Monthly Archives: February 2010

Tying Tip: The brown midge (updated)

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You have to love a newspaper that is willing to publish fly tying tips.  The Idaho Statesman regularly publishes cool fly patterns in their outdoor section (at least on their website, I don’t know if it is in print as well).  The pattern today is the brown midge which looks like you could tie any number of ways to match the midges hatching where you fish.  I would probably just use a grizzly or black hackle this time of year since most of the midges I am fishing are black.  For the full details read the article:
Tackle Tip: Brown Midge (Idaho Statesman)

Update: Check out this nice pattern for midges that was shared with me by Curtis Fry.  It is called the foamerger and it sounds like a real killer.

Bird festival anyone?

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The Deseret News has an article today about the many upcoming bird watching events/festivals around the state of Utah.  The highlights include:

  • Bald Eagle Viewing Day – February 13 at locations around the state
  • Snow Goose Festival – February 19-20 in Delta, Utah
  • Tundra Swan Day – March 13 at the Farmington Bay waterfowl management area
Take an opportunity to get out and support these events and check out these amazing birds.  Read the full article here, Get look at big birds before they fly away (Deseret News).

Native cutthroat trout restored to local creeks

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This article Utah wildlife officials to reintroduce cutthroat trout to creeks from the Deseret News talks about a project to restore the native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (the state fish of Utah) to a few smaller creeks in Davis County.  This is exciting news as it opens up new possibilities to anglers and increases the range of the these awesome fish.  Thanks Utah DWR!

Drawing Flies 52: Week 6 Muddler Minnow

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This week’s drawing is the classic streamer pattern, the muddler minnow.  My rendering this week is completely digital.  I used Adobe Fireworks to do everything.  I started off wanting to do something Charlie Harper inspired, but ended up going this route instead.  I am pretty happy with it and will confess that it took closer to 30 minutes to draw.

Update:
Here is Jeff’s drawing for the week.  A very cool charcoal rendering.

Update 2:
Here is Jason’s drawing for the week. Really cool effects with what looks like water color and charcoal.

Do you like to fish in Utah? Send your support for HB-80

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This is a plea to anyone who enjoys the great fishing that we have in Utah.  Please reach out to your state legislative representatives and voice your support on behalf of HB-80 which is the bill supporting fair use of public waters on private lands. The bill was drafted with input from both sides of the issue to make it as fair and open as possible.  It would appear that competing legislation drafted behind closed doors is now being introduced to kill this bill.  Please visit utahwaterguardians.org to find out more detail about the bills and how you can help.  If you live out of state and would like to see this bill pass to the benefit those who enjoy water activities in Utah, please donate!  Thanks.

Holy black sea bass!

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Pacific black sea bass are a protected species and can’t be legally possessed.  Recently an Orange County angler hooked into a beauty from the Balboa pier which he ended up killing and it looks like he may find himself in trouble.  Video on this page doesn’t look very convincing that he tried to return it to the water quickly.  The case has been turned over to OC District Attorney.  It sounds like releasing one of these fish, however, requires more than just knowing how to remove a hook and apparently the air bladder somehow needs to be deflated as well.  Perhaps even if he had returned it more quickly it wouldn’t have survived anyway.  Hard to know, but it sure seems like he could have decided to cut the line about 15 minutes before he did.

These are clearly special fish.  Just look at historical photos such as this one posted on Shorpy.com, you can see why.  It looks like a giant largemouth bass.  Hard to imagine catching such a massive fish like this one.  Wow.

It’s on! Backyard gopher season 2010 opens

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It is officially on.  The backyard gopher hunt of 2010 started officially today.  Much like Carl from Caddyshack, I don’t much care for gophers.  They really mess up my back lawn with their mounds and shallow tunnels.  I have had several collapse under my feet when playing in the backyard with my kids and I’m sure one of these times I’m going to mess up my ankle.

Over the course of the last several weeks, I have been noticing mounds appearing in my yard.  For the most part these mounds are dried out so I know they aren’t too fresh.  But today, I noticed a fresh one with dark, moist soil on top.  I watched for a moment and within seconds, he made his appearance.  I saw the little rascal pushing dirt out of his latest excavation project.  By rules of my hunt, once a gopher has been spotted in the fur, the season officially opens.  Also, being a sporting type, I insist that gophers only be taken by air rifle; it is the right thing to do.

I rushed to find my air pistol which I had stowed for the winter, threw on some shoes, and hastily, but quietly made my way to the back yard.  I had always figured they didn’t see well but rather relied more on sound and vibration in the soil to detect threats.  I was wrong.  I got a little too close today and he saw me which I think has put him down for the rest of the day.  It is also possible that as he emerged he saw his shadow as the weather is pretty nice today and perhaps he has gone under to brace for another 6 weeks of winter weather…wait, wrong animal.

Anyway, season tally so far Gopher 1: Me 0.

Whitefish vs Fly Anglers: Can’t we all just get along?

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I know a lot of fly anglers have a philosophical problem with whitefish, but what is the problem really?  They eat all the same food as trout so if your “trash fish” mentality is based on you are what you eat, then the same holds true for trout.  They inhabit all the same waters in the Mountain West as trout, so it can’t be based on that.  I have taken whitefish using dry flies, nymphs, wet flies, and – as of last fall – even on streamers so you can’t just say they only eat nymphs and other stuff the grub from the bottom.  I have eaten whitefish and they are really tasty.  I will confess that in my early years of fly fishing I was on the other side of the fence and would toss them up on the bank like they were a carp or some invasive species.  But the fact is, they have been living successfully in our favorite waters for much longer than trout.  They are classified as salmonids, as are trout.  So what is it then?  Is it the color?  Is it the small, slightly downward pointed mouths? Is their somewhat timid fighting style?  Aren’t they due some respect and at least a courteous release once caught?

What is your opinion?