Tag Archives: flies

Fly Art – Lines In The Dirt

  By kyleindenver | 17 September, 2012 - 1:06 pm |
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I think I first met Shawn in a discussion about our experiences with our Siberian Husky mixes and basically about how our dogs rule. It turned into fly-fishing, then then OU/Texas, then art. While I’m completely inexperienced in any freehand drawing, I love it and have a several pieces in my house that have been with me for well over a decade.

Shawn Bichsel’s work caught my eye, as he uses various mediums. He said, “Some on my iPad using the Autodesk Sketchbook Pro app, engineering / drafting programs at work, some by hand with nothing more than a pencil or a Sharpie, a jig saw and piece of ply wood.” He also noted, “I’ve been drawing things for as long as I can remember. Fly fishing has been my outlet to the natural world for the last 5 years and I try to make it as solitary a sport as possible for me. I love to get out and ramble the wilds with my friends, but I absorb the most inspiration when I’m alone, on the outside. Simply put: Creating fly fishing art is my fly fishing outlet, when fly fishing isn’t an option.

What sparked my interest in drawing flies was Jeff Kennedy and Jason Borger’s, Drawing Fish and Flies 52 campaign. Their rules are simple, 1 piece a week, in 30 minutes or less. I’ve yet to make the 30 minute cut off, but I have tried to create 1 piece a week since the beginning of the year.

As far as a business plan, I asked? Not unless you consider making enough money to buy beer and fly fishing peripherals a business plan… Nothing takes away my inspiration to do something like being told to do it! (And my wife would be the first to tell you that I suck at sticking to a budget…) Me too man, me too.

Shawn does have some of his work up on Etsy, here. His plan in the future is to start painting, and he’s even had requests for portraits of people and their trophy fish. Lastly, Shawn said, “Play along over on Lines In the Dirt to see all the new stuff. This is something I’ve been able to accomplish thus far, with the exception of this week when I was preparing my first art to be publicly displayed at the Round Rock Arts Council, September exhibit of Digital Art and Sculpture. I submitted several pieces and had 3 accepted for display and sell.”

Thanks again for sharing Shawn. Cheers on your work, and next time I’m in the market, I’ll be giving you a call.

All the Important Questions…

  By kyleindenver | 9 March, 2012 - 1:29 pm | ,
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Photo: Kyle Perkins

In case you missed it, I wrote a small guest piece for Deneki Outdoors South Andros Lodge the other day. Head on over and check out the rest of their posts from Alaska, to BC, to Andros.

 

All the Important Questions

You’re a month away from your first bonefishing experience, let alone your first salt fishing trip. While you grew up on small streams in the Rockies stalking pocket water for pigs as you slowly hike through brush or snow, you know this is going to be different – but how different, exactly?

The first thing you do before a trip to South Andros and Deneki Outdoors’ Andros South Lodge is talk to people who have been to flats in search of bonefish before. Luckily, a few close friends plan yearly trips, so you’re in good hands.

Key points of advice are to practice casting longer distances (with wind if possible) and remember to strip-set instead of the usual trout-set. After a few lessons, the results are something like, “Nope, you need to double-haul that cast”, or “Nope, too many false casts.” As you can imagine, anxiety rears its ugly head.

As time passes, your anxiety about failing increases. It seems the only thing you can do right is tie up Gotcha patterns. Finding a suitable way to create the salt flat experience in a high- altitude, snowy climate just isn’t working.

So the time comes to catch the first red-eye, then another flight in the morning, and finally a short hop over to the island of South Andros. Beautiful skies, sand filled beaches, and of course Kalik await. You hang out your first night at the Slack Tide, tie a few flies, and discuss the possible destinations for the next morning.

With a loud 6 am wake-up call, you jump out of bed and feel the lump in your throat almost growing by the minute – it’s time. After a great breakfast and full spread of lunch items (in which you only make peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, of course), you set off to the launching dock. You’re met by your first guide of the day, and the announcement that you’re heading to the West Side more than excites your comrade and boat buddy for the day.

The run is about 30 minutes, and then it’s time to grab a rod and get up on the bow. You wait, nervous, as your guide slowly poles a flat. Small lessons are already being learned: pull enough line off your reel, leave enough leader, and line off the end of your rod. Don’t forget to hold that fly loosely in your left hand. It’s silent, only wind and small waves making subtle sounds.

Then, it happens – you hear, “30 feet, 11 o’clock.” Your bare feet shuffle, you cast and just about pop that fish on the head with your fly. Nothing more to say other than that fish is long gone. You knew it, knew you were going to fail.

While searching more flats, your guide is very instructional in an almost comedic way, as your fishing mate sits back and laughs quietly at your attempts – almost assuming you’re getting skunked your first day.

On the bow again, your guide spots a large school of bonefish. While you can’t see a thing, you trust his instincts and just start launching flies into the area – “50 feet, 9 o’clock!” Strip, strip, strip, “fish on!” your guide yells. First thing you do is try to trout set.  Then you reach for the reel, “No, let him run, mon.” After about 20 minutes of your heart racing, the fish making runs, and all the while your buddy in the chair laughing, you have almost got the fish to the boat. Everything has seemed minimal before this – you’ve landed your first bonefish on your first day ever saltwater fishing.

Everyone is ecstatic, and you have your first bonefish in your hands. The camera flashes, but one question you forgot to ask was how to handle these fine fish…

Photo: Michael Gracie

Domestic Pet Hair Fly Contest

  By kyleindenver | 10 January, 2012 - 5:09 pm |
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Kirk Deeter over at Field & Stream has a pretty cool little contest going on right now. It’s focused on domestic pet hair, and how you use it in your fly-tying. While I’ve used my husky’s hair for a few years, I’m glad to know that others are catching on how to use items (or animals) around the house to help them with tying flies that actually catch fish. My husky’s hair has been used from everything to PMDs to Streamers, and in this case, a midge emerger.

Go over and enter your idea or picture for a chance to win a copy of his book, The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing.

Here’s Kirk’s animal of choice.

Fishing Cane – Schliske Bamboo Fly Rods

  By kyleindenver | 20 December, 2011 - 6:47 pm | ,
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I got to meet up with my old friend Matt Schliske from Schliske Bamboo Fly Rods this past weekend to finally raise my first cane on the Poudre river in Fort Collins, Colorado. I met him and his family (thanks for the hospitality Marguerite) at their house and got a quick tour of the ‘shop’. After a quick mac & cheese lunch that mostly consisted of a conversation between his youngest daughter and her favorite color while she pushed a chair in my direction, as to scare me into a corner, we set out to fish a local spot with a few of his custom rods.

I’ll admit, my expectations were that of a sloppy noodle cast that was meant for only small creeks in tight spaces. Yeah, I was wrong. From the first time I picked up my favorite of the day – a 7952 7’9″ 5wt 2/1  Rio Grande – I was able to easily haul it for distance and accuracy. I never thought that bamboo had such a backbone to it. In fact, I was able to tie a few of my heavy streamers on it and cast with ease.

It had a blonde cane and spring green wraps tipped dark claret with a single dark claret intermediate wrap and triple tipping at the ferrules.  The ferrules were also over wrapped with spring green silk.  The reel seat was spalted maple with Struble nickle silver cap and ring.

While in awe of the pure craftsmanship and design of all the rods I fished that day, the fish just weren’t eating what I was throwing. A few hits, a few misses, but that was about it. That’s a December day in Colorado for you. Numb legs and the sun setting over the mountains after 4pm. Nevertheless, casting flies to fish that weren’t eating was better than sitting at home in front of the television watching my Broncos get beat.

Can’t wait to get one of these out on a late summer or fall day skating streamers to drifting dries. If you get a chance, take a look at the site. I’m completely sold on these custom bamboo rods and can’t wait to get one for myself.

 

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