Now That's A Fly!

At the recent Huron River (MI) Fly Tyer's Symposium, Capt. Brian Mezaros of Great Lakes Fly Fishing tied up a few patterns for late-season musky fishing on Lake St. Clair. Using the quarter for size comparison, you can see that Capt. B's "Imperchinator" is a giant pattern. By tieing it on a tube, hook size and length does not limit the size of the fly. It is also tied with non-water absorbing materials, so it picks up minimal water weight and stays easier to cast.

It's Tyin' Time Again

Mid-winter is prime time for fly tying. There are tying expo's and shows all across the country that allow us to share our skills, get idea's from other tiers, buy materials, and work on filling our fly boxes.

One of the newer item's on the market is The Fish Skull from Flymen Fishing Company. These weighted heads are added to the fly after it is tied and then secured in position. They provide extra flash, weight, and swimming motion to the fly. Fish Skull are available in 4 sizesfor hooks #8 to #4/0 and 7 colors. They give a realistic baitfish profile and work as a built-in keel as 70% of the weight is below the hook shank.

Fish Skulls are 100% designed and manufactired in the United States!!

A Link in the Food Chain

The alewife is an invasive species that entered the Great Lakes 50 or so years ago. The sheer volume of them led to die offs that left millions of alewives rotting on beaches. This led to the introduction of Pacific salmon species in the mid-1960's in an atttempt to control the alewives. The Pacific salmon did their job and helped create a boom in the Great Lakes sport fishery. Alewives are still present, but much reduced in numbers. In Lake Huron, their numbers may be too low at present to support a significant salmon fishery. Time will tell.

Fly Casters in the Mist

There are warm water discharges all across the Great Lakes region that attract both fish and fisherman in the middle of winter. Anything from carp to coho may end up grabbing a fly. When the air temperature is in the teens, the water temp is in the mid 40's, and the snow is falling, it gets a bit spooky looking.

Steelhead From The Salmon!

Here is a Salmon River steelie caught during typical upper New York state winter weather- snow and cold. Team Fishdog, along with Patrick Ross (The Angler's Lodge, 315-298-6028) caught an assortment of steelhead and brown trout swinging and dead-drifting assorted patterns.