solver Leech and those that took the trailing egg. The rig goes something like this: 6 feet of leader down to 0X and then a 3mm leader ring. The top fly (in this case the Bullhead Silver Leech) is hung about a foot below the ring on 0X. The tag end of the OX is allowed to hang out about 4 inches and is knotted at its terminal end. One or more size B shot are clamped to this short dropper n(current speed and water depth dictating the number of shot). The egg is tied to the hook bend of the Leech using about 15 inches of 0X.

The flies are fished down and across whenever possible with only the very slightest movement. Typically I try to find several males together that have been sparing a bit and have a high testosterone level. One is almost certain to be so upset that it will slam the leech. Or, if I can find a female that is cutting a redd, it’s possible she will grab the egg. Then, too, I’ve had single fish whip out and grab the fly, too. The best rule of thumb is that there is no rule of thumb. Just go for it, but target individual fish, and make every cast as accurately as you can. I frequently cast well above a fish and too long, pull the fly back until it’s right in the fish’s drift lane, and then drop the rod tip and allow the Bacon and Eggs to drift in, ready to eat.

First fish of the trip.

Duane's first king of the trip

I don't eat bacon, but I'll take that egg.

Captain Jake sent the following report on my old pals Chuck Furimsky and Dick Talleur. If you are at all interested in getting in on some of this fishing, click on Captain Jake’s link to the right.

Greetings from Albie World:

The last couple of days I had Author and famous fly tier Dick Talleur along with my friend Chuck Furimsky (owner of “The Fly Fishing Shows”) with me aboard “Fly Reel”,  fly fishing for false Albacore. After a week of rain and flooding it looked like the Albie fishing was going to be hard, the morning temperatures were in the high 40’s, the water was dirty, and the bait was hard to find. Then on October 8 Chuck, Dick, and I found a few fish and lots of bait, the weather calmed down and my anglers released a half dozen Albies along with some Bluefish.

October 9, started out with calm seas but the North wind had slid to the west but that didn’t matter, after looking to the west we then headed over to the east side of the shoal. At 10:30 Am we found lots of 6 to 10 pound Albies in 55 feet of water a few miles off of the beach. On the first cast Dick and Chuck hooked up a double header and shortly later we had released those Albies and were hooked up again. Chuck had the hot rod by catching half a dozen nice fish from that school and Dick fought a few more but had a tough time keeping them on his flies. Later near the beach we caught a dozen or so 2 to 4 pound Bluefish before the wind swung to the south west and increased to 20 knots. The seas became choppy and confused so we called it a day at 3:00 PM and headed to the dock after another successful day of Albie fishing in the beautiful Cape Lookout area of eastern North Carolina. I am on my way to the dock now for another day chasing Albies with Chuck, I love my job, more reports to follow.

Captain Jake (left) with Dick Talleur and Albie.

Chuck Furimsky with Albie.