Specials and Stories

Fly Fishing for Snook on Sanibel Island. Still good

2010-07-28T20:36:29-04:00

Jordan .. sure . i am glad to offer some info about florida trip

I had read in Maizlers "Fishing Florida Flats " about beach fishing for cruising snook in June and July, so on a recent business trip to Florida I added a weekend so that I could fish 2 sunrises and 2 sunsets for snook in 2 ft of water in low light conditions . I did not know what to expect but was blown away by:

the serenity - i was alone on the beach

the simplicity - sandals, 9ft 8 wt, and camera

the beauty - sunrises and sunsets

numbers of fish - constantly viewed snook cruising in sets of 3 and 4 from 5-9 in the evenings and 5-9 in the mornings

best memory - seeing three 30 inch female snook cruising in the window of a 2 ft wave , casting beyond the next wave and slowly stripping, and seeing the take in the window of that next wave

I fished Sanible Island in Ft Myers Fla and Nokomis Beach in Venice ,Fla

I stayed right on the beach for $50 night - off season rates

I used Flying Fish Outfitters in Nokomis for info , and owners Sean and Julie tied flies - 3 inch long deceivers and referenced hotels for me

One of my best trips and one i hope to repeat each June but due to oil spill I may never get to

Rick Mowrey

Bittner Fine Pens Joins the JP Ross Clan

2010-06-23T15:34:46-04:00

On my last trip to California I decided to take one day to relax. I found myself in a small town called Carmel. Carmel is a beautiful town by the Pacific Ocean. There I stayed for an evening, woke up fairly early and walked the street. Earlier that previous day, I noted a fine pens and stationary shop named Bittner's.

The next day I strolled into the shop, and began to ask questions. What is this? What is this for? Thinking sometimes, how can anyone be so into pens and paper...

Finally I met a man. Mr. Bittner. A tall man with a German accent greeted me with my questions. He was very knowledgeable about his product, and he began to take me on a journey to understand what really goes into a nice fountain pen.

You all have done it... you borrow a pen from a friend, they instantly look at you with caution and tell you how that PEN is very important. You then write with the instrument and you can help but notice the feel and the quality. It is suddenly fun to write. You do your signature, then a quick doodle... about that time the friend asks you for the pen back.

Well that day in the shop I was brought back to a place when I used to own a fly shop and I used to remember spending so much time with clients helping them to decide what fly rod they wanted.

I asked Detlef if he had anything with a cross on it. I explained what I did, and a little about my company. He later showed me a beautiful pen called the Knights Templar.

Needless to say, I walked out that day with a pen and also with some stationary. I will enjoy writing to my customers, and I also will enjoy working with Detlef.

In the coming days you will see some emails from my promoting some of his products. I feel that many of you probably keep journals and also like to write. I wanted to endorse the Bittner Shop. It is a fine place to shop. Please call in to speak to them and tell them JP Ross told you about them.

For more info on Bittner, click here.

Adirondack Exposure shop in Thendara

2010-06-16T21:05:34-04:00

I have known the owner of Adirondack Exposure for many years. Scott is about my age and is very talented. I was very happy to see his shop open up just south of Old Forge on Rte 28. I visited Scott and he was happy to stock our new Book; Adirondack Flies. After talking to Scott, he said that he mostly fishes the Black River. He also said that he mostly posts hatch reports and stream levels on his facebook page. I told him I would let everyone know of this feature of his web site.

At his shop, Scott also sells equipment and Canoes and Kayaks. Be sure to stop in and see him next time you are on your way up North.

See ADK Exposure on Facebook.

new news from Isak... Another day on the Salmon River

2010-04-28T08:28:38-04:00

This last week I was out of school on April break. While most kids watched T.V., played video games, and stayed inside, I fished! On Saturday I went fishing with Gary Bartell on the Mohawk river. After we caught a couple of fish each, we went too a small stream in the Tug Hill area (in case Artie and Jordan are wondering where the stream is, I have memory loss and the only thing that will help me remember is a peace of paper with Benjamen Franklin's face printed on it). Dough conditions were a little cold we managed to catch a few small brown trout on nymph's and streamer's and despite the cold weather I even caught a few fish on dry flies. The next day I went up to the Salmon River with a buddy of mine. We went to Ellis Cove and it was loaded with drop back's. I probably hooked 15 or more fish that day! Out of all of those fish I landed five, three of which were in the mouth and the other two were foul hooked. I landed the first two fish which were foul hooked and then, while casting into a small pool of fish I hooked a seven pound drop-back and after a breaf fight I landed him with the help of a guide. We went to Malinda's fly shop for a break and then went back to fishing. I thought it was ten minutes after we returned to our spot that I hooked another steelhead, this one about five pounds. The way I landed this fish couldn't have been more perfect: I brought the fish to my side and scooped him up much like you would a trout.The third and last fish that I landed that day was also the bigest of the three. I spotted him and made a few casts to him before he took the fly. I faught this fish for about ten minutes and beached him. The guy I was with took some pictures. The fly of the day was a size 12 Chartrus chrystal meth.

The next day I went back to that same stream with Gary and we caught some small Browns on nymph's and streamers, I even caught a small Brooky. Later Kim showed up and we went to another part of the creek where he and Gary caught most of the fish. The next day found! me back on the Salmon River. The fishing was slower but I did manage to catch two steelhead in about an hour of fishing. The first one was a smaller drop-back that I landed before my buddy had even put on his waders (yes, he is older than I). The second fish I hooked was about fourty minutes later and It was about thirteen pounds. While walking around the shallows I spooked him and he went into a deep pool. I gave him about a minute and then started casting to him, and on my second cast he took the bait. I faught him for about twenty minutes and finally I beatched him, a nice 13+ pounder. We later went to the Tressle and the lower fly zone but we didn't land anything.

Saturday was my last trip up to the Salmon River untill Spey nation on June 19 at the Pineville bridge. When we got there the guy told the guy I was with that the fishing was terrible. Well, he was wrong! When I got on top of the bridge at the lower fly zone I could see half a dozen fish. After about an hour I finally landed one on a size ten stonefly, after a fifteen minutes fight it was a nice bright hen. After a few pictures it was released. The next fish I hooked was a colored up drop-back that I landed after a few minutes. About half an hour later on the other side of the bridge I spotted a drop-back in about a fiit of backwater. I casted to that fish and he took the fly, I landed him in under a minute. The next and last fish was hooked below the Church pool. After about ten minutes of chasing her down river I landed a nice twelve pounder that was full of egg's. That was the last steelhead of the trip. Those few days I thought my buddy hooked six fish. The next day was cast and blast! I woke up at three a.m. to go turkey hunting. I was back home around seven thirty because we spooked them. Later thet day my mom took me to the Sauquoit Creek where I caught a few trout on soft hackles the biggest of which was about a 14" wild brown trout.

Tight lines, Isak. K

Ever Hear of a Tiger Trout???

2010-04-26T20:41:07-04:00

Have you ever heard of a tiger trout? I did one day when I was reading an article in an American Angler issue last year. They mentioned that there are tiger trout in NY, Cobleskill Reservoir to be specific. The Cobleskill Reservoir is also mentioned by the NY DEC Fishing Regulations for Schoharie County as the Holding Pond. This seems to be one of the most fished bodies of water in Schoharie County. This pond is stocked with rainbow, brown and tiger trout. The DEC has been stocking 9 to 14 inch brown and rainbow trout for years. In addition, the Coby Fish and Game Club have been stocking 12 to 16 inch tiger trout in the Holding Pond of the Cobleskill Reservoir for the past 9 years. The Coby Fish and Game Club raise money to stock these trout in the Cobleskill Reservoir. They purchase the fish from SUNY Cobleskill School of Agriculture and Natural Resources were they are bred, born and raised in the coldwater fish hatchery. For more information see http://www.cobleskill.edu/academics/agnrschool/fisheries/fishcoldhatchery.asp .

To increase the tiger trout that are stocked in the Holding Pond, donations can be sent to Mr. Joseph Moore, 105 East Street, Cobleskill, NY 12043. Each tiger trout costs $3, so they are looking for $10 donations to earn a button. If you wish to receive a button, please include another dollar to help defray the postage for shipping. When you donate money, please include your name, address, telephone number and email as well as if you would like the button mailed back to you.

Believe it or not tiger trout can but rarely are found in the wild. This hybrid of a brown trout and brook trout is real. It is rare and happens when a male brown fertilizes a brook trout red. There are other mating concerns that occur due to chromosome numbers between the different fish. You can read more about them at American Angler’s web site: http://americanangler.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=911&Itemid=0

The tiger trout is known as an aggressive predator that is used to reduce fish population. I only saw one guy catch a trout at the reservoir. It was a brown trout that had its tail trimmed down. Not sure if the tiger trout were picking on it, but I never seen anything like that before. I understand that the best times to fly fish the Cobleskill Reservoir is from April to very early July, and then again in September. Rumor has it that tiger trout are exceptionally vigorous fighters. The best flies to use when fishing for them are with non weighted and weighted wooly buggers of different colors. My research said that the most successful colors were black and brown.

Two Saturdays ago I decided to drive to the reservoir and try it out. The weather was very changeable. There was everything from cloudy to sunny, rain to snow to ice, in addition it was cold and windy. Wow, I had my long underwear, my neoprene waders, fingerless gloves, hooded winter jacket and anything else I could bring without looking like the Michelin-man. Casting was very interesting. The wind was gusting to approximately 25 mile per hour. I began casting perpendicular to the wind. This seemed to work ok, but no hits or follows. I fished for 2 hours and moved some, but nothing.

I decided to check out a few streams that I saw while driving. So I headed to West Creek, a fishy looking creek that wasn’t very far from the reservoir. In checking out the water I made the mistake of putting my hand in the water to see what insects were active. I identified small mayflies (probably BWOs) and some white and green caddis larva. Once my hand was wet and the water that dripped down my sleeve I began to get cold as the wind and precipitation continued. I fished for a very short while in the creek and then decided to go back after around 2 to the reservoir. This is where I began to see following trout. They would follow my brown or black woolly buggers to the shore and then take off back to where they came from. I wasn’t showing them what they wanted or at the right speed. What was interesting was that I began to see fish jumping out of the water or at least some surface activity. The wind was blowing stuff into the water and the trout were going after it. I wanted to change my reel spool from my intermediate line to my floating line and then a small stimulator pattern. But by now my hand was getting very cold and painful. I don’t think I would even be able to tie on another fly. It was time to go back without any fish but with an interesting adventure researching a new place to fish for a rare fish… the tiger trout.

Tight Lines.... Joe

News from Isak....

2010-04-19T18:46:36-04:00

Out of the slump!

On Sunday I went up to the Salmon river with a guy who I'd fished with before. That day a local guide named Pat let me use one of his spey rod's (a 13 foot custom rod). I was mostly swinging skagit flies on sink tip's that day but at one point I put on a split shot and tried for a drop back steelhead about rod's leanght away. For some reason I casted out a little farther and not happy with my cast I decided to recast. As I picked up to make another cast I felt some weight at the end of the line. Soon I was fighting a steelhead...or so I thought.During the five minute fight it was not until the fish was almost up onto shore that I realized it was anice brown (about six pound's!) Quickly after realizing it was a brown I landed it. It took about a minute to take the hook out and take a few pictures (sorry, not available). The fish took a while to revive but once it was it swam off with no problem.

Until next time tight lines.
Sincerely Isak. K.

Thank Goodness for The Rube!

2010-04-17T12:40:18-04:00

"Ever drove your new custom fly rod tip straight into the ground?" JP took McKenna fly fishing on Sauquoit Creek. The day of roll casting in search of brown trout was not a lucky one. What WAS lucky? J had McKenna testing the new Reuben Wood. As she was walking towards the Creek, she did what many 10 year olds, heck, even adults have done... tip down, drove The Rube straight into the ground. If it'd been any other rod, there would have been many tears to follow. Lucky for her - and for JP, she had the Rube. Why? Fiberglass. The Rube bent ALL the way over... and then sprung right back into place again as though nothing had ever happened. If you haven't gotten the opportunity to fish, or even see for that matter the Reuben Wood... check it out. It's a special limited run fly rod from JP Ross for small stream fly fishing. The Rube (named after the Tug HIll competition fly caster, Reuben Wood; there's a fly named after him as well) ... is a sleek, black, retro 'throw back' to the traditional days of fly fishing... with nickel silver ferrules, it's coupled nicely (thank goodness) with many of today's technology and components. Enjoy The Rube! jprossflyrods.com/reuben wood

JP Ross Launches new book for the season

2010-05-29T20:29:44-04:00

Introduction: I have owned and operated a fly shop and fly rod company for over 10 years, and fished for at least twice that amount of time. In that time I have caught many fish, but there are many things I have not done. I have never caught a brown trout in my home waters over 20 inches, I have not caught a brook trout in the Adirondacks over 2 pounds, and I have never considered myself to be a terribly good fly tier. I have however always enjoyed tying flies, and I more often than not prefer fishing with close friends than fishing alone. Because of my experience owning and operating JP Ross Fly Rods for many years, I have built up an excitement working with different materials. It is because of this excitement and so called understanding of materials that I truly enjoy making flies. This book is intended to do a number of things. It is to inspire others, especially children, to fly fish and create flies. It is to entertain, and bring some awareness to the great fishing in the Adirondacks, and promote preservation of that ecosystem so that the fishing remains great for years to come.

Any experienced fly tier will look at these photos and notice heads that are not tied perfectly, hairs that are out of place or not trimed, and proportions that are not perfect or “by the book.” This was done intentionally. I will never tie the perfect fly, and there are many fly tiers who also tie their heads too big, or tails too long, but those flies still catch fish, and entertain the fly tier. In the end, that’s all that matters to me. Here is an example of the photography and stories in this book. The book is over 90 pages and is full color with spiral binding so the book will lay flat on your fly tying desk.

Peacock & Teal Wet: I remember the Sunday that I tied this fly. I tied it on my favorite hook, the TMC 200R. I prefer this hook for all my wet flies and my streamers because of the slight bend to the hook and also the straight eye. I just finished reading Favorite Flies and their Histories by Mary Orvis Marbury, and I realized that I did not have a feather wing wet fly in my arsenal. I had no reason to tie this fly other than for looks, but later found that it worked very well on the West Canada Creek Trophy Section; especially in the hole just below Cincinnati Creek Junction.This fly is tied with teal feathers and a peacock underbody. I believe that striped materials accentuate movement. Perhaps that is why a dry fly tied with grizzly hackle or a wet fly palmered with a grizzly hackle tends to look blurry. With this in mind I chose the teal flank feather for the wing on this fly. I also like how the teal barbules have a slight curve to them, similar to the Tiemco 200R hook. You will also notice the hot orange band on the head of this fly. This added color helps you track the fly in tea stained water and also is reminiscent of the old streamers tied by Carry Stevens in Rangley Maine.

BUY NOW $24.95.

"Do you know how to PANGA?"

2010-04-17T09:11:19-04:00

"So why a JP Ross custom fly rod with a Panga custom skiff?" It's smart. It's practical. It's good branding. It's good business. Most importantly, It's going to provide you with a new adventure just waiting to be realized. JP Ross has been searching for just the right skiff... unique, bold, hearty, refined, functional while sleek and pretty to the eye...enter Rob McDaniel's PANGA MARINE.

Brand Building

Because we study the principles of brand-building and are ever-curious about 'why' people love what they love, buy what they buy... we've learned and can prove that branding is about being DRAMATICALLY different. Now, Dennis Rodman is 'different' -so we're not talking about different to just 'stand out' - a brand / product / service must also be RELEVANT to a certain potentially profitable segment of the marketplace.

Again, enter PANGA. Rob McDaniel's built the Panga brand literally from the ground up... and continues to build, innovate, design, challenge conventional thinking... in a RELEVANT and practical way. The design of the Panga skiff meets branding criteria #1 - 'be dramatically different - in a RELEVANT and meaningful way.' The Panga skiff meets branding criteria #2 - 'go where others are not - innovate.' The immense amount of freeboard and the taper of that freeboard towards the stern...makes the Panga SAFE - DRY. The Panga hull is also designed for reverse chine further ensuring YOU STAY DRY. "Why put PANGA on The Great Lakes?"

Because The Great Lakes a) provide only a short season to fish b) can change in an instant and c) can be unforgiving with their roughness ...the Panga skiff provides you a safe, dry, predictable adventure. You get the MOST out of your custom fly rod, the most out of your all-too-short season. The most out of your day.

That's why we say "Bring it on!"

Panga Marine blueimarketing JP Ross Fly Rods & Co.

Panga Vision: "Bring it on"

2010-03-31T11:47:39-04:00

Panga. Spanish for "skiff." The recipe for adventure includes a kickass skiff coupled with a gorgeous custom fly rod,and the Gulf of Mexico as your backdrop. Can you hear the guitars and congas stirring now?Rob McDaniel is an innovative thinker of design, boat design. Carefully crafted Skiffs built under the Sarasota sun. Meet the builder of your dreams; master of your next adventure, just around the corner...While JP Ross and I were beach hopping our way down the west coast of southern Florida, we made sure to stop and say 'hello' to the creator of the most innovative skiff design to come along...maybe EVER. Unassuming, a little rough around the edges, but all about blood, sweat, and tears for his brand, Rob McDaniel's a character straight out of a Hemingway masterpiece. Rob's surprised by our visit. But very gracous as he agrees to welcome us into Skiff~Heaven where the great PANGAs are custom-created from scratch. What a gorgeous boat - what a ballsy hull. JP Ross envisions them on the Great Lakes. As Rob and JP cross-pollinate ideas for connecting their brands, there's little doubt about a camaraderie that lends itself to a great collaboration down the road. Put a new pair of lenses on; stay tuned... and get ready to expereince adventure...

Panga~Style!

"Bring it on!"

Panga Marine blue i marketing

My New JP Ross ONYX Rod

2010-03-27T12:08:46-04:00

I picked up my new JP Ross ONYX custom fly rod this week. It is incredibly light and has a really cool finish. It is a 9 foot, eight weight fly rod that I am going to use for both saltwater fly fishing as well as for fishing bass and pike in freshwater. I picked up a used black Teton saltwater reel that I will be using with the ONYX. This “Outfit in Black” or OIB is going to be a non-stop fish catching machine. Didn’t Will Smith have a song about OIB, oh wait it was MIB. Either way, I can’t wait to try the outfit out. I didn’t get a chance to try the OIB in the yard, but I am really excited to say that I am taking it to fish some saltwater flats in eastern Florida. I am headed to Daytona Beach, Florida for a conference and am looking forward to wetting a line a time or two. I left out of the Ponce Outlet also known as the mouth of the Halifax River on a deep sea fishing trip about 6 years ago. It looks to me like a good place to target for flats fishing. I did a little homework, but couldn’t find much detail on fishing it, so stay tuned for the report. Thanks and tight lines.

Joe

the baby snapping turtle in the Adirondacks

2010-03-26T08:18:15-04:00

I always love going on adventures with my "Best Friend" Kayla Arzie!
One of my favorite adventures (with her) was when we were up in the
Adirondacks!You see, my family on my Dad's side goes up to Macauley Mountain every
fall for a celebration.So this year I brought Kayla. When we got to the cabin,we obviously
wanted to go play so when we raced each other to the water....We looked
to see if our eyes were being tricked,but no. A baby snapping turtle
was swimming in the water! We asked my dad first if we could pick it
up with a shovel.He said "No". We did anyways,so then we put him in a little box and played with him.
Then we started to get tired of him so we put him in the water. Later
me and Kayla were playing in the sand. I asked her "I wonder were the
baby snapping turtle is now?"So Kayla and I went over to shore just
looking around and then we saw it washing up on shore,spinning while
getting pushed onto the sand by the waves. Then we bent down on our
knees to help it,we put it on its feet so it could stand. But then got
tired of it again so put it back... IT CAME BACK! Then finally I picked
it up with a shovel ran out to the farthest point of the dock, and
tossed him back in the water with the shovel... Me and Kayla never saw him again!
I will be coming back with more wild adventures!

McKenna Moonan