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Greetings to One and All,
April is here once again and soon the trout will be rising,
the shad spawning, the bonefish tailing, the stripers chasing bait up
and down the coast, or whatever the fish will be doing wherever you may
be
fishing. It's a good time to remember that "Carpe Diem" does NOT
mean "Fish of the Day" but that we should put aside the cares of
the world and make the most of the time allotted to us, which means
to me that we should fish more and fret less.
I've just returned this past week from a wonderful--and fretless--
trip down to Belize--Turneffe Flats Lodge--where the bonefish and permit
were challenging but catchable--just ask my friends Katie Lavelle and Mel
Harris--and where the hospitality and friendliness of the place were
unmatchable. And if you're ever down that way, ask for a guide named
Dubs--truly one of the best I've ever met.I hated to leave, especially
when I saw the weather report for the following week in Boston--rain,
rain, rain, and more of it to come. Ah, springtime in New England.
Since I've been back, I've had a hard time getting back into a
"productive" state of mind--hence the continued backlog in filling
tying orders (but not to fret, I'll be sitting down at the bench
tomorrow with fingers flying and if you're waiting for flies, they
won't be long in coming). Still, it's hard to resist the call of the
fish when the weather is nice, as it was yesterday, and so I gave up
an already feeble attempt at being responsible and did what any
bred-in-the-bone procrastinator would do on a lovely day--I went fishing.
A good thing, too, because the trout and largemouth bass in the local
ponds I fished were quite eager to feed in the warmth of a sunny day.
Same with the bluegills and calicos in the warmer shallows, which
hit a Hoverbug or Gartside Bug with abandon whenever I fished it just
under the surface and along the edges of the shore. Great fun!
Especially pleasing--and surprising--was that I had my best
action with trout on the surface towards the end of the day, fishing
a rather large (2" long) Trout Gurgler tied in an inverted weedless
style,
much larger than the smaller Trout Gurglers I usually fish (#8-12).
Earlier in the day, when the fish were holding rather deep, I had
my best success with a Chartreuse New Wave Soft Hackle Streamer
and a VERY bright orange rabbit strip zonker-type fly, which the
large brook trout were very attracted to. All in all, a great way
to begin the local fishing season. If you're looking for some good
fishing right now, ponds and lakes are the places to fish, at least until
the rivers drop to more fishable levels, maybe another three weeks off
the way it looks right now.
FLYTYING CLASS Saturday, May 24--Early Season Striper Flies
Due to last-minute cancellations, I have two openings
for this class which will concentrate on tying effective
early season striper flies, with a focus on unusual techniques
and materials. The class will be held at my home at 14 Beach Road,
Winthrop, MA and will run from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.
If this class is of interest to you, please let me know as soon
as possible. Email me (jack@jackgartside.com) or write to me:
Jack Gartside 14 Beach Road, Winthrop, MA 02152 and send $20.00 to
reserve your space. Class size: 4 persons
The cost for each session is $100.00, with a deposit of $20.00
needed to reserve a space.
UPCOMING DATES
April 21 Farmington River Anglers, Pine Meadow, CT
May 12 Indianapolis Fly Casters
May 15 Royal River Fly Shop, Indianapolis, IN
NEW QUIZ UP
There's a new quiz up on the website, this one composed by
Webmeister Mike. Give it a try. It's lots of fun and the prize this
month, as usual, is a set of five original fly patterns tied by me.
The winner of last month's quiz is Iain Sorrell of Avon, Ct.
Congratulations, Iain.
NEW FLIES ON WEBSITE
I've added three more flies to the website, all tied with Coypu,
an unusual material that I've enjoyed playing around with recently.
If you're interested in tying with this material, I've just received
a shipment of Coypu strips from Norway. $5.00 a pack while supply lasts.
I'll be putting up some new flies within the week so be sure to
keep coming back to the website--www.jackgartside.com--often.
I've also added several new selections: The Fresh Water New Wave
Soft Hackle Streamer Selection, the Early Season Trout Fly Selection
and the Early Season Striper Fly Selection.
Fresh Water New Wave Soft Hackle Streamer Selection
This dandy selection features 6 New Wave Soft Hackle Streamers,
similar to the original Soft Hackle Streamer but with a much softer
collar
which allows more freedom of movement and a slightly larger profile in the
water. A deadly small streamer for all game fish.
Each Selection includes 6 New Wave Soft Hackle Streamers in a variety of
sizes and colors. Colors include: Red/Yellow, Black/Red or Black/Olive,
White/Grizzly, Tan/Brown, Chartreuse/Grizzly, and Olive.
Price: $20.00 per selection
Early Season Trout Fly Selection
This selection contains a wide variety of flies that are good all
year round but are especially effective in the early weeks of the season
when the water may still be cold and high and the hatches not very
prolific.
Included are 1 Soft Hackle Streamer, 1 Freshwater Soft Hackle Deceiver,
2 Gartside Sparrows, 2 Wooly Buggers, 1 Gartside Bug (may be fished
floating
or just under the surface), 1 small Trout Gurgler (great for pond and lake
fishing), 1 CPF Caddis/Mayfly Emerger (may also be fished as a floater or
just under as an emerger), and 1 Gray Hackle Peacock Variant, tied with
a dubbed body and head of "Secret Stuff," a simple but very effective fly.
List Price: $30.00 Your price: $27.00
Early Season Striper Flies
Included in this selection are five flies that are particularly effective
in the spring and early summer. Selection includes 1 Blueback Herring
FishHead tied with long and active Bastard Sheep hair, 1 small
Silversides, 1 Gartside Double Gurgler, 1 New Wave Soft Hackle Deceiver
and 1 New Wave Soft Hackle Streamer. Tied in an attractive mix of
effective colors and sizes.
List Price: $25.00 Your Price: $23.00
Add only $3.50 for S&H no matter how many selections or purchases you make
BOOKS AVAILABLE
Fly Patterns for the Adventurous Tyer, Vol. I and Vol. II $ 8.00 ea.
(Usually $10.00)
Flies for the 21st Century Each $8.00 Usually $10.00
Scratching the Surface Each $10.00 Usually $14.95
Striper Strategies Each $14.95 (I'm running low on these so I
can't
discount them)
Striper Flies Each $20.00 Usually $24.95
Total S&H is $3.50 no matter how many you order.
The Flyfisherman's Guide to Boston Harbor is now completely sold out.
I'll let you know as soon as the next printing becomes available, most
likely
in mid-May. Thank you for you patience.
Until the next time, Cheers--and Happy Fishing! Jack
Early Season Stripers
Around the second week in May (depending on weather and water
temps),
the resident stripers in the Boston Harbor area become more active--and
catchable--and with the arrival of the first herring more and more
migratory
fish start showing up throughout the harbor area and in the estuaries.
It's a good time then to put the winter blues behind us and get out on
the water and experience some of this early-season fishing.
Encouraged by the success of last years' programs, I'll again be
offering lessons in practical and successful striper fishing. These
lessons
will take place in Boston Harbor on the water in two locations, one on
the
North Shore in Winthrop and/or Revere and one on the South Shore of
Boston
in the Quincy/Weymouth area.
Lessons will focus on how to consistently find fish; when and where
to fish with the most consistent results; understanding tides, currents,
and structure and using them to your advantage; finding the food that
stripers
feed on and understanding the feeding habits of stripers throughout the
season;
choosing--and using--the right fly; varieties of effective retrieves, as
well
as many other practical and unusual tips for successful striper fishing.
Apart
from all these useful things, one thing you can be sure of also is that
we'll
have a lot of fun--and maybe even an adventure or two.
These lessons are designed for anglers with some flyfishing
experience, either in salt water or in fresh, and are not particularly
suitable for beginning flyfishermen. Participants should be able to cast
a fly at least 40 feet, have some basic knowledge of equipment and
terminology
and be comfortable in various wading situations.
Although classes are held on the shore and on the water at a time
when fish should be rather plentiful, these are NOT to be considered
guided fishing outings as such but rather instructional sessions geared
to help the angler become more regularly successful as a striper
fisherman.
The cost per session will be $150.00 per person and will be limited
to four anglers per session. $50.00 deposit required for registration.
Send check to Jack Gartside 14 Beach Road, Winthrop, MA 02152
The first class will be held on Sunday, May 9th. This is the
earliest date we can reasonably expect SOME stripers to be around
but I can't guarantee it. What I'd like to do in this class, however,
is to explore some of the great fishing possibilities to be had at some
of the nearby beaches on the North Shore: Winthrop Beach, Revere Beach,
and if time permits, Nahant. Unlike some of my classes last year, which
a few people found to be physically demanding, this class will not be
quite so strenuous, with most of our walking and wading being done over
hard sand, with frequent breaks to travel from place to place.
Dates Time Location
May
Sunday May 9 7 am--noon North Shore Beaches
Wednesday, May 19 3 pm- 8 pm Winthrop
Sunday May 22 7 am-noon Winthrop
Wednesday May 26 8 am-1 pm North Shore Beaches
June
Wednesday June 2 3 pm-8 pm Winthrop
Friday June 4 3 pm-8 pm North Shore Beaches
Sunday June 6 6 am-11 am Winthrop
Saturday June 26 9 am-3 pm Winthrop
Sunday June 27 10 am-3 pm Quincy/Weymouth
Other dates and locations will be offered throughout the summer but
I haven't
worked them out just yet. Email me--jack@jackgartside.com--for further
details or to
secure a date.
If you have any friends who might be interested in receiving this
newsletter
please feel free to forward it on to them.
This newsletter comes to you directly from Jack Gartside, 14 Beach Road,
Winthrop, MA 02152 Tel: 617-846-5984
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