Fly Punk - Issue 5

Issue 5
August - October 2017

WELCOME
No tweed, wicker baskets or trousers tucked
into socks. Just a free digital magazine
aimed at the fly fishing punk
We warmly welcome you to the fifth issue of Fly Punk.
It has unfortunately been a long wait, for multiple reasons beyond our control, but we thank you for
staying with us during this tough time. Even though we have only been in existence for a short period
of time we are grateful to have your support as our readership grows internationally and domestically.
Throughout this issue we take you on an international journey, from the domestic rivers and streams
of the UK through to the incredible scenery of Slovenia and even taking in some beautiful summer
nights camping in the USA. Again, a really big thank you from the Fly Punk family to everyone who has
submitted an article to us, there is only so much space in this issue so we promise that if you are not
featured in this issue then we will put you first on the list for the next one.
Through our extended hiatus we had a beautiful and picturesque trip to Slovenia, thanks again to Kevin
& Rosie Smith of www.slovinia-flyfishing.com for hosting us and the wonderful food. We also spent a
fantastic day out on the river with world renowned rod builder Renato Vitalini testing out the new Fly
Punk official rod which you can read about later in this issue.
Our day on the river with Renato was particularly eventful as although we didn’t catch as much as we
could have, we had one of the best days out fishing that I have ever had and made new friends in the
process.
As always we are trying to extend the fly fishing community to reach new and previously unexplored
areas so if you have a interesting story about fly fishing or are about to head out on an exciting trip then
please let us know at richard@fly-punk.co. As always we would be looking for new articles to conform
to the fly punk ethos of “why you fish” then we would be happy to feature in a future issue. If you feel like
you fit the ethos of us then feel free to contact us and we would be happy to talk to like minded people.
Anyway enough talking, please enjoy our fifth issue of Fly Punk
There’s a Fly Punk in all of us…
Guest editor
Jack Fieldhouse
Email: richard@fly-punk.com
2 | 3

CONTENTS
26
6
14
SLOVINIA 2017
Editor Richard shares the highs and lows of his
trip to Slovinia with Darrell
ST ARMAND JARTOUDIEX
Learn about some of the many delights of fishing
in France with Jo O'Hara
mike crawford―
IT AINT ABOUT
THE FISH...
20
22
TIPS ON FLY FISHING
Mark Good teaches us all a few tips and tricks
about fly fishing
THE OFFICIAL FLY PUNK ROD
Richard finally shows us the picutres of the Fly
Punk rod, this one is a must see
28
Stanislas Freyheit―
SOCA NYMPHING
26
28
32
36
IT AINT ABOUT THE FISH...
Jeff Scoggin is back and this time tells us a
story that goes beyond fly fishing
SOCA: GO HEAVY OR GO HOME
From the rivers of Slovenia, Stan teaches us how
to fish deep all over again
THE BOULDER FIELD, THE FLY ROD AND ME
Jeremy tells one of his stories about fishing in a
different place with some unusual creatures
NEW YORK NYMPHING
Fishing from the rivers and lakes of upstate
New York, Mike crawford is back again
14
jo o'hara―
ST ARMAND
JARTOUDIEX
Guest Editor
Jack Fieldhouse
Designer
Jack Fieldhouse
Proofing
Aaron Good
Contributors
Jeff Scoggin
Jeremy Clapp
Jess England
Jo O'Hara
Mark Good
Mike Crawford
Richard Fieldhouse
Stanislas Freyheit
©fly-punk.com 2017
www.fly-punk.com

Salmon Queen: Jess England in action

SLOVIN― richard f
A
s anglers we always like to travel
and experience different
things in different places. The
lure of faraway fish in strange lands
are a common thought in the off season.
It was while we were fishing for
Grayling in the depths of a cold winter
that Darrell Upton and I decided
that we needed to fish somewhere
in the sun! After a few conversations
over winter, a chance meeting at the
British Fly Fair International with a
guide (Kevin Smith – www.sloveniaflyfishing.com)
and lots of googling,
the photos of rivers and the fish they
contained in Slovenia swung the decision.
We were going to Slovenia in
pursuit of Wild Rainbows, Grayling
and the elusive Marble Trout.
So, in early June we packed
our rods and assorted gear and
boarded a flight to Venice where we
would pick up a hire car and drive
to Slovenia (it’s only about a 3 hour
drive).
On entering Slovenia the scenery
changed dramatically, gone were
the plains of Italy and welcome to the
mountain vistas of Slovenia. To say
the anticipation levels rose in the
car as the mountains approached
was an understatement. We could
not wait to see the rivers we have
been avidly devouring photos of on
6 | 7

IA 2017
ieldhouse ―
the internet. On entering Slovenia
and winding out way up the
mountain passes, we came across
our first sighing of the famed rivers
– we had to stop!
The river was just as it was in the
photos, a translucent green – we
were spotting fish some 100 meters
away from a bridge high above the
river, to say we were excited about
the 4 days fishing ahead of us was
an understatement.
We arrived at our accommodation
later that afternoon and were
greeted by Kevin and Rosie – who
were to be our hosts (and guide) for
the next 4 days. Based high up in
the mountains our accommodation
was first class, and the food and
drink served up by Rosie was
excellent – we would thoroughly
recommend basing yourselves with
Kevin & Rosie and exploring what
Slovenia has to offer from Logarse
– with Kevin’s local knowledge and
Rosie’s food you will be well looked
after. Immediately making us feel
at home on our arrival we settled in
really quickly – by taking a trip out
to the local river to walk the banks
(flip-flops were not a good idea
Darrell)!
www.fly-punk.com

Day 1 – Tolmin Tackle shop –
Tolminska River – Soca –
Tolminska Evening Rise
We’re up early and ready to go with
a great breakfast inside us (no
idea when we are next going to eat,
so fill up when we can). First stop
is to see Bostjan in the local tackle
shop (http://www.socafishing.
com) to buy our permits for the
day. Bostjan is a great guy and had
loads of info for us on the rivers
we were to fish, even gave us some
local flies to use – which worked
straight away. We started fishing
the Tolminska river just outside of
Tolmin and were immediately into
some really nice wild rainbows.
The fact you could actually see
the fish from distance (and they
didn’t seem to be too spooked by
our presence – I suppose they see
quite a few anglers). Darrell was
in straight away with a slab of a
fish, I followed soon after with my
first Slovenian fish. We steadily
made our way upstream picking
off fish here and there – a great
introduction to the different style
of fishing (I’m not used to throwing
size 8, 10 and 12 dry
flies to river fish – I’m
more your size 18 & 20
guy). We followed Kevin
up to the Soca for the
afternoon, a big big river
with lots of flow and an
enchanting emerald
colour. This was quite a
steep learning curve for
me, having not fished a
river so big before – it
was difficult to know
where to start. But start
we did – we could both
see fish, but getting
them to take a dry fly
(or presenting a nymph
at the deceptive depth)
was proving difficult.
After a few hours of
fruitless casting we
decided to spend the
rest of the day back
on the Tolminska and
fished through to the
late evening. The photos
of the fish do not really
do the colours justice,
the Rainbows we were
catching almost had a
metallic hue.
8 | 9

Day 2 – Lepena – Marble Trout
On to day 2 and we had over an hour’s
drive to Lepena – through some
stunning scenery and mountain
passes – the view coupled with
my dodgy driving (I will admit that
driving on mountain switchbacks
in a left hand drive car with Darrell
screaming if I got too close to either
the rock face or the edge of the
road was a challenge). The Lepena
is an upper Soca tributary and has
been featured in many under water
films and photographs. The fish and
insects are as good as anywhere
in Slovenia - It’s one of the highest
alpine streams. Caddis line the
boulders with their white cases. We
arrived and picked up our permits
and were then let loose for the day
on the river.
We parked up at the side of the
river and started on what would be
a memorable day’s fishing. Again
Darrell was immediately into fish,
whereas I was struggling to adapt
to the conditions. After a brief chat
I was on track and started to get
takes. We fished all day (stopping
briefly for a spot of lunch with
Kevin and some of his other guests
to tell tales and swap hints and
tips). It was towards the
end of the day when the
magic happened. Darrell
summed it up perfectly
on his blog (www.
thetreetrout.co.uk):
“Moving further up as the
evening drew in we started
negotiating steeper faster
runs of water with lots of
rock formations. I was
in front of Richard and
came to the Goldfish bowl
first, the rain was still
spitting and as it began to stop the
pool came alive. I cast my fly into
a section of water about 6 inches
deep which glided over a rock into
the main pool. As it entered the pool
I watched a fish rise from around
15 feet below and spiral its way to
the top before sipping the fly from
the surface. The fish gave a spirited
fight, the unhooking isn’t worth
talking about as the fish tied me
in tangles and caused all sorts of
havoc to my leader and fly line.
With all the activity in the pool I
turned and whistled to Richard to
get him to move up here quickly.
I stepped aside and let Richard
have a cast, which after some work
got a very confident take. Quickly
downing my rod to man the net I
moved into place. As the fish neared
the surface I was gob smacked, I
turned to Rich and said it’s a Marble,
I’m sure. In turn this caused some
panic, with Richard in not so many
words telling me to hurry up and
net it!. Indeed it was a Marble which
now sat in the net and gave us both
a great big grin!. The timing of the
capture couldn’t have been any
better as we were both
just considering calling
it a day. For those of you
who have never seen
a marble in the flesh
then I must say you are
missing out. They are
very peculiar fish and
very attractive in and out
of the water, it is easy to
see why these fish grow
so big when you see their
habitats in person.”
So there it was we had
caught the famed Marble
Trout. Nothing could
top that, so a few casts
later and with the light
really starting to fade we
decided to head back.
www.fly-punk.com

Day 3 – Car Train – Sava Bohinjka
River
Today was going to be a days of firsts.
It was the first day I was not going
to be driving (Darrell looked pleased
about that), it was also the first time
I would have ever been on a Car Train.
We caught the train from Most Na Soci
to Bohinjska to fish the Sava Bohinjka
river. It was one of the highlights of the
trip for me, the train approached the
station with what seemed like 3 empty
trailers on the back, we drove onto an
empty trailer and within a few minutes
were on our way – it was a strange
experience being sat in a car whilst
the train took us to our destination
– through deep valleys and tunnels
underneath mountains.
Eventually after about 45 minutes we
reached our destination and caught
sight of the Sava Bohinjka river, a wide
slow moving river which we both took
to straight away.
It turned out today
was going to be a
Grayling day (my
favourite species).
Lots of long riffles
and broken water
and pods of Grayling
everywhere, it was
my idea of heaven.
After spending
the day chasing
Grayling, Darrell
had one final large
Rainbow Trout and
that was our Slovenian adventure over.
All that was left to do was catch the
train back, eat a stunning meal (thanks
Rosie) and then head off to bed, ready
to be up early for our drive back to
Venice and an early flight back to the
UK.
So, what did we learn from our trip:
1. Don’t wear flip-flops when walking
the banks
2. Remember to drive on the right hand
side of the road at all times!
3. Use a bigger fly
4. Listen to the locals and take their
advice
We really enjoyed our trip to Slovenia
and are already planning another trip
somewhere for next year.
If this has inspired to you take a trip
out somewhere – just go for it.
10 | 11

www.fly-punk.com

The Mighty Soca: Just one of the many picturesque
views that Slovinia has to offer

ST ARMAND
JARTOUDIEX, THE
FRENCH FISHING
EXPERIENCE
―jo o'hara―
14 | 15

L
ast week my partner Antony
and I fished a large lake in
the middle southern part of
France. It was like many out there, a
‘big carp’ coarse fishing venue and
the third time of visiting. However,
we had it all to ourselves, set in the
middle of the countryside with small
stream tributaries to discover, this
pretty place is full of wildlife and
forestry with rolling hills, huge bulls
and cows, large hairs, toads, butterflies
and the odd wild dog. No one
fly fishes it and so I was super keen
to see what I could possibly catch
with dries and nymphs.
I already knew I was up against
hooking a carp on a fly. Restricted
swims and boilie fed fish who are
rarely seen on the top presented
a huge challenge. I can fish for
‘smallies’ all day long and relish
stalking and searching out their
hidey holes. It gives me the
opportunity to try out a range of
tactics with presentation, using
micro gear, casting and just
making the most of being in the
moment. For me, this can be just
watching the water and waiting,
observing the weather changes,
deciding precisely where my
next cast will
be or being
d i s t r a c t e d
by the giant
hairy dragon
flies and
insects that
whizz past.
Rudd, roach
and hybrids
c r u i s e d
around in
small groups
and fell for mini sedges and
little black size 18 beaded leach
patterns I had tied. I managed
to wade in one shallow part of
the lake to discover pockets of
nesting rainbow perch guarding
their round patch of cleared sand
beds. Perch of the stripy kind,
lurked in the shadows and the
‘poisson chat’ were apparently
multiplying out of control. I aimed
to catch a little French catfish on
a big yellow jig nymph and to my
absolute joy, I caught just the one!
After 3 days of catching small to
tiny fish I found a spot to at least
attempt to catch one of the 20 koi
in the lake. Armed with a weighted
orange blob and 2nd cast, Wham!
A bright orange fin and back
zoomed off into the depths
hooked on a size 16 hook. I kind
of just froze with a look of ‘what
do I do know?’ I just held the fly
rod in both hands for 20 seconds
before it probably just flicked that
super strong head and got off!! I
couldn’t help but enjoy the fact at
least I saw the koi and I hooked it!
www.fly-punk.com

Tench also cruise the bottom of
this lake and I tried and hoped
and tried some more. I had one
exciting take and line shoot out –
was this my tench? carp? . . . . .
another lost fish.
After tackling bushes, reeds and
trees, I discovered that evening
a tick had managed to bury itself
head first into my side and was
quite happy feeding on my blood
until it’s removal and demise. I am
in my element squeezing through
impassable looking shrubbery
to access water more and more
lately but after falling into a
river and all alone on Xmas Eve
and now acquiring a tick, I view
this as a reminder to be happily
more aware and cautious. It’s a
wonderful learning curve and the
wilder the better in my opinion.
Back to the other side of the lake
and a call comes through from
Antony . . . . it’s the catch of the
week I reckon – tench on the fly!
We had both discussed liking the
idea of fishing a couple of years
ago and after walking Snowdonia
Antony was adamant he wouldn’t
be walking again the next day! So
he suggested we tried something
new - we went fishing for the first
time on a very large lake in a boat.
We had no clue about equipment
and I had a phobia with touching
the provided worm bait. We
bobbed about the water casting
the worm in here and there for
5 hours quite happily with the
hope of catching something. It
was time to head in and then it
happened! A bend in the rod and I
screamed with the thrill and joy of
catching a large perch! This was
the start of it for us both. At the
end of this month we have both
been fly fishing for a year and the
fly rod is never far from the end of
my arm. Fly fishing is a lifestyle
choice for me. I am outdoors in
the countryside somewhere near
a river, stream or lake whenever
I can. I am fascinated by my
surroundings and enthusiastic to
fly fishing for any fish! It brings
me well-being and has opened
up a new world of possibilities,
experiences and surprises.
16 | 17

VIDEO INTERLUDE ...
TSIMANE 3X -
EPISODE ONE
Untamed Angling has released the first episode of TSIMANE 3X — a series that will highlight the incredible jungle fly
fishing for golden dorado that's to be found at Tsimane.
https://vimeo.com/227657273
Published: 30th July 2017
www.fly-punk.com

A reel eye view of fishing
in Slovenia with the
Fly Punk rod

TIPS
ON FLY
FISHING
― Mark Good―
20 | 21

Y
ou will find thousands of live-bait
anglers that are excellent
sports athletes; nevertheless
the fly fisherman can practice
better conservation immediately.
Basically, fly fishing is not just
one of the fastest growing sports
it is probably the foremost kinds
of conserving natural assets
additionally to delivering marine
entertainment.
Fly fishing is, fairly simple when
three the situation is right: you will
want a appropriate fly fishing rod you
need to get yourself a line to enhance
you and also it has to learn correct
casting technique.
For individuals who have to know a
few recommendations on fly fishing,
here are all of the some pointers that
might help anglers harness their fly
fishing capabilities:
1. Material in the fly fishing rod
For starters of moderate means,
especially for your beginners, hollow
glass is recommended since it should
take less care than bamboo and
will not possess a set if improperly
handled or saved.
2. Line
Your fly casting skill will not progress
getting a mismatched fly fishing rod
and line. About 99 occasions in 100,
the troubled fly caster features a line
far too light to produce out the action
of his fly fishing rod.
That’s why you need to understand
that on the fly fishing rod, the fly
fisherman should take advantage
of the identical size line for from
small trout and bluegills towards the
greatest sea food.
In choosing the size line, anglers is
worthy of a C level, an HCH doubletaper,
or possibly a GBF threediameter.
This different is founded on
the fact a greater quantity of fly rods
bought nowadays are hollow glass,
which most of individuals is ideal
with lines of people dimensions, very
little matter measures or weights.
3. The best casting technique
In casting, you need to get about
20 foot of line out front. Anglers
should always make certain to cast a
vertical line. Avoid jerky actions even
if it is around the faster mode to have
the ability to accomplish this.
In addition, the angler needs to be
relaxed because taunt muscles will
ruin his casting.
Boiled lower, there should not be
reason why you ought to not uncover
the essential concepts as quickly as
people who now enjoy fly fishing.
Probably, the most effective and
surest approach to learn to cast
effectively is always to spend every
day round the stream having a couple
of fisherman who’s a dependable
caster.
Training learned round the stream
would be the most helpful tips you
can purchase around your mission
for learning fly fishing.
Selecting a Fly Rod for Steelhead
fly fishing
Steelhead trout are, in a nutshell,
rainbow trout on steroids. These fish
typically weigh four to six pounds
and are an average of 25 to 30 inches.
These fish are extreme fighters and
without the proper rod these fish will
have you beat everyday. For regular
trout fishing most anglers will use a
five or six weight rod. With steelhead
you will not want anything less than
an eight weight rod that is nine or
more feet long.
An eight weight rod has a much
stronger backbone, so to say, than
a six weight rod will have. Another
important fact is that when fly
fishing for steelhead you will most
likely be using larger flies. Common
steelhead flies are wooly buggers
which in most cases are hard to cast
with a six weight rod. One more
important thing is that you want to
make sure you are using at least a six
pound test line or more when fishing
for these monsters. When selecting
your rod for steelhead fly fishing buy
what you can afford and remember it
is not the rod it is the angler.
www.fly-punk.com

― richard fieldhouse ―
THE OFFICIAL
FLY PUNK ROD
F
ollowing on from the rod building
article we did in the last issue
where we profiled Renato Vitalini,
I thought it was about time that I added
to the burgeoning collection of rods
I own and asked Renato if he would do
me a special Fly Punk build. I’ve always
wanted to have something special, and
22 | 23
decided that what I was missing was a
9’ 2 wt rod – I follow the long lightweight
rod cult.
After Renato agreed to build me a rod
it then came down to the design –
Renato asked what I wanted – I just
said – “Do something that would upset
the traditionalist”.
What a master Renato is, what he
came up with is the finest fishing tool
I have ever seen, never mind owned. A
verde ithaca green 9 foot 2 weight rod
with an epic handle design and a reel
to match.

Here’s the build photos of the rod:
Renato mentioned that he and his
family would be making a trip to the
UK for a short holiday, I thought it was
only right that I take him out for a day
on one of our chalk-streams, to test
out the rod and have a laugh with what
seemed to be one of the nicest guys in
fly fishing. How true that was.
I checked out the location of Renato’s
stay and found it was close to a river
I had wanted to get to know better for
a few years, The Wylye. I booked us in
for the day at Langford Lakes (https://
www.wiltshirewildlife.org/langfordlakes)
here we could fish a 1 mile
stretch of the Wylye all to ourselves,
chasing wild brown trout and grayling.
We were not disappointed either. Within
a few casts Renato had the measure
of the place, accurately casting to fish
and catching his first sight of wild UK
brown trout.
Renato had kindly brought along some
aptly named beers for refreshment
during the day:
Suffice to say we had a stunning days
fishing along with using some top
class rods. My 9’ 2wt is now my go
to rod of choice and it even handled
some rather large rainbows on a later
trip to Slovenia (also included in this
magazine).
Renato – you are a top guy.
www.fly-punk.com

Renato in action on a beautiful
spring day on the Wylye River

I
pulled into the driveway and shut
off the truck. Two bouncing boys
emerged from the garage and
would scarcely let me open the door for
their excitement to see me. We hugged
and talked about their day, what they
had learned, what they did at school, and
what they were drawing on the driveway
with their chalk. I greeted my wife and
she whispered in my ear "I'm glad you're
going. You need it."
I put the finishing touches on my
already packed truck, and waited on
my good buddy Nate to arrive. It had
been a long week. Heck, it had been
a long month. It had rained earlier in
the week causing river levels to rise
and the water to muddy. It was late
April, so I knew we were pushing the
warm water bite a bit anyway. I didn't
care. I didn't care one bit. I was going
fishing, but it wasn't fish I was after.
Nate pulled up, and we quickly
transferred his gear to my truck for
the ride up to camp. Our mutual friend
Rich Walker was already waiting on
us, sprawled in the shade in a camp
chair, with his ever faithful blue heeler
Tucker. This weekend, Rich planned
to show us his old stomping grounds.
A series of small rivers in the upstate
of South Carolina. I said good bye to
the boys , bribing quivering lips with
promises of a surprise if their momma
said they were good. I always get a
hollow ache when I leave them behind.
Out on the road, Nate and I blew the
first hour up with work, politics, and
family life. Once the pressure valve
had been opened, we relaxed, and the
conversation turned to fly rods and
stick bows.
We pulled in to camp to find Rich
and Tucker right where they had
been hours earlier. We exchanged
greetings as we pitched our camps
and surveyed our surroundings. We
filled our tumblers with cold drinks
and set about the task of checking the
river flows, starting a fire, and planning
tomorrows adventure. We talked into
the night about this trip, trips gone by,
and trips we still hadn't taken yet.
We stood on the bridge over the
river the next morning weighing our
options. The water was a little high
and off color, but it was definitely
doable. The fish would be holding
along the banks behind anything that
created a current break. We eased into
the water and waded downstream a
26 | 27

IT AIN'T
ABOUT THE
FISH...
― Jeff Scoggin―
bit. We brandished glass 4wt's like
gunslingers looking for a fight in
some dusty, lost town. The sound of
line being stripped off of a click pawl
ended my day dream, and I turned to
watch Nate start picking apart the
bank with foam dry. It didn't take long
and Nate was hooked up with a nice
little redbreast. Tucker came over to
have a look and give final approval. I
noticed then that he was struggling
a bit. The water was high and it was
difficult to navigate for the ole fella. I
turned and looked at Rich and caught
the frown that flashed across his face.
The truth was Tucker was getting on
up there, but what he lacked in youth,
he more than made up for in heart.
We discussed it quickly and decided to
go upstream, where Tucker might find
better footing. We took turns fishing
the holes and helping Tucker along
the way. He was after all, one of US.
He had been an integral part of every
trip we have made for as far back as I
can remember. We would never leave
a man, nor a skiff dog, behind.
We fished on through the day, and
despite the conditions, managed to
bring quite a mess of fish to hand.
We rambled through the woods like
we did in our youth, stopping to fish
the good spots, checking out the
deer trails, and playing with our dog.
The highlight of the day, the slump
buster if you will, was Rich finding
large bass in a shallow feeder creek.
Nate and I watched quietly from
across the creek as Rich and Tucker
worked to fool the wary bass. Rich
delivered the fly, stripped once, and
his rod bowed deeply. We all cheered
loudly, as every fish was a notch in all
of our belts.
Back in camp that night, Nate seared
hand cut ribeye steaks, I cut home
fries, and Rich poured a fresh round.
We recounted the day as we prepared
our meal. Tucker lay quietly on his
pad, eyes closed, sleeping soundly.
Our little camp hummed with sound of
content fisherman. We ate like kings
and settled into our chairs in front
of the evening fire. We all knew the
fishing had been a little off. We all
knew that we were a little early for the
really good redbreast fishing. Most
importantly, we all knew that none of
this was about the fish.
www.fly-punk.com

SOCA
GO
HEAVY
OR GO
HOME
― stanislas freyheit―
An old friend of Fly Punk,
Stanislas Feryheit, tells us all
about his adventures on the Soca
river in Slovenia. Along with a
helpful guide about which flies to
use if you are erver lucky enough
to fish it yourself.
28 | 29

T
he Soca river looks like the cliché
of the paradisiac river for
any angler : crystal clear waters
packed with big fish. If you’re keen on
the dry fly, then you’ll have the three
species of the Soca rising on your dry:
Grayling, Marmorata (Marble) Trout
and Rainbow Trout. But when it comes
to nymphing, the Soca is a tricky river.
It is really hard to assess the depth
of a pool of crystal clear water, and
most of the time, you will fish with
underweighted nymphs, because the
pools of the Soca are really deep, and
of course, the biggest fish are always
feeding on the bottom. Moreover, the
powerful water currents of the Soca
are twisted by counter-streams that
are influencing on the drift of your
nymph. So if you want to trick the big
fish you will see on the bottom of the
emerald pools, go heavy or go home!
Ceramic flies and heavy tungsten
nymphs will do the job from size 18 to
size 6! Do not forget that Marmorata
trout can grow very big, so they won’t
be afraid by a heavy caddis tied on a
hook n°6. Marmorata Trout are also
known as Marble Trout, and they have
an astonishing olive colored marble
dress. Grayling are really hard to see
on the bottom of the Soca, because
they have this characteristic milky
appearance, they are really unique
graylings !
If you’re lucky enough, you might hook
a one meter Marmorata Trout on the
Soca, so if you do so, send us a picture!
www.fly-punk.com

Fly rods in France

THE BOULDER
FIELD, THE EEL,
THE FLY ROD
AND ME:
A LOVE STORY
― Article: jeremy clapp ―
32 | 33
― Photos: Elliot Thomas, Kaitlyn Ruark ―

T
he boulders sitting in the
shadows of the Connecticut
shoreline are the rubble left
by an ice-age twelve thousand
years prior. Migration routes of
the Striped Bass were decided
during the movement of these
stones. Waves and wind; crash
in, out, and above these fields of
rock. Some of the Bass are small,
moving in and out following forage
and hunting an elusive, active
prey. Others lie in wait, these as
large as a small child or a man's
leg. They recognize the value of
delayed gratification. They wait
for a square meal. They, after a
dozen thousand years, have learned
to not resist the slow moving
and hearty sustenance of the
American Eel.
In New England, a small and
dedicated group of men and
women live to catch the Striped
Bass and in my of the six states
(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Connecticut and
Rhode Island) we are fortunate
enough to get two runs of fish
per year. Individuals skilled in
surf casting for Striped Bass are
called ‘Sharpies’. Often slightly
grumpy, typically past the age
of 40, travel alone or in a group
of two or three and really aren't
friendly unless they recognize
their own dedication, in you.
Those who fish in boats are not
so lucky to have a term. Which
is fair. They don't walk miles in
the sand, they don't swim out to
rocks a quarter mile from shore
in a wet suit just to get closer
to the school and they often
won't go out in a heavy rain or
at night. Sharpies love rain and
darkness. Striped Bass love rain
and darkness.
Personally, I've got quite a few
more years to go until I could
be considered a Sharpie, in
fact, more likely than not I won't
achieve that status by fact that
I am a fly rodder. There's no
term for us, but we are equally
as extreme. We walk the same
beaches and climb up and down
the same rocks. We sleep in the
same trucks, and stay out just as
late into the twilight. Fly Rodders
however add a few layers of
difficulty to capturing our query.
We don't use bait, our flies are
much smaller than plugs, we
often can't reach the bottom
and we can't cast nearly as far
as an eleven foot surf rod. I get
plenty of looks walking down
a jetty or as Rhode Islanders
call them; Breechways, with
a fly rod. Strange looks aside,
there's always some unspoken
respect a Sharpie gives to a Fly
Rodder. They'll never admit to it,
that would involve them saying
something nice, but they know
how difficult it is and I'm sure
many know that even they, aren't
THAT crazy.
Typically fishing for Striped Bass
www.fly-punk.com

with a fly rod is done in tidal estuaries,
herring runs or salt ponds. Often
we're looking to get out of the wind
and into an area where we can see
signs of life. Nothing is worse than
blind casting in salt water, in a word
it can be described as demoralizing.
It's not fun, it takes a lot of effort
and you're often rewarded with
absolutely nothing. We really like to
find the fish, and often those aren't
the larger of the fish. The small
“schoolies” or fish under twenty nine
inches will feed all day and out in the
open. That isn't to say their instinct
to seek cover doesn't come into play
but it often gets overshadowed by
their insatiable appetite for forage.
Bass are always hungry and there
aren't many times they'll pass up a
meal. We often look for splashing
or bait moving around or birds
picking up scraps that float to
the surface during a blitz to
find the fish. That being said,
the majority of Bass activity, at
least the keeper size up to fifty
pounds eat after dark. Less
than ideal for a Fly Rodder.
We remedy the issue of getting
a fly rod out to a boulder field full
of large bass by paddling out
in a kayak. We fish from Hobie
Mirage Drive kayaks of varying
sizes, anywhere from eleven
to sixteen feet. Seaworthy
vessels by a marginal standard
but with the right mindset,
they work even better than a
real boat. Additionally they
don't make any noise and we
can get right on top of fish
sitting in less than eight feet
of water undetected. Now, we
do bring conventional tackle
along for the voyage . In New
England it is widely accepted
that the spinning rod is the
more effective way to catch
Stripers. I know that in other
parts of the country and other
species this is never true. But
here, it absolutely is, and the
most dedicated to the species
understand this fact. Re-enter
the American Eel. The absolute
favorite bait for catching Bass.
Simply rigged through the jaw
with a circle hook either alive
or dead (an issue also complicated
among Eastern surf casters) and
worked painfully slow in and around
rocks. Some nights we can hook
dozens of fish and land a few, some
nights only a few and land none.
More likely than not July through
November this method, in proven
feeding grounds, can yield anyone
patient enough a fish. Sitting
patiently in my rod holder in the back
of my kayak is always an 8WT fly rod.
I usually tie on a very large all black
surface popper or a large 3/0 hook
with black feathers, ice wing and
flashabou. Simply mimicking an eel.
I usually cast an eel out, drag is very
slowly behind the kayak and fan cast
all around with the fly. For obvious
reasons the fly has never been bit
faster than the eel. However, I always
have it and I'm always casting. It's
been a few years since I've been
fishing for Striped Bass and not for a
second have I lost hope of catching
a lunker on a fly. I've landed above
keeper size but nowhere near the
size I've landed with an eel. As a Fly
Fisherman it's a bit of a dilemma for
my purist leanings, but the addiction
I have to catching Bass makes me
do strange things, always working
toward the next high.
I love being from New England, I
love catching Striped Bass, I love fly
fishing the salt water with a fly rod
and I sure do love hooking a monster
Striped Bass from a kayak on a live
eel.
34 | 35

VIDEO INTERLUDE ...
THE GILL
TICKLER
Jeff Scoggin ties one of his favourite flies. A deadly fly for panfish, bass, trout, carp.... bring your forceps.
https://vimeo.com/219227654
Published: 27th May 2017
www.fly-punk.com

NEW YORK
NYMPHING
― mike crawford ―
36 | 37

W
atching television adventures
of western guides floating
on big famous rivers
might have you thinking that the dry
fly presentation is the fine art of the
sport. But you just may be mislead.
Here in Upstate New York we have
been inundated with heavy rain for
months. Rain has been the pattern
that will not break and high turbid
water is the "norm" on the regions'
trout streams for the 2017 season.
Anglers waiting for dry fly hatches
of any consistent nature continue
to be disappointed. The key to
catching trout is nymphing. It
is always the key to catching
trout. Day in and day out. Here or
anywhere trout exist.
The fly rod is, to me, just a tool. Like
a canoe brings me to wilderness, a
fly rod brings me to trout. The right
tool always does a more efficient
and better job. And nymphing is
really what a fly rod designed for
trout should do well.
High modulus fast action fly rods
can push a fly, deliver a package,
far, precise and accurate. But these
attributes are often lost on the
average fly caster. And throwing 60
feet of line, on a trout stream in the
Northeast, is unnecessary most of
the time.
Rolling tungsten out, again and
again, is the name of the game
when the creeks and streams are
high and turbid. It is THE mode in
which the vast majority of trout are
caught in high water.
So before you purchase an
expensive rod, consider where you
will be fishing the most, and get a
wand that will aid in learning how
to catch trout in close with short
and fast roll casts.
Many fly fishing writers have
depicted nymphing as highly
technical, difficult fishing. I
suppose it can be. But learning
the fundamentals of how to fish a
nymph is where each beginning fly
fisher should start.
Bounce the bottom, up close with
flash-back hares' ears and other
rubber-legged, heavy-headed flies.
Catch trout. Sub-surface, every
day, in mud and flood, right at your
feet.
Peace.
Mike
www.fly-punk.com