Local and Sustainable

Just one of the smallies to eat my fly on a river really close to my house that I've never fished until today. How have I missed it before? Hope wells up.  What about that other stream I've never fished...

Dry Fly Takes- Unlimited

The most dry takes i've seen in one video.

Brodin Ghost Net Bag Review

A few years ago, my father bought me a nice Brodin Firehole landing net for Christmas.  It was beautifully crafted, and a good all around length for trout fishing.  Shortly after, the Brodin rubber ghost nets became popular.  They were less abrasive on the fish, less likely to spook fish, and best of all, your flyies didn't get stuck in the mesh netting.  After landing fish on multi fly rigs and digging flies from the net fabric, I began to long for a rubber ghost net.  However, costing well over a hundred dollars, I wasn't about to fork over the cash.  Recently I found out you could buy the "ghost" net bags from Brodin for only $25 to replace any current cloth net you might have.  My wife, Blair, bought me a new Brodin Ghost net bag for my first Father's Day gift!

Permanently lodged fly in my old net bag.  It's been there 2 years.

Removing old net bag.

Gettin' my sew on

Finished re-strung Brodin Ghost net bag

Brodin Firehole Ghost net

The process of attaching the net bag wasn't too tough.  Brodin sent everything you needed but a needle.  The instructional video on their website doesn't work though, and the written instructions where a bit vague, but adequate.  After attached, the rubber net bag did add some weight.  However, it had some unexpected benefits include lack of fish smell or water absorbing into the net, leaving a fresher smelling net and a dryer back.  Just a reminder, you can also put these net bags on non-brodin net frames.

WARNING!!  

Although the product is excellent, I may have never experienced such poor customer service as we received at Brodin.  After we paid for the net bag, they never told us the net was back order until we called 3 weeks later to inquire why the net hadn't been delivered.  After several calls to out right uncaring and rude Brodin employee's in Costa Rica, the net bag arrived 2 months later.  I would do it again to get the net bag (vs. a new net from a store) and save the money, it was just disheartening too find such poor customer service at this small company that makes a good product.  

May the net last through many fish that overlap it ends.

Local Wild Water

Hit up some local wild water today with my buddy, Manning.

It fished a lot better two weeks ago.  However, two weeks ago we didn't meet 30+ kids from a camp quickly scrambling past us in the water.  We leap frogged them a couple of times, but the always caught us within 45 seconds, and promptly passed us (no exaggeration).  It was fun to sprint up the trail and see if you could land a fish before the tweens would over take us.  Honestly, I was glad they were making good use of the public land, and getting out in nature.  They reminded me what "share" means.  Fly fishermen don't really share with strangers.  They don't share fly patterns, what their biting on, and the really don't share water.   Note to self, go early next time and beat the crowds.

As seen on TV show "River Monsters"

These super tiny trout are kind of cool.  I like them more than plane old tiny trout, or small trout (those are the scientific size classifications). Most of the fish caught today were small, but I know there are bigger fish in there because they have impaled themselves on my flies before. Today, they were just hiding from the 6o flip flopped and bare foot feet stomping ahead of us.

We caught fish primarily on a size 14 peacock and red madam x.  I caught one on a soft body dubbing ant.  The temp was low 80's, and the river was low and clear even after a good storm yesterday.   

Fish I Didn't Catch

In the past few months, I've seen some big trout netted.  I was usually netting them, not catching them. Here are some hogs from recent trips.

Mason's hefty hen.   

Sinks long buttery brown.

Matt's rainbow from last week.

I didn't net sink's fish, but I netted the others, and have been dubbed "net boy."  I have caught plenty of fish recently in the 16 to 18 inch rage, but I haven't broke the 20" mark in about a year. I had the biggest fish of my life on, but my net boy couldn't finish the deal. I fired him as a friend. I hope your doing well Ryan.