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Hungarian Scientists Accidentally Create Hybrid Fish

Dan Zazworsky
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Hungarian Scientists Accidentally Create Hybrid Fish

They’re calling it a Sturddle Fish and its the result of accidental fertilization of Russian Sturgeon eggs with the sperm of an American Paddlefish in a Hungarian lab.

The biologists in the lab were shocked when the fertilized eggs hatched and a seemingly new, hybrid species emerged. The 2 species share a common ancestor who existed 184 million years ago before the 2 species split off into separate family trees.

The top and bottom images are typical Russian Sturgeon and American Paddlefish. The middle two are their offspring. Kaldy et al., Genes 2020

“I did a double-take when I saw it,” said Solomon David, an aquatic ecologist at Nicholls State University in Louisiana. “I just didn’t believe it. I thought, hybridization between sturgeon and paddlefish? There’s no way.”

According to the New York Times, “Dr. Mozsár and his colleagues plan to continue caring for the hybrids they created, they have no plans to make more. The researchers suspect that sturddlefish, like ligers, mules and so many other human-made hybrids, are sterile, so they have no value for caviar production.”

To read more about the lab creation, check out this article from the New York Times.

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The Perfect Shot: Neowise Comet Meets Fly Fishing

Dan Zazworsky
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The Perfect Shot: Neowise Comet Meets Fly Fishing

Featured Image: @WildFlyProductions

The Neowise Comet (C/2020 F3) has been a fixation lately of photographers around the globe. Rarely to comets pass by close enough to see with the naked eye, and Neowise has certainly shone brightly. The comet was only discovered recently, March 27, 2020, to be exact, and will pass out of our view later this month. With the comet being so easy to photograph with a normal DSLR camera, we decided to pick the brains of our favorite photographers about how they captured their images of the comet streaking through the sky.

Scottie of @WildFlyProductions:

“As we were getting off the river, we ran into some folks who asked us if we were staying to see the “Neowise comet”. At the time, we had no idea there was gonna be a comet. But, after learning that it wouldn’t reappear for over 6,700 years, we figured it would be a crime if we didn’t stick around. We stepped out to the river as the sun began to set, the sky lit up and BOOM there it was. As we watched, my buddy Scott mentioned, “dude let’s get a long exposure shot of this” so I ran back to the truck and snagged my camera. Before this, my experience with astrophotography was VERY limited. I had a general understanding of how it was done but I had only really tried it once, maybe twice before. Now there was a comet flying across the sky right in front of us so I had no choice but to figure it out. I snapped a few shots to test out my settings and they either came out too blurry, too dark or out of focus. Finally, I got it dialed. I had my camera on a tripod with a 24-105 f/4 lens (not my lens of choice for this but it’s what I had on me). I was shooting a 30-second exposure with my aperture at f/4 and my iso around 800. The shots looked good but they were still a bit out of focus. I adjusted focus to just below infinity and finally, we were in business. After a few clean shots of the comet, we convinced our buddy Coleson to wade out to the middle and get in the shot. At this point, it was pitch black so we used a flashlight to shine on him from the bank so he would light up in the photo. Then we had him hold as still as possible for 30 seconds while the camera took the photo. We took 3 shots while he was out there, one of which ended up being this image. I did some tweaking in Lightroom to really make the stars pop and BOOM. We had our final images. It was a team effort to get these shots and we were so fortunate to have met the folks who told us about it. What an amazing thing to see!”

Scottie’s Camera Settings:
Lens: 24mm-105mm F/4.0
Aperture: F/4.0
Exposure: 30 sec
ISO: 800

David Tejedor Royo (@DavidPikeFly)

David Tejedor Royo Neowise Comet
Panorama shot in Spain during Neowise’s (left side of image) pass through the night sky.

David Tejedor Royo’s Camera Settings: 
Camera: Sony A7 RIII
Aperture: F/2.8
Exposure: 5 sec
ISO: 5000

Kenneth LeRose (@KRL_Photo)

View this post on Instagram

Just wrapped up an incredible workshop in the Utah Badlands! I can’t wait to see everyone’s images from this weekend. Here’s one I took yesterday. This is my first composite of Neowise. Both the comet and foreground were captured this weekend during our workshop. You guys sick of my comet shots yet!?!? 😛🙃🔥☄️ ————— “Dreamers who wish, can fly with no wings. Inhibited by nothing, intentions pull strings. Harping a song that plays in my head. I soar through the sky like souls of the dead. Energy exists beyond the end of days. Constantly moving, like the sun and it’s rays. Sweet are the dreams that extinguish all doubt. Laugh at your failures, they’ll keep you en route”. -KRL- ☄️ —————— My first Composite of Neowise @sonyalpha A7r iii @sonyimages 12-24mm F/4 (foreground) Sony GM 16-35 (sky) 12 images stacked @slikusa tripod #TeamSlik #ShootSlik • • • #deepskycolors #staradventurer #nightscapes #nightphotography #airstream #thebest_capture #nightskape #ig_shotz #universetoday #longexpoelite #ourplanetdaily #nights_dreamworld #earthpix #nakedplanet #earth_shotz #awesomeearth #earthofficial #earthfocus #beautifuldestinations #visualsofearth #universe_dope #liveoutdoors⁠ #comet #neowise⁠ #bealpha #longexposure #cometneowise

A post shared by KRL Photo (@krl_photo) on

 

Brier Kelly (@Brier_Kelly)

View this post on Instagram

Nosebleed seats #montana #cometneowise

A post shared by Brier Kelly (@brier_kelly) on

 

Ryan Kelly (@GreenRiverFlyFisher)

 

Ryan’s Settings: F 3.5, ISO 800, 30 sec exposure. Speed light flash to capture the line.

 

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How To Fly Fish for Bluefish

Nate Holmes
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How To Fly Fish for Bluefish

If Northern Pike are the wolves of the water, and Barracuda are the wolves of the sea, that would leave Bluefish to fill the spot of, say a wolverine crossed with and angry bladesmith, of all the seas. The Bluefish (known as tailor in Australia and New Zealand and Shad in South Africa) is an aggressive, gluttonous feeder that will create blitzes up and down a coastline like no other fish. With a fight that rivals any Striped Bass, Bluefish are a great saltwater fish to target with a flyrod.

Bluefish
If you were a baitfish, this view would be less than ideal  Photo: James Manning (@theanglerslens)

Where to find them:

If you know Bluefish are in your area, the best way to find them is to look for birds. Seabirds, Terns specifically, will follow schools of Bluefish and Stripers waiting for them to chase large schools of baitfish to the surface. Once the Bluefish do this, all hell breaks loose. The birds plunge into the water, baitfish are flying in every direction, and the Bluefish are crashing the surface in the sort of furious chaos that ultimately leaves fly lines tangled around feet, and not in the water. Also, there’s an old New England Fishermans tip that if you smell watermelon, Bluefish are around. Now, this seems completely crazy BUT, hear me out. When Bluefish annihilate a school of silversides, sand eels, or bunker, the smell of all the diced up bait particles actually does smell like watermelon, so watch out for that.

Party sized

Gear:

Bluefish can grow up to 20Lbs, and already are strong fighters, so I would recommend an 8-9wt rod paired with a large arbor reel with plenty of backing and drag. Since a lot of fly fishing for Bluefish is done in blitzes, you can get away with a floating line but I would still recommend an intermediate line so you could more effectively fish rips and get the fly down when needed. Your Bluefish setup should be the same as your Striper setup my Bluefish recommendations are also what I would recommend for Striped Bass. The two most important things you can have for flyfishing for Bluefish are cheap flies and wire leader. If you didn’t get it from the previous description, Bluefish have insanely sharp teeth paired with crazy strong jaws. They will rip through any mono or fluoro below 80Lb test. If you just keep a spool of tie-able wire leader in 20lb, you will be set for Blues. Another thing I cannot stress more is that you use cheap, simple flies. Bluefish are NOT picky eaters at all and they will tear any fly apart after about two hookups. I typically use all-white Clousers, Deceivers, or just clumps of bucktail tied to a hook. I’ve even heard of people gluing strips of their t-shirt to a hook and landing monster blues. There is nothing worse than losing a really nice Striper fly to a pack of Blues, so if there is suspicion of Bluefish in the area, spend the extra fifteen seconds and tie on a wire leader and a fly your ok with loosing, and have a blast. Also, a quick safety excliamer; treat these fish with respect, use pliers to unhook them and keep your hands away from their head while holding them, they will have no problem taking off a finger.

Underwater Bluefish
Photo: James Manning (@theanglerslens)

Tips:

Blues will feed just about anywhere, in rips, inlets, harbors, and open water. Remember, birds are your friend. When you find a school, the best thing you can do is to keep your fly in the water. Even if they aren’t actively busting, keep blind casting because they’re still around and hungry. You want to do your best to present your fly like a baitfish that is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Strip your fly fast, but not unnaturally fast, and always, always strip strike!

Bluefish head
Face of a killer Photo: James Manning (@theanglerslens)

Yes, Bluefish can totally be fly thieves and annoying at times, but if you open your attitude, Bluefish are one of the most fun species to chase on the fly on the East Coast!

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A Warriors Story – Veterans Find Healing Chasing Native Trout

Dan Zazworsky
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1
A Warriors Story – Veterans Find Healing Chasing Native Trout

From our good friend Cameron Cushman and the Iron Freedom Foundation comes their latest film project, “A Warrior’s Story“.

“A Warriors Story tells the story of Will Cannon, a U.S. Army Cavalry Scout Veteran who spent time in both Afghanistan and Iraq as a soldier and then again in the civilian sector as a contractor.

After his time in the service he was diagnosed with cancer and during his treatment, he found how powerful the outdoors are and what they can do for not only him but for all of those dealing with trauma. This is when he decided he needed to start a foundation that provides these important needs to other combat veterans.

When he formed The Iron Freedom Foundation, a Midland Texas-based non-profit, they were doing kayak fishing trips throughout the hill country on rivers such as the Devils and the Guadalupe. The organization has plans to branch into multiple outdoor activities such as fly fishing, backpacking, and hunting in the future, outside of the already successful kayak fishing trips.

On this trip, Cameron brought Will to the Rio Grande National Forest of Colorado in pursuit of native Rio Grande Cutthroat trout. They are joined by John Brandon, a Marine, and Marcos Mazzola a Venezuelan filmmaker.”

Flylords: Tell us more about the Iron Freedom Foundation.

Cam: The Iron Freedom Foundation was founded after our founder Will Cannon found that there was something missing from the other non-profits that he had volunteered for. While there were plenty of non-profits doing incredible work of getting combat veterans into the outdoors, what they lacked was that they didn’t give the veterans the means to go out and do those activities again on their own by supplying them with the gear and community to do so.

The Iron Freedom Foundation not only brings these groups of veterans on outdoor expeditions such as multiple day fly fishing and kayak trips, we completely outfit them with all of the gear. The veterans get to keep the backpacks, fly rods, tents, kayaks, and all of the gear needed to go out and do it again by themselves or with the community of veterans who have gone through our programs before.

You can learn more about IFF by visiting our website at ironfreedom.org

Flylords: How did this trip come together? Who all joined and how can other veterans join upcoming excursions?

Cam: This trip came about after months of discussions on beginning fly fishing trips for our veterans who needed more of an intimate connection to the outdoors. While out kayak fishing trips have been extremely successful, I personally knew from personal experience that trips that brought combat veterans into the mountains and smaller more intimate streams could provide tremendous support for those dealing with higher levels of PTSD. With that in mind, I suggested this trip which would hold multiple purposes of getting our founder into the environment, bringing along another combat veteran (John Brandon who is a Marine), and a great opportunity to make a short film that told Will’s story and why he formed The Iron Freedom Foundation. We also brought along my good buddy Marcos Mazzola as a photographer.

We’re currently updating our website to have a form that allows combat veterans or those who know combat veterans to submit themselves or another on their behalf that feels they could benefit from our mission. Many of our veterans come from referrals from past veterans on our trips which have been a huge part of our goal. We want to help as many veterans as we possibly can but as a younger nonprofit we still are growing each and every day.

Flylords: What impacts have you seen first hand on veterans venturing into the outdoors for therapy?

Cam: I can start off by saying that I have seen the impacts first hand through myself. Five years ago I was going through a really rough period and it was fly fishing and my family that got me through that time. Will, our founder, has attributed the outdoors and his wife and kids with getting him through each and every day on multiple occasions.

On each of the trips that I have gone on to film with IFF, I have seen veterans go from skeptical and almost void of emotion to smiling and laughing as they are falling off their kayaks, losing fish, and slipping down river banks. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in contact with many of them, some now who have incorporated the outdoors into their everyday life because it had such a tremendous effect on them. One of these veterans, Curtis, is now driving across the country to spread the message of the outdoors and the healing powers that they have to other veterans and everyday people alike.

Flylords: Which location from the film stood out to you the most? What was the longest hike you all made to get back to the Rio Grande Cutthroats?

Cam: You know, that’s a really tough question as there were so many memorable moments on this trip. Marcos and I had previously been to that area on multiple occasions, but this was special as I was getting the opportunity to put two combat veterans who had never caught native trout before on multiple fish. I would have to say that one of the smaller unnamed tributaries to the Conejos river was our favorite. It was where we were able to get each of the guys their first Rio Grande Cutthroat and probably some of the prettiest as well.

We didn’t hike as much as we usually do on this trip because the fishing was so good everywhere we fished, however, our longest day was about nine miles or so round trip and that was to one of the lake systems and back.

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Freestone Streams vs. Spring Creeks: What Are Trout Eating?

Grant Michaels
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3
Freestone Streams vs. Spring Creeks: What Are Trout Eating?

Fly fishing is a sport accompanied by many technicalities, water sources being one that is often overlooked. Imagine yourself, gathering your gear, tying flies, and heading to one of your favorite streams in search of feisty native brook trout. It’s one thing to just head to the stream and start fishing, but have you ever considered investigating what the trout are eating before grabbing your rod? Trout live in freestone and spring-fed creeks in general but also live in tailwater streams and rivers. Both of which are similar but also different in terms of food sources, stream characteristics, and water flow. Here we break down the difference in trout food sources between freestone and spring-fed creeks.

Freestone Stream Characteristics

Freestone streams are flowing bodies of water where the flow is dependent upon the weather conditions. Rain run-off and snowmelt are two contributing factors to sustainable flows in these creeks and streams. It is typical for freestone streams to start at higher elevations, oftentimes in mountainous areas, and gradually widen as the flow continues toward the mouth. That being said, these specific streams are subject to variability in terms of conditions and food sources. Temperature is not regulated like spring-fed creeks therefore water temps rise and fall during summer and winter.

Freestone Stream Characteristics

What Food Sources do Freestone Streams Have to Offer?

Freestone streams and creeks are known for their abundant mayfly populations. No matter the time of year, you can count on seeing mayfly nymphs such as stoneflies, caddis, march browns, sulfurs, etc. Freestone creeks, like many other classifications, have multitudes of midge larva ranging in different colors and sizes. During the early spring and summer months, you can find trout munching on caddis and various other mayfly species. Trout tend to go nuts for midge larva during the transition to colder temperatures and throughout the winter months. It is common to find small baitfish such as black nose dace or freshwater sculpins darting throughout freestone streams. These food sources can vary in size giving trout quite the variety when it comes to their feeding hour.

Golden Stone Fly
Golden Stone Fly

What Fly Imitations Should you be Using?

As we all know, there are tons of imitations out there for anglers to utilize. Often times, nymph imitations can resemble multiple different species of flies but some are different than others. If you are looking to imitate a mayfly nymph, you can’t go wrong with using the traditional pheasant tail. This fly resembles multitudes of mayflies and has been known for fooling trout for decades. Stoneflies can be imitated by a stonefly pattern but also can be imitated by the famous Prince Nymph. Larger, more predatory trout tend to feed on larger food sources. Know this information, utilizing large baitfish or sculpin imitations such as feathered Game-Changers or the infamous “Sex Dungeon”, will definitely play to your advantage.

Spring Fed Creek Characteristics

Spring fed creeks are very common for regulated water temperatures due to continuous water flow from natural springs. Rather than having rigid stone-like creek beds, spring fed creeks are known for having silt-like bottoms typically created from limestone. These silty bottoms are the perfect breeding ground for aquatic insects and larvae in which trout feast on. The silt creek or river beds are typically accompanied by thick vegetation and water cress.

What Food Sources do Spring Creeks Have to Offer?

Like freestone creeks, spring fed creeks offer a selection of mayfly species such as caddis, midge larvae, and various others. Although, spring fed creeks are formally known for the abundance of cress bugs. It is also common to find sculpin populations inhabiting spring fed creeks offering a more diverse food source for trout. Due to the nature of spring fed creeks, the temperature is regulated due to the constant flow of water. This also means that you will find common populations of aquatic life throughout the year which slightly differs from freestone creeks. As mentioned previously, cress bugs, freshwater shrimp, sculpins, and various mayfly populations are what you will typically find trout feeding on.

What Fly Imitations Should you be Using?

Based on the abundance of cress bugs and freshwater shrimp in spring-fed creeks, you won’t go wrong with patterns imitating these food sources. Simple scud patterns are proven to be highly effective when it comes to fooling trout in spring creeks. Another very effective pattern would be a simple hares ear nymph which imitates various aquatic insects in which trout feed on. It never hurts to throw a few small sculpin streamers in the box for those overcast/rainy days and trout tend to feed more aggressively during these conditions.

The key takeaway here is that no matter where you are or what type of fishery you are fishing, there is going to be variety. Although freestone and spring-fed creeks differ in terms of water temps, creek beds, etc, they also share common similarities. Next time you visit a freestone or spring-fed creek, take time to observe the quality of life in these areas. Without a doubt, you will be fascinated.

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Fish Anatomy Art, COVID, and Tattoos with Drew Wilson

Patrick Perry
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Fish Anatomy Art, COVID, and Tattoos with Drew Wilson

*Drew is going live on the Flylords Facebook page to show you how he draws fish! Be sure to tune in with your favorite beverage and drawing utensil on Wednesday, July 22nd, at 6:30 PM EST.*

Flylords caught up with Arkansas based Tattoo artist Drew Wilson to discuss how COVID has been impacting him and his business and some of the creative ways he has been keeping his business afloat. Check out the full interview below.

Drew Wilson Artist

Flylords: Can you give us a little background about yourself?

Drew: I’m currently 32, living in Fayetteville Arkansas. I’ve been fishing since I was born, so the full 32 years. I grew up fishing and skateboarding. I started working in a tattoo shop in 2008 and from that, I was introduced to fly fishing. Maybe five years ago I started making a lot of fishing artwork and it has pretty much been my life ever since! Now I’m lucky enough to travel around the country fishing and doing fishing tattoos. I also have a small business that sells fishing artwork, stickers, etc…

Flylords: How did COVID impact you and your business?

Drew: Well. Heavily I guess is the best way to put it. Being that I work in a tattoo shop we were the first ones to be shut down. I actually quit going to work a week before they told us to quit tattooing to try and help.  I pretty much spent ten weeks making a bunch of art from home and fishing locally. The shutdown did actually really help my sticker/art business. I get so busy tattooing that I never take the time to focus on just putting out a lot of art. So the break for me was actually nice. Got to find the good in all the bad I guess. With all the time to draw, I even took a few graphic design gigs, which I never do as it takes my focus off tattooing. So while it hurt one side of my business, it really helped the other.

Flylords: What were some of the ideas you had to combat COVID?

Drew: Oh man. I don’t really know. I’ve had to take a mandatory blood born pathogen and cross-contamination class every year that I’ve worked in a tattoo shop. So I have an alright understanding of how things spread. But with this, I didn’t pretend to have a clue. I basically was just careful getting gas and only went to the grocery store once every ten days. 

Flylords: Can you talk about the Anatomy of a Fish Drawings? What inspired them?

Drew: Boredom mostly! I was trying to put out a new illustration every day during quarantine and was just slowly working my way through my list of ideas. I’ll usually think of something goofy when I’m out on the river and write it down on the list. Sometimes it’s months before I put it to paper. I think I’d been sitting on the “anatomy of a trout” idea for a long time.

Flylords: Can we expect more fish out of this series?

Drew: Absolutely! I know for certain a largemouth and maybe another trout. I am tattooing again now, so it may be a bit before it happens. I have several comics that I’m hoping to put out also. 

Flylords: Any tips for aspiring artists?

Drew: Just draw and create as much as possible. Learn and memorize formulas for drawing. Pick a certain topic and beat it to death before moving on. Once you draw something a few hundred times it becomes second nature. Then you can start to bend the rules and get creative.

Flylords: What have been some of the most popular sticker designs you have had in the past year?

Drew: I’ve hand a few this year that have done really well! The “take me to your leader” sticker and the “velvet underwater” has probably been my best sellers of the recent stuff. But all in all, I’ve been really happy with how most of them have been received. I put out a few COVID themed stickers and had a great response.

Flylords: Any positives you experienced from COVID?

Drew: Plenty! Aside from the midnight anxiety attacks and being away from my family, it was really good for me. I fished more than I ever have. Which was great! Usually, when I have a day off, I have to pick a river and make a drive. If the fishing is bad, I have to wait another week before I get to go again. During quarantine, I fished probably six hours a day every day of the week. Having that much river time, I didn’t have to prioritize water. I could spend all day fishing a ditch for bluegill and not feel like I wasted a day. 

My small business really thrived as well. I think with the number of people sitting at home with nothing to do, way more people saw my stuff than usual. At least that’s what I’ve been chalking it up to. The fishing community really came to bat for me during all this also. I’m super lucky to have their support.

Flylords: How can the angling community support your small business right now? 

Drew: Buy art, stickers, and prints. That stuff helps of course. I know that a lot of people have been out of work and don’t have the means to drop cash on silly fish stickers. So if those people are interested in supporting me, or any other fishing based artist, sharing artwork online helps! Reposting art brings awareness to small art-based businesses like myself and increases sales. It’s a huge help!

Thanks for the time, Drew. Give him a follow on Instagram @drewlr and be sure to check out his stickers online here.

Fin and Skin with Drew Wilson

How to Tie: The Saltwater Gurgler

Wills Donaldson
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0
How to Tie: The Saltwater Gurgler

In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, Fly Fish Food shows us how to tie the Saltwater Gurgler.

Learn About This Fly:

Difficulty: Intermediate 

Originally brought to life by legendary tyer, Jack Gartside, the Saltwater Gurgler (or the Gartside Gurgler) is a favorite amongst salty topwater enthusiasts. Noted for its ability to draw wary fish to toss caution to the current and lunge at the surface, this conglomeration of fur, feathers, and foam is commonly referred to as one of the most effective saltwater flies from the US to Japan.

What makes this fly unique is the “gurgling” effect that it gives off when skating across the water. This is largely in part due to the foam lip that protrudes off the front of the fly, causing the fly to plow through the top inch of water like a freight train off the rails. This disturbance is like a dinner bell to predatory fish such as tarpon, snook, GT, and redfish.

When tying this fly, it’s hard not to have a little fun with it. The diverse array of materials that are tossed onto the hook shank almost make the makeup of the fly seem arbitrarily selected. It’s as if someone wanted to see how many different materials they could fit into one fly. However, by sticking to the recipe, new fly tyers can work on practicing an assortment of different tying methods such as working with deer hair (depending on how you tie it), applying mono-eyes, wrapping hackle, and so on. That being said, this fly especially benefits from playful innovation. By testing out new materials and colors, you can really diversify your arsenal for your next trip to the flats!

Ingredients:

  • Hook: Daiichi 2546 #1/0
  • Thread: MFC Premium 3/0 – Pink
  • Tail: Arctic fox tail hair – Tan
  • Hot Spot (spawn sack) – Cactus chenille – Hot orange
  • Eyes: Epoxy mono crab eyes – Tan
  • Body1: Palmer chenille – Pink
  • Body2: Coq De Leon Hen Saddle – White
    Body3: Maradub – Bonefish betty
  • Foam: Two-tone fly tying foam – Tan/pink
  • Head: Ice dub – UV tan

Now you know how to tie the saltwater gurgler!

Video and Ingredients courtesy of Fly Fish Food

How to Tie: The Rainbow Warrior

How to Tie: The Velcro Crab

How to Tie: The Tarpon Bunny

Faces of Fly Fishing: Ben Sittig (Huge Fly Fisherman)

Wills Donaldson
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1
Faces of Fly Fishing: Ben Sittig (Huge Fly Fisherman)

In this installment of Faces of Fly Fishing, we had the pleasure to sit down with Youtube personality, Husband, Father, and angler, Ben Sittig to talk about what it really means to be a HUGE Fly Fisherman.

Ben sittig rowing

Flylords: Who is Ben Sittig?

Ben: I’m just a regular guy.  I have a wife, two kids, a goldfish, and I like to fish a lot.  I also have a big mouth and a lot of opinions, and for some reason, I feel the need to let everyone know that.

Ben with his kids

Flylords: What does it mean to be a Huge Fly Fisherman?

Ben: Being a huge fly fisherman means lots of things, but I think that most importantly it means not taking yourself or fishing too seriously.  Fly fishing is a recreational activity.  It’s supposed to be fun.  The hugest fly fisherman is the guy that doesn’t care about catching the biggest fish, or most fish, or any fish at all.  He’s just out there to have a good time.  You can try to attach a higher purpose to fly fishing, but in the end, it’s just fishing.

ben with a nice catch

Flylords: What’s a day in the life of a huge fly fisherman look like?

Ben: Every day is different, but mostly it’s family and work. There is no routine. I work a lot. I have a full-time day job, and my YouTube channel is a second full-time job. If I’m not doing my regular job, I’m editing videos, managing my merch orders, or I’m out fishing and generating new content, which is work.  When I’m not working I try to spend as much time with my family as I can.

beers on the boat

Flylords: We’ve seen “huge fly fisherman” stickers on rod racks and coolers around the country. How did this phenomenon start?

Ben: We’ve all had a conversation with someone when they find out you’re a fly fisherman and they say, “Oh, you have to meet my friend he’s a HUGE fly fisherman.” That’s where it came from.  What better way to tell people you’re a huge fly fisherman than to clearly state it?  It’s like the joke “How do you know if someone is a fly fishing guide?  Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.”  I thought the stickers would be funny so I had a bunch made and gave them away for free.  That got expensive after a while so I started charging for them.  That was before I had a YouTube channel or brand of any kind. I just thought it was funny. Now, there are about 10,000 of those stickers out there.

im a huge fly fisherman

Flylords: How did you get started making youtube videos?

Ben: It was my wife’s idea. Fishing, or maybe just talking about fishing, is my strongest skill set.  I’d like to be able to support my family through fishing, but I don’t want to guide, work in a shop, or work for a fishing company of some sort. With my YouTube channel, I’m working for myself and it’s been amazingly successful. My wife schooled me on what I needed to do to make my channel grow, and she’s been right about everything. I can’t quit my day job yet, but we’re getting there.

under water trout

Flylords: When you’re making a video, what’s your process look like? Are you going off a script or pretty much freestyling?

Ben: Mostly, I’m reading from a script. Sometimes I’ll have everything written out word for word, and sometimes it’s just notes and talking points.  I think the videos sound better when I’m not reading a script word for word, but if I don’t write everything down I tend to forget things that I wanted to say.  I type my scripts, print them, and laminate them. I learned quickly that they need to be laminated, as fishing is typically done in or around water, so I’ve been known to travel with my laminating machine. The vlog videos are unscripted, of course. That’s just me yammering on about what’s happening.

ben wearing a wig

Flylords: Some people refer to you as the new Hank Patterson, thoughts on this?

Ben: I can understand the comparison, but it’s not based on much. The only thing we really have in common is that we both make jokes about fishing and fishermen while holding a beer.  Beyond that our videos aren’t similar at all.  Hank’s videos are purely just for fun.  You’re not going to learn anything about fishing. In my videos, I try to sprinkle some substance in between the bad jokes.  I had a lot of shade thrown at me, in the beginning, saying I was trying to be like him. Or, maybe people were upset that someone else tried to make fishing funny (it’s become abundantly clear that some people think that making jokes about fishing is not OK), but that has gone away as I’ve made more videos and people get a sense of what I’m doing and how it’s different.

Also, Hank is a character played by an actor (Travis) who is also a video production professional. I’m not playing a character. That’s me in my videos.  Sure, I lay the schtick on pretty heavily but I’m just a dude with a GoPro and iMovie. And I’m way better looking than Hank.

Im a huge fly fisherman poster

Flylords: Who are some people in the industry who’ve inspired you?

Ben: Lefty Kreh, for sure.  I was fortunate enough to spend some time with him as a teenager.  I learned about casting and I enjoyed his easygoing demeanor.  He was always happy.  José Wejebe had an impact on me, too.  I didn’t know him, but I watched his show all the time and I loved his attitude.  We would have had a good time on a boat together.

ben sittig with permit

Flylords: You target a variety of species on the fly, do you have a favorite?

Ben: That’s a tough one. I don’t have a favorite. It changes all the time. There are some fish I want more than others, though, probably because I haven’t caught enough of them yet to be satisfied. Tarpon is one of those. I’d like to get a few more over 100 lbs. I’ve been thinking a lot about bowfin lately, too. Versatility is something I look for in fishing partners. People that only fish for trout (or whatever) are selling themselves short and missing out on opportunities to improve as an angler. Trout will always be neat though.

ben fighting a fish

Flylords: Favorite fly?

Ben: Black wooly bugger with a peacock body, chartreuse rib, and gold bead head. That fly will catch anything.

ben with fish in net

Flylords: Can you explain to us your opinion on midges?

Ben: I hate them, but I admit they are damn effective. I would just rather fish big stuff. I think it’s way cooler to catch a fish on a big fly than a small one.  I’m not impressed by the 20/20 club (catching a 20-inch fish on a size 20 fly).  It’s not much of a challenge.  You can go to almost any western tailwater any day and make that happen.  It’s tougher to get a 20-inch fish to eat a size 2 fly.

Another reason I don’t like midges is because I’m not into fishing tailwaters. Tailwater fishermen are the biggest nerds out there. They are very hatch-matchy, which on a tailwater often means midges.  I don’t want to park on a fish and figure out if it wants a zebra midge with 7 wraps of ribbing instead of 6.  If a fish doesn’t eat my fly I’m not going to figure out what it wants.  I’d rather find a different fish that wants to eat whatever fly I have on my line. That’s how I like to do it. And tailwater fish are gross.  They’re beaten and scarred from getting caught all the time.  They roll over and don’t fight because they know they’ll be released.  I’d rather fight a fish that thinks it’s going to die.

One more reason I don’t like midges is because you need to fish small tippets.  That’s not fun for me.  I like to pull hard on fish.  I want to land them as quickly as possible.  I don’t think it’s difficult to land a big fish on small tippet, I just think it’s an unnecessary waste of time.  When someone says they fought a 20-inch fish for 30 minutes on 6X tippet, what I hear is that they don’t know how to fight a fish well.

fighting fish

Flylords: What’s one thing you wouldn’t hit the water without?

Ben: Low expectations. I always set the bar low so I’m not disappointed if things don’t work out.  If you think that you’re going to slam a bunch of big fish every time you go out, you’re setting yourself up for a bad time. Sunglasses are important too. I cringe when I see people fishing without eye protection, especially kids.

big carp in hand

Flylords: Tight lines?

Ben: That is a bannable offense. You have been warned.

ben sittig

Thank you to Ben Sittig for taking the time to share some of his valuable insights with us. Make sure to check out Ben’s Youtube channel HERE.  

Faces of Fly Fishing – Jasper Pääkkönen

Behind the Fish: Steelhead/Salmon Biology with Scientist John McMillan

Faces of Fly Fishing: Joe Humphreys

The Best Flies to Fish: The White River

Landen German
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The Best Flies to Fish: The White River

In this installment of “Flies to Fish”, we will be focusing on none other than Arkansas’ White River. The White River has a total length of 722 miles flowing through Arkansas and Missouri: and is home to 8 dams, 6 reservoirs, 3 tailwaters, and countless tributaries. With the waters below Bull Shoals dam being the most famous for their prolific trout fishery and Monster Browns. While the White may not look like your typical western trout river don’t let it fool you. This river has produced two world record brown trout a 38lb 9oz and a 40lb 4oz. Monsters aside, the river has a very healthy population of brown trout ranging in the 18-24″ range. While the browns can be elusive, the river is also stocked with 12-14″ stocker rainbows and even has a few cutthroats also.

With big water like the White, it can be hard to decipher what structure to fish, what flies to throw, and what time of year to go. With advice from local shops, guides, and the fishy folks who know these waters best, here are the best flies to fish the White River.

stripping line on the white river
Image courtesy of Black Mountain Cinema

FLY GYDE:

Dry Flies

Nymphs

Streamers

Hatch Chart:

The White River has some of the most prolific bug life in the country. From year-long scud and sowbug activity to stoneflies and multiple species of mayflies. To help you with deciphering when and what to fish, FlyFlinger.com has a full hatch chart on their website. Along with the hatch chart, Whiteriver.net has provided a list of universal fly patterns and sizes.

Dry Fly Madness White River
Image Courtesy: Jen Demers
  • Scuds (Hook Sizes: 14-18)
    • Year Long
  • Sowbugs (Hook Sizes: 12-18)
    • Year Long 
  • Midges (Hook Sizes: 18-24)
    • Year Long 
  • Cranefly (Hook Sizes: 8-10)
    • March – October 
  • Microcaddis (Hook Sizes: 18-22)
    • April – October 
  • Terrestrials (Hook Sizes: 6-10) 
    • June – October 
  • Blue-Winged Olive (Hook Sizes: 18-22)
    • January & February/ November & December
  • Stoneflies (Hook Sizes: 6-10)
    • February – June 
  • Grannom Caddis (Hook Sizes: 14-18)
    • March & April 
  • March Browns (Hook Sizes: 12-16) 
    •  April & May 
  • Sulphurs (Hook Sizes: 16-18)
    • April & May 
  • Light Cahills (Hook Sizes: 14-18)
    • May & June 
  • Giant Mayfly (Hook Sizes: 8-10)
    • June & July 
  • White Mayfly (Hook Sizes: 12-16)
    • August & September  

Baitfish & Crustaceans 

  • Sculpin (Hook Sizes: 4-8)
    • Year Long  
  • Threadfin Shad (Hook Sizes: 4-6) 
    • February, March, & August
  • Crayfish (Hook Sizes: 6-10)
    • March- October  

Now keep in mind that river conditions and flies change regularly. You won’t be throwing the same bugs in 2 months. Below is a list of universal flies for the year, but remember to always check in with the local shops to get an idea of the hatches and what the fish are keying in on.

Monster Brown White River
Image Courtesy: Jen Demers & Stephan Balogh

Dry Flies:

Midges: Harrops Hanging Midge, Bucky’s Midge Cluster, Stalcup’s Hatchin’ Midge

Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Cranefly: Solitude Crane Fly, Keller’s Crane Fly, Adult Crane

Crane Dry Fly
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Caddis: Mercer’s Missing Link Caddis, Goddard Caddis, Halo Sparkle Caddis

Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Blue-Winged Olive: Smoke Jumper Baetis, Crippled Thor Bwo, Snowshoe Baetis

Smoke Jumper Baetis
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Terrestrials: Fat Alberts, Wiley’s Ant, and Western Ladies

Fat Albert
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

March Browns: Galloups Tilted Wing Drake, Micro Mayfly, Galloups Sunk Spinner

Brown Drake Dry
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Sulphurs: Parachute Sulfur, Silverman’s Stacker, & Comparadun

Sulphur Comparadun
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Nymphs:

Midges: Wotton’s Super midges, Super Whitetail midges, and Dawkin’s DD Midge

double bead midge
Image Courtesy: Orvis.com

Cranefly: Tim’s Candy Crane, Killer Bug, Barr’s Cranefly Larva

Cranefly Larva
Image Courtesy: Orvis.com

Caddis: Edwards’ Rhyacophila Larva, Quigley’s Midget Caddis, Stalcup’s Hydropsyche Caddis Larva

Caddis Larva
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Blue-Winged Olives: Craven’s JuJu Baetis, Nyman’s Thin Mint Baetis, Hogan’s S&M BWO Nymph

BWO nymph
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Stoneflies: Girdle Bug, Rubberleg jig heads, Edwards’ Little Black Stonefly

Little Stonefly
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Sowbugs: Rouses’ J-Dub Sowbug, Rainbow Warrior, Rainbow SowBug

Sowbug
Image Courtesy: Orvis.com

Scuds: Hunchback Scuds, Beadbody Scuds, Flashback Scud wet hares ear

Bead Scud
Image Courtesy: Orvis.com

Mayflies: Tactical Hot Spot, Craven’s Two-Bit, Wiese’s Lucent Prince, and Newbury’s Alt Rkr

Hot Spot Mayfly
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Streamers: 

Rubberleg Wooly Bugger: Stonefly/Baitfish

Rubberleg Wooly Bugger
Image Courtesy: Orvis.com

Mini-Dungeon: Sculpin/Baitfish

Mini Dungeon
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

CJ’s Sluggo: Baitfish (Shad)

Sluggo Streamer
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com

Dally’s Lap Dancer: Baitfish

Dally's Lap Dancer
Image Courtesy: Slideinn.com  

From Shad imitations to the smallest midge pattern this list provides you with the confidence and staples to land your next White River monster trout. There’s nothing like getting out on new water with a little extra knowledge in your back pocket.

Featured Image Courtesy:Black Mountain Cinema

Best Flies to Fish: The Gunnison River

The White River: A World Class Fishery

5 Hatches To Fish Before You Die

 

How a Fireman Found Peace on the River Through a Pandemic and Riots

Dan Zazworsky
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How a Fireman Found Peace on the River Through a Pandemic and Riots

Friendship with the Joe and Kyla sprouted naturally at the ski mountain this Winter.  We both brought our 4-year-old sons on their first ski program at Sunlight Mountain near Glenwood Springs. As a native Colorado skier, bringing my first son to his first ski lesson was a lifelong dream. No matter how many mountains or races my son William will ski, that first day will remain a lifelong highlight. Joe and Kyla felt the same way bringing their Brock to his first lesson and our inevitable friendship started the moment we both looked out the lodge window to see if our kids made it out of the ski school to their first little hill. I had my concerns considering the fit my son threw about his long underwear on the way to the mountain, it was touch and go there for a while.

Turns out they travel to Costa Rica with their kids, we travel to Guanaja with ours. They also have a little girl, we also have a little girl. They just moved to New Castle, we just moved to New Castle. They love rivers, we love rivers. Joe is a fireman, I am a fisherman. Kyla is a professional put on hold with children, my wife Beckie is a professional put on hold by children. As you can see, from the first day of the best part of my skiing career, we were friends.

We met every Tuesday to watch our boys ski, and little girls play. We ran into each other at the hot springs. We made the first visit over their house on the Colorado River and the kids played like they’d grown up together. I learned that Joe and Kyla are river people with vast experience in whitewater rafting, multi-day floats, and kayaking. Our family is driven to the river by fish, we are always fishing. Joe told me how he’d always wanted to learn to fly fish, and he unknowingly bought a house on some of the best trout water on the Colorado River. His house sits right above a stretch that I love to guide, absolutely full of big wild trout. I told him I could have him casting in 1 hour and catching fish in 2.

Then the world changed, dramatically, almost overnight.

COVID shut everything down and sent most people home to quarantine. Not the case for Joe. He’s on a 4-on-4-off schedule with the Fire Department in Denver. My job seemed to disappear, while Joe braved the front lines in Denver. Our inconveniences seemed heavy with stock-piling groceries, staying healthy, and dealing with 3 young ones at home. Joe’s inconvenience was seeing his job completely change into something even more dangerous that he never saw coming.

We live in New Castle, maybe the best place to live through all this. Quiet, mellow, no central gathering places. Life is spread out. Joe goes back to work to find a new Denver. The pandemic brought out the worst in a lot of people, and Joe’s team has to play clean up, save the day, rescue all. Not a small burden.

​On top of it all, my wife reasonably questions if I can keep bringing the kids over to Joe’s house, he’s on the front lines after all. Hard to argue. Although we’ve yet to reunite, turns out Joe has the right antibodies not to get the virus, plus frequent testing, he’s kept his family safe.

As my Spring guide season evaporates in a pandemic, I realize Joe and Kyla have the opportunity to fish all they want, from their back yard. 4 days on, 4 days off, 50% perfect which is not bad at all.

I’ve taught fly-fishing for 20 years, but never over the phone, I was up for the challenge. He told me he needs to buy a rod, reel, flies, and anything else. I told him that he didn’t need to buy a thing. I have many rods sitting around and happen to own half of a fly-tying company that makes the best flies on the river, an actual unfair advantage I was eager to share. Guide Flies are designed to crush rivers like the Colorado and I was stuck home with piles of them. This was my chance to fish through the fireman and Kyla.

Between my wife and I, we have a couple of dozen fly rods at the house, but most of them are broken, too much traveling and chaos with the kids to even send them back for repair. Even still, we had a few and I put a 5-weight together for Joe. I scavenged our fly fishing accessories for some tippet, indicator, fly-floatant, hemostats, and then did the really fun part, picked out the Guide Flies he would need as the Colorado River turned on for its Spring glory.

Mid-March on the Colorado is midge madness, with prolific midge hatches and fish feeding frenzy just below the surface. So I packed a container with our Guide Midges size 16 in all of our colors. I added some Guide Chernobyls and Guide Floaters to float the midges. I threw in our caddis nymphs anticipating the next hatch, along with some dries in case he really learned to cast.

I gave my first casting lesson over the phone and told him all the mistakes he’d make before he made them. Within hours I received videos of both Joe and Kyla hucking some line, it made my heart sing.

I then explained how to tie on a dry dropper with an improved clinch knot, and how to add tippet with a double surgeons knot. Within a few more hours I had a fishing report from them of several eats but no catches, their journey had begun. The excitement and enthusiasm in his communication reminded me of why I guided for so long. Clearly not the money, experiencing the joy of learning to fly-fish through other people every day is a life of joy, simple as that.

​Before Joe landed his first fish, he was called back to Denver as COVID emergency ensued and the city of Denver experienced problems like it’s never seen. Problems only firemen can solve. Besides being on the front lines during a dangerous pandemic with two small children at home, Joe had to come face to face with Denver’s worst. People punching elders for toilet paper, meth heads ravaging insides of hospitals, emergency after emergency. Joe’s attitude has been and remains unbelievably positive but the reports speak for themselves.

“All I think about is getting home to fly-fish with my family, I can’t thank you enough,” Is what he said over and over again. I’m thinking, bro, we all ought to be thanking you, don’t mention it again, truly my pleasure.

During his visit home, the river warmed a little to perfection and the midge fishing was river wide. The next message was Joe’s first fish, then Kyla’s. Kyla is a photographer so even with her phone, she was able to capture some priceless images of pure childhood joy shining from Joe. The smile that makes everything worth it, no matter what.

The pandemic continued but the emergencies started to level off, the New World, no matter how frustrating it is, was starting to take shape and the panic was dissipating.

Snow started to melt and the river started to rise. Fishing remained good into a caddis hatch while Joe and Kyla continued their fly-fishing journey together.

Then the river continued to rise even more, along with the blood of our country. COVID was driving the country crazy, everyone on edge, strange violent out-lashes started springing up, then it got much worse.

The water hit its highest levels just as the world was violently shaken by the brutal murder of George Floyd, and the country caught fire. Joe’s job got unimaginably harder. He’s been volunteering on top of his 4 days because his team desperately needs all he can give, and the river is blown out anyway.

His last shift in Denver during the riots left him a bit deflated for the first time. People shouted at him, cursed at him, called him a [expletive] cop several times, threw a water bottle at him that led to an arrest, shouted all night at him so he couldn’t sleep. All the while relying on him to keep them alive. Joe is being victimized by the worst of our society, in the worst of times, yet he refuses to be a victim and does his job with kindness.

They’ve since bought a fly rod and are waiting for rivers and people to calm down so they can get back to the magical journey of learning to fly-fish in Colorado.

It’s not enough to call these guys heroes, they don’t even want to hear that. Let’s all speak up for the ones that are keeping us safe during the strangest times of our lives.

It turns out the outdoors are a safer place than we thought, as far as catching the virus.  Fly-fishing is therapy for everything. Get out there and get some, and if you get a chance, let a fireman know how important they are with something more than words.

Words by Steve Calloway-Brown, a Colorado native who has been fly fishing most of his life. For the past 17 years, Steve has been guiding in Southeastern Colorado. Steve’s dreams of starting a small, sustainable fly-fishing lodge came to fruition in the Spring of 2008, when he founded Fly Fish Guanaja. Steve has a deep-rooted passion for fly fishing and conservation and founded the Fish For Change which is a non-profit organization refocusing on why we are fly fishing.

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