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What is the relationship between cane and caddis in Connecticut? Connecticut was home to two of the greatest minds in cane rod building and caddis fly pattern development, E.W. Edwards and Gary LaFontaine, respectively. On a recent outing, I channeled a connection with Edwards and LaFontaine. I fished one of my cane rods that was built with multiple techniques developed by Edwards. At the end of my rod was LaFontaine’s Deep Sparkle Pupa caddis pattern. The Edwards-LaFontaine connection worked, and I was rewarded. Book Review: Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs by Ernest "Polly" Rosborough…Innovator of Simplicity9/9/2024
 Pencil sketch by Michael D. Day Just as Frank Sawyer’s skill, observation and artistry brought about the pheasant tail nymph, Polly Rosborough provided the world with the Casual Dress, the Near Enough, among many others. Sawyer was able to see what few anglers saw, the essence of a swimming nymph from the perspective of a trout, and Rosborough has done the same. Rosborough, like Sawyer, was a reductionists, thereby capturing the essence of aquatic life. Tying flies with two to three materials, Rosborough’s flies demonstrated “life,” and life is a trigger for trout. Today Rosborough’s Casual Dress has been further modified by Dave Hughes with the use of spun squirrel hair, and these patterns in rust, olive and tan/brown/gray, can solve problems on the river when other flies fall short.  Pencil sketch by Michael D. Day This is a wonderful book, providing the reader with not only Rosborough’s fly patterns, but his suggested best practices in terms of presentation. I’ve presented his fly patterns in all directions on small streams and larger rivers, and fooled trout when nothing else seemed to work.
 The locations I like to fish are far removed from anglers. These locations often require a bit more effort to reach, are not terribly well known, but visits are often rewarding. On a recent summer evening, I ventured out to one such spot. Virtually inaccessible by hiking paths, it required a fair amount of wading. As night descended on the river, navigating dark pocket water became exceedingly more difficult, but it was all worth it. Moving selective brown trout to take an artificial fly, requires all parts of the fly fishing puzzle to fit together snugly.  Completed in 2024, this 7’3" 3-4wt is 100% shop-made and weighs 2.6 oz.. The butt and tip are hollow built and deeply flamed. The reel seat insert and grip are made from flor grade cork stock imported from Portugal. The Avocado silk wraps are accented by the silk tipping in Mustard and Seaweed. The fabricated, green agate stone is encased in a soldered silver bezel and stainless steel hoop, and compliments both the cane and wrap colorings. The ferrules were machined from silicon aluminum bronze 642 bar stock, snake guides fabricated from stainless steel wire, and the tip tops fabricated from stainless steel wire and nickel silver bar stock. All metal on the rod is blued, with the exception of the bright nickel silver ferrule plug, holding a hand tapered flor grade cork cone.  This is a small stream rod, capable of handling wild native trout on mountain streams and in low gradient woodland and meadow streams. At 7'3" this 3-4wt rod has reach and can deliver bushy flies and cut through unexpected wind gusts with relative ease. A buttery smooth cast is complimented by a gently swelled butt, providing crisp hook sets.  One of the many wonderful aspects of fly fishing is the abundant natural beauty that anglers encounter. Nowhere is this more present than on small streams. Cloaked in abundant vegetation, one steps into a mythical Narnia. What is also rewarding is the interconnectedness and relationships in nature. Many approach small streams with the mindset that trout and charr cannot afford to be selective feeders, and as such any old fly will work. While there is some truth to the fact that survival sometimes means eating any meal rather than a specific meal, matching the hatch on small streams can mean the difference between a good and a great day fly fishing. This is one of my favorite small streams. I fish it in all seasons, from freezing temperatures when it is surrounded by ice to humid summer afternoons. It has all of the necessary attributes for trout and charr life, from consistent cold water to plentiful bugs. On a recent outing, I had the opportunity to witness prolific hatches of Hydropsychidae & Ephemerella dorothea. Matching these hatches made all the difference. A wonderful day.  Completed early in 2024, this 8’ 5wt is 100% shop-made and weighs 3.95 oz.. The butt and tip are hollow built and deeply flamed. The Sycamore reel seat insert nicely compliments the cork grip, made from flor grade cork stock from Portugal. The Mississippi Mud silk wraps are accented by the silk tipping in Golden Pavilion. The fabricated, earth tone agate stone is encased in a soldered silver bezel and nickel silver hoop, and compliments both the cane and wrap colorings. The ferrules were machined from silicon aluminum bronze 642 bar stock, snake guides fabricated from stainless steel wire, and the tip tops fabricated from stainless steel wire and nickel silver bar stock. All metal on the rod is blued, with the exception of the bright nickel silver ferrule plug, holding a hand tapered flor grade cork cone.  This rod has been designed as a tailwater rod, capable of handling large wild brown trout with relative ease. A sturdy, swelled butt provides extra power setting the hook, whether nymphing with line on the water or dry fly fishing at a distance. A capable powerhouse. I was presented with a multigenerational fly rod that had seen better days. When life happens, some items are pushed aside, stored or forgotten about. This fly rod spent many years in a wet basement. This relic was handed down over the years, and those memories were reinforced when my client found it after cleaning out a home. When I got the rod in my shop and disassembled, I had doubts about whether it could be salvaged. But through a lot of hard work, I was able to get it back in working order. With little effort, this smooth, progressive rod threw a line a country mile. When presented with this restored precision tool, the look on my client’s face was worth all of the effort. I'm fortunate to have a blue ribbon trout fishery and testing ground a stone's throw from my shop. I headed out on May 21st and the conditions, while beautiful, were less than desirable - bright sun. Despite this, the epeorus vitreus, a/k/a pink ladies, hatch was on and adults were in the air. These sizable mayflies are found in the eastern United States and have a pink/orange hue. With the bright sun, there was no sign of rise patterns on the river's surface. So, I fished below the hatch, targeting feeding lies in pocket water and tailouts. Aided by my 100% shop made 8' 5wt. bamboo fly rod and early 1900's vintage Hardy Perfect reel, I was rewarded...  Lathe tailstocks suffer from backlash, as do family members after political discussions on Thanksgiving. In the machining context, this occurs when engaging the tailstock hand wheel in one direction, stopping, and reengaging the hand wheel in the opposite direction. This results in a lack of accuracy when reading the total net measurement from the analog numbers affixed to the tailstock spindle. Essentially, there is a void in the tailstock mechanisms that is not reflected when reading the measurement. "Play" prevents accurate measurement. This is a very common problem in many areas of machining. This problem can be minimized by making manual adjustments, but it cannot be fully eliminated through these adjustments. One solution is to install a digital readout (DRO) to track the net travel in both directions. Another solution is to machine a tailstock travel accuracy jig, to be used in conjunction with a dial indicator. Below is the way I made such a jig. Lathe tailstock accuracy is critical for many bamboo rod making tasks, especially when machining metal ferrules from raw bar stock. The use of such jigs, while drilling and reaming, will allow accurate repeatability and save time. Here is my process: (1) I measured the diameter of the tailstock spindle. (2) After securing a scrap piece of aluminum, I milled it flat on all sides. The aluminum was supported with machining parallels. Then, I chamfered all edges and made a consistent finish with 80 and 500 grit sandpapers. (3) The next step involved preparing the stock and measuring for the tailstock spindle hole. I planned to have the tailstock spindle hole on one side of the jig but centered. Further, I made sure to leave about 0.5" of solid stock from the end of the hole to the end of the jig. My goal was to eventually drill and tap through this 0.5" section of stock so that it would accept a hex cap screw. This will be discussed in more detail below. The photo on the left represents the starting point and the photo on the right represents the finished product in this next step. (4) I supported the jig with machining parallels and made sure that the jig had unobstructed clearance (top, bottom, sides) to cut the entire 1.25"-ish hole. With plenty of lubricant (AlumTap or oil for cutting), I used a center to make the preliminary shallow hole to accept the first drill bit. Then, starting with a small drill bit, I made a hole through the jig. Thereafter, I used progressively larger drill bits, and eventually larger end mills. (5) Without an end mill measuring 1.25", I moved to a boring bar and a manual offset boring head. I incrementally and slowly adjusted the offset boring head outward to make a progressively larger hole. Measuring often, I stopped cutting when my hole reached 1.25"-ish. (6) I tested the fit on the tailstock and achieve my goal of a snug fit. (7) Back at the mill, I secure the jig sideways in the milling vise. On the side of the jig with the hole, I left about 0.5" of solid stock from the end of the hole to the end of the jig. Making sure I had drilling clearance below the jig, I used a center to make a shallow centered hole. Using progressively larger drill bits, and ending with a #7, I drilled through the jig. (8) I tapped through this #7 hole using a 1/4-20 tap. (The picture on the right is the direction I tapped. The picture on the left is just to illustrate the process.) I tapped about 75% through the hole. The tapping process was started on the mill for proper support, rotating the head by hand. Thereafter, I finished tapping by hand. (9) On the side where the tap commenced, I used a 1/4" drill bit to drill just over 50% through the hole. My goal was to remove the tapped thread through the first half of the jig, just over the midway point. A simple piece of painter's tape can be used as a depth guide. (10) With a metal bandsaw, I cut through the midpoint at the bottom of the jig into the tailstock hole. I placed a hex screw with a 1/4-20 thread into the side of the hole where the thread was removed. The screw freely slid into the hole, stopping around the mid-point. Thereafter, I was able to tighten the screw, allowing it to catch the remaining thread after the mid-point. (11) It fit snugly and securely. Any slack was taken up by tightening the hex screw. (12) I attached a dial indicator with a 2" travel to a Mighty Mag Magnetic Base. I then attached the base to the top of my tailstock, retracting the dial indicator and making contact with the jig. Now, I can accurately track the net travel of my tailstock.  I engage in two types of fishing, both for “trout.” The first is pure sport fishing. I fish for selective feeding, invasive, wild brown trout. These fish are not native to Connecticut. They have overrun certain waterways and have the ability to adapt and survive even when the water warms in the summer. The second type of fishing is for native wild brook trout. Technically not trout, they are part of the char genus. Here, my focus is entirely on small streams and headwaters of larger streams and rivers. This type of fishing is part sport, part spiritual, part philosophical contemplation and part medicine. They are the most beautiful fish I have ever seen. Pound for pound, they fight like no other fish. They are spooky hunters, conditioned for survival. I’m in awe of them. In shallow, narrow streams, threats come from everywhere. Snakes, birds and other animals look for them. Warming waters choke them out of habitat. Streams dry up. Yet, they have continued to populate Connecticut for some 10,000 years. When I have the opportunity to hold one and gently return it to the water where it was taken, I’m healed and rejuvenated. They are a spiritual salve that heals the soul.  One recent day in early March, I headed out to a first order, unnamed stream very deep in a Connecticut forest. There were virtually no signs of fishing pressure, which is the kind of place I prefer. I stumbled upon a nice deep pool, as the stream curved and meandered through the forest. The water was gin clear. I did not see any fish upon my approach. Yet, this pool had all the attributes of holding a native wild brook trout. With an upstream presentation of a soft hacked wet fly with an overly long tale, I wondered if my freestyled fly with an orange hotspot resembled the kind of snack found in and around this pool. Several casts and retrieves in higher water columns revealed no fish life. On my next cast, I allowed my fly to descend to a more significant depth, and it began to fall deeper into a snaking flow of water between boulders almost on the stream floor. An inquisitive wild native brook trout emerged from a boulder to investigate and to sample the feathered delicacy… Of significance, this brook trout was a survivor. Not only have he and his ancestors negotiated an ever changing landscape for some 10,000 years, but he wore the signs of an obvious struggle. With scars on his left and right flanks, he escaped the talons of one or more predators. He is a true, courageous survivor, cloaked in beautiful colors… |
