55 on the fly

Michelle and I started our day by getting up early at 6am and headed to Boiling River in Yellowstone National Park. This area has underground hot springs which flow out of the earth and down into the Gardiner River providing a "Mother Nature's Hot Tub". There was no one else there as we parked and drank the last of our morning coffee on the walk down to the river. Just as I was stepping into the river I happened to look and coming low and straight at us was a beautiful Bald Eagle, what a sight as he flew about 50 feet above us gliding down the Gardiner.  After a good long soak we were off to Roosevelt Lodge and a big breakfast, then a drive through the Lamar River Valley to see the Bison. There were a few fisherman too, but hundreds of Bison.... a very nice relaxing morning indeed. This afternoon I was back on the Yellowstone River. The section I fished today is rugged with difficult walking and wading, getting cliffed out, then hiking up and around and back down t...

Hi folks, Today I was tying up some of my Korn's Spent-wing Caddis flies with Opal Tinsel bodies.  The tinsel was a real pain in the butt to handle as it was full of static.  It was so bad I almost couldn't put it down! Then I remembered an old trick.  I ran downstairs and grabbed a dryer sheet from the laundry area and put that on my tying bench and laid my tinsel on it, bingo!  The anti-static dryer sheet solved the problem and I could get back to knocking out 15 dozen of these killer flies... Here is a photo of the Opal Tinsel body, nice and slim. Anti-cling dryer sheet does the trick... finished fly - bottom Korn's Tinsel Caddis - top

Korn's Spent-wing Apple Caddis my materials list: Hook: vintage Mustad Limerick #16 std. wet fly or current Mustad 9063 Thread: Serafil tan 200/2 or Uni-8/0 Body & Thorax: DK#3 Apple Caddis dubbing for 1/3rd of body, 1/3rd DK#27 tan dubbing for thorax. Hackle: light ginger hackle over thorax only and trimmed flat on top. Wing & Head: 2 light ginger hen feathers tied on flat and folded back to form head.

My son Scott and I fished the Delaware River this weekend.  We fished the Main Stem on Saturday and the West Branch on Sunday.  This trip had a little bit of everything.  Saturday it was cold and windy with rain on and off making for some difficult fishing with only a few bugs hatching.  BWO's, Sulphers and some dark brown caddis were all that I saw in very small numbers and zero Isonychia's on this trip.  Later in the evening, just before dark we were able to catch a few and lose a few on Wiese's Coachman Clacka Caddis and some dark brown Korn's Spent Wing Caddis flies.  But the highlight of the day for me was seeing a bald eagle flying low, down the river towards us with a fish in it's talons.  It landed on the bank right behind us and started tearing and eating it... very cool. A Bald Eagle and his fish...  Later in the day we watched a Heron as it hunted not 10 yards from Scott.  It caught a mouse, killed it and the...