SHOP NOTES | C.J. BOVA RODS

“Track to Lippincott Run” Clint Joseph Bova Oil on 6x8 Panel I take long walks in the early morning hours to get to the fish. The walks provide me with time to think about how I'm going to fish, how I am going to enter the water, and what I will be fishing with. I suppose walking creates mind space for positive affirmation and the creative visualization process I need to go through prior to getting my feet wet. This always provides me with the confidence and wherewithal to pursue difficult trout. Along the way my mind takes me to oil painting and if I am lucky I may see something that I really want to paint. There is so much inspiration around me it is often easy to get side tracked and the fishing just becomes a fraction of the daily experience. I think just getting myself lost in the moment is my mental attitude this season, it seems to be working because the fishing has be phenomenal.               ...

I got a call from a friend the other day and he asked me if I had seen any October Caddis on the water yet. We have had a lot of rain on the Mad River so between the storms I took my bike down the street to go have a quick look. I typically see Caddis fluttering about at a little cattle crossing where there is a lot of oxygenated water. When the weather is in constant flux Caddis tend to pop up here and there at this time of year. It helps living so close to a trout stream, the downside is that my buddies call me for the daily river scoop. Lo and behold I had a few short glimpses of the little rusty colored Trichoptera. So I reported back to HQ and Ben asked me to tie up some Rusty Sedges for him. This pattern is a great extended body pattern I came up with on a short shanked hook. I tie it using medium gray, warm gray, tan, cocoa brown, and even a golden straw color. Clint's Cinnamon Sedge Extended Body   (October Caddis) Hook: Kamasan B160 sizes #14-20 Thread: Vee...

During the summer months my midge box evolves and changes slowly. Hook sizes progressively get small and smaller, and the patterns themselves get more and more sparse. My quilled green midge fly is one of my most productive patterns. It is easy to see, floats great when tied on a short shank wide gap hook, and seems to fool the fish in the most shallowest of water. As the summer transitions into fall my midge colors become darker and eventually black is the dominant color in my box. The green midges are relatively successful for me through October. Green Quill Adult Midge Hook: TMC 531 #16-22 Thread: Veevus 14/0 light green Body: Quill dyed Ritt Apple Green over dyed Kelly Green Legs: Pheasant tail dyed Ritt Brown over dyed with Ritt Lemon Yellow Underwing: Aero Wing Dry Fly small clump of fibers Medium Dun Wing: Hen cape tips dyed medium dun Hackle: Medium Dun This is a relatively easy fly to tie. A single quill body wrapped around a short shanked wide ...