Sing&Fish

A Winter Visit to Rose Canyon Lake

2012-01-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

A beautiful sunny day in Tucson so I was hoping the road and path would be open to the lake. There was snow on the ground and the melt had water flowing in. Browns were stacked up at the inlet, but the shallow water made them very skittish. I wanted to try the 9 foot Granger with the DT6 Sylk line - a bit much of a rod for the small browns, but it came in handy when I moved to the small shoreline on the southwest side. Trout were rising but I caught them all on soft hackles and Zug Bugs. My 8 1/2 foot Heddon #13 just loves a Triangle Taper 5 wt. It's so nice to be able to slip away for some nearby fishing, but I have a hankering for smoked trout so I may try for the Rainbow stockers next.

Montague Fishkill in Progress

2012-01-11T10:06:00.001-08:00

An elegant 9.5' rod that was part of a bundled buy. I wasn't able to cast it in its original state, but it is a light rod and I am thinking it will have power and delicacy with a 6 wt. line. The varnish was totally shot and I still have some polishing left to do on the fittings, but I really like the color of the cane. The yellow silk thread should pop when complete. I am about to give the butt a final clean with 0000 steel wool, then the alcohol wipe before I tackle those intermediate wraps.

Granger Favorite 9050

2012-01-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, time to return to the confessional. This is one of the first rods I ever received in trade for a restoration job. I was living in Corpus Christi, TX at the time. It was 18-19 years ago (before my youngest was born. I restored a JC Higgins rod (it had heavy sentimental value) and got to keep the Granger. I was just starting out and didn't keep any notes or photos as I do now. I think it was in rough shape and I don't think the name stamp had survived. I used a (now) hideous combination of brown with tan trimming and I couldn't pull off the thin intermediates so they were twice the size. I used the hand-rubbed tung oil (the last time). I now know it is a 9050 by using a caliper on the ferrules, I also know it was made between 1935 and 1938 because the reel seat is marked "Pat. Pend". Luckily I more or less followed the intermediate pattern and I was able to use Michael Sinclair's marvelous book as a guide. The grip is new and I to trim a bit more, but wanted a slightly larger diameter, if I ever sell the rod, I will turn down to original specs. I totally respect these classic rods now and will change wrap colors only on the most generic rods or if I am replicating a sentimental repair job. I implore any of you just starting out, if you have to refinish/restore, stay true to original colors, save the decals/stamps even if only a trace remains. I took the rod to Yellowstone last year and appreciated the power while fishing the Lamar & Soda Butte on windy days. It was blind luck I stumbled into this rod - Grangers and Phillipsons have become my favorites, bar none.

Chubb Montague

2011-12-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how close the placement of these wraps are to original, but I had to cover notches that someone had actually carved into the bamboo to mark wrap placements.
I guess I should be grateful that they had not varnished those red and blue wraps so cleanup was not bad. I took a bit of a leap on the red and black combination, but I really like the way it looked on this light bamboo - I am assuming Calcutta Cane. Those intermediate wraps were a bitch, I fully understand why many charge a dollar a wrap for each one. Luckily the vintage Champion thread I used wrapped wonderfully and I was pretty proficient after the first section. It is fortuitous because my next project is to finish a vintage 9 1/2 foot Montague Fishkill. If no other paying jobs show up, look for those pictures next.

Flies instead of Fising

2011-10-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

I was going to get a late start and it is a 2 hour drive to fish for trout so I decided to finish a rod repair and tie some flies for my next Arrivaca trip (but only if it rains and brings up the water level). The brown Crystal Bugger on the left is what worked and has worked all year on the lake. The red foam fly is for the red dragonflies the bass were lunging for last week and in years past. The blue foam is for the damsel flies that have drawn up bluegills in the past. You gotta love the foam you can buy at Michael's for 89 cents, you get a ton of flies for less than the specialized foam bodies you buy at fly supply houses (sorry Eric). I hope the wings work and are easy to cast. If it doesn't rain this week, I will go to Grant's Creek next week.

ARRIVACA 10-19-2011

2011-10-20T14:47:00.001-07:00

Still pretty warm for October, so the topwater action is probably happening later. The lake was pretty far down, I had a hell of a time finding enough water to float me in the ramp area. The water is a rich pea green. I had visions of topwater action and started with a chartreause foam hopper that did nothing even with I found a couple working on top. It seems the fish were chasing the reddish/brown dragonflys so I went with a color match - a root-beer crystal bugger. My second cast to disappating rings resulted in a healthy 15 inch bass. I caught a couple while swimming the bugger (I was using a floating line) but all others came when I targeted a fish that slashed on top. All in the shade, all in shallow water near the shore. I may have been able to dredge some up with sink tip, but the hydrilla is just too thick to work through. I would normally have stayed until dark, but I didn't relish the idea of fighting through the mud in the dark. The majority of my fish here this year have been on crystal buggers, bluegills have been in short supply. I may come back, but only if we get some rain.

Yellowstone 2011, The West Side

2011-10-04T16:18:00.001-07:00

My last 3 nights were spent in West Yellowstone. I would have preferred to stay at the Old Faithful Inn (pictured on the left) but waited too long to make reservations. BUT, I am set for next year. I spent an afternoon on the Gallatin which has always been good for nymphing at this time of year and now and then some dries. I have brought some nice ones up on dries, but the hypnotic repetition of driting a Serendipity was too tempting. A Peeking Caddis did okay, but there seems to be something about that little tuft of white Zelon. Got my first Whitefish and 3 nice Rainbows. I left just as some rain clouds were rolling in. I didn't return because of construction on the highway - I'd rather fish for smaller fish than sit in my car reading the fishing regs. I've been coming to Park long enough to forget about how amazing this area really is. I made time to take a couple of shots of the thermals in the Black Sand Basin and made my traditional hands & knee approach to a feeder of the Firehole. I won't divulge the spot, but the locals all know - I was told about it by a Park employee back in the early 90's and if I am careful, I will take some bigger fish from here. This year I took a 13" Brown followed by 14 & 15" Rainbows. There is something about a good rainbow jumping in a small stream like this that reminds me to never pass up the feeder streams. Even though there was a very nice BWO hatch coming off, the fish all slammed a White Miller Soft Caddis. I had been reading about this Caddis activity and tied up about 5 before he trip. I lost all these fishing on the Firehole thanks to the weed clumps. I tied up a reasonable facsimile in the room even though I didn't have the proper dubbing or any Partridge feathers - anything close worked well. A couple of the guides at Blue Ribbon suggested trying the Sentinel Creek area - that small stream was good, but when the fish started slashing around the Ojo

Caliente area, I was ready and armed with the right fly. The fish weren't as large in this stretch, but they made up for it in numbers and enthusiasm. I would see some of the smaller fish jumping out of the water after the caddis, but a conventional or X2 caddis would be ignored most of the time. On the last day in the Fountain Flats area, I caught a few with a traditional green bodied soft hackle (green wire body), but they definitely preferred the White Miller. I did get some fish from the Gibbon (headwaters & junction area), saw a very nice brown landed in the confluence area. I also made an obligatory run to the Barns Hole, but it was too warm for many runners yet. My final afternoon on the Firehole was cold, wet & windy and I loved it even though my knots were crappy because of my numb fingers and shrinking hooks (yes, metal hooks shink as they/you age!). My last 2 attempts to travel had been thwarted and this trip was very theraputic. Apologies to all my fishing partners, but it was wonderful to spend some time alone to purge and reflect.

Yellowstone Park, September 2011

2011-10-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

The trip finally came off as planned and the only "bad" news was that the weather was too pretty and warm the first 3 days I was there. I enjoyed the drive, a long stretch the first day and arrived early enough on Saturday to fish that afternoon. As usual, I spent the first 4 nights in Mammoth in the cabins. The word was that the hatches weren't really on yet, most people were fishing terrestrials. Soda Butte was packed as usual so I waited until 4 or so before hitting the river proper. Most of the rising fish I found were in the glides . . . and luckily I had read that small brown spinners were working. My first evening I landed 3 typical fall Cuts/Cutbows and missed several in the low light. The confluence pool of the Lamar & SB was not as deep as in years past, but I my second morning I took a couple by running a Green Drake emerger through some faster pools on the Lamar.
I made a point of hitting the smaller streams in the area where parking was plentiful and the pools were open. I always make a trip to Blacktail Deer Creek to play with the Brookies. A parachute Adams/Cinnamon Ant was

Good for all the Brookies, as long as I could see it. I also fished Slough Creek for the first time in years and once again found them in the slower glides. When I timed the rise, a brown spinner (Mahogany Brown dubbing, moose mane tail and white/grey zelon wings) worked again. There was one nice (16-17") rainbow that refused the spinner and after positioning, fighting the wind and timing, took with a #16 cinnamon foam ant. Very satisfying and I had to tie up some more spinners in my cabin at night to replace some lost flies. I had fun on Lava Creek & Tower Creek was great. On my last evening on SB, I saw some BWO hatching along with a couple of Drakes. Sure enough, the reports after I returned showed the hatches were coming off. Funny, everyone was talking hoppers, but I only had a couple of flashed on them. I'm sure the Drake hatch will change things a bit, but those SB Cutts are much warier than the fish I chased in the 90's. Next time: White Millers SH & the Firehole.

Tying Flies for Yellowstone

2011-09-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

I never realized how many flies I had to replace or how many I lost in last year's flood! I'm now into filling in spinners and checking every day to see what is working in the park, from indications I may get to use more terrestrials than I did in the past. This new box is almost full since the picture was taken and I am going to tie a few more BWO Thorax flies. Since I'm driving i will get to take a full tying assortment so I can whip up whatever I need. I went ahead and made reservations for next year already! Okay, next posts should be of the park!

Yellowstone 2011

2011-07-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope I don't jinx myself as I did last year (the flood of July 30, 2010), but it looks as if I will be making the drive to Yellowstone this fall. I have a ton of flies to replace - I had all my boxes out and open when the flood hit my house so I lost 90% of my flies but I know which ones to tie up. I have to finish restoring my Granger Favorite, but only have a small repair job besides that. I have the materials, hooks and just need to make the time. I'm re-reading my books on hatches and the area, plus I am getting weekly updates from Blue Ribbon Flies. It promises to be a good year for fishing and I will enjoy the solitude. If the late evening hatches happen, I will be able to stay on the river. I recall ant patterns working so well in 2008, but I doubt that will happen again. Let's hope last night's rain was the only scare we'll get this year.

Bamboo Pack Rod

2011-06-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've run across one of these "Nickle Silver Rods with bamboo spacers" (as described by John Gierach). Some of the sections were delaminated along with having some mean sets. I was able to straighten quite a bit after gluing everything back together, but didn't push the straightening in a couple of areas - I wasn't sure how much the bamboo could take. This was a "trade" job for Bob, a gent I met at a local antique fair - I got a couple of project rods, some parts & tubes in exchange. As always the intermediates were hell, but made the next job (see below) feel like a wrapping breeze. There is an existing rod sleeve, pretty cool to have a rod you can put in your pocket. Bob & I were pleased with the results, I think it will make a neat display rod.

Unknown South Bend Bamboo Rod

2011-06-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, a "work in progress" post. Here's a South Bend (no markings on rod, but the reel seat is stamped) I'm restoring. The gent had been given my name by the folks at Dry Creek, but the phone number was wrong. I happened to catch his post on The Classic Fly Rod Forum. The rod is rough, missing the ferrule & tip top on the tip - the tip also had a pretty severe set.

Found a ferrule, got the tip straightened up. I added a bit of cork putty to fill a couple of divots in the grip and found that the thread was a dark green with orange tipping - at first glance it looked like dark blue & rust. As usual, the cane is several shades lighter. I began wrapping this morning. Stay tuned.

The wraps are done, 2 coats of lacquer. I will put some spar varnish on the wraps and dip this weekend - I would do it tomorrow but we have a gig at Heritage Highlands. Not sure if I should continue my Granger Favorite or knock out another one to post for sale - all those taxes paid and now I have to enteratain the in-laws the next 2 weeks.

Things turned out nicely and the colors were muted by the varnish. I'm going to rotate the female ferrule on the mid for Bob as it angles just a bit. Time to complete the Granger Favorite.

The Mystery of the Montague Flash

2011-06-06T14:29:00.001-07:00

I wish I had the full story on this rod. I bought it in a group with a Wright & McGill Waterseal and 2 tubes. My main desire was the tubes, nice burgandy with gold trim aluminum. The Waterseal was a combo rod and the pictures of this rod were fuzzy, but I could see the paper band on the grip. I honestly doubt this rod was ever fished but I assume it was crushed at some time. The stripping guide was bent, someone had glued a separation in the butt section and wrapped with heavy thread. Inexplicably every male ferrule has a crack - the bane of Montague ferrules, but there are no scratches on the reel seat and the decal is pristine. All I did was bend the stripper back into shape, re-wrap it with vintage Gudebrod Champion nylon thread and dip the butt from the wrap above the decal. The rod casts well, I am fairly certain it would stand up well if fished, but think it should be displayed - it is as clean and straight as any vintage bamboo rod I had have ever seen. I'll probably post it on eBay later today, I don't think any of the collectors on the Classic Fly Rod Forum would have any interest in it.

South Bend 323 8.5' HDH

2011-06-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 1 year (July 30) that my house was flooded. Ironically, the only rod that was totally ruined was an HEH version of this same model. This one was in a PVC tube that was used for shipping, water had crept in, soaked the sleeve and after months in storage, smelled like a bloated carp that had spend a week in the sun. Every section had de-laminated, but luckily the wraps held so I was able to reglue everything. I lost the decals, the bottom knob on the reel seat was corroded, but I was able to take it apart, clean and oil it so it does work. I was pretty pleased with the look of the cane considering that I was worried all the power fibers had wasted away. I don't think I will ever be able to sell this so it will be part of the 10 rods I will eventually keep. It does cast a 6 wt Sylk line nicely - it will serve as a reminder of living through adversity.

Arrivaca May 25, 2011

2011-05-26T15:48:00.001-07:00

Not the best shot in the world, but I only had my phone since I was using my daughter's truck. I could have taken a shot on the lake, but I envision the phone slipping out of my hand and slipping into the murky waters. Funny, the water seems murkier - I distinctly remember being able to see fish on the nests in years past - but I am sure that is just a flawed memory. It was before the big fish kill years ago. Anyway, the fish seem happy enough - I didn't arrive until 2. I saw few fish working on top, but neither foam hoppers nor deer hair frogs did any good. Around 5 I finally relented and tied on a chartreause crystal bugger on my 6 wt with the sink tip and hooked a very healthy 21" bass. It jumped twice, but luckily was well hooked. Working back I landed a nice sunfish, lost the fly and my root-beer crystal bugger took one out from some overhanging branches. This bass was "only" 18", but just as healthy. One more bluegill and I was off the water around 6:45 BUT I could hear fish working on top in the distance. I won't have a chance for topwater action unless I break down and go on a weekend. It will probably be busy here this weekend since I heard that Parker Canyon is closed.

H-I Governor, ready to fish

2011-05-16T14:32:00.001-07:00

Okay, I was in a hurry and I had 3 jobs piled up but I still should have taken a "before" shot of this rod. A nice little H-I Governor, 8 1/2 foot, 3 piece with 2 good tips. It was in very bad shape, in fact I had to replace every guide as they pretty much rusted away. I see plenty of 9 footers in this model. It was nice to bring this one back, the maroon wraps popped nicely on the lighter colored cane.

Montague Ausable, H-I Pocono Restored

2011-05-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of rods I recently finished. I found the Pocono in an Antique Mall, a 7.5 footer with a single short tip. The reel seat is red, I swear it's a Montegue, identical to one on a Flash (as well as the Ausable pictured) that I have and I've only seen these rods with black reel seats. The tip was horribly scarfed, but the glue was not to be undone. Unbelieveably, it still casts well - a very thin taper that will throw a 3 WF, but seems to prefer a 4 DT. I went ahead and used red wraps and added guides (matched an Orvis Battenkill pattern). I was going to trade this to a buddy, but he has health issues right now. I can't wait to try it on a small stream and will probably sell it at the next club swap meet.

The Ausable was in terrible shape, with horrendous sets. I switched cameras so "before" pictures are evident. As you can see, I replaced the first 2 cork rings, and I went with red thread instead of the red/yellow combination. This rod only had 2 guides per section, I redid it with 3. Oh, the tip was delaminated so I reglued that. My intent is to sell it as a display, but it casts surprisingly well. I don't doubt it would fish just fine. I'm not sure if I will post on eBay or wait for the swap meet.

My current project is a South Bend 323 that barely survived my flood. Then I will redo my 9 foot Granger - unknown model but a 9053 taper that I will wrap as a Favorite.

Arrivaca, Southern Arizona - April 2011

2011-04-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, I will post now that the action has cooled slightly. I made 3 trips over the last 2 weeks to my favorite bass lake. In reviewing my past journal entries I saw that there were definite windows where action was hot. I figured it was still early for any topwater. I was surprised by how high the lake is despite the dry winter. My first trip yielded 4 bass after 1 pm, the largest 16" but very healthy. I used a sink tip line, casting tight to the shore and stripping back immediately. I christned my Phillipson 9' Power Pakt rod - it did well with the bass taper line, but a full day of casting did the cork grip no favors. I got it out of my system and went to plastic for the next 2 trips. Oh, I did get one on topwater - a brown Baby-doll cast deep into a mess of tree branches where one was noodling. The second trip was epic. Went with my buddy Rod who had been a week earlier also. We caught several in the morning up to 18", but killed in the late afternoon. Rod was using smaller flies, 12-14 Prince nymphs and the like, I had continued luck with the crystal buggers (black plastic bead-chain eyes) pictured above. Chartreuse/black the first day, the brown was magic the second day. Working the shoreline in the afternoon, we'd cast to any shadowed area (rocky areas produced best). An intermediate sinking line did better than the sink tip. I scored 3 over 20" and most were very fat & healthy. We also caught a couple of chunky bluegills (10-12"!). The just seemed to migrate to the shorelines as the sun was setting. There was a stretch where every second cast yielded a fish. I was borrowing Rods plastic 8 weight (some Sage RP-something and it took me longer to working in the larger fish as I didn't know if it would explode) - I have to admit it cast well and let me punch my casts out quickly. I also didn't experience "Popeye arm" at the end of the day. My trip this week was more consistent throughout the day, a larger range in size (10 to 18") but no spurt at the end of the day. Color changes seemed to be in order - chartreuse then olive then brown and back to olive. I only got into bass once last year and they seem much healthier this year. I could tell the plant growth was coming up, I pulled in clusters several times where I was weed free last week. I did see a little top water activity. It will be a couple of weeks before I have a chance to return, but I'm hoping I'll find them on top or chasing the fry in the shallows then.

Thin Water & Trout in Southern Arizona

2011-04-08T12:54:00.001-07:00

I am amazed whenever I found trout in my part of the world, moreso when they are not stockers. But, these tough little fish don't have much longer (look at the 3rd photo) if we don't get some rain in Southern Arizona soon. I'm told the water was higher in just the past week and I could see evidence where the rocks had been underwater very recently. These were smaller fish (with one notable exception) in very clear water. They were tough to sneak up on (I forgot my knee pads) and the casts had to be pinpoint but it was well worth the drive - a little more than 2 hours from my front door. I started with a 2 piece Heddon 8' bamboo (equivilent to a model 20 or higher) that I will restore soon, but it was too long for the tight spots. Things really started singing when I strung up my Orvis 7 1/2' Impregnated Bamboo. I did best with dries, a size 16 X-Caddis did the best, but I missed several takes on a Royal Trude - just love those old-school patterns. I took one from the last fishable pool upstream (pic #1) and ended the day with a surprise fish close to picnic tables - I was so surprised I got my camera wet while struggling with the fish and it broke me off while I debated a beach shot. Perfectly fitting, that fish deserved anonimity I pray some of the showers I hit on the way home made it up to the peaks and refilled the banks. A perfect tonic to take my mind off taxes.

Christening the Heddon President & Granger Victory

2011-03-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take the camera on my short hike to Rose Canyon Lake, so I took these rod shots when I got back to the vehicle. I have been working on a couple of restoration jobs and slowly replacing the flies I lost in the flood - the urge was too strong to resist a trip up the mountain before the gates to the lake open. A cool sunny day on the moutain, a bit of a breeze, but never enough to force me off the water. I bought the W&M Victory (8642) last year, the President the year before, but had not fished with them. Time to remedy that problem. I started with a Hare's Ear, then a PTN, but finally (around noon) started hooking small Browns when I tied on a PTN soft hackle with a clear glass bead. I hooked about 10, landed 5, all around 6-8". As I understand, these browns were stocked as fingerlings and they were a bit larger on average than last year. It is so nice to get something besides a stocked rainbow up here. I've got a Heddon Bill Stanley's favorite and HI Governor coming out of the drying cabinet this week, I will try to post the pictures next week. A couple more in the production line before I get to work on some of mine. More later!

A Warm Fall Afternoon

2010-10-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

Creek levels were well below what I experienced here in April. The stream and fish were in very good shape. I took my daughters and 2 of their friends - everyone that fished caught a hybrid Apache Trout.

Almost all my fishing gear is still in storage. I had to borrow a reel and a box of flies. I had no tippet material and this little stream demands sacrifices of mono. I was fortunate in that the fish were very accomodating, in a fall feeding kind of mood.

I would have preferred fishing nothing but dries, but I figured it was easier for my novice partners to hook the fish on nymphs. A Hare's Ear was perfect and kept working even when my tippet was more suited to bass bugs.

All fish were promptly returned, I hope to see them when I return. I hit it perfectly this time.

RUNOFF IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA!

2010-04-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a few years but I have visited this small Southern Arizona stream off and on for over a dozen years and I have never seen it this full. As you can see from the first picture, I did get a hybrid Apache on a Zug Bug, but finding quieter water was the challenge. I figure at least 2 more weeks before I can even think of dry fly fishing. Any fish here is hard won, but it's nice to know you can catch a trout within 2 hours of Tucson. I always like to explore while I'm here and the third shot is one of several Metates I came across in the area. It makes sense this was seasonally occupied being one of the few streams with year-round water - even now deer hunters have good luck in this area. I wonder how much more water it held in the past?

Yellowstone 2010

2010-03-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy despite the specter of paying taxes next month. I have the rooms booked in Yellowstone and will be driving instead of flying this year. I am debating whether I should allow one or two days for driving and where to stay. I look forward to hitting the Lamar as I did in '08 (the picture above with Tom.

I had to share this painting, done by a very special artist. You will note that the expectant pose is the same. I have this painting in my office below the print of the Conejos River, between my bronze flyfisher and crystal trout. Hmm, I must hang a better bamboo rod to complement these lovely pieces. I will post some more restorations in a couple of weeks, I've been doing clean up and repairs. Did a 7 1/2' Montague Fishkill but forgot to take pictures of the after! It's 6 months away, too soon to start thinking of what rods to take?

Latest Work

2010-02-05T12:23:00.001-08:00

Here's a nice little Devine Fairy rod I just re-did for my good friend Whitey. Those intermediate wraps were hell, but I had them down by the last section. I love the way the wraps went up the grip vs. a winding check on this rod, I may try this design the next time I turn a grip. I'm not sure this was the original wrap pattern - in Michael Sinclair's book, he mentioned red wraps, nothing about black trims. There was a delamination on one tip, but the invisible repair wrap seems to have done the trick. If the pattern works, you should see the new, then the redone section. This is such a delicate little rod, I don't know if Whitey has even fished it - it was an honor to work on it.

Restoration Work - Dec. 2009

2009-12-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just dipped a Montague Flash Saturday and I finished the Mt. Tom last month. I will post the "after" pictures this weekend. I used some vintage Gudebrod Champion threads on these rods and was very pleased. I used Aerogloss lacquer as a color preserver on the Flash and love the way the color stayed true. I'm about to re-post the Mt. Tom on E-Bay to see if I can get a sale (the last one backed out at the end). I just started work on 7' Eastern rod for a friend, I am not looking forward to the intermediate wraps.

2009-09-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

A Labor Day hike did the heart a lot of good, gave the legs a good workout and saw more hikers than I expected (but I have never hiked here on a holiday). I was very lucky in that it was cloudy most of the day, was certain I would be rained on, but I guess the humidity was up there as I was the roasting pig on way back up. I was glad to see so many dogs on the trail, I may have to take Mollie next time. A very nice day, good for the soul. I do wish the pictures had turned out at bit nicer.

Yellowstone 2009

2009-08-13T16:20:00.001-07:00

Well, life became a good deal bleaker for me today. I just cancelled my room reservations for this year. I was truly looking forward to the trip, but nothing worked out as planned. The year started with such promise and a few spring hikes showed I was ready for the treks. The year was actually going well in spite of a downward trend in business, but this will cure me of being too optimistic in the future. So I don't get to visit Middle Creek (pictured) or hit the Drake hatch on Soda Butte. I'll use the money saved to pay down some bills, hmm, being practical has no soul.

LAST OF THE TRIPS FOR AWHILE

2009-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

I always forget these photos post in the order I download them . . . the last shot is an eastward-facing view from Rose Canyon, before that is one of the Brown Trout that were stocked as fingerlings a fews years back - so nice to catch a fish there with a tail & fins! Family obligations will keep me off the mountain for a few weeks, so I'm glad to got try my different bamboo rods in April. I have to say, I had more fun casting the Phillipson Pacemaker over the 8 1/2' Heddon Black Beauty I used the week before so the Heddon may go on the market to pay upcoming college bills. The second shot is a special spot where I was able to close my eyes and reclaim my soul. You don't get the chance to hear running water in Southern Arizona very often, I may wait until the monsoons to see what happens here. The first shot was taken at the end of the day, I hated to leave but the band (& practice) was calling. It's been awhile since I was tempted to stay until all light and the heat of the day was gone, it would have been well worth it.

RECENT HIKES & FISHING TRIPS

2009-05-01T15:54:00.001-07:00

I've taken advantage of some days off during the week to fish and hike my local sky islands. Rose Canyon Lake produced a ton of fish a couple of weeks ago when I went with my buddy Fly Rod McLeod, I even caught my first browns at Rose Canyon. A week later they kicked me - only 3 fish all day - my excuse is they had just been stocked the day before so they had not evolved into "fly" fish yet. That's my 8 1/2' Heddon Black Beauty Rod resting on my backpack. I've had some very nice hikes at Madera Canyon - found a wonderful resting place recently - I closed my eyes, listened to the leaves, the trickle of the the stream and felt the caress of a light breeze. Quite enchanting, words don't do it justice, almost makes one believe in wood nymphs.

RECENT RESTORATIONS - THE AMHERST

2009-04-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

I really wish I had taken some "before" photos here. The grip was ridiculously long so I cut a bit off and worked it into a cork reel seat. It wound up being a 6'9" rod that flips a short, powerful cast with a 6 wt. line. My fishing buddy and band mate Bob Diedrich wound up with this one.

RESTORED RODS

2009-03-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

I started restoring rods about 16 years ago. Read about it, tried different finishes and some hideous thread combinations. If you look at "Rods for Sale" you'll one on a Montague I did in 1994 - I think I was going to sell it to a Cowboys fan. I cursed silk threads because I came to find out you have to put about 6 coats of preserver to prevent bleed throughs when you dip the rod, but that's an entirely solo post on it's own. Because of business and my band, I stopped about 5 years, but have resumed again. Here are a couple of recent projects.

This is an HI Lucky Strike I did for a friend from TU. It was just for display so I kept the original guides and replaced a few. Some sets in the tips were easy to fix and this was my first dip with a new batch of varnish that turned out well (I store the dip tube and do the work in my Music/fish room vs. the garage, temp makes a huge difference.). We were both happy.

A Weber Monogram made by Heddon. I bought this from a fellow member of TU about 13 years ago and finally got it done. I really like the way the reel seat cleaned up. I was going to wrap in the original Black & White Jasper but my vintage 00 silk kept snapping so I used the same thread I use for Orvis repairs and it went well with the cane color. I look forward to fishing this one.

RODS FOR SALE

2008-12-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

For members and friends of OPTU (Tucson, AZ) - here is a listing of restored bamboo rods along with a few extras that don't see the water. E-mail me at gcastillo3@cox.net or call my office, 883-2886 if you see one of interest to you.

Kane Klassic 8 1/2', 3-pc 4&5 wt. - SOLD

I bought this at the TU National Convention in 1999 and it never "did it" for me. It's a lovely rod, but it's a slower action that bends deeply to the grip. I have only fished it 4-5 times, took it to Yellowstone once. Cast it to see if you like the action. New rods on the Kane Klassic site run around $1400-1500 presently.

Unknown Blonde Cane - 8 1/2 3 pc. 5 wt. - $150.00

This rod was in pretty bad shape when I found it - some cracks in the mid and one tip section. I wound up shortening rather than try to repair. I also put on a new reel seat and turned a custom made grip for it. That's why every section is a different length, but it is a very nice rod casting-wise. I should research the ferrules and find out the make, the cane on the butt section swells nicely. Try this one out, if you like "tippy" rods, this one will work for you.

Montague Rapidan, 8 1/2' 3 pc. 5 wt. - SOLD

One of my earlier efforts and I made an unfortunate choice in thread color - I used a blue with silver trip and some yellowing over the years has turned it to a teal look. Considering the low esteem most have for these rods, I have been pretty pleased with its castability. WF5 & DT5 lines work well with it, it has fished well for me.

3/5/09 - I am restoring a couple of rods that I will list in a couple of weeks. I had an inquiry and may post a Phillipson Pacemaker when I finish a repair wrap. Be looking for a separate post for examples of recently restored rods. Thanks.

HEDDON BLACK BEAUTY & PHILLIPSON PACEMAKER

2008-11-24T13:12:00.001-08:00

So I spoke too soon, I should have said the Granger Special was "one of my favorites" (I also see I need to clean and polish it since I just did the cleanup on that Heddon 13). This Heddon made the trip to Yellowstone as well, but I have been a bit more careful with it. As you can tell by the bag, it was in great shape when I found it. I like the action with a 5 wt. line, but I have never cast it on the same day as the Granger or the . . .

Phillipson Pacemaker (I'm lucky enough to have a 6 wt. twin of this one) I bought here in Tucson. I thought I paid to much at the time ($500 total for both) but I haven't regretted the move once - at least after my wife finished shaking her head. This rod punches line out quickly and it's easily handled some healthy rainbows on Lees Ferry. Like the others, it has been in the park and done quite well. I generally take 3 rods when I fish Yellowstone Park, a 4, 5 & 6 wt. The 6 wt. is usually one of my plastic rods (yeah, I have a few of those, but have sold them much easier than the bamboo). From now on, the 4 wt. will be my new Thomas & Thomas so that leaves room for only 1 of these 5 weights and next year will probably have to be the Heddon 13 I am restoring.

Next time I will post shots of rods that I will advertise in the local TU newsletter - I have too many languishing. Honestly, they will be mostly lower tier production rods with a couple Chubb Montegue wall hangers. Hope someone sees this one day.

Gilbert Castillo

BAMBOO RODS

2008-11-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well, it's time to discuss another eccentricity. Flyfishing is consuming enough, the band has taken away fishing weekends but my move to cut gigs in half has allowed me to resume work on a score of rods. Pictured is my long-time favorite, a Wright & McGill Granger Special 8642 I found when I was visiting my parents in Lubbock. I'm a fisherman first, collector second - as proof, this rod was near mint when I bought it, complete with the plastic cover over the grip. I'm of the school that believes these rods were made to be fished and that's what I did. It's taken trout in Yellowstone, New Mexico & Lee's Ferry, but I've never used it for bass or bluegill.

I had to force myself to use other rods and I have plenty. I just can't spend the money for the high-end rods, most of my collection includes production rods, most obtained in trade when I restored a rod. The most I ever spent was on a Kane Klassic from the National TU Convention in Colorado, 1999, the least was $10 for an HI to practice restoration (actually a servicable bass rod after I completed it). The Kane Klassic was much too wimpy, and I vowed never to spend that much again, especially since I loved the action of my Granger, Phillipson & Heddons much more. My plan is to sell the Klassic and replace it with a couple of project rods.

Okay, I am going to inventory my assortment, possibly post it, but will post pictures of the progression - I am currently working on a Heddon #17. If anyone ever reads this and shares this passion, judging by the activity on EBay, I know you're out there, drop me a line. Share a tip or ask a question.

Gilbert Castillo

ARRIVACA 10-15-2008

2008-10-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

It was eight degrees cooler today, it had been much cooler over the weekend, 80 when I arrived. I tied up some Chaos hoppers since I had seen so many (natural, not foam) last week I decided to try for bluegills until I saw/heard bass working. Once again nothing doing when I trolled a marabou streamer, but the red-legged hopper started producing the the minute I laid it into shaded pockets. The first 5 were all feisty, healthy nine inch fish. I worked up the west bank to the dam and unlike last week, every likely spot produced a take. Lost the first fly, lost the next one (green) to a fish since I tied a quick knot, got nothing with natural Baby Doll and went back to a yellow hopper that produced all the way back to the launch area. The largest 'gill of the day (first picture) was over 10 inches long - a ton of fun on a fly rod. I took a break in cool grove under rustling leaves & saw a full moon come up over the Rincons on the drive home - one of those magical days you won't forget.

Gilbert Castillo

Arrivaca 10-8-2008

2008-10-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

I knew it was a bit warm (high was about 90), but I wanted to see if the topwater bite was on. I had not fished Arrivaca in a couple of years - I fished it in it's heyday before the huge fishkill in the 90's - I'd have to consult my fishing journal to pin down the year. I've never duplicated the 28" bass I caught on a deer hair frog, but there is always enough to keep me coming back. The water levels were the highest I've see in years and I was impressed with the bankside growth. I didn't see a lot of topwater activity, I did hear some working deep in the, but managed to get a large (10") bluegill and one 11" bass - both on an Olive Baby-Doll I tied. I did get several takes from bluegills that would hit a bigger bug, but ignored a smaller topwater. I was surprised that that streamers & buggers trolled on a sink tip line failed to produce anything. I think I'll try it again next week as this weekend is going to be cooler. I'll try to post a picture of my bug next week.

Gilbert Castillo

Yellowstone 2008

2008-10-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it took 3 years but I am so glad I got the opportunity to return. I made this year's trip with Bob (singer in our band, client & friend) who went with me in 2005 and his lifelong friend, Tom. On the top right is a shot of them on the banks of the Firehole. The shot on the right is Bob on Middle Creek, East of Yellowstone Lake - I had never made the drive in my past 11 visits - a very pretty steam, but the fish were too small for Tom's taste. We encountered the Buffalo while making the hike down from Fishing Bridge (1 mile before you can fish). In years past, I would find pods of fish in the holes I have fished since 1987, but I haven't seen any since 1999. Looking back on my journal entries it seems that the river in park above the falls has become a "walk and search for 1 fish" type of water. Very sad, used to encounter good rises to BWO in the fall, this river is just not what it once was whether it is the fishing pressure of populations have dropped due to the Lake Trout.

Soda Butte and the Lamar have been my go-t0 rivers since 1996 - the first shot is a 'Cut from the Bridge Pool and the next 2 are on the Lamar just downstream from the Confluence Pool. These rivers are very crowded during the time of year I favor and I am very worried about them being loved to death. They still fished very well in spite of the beautiful weather which precluded any cosmic hatches. Well, I should say sustained - we were driving back to the hotel one evening and saw clouds of insects forming vortexes in the sky - had several flying ants come into the car so we fished ant patterns the next day and sure-enough, they worked.

We had to take Tom to Jackson in the middle of the week so we did some quick fishing on the Gibbon and Firehole before spending our last day on the Lamar (Soda Butte was just too crowded and if you do a little walking you can find some good pools. My best fish of the trip came from the Lamar on #14 Royal Wulff in faster water than I would have imagined. In the slower water a #18 Wulff, along with #17 Ants and BWO Sparkle Duns brought the fish up regularly. We only saw a few Drakes come off but a #12 Drake pattern worked in faster water. Reading the posts after my trip showed that some weather finally moved in and kicked the hatches up a notch.

I usually spend half my nights in Mammoth since we fish the NE and to catch the Elk in rut. We always run in for a few beers at the Blue Goose and found a great place for steaks (Raven Grill). I have resolved to fish more in the future and will cut back gigs for the band (http://mlcaz.com/) to twice a month even though the band money more or less funds the trip. It was very good for the soul even with the realization that I have been making this trip since 1987 and quite a few things have changed. The terraces at Mammoth used to run and leave them bright white - most have stop flowing now - you know you're getting old when you witness geologic change. I better get in my fishing while I can.

Test

2008-10-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

YELLOWSTONE CUT

2007-01-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, fish are caught (& released). This one is from Trout Lake.

YELLOWSTONE

2007-01-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Just made reservations for this year, no way I will miss. Here are some shots for Yellowstone '05.

Sing&Fish

2006-09-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

TEST
I would have been flying out today, instead Bob is heading for the South Platte. Oh well, have to wish him luck.

MY SPECIAL CLEANING CREW

2006-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

I just have to let you all know about the ladies that clean my office. They are efficient and cute to boot. The ladies on the outside are the office help, but in uniform you see Bebe on the left and Babette on the right.

2006-08-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

Looks like the Yellowstone trip won't happen this year thanks to the Tax Man. Just as well, Robert (Schmidt), my brother-in-law couldn't make the trip this year. Here's a shot of a whitefish he nymphed up from the Gallatin (inside the park).

Pic

2006-07-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot from the days when I had time to fish. Cutthroat from Soda Butte in the NE corner of the park.

Sing&Fish: Photo

2006-07-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sing&Fish: Photo

Photo

2006-07-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is from the old days when I had time to fish.