The Summer Reading List

I find myself with a lot of content suitable for my other website but also fitting 411#3. Reggae music can certainly be equated with saltwater, and blue lobsters would fit in well with whatever the hell it is I do on this site. I think it's called crossover.

Books are definitely a big crossover item between the two sites; I like books a lot, fishing or not, and a lot of them are salt-related. Even if they're not salt-related, name a better place to read a book than beside saltwater. So with that, I present my recommendations for your summer reading list...located on the other website here.

So check it out. You might like it.

That link again is right here.

*          *         *

In other news, I think I'm an introvert now. Maybe I've always been and just hid it really well, and, if so, that task was most likely completed with a lot of help from dark rum from 1994 to 2001, and premium vodka from 2001 to 2010.

But those are stories for another time. I'm off to hide away in a lonely hotel room with one of the books on that reading list.

Book Review - Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat

Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat
by Chester Allen

Published December, 2011
Stackpole Books

Amazon price: $17.50 (Hardcover)
Kindle price: $13.72
Kobo price: $15.49

Pros:

• Well-written and entertaining, matching good storytelling with solid how-to.
• In-depth tips on equipment, flies, how to recognize favourable environments to locate fish.
• Available in e-book editions.

Cons:

• Dealt almost exclusively with the Puget Sound. I'm left wondering if the tips & techniques are applicable elsewhere. EDIT: The author clarified the techniques ARE applicable for sea-run cutthroat throughout their range. See comments for more info.

Overall Rating: 3.75 / 5

*          *          *

This book showed up in my Kobo Reader app's 'recommended for you' and I bit on it. I don't regret it; the book was an enjoyable read as well as informative.

The main reason I purchased it was to gain a base of knowledge for cutthroat fishing once I arrive on Vancouver Island (and I wanted something 'fishy' to read here in Africa). Though I'm slightly disappointed Mr. Allen did not discuss any locations other than Puget Sound in Washington, his storytelling made the purchase and time commitment worthwhile.

If the author had titled the book Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat in Puget Sound, I'd probably have given him 4.5 / 5...but then I might not have bought the book in the first place.

I will be returning to the chapter containing fly recipes in the future, however. And I do feel pretty good about myself if I ever find myself in the vicinity of Puget Sound.

Kudos to Stackpole Books for making the book available for e-readers.

Beginner Bass Bugs...

Time/Date: 2235 AST, 16-Jan-12
Location: My tying bench

I decided to plunk my ass at my tying bench to give myself a crash course in spinning deer hair for bass bugs...and try out my new Peak Rotary Vise in the process.

My lovely gf gave me a gift card to the bookstore for Christmas so I ordered up Bass Bug Basics by John M. Likakis to help speed the self-taught crash course up a little bit. If you're interested in tying bass bugs, it's definitely a handy resource to have on hand.

For my first tie, I decided on trying my hand at Tap's Bug, which was declared the "best bass bug ever" in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine. You see step-by-step pics & instructions to tie the bug on Fy Rod & Reel Online here.

This is what the finished bug is supposed to look like (from the Fly Rod & Reel article):

And, after a few thread-snaps, a lot of trimming and minor cursing, this is what I ended up with:

I'm usually pretty critical of my tying...but realize bass aren't typically as critical & selective; if they're eating, they'll eat that. So I'm ok with this first effort. I'm not going to fish it; instead, I'm keeping it as a benchmark to measure up future bass bugs to. And yes, there will be many future bass bugs.

A few things to point out if you're going to start tying deer hair bass bugs:

• make sure your tying scissors are sharp;
• pick up some old-timey, flexible razor blades for trimming the deer hair. I found a package of Wilkinson Sword Classics at Shoppers Drug Mart. Ten double-sided blades = 20 razor blades for sculpting bass bugs; just snip 'em in half with a Leatherman or similar;
• get a strong thread. I'm using UNI BigFly thread...and snapped it a few times while tying my first bug
• be patient! I ended up cutting off my second bug of the night to start over due to trying to rush. Take your time & follow the steps;
• be prepared to make a mess. I don't think I have ever done a recreational activity that makes a mess like this. If you're married, do NOT do this at the dining room table if your better half is within a three hours' drive radius of your home. Bass bugs are that perfect excuse to set up a personal tying area, far from any potential marital disputes.
• In addition to the razor blades, other items that are handy to have are: rounded-tip tweezers (for pushing thread/knots along the hook shank) and a fine-toothed comb (for cleaning underfur from deer hair).
• If you want to put on those rattling, googly doll eyes, you can pick up packages of 300 for cheap at craft shops. A drop of ZapAGap or similar cyanoacrylate adhesive will keep them on the bug through most battles with bronzebacks...or bucketmouths...

Once I improve spinning/packing/sculpting these bad boys, I'll post a few more.

Enjoy some music:

Post 101...? Really?

Time/Date: 0835 CST, 23-May-11
Location: the undisclosed, top-secret fly tying training facility above 57° N

When I wrote my little rant about scaring people off from getting into fly fishing with $700 reels the other night, I didn't realize it was the 100th post on 411#3.

Yeah, I know. It surprises me, too.

Anyway, when that (insignificant) little stat was discovered this morning, I decided to do a little housekeeping with regards to my blogroll.

Some links not overly relevant to the world of fly fishing were removed, and some that I have been reading regularly on my feed reader have been added.

So, without further ado, the following folks have been added:

Fat Guys Fly Fishing
This River is Wild
The Fin.com
Windknots & Tangled Lines
Michael Gracie
SoCal Salty
Compleat Thought

So check them out; they're all great sites worthwhile of your attention (i.e., they're good time-burners to get you through boring stints at work).

They, and several more, are located on my blogroll on the sidebar.

Disclosure: Joe from SoCal Salty had a contest for a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses. I won it. It's awesome. You can see the details here. But me winning that contest had no bearing on him making my blogroll. Honestly.

********
Music time; an oldie but a goodie:

Tweet