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Banquet Update

Brian Horsley and Sarah Gardner will speak at 2010 Annual Spring Banquet

Mark Your Calendars!!

The day seminar and evening banquet will be on March 6, 2010 at Heritage Hill Banquet Facility on N. Church Street (directions). Seminar and program details will follow soon.

Brian Horsley and Sarah Gardner know:

• Albacore, bluefish, stripers, redfish, cobia, speckled trout, sharks, Spanish mackerel, tuna, sailfish and amberjacks like most of us know our immediate family. Maybe better.
• Hidden channels to places in the Pamlico backcountry that others can't get to or find.
• Sunken German U-boats and lost schooners loaded with knuckle-busting amberjacks.
• How to interpret a fish-finder screen with clairvoyant powers.
• What it's like to be the first saltwater fly fishing guide in North Carolina.
• How to cast a throw net.
• How to land a 200-pound blue marlin on a fly rod.
• How to run the Oregon Inlet bar in big water.
• Southern hospitality.
• How to spin a yarn or two. Or three. And when to listen.
• How to evaluate a fly rod and provide valuable design input.
• How to swing a hammer, grow a garden and fry a mean Spanish mackerel.
• How to spend 300 days a year on the water and be excited about every single one.
• How to find the best sushi joint in the South.
• Secret surf breaks where you can ride a longboard in solitude and find big winter stripers from the beach.
• How to read the Outer Banks beaches, birds, tides and wind.

Adapted from Sageflyfish.com, Catalog Stories “Outer Banks Waterman”

More than anything, Brian and Sarah know their water and how to enjoy it. Fortunately for us, nothing makes them happier than sharing the fun.

Sarah Gardner:

• She can cast farther than most people with her left hand.
  She's right-handed.
• She guides well over 200 trips a year and still has a normal life.
• She's an IGFA world record holder several times over.
• She frequently finds fish when others can't.
• She has redfish, stripers, trout, blues and albacore at her doorstep on North Carolina's famed Outer Banks.
  Her wedding was on the water, and she arrived by boat.
• She has a family that's encouraged her obsession from day one.
• Mother Nature is her boss.
• She drives a gorgeous yellow Jones Brothers boat to work each day.
• On vacation, she travels the world to fish, of course.

She's such a humble person and patient guide, you'd never know any of this until you've spent some time with her. And by then, you'll probably wish you could be Captain Sarah, too.

Adapted from Sageflyfish.com, Catalog Stories “Why We’d Like to Be Sarah Gardner”

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Some Ideas for Beginning Fly Tyers:

Part 1, Midge Nymphs

The brutal cold weather we’ve been enduring has officially launched the fly tying season for me. I want to avoid being outside at all costs, except, perhaps, for bringing in more firewood. Tying classes are usually offered at this time of year because beginning tyers can start filling their fly boxes in anticipation of decent fishing weather to come. Those starting out at the vise soon learn that tying expands their participation in the sport, even if they aren’t actually fishing. In lieu of actual tying classes, I’m offering some advice to those starting out at the bench as well as those who still regard themselves as beginners. With all there is to learn, that doesn’t leave out too many of us. My goal is to give you a few simple and effective patterns to tie and fish.

While mayfly and stonefly nymphs are present in our mountain streams through the colder months, the predominant food forms available to the trout this time of year are midges. There are literally hundreds of midges for every larger insect. This is a double blessing in disguise. On one hand, using a midge imitation puts a familiar food form in front of the fish. On the other, because midges are so small, the dressings are simple and quick to tie. Simple flies that catch fish, I’m all for it!

Midge larvae look like tiny, thin worms: no appendages and in the absence of a low power lens, no discernable head either. The pupae, the form which interests me most as a fisherman, has an enlarged thorax that contains the developing wings and legs of the adult. All we fishermen can see is one end of the body is wider than the other. There’s not much to look at in any case.

My experience indicates that black and gray midges are important to the fish. Those of you who fish the Holston during the winter are familiar with the importance of black midges. Black is an excellent color for Helton Creek as well. I have found the gray to be important on the Watauga and fish both colors everywhere in the winter.

Start by putting a size 18 hook in the vise; I like the curved scud hooks but regular dry fly hooks work fine. For the black midge, use black tying thread and fine silver wire as the ribbing. Wind the thread down the hook to end of body position and tie in the wire. Build a thin, even body back up the shank with the tying thread (leave yourself about one-quarter of the shank for the thorax). Rib the body with the wire. Lightly dub a black thorax (any kind of black fur or dubbing will do). That’s all there is to it. This fly with a gold or black beadhead is called a Zebra midge, probably arising from the alternating dark/bright of the abdomen. I also tie it with a bead, which must be slipped onto to the hook before mounting the hook in the vise. Both variations work well. I have heard some people tie it down to a twenty-two but the eighteen works fine for me.

Tying tip: I have found craft shops to be excellent sources of fine diameter wire in brass (gold) and silver finishes at lower prices than you can find in fly shops. You can cut old electrical cords into ten to twelve inch sections for a ready supply of fine copper wire. Placing a drop of head cement on your fingertip and running any wire through it before tying in will delay discoloration of the wire.

The gray variation is so simple most people look at it and turn away, thinking it will never work. The materials are gray thread, silver wire ribbing, muskrat underfur and short fibered peacock herl. I use a number sixteen or eighteen hook. Bring the thread to end of body position as above, tie in the wire and dub a thin body to the thorax position. Rib over the fur. Tie in a thin piece of peacock herl to build up a thorax, and you’re done. Again, you can add a bead if you wish. On an autumn trip to the Watauga several years ago, I thought I had stumbled onto a secret killing pattern until I realized I had simply imitated a gray midge pupa. This pattern was described by Ed Koch in his book “Fishing the Midge,” in which he calls it a “caddis midge nymph.” Call it what you want, it’s easy to tie and it works.

The key to fishing these flies is to use a careful and systematic approach. Fish them on a short line to keep in touch with the flies. My preference is to fish them close to the bottom so added weight on the leader about eight to ten inches above the fly may be in order. You can use a strike indicator if you want. Just remember to wade carefully and fish each piece of water systematically so you present the flies to any fish willing to eat. Strike back to any interruption of the drift: strike first and ask questions later!

Success on the stream will quickly teach you that tying effective flies doesn’t require spending hundreds of dollars amassing a fly shop’s worth of materials. Start with a reasoned approach and stick with it.

Next installment: herl-bodied nymphs.

Jim Brady

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