easterncaster

Sketches From a Caster's Notebook (pg. 1)

2012-02-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

Huh? Wha'd he say?

Here now an example of the kind of goofing around, experimenting I often do. I'm trying to get the grass to give a similar feel as water when doing a 'Pick Up and Lay Down' (PULD), instructor's parlance for a pair of casts: one back cast (pick up) and one forward cast (lay down).

Trying different amounts of friction

I teach students to watch the line, specifically the 'Line Leader Connection', the nail knot if you will. As you crane the rod tip, building tension and momentum in the system, the line (orange in the photos) lifts, clears free from the water's grip. Soon the nail knot will begin to move, slide towards you. That's the cue to 'Power-snap' or speed up the stroke. It's over (- fin -) as soon as the fly comes off, out of the water. That happens very quickly, too quick to actually see so one learns to anticipate it. I liken that last bit of speed to snapping the table cloth out from under the place settings. You want to steal the fly, be stealthy, sneak it quick-like from the water.

Leave no trace.

The Lift aka Loading Move

Oh, now I see

Trial and error using all sorts dowel like material I had laying about led me to feel the release best when using just the rod tube with the very end of line under it, lifting the rod tip, clearing line off the grass until I could steal the leader and yarn fly out from under the tube's resistance. It snapped right out and my backcast was on it's way.

The Steal aka Power Snap

Note in the above photo that I have lifted with a tilted, off-vertical arm position. This is a default casting stroke for me, just another way (style?) to get it done. Casters looking to be the best they can should try all sorts of casting planes.

Fishing Dog

2012-02-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

I had one. His name was Pike.

He was whisked out of a hospital style laundry cart at the Houston ASPCA before he ever saw the other side of a cage.

Suzy my girlfriend came up with his name. She thought (and still does) that a Pike is a wonderful dive. It is. I thought (and still do) that it is a great fish with a mouth full of teeth. It is. He became Pike or Pikefish. His teeth were used to gleefully tear into rawhide chew toys.

He was also the Pocket-Rocket, a small shepherd mutt (Norwich Terrier being one ingredient) that was as keen as any human and twice as kind. I would have him 'Sit Stay' and then I would walk 30ft away, stop, turn 90º, hold my arms out and then snap my fingers. Hearing Snap he would sprint towards me and LAUNCH himself full bore into my outstretched arms. It made both of us giddy.

Below is the photo of us that I carry in my wallet... (that's a Scott Power-ply 906 - 2pc... doh! that I'm holding.... sadly, eventually to be stolen from my campsite at the Ripogenus Dam).

About to fish West Canada Creek

I have a strong, colorful memory of the two of us out on the water, Pike curled up with nose tucked tight under his front legs, on a big flat mid river rock, in full sun drying off . Yellow stoneflies were the hatch of the day and as the breeze became a wind the stoneflies would lift and swirl with each gust. The fishing was fun, kinetic. I looked up river to see Pike now sitting upright blanketed in the yellow stoneflies. With one ear twitching his stare toward me was his way of asking permission to do something about the situation, to hop in the water and swim down to me.

God he loved to cross the river, swimming along side me as I waded. On the Big D he would swim close in on my lee side. I would wrap my arm over, around and under his torso. He was a buoy, a fifty pound McMurray cork. Even with my holding him he would continue motoring along doing the dog paddle. Other times crossing under his own power the flow would take him down river of my landing. Legs hard-wired to never stop moving, he would hit the shore running, give a shake like only dogs can and then with crazy eyes bolt toward me, parting the high grass with Springer type jumps.

Pike's natural and dyed dubbing

For years I saved his brushed out fur thinking I would have that lady in Maine knit me a sweater with it. That never happened. I decided it was a little over the top. But what I still do is tie flies with his fur. Yellow Stone being the best !

Years ago a pal told me that American Indians believed that if you could stick a blade of grass in a sleeping dog's ear and not wake 'em then you could dream a dog's dream. Beautiful.

A word of thanks to Jason Borger's blog entry, the catalyst for me to finally write about my pal Pike.

Memory Lane

2012-01-25T15:58:00.000-08:00

Interviewing a Turtle

Pictured above is evidence from a day several years ago (the real fishing had yet to start) on an undisclosed Catskill waterway with pal Michael Gallart.

While I give credit to Michael for the lively photo, I critizise him for leaving that day before what turned out to be one of Mother Nature's best gifts to a fly fisher, a flock of Coffin Flies taking their last bath. Getting to fish a spinner fall of the Eastern Green Drake is on the list of many a fly fisher but seldom crossed off.

It just so happens on that particular day Mother Nature gave us the signs that one was afoot, that we should get ready. I listen to Mother Nature, she rules. We had been working our way down river for awhile, during the wrong time of the day, surrounded by water yet dehydrating ourselves. I paused to stretch my neck, looked up into the river's ceiling and what to my wondering eyes should I see but thousands of big spinners rubber-necking up river past me. Michael wanted to know what the hurry was as I started making wakes, pushing water out of my way following the cloud of flying protein. I pointed skyward and grunted. After a half mile or so of calorie burning Michael informed me he was heading out. He needed to get back home. My reactions, in order :

1) "Really?!"

2) "Dude, those are Coffin Flies!"

3) "OK, see ya'. Have a safe ride home"

Be prepared... what you're gonna' need to fish the spinner fall, right here from the maestro : Dave Brandt.

Interesting this, today's post. I started formulating it a few days ago catalyzed by the headlining photo. Not twenty-four hours later I get news from another pal, Marian about her blog posting. Reading her post got me thinking, it's not Michael per say I had started to write about, rather it was friendship and and how it generates.

Michael

A fairly impressive Fly Fisher Family Tree can be assembled from our friendship that started at the L.L. Bean Instructor School with Macauley Lord. It is responsible for an over flowing rolodex.

Papyrus, meet Rolodex

Credit Michael for introducing me to Jim Valle who in turn introduced me to Gordy Hill, Al Buhr and Lefty Kreh. And again inviting me out to PA for an FFF Instructor's Casting Rendezvous where I met a pile of good guys such as Dave Rothrock, Phil Gay, Michael Foreman as well as now pals Bob Stouffer and Richard Ross. Many of whom will be at The Somerset Fly Show this weekend where I'm certain they'll be introduced to yet another branch of fly fisherman.

So feel free to poke fun at my feather and Jethro waders, I'm secure in my fisher'manhood... I have been gifted with many Coffin Fly falls.

Be a Slacker

2012-01-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Come forward with your stroke, stop, loop forms, line in air horizontal to the water, wiggle the rod tip, let the line land.

Try short sharp wiggles with your wrist and then try long lazy wiggles with your arm. Try shooting some line with the wiggle move.

Technically it's a Mend, not a Cast. No matter what, it makes slack in the line layout. It's good for what ails your fishing.

STOP hydrofracking

2012-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Show your love for our clean wonderful water by signing this petition:

http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale

And have a look through these links :

http://www.unnaturalgas.org/

http://www.nyrad.org/

http://unitedforaction.org/

http://frackaction.com/

http://saneenergyproject.org/

http://catskillmountainkeeper.org/

http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/cuomo/coalition_letter/2011

http://unitedforaction.org/

http://www.eany.org/

http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org

Thank You !

My Fellow Fisheads,

2012-01-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

Above, my lino cut that I'm thinking of printing on some T-shirts... maybe have them for the Fly Shows.

Thoughts, opinions?

Interviewing a Fish

2011-12-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

Surely you have an inkling of what it means to Interview a Fish but what you may not know is where I got the term, it's origin....

My great grandfather Lee Powers Hynes, an engineer, inventor and naturalist, used the term as a caption below a photograph in one of his books. The photo (does anyone remember Black 'n White?!) documents him shirtless, chest deep in the Batsto River holding a rather large snake. The caption states: "Interviewing a Pine Snake". Reading that as a kiddo I thought, and still do, "Wow, cool !"

My father applied the term to fishing, most often when out on his Deep-V Wellcraft trolling for a scary big Bluefish in the salt waters of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

And so now I interview fish.

If you're a fisherman there are few things better than a successful fish interview. The sooner into the day's fishing it occurs the better. It has a calming effect, opening the mind, allowing the fisherman to more easily enjoy the wonderful environment they're in. An early interview enables us to peek out over the edge of the box that so many of us habitually stay within. It frees us to try new things... check out the other bank of the river, knot on that fly tied 2 years ago, maybe drink some water and not get a headache, or sit down and watch your pal.

stay tuned for Interview Part II... Charlie Rose and The Water Pitcher.

Can't Stop Her

2011-12-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

No doubt Mother Nature rules. Different moods and all, I really dig her. You have to learn to work with her moods, her seasons. Arguing with her is the definition of a one sided conversation.

So winter is on it's way... Ho ho ho.

The traditional trout season has ended and soon too the striper season will come to a halt. Sure the closing can be softened by finding a nice day here and there to poke around a Catch + Release area or by grabbing your custom G. Loomis rod and following the fall migration of 50 lb. stripers or using up some credit card points to fly down to chase bonefish in the warmth of the Bahamas... all legitimate activities, all help in dealing with the dark claustrophobic cabin fever days to come.

There is one more useful activity ... The Fly Fishing Show.

Here in the North East we have shows in Marlborough MA, Somerset NJ and then Lancaster PA. The biggest and most bestest being Somerset with it's multitude of 200 ft. aisles chock full of product, lodges and tiers... and Cuisine Corner.

Ordering gadgets via online is ok I guess and flipping thru catalogues while lying in bed certainly brings on sleep, but at some point I need to go touch product, gaze upon what the marketing + technology elves have been whittling. There are classes, seminars and demos by figure-heads, the connected, and some not so.

Who among us wouldn't find happiness watching another fly caster throw picture perfect tailing loops at a green curtain... " poetry in motion" (sorry Mel). If you're not into publicly displaying your casting skills you could walk up to one of the rod manufacturers and just do the wiggle test on one of their 13th generation high-tech glue sticks.

So while many have baby powdered and hung up their rubber pants in hopes to have them sweet smelling and ready to go for the coming spring I say grab a pal and head to a show. Come on over to the FFF Learning Center say hello, tie your first fly or get a quick casting lesson.

East Went West

2011-11-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

Xmas will soon be upon us.
My list is short.
Here it is :

1. A Casting Club.

the grounds

welcome

room with a view

After years of dreaming about it, this summer I flew Jet Blue to Long Beach, CA to compete in the ACA Nationals hosted by The Long Beach Casting Club. What pushed me over the edge westward was an event a few months prior sponsored by the ACA and Cabela's in East Hartford, CT where Chris Korich, Steve Rajeff, Beth Statt, Andy Statt and John Field (ACA Prez') put on a weekend's worth of Casting Games Show 'n Tell.

I flew out to Cali thinking I would try just one or two of the fly accuracy games, but mostly do some fact finding... get the low-down and compete at a later date, at another meet.

The friendliness + generosity of the members was astonishing. Me thinking I would cast in just one game wasn't going to be allowed. While the club itself has an inventory of gear for use by any interested caster(s) I was pressed by the other casters to use their personal gear... yes, really! Results wise, I didn't get any kisses from the podium girls but I didn't embarrass myself either.

readying the targets

the board

I urge any of you guys with an inkling of interest to give it a try.

With any luck Cajun' Bill Clements will cook ya'll dinner !

Train to The Trout

2011-11-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

a now oft-used term that pal Dale Hardman (then the NYC-TU prez) and myself came up with in the mid-80s. the term for taking Metro North from Grand Central to Brewster NY and then walking down the street to fish the Tricos of Trestle Pool on the East Branch of the Croton.

the marker pictured is from the main stem of the Delaware. years ago when walking my dog Pike around the back alleys and dead ends of Jersey City the two of us would pause to witness the hulk of a freight train lumbering by on it's way upstate. it's route would take it along side the river, next to my favorite water, right past where the first rainbows were introduced to the big river.

enjoy your day,
Rainbow Hobo.

your water, your fish

2011-11-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

enjoy your stewardship

DEC Public Fishing Rights Maps