FinFollower

The Sage Dart Hits A Bullseye

October 6, 2018 by Leigh Leave a Comment

I’m always excited to see a package on the doorstep with a return address from Sage and RIO. It usually has some of the latest products inside and an offer to test them.

I was pleasantly surprised to open this box and find a new Sage Dart 3wt rod, Sage Click reel and RIO Creek fly line. Ever since I saw the Dart I’ve been wanting to give it a try, and the timing couldn’t be better.

I live in New England. The recent rains have pushed some of the larger rivers to relatively high water levels, and small streams have been looking more attractive.

The Sage Dart is a great choice for small streams. I am testing the 3-piece 7’6″ 3wt.

If you’ve read any of my prior reviews, you know that I typically test the product outside the intended use. This review is no exception. While I used it for small stream trout, it was also tested on my local bass pond.

To complement the Dart, I received a Sage Click reel along with RIO Creek line, which is specifically made for small streams. Sage reels are always light and dependable, and I’ve been using RIO lines for some time.

The first day of testing began on the Farmington River. Almost immediately I caught a juvenile smallmouth on a nymph. It was good to feel a fish on the line, but the winds picked up and I wanted to use this rod for what it was intended for – dry flies and small streams. We packed up and I started thinking about where to go next.

Five minutes from my house is a small stream that runs thru town. It is stocked lightly in the spring, but by late summer holds few remaining trout and it is mostly dominated by panfish. It was a longshot, but turned out to be the right decision.

I tied on a small caddis dry and started catching panfish. Nothing of size, but it gave me the opportunity to cast to different targets. I’m pleasantly surprised by the distance and accuracy you get from the 7’6″ 3wt Dart. For such a light rod, it shot much more line than I expected. The RIO Creek line delivered the fly softly to the surface and did not spook the other fish.

On one cast I had an interested follower that looked like it might be a trout, but it quickly turned away.

I dropped down to a size 2o midge, and this brown appeared. As is typical, he refused the fly 3 times before turning and crushing it on the surface.

The second outing I took the Dart to a local bass pond.

It was a beautiful fall day and I decided to tie on a size 10 baby complex twist bugger from Fly Fish Food.

I cast from the dock into the glassy water. Within minutes I had this perch on the line.

Followed by this juvenile largemouth bass.

Even though the Dart is a 3wt, it provided enough backbone to cast a size 10 streamer 60 ft, and pull in this bass with no issue. Again, I really like the smoothness and distance of cast with the RIO line.

What I like about this combo:

Casting is effortless – it is a very light rod and I was happily surprised by the distance you can get with the Dart
The Click reel felt like it was made for this combo, smooth and light
RIO Creek small stream line was perfect for small streams – loaded well at close range but has enough body for casts beyond 50 feet

The bottom line: If you’re a small stream enthusiast, give the Sage Dart a test. It is an excellent dry fly rod, and worked well with small nymphs and streamers.

If you’d like to check out other review on these products, see below:

Sage Dart Fly Rod Review

HATCH Magazine Review

Link to the RIO Creek line video.

Note: I received a Sage Dart rod, Sage Click reel and RIO Creek line to test, but no compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Enjoy!

CFFCM Summerfest 2018 – Plan B

August 5, 2018 by Leigh 4 Comments

The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum’s Summerfest is always a great way to spend a day or two in late summer. The property has a field filled people casting, fly fishing vendors and those who just want to enjoy a day outside in the Catskills. There are a number of programs and events. CFFCM also has a museum and art gallery/event center.

I’ve been a few times and written about it before. Here are a few of my past CFFCM Summerfest posts:

Catskills Fly Fishing Center & Museum Summerfest 2015

Catskill Museum of Fly Fishing Summerfest

A Day in the Catskills with Walt from Rivertop Rambles

The museum has plenty of items on exhibit, including flies, rods, books, signs and other related items.

There’s also an adjacent space that pays tribute to Lee & Joan Wulff. Joan is still involved with the museum, and on occasion gives casting lessons.

Every time I visit there is something new to see. This year a Gyotaku exhibit caught my eye.

It has almost become an annual pilgrimage, usually topped off with some end of day fishing with my friend Walt Franklin and his wife Leighanne. Walt writes the blog RiverTop Rambles, which I would recommend adding to your reading list.

Unfortunately, this was not going to be a fishing trip. Rains came thru the night before, leaving most of the rivers, including the Willowemoc, the color and consistency of chocolate milk.

In essence, the fishing license I purchased for the trip was little more than a contribution to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

So with a couple of hours on our hands before we headed in opposite directions, we discussed what the best non-fishing options might be. We were also pretty hungry and thirsty.

The Roscoe Beer Company turned out to be a great Plan B.

Not too far from CFFCM, Roscoe Beer Co. is pet-friendly, and has a good bar menu for hungry anglers. They have several craft beers on tap. The growler of stout went down nicely while we had lunch on the back lawn and caught up.

In addition to blogging, Walt is a gifted writer. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of his latest book, Streamwalker’s Journey. The essays in Streamwalker’s Journey are a celebration of the fly fishing life, with a focus on the triple divide of watersheds in north-central PA and upstate New York. His books are listed on the Rivertop Rambles web site, and I’ve always enjoyed his writing.

So how do I judge a good trip these days? See the pic below. Tippet had a full day of sightseeing and making new friends. It was a quiet ride home.

Hope your summer includes some opportunities to get out and share fly fishing with others. Enjoy!

Nothin’ But Gnat – An Evening On The Housatonic

June 8, 2018 by Leigh Leave a Comment

My first trip of the year to the Housatonic River is a mix of anticipation and trepidation. The hour long ride through northwest Connecticut is relaxing, and the back roads remind me what a beautiful state this is. The scenery becomes lush and canopied, and the car’s outside temperature gauge drops by a few degrees. For the last few miles, the road parallels the river, adding to the beauty and the temptation. On days when I am unable to fish, I sometimes take my motorcycle along the same route.

Stepping out of the car onto the dirt parking area, the air is crisp and filled with the scent of local flowers. You can feel the mist of the river. Aside from the river sounds it is peacefully quiet – a much appreciated benefit after a long week.

And while I usually wait until late spring, when the water flow and air temps are reasonable, it doesn’t always translate into a fish catching expedition. Tonight I was in luck. The thermometer read high 60’s, light winds successfully carried a sulphur hatch, and I was greeted by hungry brown trout, compliments of the state’s stocking program.

Stepping into waist-deep water, sporadic rises surrounded me. I tied on the small yellow and white dry fly and proceeded to catch about a dozen 12″ – 14″ brown trout over the 2-hour session, all eager for my pattern.

This was truly a one-fly night. All fish were caught on this sulphur gnat pattern, the same one I teach in my beginner fly tying class. I want to than Jim Misiura for this pattern, and encourage you to follow his channel on YouTube.

Best of all, I had the water to myself for the entire time. An increasing rarity as the weather becomes more favorable.

I look at the picture below much like a kid walking through the gates leaving Disney World. Sad to see it end, but happy for the day and the memories made.

Hope you have the chance to get out and make some memories. Enjoy!

A Night for Bass

May 27, 2018 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Spring has taken its sweet time coming to the northeast. Between cold, rain and most recently tornadoes, there has been little time to fish.

After a full day of playing catch up on yard work and chores, I had roughly 2 hours to fish. Traveling to a decent trout stream would take about half of that window. Yet 10 minutes away is a relatively shallow pond loaded with hungry bass that see little pressure. Decision made.

And it was the right one. I quickly loaded the kayak on to the rack and within minutes was on the water. Only one other kayak angler in sight, and he was at the opposite side. Almost no wind, water like glass and the sun starting to set behind the trees. Perfect.

I pulled an unlikely candidate from the box – a nondescript white balsa popper. It wasn’t a high confidence fly. I’ve been far more successful here with streamers. I tied it on planning to switch it out shortly.

I was wrong. For the next two hours I consistently caught 1-2 lb. largemouth bass (and lost a few 3-4 lb. bass) on the same popper.

Slowly paddling 20 feet from the bank, I plucked bass from small coves 4-6 feet in width, often canopied by brush just one to two feet above the water. They ran, tugged, jumped and shook, ultimately posing for a quick photo or an equally fast release.

I used a sidearm cast – not my most graceful, but I have low expectations for popper presentations anyway.

By the end of the night I landed about a dozen, and a handful of panfish as well. Kudos to the white balsa popper.

I loaded the kayak and took one last look at the pond, happy to live in a country that allows this type of access for all Americans, and grateful to the men and women who served to keep it this way.

Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Weekend!

Renewal

December 31, 2017 by Leigh 1 Comment

It’s 11 degrees outside as I write this last post of 2017. The pellet stove runs nonstop. Tippet wears a sweater and completes her outside breaks in record time. I’m usually covered in some combination of wool, down and fleece before I step outside. In short, winter is here.

The amount of daylight is much too brief, but I’m told we’re gaining a few minutes each day.

Many of the ponds and lakes are now home for ice fishing shacks or hockey rinks.

Small streams aren’t in much different shape. Large rivers are lined with ice shelves.

My canoe and kayaks sit snow-covered and idle, waiting for spring.

IG pics appear showing large pike and musky pulled from under the ice. I spend time restocking my fly box.

Occasionally I’ll get an unexpected surprise, like this documentary film on trout in Mexico, found on my friend Walt’s blog, Rivertop Rambles.

And on some days I hike along the frozen banks, remembering what was and looking forward to next season. After all, this is the time for nature to replenish resources and renew the beauty that awaits us in the spring. For most of us, it can’t come too soon.

Hope this past year was a great one. May 2018 bring you and your family the best. Enjoy!