roughfisher.com

Tatonka

2012-01-30T13:30:00.000-06:00

A bruiser caught a few weeks back during our "January thaw", when daily high temps topped 50 degrees for a couple of days.

To be honest, it's not really a thaw when there was no snow on the ground, daily temps were ranging in the mid to upper 30s and overnight lows were in the upper 20s. This non winter has been a joke, but at least I was able to take advantage of it and fly fish in the dead of January. Never thought I'd be able to pull that off in the Great Brown North.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a good release shot since this fish still held some vigor and wouldn't sit still for me. For scale, that is a Ross F1 #4 reel, 4" diameter spool. This fish is in the 30" plus class. It always fascinates me that without a good reference, it is difficult on film to capture scale on a large specimen. The typical fish porn grip and grin photo is so overdone it's lost most of its cachet, however, aside from the super-extendo arm thrust pose, it does serve as a decent reference for scale and proportion.

Either way you cut it, it's still a nice fish!

USCARPPRO Magazine Issue #22

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

USCARPPRO Magazine Issue 22 has dropped. You know what to do... Click the link and read. Now.

A Fall From Grace

2012-01-24T21:00:00.000-06:00

It has been a long time since I've held the reins and dug in the spurs. Life has been a distraction over the past year and it took me until recently to realize that I had lost my edge. Not for lack of skill or ability mind you, as even under the limited time I spent on the water last season I was still able to perform with my tool and succeed at fooling fish in difficult conditions when others had failed. Instead, as I withdrew from angling in order to deal with the demons on the domestic front, I've felt my grip slipping, my pulse within the fly fishing community become weaker.

Neglect a blog for a year and it is only natural that readers and viewership will drop off. With nary a reason for cause the abandonment began, perhaps many chalking it up to another typical fly fishing blog that faded away like a dying sun. Even while the screen lay dark with no new blog posts in weeks, I still stayed busy behind the tungsten curtain filling custom fly orders, perhaps the only thing that kept me from a descent into madness. The die-hard legions and crew have always held steadfast, even if unknowingly why. And an even smaller select few were actually privy to the depths of the chaos and turmoil. Yet, the need for a voice, an outlet for the roughfishermen, still exists. While I may have fallen from common conversation among the bloggers, the industry, or whomever else is responsible for creating buzz within the fly fishing community, it doesn't mean that I am down and out, or face down in the gutter.

I feel that I am just as valid as the day I started blogging about roughfish on the fly, perhaps even more so. In just the span of the last few years, I've watched the interest in carp on the fly grow, as well as become more acceptable to the mainstream. Not that myself, or anyone else who carp fishes for that matter, is looking for any validity from anyone. Maybe we're just the annoying kid in the back of the classroom that babbles on about everything about everything, including carp on the fly, in hopes that someone is listening. Regardless, it has become apparent that some are listening. Even during my unscheduled sabbatical, I was still getting inquiries from folks, and even a few compliments. I just want to say thank you to everyone out there who was listening.

I'm working on getting back my mojo, getting back to the top of my game. I'm not seeking fame. I'm not seeking fortune. I could care less if I'm any better known than I was a year ago. I could care less if I get published again. I could care less to see my face on the cover of a magazine or on the television screen. I just want to get back into my groove behind the vise and start producing those twisted patterns that helped earn me my success. If last year was the year of the Carp Crack, then this year will be the year of the Mustache Ride. I'm just looking to get back to where I was before I fell from grace. I'm not doing this for anyone except myself. After all, I'm just a guy who loves to fish.

Working Girls

2012-01-23T22:00:00.000-06:00

Carpiodes cyprinus.

I love chasing quillback. They can be some of the most frustrating of the suckers to escort due to their extreme skittishness and finicky ways. To add to the proposition, a john typically finds harems of quillback working the street corners in skinny gin clear water. To say one must creep up on these spooks like an undercover vice agent is an understatement. I've always had to play it low-key, leaving the bling and drama at home and fishing small nymphs like brassies or copper johns. Don't be a playah! Quillback have a small inferior mouth so you can't just force it in with a large fly; you gotta be smooth if you want to party. These ladies finally gave in to the Fresh Pimp Nymph. Then again, a fresh pimp slap will subdue just about any ho.

I love getting fin....

New Year Carp

2012-01-11T18:00:00.000-06:00

It might not be pretty or a monster, but I'm on the board for 2012. Plus this carp has an interesting color pattern around it's eye. It looks like it kicked back a few longnecks, got into a bar fight and got shived by some punk ass bottom feeding walleyes and needed stitches, leaving a pretty bad ass scar. This may be the local Tony Montana of the carp population.

The first carp of the new year came surprisingly early, merely days into the year. Of course, while winter carping is entirely possible, it is an anomaly around these parts due to sub freezing temperatures, snowpack, and subsequent inundation of shore and anchor ice. Not to mention that water temps below 39 degrees put the fish into an incredible funk, measurably reducing feeding activity. Nonetheless, this non-winter we've been experiencing up here in the Great Brown North provided a few obscenely warm 50 degree plus days in the dead of January. I'll take what I can get. Any day you can bring a carp on the fly to hand is a good day.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T17:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from the roughfisher! Hope Santa brings you what you'd been wanting! Unless, of course, you're like the majority of us who fish the brown line and are probably on Santa's naughty list, haha!
I guess we'll all find out in a few days... Happy Holidays!

Sunset

2011-12-07T10:30:00.000-06:00

I think it's finally time to hang up the long rods for the season, get out the shorties, and fire up the ice auger. Winter's arrival has the lakes pinging from the formation of new ice, sounds reminiscent of the Hunt For Red October. Fishing villages are starting to sprout up as each ice house fights to get set up on their honey hole. It's about that time to hit the ice and do a little harvesting.

While the 2011 fly fishing season included some memorable moments and fantastic adventures, most notably my excursion to Beaver Island, it was also matched with much regret. This past season has probably marked my fewest number of days on the water, which is not something that I am proud to report. High flows early on in the season, as well as domestic issues, kept me off the river for much of the year. While I will never be one to shirk my responsibilities as parent and denigrate the role, my priorities have recognizably focused on duties and activities other than fishing. I am hoping for resolve over the winter, in hopes that the situation will improve. I will will also make a better effort to get my kids involved in fly fishing this next year. At ages 3 and 7, hopefully, under my guidance and with a little help from dad, my kids will be able to land their first fish on a fly next season. In addition, they might be lacking the dexterity and maturity to master the skills needed behind the vise, but I will also strive to expose my kids more to the world of fly tying this winter, in efforts that they begin to embrace fly fishing culture. I've already got two great little helpers who are more than enthusiastic about fish and dad's interest in fly fishing. It's been long overdue to have them take the next step forward.

The sun sets on yet another season. I can't wait to get my boots wet in 2012.

GreenFish Announces Hands-free Camera Mount for Sustainable Fishing

2011-12-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

New from GreenFish, a hands-free camera mount for sustainable fishing. Greenfish announces the introduction of a new camera mounting system designed for boats and kayaks, the CPR mount, designed for Catch-Photo-Release.

Available online only, the CPR Mount's patent pending Expansion Locking system secures the unit into most tube-style rod holders and rocket launchers. It also works with a Scotty Flush Mount. The CPR mount retails at $79.99, with $4 going towards fisheries conservation through our GreenFish Gives program.

GreenFish - By Anglers | For Fish
Promoting a lifestyle of sustainable fishing

www.greenfishmovement.com
About GreenFish
GreenFish is focused on building awareness of sustainable fishing practices through its
product lines, which include apparel and camera mounts. GreenFish donates five percent
of its revenues through its GreenFish Gives program to non-profits that promote the health
of world fisheries.

giving thanks

2011-11-23T20:30:00.000-06:00

2011 has been a year of turmoil, not just in the scheme of world politics but there has been a lot going on behind the tungsten curtain over at the roughfisher command post. It's been a state of upheaval and change, including a brief stint of unemployment, however it also brings about the opportunity for reflection, self discovery, and growth. So here's what I'm thankful for this year:

The Family - My support staff has always been number one. Thank you for holding the rudder straight and firm, even when I was listing off course.
The Kids - You guys are my life blood. Thanks mateys!
The Lady - You keep the wind at my sails. I love you!
My Fishy Friends - Thanks for keeping me in the scene even when I haven't been able to be on the water.
Hurricane High Gravity - If it wasn't for your $1.39 price tag, high ABV, and delicious taste hitting my lips, I don't know how I would have made it through those fierce gales and turbulent high seas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Funnin' around

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

I was filling customer orders recently and had a chance to tie up some thunderbirds, a pattern I hadn't tied much since this spring. Man I love this pattern, between the moose tail and the soft hackled ruffed grouse thorax, the profile of this fly is so sexy.

Did some messing around blending up an insect green dubbing blend from a couple of other dubbing blends I had already made. I think I like the composition of this blend better than some of my previous batches in this color. What do you think? I had to tie up a few Carp Crack in this color of course...

Carp Crack, always lethal!

Sausage Haus

2011-11-14T17:00:00.000-06:00

So the roughfisher has been slacking a bit in both the fishing and blogging department. I apologize folks. But I have been busy in the background grinding up some fresh meats in the seedy underground laboratory at the Roughfisher Command Post. In addition to making some 8 quarts of napa cabbage, daikon radish, and cucumber kimchis, I've managed to stuff about forty-five pounds of beef, pork and venison, transforming plain old protein into the delectable charcuterie known as sausage.

I ended up with six varieties of sausage, a Wisconsin-style bratwurst, Italian sausage, a smoked Italian, smoked jalapeño cheddar, smoked bulgogi inspired snack sticks, and a fresh salsa verde pork sausage.

There was lots of fun behind the grill. My favorite experiment was the chile verde pork sausage. Crafted on a whim, I ground pork shoulder, onion, garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, and tomatillos, stuffed it into a hog casing, and cooked it on the grill. I served it on a brat-style hard roll and garnished it with fresh onion, cilantro and salsa verde. Most definitely a winner!

Thankfully I saved a few sausages for the freezer to nourish me through the winter...

Soft Hackle Heaven

2011-10-18T20:00:00.000-05:00

Whether you call it a partridge, thunderbird, thunder chicken, or a ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus is among the tastiest of all upland birds and game. It is also prized for its hackle in my fly tying stash. Fortunately, living in Minnesota provides me with the nation's premier grouse habitat and population, with over half a million birds harvested annually, making it Minnesota's top game bird. Life is good in the Great White North.

The rump feathers, while used to determine the sex of a ruffed grouse, are also a vital component of the venerable Carp Crack pattern. The ruff feathers, located on the sides of the necks of both genders, are used to form the collar on the Mustache Ride and Landing Strip patterns, as they are long and wispy, providing lots of movement in the water. They are the ultimate soft hackle for those larger streamer fly patterns.

Regardless of how you obtain a ruffed grouse skin, whether it be a a retail acquisition, roadkill salvage, harvested bird, or a donation from a fellow hunter, consider yourself blessed. The ruffed grouse is the pinnacle prize of keen fly tyers.

true romance

2011-10-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

I heart buffalo.

Fall Scenes

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

The fall colors are past peak now as the gusty gales of fall are blowing the leaves from the canopy onto the forest floor. The winds of change are here and with it the carping season will soon be drawn to a close. They'll likely be a few more opportunities yet this fall for other roughfish. But until next spring, it will just be denial until I can hold the shimmering golden scales of a cyprinid in my hands again.

So long.

Pucker Up

2011-10-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

Pow! Right in the kisser!

smart business decisions

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

What do you do with all of the countless fly leftovers and daddy's got to eat? You trade flies for beef. Prime 100% grass fed locally raised beef. I'm glad someone's got a use for all the test flies and holdover patterns from the past several years, but frankly it was an insult to them to be sitting in my fly boxes not even getting a chance to see light of day or breathe some fresh air. Now, there's two winners involved here. My buddy gets to stack his fly boxes with some roughfisher originals and I get some tasty beef from Thousand Hills Cattle Company. Winner.

I think I've just found a new niche market, bartering flies for food and drink. Now if anyone's got some homebrewed IPA, barleywine ale, or imperial stouts they're willing to trade for, I'm listening.
Use the contact link to get in touch.

The Mustache Ride Strikes Again

2011-09-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Another poor victim who went on a Mustache Ride.

Believe it or not, I've made it out fishing twice this past week. Almost unbelievable considering the summer I've had back at the Roughfisher Command Post. And as much as I'd like to contribute fishing stories and adventures with you all, I've had a couple of cameras snafus this past week, one involving accidentally deleted photos which were immediately overwritten by Android OS, the other involving mystery photos that never showed up on my SD card. Maybe it was operator error, who knows, but the bottom line is I won't put up a fishing story without photos simply because then it becomes just that, a story. You know what they say, pics or it didn't happen. Words to live by....

So I met up with a Facebook friend of mine the past two weekends. Last weekend was on his home turf near southeastern Minnesota. This weekend was on my home turf up on the Otter Tail in northwestern Minnesota. Kind of like a home and home series. Flows in both regions have been somewhat stable, something that has been in short supply this season. Even the Otter Tail was low, having finally dropped to 543 cfs, the lowest it's been in two years. Of course normal flows for this time of year is 206 cfs, but I'll take what I can get. We'll see how long this lasts.

It was ungodly hot this weekend with highs around 90 both days. Fine for you southern folk, but not for us northerners, and especially not in mid September. Hell that's above average for us even in the peak of summer in July. Regardless, the bass were soaking it up. I watched countless numbers of smallies expolode towards my fly as I skittered it across the rocky shoreline. There was tail dancing involved. I know it's just a bass, but it provided for some quick entertainment between searching for pods of carp.

With the lower flows and water levels in the reservoirs above Orwell, I was expecting to find a bunch of congregated carp feeding. No dice. This has been the summer of where's the fish? I can see fish being dispersed off the flats during high water and on to the floodplain, but now that the water's dropped, those flats are barren and the floodplains dry. Where have they gone? I have no idea, but I'm curious to see if these fish will work their way upstream this fall IF the flows stay somewhat reasonable for awhile. At least that's what I can hope...

Finally got my first Minnesota carp to take a Mustache Ride. I had pondered whether or not this fly would be too big for the Minnesota variety carp, but I was pleasantly surprised when this fish hit it. I watched a pod of two fish turn out off a flat and enter the main channel. I was at a high vantage point and dropped the fly right into their feeding lane. I had wondered if my fly was going to be coming in hot and way too high for those fish until I watched one of them roll up off the bottom and rise to the fly. It quickly inhaled it and turned downstream. Any shred of doubt about whether or not this fly would be effective on Minnesota carp was immediately thrown out the window. Now that's what I'm talking about! Not the biggest carp by any means, not even average sized really, but this little guy helped turn the worm and proved to me that the Mustache Ride can hang wherever it's fished. Good to know.

I know the bass love a Mustache Ride. Thanks for the bass thumb little fella...

Salvageable?

2011-08-30T17:00:00.000-05:00

There may be hope for 2011 yet. Despite the rain falling from the sky as I type this, a two week dry spell in the region (somewhat of a rare occurrence as of late) has allowed many of the tributaries of the Otter Tail and Red Rivers to finally begin to fall. While nowhere near as low as normal for this time of year, flows are starting to finally approach wadeable and fishable levels, nearly four months after the start of spring runoff. Insane. With rivers finally back within their banks, hopefully these lower flows will start to congregate fish and bring them off of the floodplains and onto their normal flats and other haunts. Lower flows will weaken the strong currents allowing a fly to drift more freely to fish holding in deep pools anr runs without the added burden of excess tungsten and lead. This should give the advantage back to the fly angler. Who knows how long this will last. Time to get back on the saddle.

Summer Fields

2011-08-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

It's late summer and things are beginning to wind down. The arrival of monarchs on their annual migration to Mexico and points south, blooming wildflowers, low temperatures hinting at dipping into the forties, and the rogue tree or two teasing with hints of gold and crimson on their periphery all mark the inevitable change in season. This is also the beginning of prime time for collecting tallgrass prairie and wildflower seeds. Yes, summer is near over and fall is almost here. Finally. Fall brings many of my fondest memories in the Great White North, often culminating with the first frost of the season. Water temperatures and fall turnover often result in some tremendous fishing. Some of my most memorable fish have come in late fall. In addition, flushing grouse from aspen groves, apple picking and hay rides with the family, and the explosion of pheasants from the remaining crop residue from the fall harvest are all some of my favorite pastimes, not to mention good eats. There's nothing like the smell of roast pheasant, apple pie, smoked duck, wild rice, or the flavors of fresh bratwurst and sauerkraut emanating from the kitchen. Sending the kids off to school in the little yellow bus is just a few days away, which begs the question, has anyone every come up with a monarch butterfly fly pattern? I bet the bass would hit that! And then my next question, how much vacation leave do I have saved up?

Reader Mail

2011-08-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Roughfisher,

We haven't met, but I received your card with fulfillment of an initial order for your Carp Crack ties - which are nice by the way. Thanks for getting them out to me. They work on NC carps.

That particular eat was exceptionally cool. On Lake Norman (NASCAR country) on a rocky shoreline 50 yrds from Matt Kenseth's dock (a driver), the fish was a cruiser and I laid the fly about 10ft off its bow, gave it a twitch when he was at 5ft and he rifled in and pounced with a clockwise swirl of green, gold, and orange. Visually, as cool as any gamefish eat......

Thanks again for the sweet ties.
Phil

Kitty Kats

2011-08-14T07:00:00.005-05:00

Day two on the water was considerably different than the day prior. Fish were present but were busy "sunning" themselves under the ironically cloudy skies. Perfect casts to slow cruisers resulted in no takes, nary even a look. Frustrating to say the least. Moving on to some backwater bays found some active fish. Tails could be spotted and even a few dorsal fins breaking the surface. Still tough conditions with the clouds on the sky, but with the surface breaks we were able to locate fish. In between a break in the clouds, we were able to find a bunch of large bigmouth buffalo filter feeding. Unfortunately, fishing to buffalo when they are feeding on plankton and filamentous algae is for naught. I have yet to catch a buffalo under these conditions, other for casting a fly directly into their gaping mouths and snagging the hook inside their throat. Hardly sporting at all. At one point, a lined fish erupted in a chain reaction of spooked fish, much like nuclear fission, resulting in a tsunami like wave over one foot high and sixty feet wide. The tip of the crest was so powerful on this wave that it even broke like a wave hitting the surf. An unreal sight. The day was saved after dredging up a very healthy channel cat from the bottom of the mud flats. A stripped fly was taken by the cruising cat whose dorsal fin was ripping through the surface like a shark. An easy five pounds for this fish. And now for the obligatory Hero Shot Gone Wrong shot: Even under high water, it's always a great time out on the backwater flats. Good stuff...

home on the range

2011-08-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

My XD45 just got a little brother, the Springfield Armory XD9SC, a sub compact chambered in 9mm. The 9mm round is not my ideal cartridge for a service weapon, as I would favor the .40 S&W instead as it is a ballisticly superior round. Cost, however, is a main concern these days, and with many law enforcement agencies switching back from .40 S&W to the 9mm, ammunition for my XD9SC has just become a lot more affordable than for the XD40 I used to own. Add to the fact that my XD9SC is going to be primarily used as a conceal carry weapon, it's small frame and high capacity magazine will prove to be more effective than the XD40. A little carnage at the range, 350 rounds of cheap russian steel and some american brass. Besides, if I ever need to pack some big heat, I'll just carry my .45.

Running and Gunning

2011-08-12T18:30:00.008-05:00

Took a client out this afternoon, Mustache Ride ready and prepared to deal with the onslaught of high water and heavy flows. When we arrived streamside, we were met with cloudy skies and water outside of the stream banks. Not ideal carping conditions by any means. Inundated flood plains can typically be a productive piece of water, unfortunately, with the water as high as it is, the river is deep and many of these flooded reaches are unreachable by foot. After busting through some heavy bank cover, we managed to pull up some micro slabs, including a few juvenile smallies and a small freshwater drum. Some carp, redhorse, and buffalo were spotted but there weren't there in their usual numbers and there weren't many takers. My guess is that these fish are spread out throughout the river system out on the flats and flooded fields, far downstream.One big carp was hooked, by eventually lost after heading downstream into the heavy current of the main channel. Bummer. Carp Crack once again saved the day. A long but lean smallie was brought to hand, providing some salve to the day. After moving around to a few different spots, we settled upon a small outlet feeding a backwater slough. I spotted a few carp clooping just outside the outlet and set the client right up on the spot. After some coaching and a few missed tries, we got hooked up with a small male carp. Maybe not the biggest fish, but rewarding nonetheless to sight fish to a few cloopers. We'll be back at it again tomorrow. There'll definitely be a bit more investigation of those backwaters, and we'll come armed to the teeth with an entire arsenal of Carp Crack. Game on.

Down, But Not Out

2011-08-11T21:15:00.001-05:00

I may have been out of the scene for a bit, but I'm not dead. Besides obscenely high flows on the Otter Tail (still) and some difficult missions to carry out back on the home front I haven't had much time to focus on the sport of roughfishing. Not to worry, though, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. Hopefully I'll still be able to salvage the fantastic fall fishery around here. I plan on getting my boots wet this weekend after a long hiatus. Wish me luck.

eXtreme Duty

2011-07-29T11:00:00.007-05:00

Say hello to my little friend...

What do you do when the rivers are STILL blown high and wide? You hit the gun range and brush up on your tactical shooting skills, that's what. My home river has been in flood stage since runoff began in late March, and even still, it was near record flows before then throughout the previous summer, fall, and winter. Rendering the river near unfishable for the fly guy, and extremely difficult for even the bait tosser, I haven't spent a ton of time on the water this summer. With no relief in sight, the only thing I can do is grin and bear it, and focus on another pastime of mine, shooting. The firearm du jour is a Springfield Armory XD 45, chambered in .45 ACP. This badboy has got the knock down power to subdue even the brashest of criminals, and will serve duty as a back up firearm while out in the field and woods should any bears, cats, 'yotes, or rogue wolves threaten my well being.

That's gonna leave a mark... 230 grains of hurt.

It's a bit of jump moving from the XD 40 chambered in .40 S&W to the .45, but after a few hundred rounds under my belt, I'm already becoming accustomed to the extra oomph as the XD 45 fires as smooth as buttah. Looks like I found a trusty new companion.