by Steven Flanagan

For those of you interested in fly tying, there are two events early this year.

The first event is a brand new tying event called the "Texoma Tie-In" that the Red River Fly Fishers Club is hosting on January 27, 2007, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This fly tying event will be held at Eisenhower State Park on the shores of Lake Texoma. More info is located at rrf.org/9.html.

The second fly tying event is the Texas Fly Fishers 15th Annual Fly Tying Festival, which is put on by the Houston “Texas Fly Fishers” club. It will be held on February 3, 2007, in the gymnasium of the Bethany Christian Church, located between Eastside St. and Bammel Ln. on Westheimer Rd. in Houston Texas. This is next to Lamar High School. The admission fees to this event are $10.00 for adults, $14.00 family, $8.00 students, & $5.00 seniors over 62. Children under 12 are admitted free. They have confirmed that Boyd Pfeiffer, author of many fishing and fly tying books will be the featured tier! Another featured tier this year will be Ken Iwamasa, author of the book Iwamasa Flies. I am much more familiar with this tying show because it features Texas tiers and will have approximately 60 tiers demonstrating. In the past the following AFF tiers have tied in this show: Bud Priddy, Pete Jones, Dudley Sanford, David Young, Bill Slough, Lefty Ray Chapa and me. This will be my fourteenth (14th) consecutive appearance in this show and Lefty Ray has been back six or seven times. I can highly recommend attending this show because you will have the opportunity to see many top tiers; it should be noted that Texas is blessed with many major award winning tiers. You will be able to see flies demonstrated for fresh water, salt water, bass, pan fish, and everything in between. When asked why I like to participate as a tier in this and other shows, I always respond with the truth--which is that I get the chance to see the best tiers around demonstrating what they do best, and I have always been able to stay on the cutting edge when learning from these very talented individuals. I never leave a show without learning several tricks/techniques that will help my tying. This would be a great event for several of you to car pool to and see for yourself. It is the closest thing to a conclave that Texas has at the moment and the Houston club members are tremendous hosts! See the following link for more details: texasflyfishers.org/TFF/FTF.htm. See you there, Steve

(Editors Note: This information was originally created for a specific trip to the Port Aransas North Jetty but is mostly applicable elsewhere. We still have some time before the Tarpon head south for the winter!)

Solunar and Tide tables can prove to be useful companions as you venture through the waters of Texas. In theory, each of these tools has their own way of letting us know when it is prime time to hunt the fish. Through my own experiences, the tables are fairly effective, if you are able to learn how to combine their findings with other factors as well. Most anglers have at least heard of these tables, but only a few know how to use them effectively. Through this article, I hope to add a small gleam of light to this mystery so that you may begin to experiment and understand these tables.

One of the biggest enemies of fly anglers in saltwater is a quiet and patient killer. No, it’s not the sharp toothed monsters that patrol the waters…it is the water itself and the salty air, and their effects on our gear. The opponent is corrosion.

Corrosion occurs when bare metal (such as commonly used aluminum) is exposed to salt water, or when two dissimilar metals contact each other in the saltwater (serving as an electrolyte). The latter causes electrolysis to occur, creating a battery between the two metals, creating the removal of molecules from one metal and a buildup of molecules on the other. The result is an unsightly bulge on one metal that can build up and actually bend the other metal. This usually occurs in reels, since screws, gears and the like are typically made of a different metal than the reel’s frame.

Over the past few years, anglers have seen a new revolution in the production of fishing lines. We have seen the massive introduction of “super” lines, fusion lines, fluorocarbon lines, and hybrid lines to the shelves of our local sports stores, as replacements for the old stand-by we had gotten used to. Now a stroll through the fishing line isle is enough to get your head spinning as you glance through the brands, types and strengths. For fly fisherman, the choices are narrowed a bit for leader and tippet materials, but options still remain. This month’s article will focus on two of the most common options: nylon monofilament and fluorocarbon.

There are some fly fishers that cringe when they hear the word “nymphing,” because of the sophisticated and difficult mystique that surrounds this form of fly fishing. The truth is, by keeping a few basic concepts and techniques in mind, this form of fishing can be fairly simple and extremely rewarding. In this article, I will attempt to shed some light onto the art of nymphing by describing the flies and equipment used, along with a few of the more common nymphing techniques and tips.

Flies

Nymph fishing is a fly fishers way of imitating the underwater life that fish often feed on. Many people claim that nearly 90 percent of a fish’s diet is made up of subsurface meals. Logic would conclude that by imitating these underwater creatures, a fisherman can easily increase their catch. There are probably a thousand varieties of nymphs, designed to imitate any number of aquatic critters. Some of the more familiar nymph patterns are the Prince, Hare’s Ear, Pheasant Tail, Brassie, and the Scud. These flies are designed to mimic a specific type of subaquatic insect or immature version of other insects. To help you select fly patterns that will be most effective, you should familiarize yourself with the local waters. It may be much more important to match the size and color of the insects than to match the type exactly. Nymphs are usually tied in earth tone colors. You will see a lot of brown, olive, tan, and black nymphs. A great deal of nymphs are tied with peacock herl to add a bit of iridescence to the fly. Most nymphs can be tied in unweighted or weighted versions, often with a bead head. Sizes of nymphs can vary between a size 2 and a size 20, but most are usually tied in the size 12 to size 18 range. The size of your nymph will depend on the size and stage of the insects you are mimicking. It always helps to go to your local fishing hole and turn over a few rocks and see what you find.

As I write this article, I can’t help but think of the freezing rain that I found covering my truck this morning as winter takes one last poke at our fishing time. It is hard to imagine that the time has come once again when “warm water” fishing begins to ignite. This is the time of year many anglers look forward to, as the well-known white bass begins its annual ritual, and our club does the same, with a trek to Colorado Bend in search of memorable fishing days. For those who have never attended the annual White Bass Bonanza, it is highly recommended. Through this article, I hope to enlighten first timers on productive methods for catching this species. I owe several people for the knowledge I have gained, but mostly Clay Gill, Bruce Young, and Jon King, who helped to produce great results on last year’s (my first) trip. Now to the lesson…

A common misconception surrounding fly fishing is that it is only a sport for the more affluent members of society. Outsiders often see price tags associated with some of the premium gear and assume that the sport is far beyond their price range. The fact of the matter is that the sport of fly fishing and the selection of gear can be customized to fit nearly any price range, no matter how large or small. This article will focus on the ranges of gear that can be acquired and how the typical angler can shave some of the cost off of their fly fishing arsenal. It will be broken into equipment categories so that you can easily see where your greatest savings can occur. Much of the advice below comes from steps I have taken to slowly enter into this magnificent sport on a not so flexible budget.