Easy to Tie and Fish

Here is the Lucky Leech tube fly, a true guide pattern. Quick and easy to tie, you can't really fish it wrong, and will catch pretty much anything depending on the color. Here is the recipe:

Tube: Inch and half length of Eumer small tubing, heated on both ends.

Wing: Rabbit strip 3"-5" long in your favorite color, mix in some of your favorite flash material- mine is CascadeCrest Krinkle Mirror Flash.\

Head: Optional- I like to put in a few wraps of Schlappen and add a clump of Ice Dub

As you can see, color combinations are endless.



For swinging, I put the hook in a tippet loop and anchor the knot inside the tube. For stripping add a junction tube and seat the hook.

Swinging on the Salmon River

The recent warm spell has anglers out on the water all over the Great Lakes area. Here Patrick Ross, owner of The Angler's Lodge in Altmar, NY (315-298-6028) swings a run on the Salmon River for an end-of-the-year steelhead. Pat hosted JD, and dog-friends Wael Dardir and Jeff Liskay for a close up look at the river. Stay posted for final results!

Dog Friends and Friendly Dogs

JD got an invite from Dog Friend Jay Reda (upper right), host of NE Ohio's Inside the Great Outdoors radio show for a snowy day goose hunt. Here are the results of yesterday morning's adventure in Geauga County with Jay, buddy Chris, and gang. Jay's hunting buddies, Grizz and Bruin, were kept happy and busy retreiving geese.

The Reward for Hard Work and Preparation

Late-season duck hunting can take a lot of work, first to locate an area that is holding birds, then to be prepared for the conditions. Hunting on a day like this, when wind chills were below zero, requires dressing properly for comfort and safety. The reward can be be a trio of prime birds like this black duck and two mallards.

The Big Chill!!

With the cold and snow across the region, fishing has pretty much shut down for the time being. Good time to switch gears and try for some waterfowl. Although most of Sandusky Bay is frozen, there are scattered open patches of water that will attract puddle ducks and geese. A few decoys are all that is needed to attract birds under these conditions. Just be sure to dress warm so you can wait them out!

Fly Fishing Loses a Great Friend

The fly fishing community as a whole and the Midwest area, in particular, lost a great friend recently with the passing of Tom Helgeson on November 12, 2010. Tom was Editor-In-Chief of Midwest Fly Fishing magazine, a wonderful publication that focused on fly fishing throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes area. Tom also ran the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expos in Chicago and Minneapolis.

Helgeson was an active steward of the environment and preserving the resources of the region. He had a passion for educating anglers and bringing young blood into the sport of fly fishing. It was my pleasure and honor to have known Tom and worked with him for many years. He will be missed by all.