Any angler looking to take up fly fishing or brush up on basics may be interested in an upcoming fly fishing camp.  This June, I’m collaborating with Creative Themes Day Camp in Penfield to offer an eight session evening fly fishing camp.  Creative Themes Day Camp is an excellent location to offer this fly fishing camp.  There are a series of connected ponds with warm water species and a stocked trout portion of Irondequoit Creek.  In addition to the fishing possibilities, there is a covered pavilion to review gear, knots, insects, fly tying and more.

This hands-on fly fishing camp will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm to 8pm.  Campers will receive two helpful instructional handbooks.  In addition to instruction, plenty of practice fly tying, casting and fishing is built into the experience.  Each session showcases a specific fly fishing topic.  The draft outline of the camp includes:

Tuesday June 5:  Equipment and Casting Basics

Thursday June 7: Knots and Fishing Practice

Tuesday June 12:  Insects, Identification and Fly Tying

Thursday June 14:  Insects, Identification and Fly Tying

Tuesday June 19:  Reading the Water and Fishing Practice

Thursday June 21  Reading the Water and Fishing Practice

Tuesday June 26: Tributary, Warm Water and Saltwater

Thursday June 28:  Caring for our Waters, Fly Fishing Ethics and   Wrap Up

The cost is $130 and this experience is open to youth over 12 and adults.  Click here for registration and additional info.   Please feel free to pass along this camp information to any interested fly fisher.

We’ve experienced some decent rain this week and I was itching to fish.  A half an inch or more of rainfall has the capacity to bring in fresh steelhead.  Recently, I managed to free up two hours of fishing time and drove to a small tributary.  To my surprise, the water was clear and the flow low.  It looked like the creek hadn’t experienced any rain run off.  It never ceases to amaze me how localized our rainfall can be in Upstate New York.  Creeks near my house were brimming with water, while twenty miles away, this Lake Ontario Tributary looked like it didn’t receive rainfall.

Since I had geared up and was hankering to fish, I walked to a popular bridge hole.  With the help of my polarized glasses, I soon spotted a 2′ steelhead in the tail out.  Just the sight of that fish fining in the center slot made me glad I was fishing.  It’s funny how one fish can validate all the effort put into taking time off to fish.

I checked my fly (hot bead white soft hackle streamer) and visualized my approach, presentation and hook up of that promising steelhead.  I’d like to tell you that’s how things transpired.  But, my plans went quickly awry.  Have you ever had one of those days when your angling errors seem to compound?  Well, fishing that bridge hole was my comedy of errors.  It’s good to get your fishing ego humbled now and then.  After fishing that well known spot,  I sure felt like a rookie an hour later.  It all started when my careful approach proved not too careful.  I attempted to creep down the bank and stealthily move into position to cast to that fish.  Instead, I bumbled, slipped and noisily crashed down the bank to the water’s edge.  My studded boots weren’t much help in the fresh mud.  Once I slid to a stop, I recovered and attempted to hide behind a bush.  The water was low, clear and I was still trying to preserve a stealthy presentation to the fish.  At least the fish hadn’t moved, yet.

I estimated the length of line needed and roll cast my fly upstream of the target.  Except, my cast landed to the side and slightly below the fish.  My next cast was also off.  Around the fourth or fifth cast, I nearly hit the fish on the head and it uneasily swam towards some brush.  Being the stubborn angler that I am, I proceeded to roll cast again and lobbed my streamer directly into a tree branch on the far side of the hole.  Darn it!  I tied that fly, liked that fly and didn’t want to leave it dangling in a tree!  Why not wade across and retrieve it?  Besides, I’d already spooked the fish.  A quick scope of the trough and tail out didn’t reveal any other fish.  What did I have to loose by safely wading out and retrieving it?

I was able to safely wade across and grabbed my fly.  To my horror, I spooked another 3-4 steelhead that I hadn’t previously spotted.  They were tucked against a downed log or hidden against the ledge.  My carelessness just blew out several nice fish.  I cringed as I watched them speedily dart upstream, seeking cover in the deep hole near the bridge.  It certainly wasn’t worth retrieving that fly!  So, I waded back, sat on the bank and regrouped.  Perhaps those fish would settle down.  For the next hour, I cast half a dozen tiny nymphs and egg patterns (sizes # 12 to #16) with no success.  I dropped down to 6lb flourcarbon, discarded the indicator and focused my efforts on high sticking the hole with a dead drift, no additional weight.  Now and then I continued to see the fish.  They had no interest in my offerings, even moving out of the path of my drifting fly.  I’d blown the fish in that hole.  We all have off angling days and I’d certainly muffed my chances with those fish.  Next time, I’ll certainly think twice next time about retrieving my fly.

Since we have been talking about fashion I thought it might make sense to mention that Chanel announced an addition to its sport line this June.  Yes you guessed it, it is the super luxurious carbon-rosewood fly fishing rod, reel, and Chanel’s special selection of flies all delivered in a Chanel calfskin case.  This can all be yours for a recession busting price of around $20,000.

Wow, I am not sure what to say about this.  Who buys this crap and if they did who would be seen holding this thing?  I think that Karl Lagerfeld’s picture tells the story.  There is no way that picture of him standing on a river is real.  It was obviously photoshopped or he was in some sort of fly fishing simulation pod.  So this is phony right?  But does it have some sort of benefit to the ”proudly stodgy” sport of fly fishing?  Perhaps Orvis will take a closer look at Chanel’s evelope pushing design and incorporate calfskin into its fly fishing vests and create huge black and white strike indicators with their logo.

Either way the future is bright (maybe dark) for Fly Fishing.  The fashion world has seen enough of our set ways and is going to drag us into the next 100 years kicking and screaming.

I want to take a moment to pitch you on a product that I bought before my Montana Trip.  It is the G.Loomis® Split Bottom Rolling Cargo Bag.  This is what I was able to pack into this bag:

1. Waders
2. Wader Boots
3. Fishing Vest
4. Wading Staff
5. 2 Fly Boxes
6. 4 Piece 5wt rod
7. 1 Reel
8. 2 Rain Coats
9. Chest Pack
10. Fish Net
11. Travel Kit
12. 2 Pair Pants
13. 2 Pair Shorts
14. Underwear, Socks, etc.
15. 6 Shirts
16. Sweater
17. Hiking Boots 

I had a few others things packed into this bag but I think you get the idea.  What a great bag.  It has handles and straps in all the right places and is very easy to pull through the airport on its two rugged wheels.  I love this bag and at $180 it is a great value.  You can purchase yours at Cabelas.com.  Click on the image below and put IH-319024 in the search box at the top of the page and the product will come up.  Enjoy.