Bass N' Fly 2013 and Other Bassin' Adventures

So it's been nearly a month since this years Bass N' Fly took place and much has been going down in the GSF world.  Lots of topwater bass fishing has been caught, I moved to another state, came back, a pinch of trout fishing mixed in, and Daniel and I finally squeaked on the podium at this year's event.  It was great to get the feeling that all of our Delta efforts had finally come to fruition.  Our "competitive" bass fly fishing began in 2010 at the Restore the Delta tournament.  The fishing for us was tough to say the least (only 1 fish in the well) and I believe the fly fishing winner that year only had a bag weight of 5lbs.  On the flip side however, the top gear guy's bag was pushing 50lbs!  Quite a stark contrast!  Anyway, the next Restore the Delta tourney didn't fair any better and we were skunked.  Luckily the raffles were kind to us so we didn't walk away empty handed.  2012 marked the year we did our first Bass N' Fly.  I felt that our chances were good but unfortunately our 3 fish didn't get us up in the standings.  

Flash forward to this year's tournament and we were primed and ready to get in on the action.  Lots of pre-fishing and exploration gave us a good idea of where to start our day.  We blasted off around 6:00am and got to our spot quickly.  The following that ensued in the next 2 hours sealed our fate.  Luckily what took place was good!  We bagged 4 of our 5 fish limit at that first spot.  Thankfully lightning struck as well and Daniel bagged a nice 4.5lb fish there as well!  Our next spot produced our last fish and we nabbed about 4 or 5 more that were keeper size but ended up getting thrown back.  That 5 fish bagged proved to weigh in at 10lbs 22oz and ended up nabbing us 5th place!


Here are the results:
Bass-N-Fly #5 
Team Results 2013
1. Mike Baisdon/Russ Owens 13.71… 15.71 - 2 lb penalty (5)
2. Alex Sanchez/Carlo Proto 11.24 (5)
3. Tyler Ganyo/Joe Gigerz 10.71 (5)
4. Brian Pultz/Ryan Pultz 10.40 (3)
5. Daniel Byrne/Thomas Goodwin 10.22 (5)
6. Cathy Case/Loretta Strickland 10.12 (5)
7. Robert Johnson/Mike Wier 9.61 (5)
8. Ben Byng/Mike Carlson 9.56 (5)
9. Joseph Marini/Anthony Iaccarino 9.38 (5)
10. Andon Bailey/Steve Ohrwall 8.98 (5)
11. Greg Holland/Matt Greene 8.48 (5)
12. Paul Gamache/Gary Cox 8.16 (5)
13. Dustin Sergent/ Steve Piper 7.28 (5)
14. Rod Buchanan/Ron Vanderheiden 6.21 (5)
15. Ryan Merin/ David Merin 6.03 (5)
16. Stephen Fitzsimon/ Brent Dawson 5.91 (4)
17. Toby Uppinghouse/Ron Speroni 5.84 (5)
18. Joe Marini/Ritchie Thurston 4.22 (4)
19. Dominic Alexander/Mark Kirsten 2.82 (2)
20. Tim Lawrence/ Fred Ramirez 2.81 (1)
21. Chuck Sterni/Steve Potter 2.68 (2)
22. Robert Souza/
23. Bob Arwine/Larry Summerfield
24. Neal Pultz/Wyatt Pultz
25. Marty Adrian/ Joey Adrian
26. Jason Renfro/Rick Anderson
27. Dave Roper/David


Total Fish = 91
Total Weight = 164.37
Big Fish = 5.78 (Mike Baisdon)

Daniel and I talk frequently about what it takes to do well at this tournament.  One particular variable always comes up as a topic.  What is it?  A big kicker fish.  What is it?  That one fish that is just bigger than your cookie cutter keepers.  In the gear world, one would aim to have a bag of fish that are all big and not have any of these cookie cutter fish.  In the fly world and our experiences in the fly tournaments, one or two of these kicker fish will put you up in the standings.  Simply put, one more kicker fish easily would've bumped us up to 3rd place.  This year's tournament really hammered this idea home.  15 teams had 5 fish limits.  What separated all these teams was the presence of one or two kicker fish.  Just a thought but one that seems to hold true in these tournaments.  

Anyway, in local news, the topwater bite is starting to gear up into full swing.  We've seen a lot of warmer weather these days and that should increase the big topwater blow-ups.  The local farm ponds have been extra kind to us lately and have been producing some big bass.  There's just nothing quite like a having a big bass explode on a deer hair diver!  



Lastly in the bass related news, we're hoping to have the balsa wood tying video done here soon.  This is a project that has been put on hiatus due to many other life obligations.  We also wanted to deliver a kick ass video, so instead of just throwing out a mediocre version we decided to hold off and produce something better.  We like to keep our videos fresh and not just the same thing over and over.  What this means is hopefully we'll get some awesome bass explosions caught on film to pair with the tying segment.  Stay tuned and hopefully that video will be out there soon!


Stay fly,
T

  

Hogan's Red Headed Step Child

It's been awhile since I've done just a photo tying segment, so I thought I'd share another one.  Hogan Brown's Red Headed Step Child is a pattern I recently started tying and let's just say the first drift I made with it got a fish.  Not designed to really resemble anything, this fly is a great attractor pattern and works simply on the premise that it is different.  It's a good pattern to tie on when the ol' PT isn't getting the job done.  I prefer the smaller ones (#16's/#18's) and think if you add only a few to your box those sizes are the ticket.  Anyway, here it goes!

Materials:
Hook:  TMC 3769 (Size of choice, the one in the example is an #18)
Thread:  8/0 Brown
Head:  Czech Glass Bead (11/0  Red Seed bead Silver Lined)  (These can be found at craft stores for super cheap and in high quantities)
Tail:  4/5 PT fibers
Rib:  Red Wire, Small
Thorax:  Peacock Herl
Wing Case:  Pearlescent Flat Tinsel
Legs:  Red Krystal Flash
Finish:  Clear Cure Goo Hydro

1.  Insert hook w/ bead into the vise and tie in the PT fibers.  The fibers should extend about 1/2 shank length.



2.  Tie in the wire rib on the far side of the hook.



3.  Advance the wire rib forward.  On a #18, 3 wraps is sufficient to maintain the right proportion.


4.  Tie in the pearl tinsel directly on top of the shank.


5.  Tie in the peacock herl and wrap forward to create the thorax.  (One bushy herl is enough for a #18)


6.  Using the figure 8 method, tie in two strands of krystal flash.  (With a smaller fly, try and minimize thread wraps from here on out in order to not crowd the head)


7.  Pull over the pearl tinsel, tie it off, and whip finish.


8.  Trim off the pearl tinsel and krystal flash legs.  And you're done!  (The legs should extend just about to the beginning of the hook bend)


This is a great little pattern and I've started to incorporate some things from it to other patterns.  I'm hoping to share a few of those tweaks in the near future!

Stay fly,

T

2013 Thus Far

So far the new year hasn't rung in too many good days on the water.  Utilizing the catalog of information in my brain on certain spots hasn't worked that well this year.  I'm choosing to blame it on the usual suspects (i.e. flows, weather, conditions, lack of skills, etc.).  Anyway, that leads me to my next point.  When conditions are tough, its a great time to scope out other areas and build upon that catalog of information.  Despite the fact I personally haven't had any truly great days on the water yet, I can say that I have fished a lot of different water.  This includes places where I have never been before or have only fished once prior.  That's also the beauty of the sport.  Having a great day but not catching a single fish is still very enjoyable if it's spent on great water with good friends.  Exploration and the search will always keep me thirsty.  Here are some photos from the beginning of the year.

When things are slow, its also a great time to hit the vice.  Whether it be new patterns to try or just restocking, time at the vice can be enjoyable.   

Daniel and I have been working on some more tying videos as well.  In case you haven't seen the latest two, here they are:
The CCG Egg


The Dead Drift Crayfish


We're working on some killer bass stuff and should have a new one out there just in time for topwater season!  Stay tuned...

As always.....get out there and explore!

Stay fly, 

T

A Day with Capt. Dan Blanton

Almost two years ago I had won a guided trip on the CA Delta with Capt. Dan Blanton. For various reasons; whether it be weather or his busy guiding schedule, the trip hadn't happened until last month. This season, he decided to quit guiding and just enjoy the fishing. For some reason decided he still had an obligation to a few people to take em out and I was one of the lucky ones. For those of you that dont know who Dan Blanton is, just Google it. The man is like the godfather of striper fishing out here on the CA Delta. He runs a very popular forum here, and hosts/organizes StriperFest each year to raise thousands of $$ to protect the CA Delta striped bass.

For those of you that haven't been out on the CA Delta, or even those who have, it can be very overwhelming. I mean the place can get you lost, spun around, bass-ackwards, and not to mention get you run over by a Japanese barge rolling in to port at any time. Its crazy and definitely nice to learn a bit about the place from someone who has fished there for 40+ years.

To the day. I met Blanton at his skiff at the Sugar Barge around 7, and he was there already getting things ready. We headed out to the main channel of the San Joaquin and at his first spot we were going to hit up was already taken. Go figure as we roll up the guy is throwing top water spooks and bam catches a 17 lber! I was like this is going to be a good day. We move on to the next spot and the fog is really moving in. First few casts and pow a nice 4 lber. from there we landed a few more and the by that time the tide was slackining and fishing got tough. We headed from spot to spot til about 5, each landing around a half dozen keeper stripers and about the same LMB. Cant say the fishing was great but the time learning about the amazing fishery and techniques are invaluable things that will lead to great days in the future I'm sure. Thanks Dan and can't wait to get back out there. I've been hearing the bigger fish are moving in. Here are a few pics from the day..Stay Fly! D

End of the Season

As I'm sitting here writing this, the date is October 31st, 2012. The Giants just won the World Series and I'm waiting to hand out candy to trick or treeters. Although this day is just Halloween for most, those that fly fish in the Central Valley of California know this day also as the last day of the season. The decimated population of local salmon that call these rivers home is the reason for this. In the fall these fish are called back to the river in which they were born to spawn and then die. This is a good closure and allows these salmon to not be disturbed, albeit tough for those who fish these rivers frequently. This two month break allows us to spend some time at the vise, restock the fly boxes, and check out other fishing opportunities. It is also a time to reflect and look back on the year. I, along with those I fished with, had a remarkable season on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced rivers. The trout fishing was excellent and we were even met with a few river stripers. It was also a definite big fish year with many fish at or above the proverbial 20" mark. Still looking for Hog Johnson though! I know I'll find him one of these days on one of these rivers. Anyway, I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story from this year! Hopefully next year can match the one we had this year!

The GSF Fly Tying Series Vol. 2 - The Tickler

This one goes out to all the swingers! Well.....those that swing the FLY to be specific. With this edition of our Fly Tying Series we decided to go with a pattern for anadromous oncorhynchus mykiss. Yes, that means steelhead! I've become hooked on swinging for steelhead (and trout for that matter) this past year and wanted to highlight a pattern for the swing. After coming across Rich Zellman's Tickler, I knew I had found a pattern I wanted to do for this series. The Tickler is an intruder-style fly, but utilizes some different materials and techniques that I had never seen used in this capacity. It's a fun fly to tie, albeit complex, but definitely worth it! This fly has met many winter steelhead face-to-face and elicited a grab. The color scheme in the original pattern is a black/blue/pink combo, but can easily be changed to suit any tyer's desire. I tied a black/chartreuse combo that I think looks absolutely killer too. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this video! Thanks for watching! Tie up a few ticklers and swing them this winter! I know I will.

Stay Fly,
T



Materials

Shank: Waddington Shank, size 35mm or Salmon/Steelhead hook (like Tiemco 7999 or Alec Jackson), size 2/0 cut and straightened

Hook: Owner SSW, size 2

Connection: Econoflex Craft & Beading Wire, 20lb, midnight black

Thread: Black

Butt: Ice Dub UV fluorescent hot pink dubbing ball

Rear collar: Black turkey flat

Tail: Black ostrich herl

Body: Fluorescent cerise Krystal Flash for the rear 3/4 and STS Trilobal Kingfisher blue dubbing ball for the front 1/4

Hackle: Black pheasant tail, stripped off of the stem and palmered

Shoulder: Fluorescent blue ostrich herl over fluorescent blue turkey flat

Collar: Fluorescent blue guinea

Wing: Pair of fluorescent blue grizzly saddle tips

Topping flash: Light blue Flashabou #6915

Eyes: Large lead eye dumbbells

Head Cement: Clear Cure Goo Thin

The GSF Fly Tying Series Vol. 1 - The Wedding Veil

Recently, Daniel and I decided to embark on a new project involving filming new and proven patterns in an entertaining way. Most fly tying videos can be somewhat boring and strictly informative. We decided to try and break this mold by producing videos that stay informative but also are entertaining to watch. The fly we chose to kick off this series is the Wedding Veil, created by Thomas Harvey. This pattern is deadly in the water and is sure to bring in some nice bass. This fly also highlights some newer products, such as the Clear Cure Eyes. These eyes are weightless and constructed like traditional dumbbell lead eyes, but obviously without the weight of lead. Because of this design they are also far superior to regular stick on eyes due to the fact they won't fall off. One of the other key points to make about this fly is its customizability. The original pattern calls for a zonker strip for a tail but many different materials can be substituted for this. For example, in the video Daniel uses hackle feathers. Anyway, check it out!

 Stay fly,
T

Intro Video



The Wedding Veil