See you in October, God willing

So many fish to catch, so little time.

Thanx

Frank

Albie Seein' Ya.

By Josh Reibel,

Reel-Time New York, New Jersey correspondent

Adapted from Reel-Time

I've caught a whole lot of false albacore the last several fall seasons, and at times, come mid-late October, after a solid six weeks or so of drag-burning speedsters I've about had it with the albies. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Albert is an amazing game fish. He challenges the angler because he can be choosey about what he chews; he has extraordinary speed and power, and he will fight--literally--to the death. But almost every albie fights the same: hook-up, moment of hesitation, drag-burning run away from the boat for 75-150 yards, dead stop and turn, run at the boat fast, turn run away from the boat about half as far as the initial run, back to the boat, and then sound and circle in a tug-o'-war until he is lifted to boatside, tailed and released. So after several weeks of this routine, an angler can be ready for a change of pace.

That said, every fall, the excitement of the albie chase is renewed. And those first few albie hookups of the season are almost as sweet as the first I ever had. So, like many NY/NJ flyrodders these days, I'm jazzed 'cause the little tunny are in numbers, bending rods one way and mouths the other. I got my first alberts of the season last week, and while not huge at 6-8 lbs, they made for some great time on the water. Hopefully in a few weeks when I start to get albie fatigue, the big bass will be boiling so I can move on to other diversions!

In the meantime, it seems now is an appropriate time for me to register my own $.02 about albie tactics. Everyone has a theory, but what's here represents what my own experience has taught me. I'm sure others have differing experience. Don't hesitate to send me your views; I'll be sure to share them with NY/NJ Reel-Timers in future columns.

Fly selection: I believe a far broader selection of flies can be highly effective with albies than many flyrodders may think. In our waters, most anglers swear by small epoxies. In New England, it seems the Rhody Chovy gets the nod more frequently than other varieties of epoxy baitfish imitation, whereas around Montauk, hardbody shiners in the anchovy variety (tan over blue over white) are more frequently tossed. I use both and have been unable to establish one as more effective than the other. But you shouldn't feel epoxies are the only way to go. Small white deceivers (they should be very spare and thin) work well for me as do spare Clousers 1"-2". For the most part, the albies in our waters are feeding on bay anchovies from now through mid-October, and the one fly selection consideration I have found to be reasonably significant is color: tan or brown top colors seem to outperform green or olive. It's also important to recognize that Fat Albert has curious tastes. Sometimes when the albies are thick and feeding aggressively they are still very finicky and tough to fool; other times they will eat much more readily. At times, they will eat almost anything you present. My father's first albie was taken on a big, bushy flashtail Clouser on a 3/0 hook, at least 4" long, olive over chartreuse over white. There were big blues all around the boat and that's what he was targeting. So, sometimes size doesn't matter with Fat Albert. But, it's true, more often than not, small, thin flies either all white or tan over white are your best bets.

Teresa Hendriksen and a North Carolina Albie that shows size is everything. Our waters are still churning from the storms but October will be the key to keepers.

Tippet: Many people will tell you that albies are extremely leader shy. I don't buy it. There may be occasions--extremely calm conditions perhaps--when anglers get more takes if they go down to finer tippets, but I rarely find that to be the case. Many days last year I fished straight 30 lb leaders because there were lots of bluefish around and I didn't want to lose a lot of flies and took as many albies as others aboard who were fishing 10 lb. mono or 12-20 lb flourocarbon. My standard albie tippet is 15 lb. mono. If I suspect it's one of those days when they may be tougher, I'll use fluoro or drop to 10-12 lb mono. I have heard it said that bonito are, in fact, quite a bit more line shy than albies (I suspect the albies' line-shyness has been overstated because they appear and behave so similarly to bonito in many ways and often feed with and among them), so there may be reason to go fine or go fluoro if you think there are bones around. But I don't have enough experience with bonito to know for sure.

Fly line: By and large, intermediate lines (or shooting heads) will outperform floaters. Get the fly a bit beneath the surface. Some folks like to use faster sinking lines because they feel they get fish after they have boiled and are swimming around below herding more bait. I have little experience fishing for albies with anything denser than a type 3. But I have many times hooked up when there didn't seem to be fish around by just dead drifting my fly, which in most of these cases had sunk many feet below the surface. So the logic of those who like faster sinkers makes some sense. Still, I use intermediates primarily. I do weight most of my epoxies with several wraps of lead wire, though, and I believe this technique improves my results. Especially in choppy water (and we get a lot of slop off Montauk Point), the weighted fly stays in the water more easily and gets down a little even in fast current.

Boat management and positioning: This is where most anglers screw up, to put it bluntly. Albie fishing is not rocket science; it is far easier than sight fishing stripers on the flats. But knowing how to position the boat for good shots is the one real trick of the trade. First rule: albies feed into the current; you must get "upstream" of the fish and present such that your fly is retrieved away from their approach. They will occasionally hit on a 90 degree shot if they're boiling hard, but you simply will not catch an albie presenting the fly on the "downstream" side of the pod or stripping the fly into the moving fish. The best guides are good at recognizing where bait is getting balled up by albies from below and recognizing quickly where they are going to rise up. It takes experience, but watch the birds when they are NOT on top of fish, as they fly around tracking moving schools. You will soon recognize the signs that something is coming together--that bait is being herded, and you will start to beat other boats to the right spot. You will begin to see where schools divide into separate pods as one part of a tight group of birds separates off and joins with others; you will come to be able to visualize how the schools and pods are behaving under water by looking up in the sky at the birds. When maneuvering to get "upstream" of a pod, give the pod a reasonably wide berth, but don't go too slowly while getting around to the "upstream" side (don't gun the engine either). You need to get ahead and around these fast moving fish before they get spooked, sound, or crash through all the bait and head of to herd some more. (If they are boiling tightly, rather than greyhounding on the move, the approach is much easier and can be made more slowly and carefully since you don't have to keep up with fast moving fish). Once upstream, quietly but steadily get in line with the pod's route and try to drift (with slight taps on the throttle for a little extra umph) up on them for a quick shot as they come up on your bow. Except on those great occasions when they're just feeding like mad and not boat shy at all, you will not get many casts, so make good ones when you have that sweet shot. Be careful to keep line free from hang-ups as you approach so that you'll get a good clean cast off in the moment of truth. It's also a good idea to be more patient than most. There's no avoiding a certain amount of race-and-chase when albie fishing, especially now that we have so many boats pursuing them in most of our area's key spots. But many times, if there are fish in and about a large area of water, you will do well to find a place they have popped up a lot, set up above that spot, drift and wait. The fish will frequently come to you if you get in their feeding "lanes" and wait while everyone else races around putting them down hither and yon.

So, that's Capt. Josh's take on albie fishing 101. Please do ring in with your own techniques and opinions. I won't be offended if they're diametrically opposed to mine, and we'd all love to learn from those of you who have had success with different approaches.

In order to add to our archives and make our web page and newsletter more interesting, the first of two photo competitions starts now and will run until November 30, 1999. All members are invited to send their pictures to the club in any reasonable format up to 8" x 10"

In color. The winner will be selected by the officers of the club who will not be allowed to enter. Fish, water, equipment, boats, and flies are all fair game for this contest. The prize:

Submit entries with a note/caption to:

Joel B. Filner

345 East 57^th ST 2C

New York, NY 10022

Prints become the property of the Salty Flyrodders.

By Frank Abbate, Jr. and Elizabeth Anne Timmermann

This month Nick Curcione agreed to share his wit and wisdom with the club. Nick is a great supporter of the Saltys and we welcome him home to his "birth waters".

17. I know you now reside in California. I believe you were born and spent your early childhood in New York, is that correct?

1. Yes.

17. On what coast did you catch the fishing bug?

1. Right here on the East Coast. I did my first fishing in salt water, I would go with my uncles out of Port Chester and we would fish the local sound, especially Captains Island. We would use a hand line and be catching Fluke, Flounder and Porgies. It was the best! I used to fish Rye pier and occasionally sneak into the local reservoirs.

17. At what age did you first pick up a fly rod, and was it in fresh water?

1. It was in salt water and I actually started with a fly rod when I moved back to New York. I took a job at The City University of New York and in 1970 I met some of the guys from the CT Salt Water Fly Rodders. Lou Tabory, Johnny Posh and others. I would say I started in 1970, I was living in NY. but fishing in CT.

17. Did you ever fish in fresh water?

1. Yes, but I don’t do much of it. About 90% of my fishing is done in salt water. I used to do a lot of large mouth bass fishing when I was living back here with a fly rod. I’d go for Pike up in Saskatchewan, I have been to Alaska a few times mainly for Salmon. That’s about it for my fresh water fishing.

17. On what coast do you see more of an involvement with salt-water fly-fishing, and why?

1. No doubt the East Coast hands down. Maybe because the fishing is so much better here. I mean hey! Piasano, why else would I be leaving my job and coming back here, it’s not for the pepperoni….. I have been in most places in the country and the East Coast has a fantastic inshore fishery by comparison. It’s almost nil in Southern California. I also think that you have more involvement here because you have an off season. This is just speculation on my part but maybe because people don’t have the opportunity to go out and fish in the dead of winter they like the camaraderie element of the sport. Maybe just getting together with other people who share similar interests, preparing for the up and coming season. I think reviewing what you did last year, the expectations for what’s coming down the pike; all these things facilitate people getting together. You have much more tradition here on the East Coast. It is a much more settled area as compared to the quote, "Wild West."

17. I know that Surf Perch and Corbina are much sought after game fish on the West Coast, what other species do you target?

1. Again the inshore fishery unfortunately is not what it was. I had one of the best Bonito fisheries in the world right in Kings Harbor, Redondo Beach, my backyard. That is a shadow of what it was, although there are times you can still get some good bites on Bonito. These are all inshore fish but for most of them you would need a boat for access. The other popular species we have are Pacific barracuda, kelp bass (commonly known as calico bass) and yellowtail which is very similar to amberjack. You do have protected waters like Newport Bay, Huntington Harbor, and San Diego Bay, but most of the fishing is along open coast so you really need a boat. From the beach Barred Perch and Corbina would be two of the most prominent species. They did catch some nice Striped Bass up to 15 lbs. in Ventura County, which is a little North of Los Angles County.

17. How does West Coast salt water fly fishing tactics differ from East Coast as far as tackle and flies?

1. I don’t think there are any radical differences. On the West Coast we use shooting heads and fast sinking lines to a greater extent than you do here, but again that’s due to the nature of our fishery. Even off shore for Yellowtail or Yellowfin Tuna, where we have to cast fairly wide expenses of water a shooting head makes that easier. You get more distance generally than you do with a full line. Most of our action is sub-surface; this is one of the attractions for me to be here on the East Coast. The Striped Bass and the Bluefish will take a lot of surface offerings; we really don’t have that much opportunity for that on the West Coast. In Baja when I fish the Dorado I can take a lot of those fish on poppers. Aside from the line, the size of the outfits is basically the same. I tell people that a good all around rod for Southern California salt water fly- fishing inshore is an 8 or 9 weight, so it’s all pretty much the same. You don’t see people using stripping baskets to the extent that you do on the East Coast, but again that is because most people aren’t doing that much shore fishing, they are fishing off a boat. Only when you see guys fishing the surf will you see stripping baskets coming into play.

17. You have been a prolific writer for magazines and you have a book out that you did for Orvis. Do you have any plans to do a video or maybe another book?

1. I’ve got four books out thus far. Two were on long- range fishing, Hot Rail and Doing It Standup Style. My first on fly fishing was the "Orvis Guide To Saltwater Fly Fishing. " I am currently working on a documentary of my fly fishing experiences, entitled, Tug-O-War. I think I’d like to do some videos in conjunction with my friend Bob Popovics. He has turned out to be a real Cecil B. DeMille with a camera; he does a lot of great videos. I will definitely be moving back to the East Coast and Bob and I have talked about the possibility of doing some videos together.

17. How important is the equipment for a novice in learning the fundamentals and correct techniques of fly-casting?

1. I would probably put less emphasis on the equipment than I would on proper instruction and practice. Buying more expensive tackle is not going to make you better. That is a common fault we all have. I think if I get a more sophisticated computer it’s going to make me a better writer…no, it doesn’t. Today all the major manufactures are putting out really decent equipment. For example, with fly rods from a major manufacture, I don’t think you have to worry about buying a dog. The most important thing is to make sure the tackle is balanced, and something I cannot stress enough…instruction from someone who is really qualified. There are always folks standing around more than willing to give advice but they may not know what they’re doing. Bear in mind that just because someone can cast, doesn’t mean that they can teach. Good instruction is very important, but you also have to have the willingness to go out and practice.

17. What is your take on the vast commercialism of fly- fishing and what effects do you suppose it will have on the sport?

1. I guess I’m ambivalent about it, on one hand you hate to see your favorite stretch of water becoming inundated by legions of fly-fishers. I guess that is inevitable. But as a writer I’m as guilty as anybody else for promoting it. On the other hand I really love to see people get into it, especially kids. The enjoyment level is good for the sport. One thing that I really loath is the people that have never done any other kind of fishing. Fly-fishing is their first experience with fishing as a sport. And I must say some of them adopt a holier than thou attitude, by looking down on those who use spinning and conventional tackle. I don’t like that kind of image thing. For the same reason I’m not into tournaments. I learned that a long time ago from Lefty Kreh. I know that it can be used for promotional purposes but it tends to bring out the worst in some people. I don’t think that adds to the betterment of the sport.

17. Stepping back a moment who were some of the writers in the sport that you grew up reading and why?

17. What kind of advice would you give to someone just getting involved in fly fishing?

A combination of weather and the time of the tide have had their effects. There is activity and there are fish to be had; it's just that you're not going to get them on every cast. So it made my job a little harder than it was. I can't have a free ride all the time. The key right now is a falling tide and low light conditions. When you get that combination you will get fish, both bass and blues. There are opportunities for blues during the daylight hours but the bass are a little more finicky. I did not see any albacore or bonito in the past few days but they are and will be around, so you need to be ready with an extra rod that is ready to hook up with our speedy visitors. I have heard of big schools of albacore out east, so I may find my way out there when the weather stabilizes. The fall run is beginning, so time on the water is your best ally when fish are busting at your favorite spot you want to be there. Make sure you have sinking lines, epoxy patterns, Clousers, and some larger patterns such as bunker flies and/or deceivers.

Bass are on the move. Any of the Albies will begin to trickle out of the sound and by the first of November will end their run for the season. Bigger blue fish will be around till Thanksgiving depending on the water temps. Right now the predominant baitfish includes Herring and big bunker along with peanut bunker in the 2-4 inch range. Bay anchovies are real scarce. Schoolie bass will move in late after the blues and bigger bass have gone. Again keep an eye on the water temps, as this will tell all. Start using some of your larger patterns and work the water hard.

By Alan J Evelyn, Conservation Chair

OCTOBER'S CONSERVATION NEWS

Striped Bass Overfished

In Amendment 5, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission declared that the Striped Bass fishery is completely recovered. The National Marine Fisheries Service has testified before Congress that the Striped Bass fishery is completely recovered. The sportfishing community has always been skeptical and saw this declaration as premature. Now, the Striped Bass Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has reviewed the current stock assessment from August 1999 and has determined that we have exceeded the target fishing mortality (F) of .31 and are at or near the overfishing number of .38.

This means that the Striped Bass Board will be considering various options to decrease the catch of Striped Bass to bring us within the accepted guidelines under the present amendment. At this time, an addendum to Amendment 5 (declaring that the Striped Bass fishery is completely recovered), previously up for discussion, has been put on hold.

The Striped Bass Board met on September 14th and decided on 3 options to take to public hearings, but first they voted to limit the reductions (28%) to the age 8+ fish for 1 OR 2 years in order to get F back to .31, based on the recommendations of the Technical Committee.

Options:

1. Reduce all coastal bag limits to one fish (which gets you a 6% reduction) and then every state and jurisdiction must come up with a plan to further educe harvest by 22%. Many are promoting this option as being the most fair and equitable - it levels the playing field with one fish and then asks the state to mandate a 22% reductions.

2. A 28% reduction in the harvest of 8+ fish by all states and jurisdictions. The CCA proposal. The Technical Committee, after examining the 1998 age and growth data, decided the average length of an 8 year old fish is 32", but in order to be sure you protected 75% of all age 8's, you had to start at 28".

3. The Technical Committee's plan to raise the reference points 2 inches in both bay and coast areas effectively raising maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and the target. Currently, the reference point is 20 inches in the producer areas (bay) and 28 inches on in the coastal areas.

Public hearings will be in late September and early October. The next Striped Bass Board meeting will be October 7th or 8th, with the Advisory Panel meeting just prior to the Board meeting.

Stay Tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS SPONSORED EVENTS

Saturday, October 9th: CCA NY and Gateway National Park Service will host a one day Staten Island Surf Fishing Contest. The event will take place from 9:00am to 3:00pm on the beaches of Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island.  Novices are welcome and the participation by children is encouraged. Special prizes for children with be given out. The cost to participate is free, however, to be eligible for prizes and raffle items a donation of $10 is requested. For more information, please contact John McMurray at 516 422-4162 or E-mail: director@ccany.org.

Sunday October 16th: LIBBA's "Operation Holiday Spirit" Toy and Food Drive Begins. For up-to-date information call the LIBBA Hotline: (516) 579-1344.

CONSERVATION FUNDRAISING EVENTS

Saturday November 6th: 1st Annual Last Chance Catch and Release Surf Tournament sponsored by CCA Brooklyn/Queens and Western Nassau County Chapters. Categories for Fly and Conventional targeting Bass, Blues, and others. The event will be held on the beaches of Fort Tilden in Rockaway New York. The tournament will run from 6:00 AM until 5:00 PM. The entry fee is $10 for CCA members and $25 for non members. Fee includes dinner and refreshments. Non members will receive a complimentary 1 year membership to CCA New York. For more information, please contact John McMurray at 516 422-4162 or E-mail: director@ccany.org.

Saturday December 4th: CCA New York and New York Sportfishing Federation Fundraising Dinner to benefit the "Sportfishing Educational Center" in Babylon, New York. The event will take place at the Snapper Inn in Oakdale New York.  Ticket price (includes dinner and open bar) will be $100 per person donation, off course all donations will be deductible to the extent allowed by law.  For tickets or more information, please contact Alan Evelyn, home: (516) 256-0726, work: (718) 951 6522, work fax: (718) 951-4744 or by email: aevelyn@brooklyn.cuny.edu. or John McMurray at 516 422-4162 or E-mail: director@ccany.org.

Remember, if you want other conservation issues brought to the Salty's attention, please talk to me at the monthly meeting or contact me at: home (516) 256-0726, work: (718) 951 6522, work fax: (718) 951-4744 or by email: aevelyn@brooklyn.cuny.edu.

Jaiem Fleischmann, the fly tying chairman, will tie specific flies each month at the meeting. All those interested to learn and participate should come prepared to tie along with Jaime. It is a perfect opportunity for the new tiers to get a good hands' on lesson. The club will supply some materials but until we replenish the "box" try to bring along the materials listed.

This month we will be tying Lefty's Deceivers. Bring the following supplies:

Hooks: 34007 sizes #2 thru 1/0

Hackle: White, black, yellow

Bucktail: White, black, yellow optional: Olive, chartreuse, blue

Flash: Krystal flash (white), silver mylar or Flashabou

Thread: White and black

Misc: Head cement

Also bring your vise, scissors and bobbin.

By Jack Denny

I've been waiting all year for this time, the prime time to be on the surf. This is the best time to take all species of fish from shore; bass, bluefish, weakfish, bonito and albacore. Weather does play an important part in the fishing and of course the tides will have their hand on what happens but this is the time of year when anything can happen. I have notice that it is no longer the rule to get up early and be on the water at first light, though this is one of the optimum times to be there. Day time feeding is becoming a pattern in the bass population and bluefish can be on the beach at anytime. The little tunas love early morning and even late afternoon but I have seen them in the surf along the Jersey coast off of Sea Bright in the afternoon within easy casting reach. So, what I am I getting at?

Just go fishing! Anytime you have to walk the beach or visit an inlet is the right time to fish. If nothing is happening then take a little ride or just wait it out, things may begin to pop before to long and you will be in on the action. Here is an example of what I mean. Picture late in the morning...........the sun is hidden behind an overcast day........it is the second week in October and yours truly has just missed the early morning bite. What else is new? Anyway, I decide to ride up the beach and just look at some fishy looking water, you know the kind I mean; slightly choppy, some nervous water close to shore and birds in the air. I stop and make a couple of casts, not even bothering with my waders, just an exploratory cast of two. The third cast produces a nice fat school bass, the all white Lefty's looks something good enough to eat but nothing too specific. Soon I'm into a nice school of bass chasing some silversides up and down the beach. Another fly rodder and his wife see me on and decide to join the action. A quick introduction and the question of the day, "What are the hitting?" and the answer soon finds three happy fly fishers. This continued for about two hours, not every cast a fish but plenty of fish to go around. The fish moved off chasing the school of silversides with the couple in hot on their heels. As for me I needed to get on some dry pants and socks because I never did get my waders on.

October means quality fish as well, so you may find yourself in the position of passing up the smaller fish to target some large fish. Small fish are fast and numerous, big fish are slow and wary so keep this in mind. Sometimes it pays to fish an area after a blitz. Weakfish and large stripers love to play clean-up, they can eat wounded prey without expending too much energy. These fish love to sit under a school of bluefish because of the constant supply of food floating down to the bottom. Sinking lines get you through the carnage to quality fish. Make your fly act like it has been hit but still able to swim, erratic behavior will coax cautious fish to make a mistake. My wife, Paulette, use to swim a white bucktail jig under the schools of bluefish off Montauk's north side and score with big weakfish and bass while the "men" took bluefish one after another. This past spring Perry Lisser and Bob Woolley were zeroed in on the bass while I took some nice weakfish on a sinking line. Keep this in mind if you want to try something different but be aware that when everyone is catching and you are not, it could drive you "crazy".

"Big bait, big fish.", we have all heard this saying before and to some degree it is true. There are times when only a big fly will get a fish's interest, so carry some big flys. Bunker and large herring will attract trophy fish and a small fly will not cut the mustard. Tie up some big flies, keep them light weight (not a lot of material is needed to create the illusion of large) and use a rod that can handle casting them even into a stiff wind. I like using an 11 weight rod in the fall, it just seems right. If I run into a blitz I like to horse fish in and get back out there in a hurry, if big flys are on the agenda I can cast them and if a good blow is stirring up the action I can cast into it with confidence. Albacore are fun to catch and even more fun to release, the 11 weight can land one quickly and get back into the water to fight another day. If you are in the market for another rod (aren't we all "rod junkies"?) consider a rod in this weight class if you don't already have one.

Good luck and I hope you run into the blitz of a lifetime.

Hook- Tiemco 800s

Underbody- Bills' Bodi-Braid, silver

Wing- olive or smoke ultra hair

Tail- polar white ultra hair

Flash- peacock/olive flashabou

Eyes- green or silver witchcraft prism eyes, size 3ey

Thread- mono,fine

With all the epoxy patterns around today, we should remember from whence they came. The Surf Candy is the original epoxy minnow, designed from the developing series of patterns Bob Popovics calls the Pop-Fleye series. If you are new to saltwater fly tying, this pattern should be first on your list of flies to learn to tie. The hardest part in tying this pattern lies in the handling of the material. With a little time and practice, you will be able to put together one of the best saltwater epoxy patterns around.

Tying Instructions

1. The shape of a Surf Candy comes from the placement of the ultra-hair and not from the epoxy. The epoxy only seals the shape and gives dimension to the fly, so with hook in vice begin your tie-in point right behind the eye of the hook.

Take a small bunch of ultra hair in white (cut to your desired length) and tie –in Right behind the eye of the hook, with 3 or 4 secure not tight wraps. With your thumb press down on the material so that it begins to surround the hook shank. Now tighten your thread wraps to secure.

2) Turn hook upside down, and tie in right at the same point a smaller and shorter bunch of white ultra-hair.

3. Turn the hook back to the original position and cut about 5 strands of Flashabou. Wrap the Flashabou around the thread so that you now have 10 strands together and draw down to the tie-in point.
4. Cut another length of ultra-hair in olive or smoke, slightly shorter than the mid section and tie-in right on top.
5. Tie off with a whip finish. At this point there should be no tapered head to speak of.
6. Mix some five minute epoxy.
7. Begin applying epoxy to ultra-hair. As you apply epoxy, press bodkin against material so as to make the epoxy penetrate the ultra-hair. Not filling every space is what causes saltwater to seep into the body of the fly. This causes the epoxy to turn yellow and become spongy. Don’t put so much epoxy on the first coat, that will make the epoxy sag and drip. Manipulate the ultra-hair as the epoxy dries to the taper you want.
8. While the epoxy is still tacky place the prism eyes on.
9. After a few hours of curing time apply the second and final coat of epoxy, and after it sets up a little place on drying wheel.
10. With a sharpie pen place red gills on fly.
11. You can trim the hair up a little, although I like to keep them a little longer and shorten them on the beach if needed.

By Tom Baumann

Presenting the Fly

by Lefty Kreh

Some years ago, there was a television commercial that began with a tennis match in progress. The camera shifted to the crowd in the stands and a spectator said to his companion, "my broker is.... and he says..." Suddenly there is dead silence as every person including the two tennis players lean toward the speaker attempting to hear the words of wisdom. This is how most of us feel about anything written or said by the dean of fly fishing on this planet, Lefty Kreh. After all, he’s forgotten more than a lot of us will ever know about fly fishing. Well, the good news is he really didn’t forget a lifetime of flyfishing wisdom. What he has done is include much of his accumulated wisdom in 352 pages of an enormously comprehensive work. Written in Lefty’s simple and unambiguous style, this work is his most ambitious undertaking destined to be one of the classics.

Presenting the Fly includes information with both fresh and saltwater applications which are favorable features as many of us began flyfishing in freshwater and still enjoy both types of fishing. There are chapters on flies, tackle, knots and casting which we’ve seen in other books but I guarantee there is much to learn and you will gain new insight and perspective on these topics. Other chapters include general observations, seeing and approaching fish and retrieving the fly plus chapters on backcountry waters and specific species. You’ll learn Lefty’s take on when is the best time to fish, how to use shade as a tool and how to properly set the drag which most of us do by playing with it until it "feels right." There’s great information on how the shape, color, weight and the location of the weight affect the performance of the fly underwater. The casting chapter has a section "learning the double haul in 15 minutes," plus a host of other useful casts and casting tips including practice exercises to improve accuracy and tighten your loop. You will also gain a better insight into the effect and influence of tides and whether there is a "best" tide for fishing. This is a great book with innumerable tips, hints and suggestions to make even the most experienced "salty" a better fly fisher.

The annual Christmas raffle begins with

this issue. The prizes are super and

just what we all want for Christmas.

Page Rogers will be here October 4 and

will give a super show on techniques and tying.

We still need pictures for the contest so get them in to either Frank or Joel.