Couldn't buy...

... a bite today. Skunked. Nada. No love. Yes, this happens. When it does, it makes you appreciative of the days when fish are cooperative, rising and taking your flies eagerly. I don't want to start blaming this or that or over-analyzing it, at the end of the day it doesn't matter. I couldn't figure out how to adapt and the wind made things worse. So I decided to call it a half-day and drive home and take my daughter to the movies.

Today I focused on fishing with my Amago and the no.4 level hi-vis fluoro line from Tenkarabum. The level line made it easier to cast in the wind (until the wind became too much and blowing directly downriver). I am still trying to figure out how to properly fish without an indicator and I agree that the hi-vis line makes it much easier to follow the drift and probably to detect strikes (did I mention I had NO strikes yet?). The line was a bit kinked from being stored, but stretching it out while extending the rod took care of that. I remembered somewhere reading to keep a bit of kink in the last foot or so that would enable to detect strikes easier when the line became tight. I agree, I was very much able to detect immediately when I hung up on the bottom. I am sure it also works when a fish actually takes your fly, but, well, maybe I can confirm that next time when I actually get one to bite.

This was also the first time I took out my new waist pack (yes, some would call it a fanny pack) and I am so for very happy with it. Small and compact, it holds what I need, plus two granola bars should I become hungry. It also functions as a wading belt and my net and a bottle holder can be easily attached. It became a bit wet due to my lack of wading abilities (I slipped and was barely able to recover) and my inability to gauge water depth...

My rig consisted of a size 16 RS2 Sakasa Kebari, the one I tied for the swap mentioned in the previous blog entry, my go-to fly, a size 20 lazy RS2 mercury as a dropper as well as a 3rd dropper a size 20 Wire Bloodworm which I later changed for a size 20 souped-up Top Secret Midge.

RS2 Sakasa Kebari

Lazy RS2 mercury

Wire Bloodmidge

Top Secret Midge

No fish pix today, but some shots of the river:

River Notes:

South Platte River, somewhere below Deckers

Flow: 190cfs-ish

Water Temp: 38F (so I have been told. and which would explain to a certain extent lack of bites)

Air Temp: 23F @ 10am, 56F @1.30pm

Weather: Sunny, windy/breezy

RS2 Kebari, Hit List, Happy Thanksgiving and Good Bye

Ever since fishing Tenkara, I was thinking how I can modify my favorite and number one got-to pattern, a "lazy" mercury RS2, into a tenkara kebari.

I thought it shouldn't be too difficult, and a few modifications came to mind:

- increase size, from a 20 to 16 or 18
- use a heavy curved caddis hook, i.e. Tiemco 2488H, instead of of light wire straight eye dry fly hook
- use an antron collar instead of hackle
- add a tail/shuck like in the "original"
- placement of bead, in front of hackle or behind hackle
- body material, thread instead of dubbing

So I started playing around with the "hackle", thinking I'd figure out how to spin the white antron into a hackle collar just like dubbing, but alas, the result looked more than horrible. So bad that I don't even took a picture. Instead, I went back to the traditional forward slanting hackle which gives it a nice and clean look. I tied up a few with a gray saddle hackle and a baker's dozen for a swap with a English Partridge's breast feather. I like the soft hackle much better.

The end result is not spectacular but... I think I it'll do. It will definitively catch some fish. What do you think?

My "original" lazy RS2:


















Tenkara Sakasa Kebari offshoot:

 Baker's Dozen:

I also wanted to take this opportunity to wish all followers, readers and visitors of my blog a very Happy Thanksgiving! It boggles my mind that as of this writing, this blog has had over 2500 hits since launching less than 3 months ago!

I am thankful for my little family, that all of us are healthy, to have a job and be able to pay the bills. I am also thankful to have a very understanding wife sending me on mental health fishing trips, and of course, I am thankful for having discovered Tenkara this Summer. 

Last but not least, I also would like to send out lots of positive vibes to Naomi, our very good and dearest friend, and her family. Naomi is the godmother of my daughter and her dad, Lou, has passed away this morning. Our thoughts are with you and your family, Naomi.