Fishin' with your Traditional Knives

[SadSappySucker]

Granted both are fun to catch, but I think you mean Stripers.

I was wondering if anyone else was going to catch that!

 

[Trout Hound]

Haha. I've often wondered whether you fished or not with that name.
I tell yah, I have not been this excited to pick up a rod in a long time. This fly stuff has really grabbed ahold of me.
I can't wait to start hitting up some of the mountain streams when I'm confident enough in my technique to not get caught up every third cast.
I'm still pretty green.
I spent ten hours today wading the Chattahoochee with some much more experienced anglers. It was a slow day for everyone, but I only managed two in the net. But between the nice brown and making some new friends I'd say it was a good day.
(but god I'm gonna be sore tomorrow)

And as for the obligatory knife content, the two mainstays were on me, the 77 Barlow and Fiddleback forge patch knife.

It is truly addicting. I even warn people before I take them fishing that they're gonna be hopelessly addicted to it. I caught my first trout on the fly when I was sixteen, and I knew, right then and there, that I wanted to keep doing that as often as possible for the rest of my life. Fishing with more experienced friends is the fastest way to learn. It's one thing to read about it, it's a whole other thing to watch it. If you can get someone to show you how to fish the tiny blue line streams, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration. But, once you learn how, those streams will probably be your favorites to fish. My sister lives down that way now, and I keep meaning to go visit and to bring my rod along to try some local streams.

Those Fiddleback knives sure are nice. They just look like they belong in the woods.

 

[SadSappySucker]

You know, when I bought it I was still into hiking and intended for it to be my backpacking knife(as well as an everything else knife) but I haven't been hiking with it yet. The weather started warming up, and I got sidetracked by the water.
I see you live in NC. A guy I've been fishing with lately was just talking about possibly making a trip up to Cherokee.

 

[knarfeng]

Knife forum. Need to talk about knives.

 

[SadSappySucker]

I picked up an 8wt to accompany me on a trip to Destin FL next month. I've been spending the past couple trips working on my streamer fishing. Hopefully I'll have some redfish and speck pics to show!

I'm curious how my fidleback will do in/ near the saltwater. I used to carry any belt knife regardless of materials into the surf when I fished saltwater. I would just clean any corrosion off afterwords without thinking much about it. This fiddleback, however, is by far the nicest knife Ive owned. The rustic(or splayed?) finish holds rust like crazy, and I fear the blood wood would dry out super quick. As much as it pains me to say it, I think it will end up seeing some time off while I'm out there.
I can tell you this with certainty, the '15 canal street forum knife will be seeing a boat load of carry time.
And just a reminder...

And just to keep things wet and slimy...

 

[boy&hisdogs]

A bluegill on a fly isn't anything special, in fact it's probably the first fish most of you ever caught on a fly. What IS special about this bluegill is that it was the first fish I took out of this lake! It took me years to learn it's secrets, even the groundskeeper walked by me one day and shook her head, and chuckled as she told me "I've never seen anyone catch anything on a fly here". The "lake" is just an oversized duck pond in a city park, and visibility is only a few inches at best. Also, there is tons of brush, only about 80 yards or so of the bank is actually accessible. Usually fish are caught from boats and some people pull bass out from under the dock with big sinking lures. It's catch-and-release only (smart fish) due to contamination from farm runoff. This lake still has DDT in it as well as blue-green algae (toxic, especially when stirred up by the carp) and a few dogs die every year from drinking the water.

I caught a lucky break after a big storm. A tree and a bunch of the surrounding brush was uprooted and drifted to a new spot just down the bank and settled there. Crazy, I know, but it formed a big "C" shape coming out of the little mini peninsula and after some careful sneaking I spotted a school of about 8 bluegills taking bugs off the surface inside the "C". No matter how careful I was, each pattern only got hit once. Every time I caught one I had to switch flies.

Small fish, huge victory.

 

[Rockon75]

Time to take the plastic off that cork.....great story!!

 

[boy&hisdogs]

Time to take the plastic off that cork.....great story!!

Normally I would agree, but for 10 years I just never got around to it and at this point I want to see how long it can last.

 

[SadSappySucker]

I’m getting a tying vice for Christmas. I’m on a slim budget so I try and always keep an eye out for free materials I can scrounge up.
Well, this morning I ran across some super fresh roadkill so my FF made short work of his tail.

I’m going to step up my streamer game and this deer hair should be nice.
I lucked into this 20” brown Sunday swinging a little woolly bugger. I landed him on my 3wt nymphing rod and 6x tippet. I couldn’t believe he never broke me off. It’s by far my biggest trout yet.

 

[solphilos]

I don't have pics, but I was fishing last weekend in a favorite spot near the mouth of the Savannah river and found an old yella Case stockman sitting on a driftwood log. It was rusted so much that all was recognizable was the serpentine handle, the yellow covers bulging out from the heavily rusted liners springs.

I think about the guy who left that knife behind and what fish he may have caught there. For all I know it could have been a year or 10 since he forgot that knife, the salty coastal breeze gradually replacing the CV steel with bright orange rust. It only felt right to leave the knife where it lay, and as secluded as that spot is it will probably be there until all that's left is that faded yella delrin.

 

[solphilos]

I don't have pics, but I was fishing last weekend in a favorite spot near the mouth of the Savannah river and found an old yella Case stockman sitting on a driftwood log. It was rusted so much that all was recognizable was the serpentine handle, the yellow covers bulging out from the heavily rusted springs.

I think about the guy who left that knife behind and what fish he may have caught there. For all I know it could have been a year or 10 since he forgot that knife, the salty coastal breeze gradually replacing the CV steel with bright orange rust. It only felt right to leave the knife where it lay, forever looking out over the Atlantic. As secluded as that spot is it will probably be there until all that's left is that faded yella delrin.

 

[Ramrodmb]

Absolutely beautiful Brown! Congrats!

 

[Peregrin]

Awesome post, Erik! You must have been reading my mind!
I was reading a few stories and articles in the current Trout magazine just this morning, coming to grips with the fact that NYS trout season doesn't open again until April. There's a few places that have no season, so I may get out on some bright, warm winter day. That'll be determined by the weather, I guess and surely won't be surface fishing with dry flies.
I fish the creeks and streams around Central NY mostly, using dry flies for the most part. I fish with a 3WT rod and corresponding line and tippet. Once in awhile I'll hook into a 12"- 15" inch Rainbow or Brown, usually much smaller though. I've had the bigger ones break the line on me, but when I get one like that in the net it's a huge thrill!
Good luck with your fly tying! I used to tie with my dad, many years ago, he was really good at it and taught me. Not doing much of it now though. Maybe when my grandson gets older I'll pull the gear back out and pass it on to him.
I carry this Primos hand forged B&T on the stream, among others.
Thanks and "Good fishing"!

 

[strokednbored]

Helluva brown on a little setup!

 

[boy&hisdogs]

Speaking of free materials, I shot a pheasant years ago and have tied dozens of flies using his featers. There are a lot of colors on that bird!

Also, I bought a large assortment of flies that came in one of those clear organizer boxes. At the bottom of each pocket there was a square of flat foam that I cut up and use to tie beetles and grasshoppers and such. I think you can just buy this foam at the craft store though, about 1/16 to 1/8 thick.

 

[SadSappySucker]

Awesome post, Erik! You must have been reading my mind!
I was reading a few stories and articles in the current Trout magazine just this morning, coming to grips with the fact that NYS trout season doesn't open again until April. There's a few places that have no season, so I may get out on some bright, warm winter day. That'll be determined by the weather, I guess and surely won't be surface fishing with dry flies.
I fish the creeks and streams around Central NY mostly, using dry flies for the most part. I fish with a 3WT rod and corresponding line and tippet. Once in awhile I'll hook into a 12"- 15" inch Rainbow or Brown, usually much smaller though. I've had the bigger ones break the line on me, but when I get one like that in the net it's a huge thrill!
Good luck with your fly tying! I used to tie with my dad, many years ago, he was really good at it and taught me. Not doing much of it now though. Maybe when my grandson gets older I'll pull the gear back out and pass it on to him.
I carry this Primos hand forged B&T on the stream, among others.
Thanks and "Good fishing"!

Thanks. That bird and trout looks great, but that stag...
I’m envious of you folks who have quality trout waters. The Chattahoochee, which I primarily fish, has a good brown trout population, but the bug life sucks! I would kill to have a river that had real hatches. I’ve never really fished dries much. I’ll use them to suspend nymphs here and there, but they rarely see much action.
But on the flip side, we have an ice cold tailwater year round with browns that push 30”, so I can’t complain to much.

Something weird I’ve noticed lately is that there seems to be more fly fisherman with an interest in quality cutlery than I would have expected. It seems like everyone I meet has at least a basic knowledge of some of the bigger name brands.

 

[Dschal]

I’m getting a tying vice for Christmas. I’m on a slim budget so I try and always keep an eye out for free materials I can scrounge up.
Well, this morning I ran across some super fresh roadkill so my FF made short work of his tail.

I’m going to step up my streamer game and this deer hair should be nice.
I lucked into this 20” brown Sunday swinging a little woolly bugger. I landed him on my 3wt nymphing rod and 6x tippet. I couldn’t believe he never broke me off. It’s by far my biggest trout yet.

Great job. Such an impressive fish on light tackle!

 

[johnny twoshoes]

 

[johnny twoshoes]

 

[johnny twoshoes]