Holiday fishing

This weekend I wasn't on-call (thanks goodness) so I had a chance to get in some fishing. My trip in involved two different types of waters in two different states.

First was in Utah. We drove there to visit my wife's mother and sisters. After saying hello, I left them to their mother/sisters gathering and I went to the local stream. It is a very brushy, small water that I have been wanting to fish for sometime. I wasn't sure how much water there would be in it, but when I arrived I was pleased to see that there was plenty to keep the fish comfortable.

This stream is so tight that a 9 foot rod just won't work. Therefore I got out my 7 ft 10 inch Kiyotaki 24 and strung up a 9 foot line. I later found out that 9 feet of line was too long, and I trimmed it down to less than 8 feet.

The creek

This stream requires a lot of bow casting. The overhead canopy is tight enough that casting is a challenge. The thing I struggle with the bow cast is that, OK, you can get the fly to a really tight fishy spot but when the fish takes to fly you can't set the hook! This happened at least 4 times! I was in such tight places that you could not lift the rod tip or even move it to the side. The fish, in each of these situations, hooked themselves, but since I could not move the rod tip the fish finally spit the hook. At least with a western rod I could have stripped the line to keep the fish on. I'm going to have to rethink using a fixed line method on this stream. BTW, the fish I did take were browns; all about 8-10 inches. They were a blast on that little Kiyotaki rod!

One of the browns

The next water was in Idaho. I went back to the Black Canyon of the Bear River for the first trip of the winter season. I haven't ever fished this water the "normal" time of the year. but I fish it all winter until the spring run-off blows it out.

Today, I nymphed with the Hirame -3909 and a short line. The line was 6.5 feet of  #5 HiVis Blue Stren with a bicolor indicator section consisting of 8 inches of HiVis Gold Stren and 8 inches of red Amnesia. To this I attached 2.5 - 3 feet of 5X fluorocarbon tippet. This line worked really well for tight line nymphing. As I would work a certain section of the river I could adjust the depth of my nymphs just by raising or lowering the rod tip. If the water was deeper in a specific spot, like a pool, I could lower the rod tip and let the amnesia slide under the surface, letting the Stren Gold become the sighter or indicator section. If the water became more shallow, then I would keep the Amnesia out of the water and it was the sighter. The overall line length was short enough that I could keep it tight to the flies so when the fish took one of them I easily felt the take. I plan on continuing to use and revise this line to see if the benefits of a multicolored sighter segment hold up.

The line -- blue, yellow, red then tippet

He took a #18 red Copper John

It was a little windy, but it always is on that river. Still, I took many fish in just a few hours. The western fly fishers just upstream didn't take one during the time I was there.

Those were my two different waters. They sure were markedly different requiring different rods, flies, and techniques, but both were fun!!

Body Armor: How to Hide from Fish and Melanoma

Over the past 26 years of practicing medicine I have witnesses a number of people die from melanoma. Some of these people were dead within a year from their initial diagnosis, but a number had the primary lesion removed only to have it recur in a different part of their body decades later. Melanoma is a nasty cancer. If you don't know about it then I want to scare the @#*% out of you so that you can protect yourself against it. Here are some statistics regarding melanoma that I have shamelessly plagiarized from  the Melanoma Research Foundation. 

Looks innocent doesn't it -- Don't bet your life on it!

The statistics around melanoma are astounding:

• One-in-50 Americans has a lifetime risk of developing melanoma.
• In 2009 nearly 63,000 were diagnosed with melanoma in the United States, resulting in approximately 8,650 deaths. 
• The projected numbers (according to the National Cancer Institute) for 2012 are even higher with 76,250 diagnosis and 9,180 deaths. 

This means that every eight minutes, someone in the United States will be given a melanoma diagnosis and that every hour someone will die from the disease.   

Melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in the United States and worldwide.

• The American Cancer Society estimates that the risk of developing invasive melanoma in the United States is 1 in 41 and 1 in 61 for men and women, respectfully. This averages out to approximately a 1 in 50 chance of developing melanoma throughout your lifetime. 
• The incidence of people under 30 developing melanoma is increasing faster than any other demographic group, soaring by 50 percent in young women since 1980. 
• Melanoma primarily affects individuals in the prime years of life, is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old. 
• Although melanoma is most common in Caucasians, melanoma can strike men and women of all ages, all races and all skin types. The mean age for diagnosis of melanoma is 50, while for many other cancers it is.

Ahem.  Do I have your attention now? Yes, melanoma is bad -- really bad, but it is preventable the vast majority of the time!

I have fair colored hair, it was reddish when I was young, but must less so now. Folks like me are at the highest risk for melanoma, but even you brunettes are at risk. So, over the past decades I have been trying to protect myself from this monster. It so happens that tenkara has helped me in my fight to avoid getting melanoma.

Recently Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk published a post about how to not spook fish. In that post he mentioned that one way to keep from spooking fish was to wear clothing that does not increase your profile or make you more visible to the fish. I too agree with this, but here I want to argue that your clothing should be more than that -- it should also help protect you against sun damage and melanoma!

from Skin Cancer Foundation

There are different components of the sun's rays that can be damaging to your skin. These are UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA, not absorbed by the atmosphere,  penetrates the skin more deeply and is a major contributor to skin cancers. UVB, somewhat absorbed by the atmosphere, causes most of the sun burns and causes less DNA damage than UVA ,but it can contribute to melanoma as well as cataract formation. UVC is totally deadly, but fortunately the atmosphere removes it. 

To combat both UV skin damage AND hide from my fish quarry I have adopted the practice of wearing body armor. No, it's not chain mail or a kevlar jacket. I wear UPF clothing that is also camo by design!

UPF clothing, or ultraviolet protection factor clothing, is clothing with materials or additives which absorbed harmful UV rays and protect against shin damage. A UPF rating of 40 is considered excellent since only 1/40th of the UV rays are allowed to penetrate to the skin. UPF 40 blocks 97% of harmful UVA and UVB. Synthetics, like polyester, block UV rays really well, but natural fibers like cotton are much less effective. Unbleached cotton is better than the more commonly used bleached cotton, but additives must be used to get cotton up to par with polyester.

I use AquaDesign hats, shirts and gloves. AquaDesign makes sun protection clothing (UPF 50+) specifically for fisherman. They are a little expensive but I like the design options, fit and protection. 

For shirts I prefer ones with a collar and pockets, so I wear their Fly Fishing shirt. It has a nice fit and it breaths really well keeping me cool, even on the hottest days. I have one of each of Green Bayou and Pacific Sand.  

Green Bayou

Pacific Sand

I also wear one of their hats, the Voyager Fishing Cap (out of production in 2023).  It has a long brim and is antiglare. It has a neck cape, but I don't use that. I prefer to use a Buff.  It not only protects my ears with a UPF of 30+ but also my face, as I usually pull it up over my chin, cheeks and nose. Sunlight reflecting off water is dangerous as well. 

For the back of my hands I use Buff Pro-Series Angler Gloves.  I've used fishing gloves from other companies like AquaDesign, but those gloves tend to really stink after holding fish, even if you wash them. For some reason the Buff's don't. 

So why don't I just wear sunscreen? Because I don't like its smell or feel. They always say "non-greasy" but they always feel greasy! Also, to be effective and not just cosmetic, you have to re-apply about every 1-2 hours depending on the formulation. If you are sweating, then every hour. When I do use sunscreen, I use Ethical Zinc SPF50+ clear. 

For my eyes I wear UV blocking polarized glasses. I'd rather not get cataracts, a pterygium, or ocular melanoma either!

When it gets a little chilly, I wear a Cabelas Lookout Fleece Jacket. It fits well, but is not too loose. It also has a hood if I need a little more head warmth. It has three pockets: two hand warmer and one chest. The chest pocket is perfect for a camera or cell phone.

So, how do I look with all this stuff on? Like this!

Wearing Cabelas jacket, since it is now cold outside.

Laughing, aren't you. Well, I'm glad to amuse you and brighten your day, but I try to control what I can when it comes to cancer prevention. I am an American however, so that means I eat too much, exercise too little and my cholesterol is a little too high, but I'll be jiggered if I get melanoma just because I don't want to look like a camouflaged Jacob Marley! Besides, all that Arkansas formal wear makes me look stealthy -- even if I don't catch fish!!

"One Rod Philosophy" Tenkara?

Warning, a lot sarcasm to follow:



Recently there was a short but provocative post on Troutrageous! regarding the use of one rod in tenkara, sort of like using only one fly. I too, for some time now,  have been thinking about this paradox: that it is perfectly fine to change your tenkara rod to match your local conditions, yet not change your fly if it is not doing its job -- that is, catching fish.  

If you've been following my blog you will know that I am not a tenkara purist. I am more of a "Ten Colors" tenkara guy, or as others would say a "tenkara as a tool" guy. I don't speak Japanese; I don't desire to (I'd love to learn Spanish though). I don't do martial arts, but I admire those who do (I can't even touch my toes!). I have no desire to travel to Japan, but I'd love to go back to the UK and fish the Yorkshire Dales. And finally, I don't like sushi, but I love a good, juicy burger. Well, guess what, I change my flies when I want to! So there!! Does this make me a tenkara troll -- wielding a club instead of a rod? Does it make me any less of a fisherman?

The Snob

Some say that if your tenkara fishing your are not fly fishing, you are dapping. No reel, rod guides, or double haul then no fly fishing. Some others say, no "one fly philosophy" then no tenkara. Others say fish the way you like: one fly - change flies, level line - furled line - PVC line, dries - nymphs - sakasa kebari - streamers - poppers, tenkara rods - keiryu rod - seiryu rods, blah - Blah - BLAH. I could just scream! Shouldn't this avocation just be fun and enjoyable no matter what you do?!

from Here

 OK! Enough.....Deep breaths.....Calm thoughts.....curl fingers and chant "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm".  I'm better now. Sorry about that. Now back to my original thought: what IF you had to choose only one rod for tenkara? Instead of having a "box" of rods you had only one, what would it be?

I suppose that should be an easy question, right? It depends on what waters (type, size, gradient) you predominantly fish. What species of fish you generally target. What size of fish you almost universally catch. What rod action you prefer, and so forth. Yeah, really easy. Hah!

For me, I guess IF I had to choose just one rod to go with my "one fly" then I'd likely, probably, possibly choose the Tenkara USA Iwana 12 foot.

from T-USA

Why? Well, it seems to have a nice, relaxed "middle of the road" action that is effective for different types and lengths of lines. It casts, dare I say, different flies (light, heavy, dry, subsurface) well. Its price is reasonable. It's easy to get. It has replacement parts readily available. It's light in weight; under that holy 80 gm goal (if a rod is over 80 gm and certainly over 90 gm I think it's too heavy, at least for me). Its collapsed length is relatively compact and its extended length is just about the sweet spot for the various types of waters I fish. And, its fit and finish is about as good as it gets. Oh, I forgot, it has a life-time warranty and $11.36 USD of its purchase price goes to conservation efforts.

In choosing the Iwana 12 foot I want you to understand that I have other rods that I like better, but the availability of both rod and replacement parts is questionable, while you can get the Iwana pretty much at any time. Also, no other rod that I own has such a good warranty.

Does the Iwana have any downsides? Yes, it has a cork handle. I am not a cork handle guy, but the Iwana 12 foot is such a great all around rod that I can over look the cork handle.

Now, before you go out and shout that Teton Tenkara is a Tenkara USA groupie I must interrupt and say that I am not.  I like many of their products, but I don't care for some. I like many other brands of rods including Daiwa (with cork and without), Shimotsuke, Nissin, and even some from AllFishingBuy. I am waiting for a Shimano to come, and you can bet that I will continue to try other rods from other companies and vendors. I am not a groupie. I try to avoid the herd mentality. I don't have a favorite team or even a professional sport. I don't have a favorite band or singer; I don't even have a favorite genre of music (however I know what I don't like!). I try to avoid being a brand slave.

So. That's said. All I have to say now is GO FISH! Use what ever rod you want (tenkara, keiryu, seiryu). Be brave and change your fly if you feel the need. Try a rod without a cork handle. Heck, use a dry fly with your tenkara rod every once and a while and feel the rush of being a rebel! When you've done this come back and we can start a support group like Tenkara Rebels Anonymous (TRA). We can introduce ourselves by saying "Hi, my name is __(your name here)__and I'm a tenkara rebel". We'll sing Kumbaya and eat Smores.

What would be your "one rod" IF you had to choose?

Give Me a Lever.....

It is purported that Archimedes once said "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." Archimedes was likely speaking of a class I lever, that is, a lever in which the effort is applied on one side of the fulcrum and the resistance or load is on the other. Well, if Archimedes was a tenkara fisherman  he may have been talking about a class III lever. Tenkara rods, all fishing rods for that matter, are class III levers. He may have been alluding to a class III lever, but it would take a pretty long and strong rod to move the world! I'm not sure that even the famed Tenkara USA Amago could do that!

We as fly fishers use class III levers. Fly rods, of course, have different physical properties that can help us in our pursuit of catching and landing fish, but some of their properties need be explored to be fully understood. I am not a physicist, but I have some interest in the physics of rods since a spend as much time as I can using one.

Recently there have been some excellent articles on how to fight large fish with a tenkara rod. One article is from Discover Tenkara UK and the other is from Tenkara Guides LLC. I would encourage you to read these, if you haven't already. They are well written and enlightening. To these, I would like to add my own analysis.

Although tenkara rods are somewhat different than western fly rods, they have many of the same characteristics when it comes to fighting large fish. In this post I'd like to examine the forces exerted on the fish and how those change with just varying the angle of the rod to the fish.

We pride ourselves, in tenkara, in being able to use a light tippet, sometimes lighter than we would have used when fishing a western setup, because the tenkara rod does so well at protecting the tippet from breakage. How is this so? Because the tenkara rod has a much more flexible tip than does a western rod. Well, for the most part, tenkara rods themselves are much more flexible not just their tips. But what happens when you have a really flexible rod and you hook a large fish? Lets examine the forces applied to a fish when using the rod at different angles. 

Rod angle to fish (Adapted from Borger Presentation)

 Years ago I bought Presentation by Gary Borger. It is my favorite "manual" on fly fishing. In there Borger reviews fly rod dynamics like this: look at the diagram above. When holding the rod sharply upright, like nearly 90 degrees or so (A), the tip of the rod is maximally bent and there is very little force applied to the tippet and to the fish. Only the flexible tip section of the rod is bent. Yet, by decreasing the angle the rod dynamics change. Decreasing the rod angle (B) will bring into play the more stiff mid-segments of the rod and thus greater force is applied to the fish -- and the tippet! If you continue to lower the rod, approaching 45 degrees (C), the stiffest segment, near the butt, will begin to bend and take the load. This is when you have the most force applied to the fish. This is also when your tippet is the least protected!

Here is a real life example. I used my Tenkara USA Iwana 12 foot attached to a 6 pound weight with a level line to show the differing forces applied when the rod angle is changed. Here, in the first image is the force applied on the "fish" when the rod angle is 90 degrees. No matter how much I tried I could not get above 0.265 kg pull load at 90 degrees. The top 1/3 of the rod was bent, but the mid and lower sections were relatively unaffected.

90 degrees maximum pull: 0.265 kg

Next, I lowered the rod to approximate a 65 degree angle. Again, I tried multiple times to move the weight but I never could get above 0.340 kg load. The rod was bent well into the mid-section.

65 degree maximum pull: 0.340 kg

Finally, I lowered to rod to about 45 degrees. Again, pulling the weight as much as I could I got a 0.620 kg pull load. The rod was bent all the way to the handle.

45 degree maximum pull: 0.620 kg (see the attached tippet?)

See how the pull force goes up as the rod angle is lowered! It doesn't seem like much, but when you apply it to a live, dynamically moving fish in water that little change in pull load adds up to real fish-fighting force!

Worried about breaking your rod with the added force? Sure, we all do. So, use the right rod for the job and use the right fish-fighting mechanics. How do rods break -- at least western rods? Go to Youtube and watch Tim Rajeff explain rod dynamics.

Tenkara, however, has a challenge when it comes to changing the rod angle. Since we have a fixed line, when compared to the western rod and reel, to change the angle of the rod you have to allow the fish to move further out or bring it closer in. This may be a problem if the fish is really large and wants to run. This is where side pressure comes into play.

 As the fish runs away from you, that is, away from the point of resistance, you naturally begin to lower the rod -- that fixed tenkara line makes you do it. However, if you lower the rod too far you begin to greatly increase to forces on your tippet. At some point the rod may no longer be able to protect the tippet and it will pop. In this instance move the rod quickly to one side (generally the side that will bring the fish around the quickest) and begin to pull the fish's head around. When the rod is held horizontally it applies significantly more pressure on the fish than when held vertically. This is well described in the Discover Tenkara UK article. Please note that with the rod held vertically you are fighting the weight of the fish and the water above it. All the fish has to do is lower its head and the force of the water pushes it down making it feel heavier. It's like trying to lift a deadman stake out of sand. When you put side pressure on the fish, it has to fight against the pull of the rod the whole time without help from the water column's weight. It is thrown off balance and tires more quickly, thus it is easier to bring under your control!

In review, we, as tenkara fishers, are like Archimedes: give us a lever and a place to stand and we will (try) to move the world -- or at least that big brown that haunts our dreams! We prefer beautifully made class III levers rather than a rigid pole, like Archimedes uses, but that is one of the wonderful challenges of tenkara -- how to land that big fish on a fixed line!!

I for one will continue my experiments in real-life physics by going fishing whenever and wherever I can!! Please join me!

One Fish Friday

Ever have one of those days when the water you are fishing is so clear, and the sky is so sunny, that catching trout is almost futile? As you approach a section of water you can clearly see your quarry and that means it can see you too!

What a Trout sees. Reference

That was the kind of day I had Friday. The sun was out full, only a few clouds were around but they were thin,  and the water surface was undisturbed as there was no wind. The trout were rising to a light beatis hatch and there was a pod of trout working an area of slick water that caught my eye.

Trout rising in the distance during a very brief cloud shadow.  (No, the earth was not tilted to the right, I was!)

I stalked slowly to where I was directly opposite the pod and then carefully entered the cattails. As I moved like a heron (with the smell of rotting vegetation wafting up from the mud), ever so slowly so as to not make ripples, and keeping low, I got within 20-25 feet of the pod. These fish were slurping the BWO duns as they floated overhead. I could easily see those little "sail boats" floating on the glassy surface and then see big noses break the surface and suck them under.

I tied on a #20 Barr's BWO Vis-a-Dun with a trailing shuck and attached it to 3 feet of fluorocarbon 5X tippet. This was attached to 12 inches of 2X fluorocarbon tippet and this to 18 inches of 0X tippet. This "tapered leader" was tied to a Vetterli 20 ft tapered furled fluorocarbon line. I greased the last 6 feet of the furled line and cast it with the Hirame-ML-3909.

For a furled line, this Vetterli line is amazingly thin. It's diameter is about half of what a  Streamside Leader mono furled line is. Maybe this is good? Maybe it would cast less of a shadow. The Vetterli line weighs in at 1.5 grams while a Streamside Leaders mono furled comes in at 2.6 grams even though the Vetterli is made with flourocarbon strands.

Streamside Leaders mono line (red loop), Vetterli fluorocarbon furled line (yellow loop)

The Vetterli line casts well and carried the long tippet section out towards the fish without much effort. The other thing I like is that if you modify your cast stroke, and make it more like a western rod's -- 10 to 2 rather than 9 to 1 for tenkara -- the line lands amazingly soft, not spooking the fishing.

Well, I cast to specific fish in the rear of the pod. The sun glaring off the water made it difficult to see my little fly, but as it passed over the smutting trout I felt that I should lift the rod tip. Sure enough I had him! It shot upstream into the rest of the pod, then downstream, and then back upstream. I kept the rod tip high for tippet protection and put most of the fish's pressure on the top, most flexible part of the rod. After a few minutes I was able to hand line him in to my net.

The fish's tail was at the rim and the rest of him went all the way down into the belly of the net then back almost to the rim again! Nice fish!

He was a 19" Yellowstone cutthroat. He was healthy and had a nice weight to him. I had some trouble taking him picture because my arms was not long enough to both hold him and take his picture!

I released him back into the water and he swam slowly away towards the center of the stream. Need less to say, since he scattered the other fish in the pod I didn't get any other shot at more fish. They were put down.

Still, it was a nice few hours on the water. Hopefully next visit the sun will cooperate and be behind clouds, better yet, maybe a soft drizzle could be ordered so that I might have a better chance to sneak up on these very skittish fish. We'll see.

Hooked!

 

Over the years I have tried a lot of hooks, both for sakasa kebari-styled fies and western flies. Some hooks seem to work better that others. For a while I tried offset hooks since they are purported to have a quicker hookup than a straight set hooks. But, I am not too sure about this when it comes to my fishing experience.

My latest favorite hook for use on sakasa kebari-style flies is the Tiemco SP (Super Point) barbless 2499. Here is what Tiemco says regarding this hook:

This new SP point series hooks are the embodiment of the perfect harmony of the penetration power and hook strength. Its edged and hollowed point lowers the resistance of penetration and thus it will increase speed of the penetration. Then these hooks pierce a fish's mouth easily. Biologically speaking, when a hook pierces a fish's mouth in a flash, the wound will be constricted. That is one of the reasons why these hooks have true stable holding ability. When SP point comes in barbless, those features will be more prominent. The basal part of the point has "apron" on both sides. These tiny swelling will work as barb to some degree. Those hollowed triangular points are practical enough that can be sharpened easily on the spot. The SP point will also contribute to let streamers stable in the water because it will work like keel of a ship as the size of the hook get bigger.
SP stands for several words like Sport Point, Super Point or Special Point. We think these new SP point, especially SP-Barbless point are representing the sport aspect of fly fishing well. SP Straight, SP Rolled, SPS-Barbless, SPR-Barbless

SPS-BL

TMC2499SP-BL

This new curved short shank hook based on TMC2488 has 2X heavy wire same with TMC2457 for added strength. This features SPR-Barbless point. Great for emergers, pupae & larva, shrimp, eggs, parachute patterns, terrestrials and so on. Truly versatile.

TMC2499SP-BL Dry Fly & Nymph, Straight eye, 2X Heavy, 3X Wide, 2X Short curved shank, Forged, SPR point, Barbless, Bronze Size: #6-18

 I really like this hook. It seems to give me better hookups and fewer thrown hooks, resulting in more fish to the hand. The point is wickedly sharp and the gape is wide. I mainly use sizes 10 and 12, but I am sure it would work well in the other sizes. The heavy wire helps the fly sink and I prefer a straight eye like this hook has. The downside, however, is that these fancy TMC hooks do cost a little more than regular TMC hooks.

JuJuKebari tied on a #10 TMC2499SP-BL

I have been using these hooks for a while now and I am convinced they hookup better and hold more robustly than the previous hooks I was using. Give them a try. Let me know what you think.

Guest Post -- Star Valley Trout

Not too long ago I received a comment regarding the success that a fellow tenkara fisherman was having with some of my kebari patterns. I was tickled pink to hear that not only were these flies working for me, but also worked for someone else! After reading his comment I invited him to do a guest post here on Teton Tenkara. He so kindly obliged and sent me his narrative with pictures.  Here it is -- from Justin Stevens, Star Valley, WY:

I love waiting for my children to get off the school bus and asking them "Do you want to go fishing?" 90 percent of the time its a unanimous "yeah!" So we grab some snacks and our tenkara rod and head out to our local streams. Armed with a grey kebari for sunny days and the Redtail kebari for cloudy days, we have a quality adventure every time. Tenkara fishing is very exiting for us especially when we catch fish. I started fishing with Tenkara USA's grey Amano fly, however the fish ignored half the time. Using Tom's fly, with the Haretron body and the copper wire, made the difference in success. One day there was an old timer already fishing with a spin rod and a jig (normally a deadly combo), we showed up and fishing upstream from the reservoir in the small stream section we caught six fish in a half an hour. The  guy was so impressed he had to examine our rod and our fly and congratulated us on our success. I could only smile with pride knowing it was Tom's recipe for the Grey kabari and the Utah Killer Bug that made that day.

 

The next day on my own I went to a different stream, It was cold and snowing intermittently. The creek was only 15 feet wide, and on an outside bend under some willows I noticed a pool the size of a bath tub. After taking 15 minutes walking slowly toward the hole I cast the Redtail kebari right in the center of the hole. Twitching the fly causing it to dance the hackle I got a soft hit. I immediately set the hook but I was too late, HaHaHa. I tried again and got another hit this time I gently lifted the rod's tip and the fish dove down, but much to its chagrin it was hooked! It took and eternity to bring in close enough to net, but when I netted it it didn't fit in the net; it was hanging out of both sides! So, I dropped my rod using my other hand to grab it. I was amazed; it was huge! I have marks on my net handle for measuring length and after comparing the fish to the ruler it was 22 inches. I was so impressed with the massively large fish in such a small hole. I was pumped! I continued fishing the same hole and pulled out another 3 fish, all of them on a size 12 Redtail kebari. Tom, thanks for your fly review.  I use the Grey kebari, Redtail kebari and the Killer Bug exclusively now and have not been skunked yet.

Justin Stevens

Star Valley, WY

I thought that was pretty neat. He sure has some beautiful fish in Star Valley. I need to get over there and fish some waters with Justin! As far as the flies, I too have found these flies to be very productive for my waters.

Has anyone else had success with these patterns? They are very simple to tie, robust, and most importantly, catch fish!!

If any of you have stories with these flies, let me know and I'll post them as well! Thanks Justin!