Summer Ants

As early summer moves into mid-summer, fishing terrestrials becomes a more important part of the game. Many of the mayfly hatches are over for the season and trout will turn to what is available and that is often a grasshopper, beetle, or ant. While we have had some very good fishing, at times, with craneflies, caterpillars, and other less popular terrestrials, it is often an ant that will please a finicky fish. The photo shows a number of ants that were found in the stomach of a trout.

While ants are often hard to locate on the water a winged ant is easier to see, and if that doesn't work, an ant is a good choice to fish as a dropper behind a larger dry fly that is easy to find and follow. Use your hoppers and large beetles in the pocket water and riffles, but when you find a sipping fish in a pool, consider an ant or a small beetle. It might just fill the bill.

Our black fur parachute ant and our winged cinnamon ant are good choices and the wing will aid in locating the fly. Also, Jim's Real Beetles in brown and black are excellent choices at this time of year too because the flies are smaller than most beetles and have a spot of orange yarn on the back to help in locating them on the water. Check out these and other terrestrials in our store.

Brown Trout Kill on Yellowstone

Biologist samplings on the Yellowstone River have recently turned up an unexpected brown trout fish kill along with expected whitefish kill. Read More.

Our friend and Fly Fishing Show founder, Chuck Furimsky, sent this photo from Gangler's Lodge (Canada) where he was recently.  Beautiful pike.  Good job Chuck!  

Farbank Runs Away with Awards

Sage, RIO, and Redington (all Farbank brands) ran away with Best of Show awards at the iCast/AFFTA show last week in Orlando. The annual IFTD (International Fly Tack-le Dealer) show recognizes manufacturers for outstanding new products. Sage won for the new Salt HD fly rod, RIO for new innovations in leaders and tippet, plus the Big Nasty fly line, and Redington for the Minnow. Sage also won Overall Best of Show. Quite a year, congratulations to everyone at Farbank who helped make this possible!

Farbank President Moves On

Travis Campbell, president of Farbank Enterprises for 8 years, has accepted a position at Smart Wool. Travis is a long time employee with Farbank, owner of the Sage/Redington/RIO brands. He will be missed by all of us. Good luck with your move and your new position, Travis. Read More.

Winter Fly Fishing

We found an interesting perspective and short story in MidCurrent by Michigan guide, Tom Hazleton, on winter fishing. We hope you enjoy it. We're having a mild winter here in Pennsylvania – a good winter to continue fishing.  

http://midcurrent.com/techniques/walking-the-line/?utm_source=MidCurrent+Fly+Fishing+Email+Newsletter&utm_campaign=97a2dbd9e1-MidCurrent_January_25_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8efbf3b958-97a2dbd9e1-18929377

Fly Fishing Show Season

It was great to see so many of our readers and friends at the Somerset, NJ, Fly Fishing Show over the weekend. Unlike many years, the show had great weather and no interference from play-off or Super Bowl games, so we enjoyed record attendance and lots of new interest in tackle. The star player in the Sage booth was the new "X" rod. RIO was busy helping anglers match proper lines, explain tapers, weights, presentation, spey, etc. Of course, Redington was showing new waders, boots, rods & reels. The show is an excellent opportunity to see new products, ask questions, and to test rods. Thank you to everyone who attended.

The Fly Fishing Show moves to Atalanta, GA, this weekend, Friday & Saturday. If you're in the area, stop by. For location, hours, presentations, and seminars, go to flyfishingshow.com

Somerset Show

The Somerset Show was a great success with record attendance. It was a good weekend for traveling and a lot of Sage rods were tested on the pool. We talked fishing, travel, and tackle. The presentations were all well attended and everyone had a great weekend. We'd like to say thanks to everyone who stopped by the Sage, Redington, RIO, and Frontiers booths. When you can't be on the water, the next best thing is being with a lot of other fly fishermen sharing stories, talking about new products, new destinations, and great memories yet to be made! 

Also, we came across this little story on MidCurrent and want to share it with you. Lefty needs no introduction, nor does Joe Brooks. We might add that Lefty was here on Fishing Creek last fall with his friend Mark Lamos enjoying the unusually warm weather. Enjoy.

http://www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing/museum-pieces-a-fly-fishing-icons-first-reel?adv=352841&cm_mmc=linkshare-_-je6NUbpObpQ-_-1-_-352841

New Redington Prowler Wading Boot

These new boots (Siren for women) are getting lots of attention and great reviews. Cathy has field tested the Siren for a year now, loves them, and refuses to give them up. Redington's premier wading boot for 2016. Exceptional performance and durability. Molded rubber rands, wide soles, and quick-drying and quick-draining synthetic materials. Built for long days in any river condition imaginable. Very comfortable.

- Felt or Sticky Rubber
- Molded rubber overlays for durability
- Molded Polyurethane midsole
- Strong & lightweight
- Wide sole-expanded surface sole for stability
- Padded collar for ankle support
- Mesh lined interior & drain holes for quick drainage
- Molded, non-corrosive metal hardware
- Sticky Walnut Rubber and felt sole options
- Stud compatible
- $149.95

Check them out:   

Men 9-13
Women 6-10

Also, we've still got plenty of Fall fishing ahead of us- just ask Brad Berlin!

Our extended forecast shows above-average temps and we plan on taking advantage of it.  We hope you have a chance to get out on the water before winter sets in!

Does Your Fly Line Twist?

Russ Miller of the Far Bank family has a great tip for untwisting fly lines. Not everyone experiences line twist, but if you are with us and have been frustrated with this problem, here's the solution.

Also, Barry has been out of the office quite a bit the last few weeks and when I asked him what he was up to he told me a little bit about his time with Jay Green.  I asked him to type me up a story for a blog and he did.  Enjoy!

Sage's Jay Green

We watched the big rainbow in awe, sitting dormant on the stream bottom, it showed no sign that it was feeding. "That's a big fish" Jay said and I quickly agreed. But, with no signs of movement, it looked like he had lock jaw. I had little hope that we could interest the big fish but hope springs eternal so I said to Jay "Lets give him a try". The water was gin clear and I knew our first cast would have to be perfect, one mistake and it would be over.

Jay quietly slipped into the water and found an angle to make his presentation. On the end of his fourteen foot 4x leader was a bead head pheasant tail nymph. I watched as the fly line moved through an arc as Jay delivered forty feet of line leader and fly. It was a perfect cast and I watched as the small white strike indicator floated toward the fish. I could see the white mouth open and close as the strike indicator paused. I yelled "Strike!" but Jay had already started to lift the rod. Fifteen minutes later a beautiful twenty inch plus rainbow lay in my net, the pheasant tail nymph hooked in the side of the jaw. Together we watched the rainbow swim back to freedom as I congratulated Jay on a job well done. He smiled and said that single fish was worth the trip. 

The trip was a long plane ride from Seattle to our Fishing Creek valley but Jay makes the trip each year and we get to spend a few days together fishing and talking about the fly fishing industry. It's always something that I look forward to, for Jay is at the helm of a company called Far Bank which owns Sage, RIO and Redington, three of the top brands in the fly fishing world. The name Green has long been associated with Sage as Don Green was the founder and today we have Jay, no relation, but both men with a commitment to building and offering the best fly rods out there.

Jay has traveled the world fishing both fresh and salt, and has brought to net just about every species available to a fly fishermen. An extremely focused and well disciplined angler, Jay is the perfect individual to lead Sage into the future. For those of us who love our Sage equipment it's nice to know that Sage is in the safe and capable hands of Jay Green.

It's no secret that Barry and I feel very fortunate to be aligned with the Farbank companies, Sage, RIO, and Redington. Not only because we think the products are the best, but because the "brass" are really serious fishermen. These guys care about the sport, the resource, and the future. It's what they do on their days off, just ask Russ Miller, Far Bank Pro Site Supervisor, who is holding the beautiful steelhead in the picture. 

So, it doesn't surprise us to read that Travis Campbell, president and CEO at Farbank, began talks with TU brass earlier this year and has added Far Bank to the list of Wild Steelhead Initiative supporters. The Wild Steelhead Initiative
(WSI), will eventually encompass east and west, wild and stocked. The Great Lakes steelhead introduction program has been hugely successful and offers us easterners a place close to home to fish for magnificant steelhead. At the same time, no one can argue the value and sheer beauty of a wild, free, northwest steelhead, there is nothing like it. With organizations and people working together on both sides of the debate, maybe we can find common ground and move
forward - for the sake of the fish as well as the future of the sport.

And that brings us to two very good recent articles in our industry magazine, Angling Trade News, about wild steelhead, the WSI, the issues at hand, and the organizations and companies who are coming together to find that common ground.
Look for "Why Wild Matters" and the "Currents" column. It's good reading. Click here to read the current issue.

 We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year! We certainly enjoyed the time with our families and the optimism that comes with the start of a new year. We wanted to take this opportunity to give you a quick overview of some of the new and exciting things going on here looking at the year ahead.

 First of all we are currently working on improving our website. Since launching our new site 2 years ago, we have updated, changed and worked on most every part of it, and continue to do so. We are looking to make it easier for you to navigate along with adding more options to keep you in the loop of what Barry & Cathy are doing. Their trip schedule, our store, and Barry's photography continue to be our top priorities and we are always looking for ways to improve your online experience with us.

Where's Nancy going?

On a more personal note, we have some upcoming changes in the office. Nancy, who has run the whole show here for more than 10 years is looking to semi-retire. She has recently become a Grandma for the second time and is looking forward to spending more time with her family. Although we have a huge void to fill with her leaving, we are thankful that she is willing to help us through the transition and will still help us out one day a week.

Eddie & I will attempt to pick up most of Nancy's tasks. She is currently showing us the ins and outs of all that goes on here, and although I'm sure some things will change, our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible for everyone. We are looking forward to getting to know each of you through email, phone calls, and hopefully even in person. I look forward to talking to you the next time you contact the office.

Me a photographer? I don't think so.

 From the photography end, I know Barry is keeping up with the new technology and cameras. Evidence of this is found in all the boxes that have been delivered from Roberts Camera. I can't tell you much more about this as I'm still most comfortable with my iPhone camera (see office selfie)! I'm sure these new cameras will deliver the best in photo imaging for 2015. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos from his next trip. In regards to photos, my goal is to share more of his images with you this year. I get to "travel" to so many amazing places through his lens, and I know you would love to see what I see here while editing. I'm adding this to my to-do list.

Any new trips?

And last but not least, Barry & Cathy as Frontiers hosts have some exciting travel news for you....Cathy and Barry are currently on their way to Chile with a group to visit a new lodge, Coyhaique River Lodge, which they are very anxious to see and anticipate it being another great trip and destination for us. In March they are taking a few "regulars" along and fishing a new lodge on the Limay River in Argentina. The Limay is a favorite of theirs, but the destination has always lacked adequate accommodations - until now. In April, they will be in the Yucatan fishing for baby tarpon and snook in Campeche and dovetailing it with Grand Slam Lodge for permit, bonefish and tarpon. A combination they are excited about. And in June they will be returning to Iceland, but this time in association with Fish Partners, who specialize in customized angler excursions throughout Iceland, and are excited about seeing new water, relatively close to Reykjavik. This means lots of new photos will be coming my way!

Who is Farbank?

This was one of my first questions when I started here and I am asked it often. Farbank is the company that owns the three brands that Barry & Cathy are ambassadors for - Sage, RIO, and Redington. Cathy & Barry have been with Sage, and now Farbank, for over 25 years and have recently signed a rather long term contract continuing their association. Farbank is in extremely good hands with Jay Green at the helm. The Becks have always said that Jay is the kind of owner every company dreams of, he's totally dedicated to the sport of fly fishing, has an appreciation for the history of the sport and is an outstanding angler. Barry and Jay fish together each year here on our home stream, Fishing Creek. I've looked at many photos of beautiful fish that Jay has landed on water that can be extremely complicated at times (so I'm told). On the Sage end, rod designer Jerry Siem continues to create incredible casting rods. Simon Gawesworth and his crew at RIO continue to push the envelope in fly line design and technology. I think that the Beck's relationship with Farbank and hosting trips for Frontiers is a perfect fit.

I should also mention that they have worked and represented Smith Optics for probably as many years and have a long standing relationship with Nikon camera, two premier companies in optics. We welcome your questions with regards to any of these brands and products.

Thanks for supporting us in 2014, we are truly grateful for our clients and friends. Happy Casting in 2015!
Brooke