I really love tying flies, sometimes I wonder if its the fishin' or the tyin' that keeps me interested. No doubt, the jolt of piscine aggression on light line is exciting enough, but knowing that an artificial concoction of my own design can penetrate defenses that have been honed by a million or more years of evolution is...well...amazing.
With my triumphant return to a near-normal fishing schedule, I dusted off the fly tying bench and started to restock essential patterns. All fine and dandy, but I realized after digging through my entire selection of dubbing, that I just didn't have the "right" color to match a particular pattern that has been drifting through the riffles of my imagination.
Wouldn't you know that I recently purchased a dubbing mixer (aka--coffee grinder) so that I could start making my own dubbing (my inspiration comes from this guy). I was going to wait until I could purchase a few skeins of yarn and appropriate hydrophillic mammal skins to start my adventure into dubbing manufacturing. But in my digging, I noticed that I had a few packages of Angora goat and some left over beaver fur, just a few of the components that I need to break in my new mixer.
1 part sheared beaver fur...
...2 parts olive Angora goat...
...mix well...
...allow to cool for 30 seconds and serve.
Overall, I am pretty happy with the result. The Angora was always a bitch to use and required a dubbing loop since it is so very slippery. I was never really satisfied with the dubbing loop application of Angora and the flies I tied with it always lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.
Application of my first custom dubbing, It'll catch fish I think
The photograph above shows the new stuff in action, a earth-toned dubbing with a hint of olive (exactly the color I wanted) that actually sticks to the thread and has enough "spike". Not bad for my first try, I can't wait to start experimenting with colors and textures in the apothecarium. I think it looks better than the commercial stuff that, by weight, costs more than saffron (see below).
Commercial dubbing, it just looks so uniform and blah in comparison
Its been a while since I felt the pull of a fish; nearly 1.5 years if my calculations are correct. This year I have been hell-bent on returning to some normalcy of fishing, throwing caution to the wind for the first time since moving to New England and purchasing a fishing license prior to the (almost annual) trip to Maine.
Showing off my roll-casting skills to my wife and daughter
There's a pond not far from the house, located in a local reservation. We walk with the dogs and kid there year round. Its been ice-free for about a month now and while I was on a routine dog walk last week, I saw a pod or two fish swimming in a shallow, dark bottomed cove. I returned this week to see midges galore and dimples across the surface. And wouldn't you know, Micropterus can get all excited when teensy-weensy's are popping off!
Mr Bucket-mouth in the flesh, objects may appear smaller...
I'd like to go into detail about how they were sipping crippled emerges and required near perfect 30' roll-casts....but I'd be telling a story. But hey, it beats fishin' and not catchin'. In addition to that fish breaking my fish-less slump, it also suggested that something "more toothy" might inhabit my local pond. The battle scars along its flank a pretty good sign that something Esox might be in my future...
This weekend was my birthday, so I shelved the guilt over submitting the next manuscript or preparing the weeks genetics lecture and went fishing. I am new to New England (~3 years) and since I have only fished 2 streams prior to this weekend, anywhere I decided to go would be an adventure. Based on some research, and the indication that there were wild brook and brown trout to be found, I decided to head to the Quinapoxet River.
One of the great birthday presents from my wife and daughter
After about an hours drive west of my home, I arrived stream-side and casually walked down the nearest path to view the stream. I was pleasantly surprised to find what appeared to be a very nice looking, wild trout stream.
The Lower Quinapoxet, just above Wachuset Reservoir
I rigged up, donned my waders, and set forth with the greatest of enthusiasm. I chose a section to start the days fishing not far from the car. It was a beautiful run with good depth and numerous large cobble and small boulder to provided small pockets that, I was sure, would hold some really hungry (its been a long winter) brook trout. I began with the usual dark-bodied, non-specific nymph and added some split shot to help get the fly down close to the bottom. The stream looked to be bank-full and was flowing well and it was very clear.
Fantastic trout habitat on the Quinapoxet
A few hundred drifts later through that run, and the next few heading upstream, plying every available nook and cranny produced no takes. No big deal really, I noticed a few folks parked back at the gate and figure somebody had already fished through and given these fish lock-jaw. So I moved on, hiking a mile or so away from the parking lot.
Another great run on the Quinapoxet
Lets just say that I probably walked and fished ~85% of the stream over the day and never even saw a fish other than a few blacknose dace in backwaters. I did however witness a fairly impressive hatch of little black stoneflies (probably Taeniopterx) and I did see female stoneflies laying eggs in runs and the tail-outs of pools. There appeared to be enough flies on the water that I thought I might just see a few fish rising, but it never happened.
Little black stoneflies (probably Taeniopterx) were hatching all day
I am not easily deterred, so I kept at it and continued to hike higher and higher into the watershed. I did notice along the way a few small feeder streams that I am sure keep this stream very cool during the warmer months. I explored a few and dapped a fly or two into some of the deeper pools, still no luck there either.
A small, tannin-stained feeder stream
And there was lots of beaver activity in and around the stream. I actually saw the remains of one beaver pond that looked like it had been recently destroyed, perhaps by high water after all of the snow melted this year.
There are some fierce beavers up here in New England
Overall it was a good day. It has been a long time since I last fished all day and my right arm and wrist were pretty tired by the end of the day. Even though I didn't see any trout all day, it was nice to get to know a new stream. I didn't bring my thermometer and I suspect that the water was still a bit cool, there was still a good bit of snow pack left in the woods. I'll have to come back once things really get going later in the spring and during early summer. Apparently, a few other New England anglers had the same luck. But hey, that is why the call it fishing and not catching!
"Speaking to the Ministry officials in Dar es Salaam during his working tour, last week, Kikwete said the order is meant to give a room for the fish species to increase after over fishing. He said fish had disappeared from the lake.
Victoria is the large. round-ish lake in the center
Nile Perch (Lates niloticus)
Well ain't that a bitch. Nile Perch are exotic and invasive in Lake Victoria, introduced in the 1950s to supplement native, sustenance fisheries (which didn't need it). This introduction lead to the decimation of the very diverse cichlid fauna (>500 of species) that evolved there over the last few million years.
When teaching ichthyology and/or evolutionary biology, I often cite the radiation of Haplochromin cichlids in Lake Victoria (and other East African rift lakes) as one of the few examples of sympatric speciation...
...and the introduction of Lates and subsequent extinction of cichlids as one of the worst environmental disasters to have occurred on the planet, of which there are (sadly) too many examples.
"fish biomass of the lake has decreased from 80% to less than 1% since the introduction of the Nile perch, and that some 65% of the Haplochromis species were driven to extinction in the process, an event which may well represent the largest extinction event amongst vertebrates in the 20th century (link)"
So, not only did we destroy one of the most amazing, real-world evolutionary/ecological experiments on the planet but now that damn plague-of-a-fish is going extinct too! (I'm ignoring the economic impacts to the $250 million East African fishing industry).
I am going to have to agree with (and severely paraphrase from memory) something that one of my very good fishing buddies (and former college advisor) said...
"Those with intentions of "improving" should never be allowed within 1000 feet of an aquatic ecosystem..."
Lake Victoria is and continues to be a very large and obvious example of this statement.
Are we entering a postmodern age fly fishing? Has modern-day fly fishing become too complicated and caused some disillusioned anglers to embrace a "...pure, effective and simpler method of fly-fishing." Now, I have to admit that I have been under a veritable rock when it comes to keeping my finger on the pulse, progress, and trends that have emerged in fly fishing over the last few years. However, this postmodern approach to fly fishing, this simpler approach called Tenkara, has caught my attention (even if I am several years late in recognizing it).
So how does Tenkara attempt to make angling with small, artificial lures comprised of metal, feathers, and string more simple? First and foremost, Tenkara fly fishing rods do not have reels or ferrules. You got that? To purify, simplify, and rid yourself of modern fly fishing baggage you must forsake and give up reels and ferrules! And to think that I was half way to fly fishing enlightenment; my reel is just a fancy line holder. For me, and the diminutive fish that I pursue, the reel just does not serve any useful purpose (note to self, don't buy anymore fancy disc-drag models). And ferrules, oh those damn ferrules! They are many and have confused me for so long! Good thing I don't use one of those packable rods!
Now that's a lot of ferrules!
And really, what makes Tenkara more pure? Well, one of the literal translations of Tenakara is "from heaven" and it is hard to argue with heavenly things being impure. (however, I prefer this translation). The suggestion that Tenkara is "Like meditation or martial arts..." certainly conjures images in my mind of a fly fishing sensei, in his mountaintop Dojo, teaching his followers to look within and clear the mind, body, and soul of Western fly fishing practices. As a bonus, by practicing Tenkara, we might be able to give up meditative exercises like yoga (yay! more time to fish) and hopefully obtain the equivalent of a black belt in fly fishing (who needs that FFF fly casting certification now). Awesome, I always wanted to be a ninja!
Now any good movement in America must have appropriate marketing, right? What better way to support the air of simplicity attributed to Tenkara and attract would be followers than to offer a wonderfully simple website? In my opinion, and kudos to the designers, the whole place exudes simplicity, from the slimmed down, two-toned-ish color scheme to the one and two word phrases that describe gear and technical resources (of which there are very few; simple). Honestly, there is almost nothing confusing about that site; it might just be the essence of simple.
In the same vein, the promotional videos are well done and go a long way in adding to the simplicity vibe of Tenkara (kudos, again, to developers/producers). I personally favor the one where the Tenkara USA developer is siting on a rock having a conversation with the audience while casting gently over a riffle and professing the simplicity of it all. The whole thing struck me as sublime and almost perfectly simple.
Ok, Ok sometimes the the fly fishing industry can overly complicate things and can go too far. But have we really come to the point where fly fishing, as a hobby, sport, or past time, really deserves a reactionary, "pull back and find our roots movement"? Has it become necessary to shed the mortal coil of Western fly fishing and elevate our angling experience? Is Tenkara a postmodern reaction? Maybe it is...
All poking, prodding, and sarcasm aside, I freely admit that Tenkara is probably a very effective mountain stream technique. In fact, I am sure that it is deadly effective in those environments. After all, the approach was developed by Japanese commercial fisherman and if there is one thing that I know, anything that was developed by someone trying to make money or feed themselves will perform with maximum efficiency.
I just don't think that fly fishing, Eastern or Western, should be promoted as some kind of existential experience. Fly fishing is just another approach to angling. It is an attempt to trick, control, and capture, even for the briefest of moments, another living creature. I am convinced that angling fills some basic human instinct for hunting and gathering. As fisherman, I guess we are lucky that we can practice catch and release to fulfill this basic human urge (hunters can too!) without having to clean and cook all the fish we catch.
Maybe I am just a little jealous and a bit too jaded. Truly, I wish I would have though of it first. Cashing in on the disillusioned is good capitalism, am I right? Anyway, I know I will be looked down upon by the enlightened few because I cling to my rod with a reel and ferules. I think I'll just stick to my complicated, Western approach and keep on fishing in low-top converse sneakers, carrying my fly box in my back pocket, and using my plastic fly line that is brand new except for the last 10 or so feet.
Some of my top, go-to fly patterns imitate terrestrial insects. Trout, and other fishes, often can't resist these chunky morsels of protein. In terms of the amount energy that a fish receives from consuming a mayfly compared to a Japanese beetle is the equivalent of comparing a soy bean to a T-bone steak. Fishes have evolved to maximize the cost-benefit relationship between energy used to consume prey vs. the energy benefit of consuming that prey. This evolutionary inertia can be so strong that it is possible to catch trout in the dead of winter using terrestrials patterns even when the insects they imitate are not active or available. Here are a few of my favorite floating patterns (tied by yours truly).
Steeves' Firefly
Furled-body Cricket (can be used wet or dry)
Disc-ant (can be made high-vis by adding drop of fluorescent paint to rear disc)
Seriously, I promise, I had great intentions when I started this blog. I am going to redouble my efforts , however, and try to at least get a few of my thoughts into words on this little piece of electronic real estate.
In my own defense, I have been busy. Not fishing, unfortunately, but participating in some mundane career building activities. Lately, most of my time has been spent finishing up some manuscripts for publication. I also completely revamped my academic application materials and sent those out to a local college.
On the fun side, the wife and I are on spring break and we have been taking the dogs and the kid hiking a lot. It is getting warmer every day here in Massachusetts, which reminds me (panic!) that I need to buy my fishing license!
Me, much younger, in Mexico with a new species of Scartomyzon.
