Really quick before I begin I just want to thank everybody for the support. I really want to thank Phillis and Leita for your more then generous donation to the website. I promise I put the funds to good use and more fish will find a hook because of it! These past few weeks have been a journey. First off trout season in North Carolina is over... If you want I catch good trout you better take some days off from work and head to Tennessee STAT!! Sorry for the medical terms, my fiancé is a nurse. To be honest though the hot summers of North Carolina bring the withdraws of fly fishing. Trout slow down from the heat or die off in hatchery water and fly fishing for bass is tough unless you know of a holy untouched pond full of lunkers. Once you have experienced the sensation of tying a fly and landing a fish via your own creation, their isn't much that can fulfill that kind of need. Two weeks ago this time I was in Florida just south of Tallahassee fishing for red fish on spinning gear. My goal was to land a Red Drum on the fly even if it wasn't a fly that I tied. I just wanted to know the feeling of catching a Bull Red on a 9 foot 8wt. When I got to the dock I was all but impressed with fly outfit and section of the worst clouser minnow flies I have ever seen. Don't get me wrong!!!! The guide I was with made an effort. He was able to put that boat right on the oyster bars. But with the line that I had and he rod which was a 24 year old sage limited my casting ability. It was all borrowed gear and I was ok with that. The suppliers for my families company had paid for the trip and a fly fishing guide with quality gear and excellent hand tied flies costs top dollar, more then most are willing to pay. After almost throwing my shoulder out trying to drop a fly in front of a bull red I switched to spinning gear and was able to land many smaller reds. We filled the boat with our limit of sea bass and speckled trout. It was also very interesting to see bull sharks, hammerheads, and manatees in their natural habitat. Something about the natural understanding of insects and the role the food chain that comes with fly fishing just causes me to appreciate how these animals survive. I returned to the Tar Heel State with a new goal in mind. I want to tie saltwater flies and land a Big Ol' Bull Red with my own intuition, understanding, and technique. In my life I have targeted a number of species such as largemouth, trout, and striped bass. I am a trout bum by heart and I know that veering off the path of a trout seeker is tough but I honestly believe that learning how to saltwater fly fish will make me a better river guide. So here is what I have done so far. First off I purchased a new vise. I wanted to start tying saltwater fly patterns. So I switched to a Nor Vise. For those who are not familiar with a Nor Vise please go to www.nor-vise.come and check it out. Basically the Nor Vise spins the hook so that the tier doesn't have to constantly wrap the thread like trout flies. I also went to orvis and made the hefty investment is some salt water fly materials. These materials are very hard to come by in the piedmont and mountain regions. I have tired a few dozen flies thus far on the vise and I can say that it does take quite longer to tie a saltwater pattern then it does a trout fly. I have been working on my technique in spinning deer hair and using z-Lon and I am getter better. Also I have been using clear cure, the UV epoxy quite a bit and I am very impressed with how easy it is to get a smooth fly head with no bubbles. Lastly I have to mention that my fiancé is from Morehead City, NC. For those of you who don't know, Morehead is ground zero for summer Marlin tournaments and is the southern capital for trophy redfish. The kicker to this story is that my future father is law just purchased a flat bottom hybrid from Carolina Skiff. I am one 9wt outfit away from my goal. A bull drum in excess of 35lbs is my goal for the year. Morehead is also know for beach fishing along the eddies for reds as well. I am really looking forward to this summer. Please let me know if you have any questions or tips. I will soon be posting pics of flies that I have been tying and once I get the hang of tying salt water patterns I really want to post a few more videos. I will be posting pics from the last trip soon.
Thank You and Tight Lines,
Mike
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