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chrismartin

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Posts posted by chrismartin


  1. Sorry guys, but to be totally honest, the Tenkara style looks incredibly limiting in my mind. I'll admit that if all you're doing is small stream fishing for small fish, Tenkara seems like a very "pure" and "classic" style. I 've had some great days casting soft hackle wets on a 2wt for small trout, but for me those days are few and far between. I would much rather chuck chickens on a 10 wt all day, looking for muskie, or pound the banks of a river with big articulated streamers trying to fool monster browns. Catching bait can be fun occasionally, but lets be honest... we all want to catch bigger fish.

     

    Progress in fly fishing and fly tying has made the sport more exciting and opende the dors to sport fish that nobody thought fly fisherman could catch. I guess there will always be those who want to return to the roots of the sport, but for me, Bass, Muskie, Tarpon, Barracuda, Carp and other non-traditional fly fishing quarry are far more exciting than 8" trout. Now, who wants to go catch some shark on the fly? Is there a tenkara rod for that? ;)

     

    Not to get too sidetracked, but I don't know that I could agree less with your post. I also enjoy fly fishing for big uglies, the same bass and carp you mention, but small stream trout fishing still has something special about it for me. It's your opinion that you don't want to "catch bait," but don't make the mistake of assuming everyone thinks the way you do. I know a ton of folks who would rather wade a tiny stream in WV for brookies than set foot on a larger river holding larger fish where you'll likely be elbow-to-elbow with other fishermen. Do we all want to catch bigger fish? Not necessarily. I like catching big bass and carp and crappies and catfish, but I still make several trips to small streams every year to chase tiny brookies and bows. I enjoy it, and I know a lot of other folks do, too.

     

    Back to tenkara...I'd never try it. I need the reel. :)

    I also disagree with him. Little trout can be amazing to catch and buitiful in small wild rivers. Also there are tenkara anglers who do target larger fish such as big saltwater fish and musky and large bass are a common target for the heavier weight tenkara rods.

     

    Hey gents, sorry if I came off like I'm a trophy hunter or that I assume everyone is alway chasing big fish. I get the draw of small stream fishing... I mentioned in my post that I enjoy it from time to time. I never intended to dis small stream fishing and I certainly don't assume that everybody is chasing trophy fish. My comments were intended to be a tongue-in-cheek commentary on my preference. My suggestion to those wading small streams in search of solitude... Come north! Here in Northern Ontario I fish in absolute solitude and can reasonably expect that my next cast could be my biggest fish ever. That's probably the reason I see Tenkara as being limiting. The same wild streams here that holds 8" brookies also holds 24" brookies and I would rather catch the 24" fish every time!

     

    Interesting to hear that guys are using Tenkara rods to catch Muskie. Not sure I can see that being really effective. Where can I learn more about this? I'm very curious about how this is done.


  2. Sorry guys, but to be totally honest, the Tenkara style looks incredibly limiting in my mind. I'll admit that if all you're doing is small stream fishing for small fish, Tenkara seems like a very "pure" and "classic" style. I 've had some great days casting soft hackle wets on a 2wt for small trout, but for me those days are few and far between. I would much rather chuck chickens on a 10 wt all day, looking for muskie, or pound the banks of a river with big articulated streamers trying to fool monster browns. Catching bait can be fun occasionally, but lets be honest... we all want to catch bigger fish.

     

    Progress in fly fishing and fly tying has made the sport more exciting and opende the dors to sport fish that nobody thought fly fisherman could catch. I guess there will always be those who want to return to the roots of the sport, but for me, Bass, Muskie, Tarpon, Barracuda, Carp and other non-traditional fly fishing quarry are far more exciting than 8" trout. Now, who wants to go catch some shark on the fly? Is there a tenkara rod for that? ;)


  3. I have 2 kid. My daughter is 18 months and my son is 9 weeks. Although I have never been so tired in my life, they have brought me more joy than I could have even imagined. I haven't done much fishing since they were born. The season before my daughter was born I spent 80 days on the water in a 6 month season and sold 20 dozen flies. Since we started having kids I've only fish 10-15 times. Tell me friends, when will this change. When can I realistically start teaching my kids to fish, fly fish and tie flies? Cant wait to share this great sport/pastime with them.

     

    post-18024-0-08903600-1320254061_thumb.jpg post-18024-0-98742600-1320254048_thumb.jpg


  4. Help me out friends. i'm wrestling with something here.

     

    So my wife and I are both creative people (my outlet if tying, hers is decorating), and this year we decided to give some tasteful hand made gifts for Christmas. After we decided on this direction, I immediately knew what to give to my wife's sister... I would make her 3 pairs of feather earrings; I made one pair with long Whiting hackle, one pair with grizzly shclappen and a third pair with turkey and guinea feathers. They were easy to make. The earring hardware was cheap and easy to find (Michael's) and they turned out really good.

     

    This has lead me to realize something... I can make a heck of a lot more money making earrings than I can tying flies. I tie trout streamers for a shop and I gross about $200 an order (6 dozen) and it takes me about 6 hours to produce and the materials cost about $25. That works out to about $30 an hour. Not bad, but when you have 2 kids under 2 years old it's hard to find the time to get the work done. When it comes to earrings, some investigation has revealed that I could gross about $10-25 a pair, depending on the style. They take no time to make and cost around $2 a pair. In an hour I can easily make 15 pairs and sell them for an average of $20 a pair. After materials I'm looking at about $270 an hour.

     

    My goal is to purchase a Pontoon boat ($850) trolling motor ($250) and fish finder ($250)... Am I the worst kind of scum if I'm considering using my fly tying materials to make women's jewellery in order to buy a boat or am I a genius for taking advantage of a current fashion trend in order to facilitate more fly fishing?


  5. An additional pro to tube flies is that you can tie "component" flies. I tie tube flies for pike and muskie. I can tie heads, bodies and tails on separate tubes in a wide array of colours and sizes. this approach gives me an almost unlimited number of colour options. I can also increase or decrease the length of the fly by adding or removing body components. The versatility of this approach is incredible!


  6. I accidentally posted this under "site help and suggestions" thus, the repost in the appropriate location.

     

    I live in a small city (150,000) in an area where there is tons of fishing! We really only have 1 tackle shop, and their fly fishing section is pathetic. I've been trying to convince the owner to increase his inventory of materials. Right now he has a wide selection of deer hair for bass bugs, but nothing to use as a tail. There is a wide selection of marabou and basic chenille for wooly buggers, but no hackle. There is some dry fly dubbing, but nothing to make tails, wing and lags with. This is the story for everything... half of what you need is there.

     

    I need your help! I'm compiling a list of around 25-30 of the most popular freshwater patterns, in hopes that he will begin to stock the materials necessary for these basic flies. I need patterns for Trout, Bass, Panfish, Walleye, Pike/Muskie, Steelhead and Salmon. I'm not looking for favourites here, I'm looking for most common. Here are some of what I think are on the list

     

    Clouser Minnow

    Lefty's Deceiver

    Pheasant Tail Nymph

    Hares Ear Nymph

    Wooly Bugger

    Copper john

    Adams

    Stimulator

     

    Please add to this list! Don't worry about repeats, just name what you think to be most popular. I'll worry about organizing the list after you have all given your input. Thanks for your help!


  7. I live in a small city (150,000) in an area where there is tons of fishing! We really only have 1 tackle shop, and their fly fishing section is pathetic. I've been trying to convince the owner to increase his inventory of materials. Right now he has a wide selection of deer hair for bass bugs, but nothing to use as a tail. There is a wide selection of marabou and basic chenille for wooly buggers, but no hackle. There is some dry fly dubbing, but nothing to make tails, wing and lags with. This is the story for everything... half of what you need is there.

     

    I need your help! I'm compiling a list of around 25-30 of the most popular freshwater patterns, in hopes that he will begin to stock the materials necessary for these basic flies. I need patterns for Trout, Bass, Panfish, Walleye, Pike/Muskie, Steelhead and Salmon. I'm not looking for favourites here, I'm looking for most common. Here are some of what I think are on the list

     

    Clouser Minnow

    Lefty's Deceiver

    Pheasant Tail Nymph

    Hares Ear Nymph

    Wooly Bugger

    Copper john

    Adams

    Stimulator

     

    Please add to this list! Don't worry about repeats, just name what you think to be most popular. I'll worry about organizing the list after you have all given your input. Thanks for your help!


  8. A 3 wt. would give you a little more power for casting in windy conditions or when using small streamers. A 2 wt. would present a small dry, like a 28-32 trico, more delicately. Both will be soft enough for 6 and 7x tippets.


  9. Id cast that on a 6 wt all day long. But Id tie it a HELL of a lot lighter! 1 use synthetic dubbing it dosent absorb water. 2 Do the bunny fur body in a loop and forget the skin. And 3rd loose the lead eyes and go for aluminium sea eyes. But I ask why do a tail like this? Honestly will this tail out fish a barred zonker tail? Nope.

     

    Good call Day5... I used synthetic dubbing on the ones i tied, but didn't consider doing the rabbit in a loop. I've gone both ways with the eyes... If I'm fishing this fly on the bottom, mimicking a crayfish, the aluminium eyes are far more realistic. When crayfish swim, they glide back down to the bottom, they don't drop straight down. That being said, if I'm fishing weed edges and structure I'll work this fly like flippin' a jig and pig... the heavy eyes really make this style of presentation come to life

     

    I also tide some small ones up in a #6, using pine squirrel strips... they slay carp!


  10. The Woolly Bully is a great a great pike and muskie fly

     

    Here is the link to a giant one that I tied and posted

    http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern9109.html

     

    Here is a link to the original (as featured in "Hatches"), by it's inventor.

    http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern884.html

     

    This is my "go to' pike fly.

     

    Another great fly is a "Bunker Fly" tied with a synthetic material. I tie it in a number of colors... Chart/White; Black/Yellow; Red/White

     

    Here's a link to one I posted

    http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern9108.html

     

    Three components I try to include in every pike fly... some red to look like blood or gills, a lateral line and eyes. Those are big triggers for pike.


  11. Not a big fan of "Swimms". Big on price small on features... The Korker Guide boots are great! I have a pair and am totally sold! Boa laces are great! Fit is great! They are light weight yet totally durable! The interchangeable souls are like nothing else out there. For the price, I don't think you can find a better wading boot


  12. The only time I'm using gear is on an annual trip with a group of guys going after Muskie and Pike. I always bring my fly rod, but being the only fly fisherman in a group of 15 anglers is tough. They tolerate me dominating the casting deck for a little while, but it's usually only a few hours out of a 4 day trip... funny though, I've caught the biggest fish the past 3 years and they've all been on fly. You would think a few of them might clue in.


  13. I'm heading back to BC, from Ontario, for a little family time... I'm going to be close to Sheridan Lake, a well know lunker rainbow factory. I've done a lot of research and am ready for stillwater fishing, however, two suggested patterns elude me. It is suggests that the horse hair nymph and the Slim Pickin’s are two must have flies for this lake. I have no idea what these two flies look like, how to tie them, what they imitate and what size to tie them in. Is there anybody out there who can help me out?

     

    Thanks


  14. Started on a cheap "kit" vise... wore it out in about 6 months. Upgraded to the Renzetti Apprentice. The Jaws rotated, but not along the axis of the hook. Have since upgraded to the Renzetti Traveler... true rotary and a truly great vise. Have found true rotary to be a real asset to tying. It doesn't make me a better tier, but it does make me more efficient and certain techniques more easy.


  15. Favorite fly to fish with would be a wool head sculpin pattern that I came up with... It's caught big browns, rainbows, brookies, steelhead, carp, bass (largemouth and smallmouth), pike, sunfish, catfish and even a baracuda.

     

    Favorite fly to tie would have to be soft hackle wet flies... Partridge and Green, Partridge and Orange, Biot Body Wets etc. Any classic or modern wet fly is super fun to tie.


  16. 10' 7wt is a great all around rod for great lakes tribs... a 10' 6wt is fine too. It has enough backbone, if you know what you're doing. Personally I use an 11' 4/5wt switch rod and I love it. The extra length gives me great casting distance when swinging streamers, and superior line control when fishing an indicator rig. The soft tip protects light tippet, however, it has plenty of backbone (a 4/5 switch rod is comparable to a 6/7 single handed rod). Good luck!


  17. Tied on a Peak... solid vice at a reasonable price point. It is, however, a considerable step down in quality from a Renzetti. I nearly bought the Peak vice until I was made aware of the jaw shortfall (as mentioned in the review). Instead I choose the Renzetti Traveler. It's jaws accommodate 4/0 all the way up to 28, with no need to purchase "Midge Jaws" or "Saltwater Jaws". It's a $220 vice, which is about $70 more than the Peak. In my mind it is worth the money. On my Renzetti I tie huge pike and muskie flies and then quickly switch over to tying tricos and chronomids. The quality is unmatched... I tie hundreds of commercial flies as well as all my own flies and it's shown no signs of ware. I'm not trying to bash the Peak vice, I'm simply trying to extol the virtues of what I think is a superior vice in the same price range.

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