Nate O Taylor

Food, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventures

A Constant State of Suspicious Alertness

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The above title is in reference to an obscure line from the movie Jarhead that does a great job of describing my fishing agenda. My career has taken a front seat to my fishing habits and this year I am almost ashamed of my lack of productivity. I have instead used my time to be fully prepared for the second half of the season.

…so you will hydrate, you will train, you will adjust to this desert, and you’ll hydrate some more, and you will be ready, you will maintain a constant state of suspicious alertness, and one day soon…

Lt. Colonel Kazinski-Jarhead

I had an epiphany not too long ago, I needed a backup supply of flies, something that wasn’t mobile but could house a treasure chest of random goodness.

I introduce you to an anodized aluminum external fixator graphic case. These are used to house medical instruments and occasionally they become “obsolete” and are thrown away. I saved this one and have converted it into a fly storage case. Trout’s down the street was kind enough to donate the hockey pucks so I could organize a little and all I had to do was fill them up. With two levels of storage it has taken me a few weeks but I think I have anything I might need in this case, and it is a permanent fixture in my car.

I have taken the words from Lt. Colonel Kazinski to heart and prepared for my triumphant return to the river. I’m not sure when it is going to happen or how long I will have when I get there, but I will have enough flies that I will at least scare a few fish into the net.

The One You Need

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The only one I might add. My favorite Mysis pattern. I’m not sure you can buy them but Herman DeGala is the one who ties it. Check out his site and you can see what I’m talking about. I’m still learning, I’ll get it figured out by year end.

Mysis

Mysis

Edit: It appears his site isn’t working right now, but I’m sure it will soon.

Dirty Bug: Worms

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The San Juan worm divides people into two camps;
1. You love the San Juan worm and fish it all of the time in 5 sizes and 27 variations.
2. You believe the San Juan worm is not a “real” fly and refuse to fish it unless you find no other alternatives.

I personally think the San Juan worm might just be the greatest thing since John Barr to grace fly-fishing. An incredibly easy pattern to tie with readily available materials makes this something that you should at least have in your box. Add to the equation that you can successfully fish this fly year round on any fishery in the world and it will produce fish means that in my mind, you have nothing short of a gift from the heavens.

Piggies

Piggies

The chenille worm, while a classic is no longer my favorite worm pattern. I have come around to love the pig-sticker and its variations. Pig-stickers I think provide a very natural worm imitation that is extremely durable and are also very easy to tie with materials that you probably already have. The Gamakatsu C-12U hooks are very sharp and the shape of the hook replaces the chenille that always got torn apart. If anything grabs the “Gamie” they are going to be hooked, and it is going to hurt. I always pinch the barbs down on these hooks as they made of the “Hattori Hanzo” steel and tear fish apart if you don’t de-barb them.

High Vis

High Vis

Try some of these out, I prefer blood red, pink, and even amber. I tie these in three sizes all on the C-12U hook in 6,10, and 12. You can use either midge D-Rib or Medium D-Rib depending on how you prefer your segmentation to work. You can also make these smaller and you will have smaller annelid and rockworm patterns that work well during the spring rainbow spawns.

Recipe:

  • Hook: Gamakatsu C-12U #4-#10
  • Thread: 8/0 Colored to Body
  • Body: Vinyl D-Rib
  • Band: Tan 8/0 Thread
  • Coating: Sally Hansen’s Hard As Nails

    • Replace the materials for whatever color you want and prepare to be amazed.