The New Fly Fisher Winter 2013

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The New

FlyFisher THE ART

FLY FISHING ALGOMA COUNTRY ACCESSIBLE DESTINATIONS FOR TROPHY BROOK TROUT, STEELHEAD, PIKE AND BASS.

• ST. MARY’S RAPIDS, SAULT STE. MARIE

• EXTREME AUSSIE FLY FISHING • WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT COMEBACK • LATEST UK STILLWATER TACTICS TYING: • THE LITTLE WALLEYE • THE HANG TIME OPTICAL MINNOW

&

S C I E N C E O F F LY F I S H I N G

DUE TO WIDGET LIMITATIONS, VIDEO DOES NOT PLAY IN ZOOM OR FULL SCREEN VIEW

CONTENTS features {

Contents - Winter 2013 • Volume 3 • Issue 4

}

32 STechniques mallmouth Bass Tactics and for Northern Ontario

By Rebekka Redd

How get the most out of bronzeback paradise.

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Algoma Brook Trout

By Colin McKeown

How to access wild brookies up to seven pounds and more.

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Creating Trophy Brook Trout

Fishing in Algoma

By Fred Post

74 Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

By Bill Spicer A unique, mixed fishery of steelhead, browns, brookies, Atlantic salmon and Pacific salmon.

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Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

By Colin McKeown Where tying into big pike on the fly is virtually guaranteed.

110 PAccessible lanes, Trains, and Automobiles: Algoma

By Colin McKeown How to get to Algoma’s easily accessible hot spots.

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32 ON THE COVER

Rebekka Redd targeting big pike in Algoma Country.

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CONTENTS features {

Contents - Winter 2013 • Volume 3 • Issue 4

1 28 Of Billabongs, Barramundi, and Living Fossils

By Steve Starling

Extreme fly fishing Down Under.

150 MTechniques odern British Stillwater for the Early Season

By Steve Cullen

The latest tips from one of the UK’s top fly fishers.

1 70 Saving the Westslope Cutthroat Trout

By Jim Bailey A brighter future for this prettiest of the trout family.

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PUBLISHER JenCor Entertainment CREATIVE DIRECTOR Colin McKeown Email: colin@jencor.ca EDITOR Chris Marshall Email: editor@jencor.ca PRODUCTION MANAGER Heather McKeown Email: heather@jencor.ca ART DIRECTOR Jozef VanVeenen information@tikit.ca NEWSLETTER Email: liz@jencor.ca SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES Email: liz@jencor.ca ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Email: info@jencor.ca ADVERTISING SALES Email: colin@jencor.ca WRITERS’ QUERIES/CONTRIBUTIONS Email: editor@jencor.ca GENERAL INQUIRIES Email: info@jencor.ca

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departments

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Editorial A Word from our Publisher Potpourri By Paul Marriner Casting with Bill: Pushing the Button for Better Loops

The New Fly Fisher Magazine 2740B Queensview Drive Ottawa, Ontario K2B 2A2 Phone: (613) 721-6113 Fax: (613) 721-8497 www.thenewflyfisher.com

Published online quarterly by JenCor Entertainment.

All facts, opinions, and statements appearing within this publication are those of the writers, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions, or endorsements. No part of this publication can be reproduced in any manner without the written consent of the publisher. ©2013 JenCor Entertainment

By Bill Spicer

198

Wandering Aengus: Christmas Memories

By Chris Marshall

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CONTENTS fly tying {

Contents - Winter 2013 • Volume 3 • Issue 4

103

The Hang Time Optical Minnow

192

Big Fly Tying: The Little Walleye

By Brad Bohen

By Sheldon Seale

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PHOTO BY BARRY AND CATHY BECK

2014 DENVER, CO JaNuaRy 3, 4 & 5 MaRLBOROuGH, Ma JaNuaRy 17, 18 & 19 SOMERSET, NJ JaNuaRy 24, 25 & 26 WINSTON-SaLEM, NC FEBRuaRy 7 & 8 LyNNWOOD, Wa FEBRuaRy 15 & 16

PLEaSaNTON, Ca FEBRuaRy 21, 22 & 23 LaNCaSTER, Pa MaRCH 1 & 2

Fly Fishing is NOT part of the show

IT IS THE SHOW!

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Click here for 20% discount with first order

Used by The Newr Fly Fishe hosts.

we get invited to all the coolest places. take us with you on your next adventure.

To learn how our fly fishing apparel can make your next adventure even better, click here. www.railriders.com I 1-800-437-3794

EDITORIAL

{

Editorial - By Chris Marshall

CHRIS MARSHALL

NEW WRITERS WELCOMED

The New Fly Fisher welcomes queries from fly fishing writers in North America and elsewhere in the world.

All features should be instructional and informative rather than narrative and descriptive, and accompanied by a good selection and variety of photographs (at least 30).

Currently, details of our needs and expectations can be obtained from our writers’ and photographers’ guidelines at The New Fly Fisher e-zine Web site: www.thenewflyfisherezine.com.

We prefer to receive queries rather than completed manuscripts. These should be sent to the editor, Chris Marshall, at: editor@jencor.ca.

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}

With this December issue, The New Fly Fisher will have been publishing for three years. In that time, not only have we grown, but we’ve also evolved. Initially, we were essentially an exclusively North American publication, but now include significant international content, with regular writers from the United Kingdom, Europe and, starting with this issue, Australia. Our readership outside North America has grown correspondingly.

We think this is a good thing, for it enables us to provide perspectives of fly fishing globally for a global audience, which have the potential not only for all of us to enrich our fly fishing experience, but also to expand our repertoire of fly fishing techniques, gear and fly patterns.

Nevertheless, we still maintain a strong North American emphasis.

After all, our head office is in Ottawa, Canada, and most of our TV shows are currently shot in Canada and the USA, which puts us in a unique position to promote fly fishing in our own backyard.

Consequently, in this issue, although we have three first-rate features by writers from the United Kingdom, Australia, and western North America, we have devoted the rest of the main features to the superb fly fishing opportunities in Algoma Country, one of eastern Canada’s prime fly fishing locations.

The Algoma region, immediately across lakes Huron and Superior north of Michigan, offers eminently accessible and affordable fly fishing destinations.

We plan similar special issues each year. They’ll be rich in visual content (both photos and videos), which should provide a vicarious excursion, for those unable to make the journey in person. But they’ll also include information on techniques, gear, and fly patterns for fly fishers anywhere in the world to try out in their own backyards.

As I write this, it’s snowing hard here on the north shore of Lake Ontario, but the lake-run brown trout and the winter steelhead are stacking up on the local tributaries. I should be out on the water, despite the cold. Then I think of my friend and contributor to this issue, Steve Starling, down under, who’s just getting into wetting a line for spring trout. Welcome to global fly fishing.

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BREAKING THE ROD IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES.

TOMAS ÖGREN, ROD DESIGNER: ”The new Cross S1 Travel Series is designed with the adventurous angler and remote waters in mind. Featuring 5 to 6 sections for easy packing, they are built with the same performance and strength as all our S1 rods. Once out there, you don’t want to take any chances when the fish hits the fly. This is the moment when there’s only one thing you want — to trust your tackle.”

A Word from our Publisher/Producer

COLIN MCKEOWN

It is hard to believe but, The New Fly Fisher TV show has been on the air for 13 years! Certainly some things have changed since those early episodes, such as the transition to HD, addition of underwater footage and inclusion of unique 3D animations. However, the essential goal is still the same as when we started the series in 2000—to help educate all anglers about fly fishing. Whether you are a novice or a veteran, we try to craft a fly fishing series that will both educate and entertain. Based on our incredible growth and the feedback we receive from anglers, this formula is truly working.

This issue marks the third year of online publication of The New Fly Fisher e-zine. We have been blessed to have incredible editorial & production staff— namely Chris and Liz Marshall and Jozef VanVeenen, who make it all possible.

In each issue, we have strived to improve in what we deliver to anglers. In addition, this special Algoma Country issue is also being published as an App, enabling anglers to access it with smart tablets, iPads and similar devices.

As a company, The New Fly Fisher has some significant events planned for 2014. We have just released nine new DVDs that feature the best of species and technique specific information. They make wonderful gifts. We are especially excited to finally release The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing with Tom Rosenbauer. There has been a tremendous demand for this series, and we are thrilled to make it available in time for the holidays. As well, we have just released through Vimeo some archived HD episodes. Information for this online video is available through The Fly Fisher web-store or through this e-zine.

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In January we will be attending fly fishing shows in numerous locations, including Marlborough, MA, Somerset, NJ, and Winston-Salem, NC. I will be in attendance along with hosts of The New Fly Fisher such as Bill Spicer and Rebekka Redd. We would love to meet our loyal viewers at any of these events. We will also be attending the Novi Ultimate Fishing Show from January 09-12, 2014, so anglers from Michigan and surrounding states can come meet us there as well.

On a final note, we are exceptionally proud to announce that, in partnership with Ontario Tourism and Algoma Kinniwabil Travel Association, we are creating the Ontario Fly Fishing Records registry. This means that Ontario will be the first Canadian province to formally recognize the catch-and-release of trophy fish on a fly. This exciting program will begin on January 01, 2014, with 17 species recognized in individual categories. As well, to kick this new initiative off properly, we will be announcing a contest that will include an all expenses paid trip to a lodge in Algoma with your choice of host from The New Fly Fisher. Included in this package is a full Orvis rod and reel set-up.

There are even more exciting announcements and events coming in 2014.

Please check out our facebook page or our Web site for the latest news and updates! Happy holidays to all.

•

Colin McKeown

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A New Ontario Record Coho on the Fly

Footnote While Glen caught his coho on a fly, unfortunately it will not be eligible for our new fly fishing registry, which includes only fish caught after January 01, 2014 and necessitates catchand-release.

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On September 24, 2013 The New Fly Fisher photographer Glen Hales landed a coho salmon which is the pending Ontario record for the species.

He was fishing the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario with an orange Crystal Egg fly, hoping he might encounter a few early lake-run brown trout, when he spotted a small pod of what he assumed were chinook salmon. He wasn’t particulary interested in hooking a chinook, but he cast to them anyway. The biggest of them grabbed his fly after just a couple of drifts, made a short run and leapt clear of the water. Only then did he realise it wasn’t a chinook, but a coho—and a big one!

After a short, but spirited fight on his 9 weight outfit and eight pound test tippet, it weighed in somewhere between 29 and 30 pounds on his unofficial scale. Later, when placed on official scales it hit 29.22lbs, beating the previous record of 28.64lbs set back in 1998.

However, he’ll have to hold his breath until January 2014, when the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters officially recognises it as a new record.

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POTPOURRI

{

Potpourri - By Paul Marriner

}

Striped Bass

PAUL MARRINER

Paul Marriner Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Paul owns Gales End Press (www. galesendpress.com) in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. A fly fisher for 50 years, he has angled for scores of species in fourteen countries. He is a prolific fly fishing writer, published in magazines on all five continents, winning nine book awards, as well as the Gregory Clark Award (for outstanding contribution to the arts of fly fishing) in 1991 and the Jean-Guy Cote Award (for continuous contributions to the art of fly tying) in 2008.

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After a thirteen-year closure, in May of 2013 Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) opened a trial season for striped bass in Canadian East Coast rivers flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Initially, they announced a fifteen-day retention period (May 1 - May 15) followed by a catch-and-release season extending until September 30. After assessing the initial retention period DFO announced a second one from August 2 - 11. During either period the possession limit was one fish between 55 and 65 cm (approx. 21 - 25 inches).

Particularly in the Miramichi area, anglers were very successful and, according to anecdotal reports, fly fishers outperformed all others. Several of my friends reported as many as fifty releases a day during the first few weeks. Not surprisingly, access to a boat was essential to produce the big numbers.

Atlantic salmon anglers and the Atlantic Salmon Federation were particularly pleased with the DFO decision. For several years, the number of smolts (juvenile salmon heading to the saltwater) leaving the Miramichi system has been declining as the striped bass population rebounded. A possible reason is the overlapping of the bass spawning run and the smolt migration.

Although DFO would not publicly confirm a 2014 season, the fact that they opened the second retention period strongly suggests at least a replay of the initial announcement. One useful note is that no licence is needed in tidal waters where most of the bass are found. With some exceptions these tidal waters are also outside the New Brunswick “guide required” zones, but that is of limited importance to non-residents, who will generally need or want the services of an outfitter. Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures (www.upperoxbow.com) has already prepared a striped bass package for 2014.

An Invisible “Hatch” In October, I was researching a story which included reviewing data from benthic invertebrate samples to identify what species one might expect to hatch during trout season. One result that stood out was the vast numbers of riffle beetles (elmids), in one case more than the total of all the orders that typically interest us, i.e., mayflies, caddis and stoneflies.

This reminded me of an earlier data review for a different Nova Scotia river. In this first case, I’d dismissed these beetles because they’re typically too small (1 - 4 mm hereabouts) to be usefully imitated. However, the second data set prompted me to investigate further. Google is my friend, and one reference it found was to a 2008 paper about the family which included some life cycle information. But, more important was a single line in the abstract, “Adult and larvae are rarely taken by invertebrate predators, but are eaten by fish, especially salmonids.”

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Blue Smelt One of many smelt patterns, the general design of which proved very successful for striped bass during the spring season.

Recipe Hook: Thread: Tail: Body: Wing: Topping: Throat: Cheeks:

Partridge M, size 2/0.

6/0 black UNI-Thread.

Red wool.

Embossed silver tinsel.

White under blue bucktail.

Peacock herl.

White goat.

Jungle cock.

The reference included an email address and, without much hope, off went a request for some additional information. Several days later, after I’d assumed my letter had simply disappeared into the void, I received a reply. In addition to a copy of the full paper, my correspondent wrote: “You will see from the review attached that elmid beetles pupate out of the water in the riverbank. This means that the final larval instars have to leave the stream, often at night, and the newly emerged adults have to return to the stream to breed. They are vulnerable to trout predation at these two critical periods in the life cycle, especially when returning to the stream as adults. I have found adults in trout stomachs during their migration back to the stream and they are usually more numerous than larvae in the stomachs.”

So what’s the point? After all they haven’t grown any larger since my first dismissal. Even at the big end of the range we’d be tying them on a size 20. That pesky invisible “hatch” is my reply. Very seldom in full daylight have I encountered fish in streams taking something unseen in the film. By “unseen” I include any airborne evidence. One of those times, some forty years ago, I landed three browns on a size 22, Black Foam Beetle. They were part of a small group rising steadily in a seam perhaps forty feet away. At the time I had no idea what they were taking, and the eventual winner was simply the smallest floating fly in my box. Of course I have no evidence riffle beetles have ever been responsible, but it’s not an idea I’m yet prepared to abandon.

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Phone/Fax: (705) 983-4255 • www.sudburyaviation.on.ca

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CASTING W

Casting With Bill - By Bill Spicer

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Pushing the Button for Better Loops

Most fly fishers know that they must make as straight a line as they can with the rod tip when casting in order to get tight loops—that whether the line is cast in a horizontal plane or on an angle, the rod tip must always travel in a straight line.

BILL SPICER

Bill Spicer is an F.F.F. Master Certified Casting Instructor and host of The New Fly Fisher ­television show.

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However, there’s a hitch: if you make the tip follow a perfectly straight path, the line will crash into itself.

How do we prevent this? The solution is to make a “power snap” in the last six inches of the casting stroke after the initial steady acceleration of the stroke has loaded the rod, but before the sudden, positive stop at the end. The power snap makes the rod tip dip below the casting plane, creating the loop. The size of the loop depends on how far the dip dips: a long dip will create a wide, open loop, while a short dip will create a narrow, tight one.

It’s important to avoid using wrist action to make the rod tip dip, as this will make the tip travel in a convex path, creating an inefficient open loop.

So, how do we make the tip dip without using wrist action?

The secret is to think of the casting stroke as a push on your front stroke and a pull on your back stroke. As you move through the front stroke, use your thumb to push on the cork handle just as you would in pushing the button on an aluminum door handle. What this will do is slightly change the angle of the rod in your hand, allowing the rod tip to dip slightly, so that it travels in a straight line until the very end of the stroke.

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WITH BILL Notice my wrist in the casting stroke and the distance the rod butt is from my forearm in each of the above photos. I’m not bending my wrist, but the rod angle has changed due to the pressure I’m placing on the foregrip with my thumb. In other words, I’ve pushed the button.

Pushing the button also helps in making the power snap, tightening the casting loops and adding distance. In the following two photos notice how high I’m holding the rod tip when executing the cast.

One of the main problems I’ve observed in my students during my 18 years of teaching is that they tend to allow the tip of the rod to drop too much on both the front and the back cast, causing them to make u nw a n t e d o p e n l o o p s. I n addition, notice that I’m looking at the line as I make my back cast. This is a good habit to get into, as it enables you to observe your hand position, preventing you from bending your wrist, as well as allowing you to see if there are obstructions behind you which could snag your line.

Like with all techniques, you must practice to improve.

If you spend 15 minutes four times a week practicing, you will become proficient.

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Fly Fishing Ontario’s

Algoma Coun Smallmouth Bass

Ontario’s Algoma Country offers a unique melange of blue ribbon fly fishing opportunities. Situated north of Michigan State, with Lake Superior to the west and Lake Huron to the south, it has steelhead and coaster brook trout streams along its shores, as well as lakes and rivers in the interior holding smallmouth bass, pike, muskie, walleye, and resident brook trout. In addition, there are the fabulous St. Mary’s Rapids at Sault Ste. Marie, where fly fishers can pursue steelhead, lake-run brown and brook trout, as well as both Atlantic and Pacific salmon.

We’re dedicating this issue to celebrating these impressive fly fishing opportunities with features on where and how to target them.

ONTARIO

Brook Trout Brook Trout Habitat

MINNESOTA

WISCONSIN

PENNSYLVANIA

IOWA

OHIO

ILLINOIS

St. Mary’s Rapids Northern Pike Accessible Algoma

NEW YORK

MICHIGAN

INDIANA

Visit these fly shops in Algoma catering to fly fishers: Flymart Massey - Spanish River area www.flymart.ca 1-888-811-1163 Soo North Fly Shop Sault Ste. Marie www.soonorthflyshop.com (705) 987-1745

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Misty Moutain Fly Shop Havilland Bay (40 km west of Sault Ste. Marie on Hwy 17) www.mistymountainflyshop.com (705) 649-5813

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Tikamaganda Lake

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101

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165

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CHAPLEAU NEMEGOSENDA RIVER

GAME Little Missinaibi

Dalton

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MAP ©2013 ROB LARUE - ALGOMA COUNTRY

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& Techniques I

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Smallmouth Bass Tactics and Techniques for Northern Ontario

O

Of all the places I’ve fished, my ­favourites are my home waters of Northern Ontario—a gorgeous abundance of clear lakes, rivers, and streams. The ­opportunities for smallmouth bass, in ­particular, are second to none.

Smallmouths are my ­favourite fly rod fish.

Pound for pound, they’re one of the toughest and ­most ­spectacular species I’ve encountered. I find their habit of exploding from the water, heads shaking when hooked, ­absolutely exhilarating, and they have a special place in my heart, as the first fish

I ever caught on the fly was a

smallmouth.

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Smallmouth Bass Tactics and Techniques for Northern Ontario

Tips for Tackling Smallmouths in Northern Waters

Locating Fish Smallmouths are ambush predators. Look for them in places which provide cover from which they can make forays to grab unsuspecting prey. On lakes, these include half-submerged trees and logs, boat houses and docks.

Also target the shadows, as bass typically choose shade over the sunny spots. Most northern lakes are rocky, and drop-offs, rocky points, and large underwater rocks are among their favourite haunts. In rivers, bass behave a lot like trout, staying near the fastest current, especially current breaks next to still water with deep holes, where they will hold and feed even through the brightest part of sunny days.

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Smallmouth Bass Tactics and Techniques for Northern Ontario

Techniques

You don’t need to make long casts—20 to 30 feet is enough. When using a sunk fly, retrieve with a mixture of strip lengths and speeds. Pause occasionally, allowing the fly to sink, then resume with more twitches, a variety of strip speeds and lengths, and pauses, keeping the fly animated in order to induce takes. Experiment until you find what works best.

Keep your rod tip low and your line tight, so that you’ll be in control when a fish strikes.

When you see or feel the take, keeping your rod tip low and pointing at the fly, make a firm strip hook-set with your line hand. Reel in the slack line as quickly as possible in order to fight the fish on the reel.

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Smallmouth Bass Tactics and Techniques for Northern Ontario

Equipment A 6wt or 7wt outfit is appropriate for smallmouths. The rod should have a fast action and enough backbone to turn over big, bushy flies and handle powerful fish. The reel should have a large arbor and a smooth disc drag system. A weight forward floating line is fine for fishing on the surface and in the top of the water column with sunk flies, but you’ll have to switch to a sinking line when you need to go deeper, especially from midsummer on, when the fish tend to seek the cooler water in the depths. I prefer a nine foot, knotless, tapered leader of 8-10lb test for most situations, but go up to 14 lb test when fishing logs and structure or anywhere that the fly might get hung up.

Flies Bass are opportunistic and typically attack anything that looks alive and edible—everything from mice, frogs, insects and crayfish, to baitfish. This makes fly selection relatively easy. Here are some of my favourite patterns.

Topwater: poppers, hoppers, Sneaky Pete sliders, deer hair frogs, and mouse patterns. When insects are hatching and bass are taking them off the surface, trout dry flies from sizes 8 to 12 work well: Olive Elk-Hair Caddis, damselflies, mayflies, light humpys.

Sub surface: crayfish patterns, bucktail streamers, Zonkers, leech patterns, Clousers Minnows, and especially black Woolly Buggers.

I usually fish with barbless flies. Not only is this good for catch-and-release, it’s also a safety factor, as barbless hooks are easier to remove should you inadvertently hook yourself.

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Fighting and Handling Fish Although catch-and-release angling is a valuable conservation tool, just because the fish swims away does not always mean it lives. The following will help you increase the odds that it does.

1. Don’t play it to exhaustion, particularly in hot weather. An exhausted fish is more vulnerable to predators.

2. Excessive handling can cause physical damage. Be gentle. Wet your hands prior to touching the fish. Make sure they are clean and free of sunblock.

If you use a net, the mesh should be soft rubber.

3. Don’t touch the gills, which are delicate and easily injured. Especially, never put your fingers into the gill slits. Fish should be handled by cradling them near the head and tail. Bass can be safely handled by holding the lower jaw, thumb in the mouth and forefinger under the chin (aka “lipping”).

4. The more time you take for hook removal, the less chance the fish will survive. I recommend long-nosed forceps or pliers for easy and quick hook removal. Bass mouths are typically easy to get hooks out of, especially barbless ones. If possible, remove the hook while the fish is in the water.

5. Make sure the fish can swim upright by supporting them in the water until they are sufficiently recovered to swim away on their own. Whatever you do, don’t just toss them back into the water, which, understandably, causes considerable shock. Unfortunately, I see this happen far too often.

Instead, gently cradle the fish in the water until it moves off on its own.

6. How long can you keep a fish out of water? For about as long as you can hold your own breath. Hold your breath, and when you need to breathe, release the fish or submerge it for a while in the water. As a photographer, I make sure my camera settings are always ready and on “rapid fire”, so that I have everything ready for when I have to take a quick photo. I like to see water dripping off the fish in photos, an indicator that it has not been held for very long out of water.

•

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Smallmouth Bass Tactics and Techniques for Northern Ontario

Smallmouth Bass Lodge/Outfitters Lauzon Aviation www.lauzonaviation.com (705) 849-2389 Laurentian Lodge www.laurentianlodge.com (705) 848-0423 McCauley’s www.mistymountainflyshop.com (705) 649-5813 Soo North Flyshop www.soonorthflyshop.com (705) 987-1745 Totomenai Lodge www.totomenailodge.com (705) 889-2190 Waterfalls Lodge www.waterfallslodge.com 1-800-666-2812

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Rebekka Redd

Rebekka, previously a host for Fly Rod Chronicles, is currently a host for The New Fly Fisher TV show. She has worked in various capacities in the film industry, including acting as script supervisor for fly fishing segments.

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Discover over 30 species of game fish found in over 400,000 lakes, rivers and streams!

DUE TO WIDGET LIMITATIONS, VIDEO DOES NOT PLAY IN ZOOM OR FULL SCREEN VIEW

Start planning your next Ontario fly fishing adventure today by visiting:

www.gofishinontario.com

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Algoma Br

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Algoma Brook Trout

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Catching colourful, wild brook trout (called “specks” in Northern Ontario) on a fly rod is a major incentive for fly fishers to visit Algoma Country. Whether it’s teasing them on the surface with a dry fly or going deep with a streamer, Algoma is one of the few places left in North America where you can catch truly wild brook trout in their natural habitat. And, as a bonus, access to the streams and lakes where they’re found is both easy and affordable. Here’s how to take advantage of it.

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Algoma Brook Trout

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Seasons The legal season for brook trout in Algoma is from ice-out to September.

Fishing is good throughout these months, but the best times vary according to location. More southerly locations tend to fish best early in the season (April and July). Ideal destinations at this time include Mar Mac Lodge, Lodge 88, Esnagami Lodge, Leuenbergers Air Service and Blue Fox Camp. Most of these have rivers and streams which run into and drain lakes which teem with bright, wild brookies. These also offer the opportunity of fly fishing for pike or lake trout one day in the lakes and, on the next day, hiking into a connecting river or stream to cast dry flies to eager brookies.

Further north in Algoma, in locations such as the Sutton River, there is exceptional brook trout fishing all season long.

Consequently, it is best to call operators to ascertain the ideal timings for brook trout at their facility, so that you can time your visit to accommodate your specific needs.

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{

Algoma Brook Trout

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Equipment The size of Algoma brook trout varies significantly from location to location.

Generally, you’ll encounter fish averaging 3lbs for which a medium-fast action, 8½ to 9 foot five weight rod is ideal for casting both light dry flies and bulky mouse patterns. However, it’s a good idea to take along a seven weight for casting big streamers and handling specimens of 5-7lbs, which you’ll hook into in some locations. There’s no need for a reel with a sophisticated drag system—a simple click-pawl model is quite adequate as well as classically satisfying.

The workhorse fly line for Algoma is a weight forward floater for fishing dry flies, nymphs, and shallow retrieved streamers. There are lots of good specialized lines in this class from manufacturers such as Orvis, RIO and Cortland. To complement the floating line, take along a short sink-tip line (with a 6 to 12 foot sink tip) for getting streamers and Woolly Buggers down deep in the water column. I favour a fairly fast sinker with a 3-5 weighting, which sinks at 3 to 5 inches per second.

I prefer tapered 8-10 foot leaders with 3X tippets. If I need a lighter tippet, I just tie on a section the appropriate diameter. Spools of 2x to 6x tippet will be sufficient for most situations.

One final caveat: when casting streamers for brookies, as I have often hooked into some really big smallmouth bass which have severely tested both rod and tippet, I recommend that you err on the heavy side in selecting tippet strength.

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Algoma Brook Trout

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Fly Patterns

Most generic dry fly patterns for brook trout will work well in Algoma.

Dry flies: Stimulators, Wulffs, Adams, and BWO patterns all work well. One of my favourite tricks is to use a long leader (10 foot) coupled with a Goddard Caddis (size 14). After casting the fly, holding the rod high, I would dance the fly across the surface back to my position, which provoked brookies into savage, slashing attacks—a real turn-on.

Streamers: Muddler Minnows in brown and white in sizes 4-10 are very effective. Woolly Buggers in black, white, purple and brown in sizes 6-10 also always seem to work well. Similarly, large streamer patterns such as Zoo Cougars and Strip Leeches in olive, black and yellow work effectively, particularly for the bigger fish.

You can still catch large fish on standard dry flies, but during the day mouse patterns and streamers are definitely your best choice. Mouse patterns are a must-have for your fly box, as big trout want big meals. There is nothing quite as exciting as seeing your deer hair mouse swallowed whole by a big brookie. In many locations, such as the Sutton River, where the brookies are totally focused on mice as a food source, deer hair or foam mice patterns in size 1/0 to 4 can be absolutely devastating.

You can also use bass bugs, such as poppers, to entice trout to the surface, initiating explosive top ater action—another reason for taking along a few spools of stouter tippet material.

Summary

BLACK WOOLLY BUGGER

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Algoma Brook Trout

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You don’t have to take an expensive flight to northern Quebec to catch big, wild brook trout. In Algoma you can encounter lots of them in places which are affordable and easily accessed. Using this primer as a guide, we recommend you contact some of the operators listed to find the right type of fishing that matches your budget.

•

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Algoma Brook Trout Operators Blue Fox Camp Lake Brookies www.bluefoxcamp.com (705) 461-6159 Esnagami Wilderness Lodge River Brookies www.esnagami.com (519) 474-6988 Hearst Air Service – Sutton River www.hearstair.com (705) 362-5700 Lauzon Aviation – Lake Brookies www.lauzonaviation.com (705) 849-2389 Leuenbergers Air Service (Kag Lake) River Brookies www.leuenberger.ca 1-888-246-6533 Lodge 88 or Mar Mac Lodge Lake Brookies www.northtoadventure.com 1-800-556-3741 Soo North Flyshop River & Lake Brookies www.soonorthflyshop.com

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FEATURE Esnagami Wilderness Lodge

Best of Algoma Fly Fishing

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Lodge 88

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Creating Trophy

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Brook Trout Fishing in Algoma BY

FRED POST

THE AUTHOR HOLDING A BROOKIE –TWO GROWING SEASONS AFTER BEING STOCKED AS A FINGERLING.

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Creating Trophy Brook Trout Fishing in Algoma }

Fifteen years ago, a family friend and mentor introduced me to the area around Kirkpatrick Lake in Ontario’s Algoma country. His motive was to lure me into helping him with some labour intensive volunteering for the Friends of Blue Lake; a fisheries management project, run in collaboration with local volunteer researchers, fisheries scientists, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

He lured me with the promise of catching fish—and of course it worked.

Nestled in the heart of Algoma’s mixed deciduous and boreal shield, the Kirkpatric Lake area has a unique landscape created as the last glaciers receded—rugged bedrock, scraped and pitted by the ice, leaving hundreds of small basins to fill with run-off and rainwater. Today these are small, remote, pristine lakes too numerous to count, which are often quite deep, clear and cold. While all of the lakes are filled with the traditional water born invertebrates known to fly fishers, and certain species of baitfish, many of them remain completely barren, as physical barriers such as waterfalls have prevented any fish from entering them.

Working in this unique setting, the Friends of Blue Lake developed a vision to create a naturally reproducing trophy brook trout fishery. Every fall, from our base at Blue Fox Camp, we trek into the middle of nowhere with backpacks full of survey equipment and the heaviest canoe we can find.

Into the bush we go, without trails, up and over rock cuts, across swamps, in the rain and often snow, collecting data.

We first investigate what fish species (if any) are in a lake by collecting specimens with trap nets and by angling, taking exceptional care to ensure they are released unharmed. We also scour the shorelines for signs of fish or minnows. In addition, we sound the lake with a depth finder and create a bathometric map for the Ministry’s records. Those lakes we think may be suitable for fish will then be stocked with fingerling brook trout by the MNR. Throughout their life cycle we revisit the lakes to periodically assess their survival, growth and, hopefully, reproductive success.

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Creating Trophy Brook Trout Fishing in Algoma }

After twenty odd years of collecting data from over 120 lakes, and stocking those with potential for natural reproduction and optimum growth of brook trout, we have made the following observations: • Fish survival generally requires water around 30 feet deep or more, except for those shallower ones which are spring fed, providing the cold, well-oxygenated water that brook trout need to survive. We have learned that the presence of cold, upwelling springs is the major factor for the reproductive success of brook trout in a lake. In the winter, this fresh upwelling provides eggs with oxygen and warmth while they incubate and hatch, while in the summer providing cool, welloxygenated water which brookies need to survive.

• Fish growth depends on stocking density: the lower the density, the greater the growth. The scientists on our team have used this formula for devising stocking programmes designed to ensure exceptional growth, producing trophy fish.

• The presence of suckers and baitfish significantly inhibits the growth rate of brook trout, as these species compete directly for food and space.

• Lakes without other competing fish species but rich in invertebrates provide optimum conditions for brook trout growth.

Applying this knowledge to our work over the years, we’ve documented incredible growth rates. We’ve seen brook trout grow up to 5lbs in two years, and 8lbs in three years. To date, a handful of lakes have been found to be capable of natural reproduction with self-sustaining populations established.

For most anglers, the thought of bringing in an eight to ten pound brookie on a remote, crystal-clear lake would seem as unlikely and as desirous as winning the lottery. But on a fly!? Most fly fishers would hardly dare to dream of a lake full of monster brookies that have never seen any other forage items but flies and other invertebrates. Around Kirkpatrick Lake, this dream is a reality.

If you decide to visit our trophy brook trout lakes, just make sure you bring your bushwhacking gear, a good GPS (with plenty of spare batteries), a pack rod and your best bush sense, because trails are few and far between, and you’ll usually need to carry a canoe.

•

FredPost Fred Post is an ecologist who was born and raised in

Algoma’s prime fishing country in Northern Ontario. He currently lives in Sault Ste. Marie with his beautiful wife, where he works as Manager of Environment in the steel industry. An avid fisherman from a young age, he has been a volunteer researcher with the Friends of Blue Lake for fifteen years.

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A BEAUTIFULLY SPOTTED FEMALE

A COLLEAGUE HOLDING A SPLENDID BROOKIE—JUST THREE YEARS AFTER BEING STOCKED AS A FINGERLING

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Fly In

New Docks

American Plan Housekeeping Renovated Cabins New Wood Stoves Sky Lights Hudson Bay Blankets Lake Viewing Dining Sauna and Shower Direct Phone to Camp Conference Facility for 24

New Lund Boats Merc., Honda Motors Boat Seats Fish Finders Canoe Tripping Kayaking Wildlife Photography Trout Fishing Only Fly Fishing with Belly Boats

Paul R. Morgan • 42 Howard Dr, Toronto, ON M2K 1K6 Blue Fox Camp • 416-540-3350 or 416-222-5262 www.bluefoxcamp.com • bluefoxcamp@gmail.com

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THE NEW

Fly Fisher Gift!

It’s thcet Perfe

T H E

A R T

&

S C I E N C E

O F

F LY

F I S H I N G

• DVD COLLECTION •

The following are some of the best of The New Fly Fisher episodes condensed into highly educational and entertaining packages focused on your favourite species or type of fly fishing.

Visit our Web site to read more about each DVD package or to order.

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St. Mary’s Rapids,

Sault Ste. Marie BY

BILL SPICER

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Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

I first visited Sault Ste. Marie in the early 1990s with two friends and fell in love with the rapids instantly. In my ­travels with The New Fly Fisher TV show, I’m often asked to name the best fishing spot I’ve ever been to. Without hesitation, I point to the Soo rapids.

In 1920, Ernest Hemingway stated that “at the present time, the best rainbow trout fishing in the world is in the rapids at the Canadian Soo.” This statement still has merit, as the rapids of the St. Mary’s river are truly a fly fisher’s Mecca. What was true in 1920 is still true today, as this is a unique fishery, featuring steelhead, Atlantic salmon, pink salmon, chinook salmon, brown trout, resident brook trout and even whitefish.

Pink salmon, also known as the humpback salmon, were unintentionally introduced into the Great Lakes near Thunder Bay in 1956. The population has maintained itself since then, slowly growing in numbers and spreading into lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan.

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Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie, the City Sault Sainte Marie, or “The Soo” as it is nicknamed, is located on the St. Mary’s River in Ontario. Across the river is its twin city of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. The two cities are connected by the International Bridge, which crosses over the rapids and locks. Great Lakes shipping bypass the rapids by using the American Soo Locks, one of the world’s busiest canals. Pleasure craft use the locks on the Canadian side of the rapids. The main industry in the Canadian Soo is Algoma Steel, which brags that it is the most profitable steel company per unit on a global scale. Tourism is also a profitable industry, offering top notch accommodations, shopping, a Casino, train tours through the Agawa Canyon, and a picturesque boardwalk that follows the harbor front. Celebrities such as the first Canadian woman in space, Roberta Bondar, along with NHL hockey players Phil and Tony Esposito hail from the Soo.

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Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

The Rapids You can only access the rapids from the Canadian side and, your first impression is intimidating.

The St. Mary’s River flows from Lake Superior into Lake Huron. The actual rapids cover less than a mile. Here, the river bottom is bedrock, boulders, rubble, gravel and sand (perfect spawning grounds for fish) and is divided in two by a cement dyke that runs the whole length. Inside the dyke is quite wadeable water, with pools, runs and riffles. On the far side of the dyke are the main rapids, with many channels, rapids and runs. There are also three large pools, which are prime holding spots for fish. The largest and most productive of these is the Canadian Pool.

Trout and Salmon Runs Steelhead: from May to June and October to December.

Atlantic Salmon: mid-June through August.

Chinook Salmon: mid-September to mid-October.

Pink Salmon: late August through September.

Brook Trout: June to September.

Resident Rainbow and Brown Trout: year-round.

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Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) St. mary’s Paper Coporation Agawa Canyon Tour Train/ Algoma Central Railway

Lake Superior Power Co. Power House North St. Mary’s Island

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Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

Holding Water Finding fish is not a problem in the rapids. Seek out submerged rocks where fish shelter from the current. Seams where currents meet, as well as deep runs, are also prime places to find fish. Fish will hold in the slower water as close to the fast water as they can get. Fish also hold in the tail-outs and surprisingly close to shore or the dyke. Large pools in the rapids are prime hot spots. As the depth drops off suddenly in these pools, caution is urged when fishing them. Another drawback is that they’re popular places to fish and can get rather crowded.

Safety The rapids can be dangerous, and wading fly fishers need to take the appropriate precautions. Studded felt soles on your boots or Korkers are highly recommended. Make sure you use a waist belt to cinch your waders tightly in case you fall in. Wading staffs are also a must, as in spots the current is strong and treacherous. A personal flotation device is also a good idea, especially if you choose to wade deep. As depths can change from a foot to six feet in a couple of steps, waders should proceed with considerable caution. Fortunately, deep water wading is not really needed, as most of the good fishing is close to the dyke and the wading there is relatively safe.

Polarized sunglasses are a must, as most of the fishing is sight fishing.

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{

Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

Flies for the Rapids There are three flies I found work the best in the fall.

Glo Bug or Egg Fly Worked with a drag free drift, this pattern in sizes 10 and 12 is deadly. Effective colours vary from light yellow, to white, to fluorescent chartreuse depending on the degree of water clarity dictating.

Black Stonefly This fly can be dead drifted or swung in the current. Sizes 8 to 10.

Simple Spey This pattern is very effective swung in the current. Sizes 4 and 6.

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Equipment As fish encountered in the rapids during the fall can run all the way up to 30lbs, it’s essential to use equipment robust enough to handle the big ones.

My recommendation is an eight weight nine foot rod, which even a pink of five pounds will put to the test. If you are fishing in the springtime for steelhead a seven weight outfit should suffice. In both cases, the rod should have a medium to stiff action with enough backbone to turn a fish around in the current.

Large arbor reels with smooth drags and a capacity to hold large amounts of backing are recommended, for once a fish gets into the current it can strip off 100 feet of line and backing in seconds. The strength of these fish is incredible. A smooth drag will help you control the run and the larger arbor will allow you to pick up line quickly—a necessity when a salmon runs toward you.

For the most part, a floating line works well, as most of the water you will fish will be no more than four or five feet deep. Simply lengthening the leaders is usually all that is needed should you encounter water somewhat deeper. However, there are three much deeper pools in the main rapids which are best fished with sinking tip lines or sinking leaders.

A standard nine foot leader is sufficient most of the time. However, as the water is gin clear, fish become spooky when the sun is high. In these conditions, it pays to lengthen the leader to prevent fish from seeing the fly line. Constant inspection of your leader is important, as the bottom has many sharp rocks which can damage it.

The clear water and line-shy fish of the rapids demand light tippets.

Monofilament should be no heavier than 6lb test. Although this results in more break-offs, the increase in hook-ups more than makes up for it.

With fluorocarbon, which is virtually invisible when under water, you can go heavier—up to 10lbs, which gives a huge advantage when fighting big fish. However, fluorocarbon necessitates extra care in tying knots, especially lubrication with saliva before cinching it down tight.

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{

Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

Techniques: Dead Drifting Dead drifting a nymph under an indicator is very effective in the rapids. On a standard nine foot leader, place the indicator approximately twice the depth of the water from the fly, with a split shot at the knot tying on the tippet—approximately 14-16 inches from the fly. Use only enough weight of shot to take the fly to the bottom and still allow it to tumble naturally and drag-free in the current. As water conditions vary considerably, it’s necessary to change the weighting frequently.

Make short upstream casts, and, keeping the rod high to lift the line off the water, follow the line downstream with the rod tip at the same speed as the current. This enables the controlled dead drift essential for success.

Presentation is far more important than the fly pattern used.

Cast close to you first, then after a number of casts take a couple of steps further out from shore and repeat the short casts and drifts. Repeat this until the water becomes too deep to go further. At this point, lengthen the cast, allowing the line to land on the water and control the drift with line mending.

With a short line drift, without line on the water, hook-set is a simple lift of the rod. However, when drifting with line on the water, it’s necessary to change to a side striking motion. Set the hook at any movement of the indicator. It might be a rock, but it could be the trophy of a lifetime. If you’re not hanging up on the bottom every once in a while, you’re not deep enough.

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Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

The Downstream Swing Swinging flies in the current Atlantic salmon style is also a good technique on the rapids. Use a sinking tip line or a sinking leader with only four feet of monofilament leader to the fly. You can use a heavier leader here, as the fly will be the first thing the fish sees. If the water is fast, add a split shot to the nose of the fly to make sure it sinks to the bottom.

Start at the head of a run and cast downstream at a 45 degree angle. When the fly lands on the water mend the line upstream to allow it to sink. Then, lower the rod tip to the water and follow the line as it drifts through the run.

After two or three drifts without a hit, take two steps downstream and repeat the procedure until you come to the end of the run—or get a hit, which can be anything from the line simply stopping, to an arm wrenching grab.

Stealth As the water is gin clear, a stealthy approach is needed. You will be sight fishing most of the time, and that means if you can see the fish, they can see you too. The biggest mistake is failing to scan for fish in the water close to shore before wading in, for fish frequently hold there. If you fail to do this, you’ll be rewarded with the sight of your quarry bolting for the middle of the river.

Early morning, when the sun is low and the fish are less spooky, is the best time to fish. It’s also a good ploy to wade in the water close to the dyke and, using the dyke as cover, cast to holding water along the shoreline at the other side. However, if you have to walk along the dyke itself, make sure you keep a low profile and keep your shadow off the water.

•

Book Your Canadian Fly Fishing Adventure www.saulttourism.com/packages

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Fly Fishers’ Cornucopia: The St. Mary’s Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie

If You Go For information on the fishing, accommodation and activities in Sault Ste. Marie and the rest of Algoma Country, go to www.saulttourism.com or 1 (800) 461-6020.

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Also contact Brad Hodkinson at Soo North Fly Shop.

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Canadian Fly Fishing Adventure

Experience fishing for Atlantic Salmon, Pacific Salmon and Steelhead in the legendary St. Marys Rapids, that join Lake Superior and Lake Huron.

Your personal guide will provide tips to ensure a memorable fishing adventure.

Located on the Sault Ste. Marie waterfront, this package provides a high quality fly-fishing experience, along with top notch accommodations, right in the heart of Northern Ontario, Canada.

Book your Canadian Fly Fishing Adventure www.saulttourism.com/packages

www.flyporter.com

Porter Airlines provides daily flights from Newark, Chicago, Boston, and Toronto

Big Pike in Alg 94 I

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Targeting

Big Pike

in Algoma Country BY

COLIN MCKEOWN

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{

Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

I’m addicted to fly fishing for big pike. They’re super-aggressive and their takes are savagely explosive.

Many think they do not fight well, but I totally disagree. In fact, I have had many a big pike, ­particularly in Algoma Country, take me well into the backing— epic battles which tested my gear to the limit and severely challenged my fish-fighting skills! In this primer, we will discuss the techniques, equipment, ­rigging options and patterns necessary for ­successful fly fishing for pike in Northern Ontario.

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{

Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

Locating Big Pike

}

Finding big pike is relatively easy throughout Algoma. Shallow bays, beaver lodges, weedbed edges, drop-offs, the mouths of tributaries, and other places which provide cover for them from which to launch ambushes upon unsuspecting prey are all hot spots. In addition, when you see clouds of baitfish or perch on your boat’s sonar, you can be guaranteed that big predators, such as pike, will be nearby. I have enjoyed a lot of success casting streamers around such suspended baitfish schools in deep water. Generally though, as pike are super-aggressive most of the time (cold fronts can put them down for a bit), they are usually not hard to locate.

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{

Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

COLOURFUL POPPERS

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Equipment

As fly fishing for pike frequently involves a full day of casting big flies, and often involves contending with wind, your gear should be sturdy enough to handle these without tiring you out. Some fly fishers are comfortable with an outfit as light as a 7 or 8 weight. However, I prefer a fast-action 9 or 10 weight, as besides having the backbone to punch out big, wind-resistant flies, these also have the power to horse big fish in quickly, preventing the debilitating and sometimes fatal effects of playing them too long, especially in hot weather.

You don’t necessarily need a large arbor reel for pike, but it’s an advantage to have one for getting the slack when a fish makes a fast run towards the boat. Many pike fly fishers use the same reels they use for salt water for their pike fishing. Reels from Orvis and Islander are excellent quality choices.

You should carry two types of fly lines. For fishing the surface and shallow subsurface, I recommend a specialty pike/musky fly line, such as the special floaters manufactured by RIO, Orvis and Cortland, which feature a shorter head to facilitate casting big flies. While fishing the surface or just beneath it generates spectacular takes, there are times when pike will stubbornly stay deep, refusing to move to the surface. For these occasions, you need a full sinking line (type 4 or 5) or a sink tip to get the fly deep and quickly (4”-5” per second is ideal). While these specialty fly lines are not designed for subtle presentations, they’re perfectly suited to thumping out flies as big as small chickens. Sure, they land on the water with a whack, but that’s more likely to attract a pike rather than a subtle, delicate presentation.

I prefer to make my own leader setups. These are a simple combination of a 6 to 8 foot section of 40lb or 50lb stiff mono for handling big fish and facilitating turning over big flies, with a high quality wire shock leader. This is attached to the fly line with a loop-to-loop system. Don’t listen to those who recommend heavy mono leaders—I have seen way too many of these get bitten off. Make sure you use high quality wire such as RIO bite leader in 40lb test or Tyger leader in 50lb test. Both enable you to tie knots easily.

Pike Fly Patterns

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Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

}

I have learned a lot from the folks in saltwater fly fishing when it comes to pattern choices. They like to make their flies out of water resistant materials that shed water, keeping them light enough to cast easily, yet providing a big silhouette under water. Fly designers such as Enrico Puglasi and Brad Bohen have done much to improve things in terms of design for pike fly fishers. Brad is the designer of my favourite topwater pattern, which he calls The Swing Hips. He also has developed an excellent streamer pattern, The Hang Time Optical Minnow, which is dynamite for both pike and muskie.

In the accompanying video you can learn how to tie it. (http://vimeo. com/78202295) Essentially, any fly pattern that looks like a walleye, perch or whitefish/ sucker will work well on northern pike for subsurface action. Large flies (8 inches plus) tied on size 1/0 to 3/0 hooks are ideal. As big pike eat small ducks, muskrats and even small beavers, big fly patterns which make a lot of commotion and push plenty of water are ideal. Black seems to be the all-round best colour choice for topwater action.

A SELECTION OF BIG CLOUSERS

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Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

}

Seasons of the Pike You can catch big pike from ice-out all the way to October in Algoma, but there are some prime times for getting them. My favourite times are in May and June and again from late August and throughout September. While you can catch pike in the summer months of July and August, any action is very dependent upon the watershed and water temperatures.

In May and June all locations throughout Algoma have exceptional pike fishing. The big specimens are usually close to areas where they spawned after ice-out. They truly have the feedbags on at this time, looking to replenish their stamina and strength after a frisky, sexual rollick in the shallows. They will stay shallow (3-20 feet of water) and relate to structure throughout this period.

In the heat of July and August, big pike will often go deep, seeking out colder water. This can make finding them on a fly a lot more challenging. However, there are certain locations in Algoma where the watershed has natural spring water which percolates right up through the bottoms of lakes and rivers, which ensures the water temperatures in the depths remain cool all summer, no matter how hot it gets. Nevertheless, shallow water pike fishing continues throughout the summer in these locations. Good lodges in Algoma for summertime fishing for big pike include Esnagami Wilderness Lodge, Brace Lake Outfitters, Pym Island (Hearst Air Service), Lauzon Air Service, and Leuenbergers Air Service (Kag Lake).

In late August and through September, excellent fly fishing for pike can be had at all Algoma lodges. At this time, the nights are getting progressively cooler, signaling to the pike that winter is on its way, inducing them to come into the shallows again, looking for easy meals. This is one of the best times of the year for exciting surface fly action, especially around and on top of dying weedbeds.

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{

Targeting Big Pike in Algoma Country

If you have not tried your hand at catching big pike on a fly, you should try it. There’s no more electrifying angling experience than having one of these huge alpha predators engulf your streamer or savagely attack a surface fly. If you want to get your heartbeat up and have trembling hands, come to Algoma country and try one of its exceptional pike locations. I guarantee you will want to do it again once you have tried it! •

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Algoma Northern Pike Lodges & Outfitters

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Agichs Kaby Kabins www.kabykabins.ca 1-888-824-2040

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Brace Lake Outfitter www.bracelakeoutfitters.com (807) 329-1116 Erringtons Wilderness Island www.wildernessisland.com (705) 946-2010 Esnagami Wilderness Lodge www.esnagami.com (519) 474-6988 Hearst Air Service – Pym Island www.hearstair.com (705) 362-5700 Lauzon Aviation www.lauzonaviation.com (705) 849-2389 Laurentian Lodge www.laurentianlodge.com (705) 848-0423 Leuebergers Air Service (Kag Lake) www.leuenberger.ca 1-888-246-6533 Lodge 88 or Mar Mac Lodge www.northtoadventure.com 1-800-556-3741 Misty Mountain Flyshop www.mistymountainflyshop.com (705) 649-5813 Pine Portage Lodge www.fishthefinest.comp 1-888-363-4443 Waterfalls Lodge www.waterfallslodge.com 1-800-666-2812

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Our

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles:

Accessible Algoma BY

COLIN MCKEOWN

le Algoma I

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Accessible Algoma

}

When people talk to me at consumer fishing shows they often ask why I promote Algoma so much. The answer is simple: fantastic fishing with unequaled accessibility. Most great fly fishing destinations in North America are expensive and difficult to access. The Algoma region, on the other hand, which is located centrally in northern Ontario, is neither expensive nor difficult to access and offers a cornucopia of fly fishing for trophy-sized brook trout, bass, pike, and salmon, most of which is very easily accessed by air, rail, and road.

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Accessible Algoma

Planes

}

Several airlines fly into Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, essentially the gateway to the Algoma region. Very reasonably-priced and frequent flights from airlines such as Porter and Air Canada can be found online. Most flights will route through Toronto on their way north, although Porter can be flown from US cities such as Boston, New York/Newark, Washington, and Chicago. Air Canada services virtually every American city through its US partner airlines.

Alternatively, you can fly into Chippewa County airport in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan—twin city to its Canadian namesake, which is served by both Delta and US Air services. But no matter which side of the border you fly into, once you arrive in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, you can either rent a car and drive to your lodge or fly-in point, or take the train.

Floatplanes are the taxis of the north, and Algoma has numerous air bases

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Accessible Algoma

}

equipped with safe and modern floatplanes that will quickly whisk you into a lodge or remote outpost. The key to floatplane travel is to ensure you check with the lodge operator about baggage restrictions. Often you are restricted on how much gear/weight you can take in per person. This is done for safety reasons. Besides being fast, safe and economical, floatplanes give you a panoramic view of Algoma’s wildly beautiful forests, lakes and rivers, with frequent sightings of moose, bears and even caribou. Your lodge or outfitter will help arrange your floatplane ride and will tell what airbase will be best for you to fly out of.

Wilderness Trains – All Aboard!

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Accessible Algoma

}

One of the things which make Algoma fly fishing unique is that it has access to fly fishing hot spots via train! Once you get to Sault Ste. Marie you can simply board a train that heads north towards Hearst. Known as “Wilderness

By Rail” this train service will take you all the way to your lodge and drop you off there.

Your trip begins by boarding the Algoma Central Railway Passenger Train which will whisk you through the remote regions of Algoma in the comfort of a passenger coach. After loading your gear into the baggage car, sit back, relax, and enjoy watching the wild country scroll past your window until you arrive at your chosen fly fishing lodge. There are over a dozen lodges located along the rail line, each offering its own unique fly fishing experience for a variety of species. On arrival, you’ll be greeted by friendly lodge staff who’ll take care of all your gear and get you comfortably settled in.

Travel by train has a number of attractive features. Besides being perfect for those who don’t like to fly, it doesn’t have the gear/weight restrictions imposed on floatplane travel.

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This means that you can take along all the gear you want, which is ideal for those who’ve chosen a housekeeping plan at the lodge and need to pack food and other necessities. Moreover, it’s also very economical.

Driving There Algoma is easily accessed by road from both Canada and the USA. Canadians simply head along the Trans Canada Highway which runs along the southern

DUE TO WIDGET LIMITATIONS, VIDEO DOES NOT PLAY IN ZOOM OR FULL SCREEN VIEW

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MINNESOTA

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IOWA

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ONTARIO

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and western boundaries. Americans have easy access north through Michigan, crossing the border at the St. Mary’s bridge at Sault Ste. Marie.

Once you arrive in Algoma, you will be amazed to discover how much great fishing is easily accessed by car. Many lodges and outfitters are drive-to locations, such as Waterfalls Lodge in the east and McCauley’s wonderful facility with full guiding available in the west. You can even fish right in the city of Sault Ste. Marie. All you have to do is just park your car at one of a number of downtown hotels, from which you can easily walk to the St. Mary’s River, where you can enjoy a great day of swinging a fly for salmon, steelhead or trout.

Ontario’s Algoma Country is blessed with some of the best pike, bass, salmon, steelhead and brook trout fishing in North America. Cashing in on these amazing fisheries

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is as simple as getting online and searching for the countless outfitters who offer lodging and fishing packages aimed at American, Canadian, and international fly fishers.

Choose your mode of transport—all affordable and accessible—just like the world-class fishing you’ll find there. •

Airlines

Air Canada: www.aircanada.com/en/ Porter Airlines: www.flyporter.com/Flight/Tickets?culture=en-CA

Rail

Wilderness By Rail www.agawacanyontourtrain.com/content/tours/lodgesalongline/index.html

Car Rental Agencies

Avis/Hertz Group: www.avis.com National Car Rental: www.nationalcar.ca 124 I THE NE W FLY FISHER • WINTER 2013 I

ONTARIO

MINNESOTA

WISCONSIN MICHIGAN

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THIS BEAUTIFUL BARRAMUNDI SMASHED A FLY ROD POPPER OFF THE SURFACE AT FIRST LIGHT ON A TOP END BILLABONG.

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Of Billabongs, 128 I

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S T E V E S TA R L I N G

s, Barramundi I

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Colloquially known as the “Top End”, the tropical far north of Australia contains vast tracts of relatively untamed and largely unpeopled land. This is a place of extremes, ­dominated by two dramatically different seasons, referred to by locals simply as “The “Wet” and the “The Dry”. It’s also home to some exceptional fly fishing opportunities.

The monsoonal wet season generally arrives in December as prevailing winds shift suddenly from southeasterlies to more humid northwesterlies.

Spectacular electrical storms light up the night sky, and the first, heavy raindrops splat onto parched soil and rocks hot enough to fry an egg. Within weeks, the deluge is a daily event, flooding the plains and pumping life back into rivers and wetlands. This is a time of rebirth. Along the marshy banks, giant saltwater crocodiles, unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs, aggressively defend their mounded nests while overhead, clouds of magpie geese and whistling ducks darken the sky with their restless passage.

Beneath the swirling surface of the turbid, troubled water, life and death also rages. Big, chrome-plated saltwater barramundi, fresh from spawning in estuaries and bays along the coast, forge upstream against the flood, spilling into waterholes and backwaters across the drowned plains. Their smaller, more darkly-hued brethren pour in the opposite direction from these same tannin-stained backwaters, keen to taste salt again after spending the early years of their lives growing, feeding and hiding in the fresh. Collisions are inevitable and often cataclysmic. Adult barra think nothing of scoffing down their young.

By late March, The Wet has typically reached its saturated crescendo, a climax often punctuated by several destructive hurricanes, known as cyclones in this part of the world. Some time in April, as suddenly as it began, the monsoon switches off. The rain stops. Skies clear. Heat builds once more.

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MANY BILLABONGS ARE SEVERAL MILES IN LENGTH AND WIDER THAN A FOOTBALL FIELD, WITH DEPTHS AVERAGING 10 FEET (3M) OR MORE.

THEY’RE NOT ALL LUNKERS! THE AUTHOR’S WIFE, JO STARLING, SHOWS OFF ONE OF HER FIRST FLY ROD BARRA.

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The Runoff Now begins the most intense part of the season for tropical anglers: the runoff. All that floodwater and its immense cargo of protein begins to pour back into the main channels. Millions of tiny fish, frogs, tadpoles, insects, shrimps and other organisms are dumped from natural drains and gutters into the ebbing river. Carnage ensues. The hot, sticky air fills with a staccato sound reminiscent of heavy gunfire. These are the implosive detonations of feeding barra, a sound onomatopoeically described by Top End fishers as “boofs”. Topwater boofs are spectacularly loud, but those produced subsurface are more muffled, often felt through the soles of bare feet on a boat deck rather than heard. If you’re nervously stripping a fly at the time, these eerie, subsonic “whumps” have a way of sharply focussing the mind.

The exact timing and duration of the runoff is as fickle as the weather cycles that drive it. Planning a runoff trip months in advance is akin to betting on some sort of piscatorial futures market. Disappointments are common.

“Mate, ya shoulda been here last week!” is a commonly heard refrain as anglers meet at the boat launching ramp or local pub bar. Fortunately, more predictable times lie ahead.

SOME OF THE AUTHOR’S WEIGHTED, WEED-GUARDED FUR FLIES FOR BARRA AND SARATOGA.

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THE BILLABONGS ARE FED BY SMALL STREAMS AND SOAKS WELL INTO THE DRY SEASON.

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THESE LILIES LIE ATOP WATER THAT MAY BE 10 FEET (3M) OR MORE DEEP AND PROVIDE EXCELLENT HABITAT FOR BOTH BARRAMUNDI AND SARATOGA. HOWEVER, EXTRACTING FISH FROM THESE AREAS CAN BE CHALLENGING!

Billabong Dreamtime As the floodwaters of the monsoon recede and the plains dry out, strings of isolated waterholes are left behind. Known in local parlance as billabongs, these beautiful pools are fringed by stands of paperbark trees and clumps of sword-leaved pandanus palms. Fat dragonflies buzz and dip above the green water. Constant swirls and bubbles mark the frenzied passage of ox-eye herring: tiny carbon copies of tarpon that rarely exceed 18 inches (45 cm) in length, but which provide excellent sport on a 5- or 6-weight outfit.

Of course, it would be possible to go even lighter for these mini-aerialists, were it not for the constant possibility of far more dramatic encounters.

In the shadows and dark corners beneath the trailing pandanus palms and under the fast-growing pads of the giant water lilies lurk more serious prizes for the fly fisher: the two game fish dominate these billabongs, the barramundi and the saratoga.

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A FUR FLY WITH A WEED GUARD APPROACHES THE EDGE OF A LILY PAD. STRIKES OFTEN OCCUR AT EXACTLY THIS MOMENT.

KEEN AUSSIE FLY FISHER BRETT WILSON SHOWS OFF OVER 30 INCHES (80CM) OF PRIME BILLABONG BARRAMUNDI.

THE AUTHOR WITH A FAIRLY TYPICAL ­BILLABONG BARRA TAKEN ON A SURFACE FLY.

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Explosive Opponents Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) are a catadromous fish found from India’s Bay of Bengal through South East Asia to New Guinea and northern Australia.

Reported to grow to at least 70 inches (1.8 m) and potentially top 150 pounds (70 kg), any specimen over 40 inches (a metre) is regarded as a trophy catch by most anglers, especially on a fly. More often, the barra encountered in Top End billabongs through the dry season (May to November) will run from 20 to 30 inches (50 - 80 cm) and weigh anywhere from three to 12 or 13 pounds (1.5 to 6 kg).

Closely related to the African Nile perch and more distantly to the American snook, barramundi are consummate sport fish, capable of explosive, tackledestroying strikes, jaw-dropping jumps and powerful runs. Their rock-hard, abrasive jaws and scalpel-sharp gill cover cutters make short work of light leaders, demanding the use of a heavy bite tippet of thick monofilament in the order of 40 to 80 pound (20-40 kg) breaking strain.

When in the mood (and particularly at dawn, dusk and through the night), barra will readily rise to a noisy, water-displacing topwater fly, smashing such offerings with a sudden violence that has been known to make new chums soil their underwear!

More often, and especially through the long, hot daylight hours, a large streamer tied with an effective weed guard and fished a few feet beneath the surface provides more consistent action. Whistler-style patterns with bead chain or lead eyes are especially effective, and the combination of a hot pink rabbit fur collar and pulsing white body (called a “Pink Thing” in Aussie parlance) is favoured by many barra hunters, although dark flies certainly have their day.

Eight to 10-weight outfits are ideal for throwing these bulky flies and dealing with big, strong fish in often difficult terrain. A full floating line will cover most situations, although it can be handy to carry an intermediate or sink-tip for those occasions when the barra are sulking close to the bed of the billabong in 10 or 12 feet (3-4 m) of water.

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CROC’ WARS. A PAIR OF SALTWATER CROCODILES SIZE EACH OTHER UP DURING THE SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER BREEDING SEASON, WHEN FIERCE COMBAT BETWEEN THESE IMPRESSIVE REPTILES IS COMMON.

A 10 FOOT (3M) SALTWATER CROCODILE SUNS ITSELF ON A LOG DURING THE AFTERNOON. DESPITE THEIR NAME, THESE FEARSOME REPTILES ARE PERFECTLY AT HOME IN FRESHWATER BILLABONGS.

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Living Fossil The northern saratoga (Scleropages jardini) is a genuine living fossil, unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. A member of the family Osteoglossidae (meaning bony-tongued), saratoga share their lineage with just a handful of other species scattered across the globe, including the arowanas and arapaima of Africa, Asia and South America. All are characterised by long, laterally compressed bodies with a single dorsal fin set well back, big eyes, large, upwardly-angled jaws, and an ability to gulp air from the surface when dissolved oxygen levels in their home waters fall perilously low. They are also mouth-brooders, meaning that fertilised eggs are held in the parent’s maw until hatching, and that the young fry often continue to dash back to this tooth-lined sanctuary to hide from predators during the early weeks of their lives.

Saratoga have been known to reach 40 inches (1 m) in length on rare occasions, but are more commonly encountered in the 18 to 30 inch (45-75 cm) range and weights of two to eight pounds or so (1-4 kg).

These sinuous, secretive predators hunt by sliding stealthily through the thickest of aquatic vegetation before launching a lightning fast attack on their unsuspecting prey, which might be a little rainbow fish, a freshwater prawn (shrimp), a hapless beetle or dragonfly, a frog, or even a small bird, lizard or snake. While much of their hunting is done on or very near the surface, they will also happily cruise the deeper, slightly cooler layers of the billabong, especially during the hottest part of the day.

Saratoga respond well to exactly the same flies and presentation strategies as barramundi, with an even greater emphasis on topwater patterns and weed-guarded streamers fished in the densest of cover. While not as bulky and powerful as their silver-flanked pond mates, saratoga fight gamely when hooked, often jumping high into the air before plunging deep between the jagged stems of the giant lilies. These antics, combined with bone-hard jaws, see at least two out of three hooked saratoga winning their freedom on most days. Fortunately, these fish are prolific in the billabongs, and a dozen or more encounters are common in just a few hours of targeted fly fishing.

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A DENSE STAND OF PANDANUS PALMS GLOWS IN THE WARM MORNING LIGHT.

SARATOGA REGULARLY RUN FROM 20 TO 30 INCHES (50 TO 75CM) IN LENGTH AND PROVIDE OUTSTANDING SPORT ON FLY.

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Getting There and Doing It Australia’s Top End is a harsh, unforgiving place. The mercury regularly soars towards 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37˚ C) on the billabongs during the middle of the day, and as inviting as all of that limpid, green freshwater might seem, a refreshing dip is definitely not an option, with every waterhole home to dozens of deadly (and inappropriately-named) saltwater crocodiles, some of which exceed 14 feet (4 m) in length!

The best of the billabongs lie at the ends of long, corrugated dirt roads far from civilisation and lack such niceties as concrete boat launching ramps, ablution blocks or formal campgrounds.

The thriving, cosmopolitan Northern Territory capital of Darwin makes the perfect base for exploring these magnificent billabongs, but be prepared for half-day drives each way or small plane flights to reach the most productive and isolated billabongs. Using the services of a qualified, professional guide is almost mandatory for overseas and interstate visitors, and it’s worth noting that only a small percentage of these operators cater regularly to fly fishers. Two of the finest are Glenn ‘Watty’ Watt of Barefoot Fishing Safaris (www.barefootfishingsafaris.com.au), and Graeme Williams of Insight Fly Fishing (www.insightflyfishing.com.au). There’s also a scattering of fly-in lodges and sport fishing camps, with by far the best option amongst these, especially for fly fishers, being Arnhemland Barramundi Nature Lodge (www.barralodge.com.au).

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GETTING TO PRODUCTIVE WATER CAN BE AN INTERESTING EXERCISE, ESPECIALLY STRAIGHT AFTER THE MONSOONAL WET SEASON.

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First Cast Dawn on the billabongs is an extra special time. Tendrils of mist cling to the shadows beneath the overhanging pandanus palms, and the mirror of the water is broken everywhere by boiling shoals of silvery ox-eye herring. Here and there, the black eye bulges and nostril bumps of crocodiles protrude briefly above the surface before vanishing with an ominous swirl. Geese and ducks fill the air, their honks and quacks punctuating the creaking of their wings and the rush of air over racing feather tips, answered from the tree tops by the raucous squawks of brightly coloured parrots.

It’s refreshingly cool ahead of the sun’s fiery ascent into the blue vault of sky above. You pull line from your reel onto the casting deck of the skiff as the guide quietly eases the bow into a gap between lily pads the size and shape of jumbo pizzas. He nods towards the swimming-pool-proportioned hole in the lilies just ahead, and you begin to false cast, working dry line out through the snake guides.

The fat, topwater fly splats onto the water, and you draw in slack to straighten line and leader, then strip sharply. The bloop of the popper seems ridiculously loud in the morning stillness, but it has clearly sounded a dinner bell. With an S-shaped swirl, a pink-spotted saratoga leaves the sanctuary of its weedbed and begins to home in on your bobbing fly. Your hands tremble with anticipation as you watch this trap-jawed predator closing unerringly on the fly. But the ’toga suddenly hesitates, turns and quickly fades from sight. Strange. Eyes still locked on the spot where this mysterious fish vanished, you absently strip line again.… And the whole world explodes!

Someone has dropped a depth charge on your fly, and the rod and reel is almost wrenched from your hands, still slippery from the sunscreen lotion you applied a few minutes earlier. The placid billabong splits open and spews forth an angry, pink-eyed fish almost as long as your leg, huge jaws agape and gills rattling as it smashes across the water, churning it to foam.

Behind you the guide is hooting and hollering in between shouts of wellintentioned advice, but you’re in a world of your own, defined by the wiretaut fly line now burning across your fingers, the surging, flattening rod, and that chrome-scaled, demon barramundi charging with unstoppable power towards the thickest section of the lily bed.

•

FIRST LIGHT IS A WONDERFUL TIME TO BE ON AN AUSTRALIAN TOP END BILLABONG.

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Welcome to the billabong!

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Steve Starling

More recognisable simply as ‘Starlo’ in his homeland Down Under, Steve Starling is one of Australia’s most prolific and popular outdoor writers and on-screen presenters. He has travelled the world in search of angling adventures and lived for a time on the shores of Lake Ontario, Canada at the end of the 1980s. He currently holds three IGFA fly rod world records. You can follow Steve’s exploits and read his regular blogs on his Web site at www.starlofishing.me.

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FEATURE ROYAL DEESIDE

The UK Connection If you fancy watching some great online fly fishing shows from the UK, we’d like to invite you to join our friends from Scotland who operate Hooked UK on the FlyFishing Channel.tv.

We have worked out a wonderful exchange of programming with them which involves The New Fly Fisher episodes being broadcast in the UK and episodes of their UK shows being made available here.

THE NORTH ESK

Our first offerings are episodes featuring such famous UK rivers as the Tay, North Esk, Royal Deeside, and Helmsdale. We hope to provide more episodes in future issues of The NewFly Fisher e-zine.

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E VIDEOS THE HELMSDALE

THE TAY

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Fly fishing in the United Kingdom has changed dramatically in the 65 years since I left to come to Canada. Stillwater fly fishing, beyond the traditional loch fishing in Scotland and Ireland, was still in its infancy, especially in England, where large, natural stillwaters containing trout are scarce.

Today, the scene has changed dramatically in that the vast majority of fly fishers target stillwaters, taking advantage of the numerous municipal reservoirs, which have been stocked with rainbows and brown trout, although a few do have natural reproduction. Some of these, such as Ladybower in Derbyshire are quite large. Most are fished mainly from boats.

Competitive fly fishing on stillwaters is highly popular, and in the last 30 years, British fly fishers have become experts at the game, constantly devising new gear and techniques to maintain their edge. In the following feature, England International and former English National Champion, Steve Cullen, shares the latest innovations for fishing the early season. Ed.

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Modern British

Stillwater Techniques

for the Early Season BY

STEVE CULLEN

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At the start of the year the water temperature is low, but most venues will have introduced a fresh injection of stock fish to supplement the trout that have survived the harsh winter. These stocked trout will tend to follow the wind and as a result are often found on the downwind bank.

Water condition will generally have a major impact on your success. The spring lakes can suffer from too much rainwater and, as a result, the water can become coloured, presenting a challenge for the fly fisher. As trout are primarily visual hunters, the coloured water can somewhat disorientate them. To deal with this, we must use fly patterns that create a commotion when pulled through the water—noisy flies!

SUCCESS AMONG SNOWY HILLS.

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Tackle The ideal rod for early season reservoir fishing is a 10ft, 7 or 8-wt, preferably with a stiff action which enables long casts. This can be crucial, as the longer you can throw that line out, the longer your flies will be in the water and, more importantly, in front of fish!

The stiff action will also give you the best chance of pulling the hook home when fishing far off. There’s a fair amount of stretch in fly line, and the more you have out the more stretch you’ll have.

Most anglers these days favour cassette reels, which enable us to carry numerous reels all spooled up with our various fly lines. By having everything ready, we can change lines quickly and easily, with little fishing time lost—a major concern in competitive fishing. Any reel will do, as it’s basically there to hold the line!

The go-to leader material is fluorocarbon, which not only is invisible in water, but also sinks faster than normal tippet materials due to its heavy density.

Don’t fish with light leaders; a minimum of 8lb is crucial for lure pulling, with many anglers plumping to fish heavier—some up to 12lb.

Finally, a drogue is essential. This underwater parachute will allow you to drift in your boat slowly in strong winds and allow you to get the flies down where they can do the job.

BRIGHT FLIES FOR THE EARLY SEASON —ANYTHING GARISH AND GAUDY.

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Fly Patterns In the early season, you need to fish flies that set out to grab the attention of the fish. The best patterns for this ‘in your face’ approach are, without doubt, lures.

Here, in the UK, many anglers like to target reservoir fish with flies that comply with international rules, and that means a dressing no longer the 15/16th of an inch. So the fly itself is small. Consequently, we need to add stimuli to make the thing work its magic. These can take the form of movement, mass, or colour.

Two colours are my primary choices for the early season: black and white.

The dark fly is very good in coloured water, as the strong profile will easily stand out in even the murkiest conditions. Similarly, white, in clear water, can be seen from a very long way off. Two patterns which are particularly effective are the Viva dressed in black and green, and the Cat’s Whisker, also in white and green.

Another fly that is very popular here in the UK is the ubiquitous BLOB—a horrible name for a monstrous fly. It is simply a great clump of Fritz or Chenille lashed to a hook to create a ball. When retrieved, this pattern creates an awful lot of disturbance, with the water being forced through the tough man-made fibres, creating a commotion that trout will often find irresistible.

All the above patterns can be ‘boobified’. Boobies get their name because they feature large foam eyes, which look like, well, women’s boobs! These buoyant patterns are the most disruptive ones out there, pushing water ahead of them as they go, creating movement and motion which the trout can’t help but key in on.

THE FOAM ARSE BLOB

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THE SUNBURST BLOB

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MIDDLE DROPPER FLIES SHOULD BE NATURAL-LOOKING —SUCH AS THIS BUZZER.

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Fish Finding You must look to target the edges of the lake. Also any underwater features are always a good bet, as are drop-offs, bays and indeed peninsulas—places which offer a good depth of water. For at the start of the year when the water is cold, the fish will tend to hold deep, ideally between 5 and 15ft deep, with the optimum being 10ft.

Trout will come up from the lakebed to take a fly, but will rarely go down to take one, unless of course it falls in front of the fish’s face so that it can intercept it before it hits the lakebed. As you need line that gets down deep fast, the best choice is a sinker, preferably a fast sinker.

Line Choice As I mentioned earlier, UK stillwater fly fishers carry numerous fly lines so that they can cover every inch of water. When the water is cold at the start of the season, trout feed mainly down near the lakebed, targeting bloodworm, hoglice, caddis, and leeches. Start by fishing your flies on the lakebed. If that’s not working, simply change lines, so that you can work your flies a little higher in the water. Keep changing to raise the fishing depth until you find just where the trout are feeding. Ideally, start with a Di7—a line which sinks at seven inches per second and is the number one choice for fishing on the deck over here in the UK.

YOU CAN’T HAVE ENOUGH DIFFERENT FLY LINES IN THE EARLY SEASON.

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SOME OF THE LARGER UK STILLWATER VENUES SUPPLY ANGLERS WITH WHEELBARROWS TO GET THEIR KIT TO THE BOATS.

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Techniques: The Washing-line The washing-line technique is one that has come to dominate stillwater fishing in recent years. In its original format, a washing-line setup involves the use of a floating line and a multi fly setup, usually three with a buoyant fly, such as a Booby, on the point position. Imitative or suggestive nymph patterns, including Buzzers, Diawl Bachs and Crunchers, are popular choices for the middle dropper position, and a Blob for the top dropper.

This setup allows the dropper fly to fish deeper in the water in the trout’s primary feeding zone. The use of a buoyant point fly in tandem with a fast sinking line allows for a static presentation, if required, and also facilitates the retention of the team of flies in the zone for the length of the retrieve— which is critical.

Recent developments of the washing-line method, often the product of experimentation by competition anglers, have led to an array of subtechniques involving the use of various sink-tip lines, which are designed to present the flies at greater depths. These also make the flies fish in an alluring curve, first sinking down to the bottom, then back up through the water column—a motion which trout seem to love.

The trout’s feeding zone, on any given day, is determined by a combination of environmental factors and the availability of food. This is where the sinking or sink-tip line comes into its own. The angle created between the submerged fly line and the buoyant point fly allows for the droppers to fish at different levels, allowing for a good chunk of the water column to be covered simultaneously.

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RETRIEVE WITH A STEADY HAND-OVER-HAND MOVEMENT.

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The Drop Fishing ‘on the drop’ is when the tip of the fly line sinks slowly through the water taking your flies down with it immediately after the cast. The top dropper (in this case the Blob) will be the first to come into the fish’s field of sight. If you make a figure-of-eight retrieve, keeping in touch with the flies as they go, you will feel any takes that you may get.

The last thing that you want to do in this situation is to set the hook by lifting the rod tip as you would with a floating line, for if you lift the rod, you’ll also lift the flies up through the water column and your chance will be gone.

Instead, pull a long length of line with your retrieving hand—in other words a strip strike. This will keep the flies down where they need to be, and, if you miss the fish, it may well come back as the flies continue on the same path.

The Retrieve Most fly fishers are aware that different days demand different retrieval methods, although why this should be so we do not really understand, yet.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that a fast, jerky retrieve may well deliver the goods one day, but under similar conditions on another day a slow, steady one, or even a static fly, is what the trout want.

When the trout are being more unpredictable than normal, it is all too easy to cast the flies out and leave them to fish for themselves, but very often that is the last thing you want to do. Movement with lures is key.

I recall a visit to Rutland Water, the UK’s most popular stillwater venue, on a very slow afternoon when those anglers who continually experimented with the recovery speed of their flies, managed to tempt some quality trout.

Yet, those who simply left the flies suspended mid-water, using a Booby and sinking line, fared far worse.

It was a cold day, with only a gentle breeze, little ripple or current, and no hatching flies. You could visualize a trout languidly resting twelve feet down and doing nothing. Then along comes a bright, gaudy fly with a jerk-pause, jerk-pause, jerk-pause motion, and as it passes the trout’s nose, it takes it, enticed by its appetite and curiosity. Time and again it is our perseverance and ‘work rate’ that is the vital ingredient to success.

You must keep on varying your retrieve until you find one that works!

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INTO A BIG ONE HOOKED ON THE DROPPER.

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The Hang I mentioned earlier that it is fundamentally important that you know where your flies are all the way through the retrieve. Many top anglers actually mark the front section of their fly lines, using floss whipped on the line at 10ft intervals, which can be given a light covering of Bug Bond, securing them in place for the life of the fly line. These enable you to determine at what depth in the retrieve, a trout has intercepted your fly.

Let me explain: if you’re getting continual takes at the 50ft marker, you know that you need to slow down the retrieve when this marker appears, enabling you to let the flies loiter in the action zone for far longer. The same goes for the other markers. Find the marker where you’re getting the most action and then capitalise on it. This pause within the feeding zone during the retrieve is called ‘the hang’.

Using the hang can be far more effective than continually retrieving at a constant rate, as the fish will follow, but get bored and turn away.

Imagine: your flies are creeping along; they come into the fish’s zone; the trout starts to follow; then all of a sudden the flies stop. You can picture the fish swimming about, looking at the fly, swimming away and then coming back to watch it as it descends. It’s make or break time, as it decides whether to take it or not. I can assure you that the majority of the time it will take!

Probably the best two markers to pause at next, as you raise the flies through the water column, are the 20 and 10ft ones. Just stop everything and count from five to 30 seconds and wait for the take.

Finally, it is also important to slowly lift the rod tip as the top dropper approaches the surface, bearing in mind that the Booby behind it will be rising through the water as it has no line to weigh it down. If a trout takes your Booby or even the nymph on the middle dropper, then the Blob will plunge back down in the water—set the hook!

A DROGUE ACTS LIKE AN UNDERWATER PARACHUTE, SLOWING DOWN THE DRIFT.

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MARK YOUR FLY LINE AT 10’ INTERVALS TO ­FACILITATE DETERMINING DEPTH OF HANG.

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Bundle Up One final point worth mentioning is that at the start of the season it is COLD! Sitting in a boat all day when the temperature is hovering around zero is no fun if you’re not kitted out properly. Make sure and layer up to keep that body heat in. And don’t forget your feet—you’re not moving, so they will get affected very quickly. Ensure that you have enough insulation so that you can enjoy your day on the water.

Layer up and dig out your woolly tuque.

You’re out there to catch trout, not a cold! •

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Steve Cullen is 42 years old and has fly fished

since he was eight. He’s travelled the world and fished in many and varied destinations, from catching big brown trout in Iceland to picking up a grand slam in Cuba. Despite being from Scotland, having moved to England in 2005, he is now a full England International and has also held the title of English National Champion. www.flyfishguide.co.uk/index.html Find me on Twitter www.twitter.com/Totalflyfisher.

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LEARN TO FLY FISH Learn to Fly Fish with Tom Rosenbauer 1. Fly Fishing for Bass:

2. Dry Fly Fishing:

Click image to visit page

To learn more go to

Click image to visit page

To learn more go to

3. Stream Fishing: Click image to visit page

LEARN TO FLY FISH

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Saving the Westslope Cutthroat Trout BY

JIM BAILEY

THIS LARGE-SHOULDERED WCT WAS TAKEN FROM A STREAM IN THE KOOTENAY REGION OF B.C. COLIN MUNRO PHOTO.

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In 1805 the Lewis and Clark expedition first recorded the catching of the westslope cutthroat trout in the “Great Falls of the Missouri” near what is now Great Falls, Montana. It eventually earned its taxonomic designation of Onchorhyncus clarkii lewisi from this encounter.

However, it wasn’t until about 80 years later that the term cutthroat was applied to the pretty trout by outdoor writer and fisherman Charles Hallock, who coined the term in the October 4, 1884 issue of American Angler (the first fishing magazine to be published in the USA, which had its debut on October 15, 1881).

Marked by the distinctive red-orange slash under each jaw, the westslope cutthroat is an eminently desirable quarry for fly fishers, not so much for its great size or powerful runs, but simply because it resides in the most perfect of streams and comes readily, almost happily, to a dry or wet fly.

However, the westslope’s historic range has decreased substantially in the past century as pristine watersheds and populations continue to be severely compromised by industrialization, mining, logging, ranching, agriculture, the building of dams, fish-stocking programs, and hybridization; in some cases, decimating populations to the point of extirpation.

Concerted efforts from fisheries managers, biologists, conservationists, and stakeholders have helped some populations make a significant comeback, while in other areas the problem grows dire.

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JAKE WATERSTREET TOUCHES A NICE WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT TROUT ON THE ST. JOE RIVER. JIM BAILEY PHOTO. THE NE W FLY FISHER • WINTER 2013

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AIDEN WITH HIS PRETTY WCT CAUGHT ON A GREEN CADDIS PATTERN. PHOTO BY JIM BAILEY.

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Cutthroat Habitat Westslope cutthroat emerged as a distinct species after the last ice age some 10,000 years ago. It was once abundant on either side of the continental divide, in streams from southern B.C. and Alberta in the north, to Wyoming and Montana in the east, central Idaho in the south, and small populations in Washington and Oregon in the west.

While their range has dwindled substantially, particularly on the eastern slope of the Rockies, they can still be found in the prettiest backcountry streams on the planet. The westslope cutthroat cannot tolerate warm and turbid water, requiring clean, cold water and, consequently, are indicators of a healthy riparian environment.

Westslope cutthroat prefer to inhabit combinations of riffles and pools with a preponderance of good cover, such as log jams, cut banks, boulders, sweepers, and deep pools, where they rest, feed, and spawn. Studies show that the depth of a pool is directly proportional to the size of the trout it contains, with large adults generally holding in the deepest pools with the best cover, while smaller fish feed on passing insects in the riffles, runs and side channels.

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A ST. JOE WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT. JAKE WATERSTREET PHOTO.

A FLOTATION DEVICE LIKE THIS PONTOON BOAT IS ALWAYS A GOOD WAY TO EXPLORE WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT STREAMS. JIM BAILEY PHOTO.

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A typical westslope menu includes aquatic invertebrates such as chironomids, caddisflies, stoneflies, and mayflies; terrestrials such as hoppers, beetles, and ants; and occasionally, other fish. Westslope average 10-14 inches in length, but can grow to over 20 inches in low-gradient streams.

Although, there are as many as 14 species of cutthroat trout in the Northwest, the westslope cutthroat strain evolved independently of these and their cousins, the rainbow trout. Westslopes can be roughly categorized into three groups: adfluvial, which live in lakes; fluvial, which live in rivers; and resident, which spend their whole lives in streams. The first two migrate to tributary streams to spawn in the spring when water temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius and flows are high.

There are also distinct differences among westslope cutthroat determined by the physical characteristics of the streams they inhabit. For instance, fish in high-elevation, glacier-fed streams with higher gradients and substrate sediment, such as the White River in B.C. tend to be more streamlined and almost white or silver coloured with fewer black spots than those just kilometres away on the lower elevation Wigwam River, where they are fatter, rounder, and coloured golden to orange.

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Environmental Threats While many factors have taken their toll, the extent to which early settlers obliterated trout stocks is shocking by today’s standards.

In his excellent research history “Saving Idaho’s Westslope Cutthroat Trout” (July 2013), retired Idaho fishery biologist Jerry Mallet writes: “From 1901 to 1905, the St. Maries Courier newspaper frequently reported catches of seven- to nine-pound trout taken from the St. Joe River and fishing trips where anglers routinely caught 50-100 cutthroat averaging 3-5 pounds each in a few hours. Examination of the photos that accompanied the articles confirmed that the trout were cutthroat (Rankel, G.L. (1971) ‘An appraisal of the cutthroat trout fishery of the St. Joe River’, University of Idaho).“ He also notes that, in 1913 and 1914, the trout bag limit was 20 pounds per day and 30 pounds in possession. Needless to say, by the early 1960s WCT populations in the St. Joe and other northern Idaho waters were in peril.

Similar plunder has been reported in Montana, where the westslope is the state fish and, yet, occupies just nine percent of its original range.

Similar to the situation in Idaho, habitat degradation, hybridization, and human consumption have taken their toll on the hapless trout, so that it is now considered a “species of special concern”; and, after a century of interbreeding with rainbow and Yellowstone trout, the westslopes have lost much of their genetic integrity.

North of the border, in Alberta, westslopes now occupy less than five percent of their original range in the Bow River and Old Man River drainages and are found only in isolated populations at the extreme headwaters of streams on the east slope and foothills of the Rocky Mountains. They are all but gone from the Crowsnest River and its tributaries.

WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT RELEASE ON RAM CREEK IN THE EAST KOOTENAYS. COLIN MUNRO PHOTO.

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WATERSTREET PLAYS A WCT ON THE ST. JOE RIVER IN NORTHERN IDAHO. JIM BAILEY PHOTO.

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AUTHOR HOOKS UP WITH A LARGE WCT ON AN ELK RIVER TRIBUTARY. COLIN MUNRO PHOTO.

STONEFLY AND MAYFLY NYMPHS POPULATE WESTSLOPE STREAMS. JIM BAILEY PHOTO.

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ANOTHER LARGE CUTTHROAT CAUGHT AND RELEA ­CLASSIFIED WATER IN SOUTHEASTERN B.C. COLI

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In southern B.C., protracted environmental degradation from mining and logging, fishing pressure, the introduction of Gerrard rainbows, and overharvesting collapsed the Elk River fishery in the mid-90s.

In 2008, a study by Environment Canada found “mass deformities” and compromised spawning due to selenium pollution from coal mines near southeastern B.C. rivers, particularly the Fording and the Elk. These studies found that the rise in selenium count is directly proportional to hatching failure, as ova with high rates of selenium were so fragile that they burst during spawning. Consequently, despite the presence of apparently healthy fish, high rates of selenium can cause a major collapse in the fishery, not to mention the adverse effects on zooplankton, insects, birds, and other wildlife that depend on the ecosystem.

Even more troubling is a March 2013 report by Dr. Ric Hauer of the Flathead Lake Biological Station of the University of Montana. The study compared water quality in the Elk and neighbouring Flathead River Basins and found nitrogen levels in the Elk at 1,000 times that of the Flathead’s pristine background rate, sulphate levels at 40-50 times the background rate and selenium levels at 7-10 times the background rate.

“The science is clear: selenium from the mines has polluted the river to levels known to be dangerous to fish,” said environmental group Wildsight’s director, John Bergenske, about the report. “The selenium bio-accumulates and could lead to fish population collapse because it affects reproductive organs in fish. Eating them could also affect human health.”

The Species At Risk Act (SARA) designated westslopes in B.C. as a “species at risk”, while giving those in Alberta a “threatened” designation in 2010.

CADDISFLY CASES CLING TO ROCKS ON THE ST. JOE RIVER. JIM BAILEY PHOTO.

ASED ON A IN MUNRO PHOTO.­

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Hybridization Hybridization with other trout is now one of the biggest threats to the pure strain of westslope cutthroat trout. Introduced species, such as the rainbow trout, in particular, readily spawn with westslopes causing hybridization, effectively destroying the pure strain and weakening successive generations.

Experimental results suggest that first-generation hybrids of westslope cutthroats and rainbow trout (known as cuttbows) have reduced fitness.

However, hybridization may spread even when hybrids have severely reduced fitness, because the production of hybrids is unidirectional—a downward spiral in which all the offspring of a hybrid will be hybrids of hybrids, further diluting the strain. In addition, any improved traits gained from hybridization, whether in size, growth-rate or disease resistance, may increase the effective rate of the spread of hybridization.

Such short-term increases in fitness may disrupt important long-term adaptations of native populations. The loss of these adaptations is difficult to detect, because some local adaptations might only be apparent during brief periods of extreme environmental conditions, such as winter storms, drought, or fire.

JAKE WATERSTREET SENDS A FLY OVER THE BEAUTIFUL ST. JOE RIVER NEAR AVERY, IDAHO.

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ANOTHER WCT RELEASED ON A CLASSIFIED-WATER STREAM IN THE KOOTENAY REGION. COLIN MUNRO PHOTO.

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Recovery Efforts Scientists still have much to learn about trout genetics, but unique westslope cutthroat populations are being conserved and restored whenever and wherever possible. In some waters, managers are removing non-native fish, such as eastern brook trout, rainbows, and Yellowstone cutthroat trout from sections where they might compete or interbreed with westslopes. Similarly, land management agencies are working to lessen environmental damage that threatens habitat.

In B.C., the East Kootenay Angling Management Plan (AMP) in 2006 created classified local waters to protect westslopes from overharvest and increasing fishing pressure. The Ministry of the Environment introduced special regulations on the Elk, White, Wigwam, Kootenay, Skookumchuck, Bull, and St. Mary’s Rivers and their tributaries—in some cases making them catchand-release, fly fishing only. These waters now require a special classifiedwaters licence with increased fees for residents, and time and water specific licenses for non-resident anglers in order to help reduce stream pressure.

The AMP also set limits and angler-per-day quotas for fishing guides on classified waters.

Similar measures have been taken in Alberta, Montana, and Idaho, including Yellowstone National Park. In addition, fisheries managers in these areas are attempting to restore native westslopes through replacement strategies.

DEPENDING ON THE STREAM, WESTSLO COLOURS VARY FROM WHITE WITH LAR TO A GOLDEN AND ORANGE COLOUR ON STREAMS. JIM BAILEY PHOTO.

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ANOTHER PRETTY WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT IN THE NET FROM THE WIGWAM RIVER. THE TROUT CAME TO AN ADAMS DRY FLY IN A DEEP POOL. COLIN MUNRO PHOTO.

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AUTHOR PLAYS, LANDS, AND RELEASES WCT FROM AN EAST KOOTENAY CLASSIFIED-WATERS STREAM. COLIN MUNRO PHOTO.

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In most cases, biologists use rotenone to kill off non-native or hybrid species in lakes and streams before reintroducing genetically pure strains of westslopes over the following two or three years until the population is stable and reproducing. The long-term plan is not only to support native species restoration, but also to provide a brood stock population for future restoration efforts.

For instance, the Westslope Cutthroat Conservation Project in the South Fork of the Flathead drainage is protecting the genetic purity of westslopes in the area by removing hybrid trout from 21 headwater lakes and restocking them with genetically pure westslopes.

Alberta has also recently introduced its Westslope Recovery Plan 201217 and has already implemented a program that will restore the genetic integrity of westslopes in the Cascade River watershed of Banff National Park by removing the rainbow trout and hybrids. Also, in the Hidden Lake and Upper Corral Creek drainage near Lake Louise, eastern brook trout have been removed and are being replaced by a pure strain of westslopes.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department (IFGD) has had great success restoring the westslopes to its native streams, such as the St. Joe and Coeur d’Alene river systems, through sound angling policy and restoration methods.

IFGD continues to protect its stocks and, after recent public consultation, has maintained its catch-and-release policy on the St. Joe, as well as proposing that all trout with a red or orange slash under their jaws be released, to avoid angler confusion in identifying westslopes and cuttbows.

A NICE RUN ON THE ST. JOE RIVER IN NORTHERN IDAHO. PHOTO BY JIM BAILEY.

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JAKE WATERSTREET CASTS A FLY ON THE ST. JOE RIVER IN IDAHO. THROUGH STRONG STEWARDSHIP FROM IDAHO FISH AND GAME THE ST. JOE HAS REEMERGED AS A GREAT WCT FISHERY. PHOTO BY JIM BAILEY.

Industry Support

Fortunately, industry is also becoming more committed to conservation and good environmental practices.

In April, after lengthy posturing, B.C.’s Environment Minister ordered Teck Resources, which operates the five coal mines on the Elk River watershed, to come up with a long-term plan to stabilize and reverse the release levels of selenium, nitrate, sulphate and cadmium.

Teck responded by committing $600 million to a five-year plan to lower the pollutants, while still enabling continued sustainable mining. Teck’s plan commits to building six water treatment facilities, water diversions to keep uncontaminated water clean, ongoing monitoring of levels, and research and development to improve water quality at its Elk Valley operations.

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WATERSTREET CASTS INTO A DEEP POOL ON THE ST. JOE RIVER. JIM BAILEY PHOTO.

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While populations of the westslope cutthroat trout can never fully be recovered, hundreds of management programs and other initiatives are being implemented to eliminate or counteract the adverse effects of land development, industry, farming, and ranching on both sides of the border. For instance, throughout the northwest, forestry and grazing “Best Management Practices” are being implemented to maintain and improve water quality and reduce sediment input in westslope habitats.

Through the cooperation of industry, landowners, fishery managers, government, anglers, and conservationists, the prospect of the westslope cutthroat trout is gradually improving. However, even greater efforts are required to ensure the future health, not only of the westslope cutthroat, but also of the pristine environment which it inhabits.

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Jim Bailey Born and

raised in the Yukon, Jim took up fly fishing over 20 years ago while living on Vancouver Island.

A move to the Kootenays only enhanced his passion for fly fishing, writing and photography as he explored the countless and impressive fly fishing opportunities of southern B.C. and the northwestern USA. Jim is sports editor for a local newspaper and is a regular contributor to a variety of publications in Canada and the USA. His Web site is www.fly-fish-bc.com.

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Big Fly Tying

It starts with the hook. This is the most important component of your fly, bar none.

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Whenever one ventures into regions rife with big, toothy fish, it is a general requirement that your flies are proportionately large to encourage those fish to take. They must also be extra durable and, despite their size, be relatively easy to cast. In this article, I will discuss the materials and techniques needed to build large, durable and, relatively, easy to cast flies.

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It starts with the hook. This is the most important component of your fly, bar none. Even if your fly is thoroughly shredded and unusable after a single big fish has ripped it, the hook is what brings the fish to hand.

Don’t skimp on the hook. Remember, you can always take a sharp blade to the fly and reuse the hook. The best kinds of hooks are expensive. Don’t waste them.

It is not my practice to endorse one hook manufacturer over another, but it is hard to beat the line of Predator hooks from Partridge for this application. They are strong, certainly, but also have 2 other characteristics that are important in your hook. They have a very good strength to diameter ratio, and they have a large gape. The relatively finer wire presents a smaller profile when trying to bury the hook in a large, toothy fish (assuming it is sharp, which you should check frequently). The wider gape gets around the large jawbones, helping to ensure a solid hookup.

Whether you choose a Partridge Predator hook or not, make sure your hook of choice has the characteristics listed above.

The materials you choose also need to be suitable to your purpose.

They need to be lightweight, durable and water repellent. Obviously, lightweight makes them easier to cast and durable extends their usable life. Water repellent materials shed water easily, which makes them easier to cast as well.

Unfortunately for quasi-purists like me, most natural materials do not fit one or more of these characteristics. They may be lightweight but aren’t water repellent or durable. They may be durable but are heavy and soak up water to the point that you feel like you’ve been casting a cinder block by the end of the day (not to mention risking life and limb—you will soon learn the meaning behind “chuck and duck!”).

Fortunately, there are lots of wonderfully light, durable and water repellent artificial materials available that will get the job done. And since we are referring to hooks that start at size 2 and go up from there, we aren’t too concerned about finesse. We’re going to lash the material on with the aim of it staying on and not counting turns of thread.

Speaking of lashing the materials on the hook, your choice of thread is another important aspect of tying large, durable flies. Your 6/0 nylon won’t hold up. Neither will the 3/0. For these large flies, it is hard to beat the new GSP threads available. Even given their fine diameter, they are strong and tough and will hold up to those toothy creatures much better than nylon.

Yes, I know, this is yet another something to buy and sneak into the house past your spouse (who is wondering if you’re thinking about opening your own fly shop with all the materials and stuff you’ve been accumulating!).

Nonetheless, this type of thread will pay off in both the durability of the flies and in the ease of tying these big patterns.

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Fortunately, there are lots of wonderfully light, durable and water repellent artificial materials available that will get the job done.

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Here are some additional considerations when thinking about tying big flies: • S ometimes what you have doesn’t seem big enough. To add to the illusion of size, you can string flies together by slipping the point through the eye of another fly or by using a built-in loop of strong wire (I like the nylon-coated braided types) large enough to loop on another fly. This will look like two flies swimming in close proximity. Big predators will like that.

• Use soft, crinkled, shiny materials that will breathe and fluff up as you strip them. The light reflecting from these materials will make them seem larger than they are.

• Giving predators something to aim at on the fly has, at times, proven effective. By this, I mean a bright spot of red or orange or eyes. Eyes are especially effective. For big flies, the large 3D style of eyes epoxied into the materials can make a big difference. Secure them well (5 minute epoxy, as long as it’s waterproof, or other strong, waterproof glues).

• Reef down on the tying thread with every wrap. You literally want to test the breaking strain of your thread constantly. Use head cement or glue after each step to coat your thread. Yes, it slows down the tying but significantly increases durability. You want to use thin head cement so it penetrates into the thread.

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By way of example, here’s a fly to attract big toothy critters in northern waters:

Little Walleye Hook Partridge Universal Predator (or similar), size 2 and up!

Eyes Weighted dumbbell eyes tied on top of the hook near the bend. I like yellow with a black pupil.

Wing Built up layers of Super Hair or Ultra Hair in dark olive, light olive, yellow and white.

Throat Some red wool, just to add a little colour.

Tying Notes:

Step 1

This fly is tied upside down and at the back of the hook. This is because the weighted eyes will flip the hook point up, Clouser style. This provides 2 advantages. The hook point up reduces snagging. The long, exposed hook shank is pretty well bite proof!

1. Mount your hook in the vise normally.

Put a layer or two of thread on the back third of the hook shank just before the bend. Now tie in your weighted dumbbell eyes on top of the hook. I like to position the eyes just back of center on the thread.

2. Tie in a clump of light olive hair.

Your tie in point is in front of the hook eyes. Tie in half the amount of hair in the middle of the clump and then fold both ends back over the hook bend giving you the desired quantity of hair. Secure well in front of the eyes and take 2-3 wraps immediately behind the eyes.

Step 2

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3. Tie in a slightly smaller amount of yellow

Step 3

hair in the same manner. However, your tie in point should be just slightly back from the previous clump. This will help form a bit of a taper to the head of the finished fly.

4. Tie in a slightly smaller clump of white (or

polar bear colour if you can find it). As with the yellow, your tie in point is just slightly back from the previous clump. You may want to tie in a “tuft” of red wool and trim it short (just past the hook bend or so). This is quite optional, and I usually leave it out.

5. You may want to flip the hook over in the

vise for the last bit of hair. Tie in the dark olive hair last. Your tie in point should align with the light olive from the start of the wing. Do not wrap any thread behind the eyes.

Step 4

6. Now trim the wing of the fly to the desired

length and taper. The white is usually the shortest and the dark olive the longest layer.

7. Coat the head with head cement. Let it dry

and coat it again. I have been using some of the UV cure coatings available and have found that they add durability to the fly.

Step 5

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NOTE: The head of the fly may now be a jumble of colours. You can change that in one of two ways.

You can use a permanent marker in a dark olive (coat the head with head cement and let it dry thoroughly before using a marker) or tie off the thread you’re using and overwrap the head with a more appropriate coloured thread (or you could have used olive coloured thread for the entire fly if you have it).

Remember to tie down the materials at or near the breaking strength of your thread. You could even coat the thread in head cement after each tying step (it adds significantly to the durability but it will slow you down some).

Fishing notes:

Step 6

Step 7

Use a weighted fly line or shooting head system to present this fly at the proper depth.

A short, stout leader and 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) of bite leader should be employed. Get the fly down deep and move it in short, slow strips with an occasional longer, faster strip.

Everywhere there are walleye there are fish that will feed on them. These include larger walleye, pike and muskie but you will be surprised at how often you will pick up a big bass as well.

Have fun with this pattern and don’t be afraid to tie it up on 3/0 or larger hooks. It is a bit more of a fuss to tie than I normally like, especially if you’re stressing durability, but it is often well worth the extra effort.

Sheldon Seale

Sheldon was born an avid angler and has fly fished for 30 years.

He has introduced hundreds of anglers to the arts and crafts of fly fishing and tying through his many seminars, published articles and guiding services. As fly tying editor for TNFF e-zine, he reaches a global audience for his fly tying and destination articles and continues to teach, guide and fish at every opportunity.

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W A N D E R I N G

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Christmas Memories

By Chris Marshall Artwork by Charles Weiss

Christmas is a time for memories—particularly recollections of early childhood. For most of us those memories are good. Mine go back to rural Yorkshire in the years during and just after World War II. I remember the endless frustration of anticipating through days which seemed to crawl with exquisite but agonising slowness towards Christmas Eve—the magic of those short, twilight days when the sun barely cleared the southern horizon, the hoarfrost on my bedroom window in the dark mornings refracting the streetlight from Woodhead Road, which ran along the bottom of our garden.

Then there was Christmas Day, with hordes of aunties, uncles and cousins descending on our house, where we always had a big party, singing carols around the piano, followed by silly games orchestrated by my impish Uncle Jimmy—and the laughter carried over into Boxing Day. Good memories.

And as my hair grows whiter and my joints creakier, they grow brighter.

However, there was one thing which cast a shadow over the festivities. I I was one of those kids lucky wasn’t allowed to go fishing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d never have given up enough to know an adult the delights of Christmas Day, but the angler who treated me like a ban extended into Boxing Day as well. fellow adult angler rather than And, as much as I enjoyed Boxing Day at home, I was always tempted by the as just another kid. other, more attractive but forbidden option.

I was one of those kids lucky enough to know an adult angler who treated me like a fellow adult angler rather than as just another kid. His name was George Hinchcliffe, and every year he invited me to go pike fishing with him on Boxing Day—always with a twinkle in his eye, for he was well aware of my Christmas and Boxing Day fishing ban.

George was the archetypal ancient angler—sparse white hair, walnut skin, deep-set blue eyes, and rumpled, antediluvian tweeds. He lived on his army pension in the last of a row of stone cottages at the edge of the

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village. From time to time, he invited me, along with my fishing friend, Mike Fox, to go fishing with him. These outings were the highlights of my year. Had they witnessed me there, my teachers would never have recognised me—for I listened to every word he said, and followed all his suggestions and instructions without question. I was in awe of him.

On Boxing Day he always went pike fishing.

“Best day of the year for big pike,” he proclaimed.

And I absolutely believed him. He was infallible.

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So there I was, every Boxing Day, stuck at home being polite to fussy aunties and wimpish cousins—knowing that George was out there— his gaunt frame hunched on his fishing stool on the bank of Manor Mill Dam in the frosty amber light of midwinter—the unmoving water like a black mirror before him, its enigmatic surface broken only by the erratic meanderings of his big, yellow and green pike fishing float. In my imagination, I could feel the electricity of his concentration—his elemental communion with the ancient, immense pike which stirred in the depths.

And I wanted to be there with him.

That was over 60 years ago. Today, George is long gone, and my own hair has become as white as his was back then. But Christmas, and Boxing Day in particular, always conjures the same memories—woven inextricably through the soaring harmonies of the traditional carols, through the holly and the ivy, through the warm gleam of coloured lights on the snow, But Christmas, and Boxing through the fellowship of family and Day in particular, always friends—all blended with haunting conjures the same memories... memories of George at Manor Mill Dam, generated more by the imagination than experience—his gently bobbing pike float on the dark water beneath a sky heavy with the promise of snow, his lonely figure huddled in an old army greatcoat, leaning over his long bamboo pike fishing rod, the line glistening with ice, his hands tight with anticipation clutching the cork handle, his blue eyes alert, yet content.

Even now I still want to be there with him. Half a hemisphere and over half a century away, I still toy with the idea of going down to the water on Boxing Day, even though the first skimmings of ice lace the margins of the Bay of Quinte and the Moira River runs high, dark and cold. After all, there’s nobody to order me to stay at home and be nice to my aunties any more.

But I know I won’t go. It’s not so much the cold that deters me, but rather that I know instinctively that any attempt to actually relive the substance of those memories would surely destroy them, and I am more than content to keep them as memories.

The dream is enough.

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