A Windknots Day

A Proud Member!

When it rains....time to warm up the vise. And break out the Pro Staff attire.

Thanks again Howard!

Breeching the Heat

Yellow Breeches

With summer going out in a blaze, a cool morning was certainly a welcome event, as was the first time on trout water in nearly 2 months. With only an hour available, it was certainly nice to bring a fish to hand. 

Sometimes a single 9" Brown is worth a million fish

Especially when using my favorite 7' 3wt Lamiglass 

One of my favorite waters anywhere, it's always nice to visit. The water was low, gin clear and saying the fish were skittish is an understatement.  With 3 hookups and one (the 1st) landed, all came on the same pattern. A #16 Tactical Caddis

Tactical Caddis

Chains

Chains

Rover Lanyard Step-by-Step

The Rover Lanyard 

Step-By-Step

After several requests for a step-by-step on building this lanyard, here is how I go about it.

Materials

Center Cord:  30" 

Outer Cord:  8'

Large Swivels:  4

Loop your 30" cord and knot/burn ends. Anchor over a standing peg. This is your center cord, it is tied in different color for demonstration purposes. the center cord will remain straight and will not roll or twist.

Add your 8ft outer cord to the peg ( I use 8 ft because I would rather have more than fall short and it's easier to work with on knots).

 Make an overhand loop as shown, around your center cords. This will form your belt/tippet loops. You want the overhand to be 5" from the peg.

Begin your Solomon knot, maintaining the 5" and even loops.

After your second Solomon knot cinch all down tight, maintaining the measurements for the loops. Once tight, you can remove the peg and all will stay in place.

Continue Solomon knots, keeping center cord straight.

Complete 20 Solomon knots, which should put you right near 4" in length with 5" loops.

Make an overhand knot on either side to anchor your Solomon portion. Tie them with the running-end facing up.

Slide on a swivel on either side

Make another overhand knot in the same manner 2" up on either side. Slide the 2nd set of swivels on.

Tie a Bowline knot on each side capturing both an outside loop and center loop with each. 

Cut and burn each end to secure.

You Rover lanyard is complete. 

The working end of the center cord is left long to make attaching a tippet container, fly box or whatever you choose possible. 

The top loops slide up through the tippet spools and you can either loop your belt through them or add a snaplink.

Topwater Chains

The CGR and Chain Pickerel

Last night I was able to visit a small pond near the house.  It is a place I tend to hit more than the rest of the local spots, but for some reason I had not been to since early spring. I threw my small shoulder bag in the truck, and grabbed the 7/8wt CGR. 

I immediately noticed the water had an odd character to it?  There were no bluegill boils to be seen, and tying on a #6 FBC brought nothing. Not even a small gill short-strike. What I did see though were a few instances of baitfish fleeing, which caught my attention. 

Switching over to a Mule Deer Diver proved to be the answer to the riddle. The pickerel were turned on! In a body of water I only tend to bring 2-3 in a season to hand, 5 fish came in a period of maybe 30 minutes.

The largest of the night

Each take was as violent as the next, hitting deer hair bug like a rocket and leaving the water completely.  In the middle of the pickerel I was able to pick up one bass, yet not a single bluegill was to be seen.

They turned off just as quickly as it began with about 15 minutes of fishable light remaining,  But it coincided with the invasion of South Jersey mosquito's so my decision to flee had already been made either way. I noticed as I was half way through de-rigging, the boils on the edges had returned. The sight made me laugh, as I wondered just what life for the pond residents was like for the past hour? Judging by the strikes I managed to get, it must have been a huge sigh of relief when the "ALL CLEAR" was finally given.