Dueling Bamboo

Blonde or Brunette

First Brookie on the Blonde Bamboo

I start this blog post with one question Blonde or Brunette??  Schedules are a hard thing to line up at times with work, family, and other activities so when my good friend Jonathan Paine's and my schedule lines up and I have the chance to fish with him I jump at it.  Phil Smith owner of Vandalia Rodworks had built both of us a mystery taper 6' 6" 2wt bamboo rod that we were both dying to try out on some brook trout.  I started off and lined up the new rod with some Rio Perception fly line and let me say its slick and throws a great line I was impressed with the first time having it out a truly great line they have developed.  The fly boxes were all packed up and the new and really awesome Vedavoo tightlines sling pack was loaded and the plans were ready first thing in the morning I was headed to Elkins to meet up for a Good Friday brookie mission.  We weren't completely sure on what stream to hit but figured we would trout bum it and bounce from stream to stream and see what we could find and hopefully get into some good fish on dry flies.  The water for this time of year was low and clear, a lot lower than it normally is for this time of year and with the colder temps the water was still pretty cool.  Starting off with the new cane rod we had to start off with a first fish a brookie on a dry so what better fly to pick out of the box then a good trusty stimulator.  I missed a good fish right off the back and action seemed like it was going to be slower than it normally was for this area but the dry fly was going to make it happen.

 Moments later in a nice slick I skated the stimulator across the water and my best fish of the day inhaled it.  Nothing like a beautiful mountain stream a can rod in had a dry fly on and sharing a good first fish with a great friend the day was already a success.  We continued our way upstream and landed several more beautiful mountain trout WV's native brookie!  We jumped over to a new stream and flies were coming off in good numbers especially some blue quills and brookies were rising already and a lot more active than they were to start the day, the sun gave some good warmth to the water.  They were still taking the stimulator with reckless abandonment.  We both got into scuds of fish and Paine got into on really nice wild rainbow trout our first of those of the day.  Its hard to beat a day when the brookies are rising especially when you get to break in such an amazingly built rod.  Some people may prefer brunettes but I must say my blonde is one beautiful piece of art and they always do say blondes are better

Risen Fly ITB Rod

Time for another product review!  Our friends at Risen Fly recently gave me the opportunity to test out their new prototype rod the ITB.  It is a 9ft 5wt rod that is listed as a mid flex rod.  I have a great deal of respect for Ryan and the company he has created so I was super excited to get this rod in my hands and see what it truly offered.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it packed away in a cool triangle rod to prevent it from rolling around when your in route to water.  I was also impressed with the price point of this rod priced at $140 including the rod tube and a lifetime warranty it puts it in very comparable to a lot of the Temple Fork rods that never offer the tube with the rod. 
The rod is a nice graphite in a bold burnt orange color with brown/orange wrappings that give it a very unique and cool look!  Well after finally getting it lined up with some Risen Fly Alpha line and pairing it up with the Risen Fly Ichthus fly reel it was ready to hit the water.  Colder temps being in the area I figured my best chance to get the rod into some fish was on the Elk River. 


Elk River Brown

I put it in some different situations to see how it would cast and handle flies and from nymphs, to streamers, and even dries it did great.  The browns even enjoyed the buggers we were swinging by them.  The rod casts very smoothly.  It truly feels like a nice midflex rod with good action with some good sensitivity I am a fan of rods with a lot of action and full flex I was impressed with the action of this rod it felt noodly enough to where I like it but yet gave enough back bone to lay out a good cast and handle some weight with streamers or nymphs.  Casts in the 30 range are a breeze and munch longer are not bad either the rod handles all situations!  Having had it out several times I am pleased with how the rod handles with all types of conditions and ready to put it to work on some bass and blue gill action.  For the price of this and the warranty as well as the type of people they are at Risen Fly you can no go wrong with the price tag and value of this rod!  Check them out online at RisenFly.com they also offer some awesome reels, fly line, and boxes all at great prices.

Photo from RisenFly.com

Photo from RisenFly.com



Check out our good friends at risenfly.com

Vedavoo Daypack

Time for another gear review.  Last year I was looking for a do it all kind of pack that would cover all areas that I wanted to use it.  I had seen the teaser pick on Instagram and I was excited with the possibilities of this new pack.  I looked to no other than Scott Hunter at Vedavoo after I seen his post and after I had used so many of his handcrafted made in the USA products.  I had several things I wanted this pack to be able to handle the first being a hospital visit and ready to go on demand when the wife was ready go into labor.  For this first design area it needed to be able to hold a few days worth of clothes some basic necessities and also the laptop and camera for those first baby shots and uploads!  The next design area I needed was for it to be a diaper bag or a man bag if you want to call it.  I found no diaper bags that really fit my lifestyle and they all looked a little to feminine to meet my needs anyways.  So I needed a bag that would be able to handle a few diapers, some baby toys, food, a change of clothes, baby necessities, and of course some of dads toys for the day. 
 

Thirdly I wanted a bag that would allow us as a family to throw what we needed into it for a day hiking or even what we need for a quick family getaway. The last thing and importantly I needed a good designed fishing bag that would be able to handle a few miles into the back country, a quick trip to the farm pond, or just a day on the trout waters with all the gear tucked away.  After putting the bag to the test in all areas its performed great and beyond my expectations.  It is roomy enough to hold everything I need weather it be a day as Mr Mom, hiking, a WVAngler trip with the laptop, or just a day of fishing.  It's faced Annie May on a day out with it, Lake Erie Steelhead, a night getaway thanks to snow of course, and just some great streamer fishing on the Elk!  Scott puts amazing work into all his products and never misses a detail and is a true professional to work with from every aspect of the build.  The Vedavoo Daypack truly gets 5 stars from me and will continue to be used in every aspect of my life.  If you want a high quality hand crafted made in the USA pack to meet your fishing demands or just every day life or life as a new dad give Scott a call I am sure Vedavoo can help you out!  https://vedavoo.com/

If I Could Fish Wish One Person ??

If I could fish with one person for a day is a question I recently asked on WVAngler social media.  It sparked an interesting response with several different answers.  So many answers immediately jump through my head when I first thought of it and it was hard to narrow it down.  I am very lucky to have been able to share so much time on the water with so many great people in so many different areas.  To fish with people that have taught me so much and helped me truly learn so much about fishing and the art of fly fishing.  When I think of time on the water I look back at what Charles K. Fox said, "The angler forgets most of the fish he catches, but he does not forget the streams and lakes in which they are caught."   Time getting out and getting on the water is one thing but where your at and who you are with make a day really and truly special.  Looking back I can not think of a person I would rather spend time on the water with than my father.  My dad is one that truly has gave back all his life from helping with the boy scouts, volunteering with the WV cancer camp for children, helping with church functions, he always made time to spend with me in the great outdoors!  A man that battled colon caner and won and remains cancer free for 33 amazing years I am truly blessed he won this battle and God gave me so many years I could spend with him. I still remember one of the first big trips he took me on to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area where we canoed and canoed for days only to see him put me in a spot as such a small child to catch some big smallmouth bass.

  Dad helped create me into the fisherman I am today weather it be a trip with the boy scouts to the South Branch, an early morning trout adventure, or even driving hours to a place like the Little Red River in Arkansas he was always there to pilot the way and help along the way, he even put my first fly rod in my hand his old Martin Fiberglass Fly Rod that I took some of my first fish on.  If I had to choose one person my father would be at the top of the list for sure.  But who else would be on that list the choices and the options are immense!  First I never pass up a good adventure with any of my WVAngler brother whether it be Dave Breitmeier, Jonathan Paine, Zach Adkins, Chad See, or any of the other members who I consider brothers I would fish anywhere with them!   Two WVAnglers that are looking down from above Eric Workman and Gary Pase would always be two people that would be so great to be able to fish with and spend some time with again.  Next looking at some big name fishing names that I have always looked up to.  Bob Clouser and his passion for smallmouth and that clouser minnow, Joe Humphreys and his great tight line nymping techniques, Jeff Currier the guy has caught 300 species of fish on the fly just unreal, John Geirach who wouldn't want to share a day with him on the water, Rebekka Redd and her love for Pike on the fly, Scott Hunter the founder of Vedavoo and a good dude, and finally Brian Price and Ken Capsey from Vermont Fly Guys there just toothy fishing machines.  Its hard to just make a short list and not leave anyone out but one person to walk a brook trout stream and just talk with would be Jesus I am sure you would learn so much fishing and beyond!  So the question is who would you fish with if you could fish with one person for a day??  No matter who you chose or where you fish who you share it with sometimes becomes so much more important than the fish!

WVAngler.com Top Moments of 2013

WVAngler.com Top Moments of 2013

 

2013 had a lot of not so good and tough moments but it also had some very memorable moments that will never be forgotten.  Lots of fish were taken throughout the course of the year some monsters as well with some good people on streams all over.  We experienced some loss this yea but also made some great new friends as well.  2014 looks to be an awesome year with some cool new things in store that we are very excited for.  Hope you had a great year and wish you the best in the new one.

7. We were really pumped and excited to able to raffle off a sweet Yeti cooler to help support WV Trout Unlimited.  Yetis are the sweet new thing out and it was awesome to be able to attend the WV Mountain State Trout Festival combined with WVAngler board members and giveaway Yeti Roadie to one lucky winner!

 

6. The page has grown leaps and bounds.  We lost some great friends but gained several new ones as well.  WV trout fishing lost one of its biggest pioneers with the passing of Ernie Nester.  The work and dedication he put into the fisheries of the mountain state will never be forgotten.  If you fish for wild trout in WV more than likely Ernie had a art of it!  We also lost fellow board member Paul Martin tragically as the year ended.  We reached tons of page hits this year with traffic from all over the country.  So many great friends and so many new sponsors that we are proud to be associated with like Risen Fly, Vedavoo, Elk Springs Fly Shop, Vermont Fly Guys, Woodlands World, The Fly Stop, Rio Products, and WV Musky Outfitters to name a few of them. 

 

5. Spending some time on the stream is always a great thing but spending it with friends and good people is always so much better it seems anymore.  Got to spend some time with good friends  this year Nate Rees, Jonathan Paine, Zach Adkins, my brother in law, my father, and most importantly my beautiful daughter.  Fished waters on the fly from the mighty Ohio, to Middle Island musky, to high mountain streams, and lake Erie tributaries.

 

 

4. 11 species of fish on the fly.  It wasn't as many as I had hoped for starting the year but managed brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, sunfish, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, shad, skipjack, and a crappie in WV then a bonus steelhead in PA.  Several big fish were the highlights of the year on the fly several 20 inch plus hybrids, a 20 inch largemouth, then my first crappie on the fly a 13 1/2 inch fish. 

 

 

3.  WV Mountain State Trout Festival was held at Snowshoe with several visitors and vendors.  Great event that we got the pleasure of being a part of.  Got to share WVAngler with several visitors and talk to them about our little place on the web and talk musky and trout with some cool VA anglers.  Looking forward to next years event!  We had some cool vendors like Hook and Hackle, Vandalia Rodworks, 304 Rod Company, Matt Miles Fly Fishing, Elk Springs, and South River Fly Shop as well as famous author and fly fisherman Ed Engle. 

 

 

2. The WVAngler dinner this year was the biggest and best by far.  First year we had ever held the event in Elkins and it turned out great.  We had a record attendance as well as some awesome things from our sponsors to give out to some happy anglers.  Great food and fishing sure do go hand and hand!  CJ Maggies is definitely on the top of the food list after the dinner!

 

1.  By far the biggest event in 2013 happened April 8 with the birth of my first child Annie May Pittman.  Seeking advice from several friends before hand I wasn't sure if I was prepared or not for what was ahead not that you may ever be prepared.  What I came to find out having a child is one of the greatest most rewarding experience ever and if it takes walking around the local farm pond with a stroller you just learn how to change your fishing habits but its truly worth it in the end!  Not sure what I would do without the beautiful miracle that's came into our life!

 



Support Your Local Fly Shop & The Little Guy

With the Holiday season in full swing I thought it would be good to mention some of the local fly shops out there and the little guys out there that offer some great custom an American made products!  Local fly shops are great they give you that one on one service and will at times go the extra mile to help a person out an put them on fish or just get them started in the sport.  The little guy offer some very cool products they don't usually get a lot of the hype from some of the big fly fishing magazines but that aside some of there products are the best out there on the market.   

Located in Lewisburg is Serenity Now Outfitters.  Craig Miller runs the shop and is one of the top musky on a fly guys in WV.  Serenity Now offers a full service location for everything from fly fishing, outdoor techincial clothing, to kayaking gear.  You will find great brands such as Life Is Good, Old Town, Ross Reels, Scott, Patagonia, to Happy Chaco Feet.  If your around the Greenbrier stop in and see Craig!


Anglers Xstream located in South Parkersburg on Camden Avenue is run by Dave Carpenter.  Dave is very knowledgable about all things outdoors and always likes to talk fishing.  They offer fly tying classes that can be tailered to meet your demands as well as fly casting school.  From trout to musky they offer fly fishing equipment for all species of fish.

Elk Springs Fly Shop located right on the banks of the Elk River C&R on the Mill Pool.  Dave Breitmeier and Patrick Skeen can help you out and point you in the right direction no matter if you want to throw small Elk River 32s, big streamers, or chase some mountain brookies!  Elk Springs offers a fully stocked shop with brands like Orvis, Sage, Redington, Echo, Simms and Rio .  They have all the little gadgets and the right flies those trout are snacking on.  They also have a few of the best guides around to put you on those Elk River brown trout.

Yet another of fly shops located in Clarksburg is Evergreen Fly Fishing Company. They offer a large selection of fly tying supplies, thousands of flies, tons of books, and of course a good selection of rods and reels.  They carry brands such as Simms, Chota, Scientific Anglers, and Lamson.  Stop in and see Larry if your in the area.

Harman's Luxury Log Cabins located in Cabins, WV offer nice cabins for a family get away and a private stocked section of the North Fork of the South Branch to fish with trophy sized trout.











Woodlands World is just across the WV boarder in PA.  DJ Casto a WV native runs the store and they offer a 10,000 square foot store full of fishing, hunting, and camping gear.  They offer competitive pricing from many big name companies such as Carhart, Realtree, Remington, Yeti and Orvis.  If you need anything for any outdoor activity they are the place that can hook you up. 

Another fly shop located across the boarder in VA is South River Fly Shop in Waynesboro, VA.  The shop is ran by Tommy Lawhorne and Kevin Little a WV native.  They run a fly shop with a country store atmosphere and gear to support every need.  They offer gear from Dan Bailey, Chota, Mystic, Echo, TFO, and Galvan.




For those who catch that trophy fish or kill a trophy of a deer or another animal one the best taxidermists in the state is Chad See at Mount'n Critters Taxidermy.  Located in Valley Head, WV Chad brings art to full form in his Taxidermy work.  He is always willing to recreate that trophy catch and bring it back to life and make it a memory that will last a lifetime.  His work is award winning!




Some other great companies to check out this Holiday Season:

 

Vedavoo provides American built gear for the road less travelled.  Scott does some awesome custom work and has create some very cool products.  His new daypack works perfect for any task its faced with from doing a day trip to the stream or as a diaper bag taking the new child out on the town.  Some other cool things they offer is the Hip Pack and the Tight Lines Sling Pack.  They also offer some awesome T-Shirt and Hoody designs!






Risen Fly is a great new company on the rise from Beaver Falls, PA.  There goal is to create a very affordable product that will rival the name brand companies.  The Ichthus fly reel is there first entry into the fly reel market and its a great first step a great reel to check out, and also the Anakim there other reel also offers a great priced reel for those larger fish.  They offer some great affordable fly lines in there Alpha Fly Lines.  With a soon to be released rod series I am sure you will be hearing some great things from Risen next year.  Its great to see a company with such great moral values as well!

SmithFly is another company out there that provides some awesome made in the USA modular fly fishing gear in Troy, OH.  They build everything from bags, to vests, to waist packs.  One of the cool new products they offer is the Cooler Kilt that allows you to hook up all your pouches with gear directly on your cooler that way the gear is always right there!



 




Goat Head Sole Spikes a fairly new company out there offer a cool new product.  They offer a traction spike that screws directly into any outdoor shoe including fishing boots.  They provide great traction on the stream or any slippery situation your in outdoors. 

Fisknat Landing Nets offers a complete line of rubber bag landing nets.  Made completely in the US they offer several choices of woods for there handles and come in several sizes and styles from the San Juan hand net to the Clark Fork boat net.  Great products and awesome customer service.



Recycled Waders is a unique company that brings a cool way of recycling old non used waders into fishing gear.  They recycle old leaky waders and create durable, water resistant, lightweight products.  They offer a cool greenback wallet that is a  perfect addition to any fly fisherman's wardrobe as well as several different packs and bags.

Vermont Fly Guys tie up some awesome flies.  Ken Capsey and WV native Brian Price tie up some pretty wicked fish treats.  They will hook you up with everything from Predator flies for musky and pike to flies for all your steelhead needs.

Free Fly Apparel provides some cool apparel for the fisherman.  There bamboo clothing is designed with freedom and motion in mind.  The maker of our WVAngler sun masks and also some cool Ts!



Cliff Outdoors offer some cool built fly boxes that holds everything from those big musky predator flies in there bugger beast to articulated flies to a few flies for a day on the stream in there days worth box.  There simple design helps keep big flies organized!








If your looking for a guide this Holiday season there is several out there also from some of the fly shops we mentioned but also:
Spring Creek Outfitters and Harold Harsh will put you on those North Branch fish that you have always wanted to go after.

Matt Miles Fly Fishing and Matt Miles located in Lychburg, VA.  Matt will put you on everything from Musky, to Smallmouth, to huge Stripers!

Polishing the Chrome

I had some vacation time coming up so the week before I kept watching the weather patiently trying to figure out what direction to head: Elk River in WV, Elk Creek in PA or some musky on the fly.  Well the weather man cooperated and gave us some awesome rain which brought the streams up way high and off colored and that meant a good run of steelhead on the Lake Erie tributaries.  Ryan from Risen Fly kept me updated on the status of reports and conditions and I was getting pumped up for the trip up to Erie for some fun fishing.  My buddies were headed home from a great NY fishing trip and chimed in on the water conditions on the Mile streams as well saying they looked perfect.  It was leading up to be a great trip and a good start to vacation.  Sunday night comes and one buddy got stuck working but then my good friend Zach "McFishin" messages me and asks if anyone is going and if I care he comes along, keep in mind McFishin just got home from NY that evening never unpacked and was ready to head north again a real fishing machine and at least the trip wasn't going to be a solo one its always good sharing the water with a good friend!  After 2 hours of sleep the car is packed and I am off to Fairmont to meet up with Zach to make the trip North to steelhead country, who needs sleep when fishing is involved just open a bottle of mountain dew and your good to go!

After a few hours of interstate driving we had arrived and were  thrilleed to see conditions were great and the parking area wasn't even that crowded to start out.  We stepped out and was greeted with some cool air so we layered up strung up the rods tied on a couple flies and off to Elk Creek we were headed.  It was a new section I had never fished before we started out on but had some great runs and looked super fishey.  McFishin started off in a nice fast run while I got my rig just right and was into a fish in no time at all.  Things looked like they were going to be crazy all day but after some slow fishing I was afraid I was jinxed by the $6.66 total from Sheetz.  We fished our way downstream with not much action at all and by settled in on one big slick.  In no time I rared back and fish on we were into them again but after three lost steelhead later the skunk was still smelling strong.  We figured we would change some things up and change locations to a new access area and some good fish holding water.  After speaking to several people and no one seeming to have any luck but maybe landing one if they were lucky we heard a lot of "we didn't see any fish" comments.  So as we started off on this lower run we knew there had to be fish in there with these cold temps and great flow on top of these off colored water conditons it was perfect but fly after fly no fish seemed to be cooperating and we were starting to wonder. 

As we rounded the bend and found yet another run I looked up and Zach was into some chrome a sight that was soon to become all to famlier!  I missed several more and Zach landed a couple more.  The stream was starting to empty as people weren't getting into fish.  Zach wanted to get the skunk off me so he gave me some tips and set me up in a nice tailout in no time the rod was bent and I was finally landing my first steelhead of the day finally I was on the board and the fun was really starting.  As Zach went up to try the head of the run he looks back and I am into yet another fish its nice when you get into fish fast and the plan comes together sometimes you just have to sit back read the water find your seams and as Zach says trust your dift, you may not see the fish but they are there you just have to find them and get the setup just right at times.
 We fished a run for a good little bit and must have landed over 10 between us in that one run and lost way more than that there they are easy to hook sometimes but landing at times is a whole other thing.  By the time we were done the stream looked empty but the WVAngler duo had opened up a whole can of kick butt.  We landed around 15 between us and hooked up with over twice that amount so the action was good and it ended up being a great day on the stream with a good buddy.  Sometimes when the action gets slow step back work on the depth of your rig, change those flies, and make sure you are fishing the right seams but mainly keep after it with some faith and dedication it will happen for sure!  It took a while but I polished up a few things and the chrome was shining before the day was done.