Nestled deep into the wilderness along the shores of one of the largest lakes in Alaska, lies a grouping of fly-fishing lodges that encapsulate what it truly means to be wild. Within those boundaries, endless quantities of Salmon, Rainbow trout, char, and other freshwater treasures move throughout the territories, creating an environment so wild, it feels like something that could only be found between the pages of a Jack London novel.
Last September, we had the chance to trade our wheels for wings and make our way to Pedro Bay, to spend a week at Iliamna River Lodge, as well as Rainbow River lodge, and Fish and Float Alaska. While there, we experienced the truest Lodging, Cuisine, and of course, Fly-fishing that Alaska had to offer. With days spent jet boating around the wildest terrain in the country, we had the chance to experience freshwater fishing unparallel to anywhere else in the world.
Feel free to take some time to check out the most recent release of our brand-new short film, “A Dream we Call Alaska”, shot in partnership with Iliamna River Lodge, Rainbow River Lodge, and Fish and Float Alaska.
Note, that while we attempted to culminate our unforgettable adventure, however, the only way to truly experience something of this scale is to do it yourself. To plan the Alaskan adventure of a lifetime, head over to www.iliamnariverlodge.com, Rainbowriverlodge.com, or fishandfloatalaska.com.
Lodges:
Iliamna River Lodge
Sitting in the pristine wilderness of the Iliamna River of the Bristol Bay Watershed, Iliamna River lodge is the premier destination for targeting anything from Native Char and Rainbow trout to massive Pike. With premier quality lodging, food, and transportation; IRL is the fly angler’s paradise.
Rainbow River Lodge
Rainbow River Lodge is located on private land in the heart of Alaska’s phenomenal Bristol Bay and Lake Illiamna “Trophy Alaska Rainbow Trout” watershed, conveniently adjacent to the Katmai Wilderness. The fly fishing lodge offers magnificent views of the Alaska wilderness and the “Home River” is the beautiful Copper River, one of Alaska’s original “fly fishing only” designated streams
Fish and Float Alaska
Fish and Float Alaska rafting adventures offers guided and self-guided fishing and ecotourism float trips that are based on the same level of excellence as our fly-out lodge program at Rainbow River Lodge and Iliamna River Lodge. These float trips take place in the heart of southwest Alaska offering the finest Salmon, Rainbow, Char and Grayling fly fishing in Alaska. Provided is everything including float plane flights, guides, food, fishing equipment, rafts, tents, camping/cooking gear, etc. Self-guided trips include all the above except the guide, food, and fishing equipment. These are the best trips for adventurers looking for the true “wilderness” experience of Alaska.
For more information on how you can experience an epic fly-fishing adventure, feel free to shoot us an email at travel@theflylords.com.
To Pennsylvanian trout anglers, the name Charles Charlesworth is a familiar name. Charles was just named Fly Fisherman Magazine’s 2021 Conservationist of the Year for his work restoring PA’s trout waters. Charles has served as the president of Pennsylvania’s Trout Unlimited Council and currently serves as a commissioner for the state’s Fish and Boat Commission.
According to the announcement article penned by Barry Beck, Mr. Charlesworth received the award for his lifetime of conservation service and work, as well as several of the large river restoration projects he helped spearhead.
The northernmost stretches of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta face the serious threat of destructive coal mining. The wild and powerful Rockies define Alberta’s western border and contribute heavily to the Canadian province’s identity. The eastern slope is home to robust populations of wildlife and comprises Alberta’s most popular recreation areas. “A world class resource like we have here draws people from all over the globe,” said Josh Nugent, owner and guide at Out Fly Fishing. “I’ve had the pleasure and honor of guiding people from close to 50 different countries who came to Alberta to experience our pristine and protected Rocky Mountain fisheries.” A recent move to initiate large scale mountaintop coal mining threatens everything these mountains provide. Out Fly Fishing put together a list of all the ways concerned individuals can oppose the mines: Help Save the Eastern Slopes.
The eastern slope is Alberta’s most popular recreation area, and it has remained wild, beautiful, and ecologically diverse for years. These ranges provide essential habitat for grizzly bears, caribou, mule deer, big horn sheep, and many other prolific mountain species. In addition, the streams and rivers that grow from the massive drainages offer world class westslope cutthroat and bull trout fishing. This ecosystem, as well as the miles of trails and breathtaking views, produce a significant economic impact for fly shops and guides, hunting outfitters, towns, and ranchers. The people of Alberta are passionate about their mountains, and they have protected these peaks for nearly 50 years.
In 1969, the prospect of coal mining in Alberta’s Rockies grew. Concerned, the men and women who work and recreate on these mountains made their voices heard; so much so that the government took notice and developed the 1976 Coal Policy, which essentially prohibited any surface coal mining on Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.
Unfortunately, the government withdrew that policy this past June under the haze of COVID. Moving at breakneck speed, open-pit, mountaintop removal coal mining is imminent for Alberta’s Rockies. The proposed Grassy Mountain Project nears a permit decision. The mine would span nearly 7,000 acres and quite literally blow up mountains to extract coal that would then be shipped overseas. The biggest concern with this mine–and the general practice of open-pit mining–is the threat to the water resources. All of the nearby streams and rivers are fed by these mountains. The massive disruption and amount of pollution from large open-pit mines would poison the water and have grave consequences for the wildlife, notably the threatened westslope cutthroat and giant bull trout.
Look no further than over the mountains in British Columbia, where open-pit coal mines are currently in operation, and are having profound negative impacts to the native species. “The adult population of genetically unique westslope cutthroat trout in a river in B.C.’s Kootenay region dropped by 93 percent this past fall compared with 2017 levels, according to a monitoring report from Teck Resources,” which operates a string of mines in southeast BC. That is the fate for Alberta’s prized trout and gin clear streams, unless mine opponents can band together to block the mine.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have made a living the last 20 years in the outdoor industry, so it is with great obligation and passion I ask and urge people to stand up and make their voices heard on the Grassy Mountain Coal Mines,” said Josh Nugent, owner of Out Fly Fishing. “The Teck Mines in British Columbia have already resulted in a 93% crash in trout populations downstream of the Elk Valley Coal Mines. They have shown no ability to control for the selenium poisoning that we’ve seen in BC as a direct result of these open-pit coal mines.”
“Allowing an open-pit coal mine at the headwaters of the Oldman Drainage could effectively be a death sentence for these drainages and fisheries for all future generations. We need to continue to protect this resource if we want tourists from around the planet to want to continue coming to visit Alberta’s world class fisheries.”
Opponents of the Mine are pushing several petitions–which are listed all in one location HERE–but they’re running out of time. Tomorrow, January 15th, is the last day to submit comments. In under 10 minutes you can visit and sign all of these petitions and letter writing campaigns. Step up and protect Alberta’s Rocky Mountains! “This is our Pebble Mine, and we may be new at this, but this region is too breathtaking to permanently destroy,” concluded Nugent.
In this week’s episode, we take a look at Alex Waller’s (@Trippin_on_Trout) most recent video from his solo trip to the South Island of New Zealand. On this trip, Alex’s goal was to fish new rivers and new water. This particular new river really challenged Alex, a bouldery bottom made wading difficult, spooky fish, and to top it all off Alex has one of the hardest fights of his life with one of his biggest browns. The disparity, hope, the challenge you can hear in this fight is something we as fishermen can all relate to. Check out the video below to see if he Lands this monster on 5x!
Fishing new waterways we dream of hooking that fish we see in our dreams. Well in this video not only does Alex catch multiple browns that we in North America would lose our minds over but his final fish is something that is hard to comprehend. Alex is a fishing guide and YouTuber on the North Island of New Zealand, make sure to connect with him here @trippin_on_trout to follow along on his adventures!
Make sure to check out these other articles as well!
Picture this, you’re standing at the bow of a boat on a mid-September day on Cape Cod. You’re armed with a 9wt fly rod and a hunch. Well, it turns out that your hunch was right, because out of nowhere, small baitfish fly out of the water in every direction, quickly followed by the swimming torpedoes with a constant bad attitude known as False Albacore. You cast right in the middle of it all, but your fly doesn’t get touched. You, my friend, have just found yourself an Albie blitz. Frustrated, you pack it up and head home to do some research for the coming days. You type into google “what just happened” and conveniently, you click the first link and this article pops up (yeah, trippy).
Photo: James Manning
A blitz is when gamefish work together to corral a school of baitfish into a ball (baitball), and then all at once munch on that baitball creating a large surface commotion. This creates a very convenient situation for all anglers, as the fish make their presence known, and you can often see what they are feeding on. Species like Striped Bass and Bluefish to False Albacore and even Bluefin Tuna all feed in blitzes, giving us fly anglers a shot at some of the most exciting fishing the world has to offer.
Throughout the New England saltwater season, the most common fish to find feeding on the surface are Striped Bass and Bluefish. These species are grouped together because they are often found feeding together in the same blitzes and display similar behavior while blitzing. When looking for blitzes of any variety, finding birds is key. These birds also feed on baitfish and take advantage of the surface action to feed. So, always keep an eye out for feeding, or “working” birds.
When talking about Bass and Bluefish blitzes, there are a few different baitfish species that rule the discussion. The vast majority of blitzing bass and blues are feeding on small bait species like peanut bunker, silversides, and sand eels. These small baitfish are all over the place, from deep in the backwaters to the middle of the bays and sounds. Smaller Striped Bass known as schoolies, and Bluefish of all sizes never pass up a school of these baitfish and can be routinely found feeding on them if you know where to look. My favorite spots to find these blitzes are the mouths and insides of backwaters. The small baitfish congregate in these backwaters and move in and out with the tide. While most of the fish you’re going to find are on the smaller side, you never know when a cow might show up, so be ready for anything. The best flies for these blitzes are simple. My go-to’s are Clousers, Deceivers, and Gurglers. There is no need to use anything fancy because it only takes one or two bluefish to tear just about any fly to a bare hook. The fishing itself is pretty simple, position yourself outside the action, make casts into the action, and strip steadily. Since the adrenaline does get flowing, many people end up stripping their flies too fast, which is definitely possible for Stripers and blues, so just keep it at a nice, medium pace.
It is impossible to talk about Bass and Bluefish blitzes without talking about Bunker. Bunker, also known as Pogies and Menhaden are a bait species in the same family as shad and herring. Unlike their juvenile form called peanut bunker, full-grown bunkers are quite large. Growing to around a foot long, Bunker are no small fish’s snack. Some of the biggest fly rod Bass and Bluefish caught each year are caught in bunker schools. Although finding an active bunker blitz is uncommon, they most definitely do happen and there are places where they happen more often depending on the year. If you do happen to find one, then you are in luck, but success is not guaranteed. When there are 30-40+ inch bass coming out of the water, crazy things happen. The best thing you could do is take a breath and try to stay all in one piece. You want a 10-11wt (some guys use a 12) fly rod with a sink tip line and a large white fly. The heavy rod gives you enough backbone to fight the big fish, and the sink tip lets your fly get down a bit while you strip it in. These blitzes can get pretty hectic, so as long as you stay cool, calm, and collected, you’ll do just fine.
Speaking of getting a bit hectic, let me introduce you to False Albacore and Bonito. These fish lie somewhere in a biological grey area between Tuna and Mackerel, but everything about them screams Tuna. Rampaging inshore waters throughout the late summer and fall as they make their way from Cape Cod down to the Carolinas and Florida, Albies and Bonito are a favorite target for many saltwater fly fishermen. They give anglers a taste of offshore fly fishing, sometimes without even needing a boat.
Photo: Max Holmes
The Boat Approach:
The vast majority of Albie and Bone fishermen target them from a boat. The fish move very quickly and are quite sporadic, so the use of a boat allows anglers to cover more water searching for these fish, and to better position themselves to get higher quality shots. Positioning your boat on the outside of a blitz and casting into it allows you to get your fly in the right area while still keeping enough distance between your boat and the fish for them not to spook. Albies and Bonito may seem reckless, but they are very smart and aware of their surroundings. If you get your boat too close or your fly doesn’t resemble what they are feeding on, they will not cooperate. Everyone has their own preference for Albie flies, but I like small white or white and green baitfish flies with little to no weight fished on an intermediate line. I fish these flies because most of the baitfish Ablies and Bones feed on fall under the category of small white baitfish. Silversides, Anchovies, Peanut bunker, and sandeels are all favorite targets of Funny fish (another nickname for False Albacore and Bonito).
Fly Fishing for False Albacore and Bonito from shore is a game only for those few dedicated, hardcore funny fish anglers who love to be challenged. These fish often do feed close enough to shore to get a fly in front of one, but the limitations from fishing by foot make the shore game quite challenging. Your best bet is to find a spot that you have confidence in, and log some time there to figure out what tides the fish like, and how to best fish for them. All my favorite places are long jetties near the mouths of harbors, or along long sandy beaches. On an outgoing tide, the current flushes bait out of the harbors, and Albies and Bonito use these mouths as a food highway. As you may have assumed, Sandeels congregate in sandy areas, and Funny Fish will cruise up and down long beaches munching on them heavily. If you get lucky and are in the right place at the right time, these open beach blitzes can be nothing short of amazing both to see and to fish.
Hopefully, it has been made clear that fly fishing New England’s blitzes can be incredibly fun and productive, but also a bit crazy. When fish are coming out of the water everywhere, it can get pretty intense, especially when you add inexperienced or uneducated boaters and anglers to the mix. These crazy blitzes bring out some of the best fishing, but unfortunately on some occasions bring out the worst in a handful of people. The best thing you can do if someone is running over the fish, or just generally being rude is to ignore them. Everyone else around sees them and is likely thinking the same things as you, so there is no point in confronting them. Yes, it does slip out occasionally but for the most part, you will just escalate the situation. If you let them be, 9 times out of 10 they will get frustrated because the fish keep “disappearing” and will leave. The best way to avoid accidentally being this guy yourself is to know your etiquette. If there are other people fishing the same school of fish, don’t zoom around and cut other boats off, and make sure you don’t run right in the middle of the blitz. In general, just be courteous. If the fish pop up near another boat, don’t crowd them, let them fish to their fish and they’ll likely return the favor. Just follow the golden rule, treat others (including the fish) the way you would want to be treated.
Recommended Gear:
Everyone has their preferences but a nine-foot 8 or 9 or 10 weight fly rod, with a large arbor reel (capacity of at least 200 yards of backing), and an intermediate fly line like the Airflo Ridge Striper Line to match the rod weight. If in fact, you plan to go subsurface and throw topwater flies, the floating version of the Airflo Ridge Striper Line will work out great.
Images courtesy of James Manning (A.K.A. @TheAnglersLens on Instagram) an immensely talented angler and creative photographer from the Northeast. You can find his work on his Instagram and on his website!
Fishpond and Landon Mayer come together to produce a beautiful short film about the impacts guides have on those around them, and how they can continue to positively impact their clients and the waters they ply.
“Some of our most formative experiences come from time on the river. Those lessons equip us to live a more meaningful life, one of responsibility to the natural resources that have given us so much. For many, fly fishing guides are the conduit through which those lessons are shared. Guides are the backbone of the fly fishing world, and their job goes far beyond showing someone how to fish. They are teachers, gurus, friends, and advocates for wild places. Now, more than ever, they deserve our support and appreciation.
Fishpond Ambassador Landon Mayer has been guiding the rivers of Colorado for over two decades and has shared his passion for education with countless anglers over the years. Spending a day on the water with Landon is to witness the tireless work that defines the life of a full-time fly fishing guide.”
Last week, Alaskan Governor Mike Dunleavy initiated the process to appeal Pebble Mine’s denied permit. The US Army Corps of Engineers denied Pebble Mine’s permit application back in November, due to its failure to comply with the Clean Water Act. Despite enormous support for protecting Bristol Bay–the location of the would-be mine and a multi hundred million dollar salmon fishery–Governor Dunleavy seeks to resurrect the mine.
“The flawed decision by the Alaska District creates a dangerous precedent that will undoubtedly harm Alaska’s future and, any potential project can fall victim to the same questionable standards,” said Governor Dunleavy in a press release. “We have to prevent a federal agency, in this instance, the Alaska District of the Army Corps of Engineers, from using the regulatory process to effectively prevent the State from fulfilling a constitutional mandate to develop its natural resources.”
The ‘flawed decision’ that Dunleavy refers to is the Army Corps permit denial. The Corps denied Pebble’s permit under sound science and federal law, finding, “the project would likely result in significant degradation of the environment and would likely result in significant adverse effects on aquatic system or human environment.” Further, the Corps “concluded that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest,” Army Corps Alaska District Commander Col. Damon Delarosa said in a statement.
Yet, Dunleavy remains focussed on pushing this mine forward by claiming federal overreach. You may remember the Pebble Tapes, a series of videos uncovering the corruption of Pebble Mine. In one of the videos, Pebble executives bragged about their relationship and influence with Governor Dunleavy, “the Governor and I are pretty good friends.”
“Flawed can only be used to describe the Dunleavy Administration’s logic here. The science is clear that the proposed Pebble mine will cause permanent and catastrophic harm to Bristol Bay’s waters and fisheries,” said Nelli Williams, Alaska Director of Trout Unlimited. “At every turn, Alaskans have made clear that developing the Pebble deposit is a risk they’re unwilling to take. This appeal just goes to show Governor Dunleavy has lost sight of Alaska’s best interests and is out of touch with the people he’s supposed to represent.”
Save Bristol Bay is calling on us to call the Governor’s office and let him know that his appeal is irresponsible and threatens Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay will not be actually preserved until the surrounding land is permanently protected–we’ll see if 2021 can accomplish that goal.
Fat rainbow trout, colorful leaves, and sprinkles of rain make Alaskan Autumns awesome. During this time, rainbow trout gorge themselves for the long winter ahead and get fatter than almost anywhere else in the United States. From Southcentral to Western Alaska, amazing fishing is to be had. With most of these areas being so remote, these fisheries are pristine and for the most part, relatively unpressured. This makes the cooler months of Fall the best time to experience the chunky Rainbow trout in Alaska that dwell under the cold Northern waters.
This September, we were lucky to head up to the Iliamna River and stay at the Iliamna River Lodge for a chance to learn more about targeting these beautiful beasts in their natural environment. Feel free to CLICK HERE to check out how you can explore one of the most remote fisheries in the world.
Why is Fall in Alaska so special for rainbow trout fishing?
Salmon are what make Alaskan fall unique from many other places. The salmon spawn around the same time leaves begin to change and rainbow trout are ready to devour the eggs. As they fatten themselves up for the long winter, these trout get impressively large. Autumn in Alaska is a quick season, it spans from August to early October, so it is important to plan a trip within that time. Although the days get shorter and shorter, the last frontier keeps one up all night thinking of the fat rainbows to be caught.
Alaskan Rainbow Trout
During autumn in western Alaska, it is not unusual to catch 25″-30″ rainbow trout, with an accumulated mass that is equally impressive. The remote location of the Bristol Bay region provides fish that do not see flies every day and will fight ferociously for their food. Once you feel the head shake of a rainbow trout in Alaska it is hard to go back to any other type of fishing. Alaskan rainbows are also incredibly beautiful, with dark colors and leopard spots.
Flies to Use to Catch Alaskan Rainbow Trout
Fall fishing in Alaska is so unique because salmon are spawning and trout are eating their eggs. As the salmon naturally die, chunks of their flesh fall off and trout also eat these along with leeches.
Here’s a list of some of the best flies to use:
Flesh Fly: Imitating dead salmon flesh, peach, and orange rabbit strips are used to create flesh flies. Even smaller remote rainbow trout will devour articulated flesh flies larger than their heads.
Beads: Some people argue that beads are not a real fly fishing technique… but fall in Alaska is one of the best times for bead fishing. One uses beads by pegging them on their line with a soft plastic peg, less than two inches above a hook. Just as one might “match the hatch”, beads can be appropriately matched to eggs found on the river bed.
Wooly Bugger: Although the wooly bugger does not represent any singular food source, it is popular amongst Alaskan fly-fishers and trout alike.
Mice: While your chance of enticing some epic top-water-eats is certainly higher in the fall, there is nothing more heart-stopping than watching a big fish come up and slam a mouse pattern skating across the water.
Black Leech: Tied similar to a flesh fly, the black leech uses black rabbit strips along with flash to create an attractor for large rainbow trout.
Egg-Sucking Leech: An all-time favorite for Alaskan rainbows, the egg-sucking leech is tied with a bright orange egg imitation near the hook eyelet. Commonly tied in black or purple, this fly is often smacked by rainbow trout.
Dalai Lama: Another popular fly for both rainbow trout and silver salmon fishing in Alaska, the Dalai Lama is an articulated streamer created with black and white rabbit strips.
Where to Fish for Huge Rainbow Trout in Alaska Next Fall?
The Bristol Bay Drainage in Western Alaska offers incredible Fall fishing. The trout and char become huge from munching on salmon eggs all summer and offer some of the most intense fishing you’ll ever experience. Being in such a remote part of Alaska, the only way to get to these pristine places is by bush plane.
Here are some lodges we recommend:
Iliamna River Lodge: With access to all the famed rivers of the Bristol Bay region, this lodge is dedicated to ensuring you have unforgettable memories of your time in western Alaska. From their spectacular lodge to the exquisite food, fishing is only half of the experience when staying at this pristine lodge. Located on the Iliamna River, jet boats and floatplanes will take you to incredible fishing destinations. Famed for massive rainbow trout, native arctic char, salmon, grayling, and pike, Iliamna River Lodge will not disappoint. Check out how you can book your trip HERE
Alagnak River Lodge: Located in the tidal region of the Alagnak River, the pristine wilderness experience is what Alagnak Lodge has to offer, from wildlife encounters to salmon fishing and an “at home” feel.
Mission Lodge: Overlooking Lake Aleknagik, this remote luxury lodge provides fly out fishing throughout the Bristol Bay region and has its own spa.
Alaska’s Bearclaw Lodge: Based on Lake Aleknagik, the Bearclaw Lodge offers access to five different rivers and a variety of species including arctic char, grayling, rainbow trout, pike, king salmon, and sockeye salmon.
Intricate Bay Lodge: Located near the center of Iliamna Lake, this Orvis endorsed fly-fishing lodge treats guests to the beauty of Iliamna Lake while allowing easy access to local rivers and chunky rainbow trout.
What to Pack for Fall Fishing in Alaska
While most of the lodges/ outfitters lower 48 residents will find themselves in the company of will have almost all the gear you need, it never hurts to come prepared with the essentials. If you can stow away a pair of waders, a rain jacket, and the appropriate cold-weather gear, you don’t have to worry about relying on rental gear that may not fit right.
Important Tip:Be prepared for the weather. Temperatures can get below freezing as fall reaches its end in Alaska. Especially in October, wearing the warmest clothing you have is important. Layering up is always a good idea because it is much easier to take layers off than add them. Having a rain jacket (that is 100% waterproof) is a must-have since there is nothing worse than being wet and cold!
Here is a short packing list for some essential gear we recommend:
Mountain View Sports Fly Shop employee, Keenan (@keenbo) shared some local expertise about fall fishing in southcentral Alaska. ” I think flesh flies and some smaller streamers are necessities in the fall. It is also key to have both fresh and dead egg imitations in the fall because of the variety of salmon spawn times. For example, silver salmon can spawn late into the fall so all spectrums of 8mm beads can be usable. If fresh eggs aren’t available though, the trout may transition back to flesh flies or streamers such as sculpins. Especially later in the year, finding deep water where food can easily flow to is a must. The trout don’t have to expend so much energy in the oxygen-rich depths.”
Pre-tied leaders rigged with beads, split shots, and hooks are a great tool for when it is cold out. That way when you break off it’s simple to tie on another leader without freezing your hands off!
Also, always be sure to also always handle fish with care and keep them in the water for as long as possible. If you are taking pictures, hold the fish in or over water and release it in a timely matter. Check out the Keep Fish Wet site for more tips and information.
Fly fishing in Alaska during Fall is an Unforgettable Experience!
Fall fishing for trout in Alaska is unlike anywhere else, the fish are huge, hungry, and wild. Nothing compares to catching a massive rainbow trout on flesh flies and beads. Hopefully, these tips will prepare you for an awesome adventure in the last frontier. A special thank you to Iliamna River Lodge for helping make this piece happen! To book your Alaskan fall fishing trip, CLICK HERE.
Here’s some feel-good news for these weird first days of 2021. Two Florida kids found and helped to rescue a bald eagle that had become tangled in fishing line after a hook became embedded in its beak, likely from trying to eat whatever fish was previously speared on the hook.
According to the Pasco County Fire Rescue, “Upon realizing that the animal could not fly or eat in its current condition, firefighters contacted Owl’s Nest Sanctuary — a nearby wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization in Odessa — for assistance. A volunteer named Dianne arrived soon after and determined that the severely dehydrated eagle was likely tangled in the fishing line for days. The animal was then transported back to the sanctuary, where the fishing hook was removed.”
“After closer examination, firefighters realized that the eagle was underweight, a fishing hook was through his beak, and a fishing line was wrapped around his wing,” explained Pasco County Fire Rescue.
The unnamed eagle is current in rehabilitation before its eventual release back into the wild.
Picture yourself out on the river. The fish are hungry and biting like crazy. You’ve found the hot fly only to look down and see that it is beginning to fall apart from the abuse it has been taking. This can be very frustrating for fly-anglers alike, especially if that is the last of that pattern in your box. Having well tied, secure flies can be a game changer out on the water. This is where UV Cure Resin comes into effect. UV Cure Resins are viscous bonding agents used to securely coat thread wraps, build up glossy heads, or coat the bodies of flies. The advantage of using resins over head cement is drying time. There is no rush when using UV Cure Resins. Apply as much or as little as you need and when you’re ready, zap it with the UV torch and you’re set. In this tips and tricks video of the week, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions and the Orvis Company demonstrates and explains the benefits to using UV Cure Resins.
How to Effectively Use UV Cure Resins
Select your resin of choice for the fly you are tying.
Apply a small amount of resin on a notepad or similar surface.
Using your bodkin, apply a small amount of resin to your fly.
Add as much or as little as you’d like to the fly before torching it.
Select the appropriate UV torch based on the resin being used and apply the light for 20-30 seconds or until hardened and dry.
Thin – Hard is approximately the same viscosity as 30 wt. motor oil. It is easy to apply a thin, shellac-like clear coat that will cure in seconds when irradiated with sunlight or our UV flashlight. This product is a very durable aliphatic urethane which characteristically does not yellow with age.
How to Use:
Apply in shade. Irradiate with intense UV light for ONE SECOND. Wait 15 seconds. Irradiate again for one second. Wait. Complete with 30 full seconds of UV light. This technique will reduce heat & shrinkage.
While these are only two options on the market, resins come in all viscosities and colors. Do some trial and error to determine which resin suits your needs the best. It is very important to have the correct UV torch as well. Read up on the resin you choose and then select the torch appropriate for that resin. You want to get the most out of your flies after spending hours at the vise. UV Cure Resin is a great way to do that. Happy tying!
For more tying tips, check out Tightline Productions on Youtube by clicking here.
