O' Thank Heavens

       O' thank heavens for the end of the college semester. I can take a breath, do some fishing, tie some flies, and enjoy family and friends during the holidays.
       One of my jobs takes me up and down the eastern part of the state. By chance I happened to drive through Hancock, NY. For those of you that do not know, Hancock is between the West and East Branch of the Upper Delaware River. Unfortunately, I was not aware I would be crossing this wonder of a river, so I was not fully prepared.
         I only had about an hour to fish between appointments. I pulled into the Shehawken boat launch and it was somthing I was not used to...............Not a car in the lot. Well except mine.

       I know I only had my hip waders, which limited my wade ability, my 4wt, and small nymphs. Not exactly what I wanted to toss in the monster D. I quickly got dressed and then I saw something. My 9wt Scott and my meat box. Hmmmm............ 9wt is overkill, but what the heck, I want to toss meat. That is exactly what I did. It produced zip. What the hell though, I made a day of 6 hours of driving, into a day on the Delaware.
      I picked up a Olympus Tough 800 off of Ebay, so I could mess around with underwater shots. Here are the first pictures from the camera.

6 inches of pure Muppet Baby

Downstream of Shehawken

Little blurry, but will work on it. The rest of the shots are just me trying to take pretty pictures lol

     

Fiberglass Manifesto's 12 Days of Christmas

I just wanted to pass this awesome giveaway on to my friends. The awesome sauce over at the Fiberglass Manifesto are giving away some FANTASTIC prizes from dealers up above. Heck, today he gave away 2 custom fiberglass rods! Jump on this ASAP. Additionally, Bug Slinger is giving away stuff, and they sound like Bug Flinger.

Tying Kinda Mood

I told you guys in my first blog post that I was a lazy tier and it is true. However, when I get in a groove, I love it. I saw this pattern in the new Fly Tyer Magazine and really wanted to try it out. Especially, since George Daniel did a little blog post on Pa Fly Fish about large nymphs in the winter. Hope you guys enjoy!
Double Bead StoneFly                                              
Hook: Dai Riki 700 streamer 4x long Size 8                                     
Thread: Danville 6/0 black                                                              
Dubbing: Hairline Custom BlendDub Brown Stone            
Rib: Small Brown D rib
Beads: 2 Tungsten Copper Finished Beads
Legs: Brown Goose Biot's
Wingcase: Turkey Tail 

The Golden Stonefly's dubbing is a custom blend of a 1/3 of each.; Fly Dk (Slovokia) Spectra Orange, Yellow, and Beaver pale yellow.  The legs are brown and black barred Silli legs. You  can find the dubbing at Kevin Compton's Performance Flies. Also, I added 8 wraps of square lead from the first bead at the back, towards the tail. I then squeezed it with a pliers to widen and flatten it. This gives the body a flat wide look, once you dub over it. Instead of the small D rib, I used silver wire for the rib.

Christmas Time, That's Right, I Said Christmas God Damn It!

      It's that time of the year again. Hoping your special someone actually buys you something fly fishing related, right? Well, usually you just buy your own crap, least that's what I do. My wife bought me the Xmas tree ornament, and that will be the closest thing she buys me fly fishing related. Hope your spouse or significant other does a little better than mine.
      This week has been really hectic. The fall semester at the college is really putting pressure on me, and I have not been able to get out on my local streams. Does not help It poured down rain for 24 hours straight either. So, I do not think I missed much. I wanted to get out today, but I had to do the family thing. Kids, wife and I spent the early afternoon looking for Charlie Browns Christmas tree. Found it, hung my ornament on the tree, and began tying flies.
       I am in a "Holiday" fly swap on Pa Fly Fish. The theme is soft hackles. Believe it or not, I have never tied soft hackles before. It really blows my mind, when I think about it. The reason being because I have not tried fishing soft hackles. I am going to make it a point this coming year though, to really work on my wet fly fishing. I need to, because I know how productive it can be.
       I decided to tie a BWO Biot Soft Hackle Emerger. I think it came out ok for my first time, but the hackle is a little long.

Hook: Size 14 Wet fly
Thread: UTC 8/0 Olive
Body: BWO Dyed Turkey Biot
Thorax: Fly DK (Slovenia) Classic 3/4 River Green mixed with 1/4 Fly Dk (Slovenia) Spectra Peacock Dubbing
Wing: European Winter Partridge

Magic Tool, WOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Petitjean, Whaaaat!!!

This showed up in my mail today, and I am pretty pumped. If I did not have a schnit load of homework to do, and tests to study for, I would be messing around with this. I love me some CDC. Absolutely floats the best, hands down. Specially if you use it in conjuction with some Tiemco Dry Magic. 

Magic Man

       If the Magic Tool and Tiemco Dry Magic got together one drunken night  after consuming a couple bottles of red wine( I know the chances are slim). I think John C. Reilly would be the end result. 
     
 I love me some comedy movies.

Day Out With The Cuzo

Want to Wrestle?

 I do not get to fish with my cousin much anymore. He is off at college in Williamsport, trying to pick up chicks and drinking beer. I am off at college down the street from my house, trying to convince the wife, that there is no way I would even think about picking up chicks at college. So, when he comes home for the holidays, we make a point to get out and fish.
      The picture to the left is not from today, it is from the first day of trout season. I had to include it in this post, because I love making fun of him and his dirty upper lip. What the hell is that thing? Freakin Nacho Libre holding a mutant Japanese radiation trout.
        Anyways, with all the local streams still blown out, our only option was to head back to the Little Lehigh. I said this in my last post, but I really do not like the LL. I tend to enjoy streams where the wild brown population is a little larger. If you do not know about this stream, it has a hatchery on its banks. Guess what happens when we get a good flood? Yep, stockies galore. Now, my cousin on the other hand,  he just likes catching fish.

Nick Getting Ready

       We planned on arriving at the stream around noon. Figured the fishing would pick up when the water begins to warm. One problem, I talked to Mike from Dub The Thorax, the night before, and he said he would be showing up at the stream around 8:30. Well, I did not want to miss the chance to out fish him.
      Once we arrived, we greeted Dub, and split up to find fish. Nick and I shot down stream and Mike went upstream to the kiddie pool. Things started really slow, as I expected. The cold air and water temperatures had the trout hugging the bottom of the stream. Not interested in the junk we were flinging.

UUUUUGGGGLLY

      If you get a chance at fishing this stream, make sure you take some time and fish downstream of the bridge at the Heritage section. I wanted to take pictures, But I did not want Nick to think I was some kind of paparazzi. We did not pick anything up down there, but the water just looks real fishy. Lots of good chutes and riffles. Damn, wish I took some pictures, sorry guys.
       We met back up with Mike and he did not have much luck either. We began working back upstream. I finally was able to pick this ugly bastard up on a PT. Dubbed picked up two on his worm thing, that he just had a naming contest for. I missed a couple and Mike called it a day. Think it was about 11 when he decided to go home and get bugged by his wife. He made a mistake. I jumped up to the next chute. with a large tree down in it. It forms a really nice riffle and some slack water. Looks like this.

       The first cast I would tell you to make at this set up, is toss at the seam of the slack and riffle, right at the point of the downed tree.

 I did just that, and this 16 inch rainbow gave me a good fight. A stockie, but not as ugly as the first one. This hole produced another six bows for me. I took pictures of all of them, but how many stupid stocked rainbows with light pink micro eggs in their mouths do you want to look at? I lost my egg and decided to throw on the infamous pink worm. First cast and I was pleasantly surprised with this little brown. Wild? Stocked? I dunno, but it was something different and pretty.

Tired of beating that little riffle to a pulp, I jumped up above the tree and began to annihilate bows. Ipw's and light pink micro eggs were on fire. I could not toss in my line without a fish attacking it. My cousin, who was upstream began working back down. He sat on the other side of the stream and began to have the same luck. I probably pulled 7 or 8 bows from there, and missed a bunch more. One of those bows was on the rubber legged PT, I tied up the other day. I would put up a tutorial on it, but it is just a pheasant tail with rubber leggs. Not very hard to tie. I like to use it as my anchor fly.

So, from about 11 till 2:30 it was just ridiculous fishing. Only way it could be better, would be for it to be up on top, and wild fish. The fishing seemed to shut down around 2:30 and even though my cousin picked up one or two more on the way out. Staying till 4 was not worth it.
        O BTW, do you remember what time  planned on showing up there? Yea, that is right. Right when the fishing became good. Yea well, it was a nice morning to be on the stream. Just wish the jogger hatch was a little better.

Nacho Libre Bids You Farewell, Till Next Time.

The First of Many

11lb Pig Bowzilla w/ My Son Mason

I guess I should introduce myself to you guys, such we all will become best friends, and dance into the sunset together, ya know? First, my name is Shane, and as my little thingy on the side of the blog says, I am 29. I have two wonderful children (one is a demon I swear, but not <----- one).  I am currently in college, too become an elementary teacher. I have three jobs, one is a position as a seasonal fly casting instructor with L.L. Bean, but I am off there till the Spring. Also, I am a property adjuster and a prek teacher. Further, I am on the board of directors for the Western Pocono TU, president of the teacher association at the college, on the leadership committee for the college, and a bunch of other crapola that makes me look special. I am really not though, because I have only been fly fishing for a year and a half, and that's all you guys really care about (my wife hates me, because of all of this though). It is why you are reading my junk. However, I pick things up pretty quick and have had some great tutorage. Mainly from my buddy Ed.
    Ed is my sensei and the guy who has not only taught me how to fly fish, but how to lash feathers to a hook. I have met most of my fishing  buddies on PA Fly Fish. I highly recommend it as a place to check out if you want to learn a thing or two, or to meet some new people to fly fish with.

Sensei Ed

    I am going to answer the one question I know you all are wondering. Shane, why are you going to take on the good fight of starting a bog? Well, it is a great question guys. I never was a big follower of blogs, and really had no interest in starting one. Still, I began reading two blogs that are friends of mine. The first one is Dub The Thorax, and the other is LV Limestoner. Both are fantastic reads. One is written by Mike aka Dub. I fished with him a couple times and he posted about me in his greatness. Who does not love reading about themselves on the internet? The other is Gary aka Gfen. He is a crabby mother f'r, but is very funny. I have met both of them through PA Fly Fish. See what I said about meeting people on there? Anyways, I started reading their awesome sauce and started picking up the blogs that they like. Through those people I read others and came to the conclusion that there is some real crap out there. I won't name the blog, but it made me realize, "hey, this mentally challenged individual is making a couple bucks and getting some free stuff off of their schnit, why can't I? So, here I am writing to you guys while I lay on my couch, and my two rugrats are watching Dino Dan.

Perfect water

    Now, I have told you about myself and I figure I should provide you with my first fishing story for the beginning of my blog life.  Yesterday (Thanksgiving) Ed called me to see if I wanted to go fishing the next day (today) at the Little Lehigh. Even though I am not a big fan of the LL I still wanted to fish. Additionally, it was supposed to be a beautiful day and it was. I texted Dub to see if he wanted to join us, but he was afraid the water would not be in ideal fishing conditions, such we had a ton of rain two days ago.  HE WAS WRONG. He did tell me that if I decided to go, I should toss rubber legged nymphs and micro eggs. Both things I did not have in my box. Another thing you need to know about me, is that I am a lazy tyer. Not that my flies do not look good, but it takes some real motivation for me to sit down and tie.Usually, that motivation involves fishing the next day and not having what I think is going to work. Trusting Dubs tips, I sat down at the vise and tied some rubber legged pheasant tales and pink micro eggs. Dub's Micro Egg Video <------ Click here. I will post some pictures of the rubber legged PT later.

Yea, no Rod!!

Dave, The New Shop Owner

        Ed and I decided to meet at the Heritage section, because if the fishing was no good we could at least sit in the Heritage Fly Shop and tell fish stories with the rest of the old guys in there. I arrived before Ed, so I went into the shop to pick up some lead sinkers and check out the inventory. The shop itself is a landmark and if you have never been in there, you need to check it out. Especially, since Rod retired. Most of the people that have been in there when Rod was the owner, will tell you he was a grumpy old troll. Rod gave me casting lessons when I was 12 or 13 (that was the last time I held a fly rod till two summers ago), and even though he was a good teacher, he was never nice to me whenever I stopped in. The inventory in the shop is sparse, but somehow I was able to find some Beneechi 12/0 olive thread that I have been looking for, to tie some of Kevin Compton's Tungston Torpedo's. Happy with the score and with Ed still not having arrived. I decided to get suited up and start bloodying some lips. It did not take me long to find the fish. Thirty minutes in, I landed two bows and two pop off before I could bring them to net. Guess what patterns they chose? Yep, micro egg and the rubber legged PT.

9 inch Bow Chewing on The Rubber Legged PT

Guess Dub knew what he was talking about.

Look at that Stripe!

       As quickly as the fun started, it just as fast shut down. Dub texted me wondering how everything was going, and after I let him know it was great, I did not have another nibble the rest of the afternoon. Bastard jinxed me! Least that's what I will blame it on. After the text, I walked back to the shop to see if Ed had arrived. There he was was blabbing away. I know how he can be and decided to go back fishing, because  it would be awhile.
 As I walked up the path, I was stopped by a gentleman I met at the PAFF Jam, KeithS on the forum. We talked for a little, exchanged some flies. and wished each other luck. Obviously, I did not receive any luck with the skunking I took the rest of the day

KeithS Tying on Some Flies  

   When I came back to the shop to find Ed, to say good bye, there he was sitting in the shop. He never left. The day was over, but not without a stop at Cali Burrito, damn that place is good.


I will finish off my first post with some of the pictures from the day.

The Stretch

Behind The Shop

Pinky

Pinky's Water

No Bait Chuckers Here

I Had The Big Sur

Over a LB of Goodness