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Fly Punk - Issue 5

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<strong>Issue</strong> 5<br />

August - October 2017


WELCOME<br />

No tweed, wicker baskets or trousers tucked<br />

into socks. Just a free digital magazine<br />

aimed at the fly fishing punk<br />

We warmly welcome you to the fifth issue of <strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong>.<br />

It has unfortunately been a long wait, for multiple reasons beyond our control, but we thank you for<br />

staying with us during this tough time. Even though we have only been in existence for a short period<br />

of time we are grateful to have your support as our readership grows internationally and domestically.<br />

Throughout this issue we take you on an international journey, from the domestic rivers and streams<br />

of the UK through to the incredible scenery of Slovenia and even taking in some beautiful summer<br />

nights camping in the USA. Again, a really big thank you from the <strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong> family to everyone who has<br />

submitted an article to us, there is only so much space in this issue so we promise that if you are not<br />

featured in this issue then we will put you first on the list for the next one.<br />

Through our extended hiatus we had a beautiful and picturesque trip to Slovenia, thanks again to Kevin<br />

& Rosie Smith of www.slovinia-flyfishing.com for hosting us and the wonderful food. We also spent a<br />

fantastic day out on the river with world renowned rod builder Renato Vitalini testing out the new <strong>Fly</strong><br />

<strong>Punk</strong> official rod which you can read about later in this issue.<br />

Our day on the river with Renato was particularly eventful as although we didn’t catch as much as we<br />

could have, we had one of the best days out fishing that I have ever had and made new friends in the<br />

process.<br />

As always we are trying to extend the fly fishing community to reach new and previously unexplored<br />

areas so if you have a interesting story about fly fishing or are about to head out on an exciting trip then<br />

please let us know at richard@fly-punk.co. As always we would be looking for new articles to conform<br />

to the fly punk ethos of “why you fish” then we would be happy to feature in a future issue. If you feel like<br />

you fit the ethos of us then feel free to contact us and we would be happy to talk to like minded people.<br />

Anyway enough talking, please enjoy our fifth issue of <strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong><br />

There’s a <strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong> in all of us…<br />

Guest editor<br />

Jack Fieldhouse<br />

Email: richard@fly-punk.com<br />

2 | 3


CONTENTS<br />

26<br />

6<br />

14<br />

SLOVINIA 2017<br />

Editor Richard shares the highs and lows of his<br />

trip to Slovinia with Darrell<br />

ST ARMAND JARTOUDIEX<br />

Learn about some of the many delights of fishing<br />

in France with Jo O'Hara<br />

mike crawford―<br />

IT AINT ABOUT<br />

THE FISH...<br />

20<br />

22<br />

TIPS ON FLY FISHING<br />

Mark Good teaches us all a few tips and tricks<br />

about fly fishing<br />

THE OFFICIAL FLY PUNK ROD<br />

Richard finally shows us the picutres of the <strong>Fly</strong><br />

<strong>Punk</strong> rod, this one is a must see<br />

28<br />

Stanislas Freyheit―<br />

SOCA NYMPHING<br />

26<br />

28<br />

32<br />

36<br />

IT AINT ABOUT THE FISH...<br />

Jeff Scoggin is back and this time tells us a<br />

story that goes beyond fly fishing<br />

SOCA: GO HEAVY OR GO HOME<br />

From the rivers of Slovenia, Stan teaches us how<br />

to fish deep all over again<br />

THE BOULDER FIELD, THE FLY ROD AND ME<br />

Jeremy tells one of his stories about fishing in a<br />

different place with some unusual creatures<br />

NEW YORK NYMPHING<br />

Fishing from the rivers and lakes of upstate<br />

New York, Mike crawford is back again<br />

14<br />

jo o'hara―<br />

ST ARMAND<br />

JARTOUDIEX<br />

Guest Editor<br />

Jack Fieldhouse<br />

Designer<br />

Jack Fieldhouse<br />

Proofing<br />

Aaron Good<br />

Contributors<br />

Jeff Scoggin<br />

Jeremy Clapp<br />

Jess England<br />

Jo O'Hara<br />

Mark Good<br />

Mike Crawford<br />

Richard Fieldhouse<br />

Stanislas Freyheit<br />

©fly-punk.com 2017<br />

www.fly-punk.com


Salmon Queen: Jess England in action


SLOVIN― richard f<br />

A<br />

s anglers we always like to travel<br />

and experience different<br />

things in different places. The<br />

lure of faraway fish in strange lands<br />

are a common thought in the off season.<br />

It was while we were fishing for<br />

Grayling in the depths of a cold winter<br />

that Darrell Upton and I decided<br />

that we needed to fish somewhere<br />

in the sun! After a few conversations<br />

over winter, a chance meeting at the<br />

British <strong>Fly</strong> Fair International with a<br />

guide (Kevin Smith – www.sloveniaflyfishing.com)<br />

and lots of googling,<br />

the photos of rivers and the fish they<br />

contained in Slovenia swung the decision.<br />

We were going to Slovenia in<br />

pursuit of Wild Rainbows, Grayling<br />

and the elusive Marble Trout.<br />

So, in early June we packed<br />

our rods and assorted gear and<br />

boarded a flight to Venice where we<br />

would pick up a hire car and drive<br />

to Slovenia (it’s only about a 3 hour<br />

drive).<br />

On entering Slovenia the scenery<br />

changed dramatically, gone were<br />

the plains of Italy and welcome to the<br />

mountain vistas of Slovenia. To say<br />

the anticipation levels rose in the<br />

car as the mountains approached<br />

was an understatement. We could<br />

not wait to see the rivers we have<br />

been avidly devouring photos of on<br />

6 | 7


IA 2017<br />

ieldhouse ―<br />

the internet. On entering Slovenia<br />

and winding out way up the<br />

mountain passes, we came across<br />

our first sighing of the famed rivers<br />

– we had to stop!<br />

The river was just as it was in the<br />

photos, a translucent green – we<br />

were spotting fish some 100 meters<br />

away from a bridge high above the<br />

river, to say we were excited about<br />

the 4 days fishing ahead of us was<br />

an understatement.<br />

We arrived at our accommodation<br />

later that afternoon and were<br />

greeted by Kevin and Rosie – who<br />

were to be our hosts (and guide) for<br />

the next 4 days. Based high up in<br />

the mountains our accommodation<br />

was first class, and the food and<br />

drink served up by Rosie was<br />

excellent – we would thoroughly<br />

recommend basing yourselves with<br />

Kevin & Rosie and exploring what<br />

Slovenia has to offer from Logarse<br />

– with Kevin’s local knowledge and<br />

Rosie’s food you will be well looked<br />

after. Immediately making us feel<br />

at home on our arrival we settled in<br />

really quickly – by taking a trip out<br />

to the local river to walk the banks<br />

(flip-flops were not a good idea<br />

Darrell)!<br />

www.fly-punk.com


Day 1 – Tolmin Tackle shop –<br />

Tolminska River – Soca –<br />

Tolminska Evening Rise<br />

We’re up early and ready to go with<br />

a great breakfast inside us (no<br />

idea when we are next going to eat,<br />

so fill up when we can). First stop<br />

is to see Bostjan in the local tackle<br />

shop (http://www.socafishing.<br />

com) to buy our permits for the<br />

day. Bostjan is a great guy and had<br />

loads of info for us on the rivers<br />

we were to fish, even gave us some<br />

local flies to use – which worked<br />

straight away. We started fishing<br />

the Tolminska river just outside of<br />

Tolmin and were immediately into<br />

some really nice wild rainbows.<br />

The fact you could actually see<br />

the fish from distance (and they<br />

didn’t seem to be too spooked by<br />

our presence – I suppose they see<br />

quite a few anglers). Darrell was<br />

in straight away with a slab of a<br />

fish, I followed soon after with my<br />

first Slovenian fish. We steadily<br />

made our way upstream picking<br />

off fish here and there – a great<br />

introduction to the different style<br />

of fishing (I’m not used to throwing<br />

size 8, 10 and 12 dry<br />

flies to river fish – I’m<br />

more your size 18 & 20<br />

guy). We followed Kevin<br />

up to the Soca for the<br />

afternoon, a big big river<br />

with lots of flow and an<br />

enchanting emerald<br />

colour. This was quite a<br />

steep learning curve for<br />

me, having not fished a<br />

river so big before – it<br />

was difficult to know<br />

where to start. But start<br />

we did – we could both<br />

see fish, but getting<br />

them to take a dry fly<br />

(or presenting a nymph<br />

at the deceptive depth)<br />

was proving difficult.<br />

After a few hours of<br />

fruitless casting we<br />

decided to spend the<br />

rest of the day back<br />

on the Tolminska and<br />

fished through to the<br />

late evening. The photos<br />

of the fish do not really<br />

do the colours justice,<br />

the Rainbows we were<br />

catching almost had a<br />

metallic hue.<br />

8 | 9


Day 2 – Lepena – Marble Trout<br />

On to day 2 and we had over an hour’s<br />

drive to Lepena – through some<br />

stunning scenery and mountain<br />

passes – the view coupled with<br />

my dodgy driving (I will admit that<br />

driving on mountain switchbacks<br />

in a left hand drive car with Darrell<br />

screaming if I got too close to either<br />

the rock face or the edge of the<br />

road was a challenge). The Lepena<br />

is an upper Soca tributary and has<br />

been featured in many under water<br />

films and photographs. The fish and<br />

insects are as good as anywhere<br />

in Slovenia - It’s one of the highest<br />

alpine streams. Caddis line the<br />

boulders with their white cases. We<br />

arrived and picked up our permits<br />

and were then let loose for the day<br />

on the river.<br />

We parked up at the side of the<br />

river and started on what would be<br />

a memorable day’s fishing. Again<br />

Darrell was immediately into fish,<br />

whereas I was struggling to adapt<br />

to the conditions. After a brief chat<br />

I was on track and started to get<br />

takes. We fished all day (stopping<br />

briefly for a spot of lunch with<br />

Kevin and some of his other guests<br />

to tell tales and swap hints and<br />

tips). It was towards the<br />

end of the day when the<br />

magic happened. Darrell<br />

summed it up perfectly<br />

on his blog (www.<br />

thetreetrout.co.uk):<br />

“Moving further up as the<br />

evening drew in we started<br />

negotiating steeper faster<br />

runs of water with lots of<br />

rock formations. I was<br />

in front of Richard and<br />

came to the Goldfish bowl<br />

first, the rain was still<br />

spitting and as it began to stop the<br />

pool came alive. I cast my fly into<br />

a section of water about 6 inches<br />

deep which glided over a rock into<br />

the main pool. As it entered the pool<br />

I watched a fish rise from around<br />

15 feet below and spiral its way to<br />

the top before sipping the fly from<br />

the surface. The fish gave a spirited<br />

fight, the unhooking isn’t worth<br />

talking about as the fish tied me<br />

in tangles and caused all sorts of<br />

havoc to my leader and fly line.<br />

With all the activity in the pool I<br />

turned and whistled to Richard to<br />

get him to move up here quickly.<br />

I stepped aside and let Richard<br />

have a cast, which after some work<br />

got a very confident take. Quickly<br />

downing my rod to man the net I<br />

moved into place. As the fish neared<br />

the surface I was gob smacked, I<br />

turned to Rich and said it’s a Marble,<br />

I’m sure. In turn this caused some<br />

panic, with Richard in not so many<br />

words telling me to hurry up and<br />

net it!. Indeed it was a Marble which<br />

now sat in the net and gave us both<br />

a great big grin!. The timing of the<br />

capture couldn’t have been any<br />

better as we were both<br />

just considering calling<br />

it a day. For those of you<br />

who have never seen<br />

a marble in the flesh<br />

then I must say you are<br />

missing out. They are<br />

very peculiar fish and<br />

very attractive in and out<br />

of the water, it is easy to<br />

see why these fish grow<br />

so big when you see their<br />

habitats in person.”<br />

So there it was we had<br />

caught the famed Marble<br />

Trout. Nothing could<br />

top that, so a few casts<br />

later and with the light<br />

really starting to fade we<br />

decided to head back.<br />

www.fly-punk.com


Day 3 – Car Train – Sava Bohinjka<br />

River<br />

Today was going to be a days of firsts.<br />

It was the first day I was not going<br />

to be driving (Darrell looked pleased<br />

about that), it was also the first time<br />

I would have ever been on a Car Train.<br />

We caught the train from Most Na Soci<br />

to Bohinjska to fish the Sava Bohinjka<br />

river. It was one of the highlights of the<br />

trip for me, the train approached the<br />

station with what seemed like 3 empty<br />

trailers on the back, we drove onto an<br />

empty trailer and within a few minutes<br />

were on our way – it was a strange<br />

experience being sat in a car whilst<br />

the train took us to our destination<br />

– through deep valleys and tunnels<br />

underneath mountains.<br />

Eventually after about 45 minutes we<br />

reached our destination and caught<br />

sight of the Sava Bohinjka river, a wide<br />

slow moving river which we both took<br />

to straight away.<br />

It turned out today<br />

was going to be a<br />

Grayling day (my<br />

favourite species).<br />

Lots of long riffles<br />

and broken water<br />

and pods of Grayling<br />

everywhere, it was<br />

my idea of heaven.<br />

After spending<br />

the day chasing<br />

Grayling, Darrell<br />

had one final large<br />

Rainbow Trout and<br />

that was our Slovenian adventure over.<br />

All that was left to do was catch the<br />

train back, eat a stunning meal (thanks<br />

Rosie) and then head off to bed, ready<br />

to be up early for our drive back to<br />

Venice and an early flight back to the<br />

UK.<br />

So, what did we learn from our trip:<br />

1. Don’t wear flip-flops when walking<br />

the banks<br />

2. Remember to drive on the right hand<br />

side of the road at all times!<br />

3. Use a bigger fly<br />

4. Listen to the locals and take their<br />

advice<br />

We really enjoyed our trip to Slovenia<br />

and are already planning another trip<br />

somewhere for next year.<br />

If this has inspired to you take a trip<br />

out somewhere – just go for it.<br />

10 | 11


www.fly-punk.com


The Mighty Soca: Just one of the many picturesque<br />

views that Slovinia has to offer


ST ARMAND<br />

JARTOUDIEX, THE<br />

FRENCH FISHING<br />

EXPERIENCE<br />

―jo o'hara―<br />

14 | 15


L<br />

ast week my partner Antony<br />

and I fished a large lake in<br />

the middle southern part of<br />

France. It was like many out there, a<br />

‘big carp’ coarse fishing venue and<br />

the third time of visiting. However,<br />

we had it all to ourselves, set in the<br />

middle of the countryside with small<br />

stream tributaries to discover, this<br />

pretty place is full of wildlife and<br />

forestry with rolling hills, huge bulls<br />

and cows, large hairs, toads, butterflies<br />

and the odd wild dog. No one<br />

fly fishes it and so I was super keen<br />

to see what I could possibly catch<br />

with dries and nymphs.<br />

I already knew I was up against<br />

hooking a carp on a fly. Restricted<br />

swims and boilie fed fish who are<br />

rarely seen on the top presented<br />

a huge challenge. I can fish for<br />

‘smallies’ all day long and relish<br />

stalking and searching out their<br />

hidey holes. It gives me the<br />

opportunity to try out a range of<br />

tactics with presentation, using<br />

micro gear, casting and just<br />

making the most of being in the<br />

moment. For me, this can be just<br />

watching the water and waiting,<br />

observing the weather changes,<br />

deciding precisely where my<br />

next cast will<br />

be or being<br />

d i s t r a c t e d<br />

by the giant<br />

hairy dragon<br />

flies and<br />

insects that<br />

whizz past.<br />

Rudd, roach<br />

and hybrids<br />

c r u i s e d<br />

around in<br />

small groups<br />

and fell for mini sedges and<br />

little black size 18 beaded leach<br />

patterns I had tied. I managed<br />

to wade in one shallow part of<br />

the lake to discover pockets of<br />

nesting rainbow perch guarding<br />

their round patch of cleared sand<br />

beds. Perch of the stripy kind,<br />

lurked in the shadows and the<br />

‘poisson chat’ were apparently<br />

multiplying out of control. I aimed<br />

to catch a little French catfish on<br />

a big yellow jig nymph and to my<br />

absolute joy, I caught just the one!<br />

After 3 days of catching small to<br />

tiny fish I found a spot to at least<br />

attempt to catch one of the 20 koi<br />

in the lake. Armed with a weighted<br />

orange blob and 2nd cast, Wham!<br />

A bright orange fin and back<br />

zoomed off into the depths<br />

hooked on a size 16 hook. I kind<br />

of just froze with a look of ‘what<br />

do I do know?’ I just held the fly<br />

rod in both hands for 20 seconds<br />

before it probably just flicked that<br />

super strong head and got off!! I<br />

couldn’t help but enjoy the fact at<br />

least I saw the koi and I hooked it!<br />

www.fly-punk.com


Tench also cruise the bottom of<br />

this lake and I tried and hoped<br />

and tried some more. I had one<br />

exciting take and line shoot out –<br />

was this my tench? carp? . . . . .<br />

another lost fish.<br />

After tackling bushes, reeds and<br />

trees, I discovered that evening<br />

a tick had managed to bury itself<br />

head first into my side and was<br />

quite happy feeding on my blood<br />

until it’s removal and demise. I am<br />

in my element squeezing through<br />

impassable looking shrubbery<br />

to access water more and more<br />

lately but after falling into a<br />

river and all alone on Xmas Eve<br />

and now acquiring a tick, I view<br />

this as a reminder to be happily<br />

more aware and cautious. It’s a<br />

wonderful learning curve and the<br />

wilder the better in my opinion.<br />

Back to the other side of the lake<br />

and a call comes through from<br />

Antony . . . . it’s the catch of the<br />

week I reckon – tench on the fly!<br />

We had both discussed liking the<br />

idea of fishing a couple of years<br />

ago and after walking Snowdonia<br />

Antony was adamant he wouldn’t<br />

be walking again the next day! So<br />

he suggested we tried something<br />

new - we went fishing for the first<br />

time on a very large lake in a boat.<br />

We had no clue about equipment<br />

and I had a phobia with touching<br />

the provided worm bait. We<br />

bobbed about the water casting<br />

the worm in here and there for<br />

5 hours quite happily with the<br />

hope of catching something. It<br />

was time to head in and then it<br />

happened! A bend in the rod and I<br />

screamed with the thrill and joy of<br />

catching a large perch! This was<br />

the start of it for us both. At the<br />

end of this month we have both<br />

been fly fishing for a year and the<br />

fly rod is never far from the end of<br />

my arm. <strong>Fly</strong> fishing is a lifestyle<br />

choice for me. I am outdoors in<br />

the countryside somewhere near<br />

a river, stream or lake whenever<br />

I can. I am fascinated by my<br />

surroundings and enthusiastic to<br />

fly fishing for any fish! It brings<br />

me well-being and has opened<br />

up a new world of possibilities,<br />

experiences and surprises.<br />

16 | 17


VIDEO INTERLUDE ...<br />

TSIMANE 3X -<br />

EPISODE ONE<br />

Untamed Angling has released the first episode of TSIMANE 3X — a series that will highlight the incredible jungle fly<br />

fishing for golden dorado that's to be found at Tsimane.<br />

https://vimeo.com/227657273<br />

Published: 30th July 2017<br />

www.fly-punk.com


A reel eye view of fishing<br />

in Slovenia with the<br />

<strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong> rod


TIPS<br />

ON FLY<br />

FISHING<br />

― Mark Good―<br />

20 | 21


Y<br />

ou will find thousands of live-bait<br />

anglers that are excellent<br />

sports athletes; nevertheless<br />

the fly fisherman can practice<br />

better conservation immediately.<br />

Basically, fly fishing is not just<br />

one of the fastest growing sports<br />

it is probably the foremost kinds<br />

of conserving natural assets<br />

additionally to delivering marine<br />

entertainment.<br />

<strong>Fly</strong> fishing is, fairly simple when<br />

three the situation is right: you will<br />

want a appropriate fly fishing rod you<br />

need to get yourself a line to enhance<br />

you and also it has to learn correct<br />

casting technique.<br />

For individuals who have to know a<br />

few recommendations on fly fishing,<br />

here are all of the some pointers that<br />

might help anglers harness their fly<br />

fishing capabilities:<br />

1. Material in the fly fishing rod<br />

For starters of moderate means,<br />

especially for your beginners, hollow<br />

glass is recommended since it should<br />

take less care than bamboo and<br />

will not possess a set if improperly<br />

handled or saved.<br />

2. Line<br />

Your fly casting skill will not progress<br />

getting a mismatched fly fishing rod<br />

and line. About 99 occasions in 100,<br />

the troubled fly caster features a line<br />

far too light to produce out the action<br />

of his fly fishing rod.<br />

That’s why you need to understand<br />

that on the fly fishing rod, the fly<br />

fisherman should take advantage<br />

of the identical size line for from<br />

small trout and bluegills towards the<br />

greatest sea food.<br />

In choosing the size line, anglers is<br />

worthy of a C level, an HCH doubletaper,<br />

or possibly a GBF threediameter.<br />

This different is founded on<br />

the fact a greater quantity of fly rods<br />

bought nowadays are hollow glass,<br />

which most of individuals is ideal<br />

with lines of people dimensions, very<br />

little matter measures or weights.<br />

3. The best casting technique<br />

In casting, you need to get about<br />

20 foot of line out front. Anglers<br />

should always make certain to cast a<br />

vertical line. Avoid jerky actions even<br />

if it is around the faster mode to have<br />

the ability to accomplish this.<br />

In addition, the angler needs to be<br />

relaxed because taunt muscles will<br />

ruin his casting.<br />

Boiled lower, there should not be<br />

reason why you ought to not uncover<br />

the essential concepts as quickly as<br />

people who now enjoy fly fishing.<br />

Probably, the most effective and<br />

surest approach to learn to cast<br />

effectively is always to spend every<br />

day round the stream having a couple<br />

of fisherman who’s a dependable<br />

caster.<br />

Training learned round the stream<br />

would be the most helpful tips you<br />

can purchase around your mission<br />

for learning fly fishing.<br />

Selecting a <strong>Fly</strong> Rod for Steelhead<br />

fly fishing<br />

Steelhead trout are, in a nutshell,<br />

rainbow trout on steroids. These fish<br />

typically weigh four to six pounds<br />

and are an average of 25 to 30 inches.<br />

These fish are extreme fighters and<br />

without the proper rod these fish will<br />

have you beat everyday. For regular<br />

trout fishing most anglers will use a<br />

five or six weight rod. With steelhead<br />

you will not want anything less than<br />

an eight weight rod that is nine or<br />

more feet long.<br />

An eight weight rod has a much<br />

stronger backbone, so to say, than<br />

a six weight rod will have. Another<br />

important fact is that when fly<br />

fishing for steelhead you will most<br />

likely be using larger flies. Common<br />

steelhead flies are wooly buggers<br />

which in most cases are hard to cast<br />

with a six weight rod. One more<br />

important thing is that you want to<br />

make sure you are using at least a six<br />

pound test line or more when fishing<br />

for these monsters. When selecting<br />

your rod for steelhead fly fishing buy<br />

what you can afford and remember it<br />

is not the rod it is the angler.<br />

www.fly-punk.com


― richard fieldhouse ―<br />

THE OFFICIAL<br />

FLY PUNK ROD<br />

F<br />

ollowing on from the rod building<br />

article we did in the last issue<br />

where we profiled Renato Vitalini,<br />

I thought it was about time that I added<br />

to the burgeoning collection of rods<br />

I own and asked Renato if he would do<br />

me a special <strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong> build. I’ve always<br />

wanted to have something special, and<br />

22 | 23<br />

decided that what I was missing was a<br />

9’ 2 wt rod – I follow the long lightweight<br />

rod cult.<br />

After Renato agreed to build me a rod<br />

it then came down to the design –<br />

Renato asked what I wanted – I just<br />

said – “Do something that would upset<br />

the traditionalist”.<br />

What a master Renato is, what he<br />

came up with is the finest fishing tool<br />

I have ever seen, never mind owned. A<br />

verde ithaca green 9 foot 2 weight rod<br />

with an epic handle design and a reel<br />

to match.


Here’s the build photos of the rod:<br />

Renato mentioned that he and his<br />

family would be making a trip to the<br />

UK for a short holiday, I thought it was<br />

only right that I take him out for a day<br />

on one of our chalk-streams, to test<br />

out the rod and have a laugh with what<br />

seemed to be one of the nicest guys in<br />

fly fishing. How true that was.<br />

I checked out the location of Renato’s<br />

stay and found it was close to a river<br />

I had wanted to get to know better for<br />

a few years, The Wylye. I booked us in<br />

for the day at Langford Lakes (https://<br />

www.wiltshirewildlife.org/langfordlakes)<br />

here we could fish a 1 mile<br />

stretch of the Wylye all to ourselves,<br />

chasing wild brown trout and grayling.<br />

We were not disappointed either. Within<br />

a few casts Renato had the measure<br />

of the place, accurately casting to fish<br />

and catching his first sight of wild UK<br />

brown trout.<br />

Renato had kindly brought along some<br />

aptly named beers for refreshment<br />

during the day:<br />

Suffice to say we had a stunning days<br />

fishing along with using some top<br />

class rods. My 9’ 2wt is now my go<br />

to rod of choice and it even handled<br />

some rather large rainbows on a later<br />

trip to Slovenia (also included in this<br />

magazine).<br />

Renato – you are a top guy.<br />

www.fly-punk.com


Renato in action on a beautiful<br />

spring day on the Wylye River


I<br />

pulled into the driveway and shut<br />

off the truck. Two bouncing boys<br />

emerged from the garage and<br />

would scarcely let me open the door for<br />

their excitement to see me. We hugged<br />

and talked about their day, what they<br />

had learned, what they did at school, and<br />

what they were drawing on the driveway<br />

with their chalk. I greeted my wife and<br />

she whispered in my ear "I'm glad you're<br />

going. You need it."<br />

I put the finishing touches on my<br />

already packed truck, and waited on<br />

my good buddy Nate to arrive. It had<br />

been a long week. Heck, it had been<br />

a long month. It had rained earlier in<br />

the week causing river levels to rise<br />

and the water to muddy. It was late<br />

April, so I knew we were pushing the<br />

warm water bite a bit anyway. I didn't<br />

care. I didn't care one bit. I was going<br />

fishing, but it wasn't fish I was after.<br />

Nate pulled up, and we quickly<br />

transferred his gear to my truck for<br />

the ride up to camp. Our mutual friend<br />

Rich Walker was already waiting on<br />

us, sprawled in the shade in a camp<br />

chair, with his ever faithful blue heeler<br />

Tucker. This weekend, Rich planned<br />

to show us his old stomping grounds.<br />

A series of small rivers in the upstate<br />

of South Carolina. I said good bye to<br />

the boys , bribing quivering lips with<br />

promises of a surprise if their momma<br />

said they were good. I always get a<br />

hollow ache when I leave them behind.<br />

Out on the road, Nate and I blew the<br />

first hour up with work, politics, and<br />

family life. Once the pressure valve<br />

had been opened, we relaxed, and the<br />

conversation turned to fly rods and<br />

stick bows.<br />

We pulled in to camp to find Rich<br />

and Tucker right where they had<br />

been hours earlier. We exchanged<br />

greetings as we pitched our camps<br />

and surveyed our surroundings. We<br />

filled our tumblers with cold drinks<br />

and set about the task of checking the<br />

river flows, starting a fire, and planning<br />

tomorrows adventure. We talked into<br />

the night about this trip, trips gone by,<br />

and trips we still hadn't taken yet.<br />

We stood on the bridge over the<br />

river the next morning weighing our<br />

options. The water was a little high<br />

and off color, but it was definitely<br />

doable. The fish would be holding<br />

along the banks behind anything that<br />

created a current break. We eased into<br />

the water and waded downstream a<br />

26 | 27


IT AIN'T<br />

ABOUT THE<br />

FISH...<br />

― Jeff Scoggin―<br />

bit. We brandished glass 4wt's like<br />

gunslingers looking for a fight in<br />

some dusty, lost town. The sound of<br />

line being stripped off of a click pawl<br />

ended my day dream, and I turned to<br />

watch Nate start picking apart the<br />

bank with foam dry. It didn't take long<br />

and Nate was hooked up with a nice<br />

little redbreast. Tucker came over to<br />

have a look and give final approval. I<br />

noticed then that he was struggling<br />

a bit. The water was high and it was<br />

difficult to navigate for the ole fella. I<br />

turned and looked at Rich and caught<br />

the frown that flashed across his face.<br />

The truth was Tucker was getting on<br />

up there, but what he lacked in youth,<br />

he more than made up for in heart.<br />

We discussed it quickly and decided to<br />

go upstream, where Tucker might find<br />

better footing. We took turns fishing<br />

the holes and helping Tucker along<br />

the way. He was after all, one of US.<br />

He had been an integral part of every<br />

trip we have made for as far back as I<br />

can remember. We would never leave<br />

a man, nor a skiff dog, behind.<br />

We fished on through the day, and<br />

despite the conditions, managed to<br />

bring quite a mess of fish to hand.<br />

We rambled through the woods like<br />

we did in our youth, stopping to fish<br />

the good spots, checking out the<br />

deer trails, and playing with our dog.<br />

The highlight of the day, the slump<br />

buster if you will, was Rich finding<br />

large bass in a shallow feeder creek.<br />

Nate and I watched quietly from<br />

across the creek as Rich and Tucker<br />

worked to fool the wary bass. Rich<br />

delivered the fly, stripped once, and<br />

his rod bowed deeply. We all cheered<br />

loudly, as every fish was a notch in all<br />

of our belts.<br />

Back in camp that night, Nate seared<br />

hand cut ribeye steaks, I cut home<br />

fries, and Rich poured a fresh round.<br />

We recounted the day as we prepared<br />

our meal. Tucker lay quietly on his<br />

pad, eyes closed, sleeping soundly.<br />

Our little camp hummed with sound of<br />

content fisherman. We ate like kings<br />

and settled into our chairs in front<br />

of the evening fire. We all knew the<br />

fishing had been a little off. We all<br />

knew that we were a little early for the<br />

really good redbreast fishing. Most<br />

importantly, we all knew that none of<br />

this was about the fish.<br />

www.fly-punk.com


SOCA<br />

GO<br />

HEAVY<br />

OR GO<br />

HOME<br />

― stanislas freyheit―<br />

An old friend of <strong>Fly</strong> <strong>Punk</strong>,<br />

Stanislas Feryheit, tells us all<br />

about his adventures on the Soca<br />

river in Slovenia. Along with a<br />

helpful guide about which flies to<br />

use if you are erver lucky enough<br />

to fish it yourself.<br />

28 | 29


T<br />

he Soca river looks like the cliché<br />

of the paradisiac river for<br />

any angler : crystal clear waters<br />

packed with big fish. If you’re keen on<br />

the dry fly, then you’ll have the three<br />

species of the Soca rising on your dry:<br />

Grayling, Marmorata (Marble) Trout<br />

and Rainbow Trout. But when it comes<br />

to nymphing, the Soca is a tricky river.<br />

It is really hard to assess the depth<br />

of a pool of crystal clear water, and<br />

most of the time, you will fish with<br />

underweighted nymphs, because the<br />

pools of the Soca are really deep, and<br />

of course, the biggest fish are always<br />

feeding on the bottom. Moreover, the<br />

powerful water currents of the Soca<br />

are twisted by counter-streams that<br />

are influencing on the drift of your<br />

nymph. So if you want to trick the big<br />

fish you will see on the bottom of the<br />

emerald pools, go heavy or go home!<br />

Ceramic flies and heavy tungsten<br />

nymphs will do the job from size 18 to<br />

size 6! Do not forget that Marmorata<br />

trout can grow very big, so they won’t<br />

be afraid by a heavy caddis tied on a<br />

hook n°6. Marmorata Trout are also<br />

known as Marble Trout, and they have<br />

an astonishing olive colored marble<br />

dress. Grayling are really hard to see<br />

on the bottom of the Soca, because<br />

they have this characteristic milky<br />

appearance, they are really unique<br />

graylings !<br />

If you’re lucky enough, you might hook<br />

a one meter Marmorata Trout on the<br />

Soca, so if you do so, send us a picture!<br />

www.fly-punk.com


<strong>Fly</strong> rods in France


THE BOULDER<br />

FIELD, THE EEL,<br />

THE FLY ROD<br />

AND ME:<br />

A LOVE STORY<br />

― Article: jeremy clapp ―<br />

32 | 33<br />

― Photos: Elliot Thomas, Kaitlyn Ruark ―


T<br />

he boulders sitting in the<br />

shadows of the Connecticut<br />

shoreline are the rubble left<br />

by an ice-age twelve thousand<br />

years prior. Migration routes of<br />

the Striped Bass were decided<br />

during the movement of these<br />

stones. Waves and wind; crash<br />

in, out, and above these fields of<br />

rock. Some of the Bass are small,<br />

moving in and out following forage<br />

and hunting an elusive, active<br />

prey. Others lie in wait, these as<br />

large as a small child or a man's<br />

leg. They recognize the value of<br />

delayed gratification. They wait<br />

for a square meal. They, after a<br />

dozen thousand years, have learned<br />

to not resist the slow moving<br />

and hearty sustenance of the<br />

American Eel.<br />

In New England, a small and<br />

dedicated group of men and<br />

women live to catch the Striped<br />

Bass and in my of the six states<br />

(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,<br />

Massachusetts, Connecticut and<br />

Rhode Island) we are fortunate<br />

enough to get two runs of fish<br />

per year. Individuals skilled in<br />

surf casting for Striped Bass are<br />

called ‘Sharpies’. Often slightly<br />

grumpy, typically past the age<br />

of 40, travel alone or in a group<br />

of two or three and really aren't<br />

friendly unless they recognize<br />

their own dedication, in you.<br />

Those who fish in boats are not<br />

so lucky to have a term. Which<br />

is fair. They don't walk miles in<br />

the sand, they don't swim out to<br />

rocks a quarter mile from shore<br />

in a wet suit just to get closer<br />

to the school and they often<br />

won't go out in a heavy rain or<br />

at night. Sharpies love rain and<br />

darkness. Striped Bass love rain<br />

and darkness.<br />

Personally, I've got quite a few<br />

more years to go until I could<br />

be considered a Sharpie, in<br />

fact, more likely than not I won't<br />

achieve that status by fact that<br />

I am a fly rodder. There's no<br />

term for us, but we are equally<br />

as extreme. We walk the same<br />

beaches and climb up and down<br />

the same rocks. We sleep in the<br />

same trucks, and stay out just as<br />

late into the twilight. <strong>Fly</strong> Rodders<br />

however add a few layers of<br />

difficulty to capturing our query.<br />

We don't use bait, our flies are<br />

much smaller than plugs, we<br />

often can't reach the bottom<br />

and we can't cast nearly as far<br />

as an eleven foot surf rod. I get<br />

plenty of looks walking down<br />

a jetty or as Rhode Islanders<br />

call them; Breechways, with<br />

a fly rod. Strange looks aside,<br />

there's always some unspoken<br />

respect a Sharpie gives to a <strong>Fly</strong><br />

Rodder. They'll never admit to it,<br />

that would involve them saying<br />

something nice, but they know<br />

how difficult it is and I'm sure<br />

many know that even they, aren't<br />

THAT crazy.<br />

Typically fishing for Striped Bass<br />

www.fly-punk.com


with a fly rod is done in tidal estuaries,<br />

herring runs or salt ponds. Often<br />

we're looking to get out of the wind<br />

and into an area where we can see<br />

signs of life. Nothing is worse than<br />

blind casting in salt water, in a word<br />

it can be described as demoralizing.<br />

It's not fun, it takes a lot of effort<br />

and you're often rewarded with<br />

absolutely nothing. We really like to<br />

find the fish, and often those aren't<br />

the larger of the fish. The small<br />

“schoolies” or fish under twenty nine<br />

inches will feed all day and out in the<br />

open. That isn't to say their instinct<br />

to seek cover doesn't come into play<br />

but it often gets overshadowed by<br />

their insatiable appetite for forage.<br />

Bass are always hungry and there<br />

aren't many times they'll pass up a<br />

meal. We often look for splashing<br />

or bait moving around or birds<br />

picking up scraps that float to<br />

the surface during a blitz to<br />

find the fish. That being said,<br />

the majority of Bass activity, at<br />

least the keeper size up to fifty<br />

pounds eat after dark. Less<br />

than ideal for a <strong>Fly</strong> Rodder.<br />

We remedy the issue of getting<br />

a fly rod out to a boulder field full<br />

of large bass by paddling out<br />

in a kayak. We fish from Hobie<br />

Mirage Drive kayaks of varying<br />

sizes, anywhere from eleven<br />

to sixteen feet. Seaworthy<br />

vessels by a marginal standard<br />

but with the right mindset,<br />

they work even better than a<br />

real boat. Additionally they<br />

don't make any noise and we<br />

can get right on top of fish<br />

sitting in less than eight feet<br />

of water undetected. Now, we<br />

do bring conventional tackle<br />

along for the voyage . In New<br />

England it is widely accepted<br />

that the spinning rod is the<br />

more effective way to catch<br />

Stripers. I know that in other<br />

parts of the country and other<br />

species this is never true. But<br />

here, it absolutely is, and the<br />

most dedicated to the species<br />

understand this fact. Re-enter<br />

the American Eel. The absolute<br />

favorite bait for catching Bass.<br />

Simply rigged through the jaw<br />

with a circle hook either alive<br />

or dead (an issue also complicated<br />

among Eastern surf casters) and<br />

worked painfully slow in and around<br />

rocks. Some nights we can hook<br />

dozens of fish and land a few, some<br />

nights only a few and land none.<br />

More likely than not July through<br />

November this method, in proven<br />

feeding grounds, can yield anyone<br />

patient enough a fish. Sitting<br />

patiently in my rod holder in the back<br />

of my kayak is always an 8WT fly rod.<br />

I usually tie on a very large all black<br />

surface popper or a large 3/0 hook<br />

with black feathers, ice wing and<br />

flashabou. Simply mimicking an eel.<br />

I usually cast an eel out, drag is very<br />

slowly behind the kayak and fan cast<br />

all around with the fly. For obvious<br />

reasons the fly has never been bit<br />

faster than the eel. However, I always<br />

have it and I'm always casting. It's<br />

been a few years since I've been<br />

fishing for Striped Bass and not for a<br />

second have I lost hope of catching<br />

a lunker on a fly. I've landed above<br />

keeper size but nowhere near the<br />

size I've landed with an eel. As a <strong>Fly</strong><br />

Fisherman it's a bit of a dilemma for<br />

my purist leanings, but the addiction<br />

I have to catching Bass makes me<br />

do strange things, always working<br />

toward the next high.<br />

I love being from New England, I<br />

love catching Striped Bass, I love fly<br />

fishing the salt water with a fly rod<br />

and I sure do love hooking a monster<br />

Striped Bass from a kayak on a live<br />

eel.<br />

34 | 35


VIDEO INTERLUDE ...<br />

THE GILL<br />

TICKLER<br />

Jeff Scoggin ties one of his favourite flies. A deadly fly for panfish, bass, trout, carp.... bring your forceps.<br />

https://vimeo.com/219227654<br />

Published: 27th May 2017<br />

www.fly-punk.com


NEW YORK<br />

NYMPHING<br />

― mike crawford ―<br />

36 | 37


W<br />

atching television adventures<br />

of western guides floating<br />

on big famous rivers<br />

might have you thinking that the dry<br />

fly presentation is the fine art of the<br />

sport. But you just may be mislead.<br />

Here in Upstate New York we have<br />

been inundated with heavy rain for<br />

months. Rain has been the pattern<br />

that will not break and high turbid<br />

water is the "norm" on the regions'<br />

trout streams for the 2017 season.<br />

Anglers waiting for dry fly hatches<br />

of any consistent nature continue<br />

to be disappointed. The key to<br />

catching trout is nymphing. It<br />

is always the key to catching<br />

trout. Day in and day out. Here or<br />

anywhere trout exist.<br />

The fly rod is, to me, just a tool. Like<br />

a canoe brings me to wilderness, a<br />

fly rod brings me to trout. The right<br />

tool always does a more efficient<br />

and better job. And nymphing is<br />

really what a fly rod designed for<br />

trout should do well.<br />

High modulus fast action fly rods<br />

can push a fly, deliver a package,<br />

far, precise and accurate. But these<br />

attributes are often lost on the<br />

average fly caster. And throwing 60<br />

feet of line, on a trout stream in the<br />

Northeast, is unnecessary most of<br />

the time.<br />

Rolling tungsten out, again and<br />

again, is the name of the game<br />

when the creeks and streams are<br />

high and turbid. It is THE mode in<br />

which the vast majority of trout are<br />

caught in high water.<br />

So before you purchase an<br />

expensive rod, consider where you<br />

will be fishing the most, and get a<br />

wand that will aid in learning how<br />

to catch trout in close with short<br />

and fast roll casts.<br />

Many fly fishing writers have<br />

depicted nymphing as highly<br />

technical, difficult fishing. I<br />

suppose it can be. But learning<br />

the fundamentals of how to fish a<br />

nymph is where each beginning fly<br />

fisher should start.<br />

Bounce the bottom, up close with<br />

flash-back hares' ears and other<br />

rubber-legged, heavy-headed flies.<br />

Catch trout. Sub-surface, every<br />

day, in mud and flood, right at your<br />

feet.<br />

Peace.<br />

Mike<br />

www.fly-punk.com

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