Fly-Fishing, Through the Eyes of a Dirtbag

I had a special valentine present today when I arrived home from work. While the rest of the participants are eagerly awaiting their packages I have already begun enjoying my bounty. I have an alien specimen courtesy of Kevin Morlock which I’m not sure what I’m going to do with. You’ll know which one is his, it is the one with half a rabbit hide and a size 3/0 hook.

Lots of good flies all around, I already have some new ideas and I can’t wait to try out what other people are using. The swap was a great time and I think it was a great way to introduce yourself to different ideas and concepts for carp flies. Good bless you McTage.

The remainder of 2011 is a non event for me. Things are frozen pretty solid and while I could still fish, it is nothing like what it will be in the spring or summer. Instead, I’m using my time earning brownie points, tying flies, and putting Adam Smith’s theories in practice.

I have this vision of creating my own fly shop of sorts on my bookshelf. You know, a few bins with my favorite flies so when someone calls me I can head over to the ole’ stash, throw a few in the box, and I’m off to the river. I got to working on this theory this weekend and I got about 50 flies done this weekend to fill my nice little bins. Carp of 2012 be wary, I’m coming next year and I promise it is going to get ugly.

Mello Yellow

Today was a farewell of sorts. I have had some fairly serious life issues come into being the past couple of weeks and it appears that I will no longer have the abundance of free time to go galavanting about the state (and city) fishing for trout (and carp). Crisis you say? Perhaps, but also know that while you are fishing I will be missing the following not so awesome events;

1. Cold weather- This includes but is not limited to cold fingers, frozen guides, leaky waders, and cold sandwiches (see point 2).

Farewell Release

2. 6 hour days- Don’t forget, your days will be so short you better bring a flashlight to eat your crappy frozen sandwich. This will NOT improve until March 20, 2012 at approximately 5:12 am. Seriously, look it up.

3. Tackle- Winter will crush your spirit when it comes to flies and I for one will not miss it. The average trout angler in Colorado will fish a black or red midge of some sort. This midge will have a ribbed body that will consist of copper, silver, or red wire. Seriously, how much more boring could that possibly be?

4. Tying. Most fisherman tell me that they spend a lot of time in the winter tying and filling up their boxes for the next season. I try to do this, I tie a lot of flies, but for some reason when I come back out the next year I notice I have 500 thread midges and exactly 7 copper johns meaning I actually didn’t accomplish anything. Maybe it’s just me.

So there, that is how I’m compartmentalizing my jealousy. In fact, I’m going to use some of my weekday evenings learning how to bake. I made Michael Gracie cookies last week, he never told me how they were but I can only assume he got food poisoning.

Farewell…for now.

This made me laugh and miss home. Enjoy.

I thought this slight paraphrasing of a conversation with my girlfriend would suffice.

GF: How was Nantucket? Was it pretty nice?

Me: Yes, Nantucket is very cool, here is a picture of the island that I took for you, I will base the rest of our conversations off of this map so study it before I move onto the next pictures.

Nantucket Island Map

GF: Did you have fun with your friends and did you use some of the flies you brought?

Me: Yeah, we had a pretty good time. I used a lot of the flies that I brought but most of them were totally destroyed by Bluefish…

I actually got tired of Bluefish because they just destroy flies, we were trying to fish for other things.

Bluefish Carnage

GF: Did you use the stuff Gracie gave you?

Me: Of course I did. This just goes to show that when I say I “need” things like reels that I’m not lying. Had I gotten to purchase a Litespeed 4 or Torque 10 like I wanted to then I wouldn’t have had to borrow someone else’s stuff.

Albie

GF: You’re a dipshit. Did you actually go fishing or did you just play dress up?

Me: Yeah, we got some albies. Check out these houses that are about ready to fall into the ocean.

A True "Beach House"

GF: Wow, you think those people have insurance on a place like that?

Me: I doubt there would be anyone in the world dumb enough to do that, but I’m always impressed with the abundance of stupidity in the world so…

GF: Well sounds like it was nice, maybe you can go back again sometime.

Me: Oh I will go again…I will.

GF: Sigh…

Goodbye, See You Soon