New Fly Tying Videos

Hey Yall,
          So I figured out how to do something that i have been wanting to do for a long time and that is posting fly tying videos. Even before the launch of this site I wanted to start a youtube channel on fly tying, but in the wake of this blog I have now decided to incorporate fly tying videos in it. Before buying the new camera I had always had trouble getting the focus right in the shots because the shots needed to be zoomed in really close and the camera had to be very close to the vise. I figured it out though and now you, my loyal readers, can view my fly tying. Some of the patterns that I will be posting will be traditional patterns such as the Thunderhead and the olive stimulator, but alot will be patterns that I have created and fish very very often. Sometimes it is the new patterns that work the best because fish aren't used to seeing them. Give them a try or your money back.

Thanks and Enjoy the Videos!!!


As always... TIGHT LINES,

Mike

Hey Everybody!!

Mike here.... So this weekend was the opening of Turkey Season in NC so I went out with my cousin to film a turkey hunt. Next weekend I'll be back up on Badin Lake seeking out spawning large mouths. I have always heard the old legend that when the Dogwoods start blooming the Bass start spawning. I have lived by this since I first started bass fishing as a young boy and in NC I haven't found a better indicator. Yeah water temp is a better indicator but temps on the lake can fluctuate so much this time of year. A heavy rain can drop the temp heavily this time of year where the days are warm but rains off a cold front can be quite cold. Thats just my little bass fishing knowledge for the day.

Just a little treat for you guys, I wanted to post a video with the new camera I just got. I have been wanting to invest in a new camera for a while now and I finally dropped the cash for it. I can share a lot more fishing wisdom through videos and that is what I plan on doing. So for the first How-To video I want to share something that I am positive can make, break, change, or save a fishing or hunting trip. Just about every outdoorsman has been trying to cut something and had a dull knife that couldn't cut its way out of a wet paper bag. So this is what I did......This video is about how I sharpen my knives. I have tried many ways and many tools to get the best results for different blade types. I have tried Lansky and Smith kits with the guide rods that hold the stone at an angle. I have tried electric machines with carbide blades and I have tried the things you suction cup to your kitchen counter that you drag your knife across to the point where it should slice through a tomato. None of those items works as good as the machine I show you in video #2 or the diamond whetstones from DMT that I use in video #1. So check it out and tell me what you think.

Tight Lines Everybody,
Mike

NEW VIDEO!!!!

             Well it is the last week of the DH (Delayed Harvest). Fly Fisherman everywhere have honed their skills on the DH waters and are warmed up for any adventures to wild streams that may come this summer. For me I am going to spend a little more time on the Watauga River this summer. Might even venture up into the trophy sections out in Tennessee. I am also going to find some time this summer to do the cross country trip that I have been planning on doing for a while time. Hopefully I can put everything together in time to leave in the beginning of June. That should be the perfect time to fish for steelhead up in Ohio and then make it to Wyoming just after the snow melt. As for the fly fishing in NC you better hurry up and make your last run up to the river before its too hot. Also this month is the start of spring bass fever. Whip out your 7 weights and bass rods because the bass should start getting up on their beds in the shallows in a week or two.

            As for Wilson Creek this week, there was about as many fish as their were parking spots. I have seen crowded rivers and streams before but this was ridiculous. Now don't get me wrong, keep the sport alive by all means. I don't mind some competition on the river but I found it hard to get settled into a spot without somebody wading in ten feet beside you and begin flipping over egg flies and #6 stones with a bunch of split shot right next to your #20 dry fly. They wonder why they aren't catching as many fish...... But I don't mind a slightly crowded river. I enjoy the moment when you as a fisherman glance over at each other as you catch fish as to acknowledge that your kind of keeping score as to be in a tournament with a complete stranger.
            It was a good weekend though. Beautiful weather all day and on top of that there were a few good sized fish swimming around. Most of the trout action for me was again at the surface. Tiny green, yellow, and white dry flies where what caught the eye of most of the trout I caught. Their was a little bit of a sulpher hatch but they were small. I would say they were #18-22 sized. I was using yellow and green midge patterns that I tied over the course of last week. Also I was using my little red blood midge fly in a size #20. Midges turn bright red before they hatch and I created a midge pattern that imitates this perfectly by using a #20 grub hook with a black bead, midge sized red stretch tubing and a peacock herl collar. I'll post a picture of it in the process of being tied when I get a chance. If you want some advice on where to go on the river I would go as far up the river as possible. The areas that I found worth fishing where up past the bridge on Edgemont Rd after you make the left and Betsey's Ole Country Store. Go up past the bridge about 200 yards easy and start their working your way up. The harder the spot is to get to the better. That's my policy at least.

Anyway, check back soon for some fly fishing updates. I will be up on Badin Lake next weekend. If you see a guy with a black dog on a red bass-boat fishing on Badin stop by and say hey.

As Always.... TIGHT LINES

Mike