Bamboo Rod Fishing with Tony Bellaver

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My friend and rod builder extraordinaire, Tony Bellaver of  Alpenglow Fly Rods in the San Francisco area was visiting central Oregon this week, and we were able to get out on the Metolius River yesterday for some fly fishing.  I took my 8′  0″  5 wt slow action Spring Creek Series rod that is especially good for small dry flies and delicate presentations.  Tony took out a 7′  6″  medium fast action quad…a very nice casting rod for the Metolius River.  The weather was gorgeous and there were plenty of caddis and mayflies out, but the trout weren’t very cooperative.  In fact, I only saw one fish rise all day.  But, it was great to see Tony and get the chance to hit the river with him.  Here are a couple of photos of our day.

Tony and I on the Metolius River.

Tony and I on the Metolius River.

Tony working a dry fly with his quad fly rod.

Tony working a dry fly with his quad fly rod.

Fly Fishing the Fall River here in Oregon

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Mary Ann and I got the chance to hit the Fall River about an hour from our house a couple of days ago.  I took out my 8′  0″  5 wt Spring Creek Series rod and she chose her 7′  6″  5 wt Signature Series rod.  We found a nice BWO hatch in early afternoon and got to cast several different dries to rising fish.  Although these were mostly hatchery fish, they were surprisingly picky.  Mary Ann found the perfect fly…a #18 brown bodied hackle-stacker emerger dry that several of the rainbows liked.  Here are a few photos of our day.

Drifting dries on the Fall River.

Drifting dries on the Fall River.

A nice 14" rainbow that Mary Ann caught.

A nice 14″ rainbow that Mary Ann caught.

Ready for the release.

Ready for the release.

 

The dangers of wearing gloves when handling fish.

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Wow, I ran into this video today on YouTube that shows the potential dangers of handling fish while wearing gloves.  On sunny days, I’ve often worn “sun gloves” while fishing.  After seeing this video, I won’t be doing that any more.

Upcoming Show I’ll be at.

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Mary Ann and I will be heading down to Northern California for The Fly Fishing Show at the Alameda County Fairgrounds next weekend.  I’ll have a booth at the show and Mary Ann will be teaching a couple of classes.  This is a great show with a lot to see.  If you’re in the bay area, I encourage you to check out the show…and stop by my booth and wiggle a few of my bamboo rods.

The Fly Fishing Show

The Fly Fishing Show

Fly Patterns – Barbell Eyes on Top and Bottom of the Hook Shank.

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Here is something for all you fly tiers out there.  Mary Ann and I were tying some streamer flies recently and she asked me about the impact of tying barbell eyes on the top vs. the bottom of the hook shank.  My comment was that I thought it was Bob Clouser with his Clouser Minnow patterns who emphasized the position of the barbell eyes:  1) Eyes on the top of the hook shank would make the fly turn over in the water, and 2) Eyes on the bottom of the hook shank and the fly would ride upright in the water.  So, we tried an experiment.  Mary Ann tied up two rabbit strip streamer flies on #8 2X long, down-eye hooks.  One fly with the blue body had the barbell eyes tied on the bottom of the hook shank…the second fly with a chartreuse body had the barbell eyes tied on the top of the hook shank.  Our next trip out on the river we shot underwater photos of each fly in the water.  Our findings…Bob Clouser was right.  So, if you really want your minnow streamer patterns to look realistic, it’s important to make sure where the barbell eyes are tied on the hook.  Check it out:

Barbell Eyes Ties on the Bottom of the Hook Shank - fly rides upright in the water.

Barbell Eyes Tied on the Bottom of the Hook Shank – Fly Rides Upright in the Water.

Barbell Eyes Tied on the Top of the Hook Shank

Barbell Eyes Tied on the Top of the Hook Shank – Fly turns Over in the Water.