Out friend from Holland, Theo Bakelaar, continues to experiment with the Swedish products from J:son. This is a really fast, and refreshingly great looking caddis imitation using the performed legs/back: https://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?store=feacraft&action=display&target=JS109

Dub a rough abdomen on bent hook.

Add dubbed thorax and trim fly.

Tie in J:son caddis legs and back.

Wrap rearward to lock on legs and back.

Finish at rear of shank.

Color legs, top of thorax and top of abdomen as desired.

Hmmmm, looks rather real.

Granddaughter Brooke had her first fishing outing with Jason (dada) on Sunday (July 24, 2016). She used her Echo Gecko rod-7’9” for 4/5 line–to cast to and catch bluegills and bluegills and bluegills. She selected the flies to use-all dries-and cast two handed. The Echo is designed so that young kids can use it two handed. When asked if she wanted to stop for lunch, she stated emphatically, “No, I want to fish.” Really, what other choice did she have?

Goin’ fishin’

Getting ready to cast her Echo Gecko for the mighty bluegill–there they are!

How did she know that pose?

First fish on the fly she selected and cast by herself.

Is it finally a marriage between the fly side and the gear side? Have fly tyers finally learned that bass, pike, and other finny guys want something to chomp on besides dry fly and nymph? Or is it all just a marketing ploy?

Well, from my 6 plus decades of fly fishing the globe, I can tell you that big moving chunks of junk catch way more fish—big trout included—than dries and nymphs, day in and day out.

The world is finally seeing twister tails making their way into the fly rodders kit bag. Twister tails are staple for the bass guys, and great for just about everything that swims.

Theo is lashing them on hooks for pike in Holland and for stripers and blues off the coast of NJ during the International Fly Tying Symposium in November. He’s got some great looking stuff!

Want to give ‘em a try? Best place I’ve found to get them—7 per pack, available in 7 colors: http://www.caddisflyshop.com/kileys-slow-rolla-tails.html

Rip ‘em.

If it ain’t chartreuse it ain’t no use! Looks really great for just about anything that swims.

Change just the tail and give the imitation a whole different look.

My friends, Chuck Furimsky (The Fly Fishing Shows), and Bill Keough (Keough hackle) wanted to make a serious impression in the ongoing pike jamboree, so they grabbed fly rods and headed north into Canada for some big pike.

And they succeeded. Chuck nailed a real beauty—3 feet of impressive northern pike on the fly rod.

Not to be outdone, Bill hooked one of 42 ½ inches, and just to be certain that he received “best angler” award for the trip, immediately reset the drag very loose. The reel overspun and a massive bird’s nest ensued. To make it a bit tougher on himself (again to prove he was the most qualified for the title), he then wrapped the line around the rod tip several times. Now it gets really good. Again, in his fury to be voted top dog of the expedition, he handed the rod to the guide to untangle, and held the line between thumb and forefinger, keeping tension on the pike. The fish must have been nonplussed by these antics and simple held on until Bill was ready to go again. The fight ensued, and the guide scooped the big fish into the net.

This was a pike fishing expedition, so they also caught walleye pike—in amazing abundance. They caught enough to make walleye popsicles (if they had wanted) in addition to all the ones they tossed back and ate for lunch every day.

All in all a most successful trip.

Chuck took a very fine pike of 3 feet.

Not to be outdone, Bill took this monster by mis-adventure.

Perfect size for walleye-sicle, a.k.a. frozen pike on a stick.

The lunch stringer.

Chuck with another plate of walleye filets–Mmmmm.

Our friend, Theo Bakelaar is chasing pike in Holland. They have just come off the spawn, and are moving into the rivers, hunting voraciously. He took a very fine fish the other day, only to have a young boy nail a really big one fifteen minutes later. But that’s fishing.

On another note, Chuck Furimsky, Theo’s friend and mine, is head to Canada for big pike with feather baron, Bill Keough. Chuck had to tie up a few “experimental” flies to take along, hence his “Bleeding Bird” imitation. Knowing pike, if it’s in the water and moving, it’s likely to work. Chuck will send us photos of his success.

Theo with a very fine pike form Holland canal..

Not to be outdone….

The Bloody Bird.

From the top

The undercarriage.

My friend, Theo Bakelaar, from Holland, sent these great photos of the process of smoking eels and fish. He uses fresh-water eel skin in many of his long fly imitations—and it makes an extremely tough and effective fly. Theo is waiting for these with a glass of beer in hand.

My grandfather had a smokehouse and cured all his own meats every fall. As I child I helped with the butchering and smoking. Nothing like thickly sliced, home cured bacon smoked over applewood. Even now it makes me drool as I think of it.

Eels and fish hanging’ in prep to be smoked.

Watching the smoker and waiting for the tasty finished product.

Fly Fishing is a fabulous way to tune into nature and to tune into one’s self. And so, it is no wonder that it is a wonderful tool whereby men can link to others with cancer and work through all the facets of the disease. My friends at the Rockwell Trout Club have looked arms and backed this therapeutic approach by donating time at their great fly fishing venue. To read a report on the latest outings, go to http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/658263

If you have such facilities in your area, please consider this most worthwhile project. To contact the national Reel Recovery Program go to www.reelrecovery.org

On a similar project in Colorado.

Recently my friend John Beth had an opportunity to fulfill a bucket list promise to himself, and that was to experience Wisconsin’s famous Bois Burle River in its upper reaches with a guide of outstanding skills and knowledge. His story follows.

My day with Damian Wilmot (http://fbnguideservice.com ) was a dream come true, and I never wanted it to end. I’m only sorry I didn’t do it sooner! All day in a wooden boat fishing a cane rod with dry flies for native brook trout–from Stones landing to Winneboujou–on a river so special words cannot do it justice. Damian knows the Brule: its history, its water, and its spirits…its every mood. And, he shares that with you in a special way. He is unrivaled as the “go to” guy for that river, especially that river. His reverence and passion is infectious. I caught wild brookies all day, with a gorgeous 16” brown as a bonus ! I cannot fail to mention: he made me the finest shore meal I’ve ever had in my life–all cooked on a wood fire ( Bois Brule means “burnt wood, ” you see). If you have yet to experience a day or an evening on the Brule with him, don’t wait.

The “legends” of the Brule are mostly behind us now, but you still have time to fish with this one. Let him transport you, not as much down the river as back in time. You will go home changed from who you were when you arrived.  It’s not mist you see and feel in the evening, when the whip-poor-wills call, it’s the ghosts of  Indians, voyageurs, trappers, pioneers, Joe Lucius , Gordon MacQuarrie and all the Presidents–and one day, Damian Wilmot.

John and Damian at the launch of the day’s fishing.

Damian capturing John’s sense of the gourmet.

A very fine brookie from the hallowed waters of the Bois Brule.

A “bonus” brown that thought it was a brookie.

Whenever I give tying demos at shows and clubs, attendees regularly ask about the heavy tying threads that I use. It’s a flat nylon thread called Nymo, the favorite of the late Polly Rosborough. The heaver sizes that I use for spinning my big flies are available through Fire Mountain Gems at:

http://www.firemountaingems.com/shop/nylon-thread

It only comes in the sewing machine bobbin size spools. I use it with mini or midge bobbins. These are available through Cabela’s:

http://tinyurl.com/jt4ryf4

These heavy threads make tying larger flies with a spinning loop very easy. They are also great for spinning deer or elk hair.

These heavy threads are great for spinning big flies or tying with heavy hairs like deer and elk.

These strong threads are available in sewing machine bobbin sized spools. I use Griffin Midge bodies for them

Spinning big flies with heavy furs is easy with strong threads.

An elk hair hackle spun in a loop of heavy Nymo. Makes a great skater fly.

Sculpin Diver. Body faux fur spun in a loop. Head is spun deer hair. Heavy threads make this easy.