Fly Fishing Forum - Page 3

December 27, 1997

Chris,

If you have a few seconds, please tell me what vise you'd recommend for someone brand new to fly fishing. I'm like lots of folks; fascinated by the gadgets that go along with my hobbies - and it looks as though my newest hobby is gonna be fly fishing.

I'd love to learn to tie, but I'm painfully aware that I may either a) not have the time to do it right or b) not have the skill. So I want to start with an economical vise that will support moderate efforts and at the same time not fail me while I learn whether or not I want to "tie or buy".

If you have a few seconds for a recommendation, I'd certainly appreciate it.

By the way - your website is fantastic. Kudos to Morgan Davis. Congratulations to you for having him show you and your skills off to "the world". (And thanks for the trip to outer space).

Warm Breezes and Tight Lines - Steve Boothe, partners@hal-pc.org

November 7, 1997
Chris & Jen,

Hi guys, how's the weather out there? Congratulations on the prize you won
in the Octoberfish raffle, Chris. I'm going to try to get it from Ruthie
and send it out to you with your cookie box. Great cookies Jen, I never
knew fish could taste so good!

Been going down to that spot I told you about pretty regularly. Took my
British guest, Jeremy Barnett, down on one afternoon and got him his first
striped bass in the channel. He was thrilled to say the least. He paid the
price though because when I worked at Larry's Tackle Shop Friday evening,
Peter Jackson came in and took the fly rod lead with a 9.55 striped bass,
and fly rod second place with a nice bluefish. He told me he got them at
West Chop, so I dragged Jeremy out there on Saturday. Now you've got to
understand that the only reason we were still on the island on Saturday was
because we were afraid they were going to shut down the boats due to the
wind, and we canceled a planned trip to Boston. Needless to say we got a
little wet and only one tiny fish between the three W's (wind, waves and
weeds). We ran into Mike Stimola and his brother in Law Stephen Benedetto
in Bunch Of Grapes bookstore on Saturday, just before we went to West Chop.
They had been at Tashmoo Friday and saw fish way out, but they were smart
enough not to go back out on Saturday. Anyways, after our soaking on
Saturday I then took Jeremy to the Octoberfish awards ceremony. Ruthie had
it next door at Georgio's and it was well attended. The Don (MacGillivray)
won a T&T 10# fly rod for his albie, I won a nice Abel luggage bag in the
raffle. Don already had three T&T 10# rods and had his eye on the bag so we
struck a deal where I gave him some cash and the bag and he gave me the
rod!  Naturally on Sunday, Jeremy being the good fishing buddy he is,
insisted that I take him out fishing again specifically so I could try out
the new rod. Again it was raining but with a little less wind, again we got
soaked and again the three W's prevailed with no fish to show for it. But
the rod did cast nicely. (I think Jeremy has been bitten by the bug.)

Jeremy and the British entourage went back on Monday so I was forced to go
back to the spot by myself on Monday and Tuesday to really test the new
rod. Monday I got three fish in the channel as the surf was much too heavy
to fish outside. Tuesday I was able to get out on the bar and for an hour
and a half it was non stop action. I managed to land 25 with a hit on every
cast. Nothing over 25 inches, but what fun. Used the new T&T and the Teeny
Line along with the leader and herring fly you gave me, Chris, before you
left. Thanks, it's doing great, haven't changed anything yet. I keep
checking the knots, shock tippet and the fly but all is holding up well.
Had a meeting and then a dentist appointment on Wednesday but today,
Thursday, is open with beautiful weather, moderate surf and very little
wind. Friday through Sunday is supposed to blow and rain again. Don't know
how much longer our spot will stay fishy, it's going on four months now.
The longest anyone I've talked to can remember is six months, and that was
many years ago. I'll keep you posted as the season winds down.

Hope you've been able to get in some more Berkshire Bonefish action before
it all pauses for winter.

		Tight lines,

		Bob Lane
		President, Martha's Vineyard Surfcasters Association

October 24, 1997
Chris,
	Good to hear from you. Sounds like you've been having some 
good fishing. I've been testing out new patterns with E-Z on tailor 
which are what I think you call bluefish in the States. Chris Beech 
has developed an excellent freshwater pattern which has a bead of 
E-Z at the head of the fly. He lives in Tasmania and caught several 
trout in the 6 to 8 pound bracket on the first try out. We have included 
Chris's new pattern in our catalogue and have also devoted a page of text 
to E-Z which is on the last page of the catalogue. The first review of 
E-Z and advertisment is coming out on 16/12/97. The response from tyers 
who have used E-Z continues to be good...

Thanks for the colour charts, I've put them to good use. Will send you 
some samples of the new patterns once the first batch arrives from the 
factory.

			All the best,
			Chris Dunham
			Anglers International
			Bayswater, Australia  

September 2, 1997
I wanted to know if you can tell me when is the best time to fish for 
False Albacore, and Bonita in the Rhode Island and Mass area? I have 
a friend who told me around Columbus Day. What do you think?
			Regards,

			John Sisco

August 26, 1997
Hi Chris,  
Thanks for the unexpected extras! The Sparkle body is
awesome, the pics on the internet don't do the flies justice!  Tied a
few sand eels for starters. Hope to have some good stories from the
Cape. Nice doing business with you.

			Mike Johndrew

Thank you, Mike! Everyone here at Saltwaterflies.com is wishing you an enjoyable trip to Cape Cod. Best of luck!
-Chris

August 20, 1997
Hi Chris,
I'm looking forward to getting the flies that I ordered from you. I had a
great weekend catching 2-3 kg skipjack trevally in the southwest of western
australia on light spinning gear, and think the sparkling leadeye minnow
would be very effective on them when i go swoffing (do you call saltwater
fly fishing that over there?) next time. Look forward to hearing from you.

			Thanks,
     			Chris King.
			Western Australia

Thanks for the e-mail and the linguistics, Chris. I've never heard the term "swoffing" but you can be sure that I'll be doing some extensive swoffing for false albacore, bonito, striped bass, and bluefish during September and October. Tight Lines!
-Chris

August 2, 1997
Hi Chris,
Just wanted you to know I had a great trip!  Bob, Don, Ed were all very
nice and hospitable.  I caught blues in the 25 inch range with spinning
gear at the Wasque rip and then thankfully christened my fly rod on 21
inch stripers from the North Neck side of the Cape Poge gut--really
exciting stuff!  It was your chartreuse and white deceiver that got 'em.
Please stay in touch so that we may hook up next summer when I return. 
Thanks again for all the advice, the flies, and the people to talk to.
			Tom Neess

Thanks for e-mailing, Tom. Glad to hear that you had a good trip. Bob Lane told me that you attended the Martha's Vineyard Surfcasters picnic! I'm glad that you found some stripers on the fly as well. I look forward to the time that we may meet on the Vineyard. Tight Lines!
-Chris

July 8, 1997
Hi Chris
Checked out your page - it looks great. Just returned from a trip to Long
Island, fished with Glen Mikkelson and Joe Blados. Best fish was a 34
incher, most fish in the 20-26 inch range, we also had some small blues.
The Catch and release tournament on the Vineyard was fun, Ken V. and I
fished the next night at Lamberts cove, thought we would try it for an
hour, got there at about midnight and didn't leave till 6:00 in the
morning, had fish all night 2 feet off the beach chasing sandeels, had
three keepers, 2 - 34's and one 35. When you get your link page set up 
would you consider linking my page to yours? My site is at
www.enhanced-designs.com/veverka/.

			Take care
			Bob Veverka

Thanks for the kind words, Bob. It feels great to hear from such a fine fly tier. Saltwaterflies.com surfers should know that Mr. Veverka is a tier of some renown, and that his work has appeared in a number of books of classic salmon flies and saltwater flies. Bob's flies appeared in Deke Meyer's excellent book; "Saltwater Flies, Over 700 of the Best", in which I also had the pleasure of appearing. Bob's patterns were also featured in "Bluewater Fly Fishing" by Trey Combs, a fantastic book about the extreme fly fishing to be found offshore. I urge everyone who reads this to check out Bob Veverka's website for more information.
-Chris

June 27, 1997
Chris,

Thanks for your note... it was great seeing you and even better fishing
with you.
Now for a true (really!!!) big fish story:
Charles and I went to the beach off Martha's Vinyard near Edgartown near
the little bridge.  We were told by an excellent source that there were
some monster strippers (or is it stripers)... there.  It's the fish I'm
talkin' about...
In the first hour or so after dark, we caught some nice fish... in the
20 to 22" range... nothing special, but still a lot of fun.  
I decided to walk down the beach about a half of a mile to a point that
comes out quite a way... the tide was somewhat low, so I could walk out
on the point and be only knee deep about 60 feet from the shore.
After casting for a while, I hooked into something big about 15 or 20
feet right in fron of me.  The line started comming right at me at what
looked like 25 MPH!... It's the first time in my life that I was ever
afraid of a fish... imagine, here I am 60 feet from shore, it's totally
dark - except for a little hazy moon - and no one's near me to either
offer moral support or just calm me down.  Anyway, the line keeps
comming right at me, and all I could think of was SHARK!!! da-dum,
da-dum it was Jaws in my head! 
Well the "monster" passed about a foot and a half away from me and
started heading in towards the shore... he probably didn't know that I
was on a point/flat and the shallower water was behind me.  I quickly 
got the line on the reel and watched the line shoot towards the shallow
water.... then he figured out that he was going the wrong way!  He
turned quickly, and I could see his girth and length... and I hope 
that was perspiration in my waders... that monster was a striper bigger 
than I've ever had on my line... I guessed his length at around three 
feet plus! Now, you know how good the fishing has been over the past 
few weeks at the Vinyard.  I must have caught 100+ fish... and few if 
any got me in to the backing... I have that new striper line that is 
100 feet long and I also have 150 yds. of backing....
Well, the monster turned and ran.... my drag was shreiking, I was still
hearing da-dum, da-dum... and my hands were jelly, and my 8 weight was
bent in half....
The fish ran almost the entire backing off my reel... so I started
palming... and .... and....and....the hook pulled out.....
Now I thought about this for quite a while.  If i had landed the fish, I
would have gotten braggin' rights.... but by NOT landing the fish, I
will have the memories for quite some time... and maybe that's even
better.
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did in the telling.

			Sincerely,
			Larry J. Newmark

Thanks for the exciting story, Larry. You're not the only one who's lost a big fish and lived to tell about it. Nobody ever forgets "the one that got away", so I'll be looking forward to hearing about this one again! I lost a big fish this year too, but since the story you told was so exciting, I'm not even going to try to describe that feeling one gets when the line goes slack. Oh, well...
-Chris

June 23, 1997
Dear Chris:
Just got back from Martha's Vineyard and very much enjoyed fishing 
with you, John, and Larry last Tuesday.  We fished "the bowl" at 
Lobsterville a couple of nights later, and I stopped counting after the 
thirtieth striper, all between 18" and 27" long.  By far the most 
effective fly was the Sparkle Body Eel.  While it was still fairly light, 
the Sparkle Body Squid tied over pink yarn was very effective.  It was 
also the most effective fly for day time fishing on the flats, which we 
did one day with superb guide Capt. Mo Flaherty.  See you when you 
get back.
			
			Charles Wohl

Thanks for the kind words, Charles. I enjoyed fishing with Larry, John, and you. It's always a pleasure to fish next to fine anglers, and you guys found the flies that were working before I did. Funny thing that they should be my patterns! Oh, well, sometimes it can be hard to see what's right in front of you. I look forward to fishing with you again soon. Glad to hear that you had a good time with Mo Flaherty as well.
-Chris

June 23, 1997
Chris,
	Thanks for all the info and the fly recommendations this week 
on Martha's Vineyard.  The striped bass fishing was more than what was
promised, and the bluefish were a big bonus.  Fly fishing at night,
though feared, worked out very well.
	You're right.  You develop a touch after a while, a feeling 
that lets you know when all is working right.  Or when it's not! 
	Appreciate your taking time out to tape a show for the American
Outdoorsman Radio Network, our Midwest network of 12 radio stations. 
It's an hour-long show, usually aired on Saturday mornings, and we plan
to run your segments on July 5-6.  In many parts of the country you can
hear the show on WLW-Radio (700 AM) in Cincinnati or WTAM-Radio (1100
AM) in Cleveland, a pair of 50,000-watt boomers.  Check in at 5:30 or 6
a.m.
	The newspaper article on fly fishing Martha's Vineyard will run 
June 27 in The (Cleveland, O.) Plain Dealer.  I'll send you a copy of 
the page.
	A great time was had by all.  Can't wait to get back to Martha's
Vineyard in August-September for the bonita, stripers and great fall
fishing.
			Thanks again,
			D'Arcy Egan

Thanks for the e-mail, and thanks again for the opportunity to appear on your radio show. I enjoyed our fishing together, and I look forward to our next meeting. Please say hello to Kevin, Tom, and Harold for me, and give them my thanks a well. My sincere wishes that you all may return to Martha's Vineyard for another trip quite soon.
-Chris

June 18, 1997
Dear Chris:
We met briefly at Narrow River in Narragansett, Rhode Island last 
year. I think. You were casting a six weight into a stiff head wind 
and doing pretty well. I still have one of your worm flies and hope 
to give it a chance soon. Striped bass and blues in Moriches on the 
South Shore are keeping me occupied.
Great web site. Thanks for the good work.

			Oliver Cope

June 9, 1997
Hi Chris,
	What a great trip I had out to Martha's Vineyard. Fishing 
for Stripers with a fly rod was so exciting. I still can't believe the 
sheer number of fish out there. I hope I can get back on the Island 
this fall to test my skills against the Blues and the Bonitos.
	That sand eel fly of yours was killer. Almost all the Stripers 
I caught were on that fly. Even though I was there for the worm hatch, 
that's the fly that worked best for me. Like your friend said about the
fish feeding on the worms, "There are a lot of sore lips and long 
memories." I guess those sand eels are something the Stripers just 
can't resist.
	Fishing way out on the sandbars into the deep canals was also a 
blast (as well as a bit scary). It was so beautiful out there. I felt 
like I was standing in a postcard as I watched the sun come up over the 
water. 
	It was a pleasure to meet all the other anglers on the Island. 
What a great bunch of people. And it was great to get a chance to fish 
with you. You certainly know how to hammer those Stripers.
	Well, I am turning my attention back to trout fishing, but I 
won't soon forget the great fishing I had on the Island. I can't wait to 
get back for more.

			Best regards,
			Morgan

June 6, 1997
Mr. Windram,
I have heard stories about forty fish days. Fishing with your guidance 
last Monday showed that even a mere mortal as myself could be in on 
the action. The fishing was great, the companionship even better. Tuesday 
evening the fishing was just as good but the catching wasn't. Thanks for 
your help.
                        Charles Harner

June 6, 1997
Chris,
Nice job on the web site. Good layout and flow. Heard from Page about
the big night at Tashmoo. Hope the action continued.
			Later,
			Peter Jenkins
			www.reel-time.com

June 6, 1997
Chris -
Just saw the Sparkling Crab recipe on the site. 
I've come up a variation of your Sparkling Sand Eel. Let's call it a
Sinking Sand Eel, for lack of a better description. Instead of using
barbell eyes, I tie a lead Twist-On strip to the top of the shank, 
folding over about about one-half inch or less at the head. This makes 
for a more uniform sink, instead of a dive-bombing Clouser, and the 
pattern sort of belly-bounces along sandy flats. Also, when you fold 
over the lead at the head, you create what amounts to a sculptor's form, 
making it a snap to just apply and smooth the Sparkle Body over the lead 
and hook. With luck, I'll have it up with photos by June 21.

I've also come up with something you might like to include: Using the 
Black Sparkle Body to make "eye-dots" in those Spirt River "Real Eye"
barbells. You know --  The ones with the recess that is "supposed" to 
be a perfect fit for stick-on prism eyes? It's a pain trying to get a
stick-on to fit right in the recess. Instead put a spot of the black 
in the recess, add a drop of Gloss Coat or epoxy when the E-Z Shape 
dries, and what you have is a "molded" barbell eye. Looks great. The 
recess "cups" the Gloss Coat, and because the eyes have a flat surface, 
the Sparkle Body stays put.

			Later,
			Frank Dalecki, Jr.
			Managing Editor,
			Nor'east Saltwater
			https://noreast.com/fly/salt.htm

May 13, 1997
Chris,
Made your Deep Sparkling Sand Eel and did a "one fly" with it. That is 
I took only that fly with me to the Cape on Wednesday. I stopped at 
Eastman's in Falmouth and they sent me to the beach adjacent to Waquoit 
Bay. There was lots of seaweed in the water but when the tide slacked off 
you could get a few clean strips in before the hook fouled. Your fly did 
awesome! However this time I am going to put some Super Glue on the threads
over the eyes before I put on the Sparkle Body. I got up to 9 fish with 
the first one I tied before the eyes got beat out of them by some hungry 
bass. If you have to wait for the ferry when you come down, there should 
be plenty of opportunity in the area of the terminal so be prepared.

			See you next Tuesday?
			Bob Lane

Thanks for the good words regarding the Deep Sparkling Sand Eel. Sure was a killer fly for me last year. I'll actually be down on the island on Monday! I'm looking forward to fly rodding with you again, my friend. See you soon!
-Chris

MAY 2, 1997
Chris,
Went back to my spot yesterday. Had more time, no meetings, and picked 
up 17 fish with the fly rod you gave me last year. I would have done 
better but I really needed a sinking line but only had a sinking tip. 
When the current slacked off I managed to start getting the fish. I knew 
they were there because the people using spinning gear were getting them 
one after the other. Ran into "The Don" out there. He was leaving as I 
arrived. He had been very busy and got plenty of fish, as usual. 

			Keep 'em tight,
			Bob Lane

Nice to hear from you again, Bob. Great to hear that you caught some fish on that fly rod! I'll be out on the island soon to join in the fun. I've just invested in a fast sinking line for situations with lots of current; I'm sure that will be the ticket for some of those spots.
-Chris

April 29, 1997
Chris,
Yeah, your website looks great! Sorry if I make this short, I'm 
on my way out to my secret spot. Got 20 bass yesterday in a strong 
south wind with six footers slamming in. John Schillinger (the new 
guy at Larry's) took 100 fish there on Sat just after the pond was 
opened, one 28" keeper in the whole lot. Also, "The Don" took a 
bunch out at Wasque on Fri. 

			Keep in touch,
			Bob Lane

April 25, 1997
Dear Chris:
I recently used your E-Z sparkle body crab pattern, size 6, on the 
flats of Long Island in the Bahamas.  When all else failed, this is 
the one the bonefish really went for.  I used both rubber legs (marked 
with felt-tip pen) and pheasant tail fiber legs.  Both worked well, 
but the rubber legs tended to pull out after the 10th bone!

			Tight lines,
			Charles Wohl

Thanks Charles! Our friend Cliff Snyder called about the crab fly as well. His exact words were: "That crab fly pounded the sh*t out of those bones!" I guess you guys did pretty well.
-Chris

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