Chris Adams - What A Neat And Orderly Guy

Chris Adams - A Really Organized Fly Fisher

Chris Adams - An Organized Fly Fisher

The Big Bow Arrives Home

The November bow I was lucky enough to land during the trout derby has been in Sherman, Texas since the last week of November. Today she arrived home.

A young taxidermist named Rusty Ponder mounted this bow and I couldn't be more delighted with Rusty's work so naturally I am going to plug him. If you would like to see some of Rusty's creations then you can visit him at his website Ponder Taxidermy.

Although I have caught some very nice fish in my lifetime I never considered having any of them mounted until this one. This bow is the one that won Susie's derby memorial award for me one time and one time only which is what I wanted. I am very proud that my name will be on her plaque along with the likes of Chris Adams, Bruce Dixon, and other members of the Blue River Fly Fishers. I hope to fish long enough to see many more familiar names on Susie's plaque. Donn Rist is certainly due as is James Webster and there are so many others I hope will win the award someday.

The bow is going in the fly tying room which is quickly becoming a fly fishing museum. Someday I will get it all organized...maybe.

Ole Gray And Fluro Bugger

It was 9 o'clock at the workplace this morning and looking outside I could see it was developing into a beautiful day. So under my breath I said, "I'm out of here", and I was.

I arrived at Blue and was on the water by 10:30. On the way down I had a fly on my mind. It was a fly I tied about three years ago and have never used it. It's a bugger but kind of an unusual bugger. When it is wet it looks more like a soft hackle pattern. It has a beadhead but not a metal beadhead but rather a plastic fluro colored head. And, the fly is brown. Perhaps these are the reasons I haven't ever tried it.

I start my day at Chuck's Ledge with a purple sparkle bugger and capture one bow. Then I decide to tie on the fluro head and land five more bows. Like Chuck reported recently, the bows want the fly at a crawl and this part of the river has stained quite significantly.

James Webster was fishing off the crossing and he decides to go downstream to the island. So, I decide to follow him and take the flats.

At the flats I still have fluro head tied on so I start high-sticking it through the runs and capture two more bows. But then I start seeing a few risers, not many, but still a few.

In my fly box is another fly that has been on my mind. It is my attempt at Ralph Jame's Ole Gray pattern; one he showed me a couple of months ago.

I can't resist and I tie old gray on. I miss the first three takers and am in shock at this point that I had three takers. Then I capture four bows in a row with the last cast being made all the way to the other side of the river which I didn't think I could pull off. That last bow was the most fun. I had a blast using ole gray today. After that fourth fish I decide I better take ole gray off and put him up before I lose him, so in the box he goes.

I waddled back upstream to the ledge and tie on a regular brown bugger and take one bow. Then on the next cast a rock captures that fly and it's gone. Now comes a crawdad pattern and that same damn rock, evidently, takes that fly. Looks like it is time to go downstream.

I want to fish Glory Hole but it is covered up with fishermen so it's to Seventeen. Seventeen didn't produce anything for me today and to tell the truth Seventeen is not the pool it once was. Ten years ago, Seventeen was one of the best spots on the river.

I go upstream to the boulder using fluro head and capture four more bows. By now it is 1:30 in the afternoon so I call it a day.

Out of the seventeen bows landed today, fluro head took eleven and Ole Gray took four. Two wonderful flies that had never been used until today.

The L L Bean Wader Review

About a month or so ago, I put a question up on the Blue River Fly Fishers group site as if anyone had any experience with L L Bean Waders. The overwhelming answer was no, but that post did receive quite a bit of input as to which brand of waders, in the posters opinion, were the best.

Simms seemed to be highly regarded by most but not by all and I do believe I recall one rather dissenting voice against Simms. Cabelas seem to get a lot of good reviews as did Hodgman and several other well known names.

However, since there seem to be no one with knowledge or experience with L L Bean waders I decided to give them a try just so I could give this review. It was'nt only that...I was simply tired of leaky waders and Carol needed a new pair of waders also.

The L L Bean waders we ordered were reasonably priced, under $60.00, which I know makes them "cheapies" in a lot of fly fisher's eyes. But, my reasoning was as follows.

I could have very well ordered a pair of Simms Guide waders and paid just twelve cents short of $300.o0 for that distinction. But, I know myself well and in that self-knowledge I have come to realize that my rough and rowdy butt will get two years out of a pair of waders...regardless of the brand or name. With that in mind and doing the math I can get five pair of L L Bean waders for the price of one pair of Simms Guide waders. Now, I doubt that a pair of Simms Guide waders would last me ten years and that is what I will get out of five pair of L L Bean. The economics were simply with the L L Bean product.

So, what do Carol and I think of our new waders. More good than bad and here is our review.

The first thing I noticed about our L L Bean waders was less seams. Our waders are void of an inseam and that spells good with a capital G to me. Less seams...less chances for a leak.

The first thing Carol noticed was the inside chest storage pouch. It seemed to be much smaller than previous waders we had owned or wore. As a matter of fact, with the last two set of waders I have owned I could get a small digital camera, pack of cigarettes, lighter, a pack of strike indicators, and small notepad in the storage pouch. But, with the L L Bean waders I had to make a decision between digitial camera or pack of Doral's and being the weak willed creature I am, the cigarettes won out. The pouch is not real accomodating.

Size and fitting are very important to Carol and myself. Most companies that offer waders do offer small sizes but "small" doesn't always fit Carol and myself. Both of us are cut rather thin and short to the ground. I have a 28 waist and Carol's is even smaller. We have problems finding everyday clothes to fit us at most times. However, the L L Bean small waders fit us quite well. Actually they don't fit quite as snug as the last two pair we have purchased which makes it easier to bend and squat.

Personally, I did find one big downside to our L L Bean waders. The waders came with a waist belt...but no belt loops. I don't like that and for very good reasons. It seems like every time I go to the great outdoors my bladder and prostrate hears the "call of the wild" and goes into doubletime. It is not uncommon to see me crow-hopping out of the river, scurrying my way to the brush trying to find the closest tree. In order to water the natural grass, lillies, whatever, I will have to take that belt off which means putting the belt on the ground or somewhere. Once I finish my required nature break it will be time to put the belt back on. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow there will come the day that in my haste to get back to the water coupled with my absent mindedness, I will get back in the water and realize that my waist belt is still on the bank somewhere. And, when that happens...that will chap my butt. L L Bean should have put belt loops on these waders.

All in all, we like these waders so far. We've only wore them three times but so far no leaks and that is a good thing. I have had waders in my past that I realized a leak with the first outing.

L L Bean is a respected company with great brand name recognition. It's our hope our waders will live up to the quality of their company name.

The Big Picture

Although my thoughts are usually along the lines and discipline of fly-fishing, I have a great respect for all that enjoy the great outdoors. Therefore, here is the total and final results of the 2008 President's Day Trout Derby held at Blue River.

Saturday:

Heavy Stringer (Bait or Spinners)
Roger Flynn with 17 pounds.

Heavy Stringer Ladies
Veronica Canada with 8 pounds, 8 ounces.

Heavy Trout Male
Roy Waller

Heavy Trout Female
Brandi Smith

Youth Heavy Trout
Nicholas Jones

Youth Heavy Stringer
Kody Young

Heavy Trout Fly-Fisher
Don Rist

Heavy Stringer Fly-Fisher
Chris Adams

Sunday:

Heavy Stringer (Bait or Spinners)
Roger Flynn

Heavy Sringer Ladies
Veronica Canada

Heavy Trout Male
Wayne Anderson

Heavy Trout Female
Barbara Harden

Youth Heavy Trout
Lana Marshall

Youth Heavy Stringer
Kody Young

Heavy Stringer Fly-Fisher
Ida Gaither

Overall Winners:

Roger Flynn
Veronica Canada
Kody Young
Ida Gaither

A Hallowed But Not So Lofty Award

I won the not so prestigious award on Saturday for the smallest trout captured. However, I join the ranks of Don Rist, (who won the same award on Sunday), and Donny Carter who won the award at a previous derby.