Tonkin Scared Straight

Anyone who keeps a lot of bamboo around knows that things do go bump in the night. At first you may think somebody is trying to break into your shop or house repeatedly, instead you find more often than not it’s your culm co-habitants. Loud pops, snaps, and bangs in the middle of the night not only set off alarms systems but scare your visitors to death. Essentially the culms are checking, meaning they are naturally splitting because of temperature change, moisture content, and age. After a new shipment arrives the Winchester comes out because I can never tell if somebody is breaking in or it’s my Tonkin bundles having a party. Either way ADT knows exactly when I get a new shipment. There really is no way to stop bamboo from doing it’s thing until you decide to split it yourself. They will having their little gatherings and chatter away until they “check out”, which is my way of saying they’ve decided to go silent. When the “get to know you period” is over and they have acclimated to the environment, they stick around for a while, approximately 3-5 years. This is how long I keep them in tact before splitting them to make into a fly rod. Like the ritual of opening a bottle of wine, I usually stare at the culm and site down it for a while before splitting it, a kind of mental visualization. Every culm has it’s own personality, like kids, some are easy to handle while others are a constant uphill battle. Inevitably they all become rods and get straightened out, like it or not. The day you bring in a new bundle till the day you set them free you are merely a host, a foster parent, and eventually a parole officer keeping them on the straight and narrow.

Slow Water Caddis Emerger

The Caddis emerger is a very important part of the trouts diet. During this life stage the Caddis is especially vulnerable to the elements and is easy prey thus making it very attractive to these very energy conscious fish. The insect is just about ready to break free of its nymphal shuck and the count down for its launch sequence begins with a few wiggles. I have always been looking for a great surface fly that mimics these little beauties. For a few years now I have gotten a lot of use of this little emerger pattern that tends to out fish most of my other emerger patterns even when there is no discernible hatch. This is a great pattern for super finicky Brown trout. I have fooled many fish with this pattern and with the right combination of materials it is a pattern that stays floating even in fast water for a long time. With the use of TMC's Aero Wing material (extended shuck) the fly is a great floater. The fibers are not only fine but hollow keeping the fly float

CB's Japanese Beetles

above photo: Provided by Debbi T. Walker an Ohio Photographer. Debbi is a talented outdoor photographer who loves to take pictures of insects, animals, and landscapes and often shoots photography around the Mad River and Cedar Bog. In the heat of the summer many fish hunker down during the day and will pass up the occasional Caddis, midge, or ant floating overhead. Often fish conserve energy for a larger more nourishing food item. During the summer months fish want to conserve energy and exert themselves only for the most significant meal. This is called the “Pounds Per Meat Law” again the least amount of energy is expelled for the most nourishment possible. This should be the mid-summer mantra for both fishers and fish! Large ants are another food item that fish will come off of the bottom for during the midday sun and heat. Japanese Beetles are one of those items on the surface menu that will spark a fishes interest when nothing else seems to work. Rise

Spidey Senses~The Irresistible Arachnid

Fishing spider patterns is a favorite activity of mine in the late spring, summer and fall. Many of the spring creeks that I frequent have adjacent fields of corn, soy, feed grass, as well as tall overhead trees and brambles. Spiders are prolific here and as much as I hate them I do love fishing with them. I have tried many patterns over the years most of which were not my own. Most of them were either too clunky, too overdressed, or just downright stupid looking. If I were to cast a wad of sheet foam and rubber bands to a big Brown on most of my usual digs I would be typecasted by most of the coherent fish instantly. After years of hit and miss I settled on my own pattern that just seemed to meet my criteria as well as the Trouts. When your standing in a “hot river” in the middle of the day and you spot a massive brown that just will not budge for the most ingenious morsel you have in your box whip out a spider. Spiders are protein intensive, they are like baklava on a silver

SHOP NOTES | C.J. BOVA RODS

Search This Blog