The above is an oddball pattern that saved the day on a few occasions. It needs a name and deserves one for its productivity. It was based on an old streamer pattern that I saw in Fly Tyer mag. All they had was a line drawing of the pattern so I made a visual note and when I sat down at the vise this is what happened. Saddles for the tail with white Puglisi in between, crystal chennile body, scruffy marabou sort of collar off of a pheasant cape, and a cone head. Biggest fish on it was only a 14″ bow but on a day when mostly what you’re getting is chases on other flies you take what you get and a 14″ trout is good enough for most of us anyway. Whatever the case, this fly caught a lot of fish when nothing else was working. It will be one of those that gets a “multiples” spot in my box this coming season.

Olive version of the Nutcracker. Zonker strip tail, palmered marabou over krystal flash, deer collar and spun deer hair head. Good sculpin pattern that gets some viscous strikes when fished from a boat and cast on the banks.

My version of the SHF (shit house fly. aka, McCunes sculpin). Mine is a bit beefier than the original. Zonker strip tail tied off and palmered up the body, fox tail collar with red yarn gill plates (not visible in the pic) under the deer hair collar, spun deer hair head. Same as above for strikes etc…

Murdich minnow. Originally tied as a small mouth pattern. Mine is a Puglisi fiber tail under krystal flash, I used polar fiber butts for the skirt, crystal chennile body top half colored with a marker and big holo eyes. This is one of those flies that I swore was too flashy for trout and was proven wrong that it isn’t. I poo-pooed it for a few years before I tried it. It is a great smallie pattern but trout seem to love it too. I think that because of it, I will start tying some of my trout streamers with more flash. I had fish come out of the water to pounce on it. Loads of fun and can be tied in a variety of colors.

I have a few other patterns that I am working on and have tried on trout last season. One of which is a combo of a Todd’s Wiggle Minnow and a Murdich Minnow. Its almost too fuggly to post but when I tie a few more I will. Its one of those patterns that I’ll tie for bass too. It is super erratic in the water, moves a ton of water, and gets the aggressive fish to jump on it. So far I haven’t moved anything major with it but it has caught some trout. If you have ever fished the “wiggle minnow” you know how much fun it is to fish and this one is just as fun but dives deeper.

You can read the rest of this story right here at The Drake Online with its fresh new look. Its an older story from last year or the year before but well worth the re-post here for the obvious reasons.

I sympathize with “The Junkie”. I know the pain of his addiction. Literally, I can still feel it in my elbow on my stripping arm from the last two trips up north. Tennis elbow has a partner in the world of fly fishing and it doesn’t come from casting. It comes from the answer to questions like this one:

“Dude, how is it that we are using the same fly and the same rig and you’re getting twice the hook ups on the same amount of follows?” He said.

“Strip faster.” I said.

Now I’m paying for it everytime I get the milk from the fridge. Streamer fishing for a few days from a boat can be tough on an old guy like me.

Clean up crew at MDOT launch. Mio, MI

This is a report from the “newbie” we took along with us for the  ASBWPA Clean Up. To be fair, this was not Scott’s first fly fishing trip so he really isn’t a true “newbie” but it was his first weekend on the Au Sable. We asked him to put together a little trip story for the Hatchless blog. He was kind enough to leave out some stuff that we may or may not remember happening. Friday night was kind of a blur. I’m blaming it on the scotch Scott brought. I am told that someone may have punched someone in the face. PBBFFFFTT, whatever, I’m sure the guy had it coming. (After all, he didn’t catch any fish on Friday, he was too busy wader shopping for the dumbass that left his waders at home.) I think some other demonstrations of stupidity also occured that night but like I said, blur…

Here’s Scott’s story.

Fly Fishing the Ausable
9/11/09
4:00pm. I’m sitting in my driveway, running through my head everything I packed and worrying about what important detail I missed. Other anxieties crop up as well. I’ve never really fished for trout before. Would I make a fool of myself on the water or what? Plus these guys, Mike, Greg, and Bill. We’ve tied a few flies, drank a few beers, and waded a stream once together, but what would they be like in close quarters?

4:10pm. Bill arrives and we load up. I know I’m missing something but I can’t think of what.

4:30pm. Loaded Mike and we are officially off!

5:30pm. Obligatory side trip to Cabelas where I purchased a 2 day Michigan license and tried not to drool over all the cool stuff.

6pm. Leave Cabellas (Almost- We had to return to buy waders for Greg)

10:30pm. Arrive at the Loop, a. primitive camp site on the Au Sable. Mike handed me a head lamp. Inside I was laughing at the need for light. I figured once my eyes adjusted I’d be okay. Wrong! The darkness greeted us and it was overwhelming. I noticed right away that looking at  the sky without any light polution lets you see the stars so clearly. After a  few minutes of marveling at that I set up my tent and unpacked the truck. Greg who had arrived ahead of us had a raging camp fire going. It was chilly so I went to the campfire and realized then that I had forgotten my chair.

9/12/09
7:00am. I haven’t slept a wink. My air matress had a hole in it and I ache from exhaustion. Opening the tent flap, I step into a still dawn morning airbrushed with fog. Dead silence. Dead still. It almost seems a shame to wake my friends, but after all, there is a river to clean and then fish to catch. I go from tent to tent trying to wake them up and it feels too much like my morning efforts to get my kids up for school.

8:10am. We park by the river and exit the truck. I see the river for the first time in the daylight. Walking toward the river I am reminded my love for water. I watch as the crystal clear water moves quickly under the blanket of fog. I ache to grab my 7 weight and start fishing and say the hell with the clean up. But I don’t let the allure of the water act as a siren call and take me away from the task at hand.

8:30am. Jazzed on coffee and donuts, handful of day glo orange bags in hand, and two pointy sticks safely stowed away, we begin our float. Lots of garbage to collect from what I hear.

1:30pm. We land at Comin’s Flats and Tom from ASWBPA greets us at the landing and says that the “Boys from Toledo” cleaned up on the raffle. We dump the trash and get fed courtesy of the ASWBPA. Turns out we won two gear bags, a fly rod, and a fly line. Cool return for our efforts. The “Big Waters Group” runs a great clean up. They greet you in the morning with coffee and donuts and send you off after the clean up with a belly full of burgers and dogs. Not a bad gig for a few hours of work and good fish Karma. After lunch we head to the drift boats and gear up. I prep my 7 weight and switch from a floating line to a sinking line. But I’m way too eager. While my friends continue their efforts to get ready, I wade in and fish.

2:00pm Let the drift begin! Now we’re fishing! As you might guess with the Hatchless crew it’s streamer fishing all the way. About fifteen minutes in I have the first hookup on a crystal minnow with an olive tail. I caught two more on an olive wooly bugger with a lot of crystal flash worked into it.

7:30pm. Tired, we anchor mid river and take a break, awaiting the dusk. These white bugs started drifting in and I saw a few rising trout. I couldn’t resist. I switched to my 5 weight with the floating line and tied on a white dry fly. I blew several strikes before finally landing one as the sun finally disappeared. When the sun was gone, we started the drift again. I kept working the dry fly in the dark, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how I would know if I got a strike because I could see nothing at all. Then BAM! A trout struck hard and had to be fought into the boat. After that we started mousing. This consisted of a big mouse fly being hurdled to the banks and retrieved slowly. Tricky when you can’t see in the dark. I had a trout slap at it once but that was it.

9:30pm. Our big sky moment, we dropped anchor and just enjoyed the night. The river, maybe 60 feet wide, had the banks covered in these huge towering trees. And above that a night filled with stars so bright you could practically read by them.

10:30pm. The drift over, we grabbed some food and supplies and headed back to camp.

9/13
7:30am. Up and at em! This morning we had to break camp. No fog today and noticeably warmer.

9:30am. Got my coffee and breakfast from McDonald’s while the trucks were moved around. These guys had been living off oatmeal and peanut butter for days! I don’t know how they do it, but I was grateful for something hot.

10:00am.  I only caught two today, though the others had a much more productive day. I lost a couple of flies to wear and tear and the brush in the water.

3pm. By the time we hit the landing I was ready to call it a day. I could tell I was getting tired because my casting rhythm kept turning to crap.

3:30pm. The boats are loaded and we head home.

8:30pm. Bill and I arrive at my house. As we are emptying my gear from his truck, I look up at the sky. I spot a few persistent stars but nothing like the night before. I point this out to Bill and say my goodbyes.
I am finishing off writing this article a week after we left. All I can think of is that big sky and going back. I have a nice weekend planned with the family, but it’s hard to compare to a weekend drifting the Ausable. The trip has forever changed me. I now know what fly fishing for trout is like. I now know I can hold my own out on the water. I also know that a weekend with Bill, Mike, Greg is a weekend of fun to be treasured. Thanks guys!

Here’s a few pics from the weekend.

Had a good turn out for boats this year. Here's 3 of the 7 from this year's event.

Sign in and get your raffle tickets!

Tom Buhr. ASBWPA President, 2009 Riverkeeper award winner, general bad ass of conservation.

A man and his trash poker.

Ok then let me start with the Fleet Foxes and believe me I will end with them. Wed. eve we headed to Royal Oak for some fish taco’s and great brew at (insert brewery name). Full of food and 1/2 drunk on some high IPA we headed to the theater. Dungen started the show off and well I won’t say much other than they were really into their own music. Cool for them. Fleet Foxes finally came on…let me start by saying I have been wanting to see these guys for a long time and pretty much thought it might never happen, so I am here and they are in front of me and I am blown.  I mean these guys must be angels sent from heaven and are here to bring peace on earth. Song after song, it was more and more amazing. 50 min later I had very well might have seen the best show of my life…top 5 for sure. The Fleet Foxes are amazing performers and if you have never listened or seen them live do yourself a big favor and give them a listen.

Knowing I would be tired, I took the next day off to do some fishing. The river was low…nuff said.

So the next day…Me Caufield and the wives pack up the scape and head west to my most favorite places in the Midwest. Chicago…yea we are crazy (driving all the way to chi town for a band during the biggest music festival of the summer), but that is the way we roll. Band of Horses put on a post Lollapolloza after party show at House of Blues and though I really really like this band, I was less than thrilled with the first 40 min of the show and even more less enthused with the crowd at the HOB. I mean shut the fuck up already. Anyway…all wasn’t lost. We hung out with great friends had some amazing food and went to an even better fly shop on our way out of town.  Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters is in the heart of the city. Never would have thought this would be a good place for a shop but what a selection, super nice people and did I mention the selection. I easily spent $50 on tying materials that I have never seen before. It was sweet.

Anyway that was summer and now its rolling into fall and that means steelhead, fresh chrome and crappy cold rainy Ohio weather. I can’t wait. On a side note we are working on adding some new features in the site and will include some of musical tastes into the blog soon as I get the player done. Till then….Tight Lines!!!!

I’ll keep the boat story short but remember I said it has been four long years. Most everyone I know has been tired of hearing about it for at least 3.5 of those years or less so I’ll try to keep it short. Basically, my mother-in-law married a guy (a fly fisher) about 5 years ago with a real knack for buying all the gear he could get his hands on and enough of it so that he would always have someone to fish with even if it meant loaning gear. Well, he passed away about 4 years ago and one of his f(r)iends was storing a few boats for him. That “storage” quickly turned into hiding them from their rightful owners/conversion after the funeral. The boat in the post below was one of the boats. There are two more. After four years of chasing this slippery douchebag I got that one back. Thanks to those of you that helped with that. We’ll see what happens with the others. They could require time in court and I don’t know if that’s worth it.

So anyway, on to the trip. It was a good time despite the fact that the fish were being dickheads. Two of us managed to get up there early enough on Friday to get a quick float in. Mio to Comins in about 3.5 hrs. I said quick didn’t I? Probably a good thing since my dumb ass fell in pretty early in the float. Thank you Mr. Down coat for keeping me warm!

Mental note, when the water is high and a little off color, its better to pee off the boat rather than hop off and go to shore.

Mike moved a bunch of fish that day but only one was of any size. The rest were the standard stockers that never fully committed to the fly.

It was a beautiful evening for a float and when we got off the water we were looking at this. Looks like a potential storm but its just a normal Northern MI sky in May.

I would have suggested we hang around at anchor just before the ramp and have a few more beers but my toes were feeling the 50 deg water temp and with air temps dipping in to the 40’s we shored up and headed to camp.

Shortly after we got to camp and got set up, the others arrived. We quickly lost one to the warm comfort of his tent and after several beers and some of Kentucky and Iowa’s finest we all hit the sack. We had big plans for the morning that were fortunately not coming until 9 a.m.

Huron Pines and ASBWPA sponsored stream banks restoration project at USFS 4841. This type of project was a first for me. I have been to numerous clean ups but never a project like this so I was looking forward to getting started as it seemed at first like it would consume a better part of the day. I was amazed at how fast we got it done. We split up into two groups and banged out two erosion walls including the demo of an old one in about two hours.

No, its not through his finger, just his glove but he did it twice so I thought I’d put two pics of it up.

Here is the completed project. Big thanks to all that were involved. I look forward to the next one!

We managed to get on the water by about 1 p.m. Put in at Mio again and had trucks spotted to Mckinley. Figured/hoped we’d get off the water after dark but with the help of a big breeze and the flow being up we made it to Mckinley before sunset. Thankfully the breeze let up in the afternoon. I was starting to get tired of fighting it and teaching someone to row in that shit just isn’t fair. We did actually land a few fish even if they were just stockers and most of which were caught near the stocking points. I think I got the only brown of the weekend. A whopping 8″ fish that ate a 4″ fly that he hit twice. I love it when that happens. Makes you realize that in most cases, going big on streamers is the right decision. The fly was a 2/0 olive version of the SHF. I’m pretty sure that fly should go in to a museum somewhere if it isn’t already. Thank you Mr. McCune. I’m pretty sure that someone put on his stripe for Saturday but I won’t mention who.

More story to follow after the weekend. Hopefully there will be some fish porn to go along with it.

Firstly, finding a 14′ jon boat for a resonable price wasn’t as easy as we thought. It seems that everyone wants to get rid of their 10′ or 12′ but not the 14’s. We did find what we were looking for eventually and luckily it was only a few miles from my house. Let me just say that picking up (literally lifting the damn thing) a 14′ aluminum boat in the middle of the winter when its full of ice and leaves and stuffing it in the back of an S-10 sucked. It was cold as hell and that boat must have weighed and extra 100 pounds with all that crap in it. I never imagined it could be that heavy but then again, I’m about 6′-1″ and 160 lbs WITH waders on and guy that I bought it from was even punier than I am. Believe it or not, at my size, I have been called a “puss” before.  Never the less, on my way home I hit the DIY carwash tipped the thing half out of the bed of the truck so it would drain and powerwashed most of the ice and leaves out then called a buddy to help load the thing into my garage when I got home. The next day I walked out to discover that the powerwash job, while effective in removing all that shit from the visible parts of the boat’s interior, had released one of the most “interesting” smells I have ever been exposed to. It was as if the seats had been acting as the freezers for a cryogenics experiment gone horribly wrong. I sort of felt like I had just single handedly destroyed someone’s life long science experiment that was hidden away under the seats of this vessel. It was pretty nasty but at the same time, in the dead of winter when nothing outside has a smell other than the smell of cold, there was something kind of comforting about it. It smelled like years upon years of decaying earth and animal matter but it was concentrated in my little 20×20 garage. Kind of like when you fart in a cup and then cap it with your hand to pass it to your buddy. I have never done that by the way… only a victim.

Since the boat was closest to me, I went to pick it up and I was trusted to make the right decision. (Did I mention that this project was a partnership deal? You see, this is what you do when you can’t afford your own boat. Find a willing partner and split everything. Just make sure its one of your favorite people to fish with so you never have to argue about who takes it where and when.) Anyway, as sweet as it was, that stench made me wonder if I had made the right decision. After getting together with my new co-owner and getting all excited about our possibilities with this thing my worries went away in a hurry. Here’s what we came up with for our blank canvas.

She’s a real beauty eh? 14′ Ouchita jon boat circa 1972. 48″ beam and 36″ bottom. The beam and bottom dimensions are important. They played a major factor in altering our original plan to deck almost the entire boat. It would seem that 36″ bottoms and a raised center of gravity aren’t a marriage made in heaven. Here is a little picture story of how this boat evolved.

“Holy shit. If this thing is tippy now, wait until we go up another 6 inches with the decks!”

So we were on to a plan B. Rear seat removal to maximize interior space.

Since we removed the seat that contained half of the flotation for the boat, we replaced it with pink foam and then a sheet of 1/4 ply.

Then it was off to the metal shop to get the anchor system fabbed up.

And then on to the paint shop and presto…

$700 drift boat and trailer.  That’s the grand total minus the beers. You really can’t beat it… or so we thought. There is a whole other side to this story that involves a few more boats… deals to good to be true, boat theft and so on… I’ll pick that up later but for now here’s the rest on this one.

You can see the anchor set up in the pic below. Lead to the rower’s side.  Also, if you look to the back of the boat (which is actually the front if your floating downstream) you can see the leaning brace we came up with. Basically what we did was bend galvanized steel tubing  in a few directions and came up with a bracket that they will slide in and out of easily for transport. There are leaning braces at both ends so you have two angler capability in addition to a rower.

The funny and sad part of this whole story is that the two of us that own it have only fished from it once so far. Like I said, there are now a few more boats. One of which is for sale by the way. Shoot us an email and we’ll tell you all about it.

Here we are up on the Au Sable for the ASBWPA Fall Clean Up in Mio, MI. We played garbage barge for the Trophy Water stretch between the Mio boat launch and Comin’s Flats. I think we had a grand total of 13 bags betwen what we collected on our own and bags we picked up from other crew members doing foot duty. The pontoon on the right is the second installment to the armada and part of the “deals to good to be true story”. Its also the one for sale. Best part of the clean up story beyond all the trash we collected? The jon boat got its name while the owners were spotting the truck. It was dubbed, very non-politically correctly but very fitting, THE SHORTBUS.