Normally I don't get a thrill sitting behind the vise. Tying a quantity of only four of each pattern drives me absolutely crazy. On the other and, I enjoy the craftsmanship of a good looking fly, especially when it's hanging at the end of my tippet - it's a dilemma! Every now and then, I can force myself into it though. And to be honest, this time it wasn't that bad either. I focused on meat - that means big flies for some big fish. Some Dorado-fly-like-pattern for Pike, some cookies for Tarpon (love it) and some bonefish bugs - something to fill up the boxes quickly. It all started with a bunch of flies that I promised to Gordon Sim and from then on, I couldn't stop playing around with Tarpon Toads. I tied them in different styles, different head shapes and some unusual colors (Toad Squid - White-Pink-White - Night fishing) Here are some impressions.

Deerhair Toad

The basic pattern is based on Gary Merriman's Tarpon Toad. Chartreuse Marabou for the tail, a rabbit collar and a head out of Bass/Deerhair...some eyes, that's it. I have shaped the head toad-like , leaving some strands of deer hair on top to blend in with the rabbit-collar - a little bit like Diana Rudolph's Fishalicious. Hook is an Owner's AKI (2/0) although I would love to tie some on Varivas' 2600 V.

Messy Toad

Again, a pattern based on Merriman's Toad but this time with a head made out of a blend of Fox, Bucktail and some Deerhair. Carefully placed in a loop and then twisted, the only thing left to do is wrapping it around. That's it. I like the rough appearance of that bug - it resembles SS-Flies "Fox Fur Tarpon" a little bit. The impact- and sinkingrate is silent and slow, should be a good sandy bottom laid up fish fly. Tied on Owner's AKI 2/0

Squid Toad

Well, it's the good old classic again. The head is a little more fluffy for a slow sinking rate. Just like a Wolly Bugger, the toad imitates a lot of different things and nothing really at all. I've watched Tarpon eating reef squids like candies, especially at night and close to docks and piers. When the lights are switched on and fry and bait gathers together, squids are always close by. The closer they get, the more transluminiscent they appear. This pattern is supposed to imitate reef squid at night. AKI 2/0.

Dorado Mullet

Sorry for the photograph, this bug looks quite chewed up already; at least it's a good indicator that this fly works. Yeap, it has seen some pike teeth already. This version is tied on a longshank spinnerbait hook and made to tease some toothy critters in our local ponds. Tied on a Tarpon hook, it makes a good mullet though. SF fibers with some mirage flash make the tail. Take some Bucktail (white) and wrap it tightly in. The fibers must spread out to push some water. Five strings of peacock hearl and some flash in between to give it some shape before the bi-color bass hair head rounds it up. I like the brass eye weighted version of it, because I can fish it a little faster (escaping fry)

I find my mind wondering more recently. It tends to drift off into the distance to a far off location. The place is filled with large, beautiful, and wild fish tempted to flies on seemingly every cast. A smirk spreads across my face like I just won the lottery. However, that face tends to fade away as I realize my surroundings. Usually, this is in the midst of a casual conversation with a friend. I find that I have no recollection of what was said, but I can account in detail, every facet of the fish I just hooked in my imagination. This is probably the closest I'll come to some of my dream destinations. For now, I just settle for whatever is a suitable driving distance away. 

Settling isn't such a bad thing. One can dream of dorado, sea-run browns, migratory tarpon, or giant catfish all they want, but it isn't fishing. So I head out into the fray and find myself getting excited for some of fly fishing's moments. In order to do so I am getting in touch with my roots: fly fishing for wild trout on the scenic rivers and streams of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The moments are not far and few between. They are everywhere. 

One doesn't have to travel far to find the finer things. Our surroundings provide an endless backdrop in which we play our game. Whether it is an early morning fog enshrouding anglers in a ravine, or the smell of a shower of rain upon old growth forest. It can be a hatch, with thousands of mayflies littering the surface of the river. It can be the golden hues of a brown, the dashing red cheeks of a rainbow, or the fine vermiculate patterns and bluish halos of a brook trout. It can be a group of anglers sharing in their love for the sport. It can be someones first time fly fishing. The first time they caught a fish on a fly they tied themselves. Or it can simply be, being there. In wild place, free from the obligations of society.

The sport is filled with potential and an endless amount of knowledge, technique, places to go, and species to catch. The moments are all very similar and you can find them anywhere, even close to home.