Get the Stink Out

If you spend any time on the water it soon becomes clear that your equipment will start to stink. I have this really great pair of TEVA sandals that I wear all the time during the summer months. After a few days on the stream though they start to get this funky smell that will not go away. I had tried every different remedy I could find and none of them ever seemed to work. Finally, I hit the jackpot and found the right combination. It will work for wading boots, water shoes, sandals, or anything else you wear in the water that starts to take on the stream side funk.

It is easy, it is simple and here it is…I will use my TEVA sandals for example:

Step one: Take a 5-gallon bucket and pour in one gallon of regular vinegar. Dip your TEVA sandals into the bucket. Make sure they are completely soaked. I always let them sit in the bucket for a couple hours at least to make sure they get completely wet.

Step two: Take your sandals out of the bucket and place them in the sun so they can dry completely.

Step three: Once they are dry, wrap them up in plastic bag like you get from Walmart and place them in the freezer for 24 to 48 hours. The plastic bag is not really necessary, but nothing freaks out the wife like opening the freezer door and seeing your sandals on top of the pot roast. My wife and I have separate (his and her) freezers, but that is another story for another day.

Step four: Take them out of the freezer and put them on. You might want to let them thaw a bit. They can be pretty cold for half hour or so. 

I wear my sandals every day during the summer and I am in the creek at least a couple times on the weekends. Over the course of the summer I probably have to do this three or four times. I know this works for me and I hope this helps you too. 

Good Luck

Driftless 3.0

We started off with a bit of good news/bad news this year. Sasquatch, the man who swore he would never reproduce, ended up eating his words. That is the Good news. Tadpole (the wee ones name) showed up a couple months before our 2015 fishing trip trip, so Sasquatch decided to stay home and give momma a hand. That was the bad news. Another bit of Good news…Tadpole is a beautiful baby that takes after her momma. Good thing too. Imagine if she would have come out with a goat beard and dreadlocks. Hmmmm.

So to fill Sasquatch’s spot Q-ball, Stinkbug and I looked high and low for a replacement. In the end it was mostly the low places that we found the most suitable candidates of our fishing group. This is where we found “Floppy” Thompson. Now, Floppy it turned out was eerily similar to Q-ball and Stinkbug. First off he was a Navy SeaBee, secondly, he is an old guy and thirdly, he cannot hear shit without his hearing aids in. Boy, did he fit right in with our group. Oh, I forgot to mention that he has a plethora of really bad jokes that he can call up on demand from the neither reaches of his mind. So the group was set. It was me and the geriatric three amigos.We are hoping that Sasquatch will be able to join us next year, but I am not sure the state of Minnesota could handle five of us at one time. LOL

 

Stinkbug, Floppy, Q-Ball and Boot

  

Driftless Brown

Why Floppy?

Most of the members of the group have a nickname based on a physical characteristic they possess. Q-Ball is as bald as a baby’s ass, Sasquatch is as hairy as…well Sasquatch, and Stinkbug is not so much named for a characteristic that he possesses, but rather one that he is able to produce, seemingly at will and with varying degrees of lethalness.

I struggled at first coming up with Floppy’s nickname. At first I thought of “Old Dude”, but then I found out he was the youngest of the geriatric three I had with me at the spry age of 67 years old. The next thought I had was for a nickname was “earplug” because he couldn’t hear anything, but I hated giving someone a nickname based on his dis-ability, unlike Stinkbug who is actually named after his ability.

As we sat down on the first day to put on our waders and go fishing…BOOM! Out comes this hat. What it really reminded me of was “KARL” the Grounds Keeper. You remember Bill Murray’s character KARL the Grounds Keeper from the movie “CADDYSHACK” and his obsession with getting that evil gopher. The funny looking floppy hat that Karl wore in the movie had been transcended to Minnesota and was now resting on Floppy Thompson’s head. So thus we dubbed him “FLOPPY” and his name has been set. 

 

Floppy Thompson - That hat says it all!

Driftless 3.0 Fishing Report

So how was the fishing you ask? In a word…Great. This was our third year to head into the Driftless area to fly fish and it was the best yet. Two years ago we came to Minnesota after a historic flood that had scoured everything and took most of the aquatic life with it. The fishing was good and we had a great time, but the fish were a bit on the small size. Last year we took off to Viroqua and fished the Kickapoo and Coulee’s in SE Wisconsin. The fishing was good, but the camping accommodations did lack a little bit and you had to drive a half hour one way to get to the stream. The fishing this year in Minnesota topped them all. First, we hit great weather, which always helps. Secondly, the trout were hungry. We had a great time fishing dry flies such as Hendrickson, Caddis and Sulphurs in the late mornings and early evenings. During the warmer and sunnier parts of the day we had success on small nymphs and stripping leeches. And finally, the state of Minnesota installed a slot limit a few years ago on the Root River, which protects trout between 12 and 16 inches. This seems to have really made a different. We landed several 13-16 inch fish this year. In 2013, I landed only one fish over 12 inches. I would say their plan worked and the fishing has improved drastically. 

Another Driftless Brown Trout

Wasn't hard to figure out what they were rising to. These Hendrickson's were everywhere

I told you these guys were old. Naps were quite commons.

We have to say thanks you Ms. Laura for keeping us well fed.

 

Have to thank MOM also. She knows my favorite

 

No camp is complete without several rousing games of FARKLE dice. I am sure they heard us hooting and hollering all over the campground

Fly Shop review of the Driftless Fly Fishing Company

The Driftless Fly Fishing Company is an ORVIS flyshop located in Preston, Minnesota only a half block off of the town square. It is a small fly shop, which has only been open for about a year, but they seem to be moving forward. They have fairly odd hours during the week (7:00 to 9:00 pm), but they are open all day Saturday and most of the day on Sunday.  Their stock seems to be limited and they don’t have everything, but what can you expect from a small shop. They have a small selection of the standard of flies from the area and the prices seeme din line with any other flyshop. They also have the necessities to handle any emergency such as waders, boots, and the like. I only noticed about a dozen fly rods in the shop. I didn’t really look at the prices, but they are an Orvis shop so I would imagine you could expect the Orvis prices. 

Floppy landing a fish he hooked on a dry fly

I believe in shopping the local fly shops when I go into any new area. Between the four of us we spend about $100 on a couple dozen flies, hats and T-shirts for those back home. The owner is friendly and willing to give some general information, tips and pointers for fishing in the area. The information given was something that any experienced flyfishermen could figure with time, but talking with the local flyshop usually speeds up the process. That being said, they do run a guide service out of the shop so I am sure they hold information close to their vest and part it out to their own clients. I don’t blame them a bit, that is just business. They currently don’t have their Minnesota fishing license so if you need a fishing tag or trout stamp you will need to go somewhere else. I personally recommend the Quick shop in downtown Wykoff. It is close to the campground and they are super friendly.  The Driftless Fly Fishing Company is a nice little shop that I am sure will get better with time.

 

In closing. Went up there and fished for the week only to find out that humans are not allowed to fish. Seems only the fish can go fishing. Who knew?

Enrico Puglisi - Product Review (A to B+)

Really cool stuff every tier should try...at least once

Enrico Puglisi - What the heck does that mean? I don’t know Spanish, but the package says that it is “Streamer Brush with Micro Legs” from www.epflies.com. Evidently, Enrico is by some guy who like to invent different types of fibers.

I was sitting at the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishers EXPO last weekend and ladies from River Run Flyshop and Outfitters had a package of this stuff lying on the table. I looked at it a couple times and thought to myself that it would tie an awesome leech pattern. I am a HUGE fan of leech patterns. “If you can’t catch fish, try a leech.”  It is basically spun dubbing with a very thin wire used rather than thread. There is quite a bit of sparkle in it and best of all, there are very fine rubber legs woven into it. I cringed and paid the $7.50 for the package of six and gave it a try.

The olive leech that every fish would want to eat!

I have only tied #10 leech patterns with it so far, but I have to say that it is definitely good stuff. It comes in several colors, but olive, tan or burnt orange are by far my favorites. Some of the brighter colors may work great for saltwater, but for the Ozarks those three colors seem to work best. The cost sounds pretty high, but it is really thick and you tend to use less product than with regular mohair. I suspect that I can tie somewhere between 30 to 36 flies with the single package. On top of that it is spun with fine wire. The flies are sturdy and should last no matter what species of fish you are chasing or how long you fish with it.

So how would I rate this product? I guess I would have to say the product rates an A in the quality and usability category. It is good stuff. It is sturdy, but while it may last forever and the fish can’t seem to destroy it, I seldom lose flies to fish. The trees behind me are a different story. Since I am always looking to save money where I can, in the category of cost I have to rate it closer to a B+. In the end… I will continue to use the stuff, but I will rip and rare every time I go up to the cash register to pay.

Enjoy and I hope that you find this review helpful.
Boot