Tying Game Changers & Spring 2021

Have been tying game changers for a few days and to say they are easy is a plus BUT it's the darn material that is very hard to first understand then find a place that has it all. You will need the following to start: Thread- Black or White Danville's 140 denier flymaster plus+ Body- Fish Skull Articulated Fish Spines in the following 1-FS-AS-FSTS Tail Shank 1-FS-AS-FS 10 mm Spine 1-FS-AS-FS 15 mm Spine 1-FS-AS-FS 20 mm Spine The above is for normal trout size you could add a 25 mm Spine for a larger size to use in the fall Tail is a combo of marabou and any flash material, and body wrap Body wrap- Just Add Water Streamer Brush in 1/2", 3/4" and 1", this is from Just Add Water H2O, S. Africa. The Caddis Fly Shop in OR has all you will need. OR any good old hen saddle will make great bodies, just keep the feathers getting larger as you tie up the larger shanks. Hooks- Gamakatsu B10S #4 or #2 for the larger ones Eyes to get down - brass or lead double puple eyes tied on the botton of the B10S Head- Senyo's Laser Dub to match body or add a contrast. The tying is pretty easy just watch a video to understand how to insert the tail shank to get started, you will go thru material so make sure you get enough. Fish Skull offers a starter kit (of shanks and tail section only) and I suggest that's what you start with till you decide that you want to really get creative. Make sure you have a good bobbin that does not fray the thread as one of my new ones did! I bought a few new bobbins to load thread for larger flies so I didn't have to change thread often, well both of the new ones are sharp on the tips thereby rendering them crap. Becareful when wraping the brush material on, keep it at a 90 degree angle to the hook and you'll get a full look if not you'll end up with a section that is not full and the proper size. These are to get lager in size as you work your way up the shanks. Well for a time it looked as if we would get a low or normal water year this spring till Saturday and Sunday as we had 1" each day/night and Penn's is now over 2k cfs! It was a nice Spring with Grannoms and a few Hendirckson just coming off on Fishing Creek, Grannom's were also on Spring Creek as Penn's was getting into it as well. Well you'll just have to wait a bit longer to get back to it.

A Passing to Remember

Sad news hit me last night as I learned of the passing of Russ Bowersox, gone is a friend that I have known for well over 50 years, we spent time in physics class at Sunbury High School then went our seperate ways with our lives but fly fishing brought us together again. We spent many hours fishing Penn's 40 years ago, both of us loved "Briar Patch" hole, him so much he named one of his dogs "Briar". Russ loved to hop in his old willys and go to different streams to explore, Fishing Creek in Clinton Cty. was always a good landing spot. Fot some reaon he call me "Pie" and my daughter "little pie"? In his later years he stopped fishing and just did garden and cooking at his cabin at Cherry Run, his failing health kept him for his love of fly fishing. He will be missed by many, hopefully the pain of not being able to breath is gone and he is standing knee deep in a trout stream now and forever.

Just a bit high!

Given the very nice temps we have been feeling this past couple of days it's no wonder all our streams are running high. Penn's leads the pack with 1100 plus cfs and Spring Creek at 120 plus cfs, Fishing Creek is about the only option for us now, given that it is in that deep valley the sun really does not hit it that well but you can be sure the water temp. is really down there, fish slow and DEEP! We have been seeing Olives and a good amount of Midges on Spring for the past few weeks but again not on all the sections, you have to drive and look before you comit to a section. Olives have been 18-20 with emergers being the best pattern, get your fly in the film! Midge have been 26 Black down winged along with Grif's Gnats that are not over hackled. Years ago I had a habit of over hackling my Grif's and had a heck of a time with leader twist along with my habit of using very light tippet. Now days I keep my hackle length to just a bit above the bottom of the bend and have been using 6x Trout Hunter for my tippet and have had not leader twisting at all. If you want to see a great deal of midge eating take a look under the "new" concrete bridge downstream from Paradise, what the British call smutten rises, I often hang a #26 pupa under my floating midge pattern and just watch to see if my leader moves, it is great fun and will fill you afternoon with a warm feeling. If Penn's was down the trun below Stan's bridge would be loaded with midge eaters. There have been a ton of black stones aroung and a small black PT nymph will do the trick. Still tying and cleaning out fly boxes and getting everywith in order for the spring hatches, winter fishing does not have you carry a ton of patterns, easy choice.

Still tying and watching YouTube

Now on to "game changers" doing both streamer brush and feather changers, it's a bit of a struggle to start till you get the proper materials that you feel comfortable with. Hen back is the best for feather changers and I have found that Renzitti's "streamer brush" in 1/2" or the 1" will get you where you want for brush changers for trout. If your looking for much larger changers then look for Blain Choccletts (sp.) changer body material but be aware that you'll be tying on much longer spines. If your not sure you'll like to do many of them then opt for a starter pack from Flymen Fishing Co., it has just enough to get started and I'll bet that you have some hen backs just waiting to be used. Another super guy on YouTube is Hopper Juan Ramerze, he ties some of the best and simple small Baetis nymphs that I have seen, easy and very simple materials used. Give him a try and I think you'll like his style. On another note I am still seeing a lot of younger guys that are hell bent on making fly fishing harder than it has to be, do this and do that with crap that is nothing but a 45 year old "high stick" nymphing technique. I do like the new idea of putting the weight on the bottom of the rig with the two flies up from it, that way you should ony loose the weight!? And keep in mind only some guys that fish Penn's use the commercial rig using "3" nymphs there by foul hooking most of their fish! We are seeing robins in the back yard and some flowers pushing up thru the snow, so think better weather to fish midges or olives- soon.

Watch this!

I have always loved to watch guide Mike Kirkpatrick's films from NZ on YouTube and he has another great one "Fly Fishing Freedon (Large Browns in NZ) just released. The film is just over an hour and shows him and Hans catching browns from 7 to 10 lbs in a majestic valley, just to watch them cast 12 to 18' leaders with accuracy and then fight those fish is just magic. Watch how they control the fish with the angle of their rods in respect to the fish and where they want them to go, remember where the head goes so does the body. Now I'm not suggesting that we have fish that large here but it sure helps learning how to control fish even in our part of the contry. The line he says in the film really hits home, "fight them hard to release them hard" is well said. A great tip of the hat to the Spring Creek Chapter of TU for making their monthly meeting virual and available to everyone, good content and informative subjects. Also noted is IFF for making all their content on line available to even nonmembers, their last session on Iceland was just wonderful, give them both a try and you'll be kept up to date. Loon also has some really good videos available as does Simms. Patagonia has a ton but most are not related to fly fishing but still better than cable TV. Still tying a ton of flies and looking where to give them away, any ideas where we can help out those in need would be welcomed.

New items of interest

A few years ago I got an item from Patagonia that was designed for kyak people, it was a heavy fleece top that had midweight fleece below the waste and a heavy fleece on the top with midweight sleeves, it was really easy to tuck it into your waders and not look like you were a fat shit. Patagonia only had it for one season and gone, my buddy wanted me to sell it to him but no thanks was my answer, I use it all winter and in the cold fall days. Well Simms now has something close " Simms Exstream Bicomp Hoddy" not quite the same as Patagonia but looks as if it will work just fine, not cheap at $200.00 but it will keep you warm without looking like the Michilan man! Another great find is "Anadromous Fly Company".com these guys have a great selection of scissors and bobbins for fly tying at great prices, I got a bunch and am happy with the quality, not thant you might find a few slight flaws in the finish but the overall quailty to good. Scissors work just fina as do their glass insert bobbins. The ony problem so far has bee the stinking USPS delevery time sucks but ti does with everyone else but Amazon. Go fish soon!

Did you ever understand?

The other day I was at Spring Creek getting ready to fish when some idiot walked up and started to talk about how cold it is, gees as if I didn't know. He said that he just could not take the cold anymore, he was out most of the morning. His car was parked near mine and he started to get his gear off and when he took his waders off he started to complain about being cold, well the wonder of it all the dumb ass had blue jeans on under his waders. Anyone who ventures out in the colder months of the year has to understand that you never wear any thing cotton under your waders, they hold in moisture and make you colder with it near your skin. You need to wear a layer or two of good quality long underwear, Patagonia or Simms has them in lightweight, midweight or heavyweight, I use two layers one of lightweight and one of heavyweight under my waders and the same with my socks, I also go up one shoe size to give my feet some room to develope heat. I see this behavior time and time again. This dude had some nice equipment and a good rod and reel so why the dumb idea not to be smart about what to wear. The fishing was slow and deep, scuds and very small PT's were the order of the day, no midges or olives made the present felt!