A Peek Into The Nymph Box...

I had high hopes of getting out several times over the holiday weekend but a nasty cold kept me close to home.  So instead of fishing I started my late season fly tying in earnest.  I have loads of near empty fly boxes that need refilling and a few new patterns to add to the arsenal.

I did get out the day after Thanksgiving but I paid for it dearly over the weekend.  The fly that produced the best that day was a anchor pattern inspired by fly tier Kevin Compton owner of Performance Flies.  This slim pattern sinks like a rock and is an effective fish catcher.  Dubbed the "Copper Bead" by my friend Aaron Jasper, one of the founders of Trout Predator Online, it is now one of my go to flies for fish holding in deeper fast water.

"The Copper Bead"

The Copper Bead

Hook:  DOHIKU model 302 size 6-12
Bead:  Copper tungsten
Thread: Brown 6/0 Uni
Tail:  Wood duck fibers
Rib: Pearl synthetic ribbing
Abdomen:  Hares ear dubbing mixed with copper flash or copper metallic dubbing (dub the body as thin as possible with slight taper.
Thorax:  "Tiger Beetle" (black/orange) zelon dubbing

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I'm already looking forward to that leftover turkey sandwich served stream side tomorrow!


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The International Fly Tying Symposium

Work In Progress

I attended the International Fly Tying Symposium this past weekend.  I actually enjoy this show a little more than its big brother The Fly Fishing Show, which takes place in January.  This event is smaller and more intimate.  You have an opportunity to spend more time with the tiers and not feel like you need to move on so someone else and step up to the booth and take a peak or ask a question.  It's also a great place to catch up with old friends and make new ones.  It seems I can't walk down an aisle without bumping into someone that I know.  I spent a lot of time with various tiers and picked their brains.  There is an incredible amount of talent at this event.  The event attracts world class fly tiers from around the globe.  Some of the talent at this event are not the featured celebrity tiers, it's the folks attending the show.  Strike up a conversation with someone and they are likely to reach into their bag and produce their latest secret weapons in the world of fly tying.  Some of the best ideas I walked away with came from folks like me who were their to learn but brought along some of their own work to show off.  Over the next week or so I'll put up some photographs and share some of the wisdom I gathered.

Going Home...

Be there or be square...

Black...White...Brown

Thank You

Thank you to all of our Veterans out there.  For all that serve and have served, your service and sacrifice to protect our freedoms goes unnoticed by many, but not by me...THANK YOU

New Jersey’s First Annual NJ Fly Fisherman of the Year Contest

I've have been meaning to put up a post on last weekend's one fly tournament. I'm not big on the whole competitive fishing scene but since this event was for charity I decided to participate. I had a great time but I was a little disappointed in myself. I finished first during the qualifications for the finals, but I was a few inches shy of taking it in the finals. The pisser is I only needed an 8 or 10 inch fish to take first place. I had that opportunity many times throughout the day. In fact I lost over 100 inches of fish before I had the first fish in the net. I lost five fish in the 20" class before in had my first fish officially measured. Including one that was actually in the net but managed to get hooked to the net as well and was able to leverage itself out. During the finals I had a 21" rainbow that was hooked out side of the mouth and could not be scored. In fact in the last seconds of the tournament i missed a fish on my last cast (you can see the missed strike at the end of the video on the Fly and Fin blog). I did however earn the title of "The Most Exciting Fisherman", on account that I definitely had the most fish hooked but my landing game was not up to par. To modify a line from the movie Jaws, "I think I need a bigger net". Rather than recap the whole event I have copied a write up on the event from the new site njflyfisherman.com

"The One-Fly contest took place on November 6, 2010 at the Raritan Inn Bed & Breakfast, Califon, NJ. The Inn showcases nearly a mile of private waters on the South Branch of the Raritan River. A fully restored 1850’s barn housed the Traditional Angler Day and a presentation dinner.

Each NJ Trout Unlimited chapter and three Watershed Associations - Upper Raritan, Musconetcong and So. Branch - were invited to select one member each to participate. The 13 participants had a beautiful day on the river. A tough battle in the qualifying rounds identified three finalists for the afternoon. Bart Lombardo of Central Jersey was the most exciting fisherman of the day working a crayfish pattern with lots of fish on and garnered a slot in the finals. Keith Bologno representing the Uppper Raritan Watershed was a focused and skilled vaccum in the waters catching lots with a crafty selection of an emerger fly pattern. Bill Silvia landed in the finals with an 18" rainbow in the final minutes. After a hearty lunch the three hit the waters with a fanfare and audience on the banks. As the finals wound down Keith Bologno was a clear leader. With one minute to go Bill Silvia tied into a 21" bright rainbow streaming down the river. Bill landed him to lead to an unanticipated and dramatic tie. After consultation of the judges / guides of Jim Holland, Brian Cowden, and Don Tredski a one-fly, first fish final was set and the two leading sportsman headed back to the waters. An epic 2 1/4 hour stretch of catch, hook, land (nearly) drama closed out the afternoon with BILL SILVIA landing an 18" rainbow to capture the honors of 2010 NJ Flyfisherman of the Year. Many thanks to all who supported their contestant, attended Traditional Angler Day, enjoyed the dinner presentations, or plan to attend next year !"

If you want to check out some video from the event visit the Fly and Fin blog. Lou was on hand with his new camera and shot some footage of me in action. Fortunately he did a good job editing and didn't post any of my blunders.

The folks at Hardy North America , Shannon's Fly Shop and the Raritan Inn really did a great job putting this event together. I am looking forward to next year's event!

To wrap up congrats to Bill Silva from the Ken Lockwood Gorge chapter of Trout Unlimited the New Jersey Fly Fisherman Of The Year!


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The Jersey Angler's First Year

The Jersey Angler is one year old today.  This blog started out as an experiment.  The motivation was driven by friends of mine from other parts of the country that wanted to keep in touch with the fly fishing scene here in New Jersey.  As it turned out I enjoyed the blogging experience and the process of recording my various adventures on the water and sessions at the tying bench.

What really amazes me is the readership.  At the time of this writing, the blog is being read by folks in all fifty states and over eighty countries. If I can believe google analytics over ten thousand unique individuals have checked in at least one time to read what I have posted and I have scores of folks that check in on a regular basis.  I never dreamed that my words would reach so many people in such a short time.  That's not to bad for a blog that was designed to keep a couple of friends up to date on the goings on here in New Jersey.

Looking back there were a couple bumps in the road.  Dry spells that were created when life or work got in the way.  For the future I will try to avoid that by having material prepared in a advance so I can keep posts coming on a regular basis.

So what's in store for the Jersey Angler in the future?  I have learned a lot in the past twelve months.  And hopefully that knowledge will enrich the content on this blog. I may be transitioning from my present career to one more inline with this blog's content in the near future.  I am unsure exactly how that will pan out but I am excited about the prospect.

I've met a lot of great folks in the last year and have made some new friends along the way.   I'm looking forward to many more years of sharing information on the pursuit of fish with hook and feather.

Getting Fat...

The fish are busy putting on their winter fat.  Our fish are in great shape this fall.  The ones that made it through the hot dry summer still managed to put on some weight.  Now that things have cooled off a bit they are eating machines, bulking up for the leaner times of winter.

The End of the Rainbow

End of the Rainbow

This simple pattern has proven deadly of rainbow trout.  After years of this fishing this pattern it has caught nothing but rainbow trout.  No browns, no brookies only rainbows and quite a few at that.

Pattern:

Hook: Standard Nymph size 12-16

Bead: Tungsten

Thread: Grey 6/0 uni

Body:  Tapered body of gray uni-stretch, gray floss or gray thread

Rib: Small gold wire

Thorax:  UV pink ice-dub