Imitating Forage Fish

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Ed Mitchell

Juvenile Sea Herring

This underwater picture comes to you from Menemsha Inlet on Martha’s Vineyard. The forage fish are juvenile sea herring. They are swimming less than a foot under the surface. The water is quite clear, and the month is June.

As this image shows, when making a forage fish imitation, size and shape are the two most critical characteristics. Note too, that as these silvery forage fish feed on plankton in the current, they reflect light. Bingo, flash is an important deal too. In fact, in some cases, flash may be what a predator sees first. Discover anything else in the picture? The herring’s eye is visible as a contrasting black dot. So eyes on your flies count.

Ok, any surprises? Yeah, color is missing. Underwater, things live in a blue-green world.  Hence, colors, especially red, are muted at best. The only exception being in shin deep, clear water on a flat. So holding a forage fish in your hand, in broad daylight, does not give you an accurate idea of how that same fish appears underwater.

The upshot is: Don’t worry about making forage imitations with subtle color transitions. Yes, it may make you all happy at the vise; but the fish don’t give a hoot. Any colors offer an advantage? Yes, white or black can supply your imitation with  a strong silhouette. And chartreuse is a powerful ally. It transmits boldly in a blue-green world, offering game fish a prime target.

Lastly. Check out the countershading bizz. By nature, forage fish are dark on back and light on the belly. But near the surface, that relationship is visually reversed. Food for thought next time you’re at the vise.

Posted in Flies and Fly Tying, Fly Fishing in Salt Water, Wild Things | Leave a comment

Stripping Baskets

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Ed Mitchell

 

Stripping Basket

Stripping baskets. They’re a necessary evil. Yes, they can be uncomfortable. And yes, some days they seem always in the way. Yet, when the fish are a long cast off, a stripping basket is an absolute godsend.

Stripping baskets were invented, I believe, back in the 1940’s by steelheaders using mono as a running line. The earliest baskets were simply cardboard boxes. Then along came canvas bags. Later, saltwater fly fishermen became devotees of the basket too. By the 1980’s, in the salt chuck, plastic was king, with baskets often fashioned from dishpans and laundry baskets. Today we have manufactured stripping baskets and even folding mesh ones for the peripatetic angler.

A good basket has several attributes. It’s deep enough to keep the line contained, even on a windy day. The belt is easy to adjust and comfortable. The basket also has something in the bottom designed to reduce line tangles. And I prefer a basket that does not allow water to enter from the bottom or sides. And I like light colored ones when fishing at night.

I employ one in the ocean, on salt flats, in lakes, ponds, and even some rivers. Hey, wherever long, smooth casts are needed. And not just when wading, I use them in boats too. Why? With the line in a basket you can zip from port to starboard, or bow to stern, and it prevents the fly line from tangling under foot. Stripping baskets. You gotta love’m. And they have many uses.

Stripping Baskets are Useful

Posted in Fly Fishing in Freshwater, Fly Fishing in Salt Water, Gear | Leave a comment

Picking a Trail Gun

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Ed Mitchell

Picking a Trail Gun

If you’re a hunter, an angler, a backpacker, a camper, or anyone who spends time in the woods, you’ve though at least once about owning a trail gun. Granted if you live where there are no bears, no wild canines, no wild felines, or other threats of the two or four legged kind, you have precious little reason to purchased one. Save your money. If your situation is different, however, read on. (Please also read recent update)

First, recognize that owning a firearm is a responsibility. You need to be trained, and capable of using common sense. And in many locations you have to be licensed as well. Okay, enough said. Be legal, be smart, be safe. Picking the right trail gun requires careful consideration. It must be light enough to carry, powerful enough to do the job, and yet not so powerful you can’t control it. Yes, it’s not a quick easy choice; some real thought must go into your decision. Take your time. Think it through amigo.

Years ago I settled on a SW 629, 44 magnum Mountain Gun. (See it in the photo above) With its tapered, 4″ barrel and rounded edges, it weights considerably less than a full size, full length N frame. Yet it carries enough umph to dispatch even a bear. So is a Mountain Gun all cookies and milk? No, the recoil from this critter is significant; it took me awhile to get comfortable with it. Definitely not a good choice for the novice. But if you’re an experience shooter with strong hands, and ready to work with this firearm, it will deliver in spades my friend. Quick to point, extremely accurate, works with 44 specials or 44 magnums, fires bullets from 185 to 300 grains, rugged and reliable. Wow…It’s one hell of a trail gun.

“Be a Safe and Responsible Gun Owner”

 

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Rattlesnakes in Connecticut

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Ed Mitchell

Rattlesnakes in Connecticut

This morning I was driving my Jeep into the Meshomasic State Forest to shoot at the range. Up ahead of me, the range safety officers had pulled over. They were out and standing alongside their truck. Odd. So I killed the motor, and climbed out too. Man, I had to see what all the hoopla was about.

There are 14 different snakes in Connecticut, only two of which are poisonous. That’s not a lot of snakes. Florida has 44 snakes, 6 of which are venomous. And there are huge constrictors –  big pythons too. Florida is a busy place for reptiles.

Among the most common snakes in Connecticut are the garter, the milk snake, and the water snake. All harmless. But the critter in the road was a rare Connecticut inhabitant – a snake that few people in the state will ever see. It was a rattlesnake downing lunch; in this case a tasty chipmunk. It was easily the biggest rattler I had ever seen in Connecticut. Three foot or so long. From a fair distance I took a quick pix with my flip phone. Yeah, it’s not a great photo by any stretch, but it does give you an idea of the snake’s size.

Rattlesnake are an endangered species in my state. Not many left. And no this isn’t a Diamondback; it’s a kissing cousin called the Timber Rattlesnake. Crotalus horridus horridus for you science types. They can obtain 6 feet in length, but that’s extremely rare in the Northeast. Three and a half feet is about max in Connecticut. So this particular pit viper was no pup. By the way, down south in places like northern Florida, this critter is called a “canebrake” snake. No idea why. (Connecticut’s other viper is the copperhead.)

Are Timber rattlesnakes dangerous? Well they’re thought to be somewhat mild mannered. In fact they rarely bite unless there is no alternative, no way to escape. Still don’t let that prompt  you to get close. These snakes pack a real wallop. And any bite requires immediate medical attention.

For a time the three of us watched the snake swallow. But after awhile the rattler let it be known he had enough of us ugly dudes. Yes, he started rattling, although with that mouthful, he wasn’t any real threat. Soon he slid off, gone into the grass, with his movable feast. Hey, don’t tread on me!       More recent post

“Be a Safe and Responsible Gun Owner”

Posted in Environment, Looking Downward, On the Road, Shooting Sports, Wild Things | Leave a comment

The Source of the Connecticut River

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Ed Mitchell

Fourth Connecticut Lake is the source of the Connecticut River

Recently I hiked into the source of the Connecticut River, something I hadn’t done in many years. Any idea where the source is? The Connecticut, the longest river in New England, begins in a beaver pond high on a mountainside in northern New Hampshire right on the Canada line. The pond is know as Fourth Connecticut Lake. Wild country, my friend.

Two hundred years ago when explorers trekked through New England, they had a tendency to call any body of water a lake, regardless of size. Fourth Connecticut Lake is a case in point. At roughly 2 acres, it’s a pond at best, sitting at around 2,670 feet in elevation, with a maximum depth of around 5 feet.  The Nature Conservancy owns it and the roughly 78 acres of surrounding land; they call it Fourth Connecticut Lake Preserve. No motorized stuff, no canoes, no kayaks, no fishing, and no hunting allowed. No dogs either. Just folks on foot.

Deer Mountain Camp

Later I pitched my tent down the road a piece at Deer Mountain Camp. Like the Fourth Connecticut Lake Preserve, it sits inside the 170,000 protected acres of the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters. It’s a primitive site – no electricity, pit toilets, no phone coverage of any kind. Behind my tent the Connecticut gurgled along, not 8 feet away, and not 6 feet wide. Barred owls hooting all night. Hey, Live Free or Die!

Posted in On the Road, Wild Things | Leave a comment