Be warned! Sight fishing for Bull trout can be addictive

 

Hello,

Hopefully you have all been having some fun at the vise or on the water and if not just dreaming about your next trip.

The sun is up and I just had my daily dip/wash in a river and dried off. The flies are driving me insane biting me inside the van/office as I try and type, but as it's so hot here in Montana, the windows and doors need to stay open. Today will be my last day here.

 


 STU'S SUPERIOR FLIES - AWESOME REVIEW 


 

Did you know some of the best fly fishers in the world are using Stu's Superior Flies!

The oldest sporting magazine in the USA is Field & Stream and to get such an awesome review for Stu's Superior Flies does not get much better - especially as the dude who wrote the article bought the flies from the shop for full price. An honest review is hard to find:
 

'Can you improvise your own patterns? Of course you can - and you should. There are oodles of innovative fly tiers at shops throughout America spinning up new creations every day. But sometimes it's the flies from halfway around the world that seem to do the trick. I started fishing a bunch of flies I bought from Stu Tripney who is based in Athol, New Zealand. His flies, in one word - wow. I took a handful of his creations to the home river in Colorado the other night and just hammered fish with them. I can't help but think that part of the equation was that the trout hadn't yet seen anything quite like the flies I was putting on the water.' Continue reading here

This awesome fly takes on average two days for the designer to complete

 

THE FLY FISHING IFFF FESTIVAL

 

 

2007 was the last time made it to the best and largest show for learning every thing about fly-fishing. It is the biggest gathering of the best casting instructors and fly tiers and rod builders in the world. Having been through the years to many events this one is by far the best for getting better or starting off! It is a show that if you are in a fishing club or into anything fly fishing and don't have an ego or think you know it all, that you must go to. You must also go to it if you have something that you can give to others! It is a must for your bucket list. Trust me on this one. Next year it is on in August in Oregon and is run by the IFFF. 

 

There are instructors from all round the world and all so helpful, no such thing as a silly question or ability matters. For four days I shook hands, took notes and learned another pile of fly-fishing info from the best in the world. Day one started with building a rod, followed by spey casting, fly tying lessons, distance casting, How to teach fly tying, 7 deadly sins of casting, distance. Like everyone I talked to, I wanted to enroll in every workshop, though it was not possible.

 

You do not have to be a member of the IFFF or have any experience in fly-fishing it's all there for you for very little outlay. For non-fishing partners there is plenty other things going on to have fun with. There was fly casting testing and it was a pleasure to meet and congratulate Shaun from Queensland Australia who passed his masters test at the event and to meet young Jason at the fly tying course who catches small fish!! Also the first single-handed certified masters from Argentina and Chile.

Nobody wanted it to end and the last night finished with a band/barbecue in the park beside the Yellowstone River, what a setting. Everybody left smiling and as usual even all the masters and others who gave up there time to teach. It's never too late to learn, how to tie a fly, build a rod, fly cast and fly fish! I only wished I could go ever year!

Get more information here

Karen makes realistic flies that she wants you to use

BUILDING A FLY ROD
Did you know that you can buy really good blank and components to build a rod for as little as $100 bucks! For the rod building class, to build a 5 weight white 9ft rod, including reel seat, cork handle, thread etc. it cost me only $120 and I got some fancy bits and decals for it. It's fun and cheap. There are two main online shops' that offer a range of kits and blanks and are easy to deal with. Google Angler's Workshop and Mudhole.

If you are struggling, just go online to Youtube or better still visit your local fishing club.


Young Jason from Australia is having fun at the fly tying workshop 
 GEEK
 

Yes, I am still on the road and somehow I have collected so much new fishing stuff!  Though like many geeks I must have it! Like the two new awesome hand painted rod tubes, I will not catch any more fish by having them, but they are a must?  

 


 SEXY ROD TUBES


 

They are custom made, light, spray painted in the USA and hold two rods. It takes over four hours to complete one and no stencil as such is used, they are all slightly different and done by hand and are very well priced for a hand made item. They have to be the nicest tubes on the planet. Like myself the dude is a one-man band and driven by passion, so if you want the sexiest rod tubes around and support a small business, check his tubes out.       
 

Shaun - Australia's new singlehanded master - could also not resist the sexy rod tubes 

CLIFF FLY BOXES
 

Another small one-man operation is Cliff fly boxes; they are an iconic brand with their blue/pink foam and clear or yellow boxes. And a small business. Cliff designs the boxes and a few other things, many guide's in the USA uses his boxes.

This is another small business driven by innovation and passion. They are all made in the USA and copied by other larger companies sometimes, which is a shame, so support Matt and his originals if you can.

Check out the cliff range of boxes from everyday use small boxes to large ones. Cliff has recently also added an intruder and tube fly specially designed fly boxes as well which can be found here                                     

BC BULL TROUT

Due to time, my trip to BC and Canada got cut short, which was a shame. Though I did make it back to BC for some sight fishing for bull trout. With a bunch of larger predator flies which have been work in progress that I needed to spend some time field-testing. Many years ago the Bastard fly was designed in the same area, so the area was not new to me, which was great help. This time I was experimenting with a new range of flies on stinger hooks. So keep watching for an interesting new range for release in the future. Check out the Bastard as it's a light, easy to cast synthetic fly.       


 

BC BASS
  

Fishing for and learning how to catch new species is so much fun. The hardest thing is finding gin clear water with different species living in it. As for fly design, the water needs to be clear for me to observe the fishers behavior to different patterns. It's easy for companies and people to knock out fly designs, though it takes years to perfect them in the field. Recently visiting a gin clear lake in BC and go to spend a week working on some designs and studying large mouth bass. It was so much fun for the first four hours, I could not even catch a 4 inch bass as they were very spooky as far as bass go. Even though there was quite a few to cast at, it was another great learning curve trying to fool that first one and figure them out.

Bass - Pulsating killer minnow action in gin clear water

FLY DESIGN TIP - AN EXCUSE TO VISIT NEW ZEALAND 


 

So if you like designing flies, testing them in the clearest water you can and watch that fish - what you think may work sometimes do not! Living in NZ for my trout flies, I could not ask for a better testing ground with its gin clear waters - that for many fly designers and tiers could be a good excuse to visit NZ! Tell your partner.

Hot girl vs. a fishing lure. Who wins?
Hot girl vs. a fishing lure. Who wins?


 

Have fun on the vise and on the water.

Looks like I am heading to the mountains to shoot some more underwater photos and give some blood to the native insects.

Thank you for your support.

Cheers,

Stu