I was looking at Third Coast Fly when I saw this Xtranormal video. How many times have you heard this conversation or similar?
Fly Fishing
Fall Scenes
Fall is a great time to be out on the water. The fishing pressure on rivers and lakes drops as many anglers trade waders for camo and the start of hunting season.
Others simply choose to avoid the cooler temps and occasional gusting winds that can tangle even the best casters.
As hatches become less common and dry fly activity diminishes, nymphs and streamers become more popular. This is a great time to tie on a copper john, hare’s ear or muddler minnow and find out what’s holding in smaller runs and pocket water.
This weekend I caught an 18″ rainbow using a 3-nymph rig comprised of a stonefly, prince, and copper john. It was the copper john that did the trick.
Unfortunately, fall also brings some unwanted species, namely the dreaded leaf fish. Whether it finds you at the end of a dry fly drift or a nymphing lift, it suddenly instills a sense of hope that dissipates just as quickly.
Past experiences have proven that they are easy to catch and release. Luckily, many leaf fish never make it to the net.
Looks like I’m not the only one in the family that thinks about fishing this time of year! Enjoy!
Book Review and Contest: George Douglas’ Fish Like A Guide
When George Douglas sent me a copy of his latest book, Fish Like A Guide, I didn’t know what to expect. I had seen George speak a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed his presentation, but outside of Kype Magazine, I wasn’t familar with his approach to fly fishing or guiding. I’m happy to say that I found the the book to be insightful, educational and enjoyable.
The back cover says that the book “reveals the strategy and advance thought process that provides anglers with a road map to success.” I would agree with this statement, but would add that George provides just as much common sense to his approach to both fly fishing and guiding.
George addresses everything from trip preparation to gauging the impact of weather and water conditions. He also shares the personal rules that have led to his fly fishing success.
For those looking for a practical guide to fly fishing this is a great resource and an easy read.
I enjoyed the book so much that I’m giving away a signed copy to one lucky winner as part of FinFollower’s November email sign up campaign. Everyone joining our email list between October 23, 2010 and December 1, 2010 has a chance to win this great book. Contest rules appear below.
If you don’t want to wait, and want to purchase Fish Like A Guide now, go to this link.
I look forward to seeing more from George and giving away a copy of Fish Like A Guide soon. Conrest rules appear below. Enjoy!
Contest Rules
ELIGIBILITY:
All legal U.S. residents residing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years or older at the closing date of the contest may participate in this contest. By entering a contest on Finfollower.com, you represent that you are either at least 18 years of age. Employees of Finfollower.com, their immediate families and members of their households are not eligible to participate in contests. By registering to win the prize, the winner grants Finfollower.com permission to use his/her name (including screen name) and likeness for advertising and future promotion purposes without additional compensation (except where prohibited by law). Unaccepted prizes may not be awarded at our discretion.
ODDS OF WINNING:
Odds of winning will be determined by the number of entries received.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN CONTESTS:
To enter a contest on Finfollower.com, follow the contest entry instructions as described in the contest announcement.
Finfollower.com is not responsible for errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects in part or whole, delays in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for any technical or non-technical network, telephonic, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, or inaccurate or partial transmission of or failure to receive entry information by Finfollower.com on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, at any web site or any combination thereof. Finfollower.com is not responsible for any injury or damage to entrants or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from playing or downloading any materials in the contest, or for mail-in entries that are lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, altered, illegible or postage-due. All entries become Finfollower.com property and will not be returned. Finfollower.com reserves the right to cancel temporarily or permanently the electronic method of contest entries at our discretion.
Your entry will be disqualified, at the sole discretion of Finfollower.com, if you attempt (i) to enter a contest through any means other than as described in these Official Rules; or (ii) to disrupt the contest, circumvent the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, or in any way tamper with the contest. If either of the above occurs, Finfollower.com reserves the right to remedy any such action, disruption, or circumvention, and to seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law.
CONDITIONS:
By participating in any contests at Finfollower.com, you agree to release and hold Finfollower.com and its directors, officers, employees and agents, and all prize suppliers harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions of any kind in connection with the contest or any product purchased, or resulting from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, including, without limitation, personal injuries, death, and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy, whether suffered by you or a third party. Finfollower.com contests are void wherever prohibited or restricted by law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Finfollower.com and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the contest or these Official Rules. All decisions regarding contests, including, but not limited to, selecting winners, will be made by Finfollower.com, whose decisions shall be final. Winners are solely responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes.
SELECTION OF WINNERS:
Winners will be selected by Finfollower.com, based on criteria described in the contest entry announcement. Finfollower.com retains sole discretion over selection of winners and criteria. The winner will be notified within 30 days of the contest ending date. Finfollower.com reserves the right to modify scheduling of the contest without prior notice. If Finfollower.com determine at their sole discretion that there is any suspected or actual electronic tampering with the giveaway or if technical difficulties compromise the integrity of the giveaway, we reserve the right to void the entries at issue, and/or terminate the giveaway and conduct a random drawing to award prizes using all eligible entries received as of the termination date. Winners may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility within 3 days of notification attempt. Failure to return the affidavit in the time noted will result in disqualification of the entry and the random selection of an alternate winner. Finfollower.com may require winners to provide proof that they are the authorized account holders of the e-mail addresses used to enter the contest. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet service provider, online service provider, or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the e-mail address. Any winner who does not comply with the Official Rules will be disqualified and an alternate winner will be selected. Return of any prize or prize notification as “undeliverable” will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected.
NOTIFICATION:
Prizewinners will be notified by e-mail sent to the e-mail address on the Finfollower.com account (or the e-mail address on the mail-in entry when applicable), and Finfollower.com is under no obligation to notify winners by any means other than e-mail. If a winner’s Finfollower.com profile is no longer active, notification will be sent to the last known e-mail address. If a prizewinner entered by mail, the notification will be sent to the address that was printed on the 3?x 5? piece of paper. Finfollower.com is not responsible for notifications that are misdirected or not received because of e-mail addresses or mailing addresses that are no longer correct. If a potential winner cannot be reached after a reasonable effort has been made during 3 business days from notification attempt, such person may be disqualified, with an alternate winner selected. Any prize notification or prize returned as undeliverable will result in the awarding of that prize to an alternate winner.
REDEMPTION:
Finfollower.com will deliver the prizes as follows: All Prizes. Each prize will be shipped to the appropriate winner’s home address, or delivered to their e-mail address when applicable (as in the case of electronic gift certificates). Prizes are non-transferable and non-assignable and no substitutions or cash equivalents are allowed except by Finfollower.com, who also reserves the right to award a prize of equal or greater value if the advertised prize is unavailable.
LIST OF PRIZEWINNERS:
A list of prize winners will be posted on Finfollower.com. The names, logos, and icons identifying the products and services of Finfollower.com and any other corporations listed in the contest entry page are proprietary marks of their respective owners. Contest rules are subject to change at any time without notice.
Kype On The Road
Had the opportunity to meet George Douglas and to see him speak this evening at Ramsey Outdoor in Succasunna, NJ. George is the editor of Kype Magazine, author of fly fishing books, filmmaker and last but not least, a guide.
Tonight he gave a great presentation, sharing his passion for fly fishing, and showing a variety of film clips featuring some of the best fishing in the country for trout, steelhead and salmon.
He shared strategies and techniques for landing trophy fish, and discussed solutions to common mistakes.
For those of you that can make it, George will be in Harrisburg on the 6th and Pittsburgh on the 7th. Check with your local fly shop for details. Enjoy!
DVD Review: The Lost World of Mr. Hardy
When I was contacted by Nick of Truffle Pig Films and asked to comment on The Lost World of Mr. Hardy, my first question was, ” Can I get a copy?”
After all, it would be hard to do a proper review without seeing the movie. My request was honored by Director Andy Heathcote, who kindly offered to send a copy for review.
While I waited for it to arrive, I reviewed the press kit and extra scenes.
This past weekend the DVD arrived, so I placed it in the player and begin to watch the intriguing Hardy story unfold in a series of interviews, vintage photographs, and archived footage.
The Lost World of Mr. Hardy is a refreshing break from today’s fly fishing videos, which often consist of a machine-gun series of clips punctuated by speed metal music.
Instead this movie tells a very real story at an entertaining pace. It chronicles the rise and fall of a family business that focused on producing quality tackle, stayed close to the needs of the customer, and always strived to build a better product. As someone says during the movie, “They built their name on perfection.”
Hardy’s attention to detail was so well known that Prince Charles requested two of their older reels as a wedding gift. Author Zane Grey also asked that Hardy produce a special big game reel, allowing them to license his name.
And while most of us are familiar with the Hardy rods used for trout and salmon fishing, big game fish such as marlin, tarpon, sailfish and sharks have all been caught on Hardy reels.
Hardy also did a great job with flies. One of the more interesting vintage clips is an interview with Tommy Weber, a Hardy fly tier. At the time of the interview he had worked for the company for 45 years. He tied flies for Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, and a number of other luminaries.
At one point there were almost 90 fly tiers on staff. Boys and girls would come in at age 14 and begin a 5-year apprenticeship. No flies made by first-year students were sold. Instead their flies were cut down and the hooks reused.
The chance to improve production capabilities led the Hardy team to build a new factory. The cost of he new factory, combined with the introduction of inexpensive African imports ultimately led to the demise of Hardy’s fly tying operation.
In addition to producing a line of unparalleled products, the Hardys were expert marketers, realizing early on the importance of fly fishing clubs and distributing catalogs with pre-paid envelopes for orders. In 1925, they were producing films to show dealers the capabilities of Hardy products.
In the early 1960’s, Hardy was facing tough economic times and sold out to Jim Miller, a private investor. He introduced new developers and new markets. Hardy became one of the first companies to work with carbon fiber.
Ironically, Jim Hardy admits that they actually made inferior fiberglass rods. As he put it “We wanted the public to think that if Hardy can’t build a decent fiberglass rod, there can’t be anything good in fiberglass.”
Later Hardy would make the transition from a manufacturing-led business to a sales and marketing company. Today, less than 5% of Hardy rods are made in England. Cane rods are now seen as an niche product and not an integral part of the business.
Just like the Hardy products, Andy Heathcote got this one right. If you have a chance to pick up a copy, do so. The DVD can be found on The Lost World of Mr. Hardy site.
Enjoy!
Leigh