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How to Tie: Mayer’s Mini Jig Leech

Wills Donaldson
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In this week’s How to Tie video feature, Landon Mayer himself is here to show us how to tie his Mini Jig Leech.

Learn About This Fly:

Difficulty: Novice

The beauty of Mini leeches such as this one is in their counter-intuitive nature. While many anglers assume that the only way to catch big fish is to sling massive streamers that sound like a cannonball when they hit the water, this fly offers a delightful surprise as it seems to be a magnet for impressive fish. Fished best around the early winter for when trout are stocking up for the cold season, this small snack poses as an easy bight of protein for trout on the prowl. Because of its small size, trout view is as an unintimidating eat that should hold them over between chasing and digesting their larger meals.

Ingredients:

  • Vise: Stonfo Transformer Hook: Hanak H 450 BL; #10
  • Bead: Hazard Fly Fishing 3.5mm slotted tungsten; silver
  • Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 18/0; black
  • Body: Krystal Flash; green (coated w/ Solarez Bone Dry)
  • Wing: Micro Pine Squirrel Zonker strip
  • Collar: Ostrich Herl; gray

Now you know how to tie Mayer’s Mini Jig Leech!

Video and Ingredients courtesy of Landon Mayer

How to Tie: The Redfish Minnow

How to Tie: The Simple Scud

How to Tie: The Articulated Stonefly

Waist Deep Media Presents “Save The Season”

Dan Zazworsky
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Waist Deep Media Presents “Save The Season”

The main goal of SaveTheSeason.org is to raise money for the guides, shop owners and industry professionals that have lost their business to the pandemic. After fishing got shut down here in Washington and hearing stories from my guide friends I really wanted to do something to help. I just shot some top-notch steelhead footage in a last-ditch effort to find a fish or two before government-mandated lockdown. 

#SAVETHESEASON STEELHEAD STOKE FILM FOR A CAUSE! from Waist Deep Media on Vimeo.

I put together a short film, one part documentary, one part steelhead stoke film and it turned out just awesome. I’ve never asked anyone to pay to watch my films but this is more than worth the couple bucks I’m asking. All proceeds are being donated to affected individuals and businesses who have lost their income. We will be sharing the stories of the folks we help on at SaveTheSeason.org, on social media.

Rent the film now, on Vimeo and support the guiding community!

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5 Reasons Why You Should Target Calico Bass

Landen German
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5 Reasons Why You Should Target Calico Bass

As you idle up to the spot, you are greeted with one of the most unique environments and fishing experiences available. Rock walls fall into the ocean, the kelp forest twists and turn it’s way to the bottom, the water is crystal clear except for the occasional foam generated from the waves hitting the rock wall. You are taken aback by the enormity of this place until your rod nearly gets taken out of your hand. On the other end is a game fish that is so unique, so beautifully colored, yet so aggressive that a wolf pack of 10 other fish chase the fish you just hooked to get the fly out of its mouth. Head shakes, line slips out of your hand, then nothing it’s gone. One strip, two strips, boom another hit, finally you get the fish to the boat. A Calico Bass.

Calico Bass otherwise known as Kelp Bass are not related to their freshwater bass cousins even though the name says so. They are in the Paralabrax family of just 8 other species. In which 5 of them are endemic to the waters off of California to Baja. The Calico Bass has long been one of Southern Californias premier inshore gamefish and is arguably one of the hardest and toughest fighting fish pound for pound. Living in heavy cover fishing for them resembles fishing for Largemouth bass. They heavily relate to structure and are extremely aggressive. Below are 5 reasons why you should target Calico Bass the next time you find yourself in Southern California.

Image courtesy: Matus Sobolic

Topwater

Need I say more. At times more than one will launch itself at your fly. With fast strips, large crease, and diver style flies these fish burst out of the laid down kelp to destroy your fly. In the summer months, warmer water, and the right conditions, these fish move up the water column which means more willingness to eat on top. Anything baitfish colored, sardine, mackerel, and anchovy. Crustaceans are also a large part of a calico’s diet making brown, orange, and red crustacean style flies a key. Unlike most topwater scenarios, you actually mess around with a little bit of lighter gear than you typically would fishing a heavy grain line.

Image courtesy: Mason Stoller

Creativity

People have been sport fishing for Calico bass for decades but fly fishing for them has gained traction in the past 20 years or so. From targeting fish along break walls and heavy hard structures most anglers pursue these fish with 300+ grain line. Big heavy flies are the norm to get to the bottom of the water column where the big fish lay in wait for an ambush. But that’s just one way to pursue these fish. With calicos being such a unique species for fly fishing the creation side and innovation door is wide open for anglers. From targeting these fish in your own unique way to creating oversized bass flies with big heavy wire hooks this fishery is just an open door for creative and passionate anglers.

Image courtesy: Bobby Harrison

Beauty

Now, most wouldn’t call this ultra-aggressive fish beautiful, most would call them spunky and mean, but they truly are a beautiful fish. Their flanks boast big vertical and horizontal bars with the intermittent white spot creating a checkered look while their heads range from dark brown-black to lighter blondes and silvers depending on their surroundings. These fish get thick and broad, their fins are no different either. With big pectorals and a broom of a tail. These fish pack a punch for their size. Calicos are filled with piss and vinegar despite their beauty. With spines and sandpaper teeth these fish will make a new meaning for bass thumb.

Image courtesy: Bobby Harrison
Image courtesy: Mason Stoller

Gear

Break out the BIG stuff! These fish are no joke. The places they live in are no joke. Bobby Harrison a Southern California local and a calico bass fly angler said that he primarily fishes 9-12 weight rods and 300-650 grain shooting heads. He also stated that “Since the fish will take you back into the structure you hooked them in, similar to a grouper, the reel is just there to hold the line.” “We never put fish on the reel, you have to keep their head turned and constant pressure, horsing them out of cover.”

Image courtesy: Matus Sobolic

Surroundings

Whether your fishing the islands, the local coast, or the harbors Calicos tend to live in some pretty spectacular surroundings. As I mentioned prior if your fishing the islands you will be met with vertical rock walls that drop into the ocean, endless kelp forests that house plenty of other species such as, Yellowtail (Japanese Amberjack), Pacific Bonito, Pacific Barracuda, Cabezon, and White Sea Bass to name a few. Whales and Dolphins are also commonly spotted as well as the occasional surprise of a Mako Shark. So if the Calicos are giving you the cold shoulder there are still plenty of other species to target and things to see.

Image courtesy: Mason Stoller

Header photo courtesy: Bobby Harrison

 

Video of the Week: Mako

A Bassin’ Tradition

“Is the LA River Safe to Fish?”

 

Cheeky Postpones Annual Schoolie Striped Bass Tournament

Nate Holmes
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Every May for the past nine years, Cheeky Fishing has hosted a Striped Bass tournament to celebrate the arrival of Striped Bass on Cape Cod. This year, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Cheeky postponed the spring tournament to September. I had a chance to talk with Cheeky associate business manager Zach Clinchy about the recent news.

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Flylords: For those who don’t know, what happened? 

Zach: For the past 9 years, we have hosted the world’s largest fly-fishing tournament; the Cheeky Schoolie Tournament.  The Schoolie Tournament is a catch-and-release only, grassroots style event designed to raise awareness of striped bass conservation efforts. Traditionally, we have hosted this tournament on Cape Cod in May to kick off the saltwater fly fishing season in New England. With the current COVID-19 crisis, we made the decision to postpone the Schoolie Tournament from May 16th to September 19th. There’s a lot at stake right now and many folks are dealing with incredibly difficult times. Right now, that should be our focus within the fishing community and our communities at large. We need to get through this together and postponing the event was the right thing to do.

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Flylords: What else is Cheeky doing in response to the Coronavirus pandemic?

Zach: Although we are continuing to ship orders to customers, we have closed the rest of our offices completely. Our staff is currently working from home as a precaution to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

With all of the travel restrictions, general safety concerns, and less recreational spending, we have joined the #SaveTheSeason initiative led by Postfly. Save The Season is a donation fund that goes 100% to help fishing guides in these extremely difficult times. We are very grateful to have met so many incredible people in the guiding industry throughout the years. Cheeky kicked off its entire business back in 2010 by taking a road trip from Maine to Florida and back, meeting with guides and other industry members along the way to show them our first prototypes. Guides have taught us all invaluable lessons, shown us their waters, but best of all, shared their hospitality and friendship with us time after time. The guides in the industry are suffering and we want to do our part to support them during these difficult times.

In addition to helping guides, we’re also encouraging people to shop with their local retailers. The fly fishing community has always rallied during hardship. If you can, we encourage you to make some purchases from your local fly shop. Many shops are offering curbside pick-up, phone orders, or shipping options. It’s a great time to pick up gear for the spring, buy a gift card for your fishing buddy, or double-down on fly tying supplies for time spent at home.

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Flylords: Are there any new changes to the tournament that we can look forward to?

Zach: This will be the first time we’ve hosted in the fall, which presents some exciting opportunities. There will definitely be some fun and unique additions to the tournament. As you may know, there will be different species of fish in the mix during the fall run that aren’t here in early spring. Who knows, you may even see an Albie component to the tournament this year. We will also keep participants engaged all summer long. Right now, in conjunction with the sponsors, we’re working on a badass e-raffle to be held on the original event date of May 16, and hopefully other prizes and mini-competitions throughout the summer. Although we are disappointed to postpone the Schoolie Tournament, the fall run will bring lots of excitement to the event.

In these uncertain times, we are excited to have something on the calendar to look forward to in the fall, and we hope that the participants share this sentiment. If you have interest in signing up for the Schoolie Tournament on September 19th, you can do so by clicking on the following link: https://cheekyfishing.com/pages/schoolie-tournament

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Fly Fishing Costa Rica- 5 Day Adventure

Sam McLean
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Fly Fishing Costa Rica- 5 Day Adventure

In the midst of mask-wearing, social distancing, and self-quarantine, we wanted to bring you a video of optimistic exploration. Just because it may seem like the sky is falling, the world doesn’t stop living.

The video follows them in their daily adventures, hardships, and chase of monster fish. As the crew adeptly explains, “This trip was hosted by our good friend Capt. Court Douthit and guided by Jesse Males and Micah Baly from www.506outdoors.com.” Watch as this crazy crew travels around Costa Rica, fishing, paddle boarding, and exploring.

Sit back, relax, and dive into their journey down to Costa Rica in search of some phenomenal fly fishing.

This film was created by Backwater Fly Fishing. Be sure to check out more of their videos on the Backwater Fly Fishing YouTube page.

These instructional videos are curated and written by team member Sam McLean (@sam_d_mclean).

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Mayfly Outdoors Pays Off Montrose School Lunch Balances

Dan Zazworsky
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Mayfly Outdoors Pays Off Montrose School Lunch Balances

From Colorado Outdoors:

Colorado Outdoors, the local Montrose riverfront economic development project, announced today the company has paid off the Montrose County School District (MCSD) elementary and early childhood lunch balances.

“This is obviously a very stressful time. As fellow community members, we just want to do our part to help our neighbors and families,” said David Dragoo the company president. “It’s the right thing to do.”

The payment brings all school lunch bills current for every student at Cottonwood Elementary, Johnson Elementary, Northside Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary, Olathe Elementary, Pomona Elementary, and those within the early childhood programs.

The company also challenged other local businesses and individuals to do the same. “There are still lunch balances with the middle and high schoolers. We need others to jump in and help out where they can.”

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How You Can #SaveTheSeason

Dan Zazworsky
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How You Can #SaveTheSeason

The effects of COVID-19 are being felt throughout the industry, but perhaps one of the hardest-hit sectors of the fishing industry overall has been felt by the guiding community. But all is not lost, thanks to the team at Postfly Box and Badfish, a fund is being put together to raise funds to help the men and women who have guided us all and given us more information and fabulous fishing experiences than we could ever ask for.

New England Guide Jamie Boyle

From SaveTheSeason.Org:

We are very grateful to have met so many incredible people in the guiding industry throughout the years. They have taught us invaluable lessons, shown us their home waters, but best of all shared their hospitality and friendship with us time after time.

Now is our time to return the kindness and generosity.

For most guides, their livelihood is dependent upon their fisheries, and it’s the fish that often dictate how, and when, these guides can make a living.
Every guides’ fishing season may be a little different, but for a large portion of guides, it is an extremely seasonal and volatile window.

These captains, guides, and instructors spend their entire year focusing on making every last second of this window count. That often means costly investments such as boat maintenance, trailer repairs, new oars, upgraded equipment, brand new tackle or flies, and the list goes on.

Adirondacks Guide Rachel Finn

For much of the guiding community, this time of year is the time they rely on most to be able to provide for themselves and their families for the entire year.

Unfortunately, due to the effects of COVID-19 many people in the guiding community have had cancellations due to travel restrictions, less recreational spending, and safety concerns.
The income they were relying on is now a fraction of what they had planned for.

Texas Guide Alvin Dedeaux

We ask our community to join together to #savetheseason for guides affected by these cancellations. We have started an emergency relief fund here. We ask our fishing family to please donate and spread the word. If you know a guide struggling with cancellations please direct them here.

There are no better stewards of our fisheries than the guides that depend on it. This is just a small way we can do our part to thank them.

Guides apply here for #SAVETHESEASON relief funding.

How to get involved: 

Donate directly to the fund!

Shop the SaveTheSeason collection

100% of proceeds go to the #SaveTheSeason fund.

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Fly Fishing Destination Video of the Week: Flow North

Wills Donaldson
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Fly Fishing Destination Video of the Week: Flow North

In this week’s Fly Fishing Destination Film of the Week; Tight Loops, George River Lodge, and Norpaq Adventures bring us far north to Quebec’s Ungava region.

Ungava. A place whose landscape reminds the venturing angler of a vast lunar-scape covered in vibrant flora and whose water hosts a magnificent array of char and salmon that it seems time has forgotten. In this video, a story of simple guides turns into a tale of keepers of a sacred land where fishing is only the beginning of what it means to be a guest to the water. Throughout a montage of explosive takes, breathtaking scenery, and a desire to live life in a truthful manner, guides and guests demonstrate what it means to be a true patron of the north.

Tune in every Saturday for a new installment of Fly Fishing Destination Videos and make sure to sign up for our newsletter below in order to keep up with new content published daily.

Video courtesy of Tight loops

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Environmental Protection Agency Punts Environmental Protection Responsibility Amid COVID-19

Will Poston
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Environmental Protection Agency Punts Environmental Protection Responsibility Amid COVID-19

Two days ago, March 26th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would be suspending its enforcement of key environmental laws. The press release can be found here and states, “EPA is announcing a temporary policy regarding EPA enforcement of environmental legal obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic…For example, under the policy EPA does not expect to seek penalties for noncompliance with routine monitoring and reporting obligations that are the result of the COVID-19 pandemic but does expect operators of public water systems to continue to ensure the safety of our drinking water supplies.” The temporary policy change, which has no termination-date, can be found here.

Under the policy change, “the EPA does not expect to seek penalties for violations of routine compliance monitoring, integrity testing, sampling, laboratory analysis, training, and reporting or certification obligations in situations where the EPA agrees that COVID-19 was the cause of the noncompliance and the entity provides supporting documentation to the EPA upon request.”

The EPA’s core mission, according to their own website, is to “protect human health and the environment.” Its mission is not to appease large industries in times of crisis to open the door to increased polluting activities. We understand the strains COVID-19 is placing on everyone, but EPA’s legal responsibility is to enforce environmental laws; COVID-19 should not be an excuse to ignore the agency’s jurisdiction.

Natural Resources Defense Council President and CEO, Gina McCarthy, had this to say on EPA’s policy: “This is an open license to pollute. Plain and simple. The administration should be giving its all toward making our country healthier right now. Instead it is taking advantage of an unprecedented public health crisis to do favors for polluters that threaten public health.”

EPA’s spokeswoman, Andrea Woods, said, “It is not a nationwide waiver of environmental rules. For situations outside of routine monitoring and reporting, the agency has reserved its authorities and will take the pandemic into account on a case-by-case basis.”

No one wants to see people harmed more by Coronavirus, but increasing the threat of polluting our environments and clean water seems shortsighted, especially when big corporations are already getting $550 billion of relief from the Coronavirus Response Bill.

If you have any thoughts or comments, please leave them in the comment section!

Featured Photo: Jeremy Koreski

AFFTA – Federal Emergency Stimulus Bill Includes Relief for Fly Fishing Industry

Staying Afloat #1: Cutthroat Anglers Fly Shop

Staying Afloat #1: Cutthroat Anglers Fly Shop

Patrick Perry
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Staying Afloat #1: Cutthroat Anglers Fly Shop

Introducing the Staying Afloat Series, where we take an inside look into the lives of many different fly fishing guides, shops, brands, and lodges across the world in hopes of finding out how the CO-VID is affecting them, what they are doing to help, and how we can do our part to help them. To kick the series off we interviewed Ben McCormick owner of Cutthroat Anglers, a fly shop located in the Rocky Mountains about an hour outside of Denver.

Flylords: Who is Ben McCormick and Cutthroat Anglers?

Ben: Cutthroat Anglers is a group of 25 fishing enthusiasts from all over the place. Our fly shop and guide service have been operating for 20 years. We have 200,000 flies, 300+ miles of permitted water in Colorado, and a tenured team of guides and shop staff. One of our biggest strengths as an Outfitter is the information sharing within our guide staff and a healthy relationship between our senior/tenured leaders and the hungry/young guns. Our shop folks are both knowledgeable and open to beginners. I like to think we are a collective group of people focused on continually improving the entire fly-fishing experience.

I’m the new guy with little to no experience. I grew up in a small Indiana town called Columbus and fell in love with fly fishing a few short years ago. You could say I’m the stereotypical Midwesterner that moved out to Colorado and made the rivers more crowded. Either way, I ditched Corporate America and was lucky enough to stumble into my current position. I look at fly fishing as an endless journey of exploration and learning. It has helped me heal some tough family relationships, and I believe it’s given me a better perspective on life/made me a better person. I have no fly shop playbook or set beliefs on how things should work and I’m not afraid of change. I’m hungry to learn and will do my best to leave this industry and our waters in better shape than before.

Flylords: Can you tell us a little bit about how the CO-VID outbreak affected your business?

Ben: We went from a booming two weeks of nice weather in early March to a full tourist evacuation in a matter of two days. Just when we are about to make the turn post-winter, this thing shut the area down. Here is a little timeline of how it all went down:

  • 03/15 Vail Resorts suspends ski resort operations
  • 03/17 Vail Resorts announces closure for the remainder of the season
  • 03/17 Summit County closes all non-essential businesses indefinitely.
  • 03/18 Cutthroat Anglers suspends all guiding activity through 04/01/2020

Flylords: Are you still operating?

Ben: We shut down our retail operation on March 17th and our guiding operation the next day. Our current business operation includes online sales, curbside pick-up, and supplying fishing reports.

Flylords: Are fly shops in Colorado legally allowed to operate?

Ben: This is still gray in my opinion. The vast majority of shops have closed their retail spaces. Most are doing some form of curbside pick-up and online sales. Some are still guiding….

Flylords:  How have your guides and fly shop staff been impacted?

We have 4 folks that work in the shop year-round whose hours will be severely impacted. 4-5 of our guides were running 1-2 trips a week prior to the shop closing. The majority of our guide staff returns in the next month or two after the ski resorts or their “off” season jobs end. The problem is all of those jobs are gone too.

Flylords: What are some of the ways you have been supporting your staff?

Ben: 30% of all online sales (excluding flies) are going to our shop staff. We are still providing limited shifts for pick-up, delivery, and fishing reports. 30% of all fly sales are going to our guides.

We also set up a Gofundme page as a Guide Relief Fund. We will be allocating this fund to our guides in need. Those that donate will be eligible to win some pretty cool prizes including 2 full day float trips with our head guide, Reed Ryan. I may even serve up some cocktails and a gourmet lunch for the winner.

Flylords: What are some ways customers can support you and your team?

Ben: Shop online, buy a gift card, book a guided trip for late summer, or donate to our Gofundme page.

  1. Buy something online If you are planning on investing in a rod/reel, waders/boots, any type of gear this year.  We put a ton of work into our website this off-season and have plenty of new gear for 2020 in the shop.
  2. Move your trip back vs canceling if you are scheduled to fish with us in the next month.
  3. Book a trip now if you plan on fishing with us this summer.  This is a huge one for us and the more bookings we get for this summer, the more we can do for our guides.  We will refund all deposits up to 7 days before your trip in case something changes in the coming months.  Call us at 970-262-2878 between 9 am and 1 pm MST or email anglers@fishcolorado if you are interested in booking a trip.
  4. Look out for local businesses in your area. I can speak from experience that all local businesses are going through a very hard time right now.  Any and all business goes a very long way.

Flylords: Do you think it is still safe to go fly fishing? Any tips for social distancing while fly fishing?

Ben: Absolutely and I believe it’s crucial to get fresh air and maintain sanity for most of us. Drive separately if you are fishing with a friend and run your own shuttle if you are floating. Once you are on the river, it’s pretty easy to maintain distance. The key is being extremely careful planning logistics to and from the river. Bring a pair of gloves or hand sanitizer and treat your gas station stop with extreme caution. Bring your own cooler of beverages and food vs sharing anything.

Flylords: Anything else you want to add?

Ben: This is tough for everyone in the fly-fishing industry from the guides, to all the shops, to our reps, and our brands. I anticipate it will only get harder and the negotiating table between all of us is going to be intense. My hope is that we all focus on taking care of people within the industry. If we can do that, we will be just fine.

Thank you to Ben for taking the time to speak with us in regard to the CO-VID outbreak, be sure to check out Cutthroat Anglers online here or give them a call at 970-262-2878.

This series is being helped made possible by the generous folks at Fat Tire and New Belgium Brewing. Throughout the “Staying Afloat Series” we will be sending beer to people who are really in need of a “pick me up”. If you have a good story for someone who deserves some beer shoot us an email theflylords@gmail.com

All photos from photographer Douglas Hensel (@douglas_hensal).

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