Brian Ebert's Warmwater Fly Designs

Brian Ebert of Relax The Cast has been hard at work on the vise and sent along a couple dozen of his latest inventions for me to try on the pond in trade for some T.F.M. swag.

I have been fishing these patterns and most impressed with Brian's deer hair poppers with skirted tails which add to the action of these top water flies and then his bugger type patterns with the rubber curly tails. The action that they achieve in the water is unreal.

Besides the Relax The Cast blog, Brian has been working on a new website and project that which will directly promote warmwater fly fishing and his fly tying which is not yet live.

To discuss a possible fly order, Brian can be contacted by email.  

T.F.M. Spotting - Madness and Magic

I've made a couple mentions lately of Tim Schultz's new website, Madness and Magic, and it only seems fitting to end the month of July with a T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest submission from him as well.

Tim's focus with Madness and Magic is to discuss fly fishing and photography and the content that he's posted in the last couple weeks has been impressive with various posts on John Voelker and a very neat post on John Gierach visiting Frenchman's Pond a few weeks back as well.

Add Madness and Magic to your online reading list today.

Vedavoo Giveaway Ending

This is just a heads up that today is the final day to submit your entry for the Vedavoo Spinner Daypack Giveaway. 

Check the Contest Rules and email your submission in today before midnight.

Random winner of the Vedavoo Spinner Daypack to be announced next week.

The Smallies Of Bay View

After a few hours driving from Voelker's Pond back to Petoskey, Adam and I ate a quick dinner downtown and then grabbed a couple fly rod, fly reels, and a few flies and drove down to Bay View for a couple hours looking for smallmouth bass in the rocks while there was still daylight left.

It took us just a few minutes to realize that instead of chucking casts straight out into the open water that instead the smallmouth were stacked in the rocks at our feet.

Spunky foot long smallmouth put a great bend in the Steffen Brothers 8'6" 5/6 weight and a couple even ripped some line off the LOOP Opti Dry Fly reel. 

Jean-Paul Lipton, a.k.a. Mr. Roughfisher, tied me up some goodies before the trip and they worked quite well.

As the sun slowly slid into Lake Michigan we took off for the house and prepped our gear for the next day's trip to Beaver Island.

The Contemporary Sportsman

The Summer 2011 issue of The Contemporary Sportsman was released late last week and is a tasteful mix of angling and gun sports.

The issue is pushing 300 pages so it should easily eat up part of your Saturday morning with any trouble at all.

Pour that second cup of coffee, sit back, and relax.

Stalker

John Arnold of Headhunters Fly Shop and I have been trading emails back and forth about a 1970's Winston Stalker that he's had around the shop for some time.  He's been thinking about selling it but after this video he might have changed his mind.

On a trip this week to Shoco Ranch with his wife Julie, John put the Stalker in her hands for the evening hatch while he worked the video camera to make a short story out of their time on the water together. 



Stalker from scumliner media on Vimeo.

A beautiful video that really shows off the capabilities of this 7 1/2 foot 2/3 weight fiberglass fly rod.  It's no doubt that Tom Morgan knew what he was doing when he designed this series.

John posted this video on the Headhunters Blog today as well with bit more information and links to check out.

A few weeks ago he did a little bit of digging around online to figure out the history of the Winston Stalker and it's a Headhunters Blog post worth checking out as well.

To watch more videos done by John Arnold, a.k.a. scumliner media, check out his Vimeo channel.

Hardy's New School Clicker

Hardy, who has been long known for classic click and pawl fly reels, is about to release new series of fly reels called the Ultralite which will fall into their growing Performance Reels category. 

From the Hardy North America press release...

The Ultralite CC range of reels is a significant advance on the popular Marksman reel series.

Perfectly sized and designed for light line applications the range covers lines from the ultra light 1# and 2# weights through to the standard size 5# river line, ensuring there is an offering for every light line enthusiast.

- Lightweight to balance modern rods
- Reel back up screwed through frame for maximum security
- Unique adjustable and wide ranging click check mechanism
- 6061 bar stock Aluminium construction
- Tool less conversion from left to right hand wind
- Ultra large arbour / narrow width spool design
- Quick release spools

There are four models in the Ultralite CC series priced from $169.00 to $199.00.

Hardy is also debuting a disk drag version of this fly reel called the Ultralite DD with seven models in the series priced from $199.00 to $349.00.

The Hardy Ultralite fly reels should be available for order beginning August 1st.

Big Water And The Wise Old Bull

After a few hours on small water we decided to end our day on the Escanaba River.  Tim Schultz of Madness and Magic was familiar with the river and knew the ins and outs of where to access and what we'd find.

The Escanaba River is certainly big water with quite a population of rainbow and brown trout.  The slow even current made for interesting fly fishing. 

Our night was similar to the old, and somewhat crass, joke of the wise old bull and the young bull standing at the top of the hill looking down at a field full of lady cows.  If you don't know the joke then Google it for a chuckle with a lesson to learn as well.

 

The wise old bull in this story is James since he spent his night quietly standing in one spot surrounded by rising trout and took the couple hours before dark going fly by fly through his fly boxes until he figured out which ones that would work.

The young bulls, being Adam, Tim, and I, spent those same hours wading hundreds of feet up river and more or less chased rise forms here and there with very limited success.

Though we each caught a few fish we certainly didn't have the same experience as our wise and older friend James who staked out a spot on the river and let the trout find him. 

The night ended with a tremendous spinner fall of mayflies that we didn't connect with like we should have and as we walked back to the truck scratching our heads, we found James standing in the river elated with his good fortune and still catching fish in the dark.  On hex flies of course. 

The hour drive back to Voelker's Pond gave James more than enough time to excitedly recount his night and show off a steady stream of photos on his digital camera as well.

Thanks James.  We all learned a lesson that night from our wise old bull.   

T.F.M. Spotting - Disney's Jungle Cruise

Gavin LeBars was able to spend part of his summer vacation at Disneyland Resort and while there his father snapped a photo of him wearing his T.F.M. Retro Fly t-shirt on the Jungle Cruise for the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest.

Gavin...thanks for representing and good to see that none of those alligators got you! 

Small Water

While up at Voelker's Pond for the weekend we took part of Saturday to revisit a small stream that Adam and James had fished years ago.  Finding this stream involved two people pouring over the maps and a couple phone calls to a friend of our guide and photog, Tim Schultz of Madness and Magic.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Once we arrived at the river and geared up, Adam and Tim worked their way downstream and James and I went upstream.  James and I took turns casting to slicks and riffles and when one would catch a trout then the other would hop ahead for a turn.  Gentlemen fly fishing at it's best.   

Over the course of several hours we all caught a few small brook and rainbow trout and enjoyed yet another piece of beautiful Michigan water with dry flies and light line fly rods.  It hardly gets better than that.

J.P. Ross Custom Kabuto Blank Build

Following on the custom build on the McFarland Rods rolled blank, J.P. Ross Fly Rods & Co.'s next project was a white fiberglass blank from Kabuto Rods for John Wallace.

John provided the Kabuto Rods eight foot three piece five weight blank along with the sharp looking wood reel seat and from that Jordan went to work on this build.  

Fine work by Jordan with a lot of custom touches to it that I know John appreciates.

More information about this build can be found on the J.P. Ross Fly Rods & Co. Custom Rod Builder page.

J.P. Ross Fly Rods & Co. can be contacted by email if you'd like to discuss a custom build of your own.  

T.F.M. Spotting - At Joel's Cabin

Matt Schliske of Schliske Bamboo Fly Rods was recently up at Joel Thompson's cabin outside of Deer Lodge, Montana and snapped an image of a GLASS IS NOT DEAD decal that I left there this past fall. 

Joel is in the background of this photo holding an old Wright & McGill fly rod that is more or less a cabin rod and I can just about read his mind as he's thinking "I should fish more fiberglass and give my all my broomstick graphite fly rods a rest."

Just joking though if Joel keeps hanging out with Matt and I then we just might convert him yet to bamboo and fiberglass exclusively.      

A Tight Loop Interviews Jeff Kennedy

When the first online issue of A Tight Loop came out a couple months ago I didn't even notice that there was a video interview with Jeff Kennedy of Drawing Flies 365 embedded in the article on how his website was started, the projects that he's worked on, and then products featuring his artwork from Patagonia, Superfly Distilling Company, StoneFly Vineyards, and T.F.M. as well.



A Tight Loop did a nice job with this interview and it's neat to see inside Jeff's process of developing his artwork.

Follow Jeff Kennedy at Drawing Flies 365 to catch up with the Drawing Fish 52 project that he and Jason Borger of Fish, Flies & Water have going together. 

T.F.M. Spotting - Wiener Dog Hero Shot

Mike Gillen sent along a T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest entry without much explination and  honestly, I didn't ask to many questions. 

A hero shot is a hero shot...right?  HA... 

Mike wrote...  "The dog days of summer T.F.M. Spotting.  Wiener dog hero shot edition."

Good looking pup but hope Mike's next entry involves a fish that big!  

Garden & Gun Tenkara Article

The other night my wife was leafing through the latest issue of Garden & Gun before bed and mentioned that there was an article on tenkara.

I picked up the magazine this weekend and found a well done two page article on tenkara angling which featured T.F.M. friend Tom Sadler of Dispatches From The Middle River.  What a neat surprise and Donovan Webster wrote a solid piece on both spending the day with Tom and the tenkara method as well. 

Tenkara USA got a notable nod on the article as well it should have.  Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA has started a small but growing revolution in fly fishing and though it may not be for everyone and for every angling situation, I find it quite enjoyable. 

To check out the article for yourself, if you don't subscribe, it can be read on the Garden & Gun website.  Make sure you check out the extended photo gallery as well.

A Weekend At Voelker's Pond

It hardly seems possible that it's already been two weeks since I spent the weekend tucked away in the wilds of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at Voelker's Pond. 

As a native son and fly angler there are few places in Michigan that are as mythical as the place that John Voelker, who is also known by his pen name of Robert Traver, went to be inspired, to fish, to drink, to write, and to spend time with friends. 

There was certainly something special about being at the camp all weekend but the experience was heightened by having Adam Tsaloff as my host.  As John's grandson, he spent considerable time with him and had wonderful and interesting stories to share. 

We arrived on Friday evening and I quickly readied my gear before walking off to explore the pond a bit.  Adam directed me to one of the raised casting platforms, this one being called the Diving Board, and said to cast across and near a downed tree.  I stood at the edge of the platform and cast a dark bodied soft hackle that I had tied some time back into the dark waters of the pond.  Before long I felt a take on the fly and moments later a brook trout came to hand.  I was done for the night.  I felt complete.  I had caught a brook trout from Voelker's Pond.

The rest of the weekend was spent near and around the camp fishing small brook trout water and then an evening on the Escanaba River as well.  Both mornings I woke early I walked around exploring the with camera and fly rod until the bell above the cabin was rung for breakfast.  Of course we ate to good all weekend which is certainly just a given when at camp.  We stayed up to late at night talking about bamboo and fiberglass fly rods around the fire or driving back from the river in the dark.  Each night I stretched out on the floor of the cabin with my last thoughts before sleep wishing the walls could whisper voices from the past and I could hear the spirited conversations with John and his friends playing cribbage and raising a cup in laughter.

It was a weekend well spent and I want to thank Adam again for the gracious invitation to visit Voelker's Pond.

View all the images from this weekend in the Flickr album.

T.F.M. Spotting - Hymn For Her

Last weekend Steve Martinez of Indigo Guide Service took a deserved break from chasing carp and smallmouth to enjoy the Beaver Island Music Festival and snapped a quick photo of himself wearing this T.F.M. t-shirt with arms around Lucy and Wayne of Hymn For Her.

I've been listening to Hymn For Her online and digging their music quite a bit.

You've got to respect a band that bangs around in their early 60's Bambi Airstream traveling coast to coast recording and playing gigs.  

Steve...great T.F.M. Spotting photo.  The music festival weekend looked like a great time.   

Greetings From Poland

T.F.M. reader Artur Orlon sent an email recently with a few photos from his last fly fishing trip in Northern Poland on the Czernica River including one with a T.F.M. decal placed on his metal fly box. 

Artur...what a beautiful and peaceful river.  Thank you for sharing your photographs of your day on the water.

Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero Review

I just got my copy of Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero back in the mail this week from a friend and it was a good reminder that I hadn't yet written up a review of this DVD yet on T.F.M.

Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero is Robert Thompson's, of Third Year Fly Fisher, second full length film release following on the heels of Night Of The Hex.  A shorter version of this film ran on the Fly Fishing Film Tour as well and in my mind these two films couldn't have felt more different.  The F3T cut fit the bill for the tour but I personally felt that it lost a lot of the soul that is found in the full length version with it's fast paced editing and trying to tell a short story that really deserved the full treatment that the DVD gives viewers.  

Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero Trailer from RT on Vimeo.

Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero is a journey into the Northern Wisconsin backwoods with Brad Bohen and Brian Porter with a well done mix of interviews and fly fishing sequences on various rivers with some large specimens caught on camera.  Robert Thompson has great ability to tell a story through film and his editing skills are evident as well.  Brad and Brian explain their techniques for catching musky on the fly but also cover aspects of their daily routines of living somewhat disconnected from everything except a set of driftboat oars or fly rod in their hands chucking massive streamers.  There is a lot of passion and dedication that is conveyed on the film that I certainly felt from watching this DVD a half dozen or so times the past couple months.

Another benefit of the DVD is the special features which include several in depth fly tying sessions with both Brad and Brian where they explain the patterns they use, the process of building an appealing musky fly, and how their patterns have changed over the past several years to match the wants of this particularly picky fish.

The Musky Country: Zero 2 Hero DVD can be purchased through the Third Year Fly Fisher website.  This film run 49 minutes with over 60 minutes of extras to make it well worth the $35 investment.

T.F.M. Spotting - Fun At Headhunters

Sometimes it's hard for me not to believe that it's not all fun and games at Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig, Montana.

These T.F.M. Spotting photos of a Retro Fly t-shirt being passed around and worn backwards for the camera certainly don't sway my opinion.  Party time.

I know...they have brutal winters but the summers look pretty damn carefree.

Check out the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog for an excellent daily read on all things fly fishing and in depth local fishing reports as well. 

Leiderman Build Wrapped And Signed

 With Mrs. Leiderman ever closer to delivering their second child, Matt of Leiderman Rods has been busy completing client builds including the white Kabuto Rods 7643 blank build for T.F.M before the big event.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

In this update Matt has finished the metal work, wraps, and inked the fiberglass blank as well.

Not to long now until the build is complete.  The anticipation builds. 

Check out the Leiderman Rods website for more information and photographs of his excellent work.

Three Weights And Dry Flies

This may be a good time in the series of Michigan trip posts to give a background on Adam Tsaloff, who was my gracious host over the course of the five days of fly fishing.  Adam is a husband, father, physical therapist, bamboo and fiberglass fiend, and fanatical fly angler.

Adam is also the grandson of John Voelker who is also known under the pen name of Robert Traver through his extensive writing of such books as Trout Madness, Anatomy Of A Murder, and others.

Last year Adam had invited me to visit and promised not only a visit to his grandfather's camp in the Upper Peninsula, but also wanted to show me around some of his home water as well.  Adam is fortunate to live in a part of Michigan with tiny brook trout water, warmwater options, larger trout streams, and then enjoy the seasonal offerings of Lake Michigan as well with smallmouth, salmon, and steelhead within casting reach from the piers and rocky shores.  Adam is a neat fellow and we had a really good time over the weekend.  I very much appreciate the invitation to visit and hope to again.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Before heading off to the camp for the weekend, Adam wanted to show me one of his favorite brook trout streams for a few hours. We arrived and tucked his vehicle into a narrow pull off, got our gear together, and then took off on a short hike to the river.

This was perfect three weight and dry fly water and I spent the day using the Kabuto 7033 while Adam used one of his light line bamboo fly rods.

Though the conditions weren't exactly perfect, since it was quite warm with little cloud cover, we still found a few brook trout in likely places.  I enjoyed seeing a new river and holding a few native jewels for a momement before swam from my hand back into the dark water.

The Flyfish Journal Klean Kanteen Offer

The Flyfish Journal has a limited edition Klean Kanteen offering for those that place an order for a two year subscription to the magazine and is worth checking out. 

The Klean Kanteen Reflect travel bottle is made of food-grade steel which is laser etched with TFFJ logo and a cap topped with sustainable bamboo and TFFJ fly stamped into it.  A sharp looking drinking bottle made without plastic or paint.

You might remember The Flyfish Journal offering from last month for a free Hatch "Rising" t-shirt with a one or two year subscription order using code "TFM" during the online checkout.  You can use this code with the Klean Kanteen two year subscription and get the Hatch t-shirt too.  Remember to include your shirt size with your order.  

Your subscription order helps to support a most excellent magazine and will give you eight issues to look forward to arriving in the mail.

Check out the Subscription Packages page for more information.

T.F.M. Spotting - Bartschi In The Shop

A few weeks ago a photograph of Jim Bartschi, president and rod designer at Scott Fly Rod Company, arrived in my inbox with him representing T.F.M. while giving a F2 fly rod a through once over.

It's neat to get an glimpse inside the Scott Fly Rod Company. 

I would certainly like to visit the Montrose shop at some point to see the operation for myself.  Yet another trip to add to the list.

GLASS IS (Certainly) NOT DEAD

When you are lucky enough to work as a product development specialist at The Orvis Company as does undercover glass geek, Shawn Combs, it can give you the unique opportunity to look through old stock and find some unusual offerings from the past.

Shawn recently came across a vintage 7 1/2 foot five weight Golden Eagle blank at the shop and quickly put the wraps to it along with a very T.F.M.'esque inscription on the blank.

Shawn took the new school Golden Eagle build to the river this past weekend and flexed it on a few rainbow trout.  

"GLASS IS NOT DEAD".  Indeed.  Click image to see larger.

Shawn...it looks like the Golden Eagle blank still has some life in it decades after it was first made.

Maybe...just maybe...you can bend a few ears around the office and bring fiberglass back.  How cool would that be?   

Howler Brothers Scott/Tibor Contest

Howler Brothers started a new contest this past weekend that will run until the middle of August.

There are daily chances to win and the overall winner will be sent a Scott Fly Rod Company S4s eight weight fly rod and a Howler Monkey icon engraved Tibor Everglades fly reel.   

See the Howler Brothers Blog for details and good luck.

There are a couple new Howler Brothers T-shirts to check out if you haven't already.

Remember to use code "HBTFM" and take $10 off your online order. 

The Deloria Art Studio

After only a couple hours sleep after a night spent floating the river with Jason and Phil, the iPhone alarm clock started beeping loud enough to wake me.  This meant it was time to get cleaned up and ready for a few hours of fly fishing small brook trout water near Petoskey before driving up to the Upper Penninsula for the rest of the weekend with Adam Tsaloff and James Deloria.

Adam had graciously offered his basement bedroom and it was a perfect base camp for the duration of five days in northern Michigan.  I showered, ate a bowl of cereal, organized some gear for the day, and then Adam and I were off to a small river which holds native brook trout by way of James Deloria's house which doubles as his art studio as well.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

James and I have conversed through email and phone calls for the past year or so and I've been impressed with his artwork that ranges across many mediums including his infamous trout themed canoes.

It was neat to take a walk with James through the yard, into the garage, and then into his house to see what all he's been up to lately.  One thing that is immediately noticeable is the camouflage on everything from the canoes, to his car, to his fly rods, to his water bottle.  The fellow has a knack for camo and has several designs of his own making.  Think freestyle camouflage.

Of course there were a half dozen canoes in various stages of completion including a blacked out Wenonah with a brook trout head and skeleton drawn on the sides.  I can't wait to see this one complete.  

Besides his own artwork and photographs which hung on the walls of the house, James also had several pieces from friend and artist Stephen Kendall which were quite impressively done.  The steelhead in charcoal has been caught and kept for dinner years ago and the buck's blood was kept and splattered over the paper which was a fitting tribute to a stellar fish taken and made into art.

Before Adam and I left to go find a few brook trout, James placed two bushy dry flies in my hand which he had dubbed the "TraverTried'nTrude" and wished us good luck.

As Adam and I got back into the SUV and pulled out of the driveway James was busy again giving his travel rod tube the "camo treatment" with a couple cans of spray paint.

No doubt...James lives his art.

James Deloria can be reached by email if you'd like to discuss commission artwork.  

Blue River Fly Company Sale

The Blue River Fly Company pushed out an email late last night announcing a few new items on their website along with other items being put on sale as well.  Check it out.

Remember to use code "TFM" during checkout which will take an additional 20% OFF your online order.

The Blue River Fly Company has supported T.F.M.  with an ad space since the beginning of the year and I appreciate those in the readership that do some of their fly buying through their website.  Thank you. 

Vintage Heddon + Carp = Fun

In all honesty I have amassed to many fly rods over the past couple of years (did I really just type that?) and when tattoo artist, angler, and fly tier Pat Cohen of Super Fly mentioned that he was looking for a couple vintage fiberglass fly rods I happily worked out a deal to ship him two lightly used Heddon's that needed a new home.

Over the past few weeks Pat has put the flex to both Heddon fly rods on local carp and sent along this report and photos.

Pat wrote...  "These fly rods have a much softer slower action then I am used to.  It felt like casting with a wet noodle the first few tries but once you get in the groove and become one with the rod.  It flows nice and smooth.  It lays the line down nice and easy the way carp need it."

Check out Super Fly for more fly fishing reports and mad hair stacking skills at the vise. 

Mouse Float On River X

As soon as Koz and I were off the brook trout stream, he led me to the river access where Jason Tucker of Fontinalis Rising and Phil Croff of Croff Craft Custom Driftboats & Oars were waiting with his newest driftboat which was already in the water ready for a night float.

Jason and I have traded emails and phone calls for months now and I really like the direction that Fontinalis Rising is going.  Jason consistently offers up excellent content and it's neat to see his northern Michigan fly fishing adventures when I'm five gas tanks away from my native state.

I had never met Phil before but Jason had talked about him and what he was doing with Croff Craft quite a bit.  I was really excited with the offer to float one of their home rivers for night time brown trout and check out his uniquely designed driftboat.

Over the past couple years Phil has been building short and wide designed driftboats that are great on all water types but especially suited for small rivers.

All Croff Craft driftboats are built by Phil and literally have hundreds of hours into each one before completion.

A couple of the fellows that were aware of where we were floating were a bit skeptical of running a driftboat down the river and even more so doing it at night.  The river is tight and as is typical of northern Michigan rivers there is structure lining piled in the corners and in quite a few places trees growing across and fallen down into the water creating hazards to navigate.  It was little worry as the Croff Craft is the perfect drfitboat for tight water situations and Phil's knowledge of the river is unmatched as well.  

As I was assembling my gear for the night Jason opened up his fly box full of junk which largely consisted of foam, bunny strips, and flies with stinger hooks and offered up one of his white foam gurgler type flies for me to try.

I didn't have any experience with mousing and was a bit surprised that the technique used was a cast as close to structure on the opposite bank and then slowly swing the large dry fly across the river.  It was seldom that I added much action to the fly at all and the brown trout responded to this fly consistently all night long. 

Within the first hour of our float I took one step forward in ankle deep water which was in front of a narrow island in the river and was swallowed by a deep hole which filled my waders and left me waterlogged for the rest of the night.  Phil came prepared with an extra sweatshirt and wool gloves which took the edge off as it cooled down.  I felt like an idiot for taking a dip and should have been more careful.  Lesson learned all over again. 

Over the length of the float we all rolled a few good fish and I was fortunate to catch an eighteen inch brown trout that rose to the swung gurgler pattern as it swam through the middle of the river.

I was pretty stoked with the the catch and spent the rest of the night at the front of the driftboat taking suggestions from Phil and Jason on where to cast.  The McFarland fiberglass seven weight paired with a vintage J.W. Young Landex made for a great mousing outfit. 

I had gotten just a couple hours of sleep the night before, fished most of the day, put in six or seven road hours, and as our float edged into early morning I more or less drifted in and out of some sort of consciousnesses.  This lack of sharp response aided in my inability to connect with a few rises in the dark but no less took away from the experience of drifting down the river with Jason and Phil.  We had an excellent time even if I was half asleep part of the time.   

We ended up at the take out about five o'clock in the morning and it was getting light out before I fell asleep for a couple hours of rest before the next adventure started.

Add Fontinalis Rising to your regular online read list and give the Croff Craft website a look as well.  Besides making a very capable and beautiful driftboat, Phil is also a licensed fly fishing guide.  I can attest that he knows his home waters quite well.

Jason and Phil...thanks for a great time on a very special piece of water and having the front seat to the Croff Craft for the night certainly added to the experience.

T.F.M. Spotting - Retro Fly Hatch

Matt Zudweg of Boneyard Fly Gear has been working on his utility trailer that he uses to travel show to show and what started with adding decals of favorite fly gear companies, guides, bloggers, and others ended with the addition of a full on T.F.M. Retro Fly hatch on the front of the trailer.  

Boneyard Fly Gear has helped create and produce all the "Premium T.F.M. Decals" that are offered on this website and is a great place to shop your own ideas. 

Matt's prices are in check and his minimums make it affordable for you to have unique decals made to promote your business or website. 

 

If you'd like to send a decal to add to Matt's collection or have an idea you'd like to see as a decal of your own please contact him through email.    

The Blitz Is Released

Tosh Brown's Departure Press made good on their word and released The Blitz last week which was over a month ahead of schedule.

The Blitz is a coffee table worthy book with interviews, photographs, and experiences that were compiled by photographer Tosh Brown and writer Pete McDonald along the Atlantic seaboard looking for large migratory species on the fly.

Departure Press is giving $5 towards the restoration of these migratory species with each book sale.  When you place your order online you can chose from Stripers Forever, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, or Coastal Conservation Association for your donation to be sent.

During the making of the book the cameras were rolling as well and this ten minute video gives you a look at the experience of creating The Blitz and the characters involved. 



I just got paid yesterday and placing my order for a copy of The Blitz this weekend.