Fly Line Marketing

I constantly look at fly fishing related topics and gear.  A trend that I have found becoming more common is species specific fly lines.  Rio seems to be at the head of the pack with this.  The manufacturer has 9 different trout lines alone.  To me it seems like a smart marketing ploy but what I don't like is some of the descriptions.  I recently looked at the carp line.

Here is the description from Rio's website.

"Combines a medium length head with a smooth front taper for a subtle presentation. Wary carp will not be spooked by either the presentation, or the camo olive color."

Talk about bold advertising claims.  I really doubt Rio would take your line back and refund your money after you claim every carp you cast at still spooked.  Even with my skepticism I still wonder if these fly lines give you an advantage fishing for certain species.  The bass, pike & panfish line description offers a little more realistic description.

Short front taper to easily load the rod and turn over big flies

Warm water coating holds up in high heat conditions

Slightly heavier belly for easy casting

This is definitely a more practical and realistic description.  Although is this just a selling tactic?  Of course "Bass Line" sounds more attractive than 8wt floating line.  Is there really a difference?  Rio isn't the only one to put fancy names on their lines.  Other manufacturers are doing it as well.   Usually when fishing for stripers you use sinking line.  Line manufactures know this.  What would catch your eye more a generic sinking line logo or this?

 Again I have no problem with this.  I just wonder if there really is a difference between one line over another.  I personally have never bought a fly line to target a specific species.  I use floating line 90% of the time.  Exploring some more I also found that line manufacturers not only sell species specific lines but also fly specific lines.

It's really amazing how much marketing there is out there for fly fisherman.  The selling tactic is have the right gear for the right situation.  I even fall for it myself from time to time.  If you get too carried away you can have a rod and line for any situation.  Which is great but how many rods can you carry with you at one time on a stream?  I would hate to get to a point where I start saying dumb things like "Sorry, I can't go fishing with you tomorrow I don't have any trout line."

Coleman and Camping

I can't think of the name Coleman without thinking about camping.  The brand is synonymous with outdoor adventures with my family.   I can't tell you how many mornings I woke up to the sound of coffee percolating on a Coleman stove.  I think my family or myself has or had ever piece of gear Coleman has produced.  There was one product that was prized above all.   The older metal coolers Coleman made were bulletproof and kept food as cold as any refrigerator.   One summer a bear had found its way into our campsite.  The smell from the cooler was enough to make it investigate.  We heard the noise and knew what it was but know one was brave enough to confront the beast.  The next morning the cooler was no where in sight.   Later it was found in the creek half submerged under water and the lid was found further down stream.  The cooler had some dents and the lid was ripped clean off but the great thing about Coleman coolers was the latch system.  They didn't just kind of close, they had a metal latch that seemed to hold the seal down better.  This made the cooler even with serious dents still functional.   We hinged the lid back on with duct tape and the latch held the front on.  The cooler lasted a couple more seasons like this.  At that point the cooler not only worked but had a great story.  These coolers were so treasured by my family that even today if they pass a garage sale and see one they pick it up.

The second most dependable item had to be the Coleman Propane Lanterns.  There were many times fumbling through the forest the only thing keeping me from going in the right direction was the brightly lit campsite lantern.  Just thinking of the noise made when lighting one of these lanterns brings me back to memories of the anticipation of the meals around the campfire.  The roar of the lantern could be heard but not loud enough over the campfire conversations.   Even fighting off the 50million bugs that were attracted to the light didn't make me lose any fondness for the memories. 

The last thing I can remember is the tents.  My favorite was how easy they were to set up.  Especially the dome tents.   Our family always had a rule that there was no fishing or hiking to be done before we had our tents set up.  By the time I opened the tent bag to hammering the last stake in the ground with a rock took about 5min.  The tents took a lot of abuse especially the zippers.  Many times the tent door was yanked.  I don't remember the zippers going off track or the material around the tent stakes tearing a part like on other tents.

The main thing I remember when I think about Coleman products is durability.  I think that is why they are a part of so many memories.  The products last and can be used year after year.   They seem to produce items that can bridge the gap between hardcore campers and the casual weekend warriors.  If you buy camping gear you can almost never go wrong if the Coleman brand is on the box.

“Sponsored by Coleman and hosted by the Outdoor Blogger Network, this is my submission for the Coleman Camping Heritage Essay Contest.”

Gills and Smiles

Took my mother to the monster gill spot.  It's almost impossible to fish for panfish and not smile.

The Best Fishing

This morning I checked out a location that was given by a friend.   The water was like most around this area.  There are many small bodies of water that are on the fence between lakes and ponds.  They usually have the same species of fish.  A higher end neighborhood was near the lake and I expected to see a no fishing or a residents only sign.   Luckily there was no sign and I could see small brim fleeing from the banks as I walked closer.  The sun was just coming up and the reflection of the trees were broken by carp fins.   I made my way around looking for panfish and bass beds.  There was a place where a creek fed in and a grass carp was mudding.  I had a popper on and decided to give it a try.  There's no way to properly explain the excitement of a big fish going towards a popper.  The time between the fish started moving towards the fly and it actually eating it I was in disbelief.  I only believed the fish actually ate the popper when I stripped to set the hook and saw an explosion of water and fins.  Grass carp fight very strange.   I have only caught two but both behaved the exact same way.   They would fight for a few seconds then let you bring them close to shore.  Once you had them close enough to almost touch they turn around and sprint for deeper water.   These sprints show their power and they happen over and over.  After about 7 rounds of this scenario I was able to land the fish.  I couldn't get that great of a picture because of the lighting and my crappy camera.

When the fish took off it doused my legs with water soaking my feet. Last May was the last time I caught a grass carp and strangely enough it was also on a popper.

Later I headed to a familiar pond that usually has monster gills. The action was slow in the beginning. I ended up trying something I'm not fond of but works. Panfish often succumb to peer pressure. If they see other fish chasing something they follow along. I dropped my popper size down to get the smaller to medium size fishes attention. Then sure enough the bigger fish started to investigate. The monsters seemed to be located in a small 6foot radius. They hit hard and almost swallowed the fly ever single time. I'm not sure why these gills get so big and I don't really care as long as I can catch them.

Even with a 5wt these fish can put a nice bend in the rod. In between catches I had a grass carp rise for the popper and refuse the fly. I'm starting to wonder which carp are more aggressive, commons or grassies. May is usually my favorite month to fish. This type of start is only making me believe that more.

Red Eye

Reports of people catching Roanoke Bass or often called "Red Eye" started popping up.  I thought it was a little too soon in the year to start seeing them.  Then I saw a report with pictures.   This was enough incentive to get me out to the river this morning.   The water was higher than normal but running clear.  My gut told me to go with a crawfish pattern.  I tried that for awhile and I didn't get much action.  As I moved downstream I found some deep holes lined with rocks.

I just knew there had to be a Roanoke here. I worked the water and had a few hits. I noticed some fish right in front of me so I cast just beyond them and watched as my fly was hit about 10 times before going near the bottom. I cast out again to watch the fish behavior. As I was letting my fly dive it was hit instantly. The fish wasn't big but it didn't have the orange hue that gives a sunfish away. When the fish came out of the water I knew right away it was a red eye.

A fish with red eyes sounds spooky. You can see from this fish the ruby red eyes are beautiful. I have a real fondness for these fish. I guess because they are so difficult to catch. Especially a good size one. I worked the rocks some more and I noticed I would have more action from fish if I did nothing at all. Just let the fly dive down to the bottom. When you think about it that is the least threatening behavior of prey. I cast near a rock and let the fly dive down right in front of it. I saw a gaping mouth come up from under the fly and inhale it. When the fish turned I could tell instantly it was a Roanoke and the biggest I've hooked yet. I was fishing off a log jam and had to work the fish around some limbs.

The fish was only 8inches but a trophy in my eyes. I look forward to hunting these guys in the future.

Good Friday

Friday's like this are always good.

There's a secret spot I always fish every time I'm in Boone.  There isn't a lot of fish and you have to work for everything you catch.   The fish that are there are wild and a 10inch fish fights harder than an 18inch stocker.  I have yet to catch a fish that didn't jump the instant it was hooked.   It's a place I appreciate and hold dear.

Bass, Bluegill and Dinosaurs

I'm not sure about other fisherman but when I have a horrible day on the water I have to do another trip to wipe it off the books.  Saturday was an abysmal day on the water.   A thunderstorm hit the night before leaving the river muddy and high.  It was the highest I had ever seen it.  I was leading a fishing trip and I tried to make the best of it.  Too say it was rough is an understatement.  To top it off I had a friend drive an hour just to be there.  I was going to try teach him how to fly fish and maybe get him on a white bass.  The river conditions were too dangerous.  Basically he stood on the banks and watched me fish.  He was a good sport about the whole thing but I felt bad.  The water was so dark and high I figured the fish were deep and hunkered down.   I managed a couple fish but I had to really work at it.  I almost went to another fishing spot right after just to get this one out of my mind.  I needed to get home to put in some family time. 

Sunday we went to the NC Zoo.   There was a new Dinosaur Exhibit that I wanted to check out.  I have always been fascinated by dinosaurs.  I can still remember as a kid watching the movie Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend.   I was always into dinosaur books and finding fossils in the California desert.  Even now I enjoy watching the Jurassic Park movies.  My daughter has recently been talking about dinosaurs a lot and I was hoping she would be really into them.  I was a little afraid these dinosaurs might scare her.  They were animatronic and made noises.  They also moved a little and provided a special surprise for myself. As we walked through the entrance I could hear the dinosaur sounds in the background. I kept watching my daughters reaction and she did the opposite of what I expected. She ran towards the first dinosaur she saw.

I knew right away she was going to enjoy this. She had a blast and it was fun to watch her get excited when there was a new creature around each turn.

The detail on the dinosaurs is amazing. I imagine a lot of work went into making them. The movements were pretty good too. They didn't have the robotic lifeless movement I've seen in the past. My son didn't know what to make of every thing. I think he was just going with the flow and watched his sister.

There is a kids show called Dino Dan that my daughter used to watch all the time. I think that is the only reason she knew what a T-Rex was right when she saw it. It was probably my favorite one and really gave you the feeling of how scary it must have been to be chased by this guy.

While we were walking by one dinosaur we all felt a strange sensation. It was like someone shot water at us. I realized it was one of the robots on the side but while I was checking it out I felt water hit me in the back like a kid was behind me with a super soaker.

This guy nailed me. Luckily I took the brunt of the water so none go on my family. It was pretty funny though my back was drenched. The water scared the kids but it didn't take long for them to forget about it.

This was an awesome exhibit and I'm sure we'll check it out again before it leaves the zoo.

I was still a little bitter about the fishing experience yesterday. I wanted to get out some where even if it was a local lake. I knew my wife wasn't going to be happy about me asking. I decided to give it a try any way and she gave me the go ahead. I hurried to a local lake that I usually fish in the summer. I figured with the warm weather we've been having maybe the fish will turn on early. The water conditions were perfect. I started around a small island. I noticed a swirl and cast right for it. Instantly I had a small bass on.  This lake always seems to have fish with in 8ft of shore. It's almost useless to cast straight out. All of my success has come casting parallel to shore. The closer to the bank the better. This day was no different. There are drainage pipes that usually always hold a bass. I put on a popper and worked the edges. After a couple of casts I had a fish on. Most of the bass are like this.

They are small and skinny but fun to catch.  There seemed to be bass every few feet. The hard part was they hit so close to shore it was hard to get a decent hook set. I had tons of fish stay on for maybe 10seconds and come off a foot from shore. Honestly I kind of like that. It's like the perfect release. I get to fight the fish and feel what it had to offer and then it's gone with out much stress. The panfish weren't about to let the bass have all the fun. They were out in full force too. The gills were enormous.

You can't tell from the picture but this fish is very large. I tried to take another pic with my hand behind the gill and you could not see my hand at all. The fish flopped off literally as I was snapping the picture. I caught a red breast the same size and it came off as I grabbed the hook. I'm going back another day and seeing if I can possible get one over a pound. Today I was targeting bass and I caught so many that I almost didn't even bother going further than half way around the lake. It was the kind of day you dream about. You'd see a swirl or disturbance in the water throw your popper and have something hit it instantly or with in 30 seconds. It was ridiculous. Definitely one of my best days ever fishing this lake. I guess it takes a horrible day like the one I had before to make me appreciate this one.