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Saturday, February 12, 2022

First Fish On The Fly - G & H Sedge

By David Hutton
Feb 12 2022


A while back, Matt O'neal, at Savage Flies, related the story of how he first got into fishing with the fly.
It was 1983. He was a young lad in Georgia, and he saw a man fly fishing a local stream. The man wore classic hip waders, and an old-style fishing hat.



Something like this....

The scene mesmerized Matt, and he bargained with is dad to get a fly rod. This started him on the road he travels today. 

To hear Matt tell the story and talk about the first fly with which he caught a trout, check here:

Savage Flies - Matt Gets His Start

My Own Story
Well, Matt's tale made me think of my own first fish on the fly. It was a happy accident for me; I didn't bargain or organize my way into the World of the Fairy Stick.

Instead, I stumbled into it.

But that first fly-caught fish seems to be a pivotal moment for all fly anglers, and I'm no exception. 

Never a Fly Fisher

I started fishing when I was around 6 years old. Sea fishing, fresh water, north-south-east-west... I've traveled, and I've done a lot of it over the years.
But in all that time
. I never tried fly fishing. 


Both my dad and, later, my step-father,... each were capable fly fishers, but they never did invest that time with me.
Before you think they were bad fathers, let me stop you: they were not.
We did every other kind of outdoors thing together.

Camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, shooting, you name it.
For example, I was trained by my father to shoot a gun when I was 5... if I said that anywhere but here, 
people would lose their minds.
It's j
ust that fly fishing never entered the picture.

My biological father passed away when I was 12, and all his stuff was adopted, and 
appreciatedby my step father when my mom re-married.

I was far from home at that time, so he was next in line to use it.

In time, my step dad got old, too, and moved to a senior's apartment complex. By then, Life had brought us all back together, and the hoard of goodies from TWO 
old-school outdoorsmen came to me.
It was treasure trove!
 


The First Fly
I was like a kid in a candy shop,... a little overwhelmed and clueless about some of it, but feeling blessed.
And there, among all this bounty, I found a small metal 
fly box.




The Fly Box



What Remains


Inside, was an assortment of tattered, age-worn flies. Most of them had lost their dressing, and they held no significance - little more than fuzzy hooks. So I took them out.

What you see here is what remains.


And although I knew these things were intended to catch fish, I could tell you no more than that.


But among the remnants, I spotted a fly that stood out - mostly because it had some little antennas on it. 

That’s all I knew at the time... it appeared to be intact, it was strange looking, and it had antennae.

And antennae are friggin cool. 

More about it in a minute.


What to DO?
Here I was, the proud owner of a vintage fly box and some flies... and I had no experience at all with fly fishing.
Moreover I had no fly fishing gear.

I was in a pickle!

But, what I did have was a lot of fishing equipment, and lo and behold, I had a pond at my disposal!
My neighbors, Mark and Joanne (RIP) Goodson, had given me free run of their pond, and an open invitation to fish there any time. And that pond had fish in it….


So, I did what you might expect in that situation:

I improvised!

Ok, I had no fly rod..., but I had a collection of 
telescoping crappie poles.
Nowadays we have the Cult of Tenkara and their highfalutin' little poles-without-reels.
But, I had never heard of that, back then.
What I had was some line, and some crappie poles.
So, I did what any county boy would do - the line was tied to one of my "redneck tenkara rods," the w
eird little fly was tied on the end of that.... and I whipped it out into the water as best I could.

Which is to say, pretty poorly. But, it got out far enough... and a fish took it with a vengeance! 
As you might expect, a fat bluegill was my reward.
Despite all the odds stacked against me, I had caught my first fish on a fly... a bluegill.


The Fly
On that fateful day, all I knew was that a bluegill greedily snatched my fly from the pond's surface.
I didn't know why it wanted to, and I couldn't even imagine what the fly was; it was just an odd little thing, with antennae. 
It was only much later that I learned it was a, "G&H Sedge."

 


G & H Sedge, aka, "Goddard Caddis"


The Real Thing



My G & H Sedge


This pattern is a fiddly deer hair and hackle creation, intended to mimic a caddis fly.
Okay, right.... a what? A caddis fly?
I had no idea what a caddis fly was, and even today, I aint all that sure.

I don't even know who tied my sedge...someone in the past is all I know.

But it worked, and this led me to research...


The G & H Sedge
This pattern was developed 
as a stillwater trout pattern in the early 1960's, give or take, by a couple of Englishmen, John Goddard and his friend, Clive Hendry. 

They conceived it to be tied of spun deer hair, then to be trimmed into a caddis shape. 

Especially desired was the thick deer body hair, because it is very buoyant.

According to one report, they told their friend, Andre Puyans, about it, and he took it under his wing

In Britain, the fly came to be known as the, "G&H Sedge."
It had an olive seal's fur belly and the hackle was trimmed on top.
Andre had a fly shop near San Jose, CA, from which he introduced the fly to Sierra fishermen in the West, as the "Goddard Caddis"...and this name became the more popular of the two.

Because of the buoyant hair construction, it floats like a cork, and it is still well regarded as a fast water pattern.

In slower waters, the fly can create a realistic wake when skated on the surface.
This is what the real caddis does - it emerges at the surface and quickly tries to swim to the bank for safety. This leaves a telltale wake that fish recognize, and "skating" it is one of the most enjoyable ways to fish it.

Most surprising to me, though, was learning that bluegill and trout eat the same things...like caddis flies. The specific species may differ, but a caddis is a caddis the world over.
Like most people, I always pictured fly fishing as specific to trout. Yet, here I was catching bluegill on a trout fly... and I've called these scrappy little fish, "Dixie Trout" ever since. 


That also rocketed the once lowly bluegill into the highest esteem… and launched my love of fly fishing, and especially the sublime art of chasing bluegill on the fly.


So, do what I did - get you some trout flies, the rod of your choice, and go find out for yourself!

And if one of those flies is a Goddard Caddis… so much the better!

 Thanks for reading and Tight Lines

David

Palmetto Fly N Fish
I hope you enjoyed this and learned something; if you did, please share it with your friends.


References

https://flyfishingthesierra.com/godcad.htm

https://globalflyfisher.com/video/goddard-caddis-4

http://opff.org/a_goddard-caddis.php

https://www.flyfishersinternational.org/Portals/0/FlyoftheMonth/PreviousIssues/2020-02_February_GoddardCaddis_sm.pdf?ver=-xYK-YxvswBW1qS_fssaUw%3D%3D

all rights reserved © 2022


Sunday, February 6, 2022

HOBBY LOBBY FEATHER PICK CHALLENGE, fLY #1

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

If you’ll remember, I did a post last week about the feather pick I got at Hobby Lobby,... and the challenge I set for myself with that item:

Challenge - Tie as many different flies as I can from the feathers on the pick.

(If you don’t remember that, or, if you're wondering what I mean when I say, “feather pick,”…well, you can find that here: HOBBY LOBBY FEATHER PICK CHALLANGE

Review that, and this will make more sense).

Today, I knocked out the first fly for this challenge.
Although I've had a week to think of something to tie, I was still unsure what I was going to do at the vise.
So, I went to my reject box, looking for ideas.

Inspiration 101
If you've been tying flies for even a little while, you no doubt have a "reject box." As the name implies, this is the place where your less-than-perfect flies go to be forgotten.

Well, I keep mine handy and I use its contents for inspiration, or I strip and reuse the hooks.... whatever.
You get the idea.

In my case, I possess a large 'reject box' on a shelf, with several years worth of flies - and then there is a smaller one close at hand on my tying desk.

This handy one is for the "everyday rejects," - it is just a chewing tobacco tin I found floating in the water. Some people would call it a "dip can."
Yes, people are slobs, and they toss these tins wherever they go.

Jackasses.


But I collect em when I see them, clean em out, and put them to some use.


Yes, friends, I'm a tobacco tin cleaning, re-using kinda guy. 





Tobacco Tin Reject Box

Start With The Hook
When I popped the top on the reject container this morning, a big, bass fishin' worm hook fell out on the desk. Taking that as an omen, and since the feather pick has mostly large feathers on it, I went with that.

With hook in hand, I went straight to my trusty 3-Way Fly Concept*, and let things develop from there.
This is freestyling, folks!

-------------------------------
* 3 Way Fly Concept

- Tail
- Body
- Head/Hackle

1 tail + 1 body + 1 head/hackle = 3 Way Fly!

--------------------------------

SO... what fly did we get? Drumroll, please...........

FEATHER PICK CHALLENGE FLY # 1


Dressing
Hook - Offset Soft Plastic Worm Hook, size 3/0 black, unknown brand

Eyes - lead dumbbell, chartreuse

Under tail - Marabou fluff from feathers

Flash - Angel Hair tinsel

Outer tail - two ragged pick feathers, tied splayed

Body - metallic green, craft pipe-cleaner

Head - Hackle from feather pick

Topping - Pheasant tail fibers from feather pick

As you can see, this one developed a cartoonish, Roger Rabbit vibe...kinda cool.

At first I thought the tail might be too long, but, its proportional - tied to the length of the overall hook.

This beast is heavy, though, and I don't have a 12 wt fly rod that can handle it.... and no, I'm not going to run out and buy one.
Remember, I was at the Fly Fishing Show in Atlanta the other day - I saw how much those things cost!!
So don't go there.

When I fish it, I expect I'll drag it along the bottom on a light spinning rig.
More on that, later. Stay tuned.

----------------------------------------------------- 

Thanks for reading. 
I hope you liked this, I hope you learned something, and I hope you'll share it with your friends.

Tight Lines,

David
Palmetto Fly n Fish

Opinions? Feedback? Let it rip in the comments.
And don't forget to visit us on our Facebook group: 
Palmetto Fly N Fish

All rights reserved © 2022 David Hutton, Palmetto Fly N Fish
Reproduction for other than personal use is strictly prohibited.

FLY TYING CHALLENGE: HOBBY LOBBY FEATHER PICK

February 1, 2022




    
This is a $2.99 “feather pick” from H-L.
It’s just a few bunches of dyed feathers affixed to a steel wire, "pick."
It is used in floral decor, as far as I know.
But, it has feathers, so……. The Challenge The aim here is to purchase one of these at random, break it down to its component parts, and make as many different flies from it as one can think of.


Here you an see it disassembled, and this is what you get (L to R)
  • Pheasant Tail
  • 1/16” paper-wrapped steel wire
  • Large, scruffy saddle feathers
  • Marabout fluff still attached to the feathers
  • Raggedy, mixed schlappen
  • Waste (at top, right)
Common, non-feather materials may be used in the challenge, but each fly MUST use some part, or all, of the feather pick elements.
Any kind of fly is allowed in the challenge - nymph, streamer, popper, etc.

More to come. Stay Tuned. Thanks for reading and, Tight lines

David

Palmetto Fly N Fish ©All Rights Reserved, David Hutton, Palmetto Fly n Fish Reproduction for other than personal use is strictly prohibited

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Fly Fishing Show Atlanta: The Pilgrimage

Feb 4, 2022
Gas South Arena, Duluth, GA

Distance: 200 miles
$5 parking fee
$15 Cover Charge

The Trip
It starts to rain. Wet, sloppy rain...the kind of weather that makes you question the wisdom of taking a 200 mile drive.
But then you look at each other and ask, "How many fly fishing shows do we get around here, after all?!
And i
t's only rain... we can always turn around.
Besides, you'll never catch a fish - or see a fly fishing show - if you wait on the weather."

So we pull up our collars, hop in the truck, and head west from Lexington, SC

At the wheel is Don Schmotzer.

Don has his own airplane, a classic, 1948 Luscombe. And he drives his truck like he's flying the plane. 



Our Pilot

As we motor along, he keeps up a steady commentary about the route conditions, time to next turn, distance traveled, trucks half a mile ahead, fuel consumed per hour, and so on... its very comforting to ride with someone with that much situational awareness.

As for me, well, I didn't realize it's almost 3 hours to Atlanta from Columbia, SC. 

I take liberal piss breaks when I drive...but pilots don't have that luxury when in the air, and they don't...  so, lemme just say, if you ever plan to ride along with someone who is a pilot, keep that in mind. 

The Arrival
"The Fly Fishing Show" goes around the country as a sort of promotional tent-show, bringing industry moguls, manufacturers, pitch men, travel brokers, and other players into one large venue.
The show's Atlanta stop is at the 
Gas South Arena, part of the "
Gas South District" - a 118-acre campus just outside of the city that accommodates events like concerts, trade shows, conventions, etc.

Being two old country dudes at heart, we get a little twitchy around this kinda big city venue.

Urban traffic crammed in like ants, notoriously bad Atlanta drivers, and paying to park in a cramped, 5-story parking garage - none of it is our cup of tea. 
Then, we're hit with a $15 entrance fee at the door.

Well, if you haven't figured it out by now, fly fishing is like anything else: you aint gettin' into it for free.

Whats Inside?
Once you enter the arena, you find 
a big open area, filled with booths and kiosks.
Two rectangular casting pools dominate the floor to each side of center.
All around, you see a lot of 
beards, logo ball caps, and tattoo'ed hipsters...., the cool dudes tellin' each other what they think they know about fishin'. 

Older, middle aged men 
mingle around the booths with the upstarts. They're sporting their regalia, too: khakis and $100 “technical shirts.” They're also talking fishing, but with less hormonal flow...theirs is a more studied, cerebral approach to this business.

The Hucksters are there, selling trips to faraway places.
Manufacturers offer an infinite variety of dazzling, slick rods and reels, all marked with "bargain" prices.
They have fly lines, of course, selling for $30... or $129; take your pick.
There's fly tying equipment, materials, fishing apparel, gadgets, and even boats. All at "show prices...." although you're never sure just what that means. 
But that doesn't matter, because this is a fly fishing extravaganza
.
Your eyes glaze over - you reach for your wallet. 

Further along, there is a big-screen tying demonstration, and down there, some guy with a headset is talking to the crowd about fly casting, while flailing away at the casting pool.
 
In the sub-title, I referred to this as a Mecca-like pilgrimage. But, in fact, this year's show was a shadow of it's former self - about 2/3 the size of previous years.
There was a slightly unfinished feel to the thing; thrown together at the last minute, maybe.
According to the event director that I spoke to, this isn't far off. There was a good bit of effort to get this much going.... the threat of another Covid lockdown hung over the planning, all the way to the deadline.



Throwin' flies and tellin' lies.



"We have flies and gear..."



Today's HOT deal is...



Lotsa technical advice is given..
"If you wanna catch purple spotted char and grackle-fish, you're gonna need that reel AND this one"



A gear geeks Nirvana



I don't know if I need it, but I'm sure I gotta have one



You say you want a fly tying vise?



What's that?... You want some tying materials to go with that vise?



Casting flies is easy - just do what I show you

For me, the best part of all this - the reason I really want to go - is the chance to meet different people.
Some I may only know from Facebook, or Youtube.
In other cases, its the chance to meet those I don't know - the famous, and not so famous alike.
I always pick up a few ideas, too, and swap my own BS with some genuine guru's in this business.




The fly tying instruction area has the
newcomers taken care of 



A younger lad learns the
finer points of casting, first hand. 



Guru's



John Robbins, Ph.D, Carolina Fly Fishing Club
www.carolinaflyfishingclub.com



Tim Flagler, Tightline Video Productions
www.tightlinesflyfishing.com





 Peggy Brenner
past President of International Women’s Fly Fishers




Son Tao, aka "Top," MSgt., United States Army
Aventuron Ambassador

@ Son_Tao 



Glen Populorum, all the way from Chicago-land!
self-employed automotive mechanic: Glen Populorum

An End...for now
By the time you see this, the Fly Fishing Show Atlanta will be in the books. It was great experience, although it brings the usual regret: I run my mouth so much, I inevitably miss many things - and some people. 
Sorry, Gerry Korzi.

But there's next year, God willing. 
So fingers crossed until then.

Thanks for reading.
I hope you liked this, I hope you leaned something, and I hope you'll share it with your friends

Tight Lines,

David
Palmetto Fly n Fish

Opinions? Feedback? Let it rip in the comments.
And don't forget to visit us on our Facebook group: 
Palmetto Fly N Fish

All rights reserved © 2022 David Hutton, Palmetto Fly N Fish