Fly Punk - Issue 4

Issue 4 

May - July 2017

WELCOME 

CONTENTS 

No tweed, wicker baskets or trousers tucked 

into socks. Just a free digital magazine 

aimed at the fly fishing punk 

Welcome to this, the fourth issue of Fly Punk. 

We cannot thank you enough for reading the magazine, and even though we have only been in existence for 7 

month’s we are already gaining readers at an extraordinary rate (we had over 20,000 readers of the last issue 

again). Thank you. 

In this issue, we cover the whole world of fly fishing, from Finland, to French Polynesia and South Africa to 

Switzerland. Covering tropical and regular species both large and small. Thanks to everyone who has submitted 

articles for us, we couldn’t do it without you. 

I recently had a day on the river with Renato Vitalini (V-Stick Custom Rods - featured later in this issue), he helpfully 

supplied some very apt refreshments: 

22 

Francois goursaud― 

POLYNESIAN 

PUNK 

6 

12 

14 

18 

20 

22 

FULL-TIME FLY FISHING 

Anni Yli-Lonttinen and her thoughts on making fly 

fishing her full time job. 

PRIVATE WATER 

You can't fish here mate - Mark Pizzimenti begs to 

disagree. 

V-STICK CUSTOM FLY RODS 

Renato Vitalini just loves making rods, the more 

far out the better. He even made us one! 

FATHERHOOD & FLY FISHING 

Open up a whole new world for your kids. Jack 

Van Delft shows us his take on it. 

FREE AGAIN 

Jeff Scoggin tastes freedom, with the help of his 

boat. 

POLYNESIAN PUNK 

Want to fish in French Polynesia, Francois 

Goursaud did - here's his article (French & English) 

Renato has built a “Fly Punk” rod for us and we were out doing field tests. It’s a 

cracker and does not look like any fly rod I’ve ever seen (more of the build and 

the day on the river in the next issue, but check out Renato’s article (and a few 

sneaky build photos of the rod). 

We are always looking for new angles to fly fishing. If you think you have a story 

to tell – something that is innovative, out of the ordinary or just plain funny, 

please jot it down and send it in to us (email address below). We are always 

looking for new articles and features – so long as it relates to fly fishing and 

conforms to the “why we fish” ethos we would love to include it. 

We decided to make this magazine a free publication to try and reach as wide 

an audience as possible. If you don’t like it – please tell us why, if you do like it – please tell us (and your fishing 

friends) – we like a pat on the back every now and then! 

Anyway, please enjoy our fourth issue – there’s a fly punk in all of us … 

34 

36 

40 

42 

Alex Poland Art - A stunning Brown Trout 

WHERE DO I START? 

The evolution of Fly Fishing as told by Mike 

Crawford. 

MONSTER BARBEL 

Stan is at it again, this time searching out those 

monster barbel of the deep. 

GOOGLE KEEP 

Using new technology Bill Edwards give us an 

insight into what's possible. 

BLUE DOG 

Gareth George takes us on a trip to South Africa 

in search of fish with very big teeth! 

28 

30 

FISHING ACCESSORIES 

Katie Smith talks us through some essential 

accessories. 

FLY ART 

Want some stunning fly fishing art? Alex Poland 

is the man to see. 

12 

MARK PIZZIMENTI― 

PRIVATE 

WATER 

Editor 

Email: richard@fly-punk.com 

Editors 

Jack Fieldhouse 

Richard Fieldhouse 

Designer 

Jack Fieldhouse 

Proofing 

Aaron Good 

Translation 

Arnaud Cramer 

Contributors 

Anni Kajana 

Mark Pizzimenti 

Renato Vitalini 

Jack Van Delft 

Jeff Scoggin 

Francois Goursaud 

Katie Smith 

Alex Poland 

Mike Crawford 

Stanislas Freyheit 

Bill Edwards 

Gareth George 

2 | 3 ©fly-punk.com 2017 

www.fly-punk.com

FULL-TIME 

FLY FISHING 

― Anni Yli-Lonttinen― 

U 

sing a small black streamer 

with a hint of green, I cast 

towards the opposite bank 

and let the fly swim on a wide curve, 

trying to wake the morning trout. The 

fly wheels the top of the river just 

where the still water surface turns 

into the ripple of the rapid. I feel a 

poke on my fly. But the fish is not 

hooked. A new cast and my heart is 

beating as the fly approaches the hot 

spot. I see the trout jump to catch 

the streamer before I actually feel it 

tightening the line. 

“What a morning!” I think when I 

finally land the fish in my net. 

Hulahula Fly Fishing 

First things first. What’s so special 

about fly fishing? 

If you are a serious fly-angler. If you 

have devoted your life to forever 

perfecting yourself in the art of 

fly-fishing. A word of warning. You 

probably don’t agree with me here. 

But I’ll go ahead and say it anyway. 

I’ve been thinking for some time, that 

in many ways fly fishing is so serious. 

And I’ve been often almost ashamed 

for my approach. Let’s call it the 

HULAHULA-flyfishing. 

It means a simple “just-dive-in” 

way of looking at fly fishing. It’s not 

too serious - which means not too 

competent either. 

One might think that there is a big 

inconsistency since three years ago 

I decided to go full-time with my fly 

fishing life and started this journey of 

fly fishing vlogger, fly fishing author 

and fly fishing entrepreneur at Kajana 

Club. 

Considering that, it does feel like my 

hulahula approach is too childish, or 

too amateurish. 

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s actually too 

girlish? 

I’m not to say that all ladies are like 

me, but I do see this more in female 

anglers than males. That you don’t 

care too much about the techniques, 

facts, features and technicalities. You 

don’t care too much of the correct 

way of doing things. It’s more about 

how it feels, is it fun and does it make 

a nice picture. (Don’t mean to sound 

too shallow here, but that’s kinda how 

it is). 

Now, I always feel a bit bad at this 

point of the thought process and 

feel like I should mention how much 

I respect the pros and experts. Their 

dedication. Their knowledge and 

devotion to the art. So yes, let’s get 

that out of the way. I really admire 

anyone who devotes their time to 

learn and perfect a skill. 

But it’s like there couldn’t be any 

middle ground? Like that’s the only 

way? If someone is totally devoted to 

tennis, and spends years and years 

training to be the best. Does it mean 

that someone who just wants to go 

play a bit on Sundays should feel 

ashamed? 

Part of this equation is probably the 

male competitive mindset. Who’s the 

toughest player? Who’s the alpha 

male? 

So my message to anyone, especially 

at the beginning of their fly fishing 

journey is, just get started. Don’t 

worry if you don’t know what to do. 

Starting fly fishing is not complicated. 

Don’t get caught in the complex 

equipment, just get a ready-made 

set, or borrow a rod. And don’t get 

discouraged if the casting feels 

difficult. Everyone has been a first 

timer. You just need to get started. 

Otherwise it’s very easy to miss the 

point. 

6 | 7 www.fly-punk.com

Fly Fishing the Royal Way 

I learned to fly fish before I can remember. 

It all happened by spending the summers 

in the wilderness with our family. Just 

by doing and enjoying. Testing, learning, 

casting, catching and falling in love with 

fly fishing in the unbelievable places 

around Finland and Scandinavia. 

I think that is the Royal Way to learn fly 

fishing, and I’m so thankful for getting that 

experience as a youngster. 

If you don’t have the opportunity to go 

together with someone who lowers the 

entry barrier. Or if you and your fishing 

pals don’t have knowledge where to go for 

some seriously awesome fishing. Then I 

have cool news for you. I want to give you 

the same opportunity that I’ve had, and 

that’s why I started KajanaClub.com. 

The point being calm, fun, relaxed, nature, 

fresh, enjoy, outdoors, breath, listen, cast, 

maybe catch and just live. 

Of course I want to be better at what I do. 

And of course I want to improve. 

But I feel that I have such a strong urge to 

say: That the skill, and the knowledge, they 

are not the main thing. 

Living is. 

And fishing is. 

Call of the wilderness 

I love fly fishing , especially in the wilderness, 

with no schedules, no electronic devices, 

no time restrains and no rules (except the 

local fishing regulations obviously). 

My favorite type of fly fishing is somewhere 

in the north where there is no roads. 

You get to walk and carry all your stuff to 

the wilderness. It just purely puts things 

into perspective when you see the river 10 

kilometers ahead. And it will take you the 

exact time that your own feet will take to 

carry you there. And the calm thoughts 

when you just walk and walk. 

Besides distance, also time works very 

different than it does in the city. 

You wake up. You might do a bit of fishing. 

You might lie on the ground and look at the 

clouds and listen to the sound of the river. 

Or you might sleep in. Maybe it’s raining. 

You hear the sound of the rain drops. 

What a luxury. You feel like you can really 

breathe. 

Fly fishing has brought so much awesome 

into my life. That’s why I want to lower the 

entry barrier and show you how much fun 

fly fishing is! 

And Kajana Club – Fly Fishing Community 

is just that. I have plenty of free 

recourses, videos and a Mini Academy 

for you if you want to learn the fly fishing 

basics. You’ll find free Mini Academy for 

beginners here: https://kajanaclub.com/ 

flyfishingminiacademy/ 

Full-time fly fishing 

For me fly fishing has been a fun family 

thing since I can remember. Nothing too 

serious. 

At 2008 something major changed. I went 

to a fly fishing trip alone in South-Africa. 

That was a game changer. 

I wanted to write about fly fishing and see 

my pictures and stories in magazines in 

full color. 

And I wanted to tell others how much fun 

fly fishing is. 

Considering I had a dyslexia as a school 

kid and that I never was into cameras at all, 

nor was I ever very good at fly fishing itself, 

this might not be the first thing you would 

suspect from me. But five years after my 

first magazine article, I started my own 

company as a fly fishing blogger, author 

and a fly-fishing-online-entrepreneur. 

I have written for publications for over 

8 years now, also abroad, and my first 

book Hulahula Fly Fishing is published on 

Amazon. 

How to land your dream fly fishing job? 

You want to start that online tackle shop. 

You want to get more clients for your 

accommodation business to book the 

whole fishing season. or, you want to 

monetize your fishing pictures and videos. 

What you really want is to reach more 

people and transfer them into paying 

customers. And for that you need 

marketing that works. In my opinion 

that means consistent content that your 

client wants to see. Creating that content 

consistently is a key to transferring 

followers into paying clients. 

One principle that I have found useful for 

me over the years is setting routines. That 

ensures the content gets created despite if 

I feel like it or not. 

Content structure to ease the pain of 

empty paper 

your relationship. I prefer slowly building 

an audience that cares, rather than quickly 

reaching people that don’t care. 

A great tool for me is something I’ve named 

the Power15. That means commitment 

to spending 15 minutes a day on social 

media connecting and hanging-out with 

my awesome online fisher-friends. And 

I actually even set a timer for that. It 

has made a big difference in my online 

marketing. 

If you are serious about building that 

dream fly fishing business, go ahead and 

give those things a try. 

I know you want that result for your 

business and for your future! 

And I have the same problem than you do, 

than almost everybody does. That is – 

consistency is the most difficult part. 

To be able to work with such passionhobby 

like fly fishing, my opinion is that 

it’s not about fly fishing talent. At least not 

totally. 

It’s more about marketing. 

If you dream of making money from your 

passion, let me give you my opinion how to 

build that life. 

You have that dream in your head, don’t 

you? Maybe it’s not crystal clear, but it’s 

there! 

You want your own guiding business. 

For example for my vlog episodes, which 

are now the core content of my marketing, 

I have a specific structure. So even if I’m 

in the river and fishing is totally crappy or 

I’m super tired, I still get something done, 

when I follow my structure. 

Same applies to producing fly fishing blog 

posts or magazine articles. 

Depth in social media marketing 

Another tip relates on distributing your 

content. My follower numbers are small. 

But what I’ve learned is that it’s not about 

the size of the audience. But the depth of 

Luckily I have something awesome for you 

here to help you with that. That’s Content 

Factory – A Support Group for Small 

Business Internet Marketing. It’s a group 

of fishing and outdoors enthusiasts who 

are building their passion into a full-time 

income for themselves. In Content Factory 

you get your online marketing activities 

done consistently to reach more people 

and transfer them into paying customers. 

If that sounds like what you would need, 

you’re welcome to check it out here: http:// 

kajanaclub.com/contentfactory/ 


VIDEO INTERLUDE ... 

ECHO 

FLY FISHING 

"TRAPPED" 

Published: 24th March 2017 

Shot by Jordie LePage from TOPO Films (@topofilms or www.topofilms.com)

NEVERMIND 

PRIVATE 

WATER! 

― mark pizzimenti― 

F 

rom the gravel road we walk up 

along the ridge and descend into 

the canyon. The sliver of moon 

is bright enough so that we don’t need 

headlamps. If you happened to read 

my book, Trout Porn, you know that we 

roll commando-early, and that we go anywhere. 

Colorado has funny laws when 

it comes to private property, though. It 

breaks down like this: landowners can 

own the bed of a stream, but not the 

water. That makes it legal to float the 

stream, but not legal to touch anything 

except river. Brush up against a stone 

and it’s TRASSpassing. What a lot of 

these rich c***s do is lay a cable or wire 

net across the river to make it difficult or 

impossible to even raft the free water. 

Touching one of their cables is the same 

as touching stone – TRASSpassing. 

This particular private stretch belongs 

to a fishcamp. Members pay whatever 

the fee is to join the club. The boys 

tell all sorts of stories about this place, 

and it’s fun to chase rumors. They 

say the trout are genetically modified. 

Sterile triploids that put all their 

energy into growing big instead of 

spawning. Hybridized steelhead that 

hit ten pounds in their first year. Who 

knows? There are rumors, too, about 

the pellets they feed the fish inside 

the wire being specially formulated, 

like ‘roids, to make the hogs grow into 

obscenities and rage with fury. 

Once upon a time the kid in me would 

have slipped the wire, or even cut it, 

and wreaked havoc before the light of 

day. The only thought now is whether 

or not to bother taking a piss on the 

other side, just for punkish spite 

and amusement. I’m 45 now, and 

I can laugh at the thought of doing 

something without actually doing it. 

What is it with them and their private 

water. If it’s not open to everyone it’s 

not sporting enough for me to even 

piss into. Instead we head upriver 

where we can wreak havoc and not 

break the chickenshit laws of wealthy 

landowners and their pissant clubs. 

Upriver the fishing is better anyway. 

Get in close to the dam and the 

biggest, baddest trout are always 

going to congregate. Hogs find ways 

to bust out of the private areas, and 

upriver they go with whatever might 

be true about their modified genetic 

hugeness and overstuffed bellies. 

They can’t stop you from catching ‘em 

up here anymore than they could stop 

you from slipping in undetected down 

below, and it’s just sweeter playing 

‘em where anyone has a fair and equal 

shot. Trout here grow plenty big on 

their own accord feasting on whatever 

comes out of the turbines. Who needs 

bullshit feed pellets? 

And somedays it’s about that one fish 

… the one your buddy helps you spot 

in the pale, blue light of dawn that 

spooks out of the deep pool only to 

return and play cat-n-mouse for a few 

rounds past daybreak until the line 

speeds tight with the weight of her 

girth before the rod wobbles from the 

pulse of her headshakes. Sometimes 

that one turns into more. Later, when I 

send a text with the pics to my brother 

who lives far away I don’t even think 

about the private water, it doesn’t even 

interest me. 


V-STICK 

CUSTOM 

RODS 

― Renato Vitalini ― 

M 

y Name is Renato Vitalini from 

Switzerland. I was first introduced 

in fly fishing by one of my 

very best friends I grew up with. It was 

around the year 2002, since that day I 

have not touched any other rod than a fly 

rod, I’m regularly obsessed about fly fishing. 

It opened up the world for me and 

without it I would not be the person I am 

today and would not have reached the 

state of mind I have today. 

I run a custom fly rod business (V-Stick 

Custom Fly Rods), to be honest there 

are two main reasons. First I am world 

champion in breaking fly rods because 

sometimes I’m a fairly inattentive 

fellow and I also push rods to their real 

limits. I was sick of the very long gaps 

in (so called life time warranty disaster) 

which in my mind is just a money and 

marketing instrument that sucks a lot. 

I wanted to get rid of it and stop losing 

time and money for service costs for 

overpriced rods on the market. 

I was thinking to fix the rods by myself 

but had not the knowhow. I always was 

thinking of building my own rod but 

only the thought about that seemed to 

be out of this world in terms of being 

very very difficult. 

On a nice winter day in Austria, while 

fishing for the giant Huchen also called 

Danubian Salmon (or in Mongolia it is 

the Taimen), with another very close 

friend, the subject came up about 

custom fly rod building. He was fishing 

one super-sexy switch rod he had built 

himself. This was the first custom fly 

rod I have ever seen, it was in the year 

2012. For Huchen/Taimen fishing how 

it’s done in Austria, they need rods 

that are very specific and not available 

through normal outlets. I told him “hey 

man” you are the master, and he said 

“boy listen up this is not rocket science, 

if you can tie flies you can also build a 

flyrod”. I was looking at him with very 

big eyes like a child standing before 

the Christmas tree. This was the one 

moment when the fire started to burn 

in me. The second main reason for 

me to start building my own rods was 

that I was a bit sick of all those super 

dusty style fly rods on the market, I 

was looking for something different. 

A bit more funky, fancy, colorful and 

more outstanding than all the normal 

stuff out there. I don’t want to suggest 

names but for sure you know what I 

mean! I wanted to stand apart from the 

rest, as I also do in my normal business 

as hotel manager owning my own little 

hotel in the resort. As with everything 

I’m not dancing in line with others, if 

you see my work you will understand 

what I’m saying. I was also a bit sick 

seeing top of the line manufactures 

building their rods in the factory in 

my eyes a bit crappy and not really 

top workmanship, and then selling 

the rods for too much money. I knew 

that it should be possible to make this 

work better! So I started with my first 

rod and damn she was ugly, and I soon 

realized that I need to practice. So as I 

am very ambitious, and tried and tried 

and tried, rod for rod for rod until I was 

a bit more satisfied with the results. 

Initially all this was just my personal 

interest, but soon it was in 2014 I 

started to build the first rods for clients 

and made my first little business. I did 

not realize what happened from then. It 

almost exploded and one customer to 

the next came to me wanting a v-stick. 

So three years later right now I can say 

it’s a business and it just needs a bit 

more so I can make a living out of it. 

Overall the last year was explosive and 

I can’t believe that after three years of 

business I’m on this point I am right 

now. This is super motivating. 

My rods are not like the others out 

there, you can see it in the pictures, 

they are real eye catchers and you can 

be sure if you fish along your home 

river there will be at least one other fly 

fisher coming to you and asking what 

kind of rod it is and who has built it. 

I hear this from all of my customers 

and that’s the goal. If they like the rod 

or not, is another story, but my goal is 

reached to wake up people and show 

them something a bit different than 

the rest. To like it or not is a question 

of taste but it should be said the 

quality is outstanding and so is the 

look of the rods. Lot’s of people say 

they are a piece of art…….. https:// 

www.v-stickflyrods.com 


F 

ly fishing has taken me too so many 

places Ive fished from all over the 

east coast of Australia to Vancouver 

Island Canada. But as I’ve grown up, married 

and now two beautiful children later, I’ve 

come to notice that my time fishing is now 

minimal. So I’ve worked hard to maximise 

my fishing time to become just as successful 

in a short amount of time. But the last 3 

and a half years I’ve also been teaching my 

son Nicholas about the world of fishing and 

of course fly fishing. The idea of taking my 

boy fishing started back in Australia when I 

knew the fishing was good and I wasn’t able 

to go because I was watching my son while 

my wife was working. So I decided to put 

Nicholas in the chest carrier and see how 

I would go on the beaches fishing for flathead 

and bream. Well to my surprise it worked 

well. Since that day Nicholas and I have 

had many fishing adventures and he has 

been either strapped to my chest, in a backpack 

or hiking small, local streams. I was 

fortunate to have the same upbringing as 

Nicholas, a Dad that was mad about fishing. 

My dad took us kids on the boat at 6 months 

old and we never looked back. So many 

fishing trips I remember fishing with my dad 

and now I want to instil that same adventure 

in my son. Now my son is harassing me to 

go fishing and his little sister isn’t far behind 

either, something I don’t mind at all. 

I try to take my kids on lots of adventures 

and have found that they love the outdoors 

as much as I do. Nicholas is now 3 and 

a half years old and he’s running and 

talking about fishing he’s really intrigued 

with the idea of fishing. Sunday is our day 

to tie flies, he watches me while playing 

with feathers and checks out all the fly 

tying tools, he has also tried tying a few 

patterns and he enjoys it. This spring is 

really going to be special for us I’ve just 

finished building a small boat with my 

dad and Nicholas over the last winter. 

A three generation boat build. This boat 

will allow Nicholas to walk around and 

explore as well as being my net man. We 

have fished many times together out of a 

small boat but his curiosity has always 

made fishing difficult. Trolling the lakes 

with a sinking line and fly is a great way 

to introducing him into fly fishing. For him 

holding that rod and waiting for that tug 

is a real buzz. He can set the hook and 

can reel the fish in with no complications. 

There is no better feeling than seeing 

that smile on his face when he hooks up. 

When Nicholas was still in the backpack 

I used to hook the fish and let him reel it 

in. Him seeing and feeling the fish in his 

hands really gets him excited. 

The day this article was supposed to 

go in I decided to take Nicholas in the 

finished boat and go explore a new 

lake that I hadn’t fished yet. Always a 

challenge with kids because you don’t 

know how the fishing is going to go and 

what the water is like. Well we launched 

the 12 footer started the motor and went 

exploring. The wind was up a bit which 

made it difficult to troll a nice line. So the 

first challenge was try to find some fish 

and then troll in such a way that the wind 

wasn’t going to affect us. Well all hell 

broke loose we had lines over each other 

and we were trolling sidewards. But this 

didn’t stop us I decided to motor over to a 

small cove out of the wind and hopefully 

find some shelter from the weather. It 

was a little calmer and once we had the 

lines out ,”we we’re on” a nice 16 inch 

Cutthroat trout. I had Nicholas netting 

the fish as I was steering the minn kota 

with my knee and trying to stay calm while 

the light wind was pushing us around. I 

found steering into the wind and away 

from shore saved us. The second fish 

Nicholas wrestled in on the 5Wt. glass 

rod. He handled it like a pro listening to 

my commands and steering the fish while 

lifting the rod high so I could get the fish 

in the net. Nicholas admired his catch in 

the net and then let it go. We kept trolling 

the same spot because it was producing 

and was an easy troll. There was some 

large sunken trees that seemed to keep 

the trout in great cover but every pass 

another fish fell victim to our fly and in 

the end we landed a total of four fish. 

2 cutthroat and 2 rainbows, after that 

Nicholas had enough and was getting 

cold. I figured after an hour and a half I 

had to be thankful that Nicholas lasted as 

long as he did and enjoyed himself. You 

have to take the good with the bad when 

it comes to fishing with kids. If they’re 

miserable you might as well go in. I try to 

keep it exciting for Nicholas so he doesn’t 

get bored. Theres always something to 

play with on the boat and if you keep the 

fish coming thats a huge bonus for kids. 

I figure I need to put in as much time as I 

can before he goes off to school. In the 

end its about the kids, start them young 

and instil in them the tools for life. 

@adventurestarts 

FATHERHOOD 

AND 

FLYFISHING 

― jack van delft ― 


FREE 

AGAIN 

― jeff scoggin ― 

A 

"I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and 

cabbage and greens—there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right—and whilst I eat my supper 

we talked and had a good time. . . .We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so 

cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft." Mark Twain, 

from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 

boat represents different things 

to different people. To me, it 

represents freedom. Stepping 

aboard allows my soul to be free from 

the hum drum of my daily life. It allows 

to me forget what's behind, and imagine 

what might be ahead. It's the promise 

of adventure, governed only by the 

speed of the current underneath me. 

We slid that old jon down the steep 

bank and into the water, loaded the 

cooler and the rods, and shoved her 

out into the current. We had been 

here many times before, but it had 

been quite a long time. In fact, it was 

basically in another life. One without 

the responsibilities of husbands and 

fathers. Nate looked around for a 

moment as I leaned on the paddle 

and eased us out into the current. 

"It's exactly how I remembered it.", he 

said. It had been close to 20 years 

since the last time the two of us had 

pushed a boat into this river in search 

of adventure. 

Nate took the bow and began throwing 

a weighted ice dub bugger as close to 

the cover as he dared. We had had 

a cold snap and were anxious to see 

how the fish would respond. A few 

casts later nate's 5wt bent deeply 

and we were on! A large hand sized 

redbreast came to the boat. You 

would have thought we had boated a 

tarpon in some far off locale the way 

we laughed and carried on. 

We made our way further down, 

catching a half dozen or so more, 

before the deeper cypress lined banks 

gave way to rock ledges and shallow 

pools. It was here we searched for 

the bartrams bass to add to our 

collection. I remarked to nate that 

swinging the streamer through the 

pool and then stripping it back on a 

tight line usually produced results. 

Before I could finish my instruction 

nate was lifting his first redeye to the 

boat. 

I picked up my rod and got in the action 

as well. Anchored in the current, we 

stood quietly working the soft water 

between shoal ledges and catching 

bass one after the other. These fish 

are extremely opportunistic, and 

take little convincing. The water was 

slightly high and a little stained from 

rains earlier in the week. However, 

the dark profile of our flies was easily 

seen by the fish as we worked pool 

after pool into midday. 

We pulled over on a sandbar for a 

proper riverside shore lunch. Fried 

chicken and home made potato salad 

was the order of the day, washed 

down with a cold sandbar soda. We 

peeled off our wading boots and 

relaxed in the sun. Nowhere to be. No 

demands. Freedom. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon 

fishing foam bugs to rising fish. 

Redbreasts and bass darted from 

cover smashing our bugs with 

reckless abandon. The day had been 

all we could have hoped for. We had 

floated our childhood creek with rods 

in hand. We had remembered the 

days gone by when things were so 

much simpler. 

We had been free again. 

http://www.instagram.com/ 

stick.n.string 


POLYNESIAN PUNK 

― Francois goursaud ― 

― PHOTOS: Elodie goursaud ― 

Plus tard, sur une berge de corail, je vis 

arriver sur ma gauche un gros spécimen, 

je m’accroupi, puis envoya le streamer 

2 mètres en amont, au moment ou le 

streamer percuta la surface, de petits 

mulets se trouvant sous l’impacte et 

que je n’avais pas vu se mirent à sauter, 

effrayés par cette mouche tombée du ciel, 

autant vous dire que dés que la carangue 

les aperçu s’enfuir, elle se lança à leur 

poursuite sans prêter la moindre attention 

à mon streamer. C’est la que je compris 

que pour les décider à mordre, il fallait 

stripper beaucoup plus vite, et éviter de 

poser sa mouche sur les bancs de mulets 

translucides… 

Alors quand je vis le 3ème poisson, je 

su comment m’y prendre et la carangue 

se jeta sur le streamer pour l’engloutir, 

je ferrai, et le poisson parti dans un rush 

surpuissant, la force des poissons marins 

est extraordinaire au niveau du rapport 

« taille / puissance ». Après une lutte 

acharnée, le poisson se rendit et je pu enfin 

observer de près cette beauté de la nature 

à la robe aussi bleue que le lagon dans 

lequel elle vivait. Après la traditionnelle 

photo, elle recouvra sa liberté. 

Je continuai à pêcher le cœur léger avec le 

sentiment du devoir accompli ou plutôt du 

rêve devenu réalité. 

vue et que, comme pour la truite il reste 

délicat de les piquer au bon moment, les 

rater peuvent être nombreux, je parle en 

connaissance de cause. Si par exemple 

le ferrage est effectué trop tôt, avant que 

le poisson n’est refermé sa gueule sur la 

mouche, ou trop tard, ce qui lui laissera 

le temps de recracher. Et croyez moi, 

elles sont aussi rapides pour ça que pour 

fondre sur leur proie. 

Pour l’équipement j’ai opté pour une canne 

10 pieds soie de 9, avec une simple pointe 

de trois mètres en 35/100 ème. Pour les 

mouches, j’ai eu du succès avec les « 

Deceiver Cockroach » jaune fluo et blanc, 

ainsi que les « Rooster fish sardina ». 

Lors de ce séjour, j’ai eu la chance de 

capturer une autre espèce, le bec de cane 

très apprécié culinairement parlant par 

les locaux. Moins gros que la carangue, je 

l’ai trouvé plus puissant sur les premiers 

rushes mais moins endurant. Je n’ai pas 

réussi à en pêcher à vue, mais en vous 

promenant sur les flats, vous remarquerez 

des zones plus profondes, comme des 

piscines d’un bleu plus foncé. J’ai tenté ma 

chance dans l’une d’elle, et après quelques 

« strips » je senti un arrêt ; ferrage, et 

puis plus rien, raté ou décroché. Je 

recommençai à stripper pour ramener la 

mouche, à peine avais-je repris l’animation 

qu’un nouvel arrêt stoppa net ma ligne et 

là, le nouveau ferrage beaucoup plus fort 

que le précédent accrocha le poisson qui 

furieux, tenta de prendre le large. Après 

avoir vendu chèrement sa peau, le bec de 

cane se rendit et je pu le relâcher. 

Il y a peu de chance que je retourne dans 

cet endroit paradisiaque à plus de 20 

heures de vol de l’Europe. Mais j’espère un 

jour pouvoir attraper des permits, des « GT 

» ou même les gigantesques tarpons dans 

un autre endroit de notre si belle planète. 

Car la pêche à vue en mer sur les flats est 

très addictive, je dois vous avouer y être 

devenu accroc, si vous tenter l’expérience, 

vous êtes prévenus ! 

J 

’ai eu la chance au moi de juin de 

l’année dernière de partir travailler en 

Polynésie pour 5 mois. J’y étais déjà 

aller quelques années auparavant et j’avais 

pu y attraper un Bonefish sur le magnifique 

Atoll de Rangiroa dans les Tuamotu. Cependant, 

je gardais en mémoire un échec, ou 

plutôt un rêve passer à porter de canne, et 

qui avait disparu aussi vite qu’il était arrivé, 

deux poissons étaient apparu devant moi 

avant de disparaître comme par magie sans 

même pouvoir tenter le moindre lancer, ce 

mirage aux dire de mon guide avait pour nom 

« Carangue bleue », en revenant en Europe, je 

me renseignai sur internet et tombai sur des 

photos de ces poissons à la robe splendide. 

Alors quand mon employeur m’envoya à 

nouveau au bout du monde, je n’avais qu’une 

idée en tête, attraper l’un de ces magnifiques 

poissons. 

C’est sur l’atoll de de Tikehau à nouveau 

aux Tuamotu que je me rendis pour traquer 

la bête. Ce poisson n’atteint pas la taille 

gigantesque des « GT » mais sa superbe 

robe, et son agressivité rendent sa pêche 

très amusante. 

La pêche à la mouche est très peu 

développée en Polynésie, on ne trouve 

rien dans les magasins de Papeete et les 

quelques hôtels proposant la pêche à la 

mouche avec guidage pratiquent des prix 

très (trop) élevés. Le mieux est donc de 

trouver une pension de famille lambda 

bien située. J’ai eu de la chance, car celle 

que j’ai retenu (http://www.hakamanu. 

com/) était parfaite pour la pêche à la 

mouche. Il n’y a certes pas de guides de 

pêche mais la zone de flats est vraiment 

immense, avec une forte densité de 

carangues bleues. Vous pourrez marcher 

dans l’eau toute la journée sans croiser 

personne, le tout agrémenté de quelques 

plages paradisiaques, le dépaysement 

est garanti. Mais le corail est coupant et 

le soleil brulant, il est indispensable de 

prendre vos précautions, chaussures, 

t-shirt manches longues anti uv, 

casquette, un foulard pour protéger votre 

nuque et votre cou, ainsi qu’une bonne 

dose de crème solaire. 

Je n’avais jamais pêché ces poissons, 

et mis un peu de temps à comprendre la 

bonne méthode à utiliser. Les carangues 

se déplacent souvent en petits groupes 

de quelques individus dans les zones peu 

profondes à la recherche de proies. La 

première fois que j’en aperçu une, tout 

mon corps se mit à trembler, je tentai 

donc de retrouver mon calme en respirant 

lentement, je lançai mon streamer un 

ou deux mètres devant le poisson, qui 

observa ce qui venait de tomber devant 

sa trajectoire, je me mis à « stripper » 

lentement pour mimer un poisson blessé 

ou malade, la carangue se rapprocha, 

regarda, puis fit demi tour, intriguée 

mais pas convaincue par cette proie, qui 

à l’évidence ne suscitait pas un grand 

intérêt pour elle. 

J’ai remarqué qu’une autre technique 

pouvait aussi fonctionner. Si sur une 

zone jugé propice, vous ne voyez pas de 

poissons (dans le cas présent un vent 

rasant ridait la surface de l’eau et rendait 

donc la pêche à vue très délicate), tenter 

quand même de lancer votre streamer 

aussi loin que vous le pourrez, ramenez le 

vers vous à vive allure, si des carangues 

sont dans les parages, soyez surs qu’elles 

se déplaceront de très loin pour venir voir 

cette proie affolée. Si elles n’ont pas le 

temps de l’avaler au premier passage, au 

second elles ne rateront pas une nouvelle 

opportunité, elles font preuve d’une 

voracité déconcertante. 

Comme d’autres carnassiers, le fait 

qu’elles soient souvent par deux ou plus 

augmente les chances de succès du 

pêcheur grâce à la concurrence entre 

prédateurs. Je me souviens d’une scène 

ou deux poissons se disputaient mon 

streamer, et c’est le plus rapide qui finit 

pendu à ma ligne. Il faut tout de même 

mentionner que nous parlons de pêche à 


I 

n June of last year, I had the chance to 

work in Polynesia for 5 months. I had 

already been there a few years ago and 

had managed to catch a bonefish on the 

magnificent atoll of Rangiroa in the Tuamotu. 

However, I keep with me the memory of a 

failure or more so of a dream passed just 

out of rod’s range, which disappeared as 

fast as it came, two fishes had appeared in 

front of me and magickly vanished before 

I could even attempt a throw. This mirage, 

by the sayings of my guide, was named 

“Blue Carangue”, while coming back to 

Europe, I was researching it on the internet 

and stumbled upon photos of those fishes 

splendidly dressed. So when my boss sent 

me again at the edges of the world, I had 

only one idea in mind, catch one of those 

beautiful fishes. 

It was on the atoll of Tikehau, again at the 

Tuamotu that I went hunting the beast. 

That fish doesn’t reach the gigantic size 

of the “GTs” however its sumptuous dress 

and aggressivity make its fishing very 

entertaining. 

Fly fishing is extremely underdeveloped 

in Polynesia, nothing in the shops of 

Papeete and the few hotels offering 

guided fly fishing do it at (too) high prices. 

The best option is therefore to find a well 

situated average guest house. I was lucky 

to choose one (http://www.hakamanu. 

com/) perfect for fly fishing. Even if 

there is fishing guides the flats zone is 

huge, with an important density of blue 

carangues. You could walk in the water 

all day without meeting anyone. However, 

the coral is sharp and the sun burning hot, 

it is indispensable to be cautious, shoes, 

long sleeved t shirts anti-uv, cap, a scarf 

to protect the neck and nape, and also a 

good slatter of sunscreen. 

I had never caught those fishes before, and 

it took me some time to understand the 

good method to use. The carangues often 

move in small groups of few individuals in 

shallow waters in search of prey. The first 

time I saw one, all my body shivered as I 

tried to keep my cool by breathing slowly, 

I threw my streamer one or two meters in 

front of the fish, who was looking at what 

had just fell ahead of him, I started to strip 

slowly, miming an injured or sick fish, the 

carangue grew closer, observing, and 

turned back, intrigued but not convinced 

by this prey which clearly didn’t had any 

interest to her. 

Later, on coral bay, I noticed on my left 

side a sizeable specimen, I crouched, 

then sent the streamer two meters ahead, 

the moment the streamer hit the surface, 

small mullets I had not noticed founded 

themselves under the impact and started 

jumping, scared by this fly fallen from the 

skies. Needless to say, as soon as the 

carangue saw them fleeing, she chased 

after them without giving the slightest 

interest to my streamer. This is when 

I understood that to make them bite, 

stripping faster will be needed, as well 

as avoiding to land my fly on flocks of 

translucid mullets… 

And so, when I saw the third fish, I knew 

what to do and the carangue threw herself 

on the streamer to swallow it, I would set 

the hook, and the fish would launch into a 

powerful rush, the strength of a sea fish 

is extraordinary when looking at the size/ 

power ratio. After a furious struggle, the 

fish finally gave up and I finally could get a 

closer look at this beauty of nature with its 

dress as blue as the lagoon in which she 

lived. After a traditional photo, she was 

sent free. 

I had noticed that another technique could 

also work. If in a zone judged good, you 

don’t see any fishes (in the present case 

a grazing wind would create ripples on 

the water surface making fishing on sight 

very difficult), try any way to throw your 

streamer as far as you can, bring it back 

with vivacity, if carangues are in the area, 

you can be sure that they will come from 

very far away to see this frantic prey. If they 

do not have the time to swallow it on their 

first try, they will surely get it at the next 

opportunity as they show a disconcerting 

voracity. 

Much like other carnivorous fishes, the fact 

that they are often two or more increases 

the odds of success of the fisherman 

thanks to the competition between 

predators. I remember a scene where two 

fishes were fighting other my streamer 

and it was the fastest who got hanged by 

my line. It is still important to note that 

we are speaking about sight fishing and 

so, just as with trout it is a difficult feat 

to strike with good timing, and the misses 

might be numerous, I speak of experience. 

For example, if hooked too early, before 

the fish even had the chance to close its 

mouth on the fly, or too late, it will let it 

time to spit it out. And believe me, they are 

as fast to do it as they are to rush on their 

prey. 

For the equipment, I opted for a 10-foot 

rod or a 9-foot, with a simple 3 meters in 

35/100. For the flies, I had success with 

the “Deceiver Cockroach” in bright yellow 

and white and the “Rooster fish sardina”. 

During this my stay, I had the chance to 

catch another specie, the cane beak is 

greatly appreciated by the locals, culinary 

speaking. Less big than the carangue, I 

found it to be stronger in the first rushes 

but less resilient. I did not manage to fish 

it at sight, however while you walk about 

the flats, you will notice deeper zones, 

pools of a darker shade of blue. I tried 

my luck in one of them, and after a few 

strips I felt a stop, a tag, then nothing, 

missed or unhooked. I tried to strip again 

to bring back the fly, as soon as I started 

any motion I came to a new stop, much 

stronger than the former it hooked the fish 

that furiously tried to escape. After giving 

much efforts and fights, the cane beak 

gave up and I released him. 

It is unlikely that I will ever go back to such 

paradise on earth at more than 20 flight 

hours of Europe. But I hope that one day I 

will catch some permits, “GTs” or even one 

of those gigantic Tarpons in other place 

on our beautiful earth. Because sight 

fishing on the flats can be very addictive, 

I must admit becoming a fanatic of it. If 

the experience tempts you, you have been 

warned. 



THE RIVER 

OF DIAMONDS 

In the late 1800s, treasure hunters and adventurers flocked to the banks of the Orange 

River in the hope of finding their share in the fortune that was scattered along the 

edge of this great river. Thousands of men braved the harsh climate and environment 

of the surrounding desert, motivated by the most valuable stone on earth, they would 

stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Two friends follow in the footsteps of the early 

treasure hunters, floating down a remote section of the Orange River in the hopes of 

finding and catching the elusive Largemouth Yellowfish on fly. 

WildFly Productions 

G&T Productions 

www.fishtube.tv

FISHING 

ACCESSORIES 

― katie smith― 

M 

y full name is Katie Smith, 37old. I am the woman 

who is passionate fishing. 

I have started fishing for 5 years. I was taught 

by my father. I often go with him in my free time. At 

first, it was really difficult but I always try to get big 

fish. For me, fishing is fun. It helps me relax after work. 

I feel nothing is interesting like fishing 

For many people, fishing is really a pastime. For other 

people in our midst, it is a serious sport. Nevertheless, 

you see it; fishing is enjoyable whenever you got the 

correct equipment to make use of. Here is a listing of 

some factors to consider. 

Frequently there is a pleasant place to fish in the 

shoreline of the pond, lake, stream or river. In 

other cases, you will have to consider what type of 

transportation you will have to overcome the water. 

The canoe may be the earliest craft. It is the traditional 

vehicle from the American Indian and it has great 

traditional value, but that does not mean it is the best 

type of water transportation available. A canoe could 

be tippy at the very best of occasions and particularly 

difficult to handle in the wind but paddling or moving 

along causes it to be a simple to approach good spots 

to fish undetected. 

A little rowboat with no motor is the best type of boat 

to make use of because you can fully stand up inside 

it to cast. Although it is advisable to row towards the 

place where you want to fish, a little trolling motor is 

handy for travelling some distances. Bigger pleasure 

motorboats with outboards will also be suggested, 

however a boat rich in sides is better as large ponds 

and broad rivers are vulnerable to winds that may 

create large waves. 

You must also choose some quality shoes. This 

becomes particularly important if you are planning 

to fish on the side of a lake. Long waterproof boots 

would be the most simple for this as they possibly 

can be folded lower should you not be wading. While 

waterproof boots may also be used for stream wading, 

chest or waist waders are typically best here. When 

selecting chest or waist-wader boots, choose one's 

which have a loose fit. Getting waders which are too 

tight could restrict leg motion and undue force on the 

seams could make you wet. 

The correct jacket is another necessity. Jackets are 

available in two fundamental measures: Long and 

short. The long style is made for fishing from the boat 

or wading in shallow water. If you are planning to make 

use of chest waders, it is suggested you utilize a short 

jacket since the foot of a long jacket would drag within 

the water. You need to choose a jacket with generous 

pockets for transporting lure boxes along with other 

add-ons. A hat having a visor is yet another wise 

decision since you will have your vision around the 

water and want some type of shade. 

The enthusiastic angler has three stashes of lure and 

tackle-box containers. The very first stash is perfect 

for the house stockpile, the 2nd and bigger one for the 

boat which along with a third stash is perfect for the 

vehicle. This way, you will always be covered in case 

of a loss of revenue or any other problem. It may be 

beneficial to purchase a sizable supply at the outset 

of the season too so you will have lots available, 

particularly if you prefer to fish during the night. 

With the proper fishing add-ons and equipment, you 

are able to turn your fishing experience into a better 

one. The final factor you would like once the time for 

your perfect catch gets near would be to realize you are 

missing an essential device. Readiness is considered 

the main reasons of fishing, so make certain you have 

all the gear you must have the very best experience 

with your existence. 


FLY 

ART 

― alex (A.L.) poland― 

T 

he foundation for my current combination of passions 

was laid down years ago. I remember being a 

young boy growing up in rural Maine. I had a small 

wild brook trout stream in my back yard. I spent countless 

hours catching trout there, and learning the sounds 

and nuances of my environment. Back at home it was 

quite common to find my mother painting on her table top 

easel. My mother, grandmother, and great grandmother 

are and were all oil artists. I believe the time I spent as a 

young child watching them, laid down the framework for 

the journey that has led me to where I am today. 

I did not begin my fishing journey as a fly fisherman. 

It started as a 5 year old boy with a Zebco 202 button 

cast, evolved into a bass fisherman in my teens, then 

to surf fishing in my early twenties. Like fishing, so 

did my art evolve. I loved to sketch as a child and 

teen. Those around me always wanted me to take 

on painting. My mother and grandmother included, 

thought this would be a great avenue for me based 

on my drawing talent. However, even though I almost 

attended college for art, I never felt the need or drive 

to paint. Once I got to college age I gave up drawing 

altogether and my artistic drive turned to other more 

active things. 

As my nature is, the way I fished began to change. 

When I turned 28, I picked up a fly rod for the first 

time! This was a point in my life that I will remember 

forever. Suddenly, I was consumed by something that 

was organic, it was so primal for me. I felt connected 

to something bigger than “nature”. The fast paced, 

arrogant, prideful attitude of my youth melted. I 

acquired what I feel was true humility. Gone was 

the feeling of young grandeur, I was less important, 

I was smaller, I was a speck in the grand scheme 

of things. It was like breathing fresh air for the first 

time. This major enlightenment then spilled into my 

life off the river. My friendships were strengthened. 

My struggling marriage took an amazing turn, based 

on what the new me brought to the table. It was just 

crazy! 

With this new found passion of mine came my 

first experience with true inspiration. In the past 

when I did sketch, the hardest part was just finding 

something to draw. However, after I spent time 

looking at past fish I caught; reveling at their colors, 

textures, variations, and shape, this is when I said….”I 

need to paint”. I talked to my mother and asked what 

I needed and stocked up with my first oil paints. This 

was my beginning. Since then it has been a whirlwind 

of discovery and fun. 

Now my wife and children look forward to our 

weekends floating the nearby river in our raft while 

fishing, swimming, cooking riverside lunches, and 

so on. Life has taken on a new pace, and the way I 

measure its fulfillment has changed. Somehow fly 

fishing and art, have molded my life closer with those 

around me. My family life has been enriched. I feel like 

I have more to give. 

I have come to realize that I don't necessarily have a 

“work” life, "home" life, and a “play” life like many have 

led me to believe. When I paint, at that exact moment, 

I feel a confluence. A convergence of all things 

creating “my life”. Then when I step back and I look 

at my painting finished, I feel an expression of all this. 

https://www.alpolandart.com 


― mike crawford ― 

WHERE 

DO I 

START? 

Mike Crawford explains the evolution of a fly angler 

and where it all started for him. 

F 

ly 

fishing is something that you evolve into. I have yet to come across a fly casting toddler. Most of us started our trout 

fascination (fishing altogether) with something other than a fly rod. You evolved… Evolved into someone who relishes 

how a fish is caught and less on just catching fish. 

My “Old Man” as I like to call him in a blue-collar way was a blue-collar trout fisherman. For catching trout, he liked 

nothing more than letting a fresh, juicy, hand-picked night crawler, roll along the bottom of a deep eddy with a splitshot. 

And he caught plenty. 

The finer points of worm dunking are easy to learn, and it is more effective for bruiser browns, in my neck of the woods, 

than any other. Today. Tomorrow. Ten years from now. And while I don’t do it anymore, it was a technique that as a boy, 

I found to be perfect. When you master it, trout soon become something more to you than a dead fish on a stringer. You 

evolve. You become fascinated with the trout and where it lives. 

Catching trout, holding a trout, even killing a trout…It is part of a trout fishers evolution. Worm dunking is as natural a 

way of catching trout as any other and how many of us learned, in our youth, the ways of trout in streams and rivers. 

In today’s world, in my world, I frown on killing stream trout. Any trout. But I think there is a time and place for it. As 

a father of three, I know that a kid needs to possess something to be proud of it. And if it is a wriggling vibrant trout, 

clenched in the little hands of a boy or girl, destined to go home with them…That is ok. 

While we as fly fishers become ever more entranced with the game, ever more expert in technique, ever more successful 

with fly patterns and equipment, perhaps we tend to forget to show the kids a trout. Let them touch it, squeeze it, maybe 

even eat it. Or let it go. But bringing them into a world we have grown to love so passionate, in our adult lives, in a pursuit 

they can learn to evolve in, for themselves, while finding an understanding and relationship with the natural world, a 

respect for the trout and the waters where they live, something to find fascinating for the rest of their lives. 

Or, you know, there is golf. 

Peace 

Mike 


HEAVY NYMPHS FOR 

MONSTER BARBEL 

― stanislas freyheit ― 

I 

’m a true trout and grayling fly fishing 

lover, but when I explore rivers, there’s a 

colleague of the salmonids that I love to 

trick… Barbel suffer from a bad reputation, 

that’s why some anglers love them and will 

pursue them with devotion, whereas some 

anglers hate them, and consider them like 

vermin. 

Personally, I am a rough stream nymphing 

lover, and I love Barbel nymphing, because 

Barbel are great fighters, and they know 

how to use the waters currents to give you 

a tremendous fight. Given that Barbel are 

often found in shoals, the ultimate goal 

is to aim for the bigger specimen of the 

shoal… 

When I mean big specimen, I speak about 

fish ranging from 60 cm to 1 meter … 1 

meter ? Yes, in Europe it’s quite rare, but 

you can see one meter Barbel. But you 

need serious gear to bring them to the 

net. My actual record is 72 cm on the 

nymph, and I nearly broke my rod on this 

fish… A last point I’ve been observing 

about Barbel nymphing is that they have 

a very lunatic behaviour : some days they 

feed like crazy, and some other days, it 

looks like they’re asleep. 

I do not advise you to try to trick the 

Barbel when they don’t feed, because they 

won’t be receptive to your nymphs. On the 

other hand, when you can see their scale 

reflecting on the bottom of the stream, 

it means that they are active, so tie a 

ceramic fly on your tippet, and propose 

them this treat on Czech nymphing or 

sight nymphing. 


―Bill Edwards― 

USING 

GOOGLE KEEP 

TO CREATE 

YOUR FISHING 

JOURNAL 

L 

ike many anglers I do my homework 

in scouting the waters I’m 

about to fish. Hatch charts, local 

shop guides, any articles or forum posts 

all go into a lexicon of preparation aiming 

at creating success on unfamiliar water. 

Many times it pays off. Sometimes, it 

doesn’t. You have to dive deep into the 

fly box, try something you would not have 

before, maybe just salvage growth in a 

new technique or presentation in order to 

make the day useful to some degree. 

What happens when you decide to fish 

wilder waters that are not covered by 

hatch charts or articles? Ones where the 

pros are not guiding? This is when a fishing 

journal comes in extremely handy. 

The biggest knock on current fishing 

journals is that they are a lot of work 

to maintain and retain data. I am lazy. I 

don’t want to search through pages of 

handwritten text to find a lesser traveled 

water or what flies worked when it 

was partly cloudy with no visible hatch. 

A lot of times it just takes too long. This 

is a trap for a lot of anglers. Even if you 

keep good notes, if you can’t use them 

you’re just as likely to go into mental ruts 

and guesswork as the anglers not doing 

anything at all! 

Enter Google Keep. This is a free tool 

that I can best describe as a multi-media 

scrapbook with the ability to use tags 

and googles search technology that has 

transformed the way I organize notes, 

plan trips, and keep my fishing journal. 

Getting Set Up 

Google Keep is an application that can be 

used in your web browser or as a stand 

alone app on your mobile device. The first 

step is to signup for a Google account if 

you do not already have one . 

Once signed 

up and logged in, head to to get started. You 

can find the mobile app for your device 

in either the Google Play or iTunes stores. 

First Casts 

At first, things seem pretty barren. We 

have a sidebar that 

contains tools for 

setting up notes, reminders, 

labels for 

your notes, archive 

and trash, and 

then Google’s typical app menu items. To 

start, go ahead a make a note by clicking 

on the Title located in figure 1. 

Then add some text to the Take a note. 

In a note you could add information like 

the date, weather, location, body of water, 

bugs hatching. You could discuss the 

roads you took to get there or better routes 

to get to the good spots. You should 

write what patterns work and sometimes 

what patterns don’t work. You should 

also discuss what techniques were successful. 

I like to describe the water itself 

too. Is it a pattern of riffle/run? Freestone? 

Put and Take? Keeping track of these 

aspects allows you to gauge what to do 

on next trip. 

As you begin to fill in notes you will find 

that they settle down below your note taking 

area in tiles that you can reorder or 

move around. You can 

change the background 

and foreground text, pin 

notes in place so they 

stay up top, create checklists, 

scheduled reminders, 

and much much 

more. The further you 

explore, the better your 

experience will be. 

Bells and Whistles 

One of the very important and useful aspects 

of Keep is its ability to create tags. 

If you’ve ever seen Twitter or Facebook 

hashtags you will feel right at home. To 

create a hashtag, click on the left hand 

menu for “Create new label” (figure 2). 

Create whatever label you like, preferably 

something you would search a vast series 

of notes for. If you want to create a 

tag mid post 

and don't 

want to open 

the new modal 

window, 

go ahead and 

throw a hashtag 

in front 

of what you're 

tagging. 

#brookies, 

#bwopattern, 

etc. Be creative. 

I typically 

throw them at 

the end of my 

posts. 

The next big feature that I use regularly 

is the multi-media aspect of note taking. 

With the mobile device you can take a picture 

and upload it into the cloud, tagged 

and private. You can share them later via 

email for other google users to see. Take 

a picture of the insects on that rock you 

turned over. Keep that picture of the 20+ 

inch rainbow that crushed the mouse fly. 

The possibilities are nearly endless. 

Double Hauling 

So far we have covered everything to get 

you up and running with your own fly fishing 

journal that is infinitely more searchable 

and has better multimedia capabilities 

than any other fishing journal that 

has come before it, all for the wonderful 

cost of Free. Once you've been using it 

for awhile you may wish to get into some 

power user features. 

Create a shopping list, calling a note titled 

“Shopping List” and then click the 

three vertical dot icon and select “show 

checkboxes” (figure 3). Add items as you 

need. Maybe run down your gear checklist. 

Fly tying materials. If you are using 

an Android phone, you can add to this 

list by utilizing the voice command: “OK 

Google, add to my shopping list”, wait for 

Google Now to launch, then verbally add 

to your list until you say “finished”. This 

is great for adding something you think 

of in passing. 

By clicking the finger with ribbon icon, 

you can set a time/date or location reminder 

(figure 4). Plug in the address of 

the local fly shop as a reminder on your 

shopping list and you’ll never forget those 

2.5mm tungsten beads again! The location 

feature requires some access to 

that phone but is well worth the effort. 


THE BLUE 

WATER DOG 

―gareth george― 

V 

olcanic upheaval and tectonic activity 

you wouldn’t think are draw 

cards for recreational angling. 

Yet wherever you happen upon the remnants 

of major eruptions you will find 

fertile grounds on which a bounty of life 

congregates. 

The East African Rift is a living 

example of how this displacement 

has dispersed nutrients and created 

catchments that support such a 

diverse range of Wildlife. Some of these 

creatures have roamed the plains for 

thousands of years and despite man’s 

appetites, the Kilombero valley in 

Tanzania remains one of the last great 

frontiers to explore. 

The Kilombero is the largest tributary 

of the Rufuji river, which from it's 

source in the Livingston Mountains 

to the Indian Ocean is more than 600 

km long. With a little imagination you 

could almost envisage Lucy and her 

ilk of bipeds cautiously walking the 

banks and from an altogether different 

perspective, if caught unaware, you 

could quite easily be transported back 

to Prehistoric times should the blue 

beast cross your path. 

When flooded, at it’s peak in April 

/ May, the Kilombero valley forms 

a massive freshwater wetland, 

providing a prolific breeding ground 

for the 38 species of fish that thrive 

in this system, but there can be no 

argument about which of these fish 

rule with impunity. 

And we had every intention of putting 

ourselves under their domain. 

skipper Dennis, shaking his head at 

our enthusiasm to still get out on the 

water. He, like all the locals, knew that 

this was a brute that enjoyed the sun 

and warm water in which to savage 

prey. 

Over the next few days we toiled, 

in fact I would go as far to say that 

I did more casting then a hapless 

Hollywood talent agent. We had a few 

chances, with both Jer and myself 

dropping a few good 10 plus pound 

tiger, but we practically threw our 

arms off. Yet despite putting a range 

of flies in the right spot, the cold water 

gave these fish a contagious bought 

of lethargy. 

Tommo and Brad were getting 

some surface smashes on lures and 

landing a few on buck tail jigs, but 

considering the amount of water they 

were covering, it couldn't be claimed 

that is was cooking. So we decided to 

change tactics and fish some slower 

water on a recently formed Oxbow 

lake. It was a promising area teeming 

with baitfish and flocks of water fowl. 

We were fortunate to be fishing on 

one of the Kilombero's renowned 

tributary’s, the Mnyera, where base 

camp for this hands on fishing 

operation is situated. The battle 

hardened duo of Cartwright and 

Tommo were on 'Inside Angling' duty, 

whilst myself and Jeremy Rochester 

were taking the 'WildFly' fight to the 

Tanzanian Tiger. 

After a quick transfer through Dar es 

Salaam on FastJet and a comfortable 

overnight at the festive Slipway hotel, 

we landed in the renowned Kilombero 

North Safari's concession. Visiting 

well prior to their breeding season, 

which takes place in November / 

December, the plan was to entice a 

few aggressive females who we hoped 

might be feeding voraciously before 

embarking on their annual spawn. 

Now I've had some great guides put 

me on the spot over the years, but 

Greg Ghaui managed to surpass them 

all, anchoring just above the camp 

and telling me to throw my fly into 

the deep undercut clay bank. First 

casts strikes I have had before, but to 

land your largest fresh water fish on 

your very first cast deserves almost 

savante guiding status in my eyes. 

And that's when my complacency and 

that of my fellow anglers (Tommo 

having landed a puppy of 8lbs, just 

testing his rig off the jetty) set in. 

We woke the next morning to overcast 

skies and drizzle, which had our boat 

Erupting feeding fish greeted our 

arrival, and both Brad and Jeremy 

hauled out their floating lines with 

poppers. It was action time. In the 

space of 10 minutes two great fish of 

between 8 and 9lbs had been landed 

with many more buzzing the wake of 

their flies. 

All in all an entertaining day, with 

some outrageous stories around the 

campfire that evening, having filled 

our bellies on bounty of delicious food 

produced by 'Bobetino' the resident 

chef. 

We explored the breathtaking Kasinga 

rapids on foot the next day, being the 

headwaters of the Mnyera and got a 

few enquiries with our casts, but our 

fly crew left the white water to the 

spinning team and decided to drift the 

runs below. Again, anchoring, to cover 

the water properly, we focused on an 

area just above the watchful Hippo. 

And that is when mayhem erupted. 

The strike of the Blue Dog is explosive 

and guaranteed to take the most 

seasoned of anglers by complete 

surprise. You’ve a split second to 

recover from the shock, as once 

hooked this infuriated fish is intent on 

putting you in the sticks, so step on 

the brake and hold tight. Then, if you 

have the presence of mind to look up, 

the arial acrobatics are something to 

behold. 

A few anglers have noted that 


this Tanzanian Tiger doesn't fight as 

aggressively as it's cousin of the African 

Tiger fish (Vittatus), but Jeremy's 

shredded hands will attest to what a 20lb 

Tiger can do. Realizing we had left our 

boga grip with the guys on the bank and 

only had a badly repaired net half the size 

of the fish, panic ensued. Eventually on 

the 2nd attempt we landed the behemoth 

to the howling celebrations of Rochester. 

Deciding at a moment’s notice where to 

throw your fly and being able to put it on 

the spot every time is the hallmark of man 

whose stock and trade is defined by the 

feathers and for good reason. 

Not enough is known about these 

frightening predators, but when you look 

at their arsenal so to speak, you really do 

start to feel sorry for the other resident 

fish. 

- They’re so camouflaged that even in the 

clear water from above they blend with 

every shadow. 

- Their profile, huge tail fin and prominent 

pectorals tells you that they are built for 

powerful, lightening quick lunges. 

- It’s slash and grab, so the interlocking 

razor sharp teeth, equipped with an 

anticoagulant ensures that every bite can 

be fatal 

- And if that wasn’t enough, their bottom 

jaw is hinged horizontally, allowing them 

to double the gape of their bite. 

- Oh, and did I mention that their lateral 

line is acutely in tune with a middle ear 

that can pick up the slightest vibration in 

the water, incase their keen eyesight is 

clouded by murky water. 

If you ever had to come back as a fresh 

water fish, then a Blue Tiger gives you the 

keys to your kingdom. 

And what rounded off the trip was hearing 

that Tommo had also inducted himself 

into the hallowed 20lb Tiger club, thanks 

to Des, the camp manager stepping up to 

the guiding plate. 

Every game fish deserves an anglers 

respect, but this is one that absolutely 

demands it. The Blue Tiger Fish, (dubbed 

for it’s blue adipose fin) has been 

recorded up to 28lbs on rod and reel and 

if there’s one guaranteed motivator to get 

your casting arm in action, it’s seeing this 

ferocious carnivore willing to maul your 

lure or fly. 

Aside from popping, in terms of fly fishing 

techniques you practice predominantly 

two -: 

a. The river is littered with structure, the 

annual floods depositing cover all around 

the banks, creating the ideal habitat for 

this killer to ambush. When casting at this 

structure, the emphasis is on Accuracy 

and you only have a few seconds with 

each drift to get your fly into the strike 

zone, so assessing flow rate / depth 

and retrieval pace is critical…….thank 

goodness for great guides. 

b. Channels change each season, as the 

river erodes and deposits sediment. When 

fishing these deeper sections, casting 

upstream, you will mend your line to get 

into the seam and sink your fly down to 

where the big fish are, in all likelihood 

holding. Be aware, fish will take you on 

the drop and always use your double hand 

retrieve to keep in contact with your line 

at all times 

You are using heavily weighted size 2/0 to 

4/0 Flies, the patterns that perform being 

a point of animated debate every evening. 

35lb leaders and 40lb Rio knotable trace 

wire is the minimum gauge if you intend 

contending for any title. Anchoring and 

fishing the deep channels and banks 

means that you also need the right line, 

being a Rio 250-300 grain, with a 24 foot 

sinking tip…..bring a spare! 

Popping hooks with their hard bone 

palate happens, especially fishing 

barbless, so don’t sweat those that throw 

your fly, it’s all part of the tiger scuffle. 

But this is a fish that you need to stick like 

the proverbial pig, a hard line strike and 

constant pressure is your only option, so 

you had better bring your no nonsense 

game, because this is a fish that you can 

give no quarter to. 

The Kilombero North Safari concession 

is truly one of the great wilderness areas 

on our planet. It’s unique habitat and 

incredible array of fauna and flora is 

worth the visit alone. Couple this with 

the fact that you have the opportunity to 

take on a legendary beast that surpasses 

your every game fishing expectation and 

I personally can’t wait to get back on the 

water. 

As a definitive point of note, in what 

was admittedly very trying climatic 

conditions, each angler got his personal 

best on this trip! 

Fishtube: www.fishtube.tv 



A FLY FISHING 

JOURNEY IN 

This is a short fly fishing journey through the rivers of beautiful Montana, by Claudiu 

Presecan, under the guidance of Kenneth Lokensgard. 

Music by The Brothers Four and Seastock, a pair of song writers, both from Seattle, 

WA (seastockaudio.com) 

Kenneth's blog: www.theliteraryflyfisher.com 

www.facebook.com/Claudiu.Presecan

Fly Punk - Issue 4

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