CHARM SCHOOL

Tying up a batch of Blue Charms and playing on the computer on a snow day here in Vermont:

Happy Holidays!

For the last few years, I've found it fun to come up with a fly dressed in Christmas-color finery.  Here's this year, and I hope all my friends have a wonderful holiday season!

And of course, best wishes for a safer, saner, 2013

With my very best regards,
Gary

Golden Pheasant to Dye for!

During the past several years, I've really gotten into dyeing my own fly tying materials, and especially, into the color claret.   One doesn't see much in the way of claret-dressed flies on the Miramichi, but that's changing, at least for me!

I have posted, in various places, photos of some of my claret-dyed Golden Pheasant skins.  Those postings created some interest in my "dye work", and I've been pleased to dye a few different items up for friends and acquaintances.  Two of those friends recently asked if I could dye them up a claret GP skin (or in Ben's case, 4 claret GP skins).  Happy to oblige!

First, I needed to find a batch of primo Golden Pheasant skins, preferably with head and wings still attached.  I wanted to buy 8 of them, but most fly shops, I found, have 2 or 3 on the shelf, but not 8.  I also wanted to be sure that all 8 were from the same supply house.  Golden Pheasant skins are finicky things; on one occasion I put two "extra select" skins in the dye bath.  One came out beautifully and completely intact; the other came out one feather at a time.

Enter Poppy at The Red Shed Fly Shop (www.redshedflyshop.com).  I have bought at least one two-hand rod from him, and a few lines and some materials in the past.  Great service, price and products every time.  Sent him an email, got one right back from, "8 skins no problem."  I had the skins in my grubby little hands two days later all the way from Poppy's shop in Peck, Idaho, and they were excellent, just what the doctor ordered.

 

 

Finding the claret color I was looking for took some time and experimentation and advice from others.   I finally settled on this dye (http://www.organicdye.com/industries/fly-fishing-dyes):

I have purchased several Whiting American capes dyed claret by Whiting in the past; this is virtually the same color, to my eye, that Whiting produces.

Harking back to my statement about the finicky nature of Golden Pheasant skins:  I played it safe, and never brought the dye bath to more than 175 degrees F.   The skins only needed to stay in the bath for 10 minutes.   I used a teaspoon of dye (probably overkill) in about a gallon of water.  I don't keep very accurate records....ok, ok, I don't keep any records....of my dye mixes, but I just did it and I have just enough short-term memory left to relate to you an accurate acounting of the mix.  Not likely that will happen again.  Oh, and I blow dry my skins right after giving them a soapy rinse bath.  And I'm most happy to report that ALL of the skins came out of the bath in one piece!

                                                       Click on the pics for larger versions!

So, now we need yer standard before and after photo set:
                                        
                                           Out of the package:

 



                                           Out of the bath:

The crests take on a particularly striking color.  Have to come up with a fly that does them justice!

And of course, we need the "whole pile of skins" shot (photo is "redder" than the skins actually are:

Claret-dyed Golden Pheasant makes for some pretty flies, and based on their success, atlantic salmon think they're pretty sweet, too!

Doing my own dyeing adds immeasurably to the joy I derive from the sport of fly fishing.  It wasn't hard to learn, and fortunately for me, is definately not rocket science.   And trust me, I did not do well in organic or biochemistry in grad school, so I have to say, just about anyone can do it.

Here are a few other little tidbits I've dyed for friends recently.  I think some fish will be fooled with this stuff!

And a little footnote:  My first post on this blog is dated March 13, 2011.  Since that time, and up to this minute, there have been 30, 378 visits to the blog!  Thanks for stopping by!!

September on the Miramichi, 2012

We headed up to New Brunswick on September 14th, a couple days earlier than originally planned so that Bridget and I could attend the Atlantic Salmon Museum's Hall of Fame Induction dinner in Doaktown on the 15th.  Our friends Renate Bullock and Joan Wulff were being inducted that evening, and I was pleased to have been asked to do the auction for the Museum that night.

There was a big crowd at the Curling Club in Doaktown, and it was good to hook up again with friends!  And it was wonderful to see women like Joan and Renate recognized for their many contributions to the sport of fly fishing and to atlantic salmon conservation. 

Renate on the podium:

Ted Rogowski, Joan Wulff, Renate Bullock and Bridget:

Of course, I wanted to duplicate this photo (of a couple years ago):

With a new one (and talk about a thorn between two roses!):

The auction was fun to do; everyone seemed to be in the spirit of the event.  The auction raised almost $11,000 for the Museum's programs, and overall, $22,000 was raised that evening, which will especially help their youth programs.

There was a nice heavy rain much of that day, and into the night.  The river was, as Renate put it, desperate low, so the rain was welcome.  Down at least 5 feet from when I was fishing in July!

We had been staying at a friend's camp (Jason Swayze)  Friday and Saturday night; Sunday we moved into our camp for the week on the Miramichi, the "Log Camp", owned by Vin Swayze and now used as part of Bullock's Lodge's operations.

Our friends Bob and Linda Warren and their setter, Molly (world's fastest English Setter!) were staying just across the way.  After getting settled into camp, it was time to go fishing Sunday evening.
Bob landed the first fish of the week on his Cutty Sark, #10.  It was after dark when the fish finally came to the net.

We started fishing in earnest Monday morning.  This was Bridget's second trip to the river with me, and she took little time to show us that all her practice casting on the lawn at home was worth the effort....Grilse On!!

The universal sign of success:

 

 





The River Queens pose for posterity!

That grilse took a #10 Glitter Bear tied low water style.  I tied one on the next day (no love up to that point for the Celtic Beauty, which did so well through the seasons last year) and hooked another grilse.....long line release, sad to say.

The weather was tyically New Brunswick...a little rain

a little sun:

 

I finally got into the act on a mid-week morning.  I was remembering back to 2010, when the water was low and slow and the Orange Sneaky became the fly 'o the week:

So I tied one on, so to speak, and hooked up on my very first cast mid-way through Home Pool!  I've really been enjoying casting my Loomis Stinger two hander...couldn't have reached this fish without it!

Dan Bullock got that last minute or so on tape...tense time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnqV4wliOyY&feature=plcp  (couldn't figure out how to embed it, sorry).  If I look a little tentative, it's because that's 6lb.  tippet out there!

What a beauty (great pic by Dan Bullock)!

One happy camper:

 

 



And she's ready to head up to Juniper:

Afternoons are always interesting around camp.  Today's lesson was about why maple leaves turn color in the fall:

Not to be outdone, Bridget hooked into her first-ever full tilt boogie salmon!

I'd say she's happy! (and a change of hat as a gesture of thanks to the fly's tyer...that would be me)!

She chose the fly for that session on the river:  Emmett Johnson's variation of the General Practioner, size 8 hook:

Blue turned out to be a lucky color late in the week (No, this was not my idea.)

She hooked into another salmon (we've started calling her TopRod).  She has a little trouble wading, so I was merely providing physical support.  No coaching from me, no siree.  Well, maybe the occasional "keep your rod tip up"....."keep your hand off the handle when its taking line"..."its gonna jump, lower your rod!"   You know, just some helpful hints.

We lost the fish, maybe a 10 pounder, at her feet.  I consider it a landed fish.  And you would, too!

All told, it was a great week in spite of very low water.  Bridget was top rod with 3 salmon hooked, two landed, and a grilse in hand.  I lost a couple grilse, but did land that beautiful, big hen.  Bob landed that nice salmon and I think a grilse or two.  Linda had a grilse on early in the week.

Autumn sunsets can be spectacular in New Brunswick, and this year was no different:

 

 

Just 7 more months and I'll be back.  Thanks so much to good friends Renate, Fred and Dan Bullock, Vin Swayze, and Bob and Linda Warren.  Hopefully (and I suspect it is so), a good time was had by all!

Cheers!

 

 

 



 

Inspiration is where ya find it!

I was enjoying my wildflower garden this cool Labor Day morning and noticed these newly emerged flowers.  They struck me as having great salmon fly colors.  I'm in the midst of tying a batch of Golden Pheasant Speys for our upcoming Miramichi trip, and thought I'd see how the colors translated into a salmon fly.  I like it!  Click on the pic for the big picture.

Golden Pheasant Spey (slight variant)

Tied these up for a Great Lakes Steelheader customer on A.J. 1.5 standard and heavy hooks.  They really soak up the material in that size!  For atlantics, I've never used anything larger than a 4, and usually a 6.  Incredibly effective fall pattern on the Miramichi, created by Bob Warren.  Photo of Bob's tie, and original pattern, in Bob Veverka's Spey Flies and How to Tie Them.

Bill's first fish on a fly

By way of background: Bill Hodge is among that very small group of people I call "friend."  In fact, he and I go back some 40 years, when we lived near Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY.   I'm pretty sure I went there, and I think he did, but I don't remember whether we graduated or not.  Wait, I know I didn't.  Don't know if Bill did or not.   Anyway, even back then (ca. 1972), we shared a disposition towards certain beverages from Scotland.





In case you're wondering, Bill is the one with the moustache.

Fast forward:  Bill has been a life-long gear fisherman, but since he started reading this blog, became mildly interested in the finer form of fishing, that which involves the fly.  He took the free Orvis half-day Fly Fishing 101 course at his local (that would be Buffalo) Orvis dealer, and took advantage of their generous discount to course-takers, purchasing their Clearwater outfit.  Lots of lawn casting apparently ensued.

Faster forward:  After several aborted efforts (usually due to me staying overlong in New Brunswick), Bill took the train to Albany where I picked him up for a few days stay here in Bennington, Vermont.   Point of trip:  take the Lund to Cossayuna Lake over in NY for some real fishing with the fly.  OK, popping bug.  Still fly fishing, though.

First thing I noticed was his reel was set to left hand retrieve, the way all good reels should be (heh heh, that'll raise some hackles).  Problem is, Bill's a lefty, so he needed right hand retrieve.  A simple enough operation on the Clearwater reel....IF you have the right fingernails.  We didn't.  So he coped with the issue.  (Note:  the guy at the Orvis shop in Buffalo, upon Bill's return, didn't have the right fingernails, either.  Fortunately, Orvis' cleaning lady did, and all became right with the world).

Once Bill began stopping his forward cast before the rod tip was touching the water, he was just booming his casts out there, and was popping that Sneaky Pete for all it was worth.  Eventually, the big reward...Bill's first fish on a fly:

Uh, well, actually, that's his second fish on a fly.  The first one didn't quite show up in the photo, if you know what I mean.

I think we both had a grand time both on the water, and just hanging out.  Although Bill has aged a little over the past 40 years.