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A Versatile Fly Box in Thirty Minutes
By Vince Staley Published: December 23, 2009  Print  Email Are you tired of perusing through catalog after catalog looking for the perfect fly box? Do you have 10 inch flies and 4 inch flies that are a tangled mess? I think you might enjoy having one or two inexpensive boxes that can store 10 inch to one inch flies and keep them in perfect working condition....read the full article Read More... View Comments (0) Successfully Targeting Summer Croaker on the Chesapeake Bay By Brett Gaba Published: June 20, 2004 Print Email Typically in saltwater fly fishing, and more specifically with fly fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, heading out into the big water and searching for breaking blues and stripers is option #1, and fishing underwater structure is option #2. Both of these options require a boat that’s capable of moving from spot to spot, or from school to school. I personally own a small, humble boat and I am on the water often, or as often as time and work permit. On good days, my boat is capable of getting from spot to spot, but not when the winds are over 10mph. Because of my restrictions I’m not typically in the open water of the Chesapeake Bay proper, or even the middle of Tangier Sound, but mostly about as far as my 16’ johnboat will take me on a nice day—maybe to the mouth of a river, or near a rip that sets up in a tributary creek.... Read More... View Comments (0) It’s not just a Clouser, It’s a CLOUSER By Joe Cap Published: December 20, 2004 Print Email If there was ever a fly that revolutionized the sport of fly fishing it has to be the Clouser Minnow. Developed by Bob Clouser and duplicated by everyone who ever sat in front of a vice. Those tiny little barbell eyes are the signature. There is not a day of long rodding that goes by without someone saying the word “Clouser”. They are, or should be, a part of everyone’s arsenal. So what’s new? Well, new probably is not the best choice of words but there are some variations in color and size that are worth mentioning. The following are some variants that have proven to be effective and illustrate some of differences in the way the Clouser can be tied. Let’s start with size. I have tied the Clouser Minnow in sizes from #12 to 5/0 and everything in between. The smaller sizes lend themselves to using squirrel tail or calf tail while the larger sizes are usually tied with the longer fibers found in bucktail and similar materials. Synthetics are also used in some of the larger sizes and are gaining popularity even with the more traditional “natural material” guys. The advantage to synthetics is durability the disadvantage is that unless the fly is tied sparsely and the fibers are tapered correctly the synthetics do not move or undulate like the natural fibers. Read More...View Comments (0) Fly Fishing for Pike in The North Country By Martin James Published: November 20, 2003 Print Email A Bald Eagle sits sentinel like, at the top of a dead tree. The sun shines down from a gap in the clouds, piercing deep into the clear water. A strong breeze ruffles the surface of the lake. bait size fish have sought sanctuary in a dense weed bed. Nothing moves, except the boat as I move slowly through the water, The only shade is from my long peaked cap, polarised sunglasses help my eyes to seek and search deep into the dazzling shimmering water. I blink, then squint, can it be, or is it a shadow, I squint again. Yes there it is, I spot a fin movement, Then a tail moves slightly. My squinting blinking eyes move slowly up the length of a fish it must be forty five inches long. I gasp! My heart beats a little faster. Its a big one. perspiration rolls off my forehead, into my eyes stinging as it does so, despite the cold wind. My hands shake a little, I start to feel nervous. My brain goes into over drive, yes I have one. Its like a computer as I work out the angle of the cast, the distance to target. I aerelise ten yards of line, I need another five. I pull this off the reel quickly all the time keeping my eyes on the big one. I’m the hunter, The hunted is a fish that goes back a few million years. It weighs twenty pounds plus Its there for catching, If I don't make a mistake. The fish is moving ever so slowly away, I only have this one chance. I shoot line to land the fly at the interception point which is two feet to the left and a foot in front of the quarry. My cast is spot on. The fly lands with a plop hardly breaking the water surface. The fish moves its head slightly then slowly turns. This is the moment I have been waiting for as I twitch the line to impart life into the fly. A fly that was created in Northern Canada. Its tied up on a 3/0 Partridge hook using Polar bear hair and a few strands of crystal flash. It’s some six inches long and comes alive in the water when retrieved. Read More...View Comments (0) Don't Forget Fall Largemouth Bass Fishing By Joe Cap Published: November 20, 2006 Print Email While a fair number of long rodders are gearing up for fall striper fishing there is another game in town that we should not overlook, Largemouth Bass. Tributary and pond fishing for Largemouths is a great way to spend a fall day in some nice quiet waters away from the hustle and bustle of the bay proper. In addition, when the wind blows hard enough to keep you off the bay, there is usually a well-protected tributary with some hungry Largemouths that is waiting to be fished. The first fish I landed on a fly rod was a bass, I thought I was trout fishing at the time. A bass came up and took a small ugly dry fly as it was floating by some deadfall in a small stream. My disappointment over not hooking a trout was shadowed by the acrobatics that the large mouth performed. The thought for some is that Largemouth Bass fishing is a tournament game reserved for spinners and bait casters. Saturday morning television tells us that each week. However, there are an increasing number of anglers chasing bass with fly rods, its not a new game just one that gets occasionally overlooked. Fall fishing in the tributaries of the Chesapeake and on farm ponds can be very productive. In addition a number of tactics and skills can be learned which can be extended to other types of fishing. Just about all the upper tributaries of the bay hold bass but the upper reaches of the Choptank and the Chester are among my favorite areas to fish. Wading, shore fishing, small boats and kayaks are all productive ways to catch bass. A big boat or an expensive bass rig is not needed in the upper tributaries. In most cases “trout like” rods and reels are all that is needed. I have found... Read More... View Comments (0) The Crease Fly- Deadly Topwater Action By Joe Cap Published: November 20, 2004 Print Email The Crease Fly was first introduced to me by Joe Blados. Joe is an avid salt water fly fishing guide, an innovative fly tier, and someone who is always eager to chat about fishing. Joe guides out of the Long Island area and is very familiar with what big blues and stripers like to eat. Additonally, Joe never seems to be at a loss for something innovative and is currently experimenting with some unique ideas involving artwork related to fishing. As a guide, Joe spends a lot of his time chasing blues and stripers around Long Island Sound and this pattern remans one of his favorite "go to" flies. Read More...View Comments (0) Flyfishing for Puppy Drum in the Virginia Beach Inlets By Cory Routh Published: October 13, 2006 Print Email View Comments (0) |
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A July morning last year I was on the flats and it was no different than any other, mullet and mudminnows (or gudgeons) were swimming everywhere. As I stealthily poled my boat across the flats I noticed the shoulder wakes of several puppy drum. I quickly traded my pushpole for my flyrod and cast just ahead of the torpedo like wakes. After a few strips, wham! The drum took the fly and headed for deeper water. After a quick battle I released a lovely 6-pound fish. In less than an hour I boated about ten Puppy drum on this flat. This story sounds just like any other inshore red drum trip, except this one takes place in Virginia Beach. 
