Man Love

if there was anyone in the entire fishing world (fresh/salt or conventional/fly) that i would have a man love for, it would be John Skinner.  sure, i could have man crushes on guys like Jose Wejebe (RIP), Lefty Kreh, Bill Dance, and all the guys at Skinny Water Culture, but not man love.

John is the author of "Fishing the Bucktail, Mastering Bucktails from Surf and Boat", creator of FishersLog, and is a blitz of information.  (you gotta love a guy who creates software to analyze his fishing).  i had seen many references to John at Surfcaster's Journal, and i think even Zeno has a man crush on him.  i've never met John, but i would love to fish with him.  i'm sure my angling skills would quadruple in a matter of hours.



as some of you might remember (highly unlikely), that one of my 2013 goals is to catch my first fluke this year.  i'm all for catching stripers, blues, and albies, on the fly, but when my wifey says to bring home dinner...

i was doing countless hours of researching on the internet, and couldn't find what i was looking for.  and then...i stumbled on John Skinner's YouTube channel.    GOOOOOAAAALL!!!!

not only did he present the information that i was looking for, he freakin' just caught fish after fish.  and to top it off, he uploaded an underwater video showing the technique and the effectiveness.  what the whhaaaa???

all that being said, the reason why he is at the top of my list is because he seems like such the "salt of the earth" type of guy.  totally genuine, and just loves fishing.  nothing more.    check out his book, YouTube channel, etc....you won't regret it.

Let's Get Kinky!

i bought a hot pink marabou package from a local hobby/craft store, and i've been trying to find fly patterns that will help me use some of this stuff up.

i decided to tie up a couple kinky muddlers for the first time, and see if they'll trick some stripers.  here is the fly pattern i used, with the addition of the pink marabou collar.

King's Kinky Muddler

then, i found essentially the same concept by 'Jonny' at stripersonline.com.  click on the image to go to the forum page.

  

i tied two different versions.  one is the standard, and the second is a 'clouser' variation with dumbbell eyes, and it should swim hook up.




not bad for the first attempt, but not great.  here are my thoughts:

1) i think i need to add a bunch more marabou to get the same pink effect.  mine is looking a little sparse.  i think it's due to the quality of the craft store marabou.  there is too much of the unusable webby portion of the feather.  it works well with some patterns (e.g. used for some pink dubbing), but not for this one.

2) i realized that i don't like this pattern (although i haven't fished one before), mostly because it takes so long to tie, and uses so much material.  i could replace the synthetic, kinky hair with deer belly hair and it would be so much quicker to tie...although just as messy.

3) i'm going to see how they fish, and if they get me a little luvin', then i'll tie some more with more pink.

anybody have any ideas what other patterns i could tie using the pink marabou?

2013 Goals: Get'm Done!

well, 2013 has started off pretty slowly, but at least i was able to end 2012 right.  in December, my goal was to catch some atlantic herring, so i could live line them and see if i could get a holdover striper.

i did a little research, and found out that most people use sabiki rigs to catch herring.  from what i've read, once you've found a school, they're pretty easy to catch.

i decided to tie up my own sabiki rig, seeing as how they didn't look that complicated, and i had all the necessary materials on hand.  i used 6' of 18 lb Rio Hard Mono Saltwater for the main leader line, from which i made 6 dropper loops, and then used about 4-6" of 12 lb Rio Hard Mono Saltwater for each dropper line.  i decided to use the Rio Hard Mono Saltwater mono here so that i could prevent as much tangling as possible.  for the weight, i used a 1 oz kastmaster without the treble hook.  most people use a bank sinker, but i thought the extra flash would help attract some fish.  then i tied 2 different flies, 3 of each.

Red Rocket Minnow
hook: Mustad 3366A - size: 8
thread: Danville 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon - red
tail: white feathers from sofa cushion, pearl krystal flash, Celebrate It Metallic Crinkly - iridescent

Simple Glow Shrimp
hook: Eagle Claw ML226N Octopus - size: 8
thread: Danville 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon - chartreuse
tail: glow in the dark fibers
body: pearl estaz

Red Rocket Minnow

Simple Glow Shrimp

from what i've heard through the grapevine, there are boat slips 2 minutes from my house that is usually a good place to catch herring this time of year.  when i arrived around sunrise, there were 5 other guys (mostly Russian, i think) already there, all fishing off the end of this slip, within 5 feet of each other.  as i joined the group, i realized these guys are braving the cold to bring food home, and less for sport.  i knew then that i wanted to try eating one.  forget the striper...after all, herring must taste good if people risk frostbite for them.

the technique: cast, let the rig sink until you hit bottom, then reel in slowly, dragging the weight across the bottom.  every few seconds i would twitch the rod a bit, then reel in the slack.  it was not rocket science.  i ended up catching 6 herring in 1 hour time (only one of the other guys was out fishing me).  the hit ratio was 2:1 in favor of the Red Rocket Minnow.

once i got home, i filleted them, and pickled them for 2 weeks.

toasted wheat bread, sour cream, pickled herring, diced onions, celery leaves, and lemon juice.

finally, without much ado, here is my 2013 fishing goals (in no particular order):

1. in the Spring, i want to catch more white perch on the fly, and eat them grilled.
2. i heard that the local reservoir has monster carp.  in the spring and summer, i want to hunt a few down with a fly, ideally using a crayfish pattern.  
3. in April and May, i hope to catch a striper on the flats, sight fishing from my kayak, and using a crab fly.
4. i want to catch from my kayak, black sea bass for the first time, and cook them whole.
5. i want to catch from my kayak, blackfish for the first time.
6. i want to catch from my kayak or from the shore, flounder/fluke and make fish tacos.
7. i want to catch lobster, and make an herby lobster roll.
8. i want to go clamming locally and use them to make linguini con le vongole, with red pepper flakes.w

they're not that ambitious, but very reasonable goals with one 17 month son and another due in the summer.  

more to come, so stay salty,

XXA

Typical Montauk Fall Blitz (almost)

well, i think i made the trip to Montauk two weeks too late.  the wind on Sunday was around 20 mph, gusting to around 30 mph.  unlike prior years, there were hardly any boats on the water...about 7 in total.  while most of the boats had cancelled their outings, we decided to brave the elements.  believe it or not, we didn't see any striped bass or albies, and the blues were of typical Montauk size...a bit on the smaller side.  all in all, around 10 blues in about 3.5 hours.  oh well, that's fishing.

Timing is EVERYTHING

the fishing has started to get good.  really good.

about a week ago, i caught my personal best bluefish.  15 lbs.  pow!  the brute took me on a sleigh ride all around the harbor, and it took me 20 minutes to reel in.  i was on my kayak, and was having the hardest time working it.  if i set the drag too loose, it would take off.  if the drag was too tight, it would just drag me around.  it was hard enough trying not to bump into the boats tied up on their moorings.  when i finally landed it, and laid it down inside the kayak, its head and those chompers were six inches from my crotch.  yowzers!  a bit too close for comfort.  i didn't even take a picture as i wanted that thing weighed and released pronto.

this past weekend, i had one of my best days fishing ever.  i had been going to this local outflow area where i was having fun catching snappers and small stripers on light tackle.  on thursday night, i caught 7 snapper blues and 1 tiny striped bass on zoom flukes in the arkansas shiner color in about 1.5 hours of fishing.  not bad, but not great.  (i know what you are thinking...why would i use soft plastics with blues around?  the answer is that i had no choice.  for whatever reason, they wouldn't hit anything else.)

i considered it good practice as i was perfecting the slow retrieve/twitch that would prove to be key.  i went back around the same tide on friday, and it was completely different.  stripers were busting on bait everywhere!  i kid you not, i landed 20+ stripers in 1 hour.  the largest was 32", and the rest were around 25-26".  for about 40 minutes, i caught a striper every cast....literally.  some other anglers saw all the commotion, and came over and tried to join in.  they asked what i was using, and i told them that the zoom super salty flukes were producing, and I even gave them a few.  they couldn't get the presentation right, so i was the only one catching fish.  all that practice paid off.  the crazy thing was that i left to go home even with the fish still biting.

i ended up taking one home and you can see what they were gorging themselves on...peanut bunker.

on saturday, i went back around the same tide again, and while i caught 7 stripers, the largest one was 14".  it is really amazing how timing is everything.  i'm studying my log to see if i can pinpoint why friday was so different than thursday and saturday.

also, i'm headed to east long island this weekend, and going to Montauk on Sunday to fish the blitz.  this time around, i'm going to focus more on taking pictures for the blog (when i'm not chasing the albies).

stay salty.  XXA

Nervous Water

i was lucky this past weekend to get out and go fishing three times. on friday, i made a last minute decision to catch the evening tide and try to line some porgy for dinner. i launched the kayak 5 minutes from my house at around 4:45 PM, which was about 1.75 hours before high tide. the water temperatures were in the low 70s (a bit too hot) and the wind was nonexistent.  failing at finding any scup, i started paddling around the harbor.

per usual, there was bunker everywhere.

 

imagine there to be about 20 of these pods, all around the boat moorings.  for the most part, there were no bass or blues working them.  they seemed to be so content, just flipping about, slowly moving from one area to another.  with the kayak, i can get extremely close to these schools, and i can see the hundreds of adult bunker just circling around.

knowing that live bait was my best bet to catch  something, i snagged a bunker, put it on a circle hook and left the pole in my flush mount rod holder.  i then alternated between flies and lures, casting around the edges of the pods to see if anything would take.

unfortunately, nada.

my thought was that it was just too hot for any action.  no worries, though.  this just means that september, when the water has cooled down, is going to be craaaaaazzzzyy!

XXA

SOTSOG Fly

early reports have stated that stripers (schoolies and a few keepers) are everywhere, and now is the prime time to catch them before the blues arrive.  while clousers and deceivers will more than suffice, where's the fun in only using those flies?  since water temps have warmed up earlier than usual, i'm sure the blues will also arrive earlier than usual.

after watching the videos the Fly Fishing the Ozarks have posted on tying Kelly Galloup's articulated streamers, i have been mesmerized by their action in the water.  after doing some searching, i found Ward Bean's Jointed Minnow.




anyways, i got to thinking...why aren't there more of these types of flies for saltwater?  Dave Seller conceived his SST to add more motion to the fly, so why not create a jointed striper fly to impart additional movement?  so, Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants, or SOTSOG, was conceived.  (i haven't stumbled across a fly that is similar, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  please let me know if it does.)

i wanted to create a fly that utilizes a secondary hook in the jointed fashion, but also rides hook up so that it is weedless.  a la Bob Clouser, i used dumbbell eyes to invert the hook.  i also didn't like using a normal stinger hook or octopus hook for the trailing hook because their hook eyes are horizontal.  when tying the wire to connect the two hooks, the second hook is slightly misaligned because the wire cannot sit perfectly on the bottom because the hook bend is in the way.  to avoid this problem, and to create a more side to side action versus the up and down motion (like Galloup's streamers), i used a 60 degree jig hook.  the wire is symmetrically tied on both sides of the hook, and the jig hook eye's vertical position allows for more side to side motion. 

here's my recipe:

Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon (White)
Front Hook: Gamakatsu SS15, size 1/0
Back Hook: Eagle Claw 413 (60 degree Jig), size 2
Eyes: Painted Lead Dumbbell eyes
Connection:  Beadalon 7 Strand .024 inches
Tail: White Polar Fiber
Wing: Pearl Angel Hair
Coloring: Prismacolor Chartreuse, Prismacolor Olive

one other thing to note is that you must use heavy enough lead/tungsten eyes for it to invert both hooks and material.

if there is enough interest, i'll post step by step tying instructions.

Close Call

on a string of moderate fishing success, i went out to the pond again to see if i can feed more white perch.  i went with low expectations, because weather/water temperatures have dropped about 5 degrees, and the wind had picked up to 21 mph.

i put on a chartreuse and white clouser, and within two minutes i snagged another minnow.  what are the chances of snagging a minnow?  but two in a week?  this time, it was a silverside.  it's amazing how pretty they are and how different they are in comparison.  i think the one on the left is a banded killifish.





after i 'released' the silverside, i caught a small striper.  i could tell immediately that it wasn't a white perch, just by how much pressure was being put on the line.  the striper's more streamlined body creates less drag in the water.  after that, the activity died down completely, so i decided to switch flies.  i put on a glow in the dark, size 8, clouser and managed to fool a white perch.

the wind had started to pick up considerably, so i decided to make one last cast.  on the back cast, a gust of wind flared and my fly flew straight into my right eye.  ouch!  wincing in pain, i tried to pull the fly out, but it was stuck. just touching the hook caused pain.  i started to freak out.  there was no one around, and the sun had already set.  i tried to remember if i had crushed the barb.  i thought about calling my wife, and then driving directly to the emergency room.  i managed to cut the leader and navigating with one eye, found my way back to the car. and then using the visor mirror, i inspected the damage.  i was lucky, the fly hook had not pierced anything, but was just trapped between my eye and eyelid.  i carefully removed the fly and drove home.  whew, what a close call!

during daylight, i usually wear sunglasses when i fish, partly to remove the glare but also for eye protection.  when there is little light, i don't wear anything on my eyes.  what do you guys do?  any suggestions?

Pepe Le Pew

channeling Penelope Pussycat, i finally gave Pepe Le Pew the finger, and caught my first fish of the year.  the skunk is gone.  i have been after the white perch in this local, brackish pond, and they have gotten the best of me in my first four outings.  i was rank with the stank of self disgust and failure...but no more!

per usual, i went to the pond around sundown the day before yesterday to get in an hour of fishing.  the fish were swirling less than 20 feet away and i was struggling to get a take.  switching flies, i tied on a What's Up Doc? fly by Daren Selznick of Ole Florida Fly Shop.  then bam!  i got my first bite...and then wham! i lost it.  then shazaam, i got another bite!  my first fish of the year was landed.

the best part of it all, was that i learned from it.  i knew the white perch were feeding off of tiny minnows, and i had a general idea how small they needed to be.

armed with that knowledge, i went to the pond again yesterday evening.  for some reason, the What's Up Doc just wasn't producing and i was left saying, "what the #$%* is up, fish?" 

as luck would have it, i ended up snagging a minnow that gave me an indication of the size of bait they were chasing.  anyone have any idea what kind of minnow this is?  pretty cool looking.

then i tied on a size 8 clouser minnow in chartreuse and white.  within 30 minutes, i had 5 bites, and landed two of them.  i also caught a small striper which was pure icing on the cake.

i'm sure i can think of some life lessons learned from all this, but ehhh, that just wouldn't be me.

stay salty,

XXA

Montauk, October 2011

so, after seeing First Images from Surf & Inshore Fly Fishing 2011 by Peter Laurelli, i started to go through my own videos.  while Peter's video is nicely done, mine are amateur, and poor quality.  but they still get me excited for next year!  in the first video, check out that albie zipping along the top edge!  what's crazy is that every 1-2 boats had their own pod.