niveker

That a pretty good idea, @shoebop. I usually do it the same as in flytire's links, but your way looks like its easier to get a more consistent result.

Tiger Bee Fly

Great tying everyone. So many patterns, so little time

Thanks, gentlemen.

Either way, sounds like a good deal.👍

I had a little bit of work Saturday morning in the western part of MA and figured on my way home I could hit a small stream out that way that I've been eye-balling on the map for a while now. Finished up my job at noon and headed to the water. I pass a tag sale on the way; I see fishing poles and I can't pass without stopping. Glad I did as I picked up a copy of Art Flick's Master Fly-Tying Guide, a CDL saddle, and a half dozen packs of seal fur for $15. I had hoped to come across a little Mom & Pop on the way to snag a quick lunch, as I had left home without eating. Unfortunately, I didn't come across anything. Got on the water by one. Nice little stream. From the occasional clumps of dislodged knotweed along the banks, I could tell it had been pretty full last week after the rains from the first half of the month. Lots of skinny water, a few deeper runs here and there. First promising place was an old bridge abutment. Tied on a 'Slim Jim’ and saw a decent size shadow chase it and turn away. A few more casts and landed this Rainbow. I figured the ruckus he caused would be the end of getting anything else from that little pool, but decided to try a few more casts, which surprisingly drew another few misses. I needed something a little more visible, so switched to a John Storey dry fly. I've had a two of these in my box for a while now, and haven't tied any on, which was unfortunate as at the 3rd or 4th cast I pulled in a second Rainbow, the same one I landed just a few minutes before, LOL. Hungry little guy. I moved on down the stream to another likely run. After throwing the dry at the tail of the run, I tied on a heavy soft hackled stonefly pattern I've been playing around with to get the fly down in the faster water. I was a little surprised to come up empty. Swinging the stonefly through the skinny water as I headed down stream to the next run: up against the bank, under the trees. I picked up a few small Brookies - always an encouraging sign. I could see a rooftop through the trees further downstream, and as it's now after three and I'm practically starving to death, I decided to head to the car, try and find a small store for a sammich, and then come back to any streamside pullouts I may have passed on the way. Of course, I couldn't pass up that old bridge pool, and was surprised to pull out a half dozen small Brookies. They must have been holding deep when I was throwing the dry. Unusual for those little guys to not go for a dry. No sign of my old friend the Rainbow, though. Thirty minutes down the country road and passing a few pull-outs that aren't posted, and I still have not come across any food, so I decide to head back to civilization before I pass out. After getting a packaged sandwich and a coffee in the first gas station I come across, I'm feeling a little better and decide to stop at my usual haunt, the Swift River, before heading home. The Swift River really is a jewel, and the flows are well regulated by the powers that be who control the Quabbin Reservoir and Park, created back in the 30's when 4 towns were flooded to create a virtually unlimited water supply for the city of Boston. It's a bottom release dam, so water temps are cold and constant, and paradoxically, the river's flow increases when our summers are drier, because for some strange reason, the output is inversely tied to the flow of the Connecticut River. Anyhow, as our July has been unusually wet, its running at 50-60cfs. There is a hatch of small mayflies or maybe caddis, too small for me to discern, with an occasional large brown mayfly here and there and the waxwings are having a field day. I'm still rigged up with the stonefly pattern, which proves just as attractive to these Swift River Brookies as it was to their small stream brethren. I land a few and lose a few of them as I swing the stonefly, making my way downstream toward the end of the wadable portion of this section. After losing the stonefly pattern on a submerged log, I switch to a Jennings Iso Nymph, which does just as well as well. There are regular rises just past a log jam, but due to the depth of the water and low, overhanging limbs, I can't cast my fly to the area. The only option is to drift the fly into the area. I cast as far as I can, quartering down, and the fly and line swing into a straight line, and I'm able to wade and reach our just enough that the fly passes the outside of the log jam, and I start a slow raise my rod tip, let out a foot of line, lower, let drift, raise, let out line, lower, repeat. It works, the line goes tight as I'm raising the rod, and a big Rainbow breaks the surface. After a good fight, I'm able to get him in the net. A stocker, obviously, but a good size one. It was good day.

Do you mean they took the reel seat off your old rod and put in on a new rod? IN any case, sounds like you love it, that's great. My brother just snapped the tip section of his old (@25 years) Sage. They told him it was going to cost $250 to replace it, I told him put the dough towards a bamboo rod.

Yes, you are correct, I chose my words poorly. By 'relatively free of the earth's pull', I meant when that pull is no longer sufficient to contain the atmosphere.

Woo hoo, got mine in the mail today. Really a great set of flies. Thanks to the participants and above all, Fishin' Bob.

I never gave that too much thought, but I think I agree. I guess I always thought space begins when you are 'relatively' free of the earths pull.

Perfect little bugs, as usual, Sandan.

Glad you could get out. Years ago when I lived in NJ for a few years, I would go down to Seaside just north of Island Beach with a group of guys, hucking chunks in the surf. Don't ever remember catching much but pretty good buzz. We've had a few days of nice, dry weather, so a few hours this week-end is looking pretty promising.

Great report and photos, Dan, nice variety of fish, too.

Wow, MFG, that's impressive, the tie and size. I've never tossed anything 1/5th that size. LOL!

Nice looking fly, but Lordy, that partridge hackle is beautiful.

I agree, there's much we don't know or understand on this planet. But, while knowing the full life cycle of great white shark, quantifying the oceans contents, and especially discovering new flora and fauna may bear great benefits, it seldom does. Traveling to another planet, just like travelling to the moon, has a far greater potential for more significant benefits.

Yeah, me too. Years ago, I thought maybe we'd have the technology and gumption to get up there by the time my kids were old enough to go, and if one of them did, I was hoping he or she would have a child there, then my grandkid would be a Martian. I used to think that'd be pretty cool. I quit smoking that stuff a long time ago.

Funny, Mike. Although if and when we go to Mars, I doubt there will be return flight.

Oh yeah, I'd jump that train.

Here is some streamflow data from a few local streams over the past 30 days, these are all within a 15 miles radius of my house and are the one's I look forward to wet wading for not-trout in the summertime. On and off T-storms/showers expected over the next few days. The grounds here in west/central MA are already saturated. Oy.

Indeed.

Do yo mean purchasing a ticket now, or as an astronaut. 40 years ago I would have gladly tried to become an astronaut if I was a bit more serious about such things at the time. Now, meh, I don't even want to get into a plane unless it's the only option left. I'm still working on my son, though. He's getting close as a geo-spatial engineer with the Army.

Thanks Moshup, great name for it.

Thank you, Bob, looking forward to them. I appreciate the extra work you've done for this and many other swaps in the past and am sorry to hear about your recent decision to stop hosting these swaps, and hope you may reconsider it the future. Perhaps as the summer winds down I will try to partially fill those big shoes.

👍