Colors of the Brown - Part 4

From Trout

And finally, but hardly exclusively, there is the Bright Trout. Silver and black are the main colors when she slowly transforms the lake disguise to her river dress.

Colors of the Brown - Part 3

From Trout

Among the strongest colors of the brown trout is yellow. The sight of yellow bellied trout is enough to raise you from the depths of oblivion. It fills you with awe, and again you are able to see the beauty of life as it was meant to be seen.

Colors of the Brown - Part 2

And sometimes they are painted in gold.

From Trout

Colors of the Brown - Part 1

Sometimes they actually are brown.

From Trout

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Rod Building - Part 15: The Varnish

I have used Gudebrod Rod Varnish with this rod. It is easier to use than epoxy based two part solutions, but several more coats of varnish are required.

From Fly Rod

Here is the hook keeper. It is from my first fly rod, a cheap Daiwa fiberglass rod from the 80s. The Daiwa rod is my only fiberglass rod and it is now broken. Well, at least the hook keeper is in use with my first ever custom rod. I'll try not to get all sentimental because of this.

From Fly Rod

Rod Building - Part 14: Wrapping things up

From Fly Rod

I finally had time to continue my rod building project. I had purchased single footed guides to replace the original snake guides that came with the TFO Kit. Compared to two footed guides, single footed guides are more difficult to attach to the rod blank with tape. With two footed guides you can tape one foot of the guide to the blank and wrap the thread to the other foot.

Next part: The Varnish.

The Big Fish

The river is wide at the point where you’re fishing. The current surprisingly deep and strong. You remove split-shot and flies from your line, and tie on a size 14 pupa pattern and a streamer. Normally you use a smaller fly on the dropper and a streamer as the point fly, this time it is the other way around.

There is an underwater rock so you let your flies swing in front of it. A swirl of water, a big fish takes a fly. It runs about five or six meters towards the other bank and stops. Then it jumps. One lazy I’ll-let-you-see-me jump. It is a huge rainbow trout.

Judging by the distance of the tip of the fly line and the jumping fish you guess it has taken the point fly, the small pupa pattern. That would mean a 5X tippet. The trout swims upstream. There is no haste in the movement. Then it stops below another underwater rock. A moment later you began to suspect that the other fly is stuck.

Minutes later, after all tricks you know to get a fish moving, you pull the line until it breaks. Reel in to see that both flies are gone.

After a moment of thought you tie a new tippet and a dropper and identical patterns. Later you catch trout, but they are not like the big fish.

On the road

There aren't many things that can beat the rush of knowing that within two hours drive there is a great trout river. Some things that are valuable beyond any measure are left behind, but what lies ahead is imagination becoming reality.