Fish For Life

I missed out on the musky swap earlier this year and would probably be down to join if one was hosted. I like the idea of size rules, keep em big.

Anyone have a simple formula for long leaders? I want to make some 15-20ft leaders for lake fishing, but dont know how to go at it. Im trying to keep it simple with only 3-4 different sized piece, including the tippet. I don't really know much about making leaders, but i am guessing its going to be something like 20lb-10lb-8lb-6lbtippet. I just don't know how long each segment should be. Thanks

Lucky and living the dream. Thats all that's needed to be said

Haha what, first time that's amazing!!! I acutely cant believe how much i like it. Very impressive for your first time. Cant wait to see some more of your work, especially if your going to get any better than you already are!!

Steelhead for sure, got confirmed from a local guide that was passing by.

A couple of firsts for me during our trip to Ontario. To start off the trip my first bass on the fly rod. A decent sized small mouth on a chartreuse clouser, caught on the Saint Lawrence River. Then I was off to Sault Ste Marie to try my hand at fly fishing for Atlantic salmon and steel head on the st marys river. Although trying for 5 days straight i wasn't able to hook into any salmon, which were my primary target and goal for the trip. I did however convince two nice steel-head to take my fly, another first on the fly rod. Sadly the picture of the steel-head doesn't do justice to the size of the fish. I don't know the exact size but it was close to the size of my entire arm. Anyways, here are a few pictures.

Man i really wish i could. But wont be back at the tying table for 3 weeks. Have fun and make sure to post some pictures when there done.

Of all my years fly fishing, i have done relatively little dry fly fishing. However the other night fishing at one of my favorite small trout lakes the fish were rising like crazy. Since i wasn't very comfortable with dry fly fishing i just threw out a small leach and hammered them. After about 15 fish i wanted to switch things up. With the fish still rising decided i would try out dry fly fishing and see if i could connect with any fish. I didnt... Heres what im guessing my problem was. Whenever i cast my line out the dry fly and leader all collapsed together in a messy way. I had a 9' leader on but the fly was only getting 3 or 4 feet away from the end of my fly line, resulting with my leader and fly landing coiled up together on the water. The best way that i can describe it is that there wasn't enough energy to get the leader and fly fully out. I don't think it was a problem to do with my casting, as i was doing nothing different than i do with nymphs, which i have never had this problem with. So whats going on?? I was using a 5wt rod, casting a 9' 5x leader (which i made sure to straighten before i used), and a size 16 dry fly. Is there something wrong with my setup? Or is there an error that is being made on my part to cause this to happen? Im guessing that i had no takes because there was to much disturbance near the fly, with both the leader and fly line making contact close to the fly, which would scare the fish away. Does anyone have any solutions to my problem? Thanks a ton

I like epoxy for two reasons. One, what your looking for, to protect the coloration. And two, to make a bullet proof fly.

Very nice looking brown, where was this at? The Bow river near Calgary, AB, Canada. The great thing about the Bow is that catching fish like this is a pretty common occurrence. It truly is an amazing fishery, on of the best.

Pretty great day out! Finlay got to try my new 7wt out swinging streamers!! Only managed one fish but it was a really nice 21" brown!! Also, i think i need a bigger net

Haha ya that's defiantly a good point. I wasn't even thinking about that when i made it, but ill be sure to add it. Thanks

I know that alot of you guys don't like polls, but i am trying to get an idea about what is the preferred method of rigging droppers. After countless searches about droppers, i am stuck as to which one is the preferred/best. Every page on the topic that ive read seams to have different opinions as to which method is the best, and its leaving me stuck as to which method i should use. For the past few months i have been using the dropper tyed to the bend of the hook. But am starting to get suspicious about this way of rigging the dropper. I have never caught a fish on the lead fly using this method, always only on the dropper. At first i just though that the fish were just never interested in the lead fly, only ever the dropper. Until the last few times ive been out, i used the exact same fly on both the lead and dropper fly. Yet the results were still the same, only every catching fish on the dropper. I don't know if it is just bad luck, or if this method of attaching the dropper is the cause of it. So i started to research to see what peoples opinions were as to what dropper method to use. Not wanting to tye the dropper onto the bend of the hook anymore, i started to look more into the dropper from the eye of the lead fly, and the dropper of a tag section of line. But am at a standstill as to which one to try. I know the obvious solution to solving my problem would be to just try the other methods and see which one i like the best. But i though that i may as well ask here first. And yes, with an annoying poll. I would love to here your personal opinions as well, but please also submit on the poll. Thanks

I hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question, but are leaches just as effective in rivers as they are in lakes? Are they a primary food source for trout in rivers? How big do leaches get in rivers? Can they be fished effectively using the same methods as other streamers? Any special leach tactics for fishing rivers? Thanks

Add a 9wt or 10wt to you set and you will be ready for anything. I have a 3wt 5wt 7wt and a 10wt and i feel that these 4 rods create the perfect set. With 4 rods such as these you can fish for practically any fish and be pretty well suited for any condition that may come your way. I personally like the 10 over a 9 just so you have the option to target some truly large fish.

Im trying to avoid having to do that. If that was my only option i would probably just bring the 10wt instead. Im just worried that a 2 piece rod will be too long??

Don't really know where to ask this question, so ill ask it here. Can you bring fly rods on planes as carry ons? Im heading out east and am able to only bring one fly rod. I have 3 option; 4 piece 5wt, 2 piece 7wt and a 4 piece 10wt. The 5 and 10 would be ideal to bring because they can actually fit in a suitcase, so i wouldn't be having this problem. But i want to bring the 7 because it will better suit my fishing needs, rather than being to big with the 10 and to small with the 5. But it being a 2 piece wont fit in my suitcase, so my only option would be to carry it on. Its 8' long, so broken down 4'. Am i able to bring a rod of this size on a plane as a carry on? Has anyone had problems with bring rods on planes? I will be flying west jet if that matters... Thanks

Thanks. The crayfish aren't anything special. They bodies are "fish skull crawbodies". I picked up a pack a while ago so i could trace them down and make an outline so i could make my own. There are alot of tutorials on the web making them. They are rather easy to tye and the result gives to a pretty realistic looking crayfish.

Thanks. I cant wait to use them this summer!! The heads are made out of balsa wood. Using a block of balsa, and a brass tube in the drill, i cut out cylinder bodies. After that it was just a matter of sanding the bodies down, making the faces slanted, and cutting a grove for the hook. Than just a bit of airbrushing to make them look good, and 2 coats of epoxy to give them bullet proof bodies with a nice shine.

Thanks, Yup all tied. I don't think ive ever actually bough a fly in my life. If i want a certain fly, i just tye one up. Especially when it comes to pike flys!!

Preparing for my annual summer fishing trip. Like usual im heading out east to Ontario to do some pike, bass, and possibly salmon fishing!! Sadly i am only able to bring 1 maybe 2 boxes of flys. After a long process of going through every box and pulling out the best of the best, here is what i have wrangled together. Its going to be a great summer, i cant wait!! Where are you all planning on going fishing this summer??

That would be fun

I always try to match the hatch, but frustratingly most of the time it doesn't work for me. Then i try a pheasant tail nymph and usually do good. Im pretty sure that 98% of the fish i have caught have been on that fly, even when an obvious hatch is on. Sometimes it kind of frustrating, but at the same time its nice to know that i can just tye that fly on and have a good chance at catching fish. And i dont think the fish knowing im there is to much of a problem. Its a fast and deep run. Ive had days that ive caught fish after fish withing a couple of minutes of each other, from the same spot. The fish don't seam to spook there all that much. And as i cast i slowly work up or down the run, letting any spooked fish calm down, and putting my fly in more fish faces. Most of the time i dont think that is to much of the problem. Like you said, you should be occasionally snagging. And i defiantly am, some times to much.

How often do or should you be changing flys if your not getting bites. If you are fishing in a spot that you know has fish, but there not biting, how long do you wait before yous change? Im always hesitant to change flys because im not sure if the fish are not biting because of the fly; or is it because im not close enough to bottom, have enough of a natural drift, fly is in the wrong path for the fish to see/take it, and so on. There are so many other factors of not catching the fish other than just the wrong fly. So im never sure when i should be changing. For instance many times ive sat in the same run the entire day without luck. I know there are fish down there from experience, but i cant catch them. I cast for hours and hours with the same flys, flys i know work and have worked in the exact same spot time and time before (pheasant tail nymph and san juan worm). But like i said, im so hesitant to change because im not sure if the fish are not biting because of the fly or for some other reason. I know that every situation is going to have a different outcome as to when to change flys, but would you say there is a general time to change flys? Should you be changing flys often if you are not getting hits? Or do you find that it is better to just stick with the same flys and try and find fish that will take them? Like i said, i know that every situation is going to be different, im just asking for some basic guide lines and or personal experience. Thanks

Best one yet right there!! Defiantly be tying some of those up, they look great. Is that the same materiel you used in the first ones? It looks different, but that might just be because of the colour.