Photo of the Week :(

Self-explanatory... plastic kills.

On The Drafting Table

When I begin my day at the drafting table, the first thing do is choose which illustration to complete. Then I do exhaustive research. I dig into my library, go online, and examine all the photographic, illustrative, and video reference at my disposal.

In the worst-case scenarios, I'll find only photos of dead or pickled specimens. In best-case scenarios I'll find photos of living specimens. If I'm really lucky, I'll find video! Videos provide a treasure trove of information. Instead of one static shot, there are thousands of frames to examine. Play, pause, play, pause, play pause. Bingo! Any questions I may have had about the fish are answered...

When this video was posted on YouTube, could the poster have imagined that it would become an important tool for an illustrator on the other side of the continent?

Got video of your fishes? Put 'em on YouTube! You never know who might think it's made their day :)

On the drafting table today: Rosylip Sculpin:

AWESOME~!

I've done this before, but never caught anything... Now that I know it can be done, I'll try it again!

Fishing Vicariously :)

Marion's trout on my flies :)

As previously confessed, I am a crappie fly fisherman. But, I love tying flies. Recently, I gave a friend a bunch of Cactus chenille bead-head nymphs. They're wicked easy to tie, and apparently, fish love 'em!

My friend has a pond stocked with Rainbows. She's just taken up fly fishing and told me she would cast my flies and send pictures if she caught any fish. She landed three out of four! (See above :) I'd say that's a nice field test!

Want to tie this little bug? CLICK HERE for directions. Cheers!

Jacked

At first I didn't 'get it'. Then, when Jack after Jack after Jack stole the Tarpon bait... I got it.
Been there, done that! Though not with Jacks. But there's no difference.
Jacks, Pinfish, Lizardfish... they're all 'Bait Stealers'!

This is a long video.. 22 minutes. But what struck me about this and inspired me to post it here is the display of patience, perseverance, and tenacity of Captain Jeff. Then again, aren't all fishermen patient?

Aside: When he yells "Get outta here!!" I first thought he was yelling at other fishermen... he was yelling at the Jacks! HA!

Sharks in Coordinated Hunt

This is cool... (I say that a lot!) I've seen coordinated hunting in many species, but nothing this dramatic. At the end of the clip, you can clearly see the bait ball that three or four sharks repeatedly corral, then slice through. Amazing.

Holy F'in Carp (Crap) !!!

Hoo Boy! Every once in a while something makes me laugh so hard I can't breathe! Holy crap this is funny. Think of the amount of time and planning that went into this little adventure! The props, the editing, and music sound-over... A bunch of guys doing guy stuff. (PETA would h-a-t-e this!)
Footnote: Asian carp are an invasive species, so here in the States, there is no love lost. Thus the nails, spikes, sabers, tennis rackets, and pitch-forks...


- Watch More Funny Videos

Confessions of a Crappy Flyfisherman

I love fish. LOVE fish. And I love fishing. LOVE fishing. My enthusiasm for fishing usually exceeds my ability unless I'm with a guide. By myself? Sometimes the fishing plan works out, and sometimes it doesn't.

I'm a wicked-good bait fisherman, and pretty-good lure fisherman. First pick? Squid bait. Second? Jig. Fall-back position? Throw the net. Why? I just want to experience the fish.

But when it comes to flyfishing, I stink. I'm a crappy flyfisherman. Can't cast. I squirrel up the leader and tippet, and I've lost a ton of flies on my backcast. Can't cast on tight streams -- and on wide open spaces, can't throw far enough. Wind? Forget about it.

However, I'm good at tying flies, and I love giving them away. I'm strangely drawn toward saltwater flies. (Did I just say 'strangely'? I meant, 'obviously'). I like the idea of my flies catching a fish I probably couldn't. Fishing vicariously is better than not fishing at all.

Above are some of my latest attempts which are ear-marked for a friend in Texas. Hope he catches a nice one ;)

If you'd like to see more EP-fiber fly patterns, a good site is Enrico Puglisi... CLICK HERE. Tons of natural imitations to copy. All probably tested and successful. And yet, I can't help thinking what Duffy used to say about flies: "If it ain't chartreuse, it ain't no use." Hmmm...