Once or twice a year I make it a point to grab the glass rod, a small pack of dry flies and head back home and bushwack to a few of the blue lines that I frequented as a young boy. I honestly don’t know exactly what my reasoning is; could be that I want to feel like a kid again, maybe I wanna be sure that those wily natives I tangled with growing up are still thriving, or maybe because these are truly the lonly places that I can honestly say are the surest bet of seeking out peace and quiet with a fly rod these days.
Life comes at us all fast with varying degrees of peaks and valleys, and as I’ve gotten older with the help of a twenty year career as a public servant, my empathy towards others, understanding the concept that you truly do not know what another person might be dealing with is a profound idea that would seriously benefit a great deal of the self absorbed folks we seem to bump into on a much more regular basis. Even though just hours prior I’m cursing at some stranger while behind the steering wheel becomes a daily occurrance as some preoccuppied so and so is too busy focusing on swiping their smartphone instead of devoting their time to the road their navigating in a 2 ton gas powered projectile.
I typically go to these places alone, but as I grow older and my inner circle of what I consider brothers (others would call close friends) grows even smaller, I try to share these experiences with those who actually understand their value and truly appreciate them. These are but one of the few places other than the pain cave (what I call my gym) where I can truly slow down. Recently I had the pleasure of doing just that with one of these brothers and it had a profound impact on him.
Muddog as he is more readily known, Mike to me, although he feels like a lifelong brother has really become a part of that circle in recent years. I guess you could say we are both doing what we can to make up for lost time together. When we catch up, we both recognize the hard truth that we are on the other half of the ruler in relation to our short time left on this earth, so we have made it a point to capitalize on those things that we hope never change.
A true disciple of the salt, Mike is a man of few words but when he speaks the messages are profound and so clear and concise like the days he had to articulate that last collar while working the streets of Burlington. I guess we connect on levels that few would understand from our backgrounds, but we understand eachother like some of our other aquaintances might not. As we meandered our way into the valley of this one rather memorable blue line the conversation stopped as he absorbed what this particular venue can do to your soul.
To be clear, these places are and aren’t about the fish. They are about stepping back in time and wrapping your head around the notion of what the concept of wild really means. They don’t necessarily have to be thousands of miles from home in some hard to reach corner of the planet. Granted, those from experience are always worth the price of admission, but after four decades of travel around the planet, I can honestly say you can find these places close to home if you are willing to seek them out; in otherwords, its all relative.
From the rugged landscape, rock formations made by water, to the original strain of eastern Brook Trout that once inhabited a vast majority of our waterways, these unique specimens are now confined to these higher elevation streams protected by natures green canopy. It all quickly becomes a total sensory overload as you find your eyes struggling to stay focused on one singular thing; your ears are tickled with natures stereo by the song of various birds and other things making music around you while your nose continues to inhale that earthy aroma you can’t quite describe, but those who have spent time there can relate when brought up in conversation.
After being fortunate to have fooled a 10 inch brook trout in one of those crystal clear waterfall pools, by all means a trophy in these waters, I could see the gears turning in Muddog’s head. Part of me knew exactly what he was soon to ask on our hike out of this valley hidden under the canopy of pine, oak and maple, after we marched uphill from our last dramatic twenty plus foot waterfall.
“Hey, I was wondering, how the hell did those fish get above these falls into some of those pools”, he blurted out as we crested the final hill next to a stone wall that at one time delineated what was once a barrier for livestock several hundred years prior. “I was wondering when you were going to ask that question” I responded. A long conversation ensued with a great deal of speculation but no clear answers, and that’s ok as that is part of what makes this place magical.
To be honest, I couldn’t tell you definitevely as I have often contemplated that very question since the very first time I set foot here almost forty years ago. Ice age? Birds? Who really knows but they’re here and there is no real way to know which is the beauty of the mystery. What I do know is these places will forever spark my interest just knowing that not too far from the fray they still exist, if you’re willing and able to search them out. The day we destroy these places is the day all hope is lost; hopefully the human race will recognize that before it happens. I am hopeful but skeptical to say the least, but I do know that I am going to keep on trying to pretend I am that little kid for as long as my body will allow, and I will do my damnedest to make sure they stay that way.
Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a great holidays and have been out there on the water when you can enjoying this mild weather pattern despite some above average flows. The fishing has been good on most days if you pick the right windows for whatever method you favor. Today I am typing this post with a bunch of updates both in videos and additions to the fly store.
Last month I added a video of one of the newer jigs that I have been tinkering with in the last year, and this month I have started out with a spin on a classic trout fly the Wooly Bugger. The Wooly Bugger Jig is just another variation of a classic fly that has been put on a jig platform. In this video I give you a very simple tie with some additions that are of my own personal preference.
In the store you will not only recognize that their are some more jig hook additions, but some new flies in the jig category as well. The Exile Crayfish is a very general impressionistic interpretation of a crayfish on a Ned-Head style jig. This particular fly takes all the attributes of a conventional tackle tube jig and adds them into this very productive fly. If you enjoy fishing for Smallmouth Bass I can tell you firsthand that this particular pattern is nothing short of dynamite. I cannot tell you how many days in 2022 where this was the only fly we tied on as it was simply that good. It is an absolute joy to fish too, as you can drum fish out of heavy cover to eat this guy. Trout love these too so do not be fooled into thinking this is only for bass. These are now available in the store with a tying video coming in the future.
The Headstand Sculpin came to fruition after brainstorming with my good friend Lance Wilt. For the last few seasons we had been putting our heads together in hopes of building a jig pattern with a controlled drop. After numerous attempts, I can finally say that I struck gold with this little guy. I personally like to fish the lightest variations in 3/32 ounce on these as the drop is much slower and it acts like a finesse jig, but the heavier versions have earned their keep as well for those heavier current seams and plunges. Look for more wacky colors to be added throughout the season and a video on how to tie this one as well.
My good friend old Marvin the Martian has gotten a bit of a facelift. After countless hours of tinkering I have finally settled on the Ned-Head jig for this fly with an added behind the jig head eye. This has made for a rather versatile pattern that like many of my creations holds up well to abuse. Some new colors have been added to the store including a smelt color pattern. If you hadn't noticed I have put a great deal of faith in the Ned-Head design, and for good reason as it typically hangs less as the fly will stand on it's head.
Lastly, some new colors have been added into the mix for some of my more regular producers. After spending some time in the shop dialing in colors, I have finally gotten my act together and gotten a solid brown-olive dye lot squared away and have been able to replicate it consistently. That being said I can now offer many of my favorite streamers in that conventional olive drab army color that is just so productive. The Headbanger Sculpin and Alter Ego are the first flies to get that well needed addition and can be found in the store by clicking on their names.
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Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are relatively prepared for the Holidays and the New Year. It just so happens I have gotten the motivation to set aside the time for a new tying video. This particular video details the sequence on how to tie a Feather Tail Jig, light on the rant, heavy on fishing information. Look for a follow up video on a smaller version of the same pattern using some other materials and how to scale the patterns size down accordingly.
If you tie yourself, you can now order my custom poured jigs here: NEDHEADS BALLHEAD JIGS or if you do not tie, you can order these flies here: FEATHER TAIL JIG. If you haven't already, subscribe to our monthly newsletter where you can get in depth and timely information on the prevailing local conditions, tying tips, occassional deals and promotions on flies and materials. This month I take a deep dive into tying with and selecting the proper bucktail. Give it a follow, check it out, tell your friends. For now, lets grab a beverage, a pen and paper and sit back and have fun.
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