55 on the fly

I hit the West Branch of the Delaware River again today, same spot as Thursday, but different game plan and different results. Water was still very cold at 46 degrees this morning so nymphing was the order of the day. Fished till noon. Hooked three and of course lost the "big one" a good brown of 20 inch range. He made three runs and I had him on for 10 minutes or so. I could't do anything with him in the current. I had him to the leader once and then he just bolted and ran way down river with me trying to follow in cold deep water up to my boys….. Needless to say I couldn't stay with him and he broke off with the point fly…. Bummer, but what fun…. that fish got me going for sure…. a couple of photos below….. Doug.

Hey folks, I've been in the shop doing some turning. Knocked out this trumpet of 100 year old oak, copper ferrule, Delrin mouth piece and bead on the lanyard... This one is a gift for a new friend and fellow turkey hunter and call maker. Thanks all for giving it a look, Doug.

from my workshop comes this Model DKT-1 in Ebony, faux ivory spacer, copper ferrule and Delrin mouth piece. This one is sold and headed for GA... thanks for looking....

Had a great time hunting with friends this week. The three of us all took birds, 4 total...... here are my two. Bird #1 - Bearded hen, some people might balk at taking a hen in the spring..... But, I consider a bearded hen a rare trophy. We hardly ever shoot hens on the property even in the fall. This is the second one I've taken in 40 years of turkey hunting.  Bird #2 - Gobbler  my buddy Jim (left) and I with my gobbler.... tools of the trade - Richard Hudson Hen Box (the turkey's love this call) and my own homemade Ebony Trumpet Call.... Jim's bow killed gobbler...

Hey folks - I know summer is coming when the shop has me tying 30 dozen flying Cinnamon Ants. That's a lot of ants.... but hey, they work and the fish love them. If a hopper is the cheeseburger in a Happy Meal then Cinnamon Ants are the french fries...... Fished as a dropper off the hopper it's a great combo for those dog days of summer. Here is the PFS version. side view bottom view - what the fish see... PATTERN:  Hook: #16 MFC 7000 Thread: 8/0 Uni Rusty Brown  Front hump: small ball rusty brown DK dub  Rear hump: rusty brown DK dub  Wing: white MFC Widow Web, fairly thick, split.  Hackle: 5-6 turns brown or furnace Whiting saddle.  Use high-end hackle, we want this sucker to float on the Yellowstone!

Hi folks - turned this turpin style trumpet today. Ebony horn with an ivory spacer, copper ferrule and Delrin mouth piece. thanks for checking it out, Doug.

I made this call today..... Osage with stacked leather mid section and a Delrin mouth piece... thanks Doug.