The weekends in May fill up pretty quick for me. Between Mother’s Day and our anniversary, I’m lucky to find time to get onto the water. In the end, I found a free Saturday early on to make a long day trip to the Whites. With the ridiculously dry weather here in AZ, our creeks look like they normally do in July, and the hoppers are on the banks. The fish are looking up, and I was able to pick up a few good ones to round out a great day on the water. Can’t ask for much more than this, except maybe some rain.
The original Higa’s S.O.S. fly pattern has long been a staple in my fly box and has proven itself to be a dynamic fly that seems to work just about everywhere. With many fly patterns I like to make small variations to use up different materials that I have or to meet a need that I have for a particular creek. This variation of Higa’s S.O.S. makes for the perfect dropper here on our AZ creeks and is extremely quick and easy to tie.
Hook – any size caddis style hook
Bead – to match wire
Thread – UTC70
Tail – Gambel’s quail
Wire – size small
Wingcase – Danville 4 strand Rayon
Thorax – Haretron Dubbin to match
Higa’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS Fly
Higa’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS FlyHiga’s SOS Fly
So… I bought a pontoon boat. Anyone reading this blog knows that I’m a die hard creek guy, but at the end of the day, there is a ton of great stillwater in this state. To be honest, I don’t know a whole bunch about stillwater trout fishing and figured it was high time to learn. So I found a screaming deal on Dave Scadden Madison River pontoon boat and took it on its maiden voyage to Canyon Lake with my friends Jason and Kristen, in order get my bearings.
The bluegills were out and hungry, and we caught a bunch in the couple hours I was on the lake. I learned a whole bunch about my pontoon and some of the things that I need to tweak and straighten out before I head out on the water next time. Bottom line, the pontoon was a blast, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. It was super stable and tracked really nicely, once I figured out what I was doing.
Rest assured, there will be plenty of creek fishing in the future, but I’m hoping to spread the love to some of the Arizona lakes in the future.
Canyon Lake, AZ (photo credit – Kristen Kile)Canyon Lake, AZ (photo credit – Kristen Kile)Canyon Lake, AZ
So after this last trip to fish Pyramid Lake, I had a couple of folks contact me about ordering flies for Pyramid Lake. So while tying up these orders, I tied up a few extra and put them all together for a great all around Pyramid Lake Fly box. There are 62 flies here with plenty of variety that should be a great starting point for anyone looking to stock up on flies before heading to the lake. I’m selling the box as a complete set.
The flies included are:
Pyramid Lake Tadpoles (size 6)
Estaz Wooly Buggers (size 6)
Maholo Nymphs (size 8-10)
Tinsel Midges (size 8-10)
Ice cream cone midges (size 8-10)
Pyramid Lake Flies
Pyramid Lake fish can be a bit picky, but this assortment is what I carry, and I have found success with these flies.
Pyramid Lake Flies
Don’t forget to order your furled leaders and mini-hoppers from the Arizona Wanderings Shop. If you are looking for specific flies, shoot me an email and I’d be glad to tie you up what you need. As alway, your support is what keeps this site moving along and I truly appreciate everything.
The New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision
Fish never cease to amaze me. When The New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision by Reed F. Curry first came out, I was immediately intrigued. As the title suggests the book focuses on the what trout see and how we as fly fisherman can do to make our flies more attracting to fish. As you can see from the chapter titles, Curry goes to great lengths to talk about what ultraviolet light is and how it fits into nature.
Now, by no means am I a biologist or have any scientific background, but I found the whole discussion of trout vision and ultraviolet reflection fascinating. Curry goes through great length to photograph and document his findings while applying its impact on fly tying materials and fly fishing. Much of what I read here in The New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision was reminiscent of whatLafontaine investigated in his book The Dry Fly: New Angles. Both authors strive to understand what triggers fish to take our flies, and ultimately, why some flies seem to have such great success.
If you are interested in the nitty-gritty of fly tying and fly fishing, I think Curry’s book is worth the read. As an angler, I found the discussion of what trout see to be extremely interesting and enlightening.
The New Scientifc Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet VisisonThe New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet VisionThe New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet VisionThe New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet VisionThe New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet VisionThe New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet VisionThe New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision
The sun was just starting to go down as we packed up the last of the gear in the back of the truck on Wednesday evening. We turned on to the 93 and set our sites first on Vegas and then to Reno. The conversation was entertaining to say the least, but around 1am things got quiet and passengers started drifting off to sleep. We made good time and we positioned our ladders deep in the lake sand and were ready when the sun started to come up again.
Then we spent three days fishing in the howling wind and cold water of Pyramid Lake. The fishing ebbed and flowed as it normally does. We bounced around to different beaches, and ultimately found a couple spots that gave up some nice fish. No true 15 or 20 pound monsters came to the net, but overall we were pretty happy. Most of our fish came on heavy sinking line and beetles being stripped along the barren bottom of the lake.
What stands out more to me about this trip was the atmosphere. We had good food and laughed to the point of exhaustion. Couldn’t ask for much more than that. Here are a couple of pictures from my camera.
Fly RodsThe Ladder LineA moment of calm on Pyramid LakeLahontan Cutthroat TroutReleasePyramid LakeLahontan Cutthroat TroutLahontan Cutthroat TroutPyramid LakePyramid LakePyramid LakePyramid LakePyramid Lake
My work is a block down from one of the local urban ponds, and everyday as I drive by, I see a few anglers working the water from lawn chairs. My wife and daughter have started the wonderful tradition of coming down for a picnic once a week, and after my wife’s prompting (it truly was not my idea), I brought along the fly rod. Not much is happening at mid day on these cement bottomed ponds, but here the little girl and I talked about fly selection and she critiqued my cast. There was time for a little midday siesta before I gave them each a kiss and headed back to work. If only every day was picnic day.
Deep discussion on fly selectionPassed out from too much picnic
Green Holoshimmer tinsel thread (available at your local craft store)
Haretron Dubbing (Brown or Black)
India Hen soft hackle
Finding myself at home this winter with our new baby, I’ve been spending some more time at the vise and filling a few fly boxes. While working on some caddis patterns, I found myself wanting to tie something a bit flashier, and after pawing through materials I found some Holoshimmer tinsel from a while back. I give you the “Shimmy Caddis.”
Tie in Holoshimmer tinsel and wireWrap thread back to the bend of the hookWrap tinsel forwardWrap wire forwardFor stability, coat with Clear Cure Goo and cure with light.Dub small thoraxTie in softhackleWrap hackle and whip finishFinished Shimmy Caddis NymphA batch of Shimmy Caddis nymphs ready for the water
