birds

Introductions: Part 2

In all seriousness…I never really introduced myself here on the blog. I believe its time to do so in light of my previous…and partially comedic college post.

As a young boy I was always fascinated by aquatic ecosystems. I spent the majority of my adolescent years knee-deep in the closest stream or pond collecting all sorts of “critters”. In doing so, I would take a representative of each species back home with me and proceed to reference my small library of field guides to identify the days catch…once identified, I would make the trek back and set them free (my Mom made sure this step was taken).

Once I got older I secured a job in the tropical fish biz, haha. In doing so I became an avid aquarist, keeping all sorts of species from across the globe. I had so many aquariums up and running lets just say my parents quickly introduced me to a thing they called the electric bill. It got to the point where I had my aquariums stocked, aquascaped, and chemically identical to match specific geographic regions of the world, sometimes even particular water bodies. I had the Amazon, the Central American, the Lake Malawi, the Sumatra and Borneo, and so forth. After a few years of fish keeping I found myself studying their behavior, particularly that of Central American Cichlids. I kept a notebook and documented the behavior of a few breeding pairs of convict cichlids (separate tanks of course). Aside from writing down their behavior I would also include my own ideas and interpretations. At the tender age of sixteen I had no idea what a behavioral ecologist was or that I was unknowingly selecting a future career path.

One of my boys...

My pretty pink lady.

As it stands now, I’m currently a senior Organismal Biology/Ecology major looking to pursue a career in fisheries biology or aquatic ecology. During the course of my studies I gained an interest in aquatic macroinvertebrate behavior, particularly that of predatory stoneflies.

I believe that my infatuation with fly fishing is just another way for me to gain insight into the aquatic world, a direct spin off of my childhood fascination with aquatic ecosystems systems and fish behavior. When you think about it…Is there any tool better suited for understanding aquatic ecosystems and fish behavior than a fly rod?…

This is one of my favorites. I took this photo of Mark while we were out in the field collecting data. This research project was titled "Cyprinus carpio: The unveiling of a super predator"

Introductions

Last month marked the beginning of my final semester here at college (knock on wood), and with this I decided to come out of the closet if you will…

For the past five years I’ve done a damn good job of blending in with your average college student…going to class, doing all my work…but while behind closed doors…secretly living the life of an addict…



In all reality I was just passing the time until my next fly fishing expedition. Marking my calendar with every three-day weekend, spring and fall break...Sitting in my room tying flies, organizing fly boxes, cleaning my reels and fly line, my roommates thought I was absolutely nuts. I would randomly walk out of my room stroking a new creation and interrupt a heated round of Call of Duty 4 just to show off a size 4 big nasty, ya know?...



Enough was enough, this semester I walked into class with a different attitude. My five year façade was about to be lifted…in supreme fashion.



I present you the following…



Professor - “Introduce yourself, tell us a bit about you and mention three things that you’re really into right now. These things can be anything…choose three…”



“Adam, you start us off…”



Yours truly -“My name is Adam Hope…I fly fish. The three things I’m most into at the moment are Two-Handers, Swinging, and Lady GaGa.”



Now tell me how the normal person interprets that?...Haha. It’s definitely safe to say that no one in that room knew what a two-handed fly rod was, or that swinging is a type of fly presentation…but everybody knew who Lady GaGa was didn’t they?…



Talk about first impressions…

Physics Homework...

Bookmark.

Paper Jam...

Watch Your Step...

The stuff you see when you don't have your 10wt.

Another unexpectedly good thing about being a teacher on this island is having 40 sets of eyes spying all of the bays and inlets around for you at all times. I received word from a 6th grade student that the fry have moved in to a bay near his house. They spend the daylight hours huddled under the dock, subject to marauding tarpon, jacks, snapper and pelicans. At sunset, they disappear into deeper water for the night.

I went there Saturday expecting to slay but was met with empty water. The fry had moved on. Later that weekend, I visited the next beach to the west of where the fry used to be with some friends. I did not have my fly rod with me. As soon as we pulled up, I regretted not bringing it along.

We were greeted with a scene of utter mayhem. More than two dozen pelicans dive-bombed the water only feet from the shore as hundreds, literally hundreds, of tarpon herded the baitball into the shallows and surged through as one with mouths agape.

It could have been the most legendary day of fishing anyone has ever had. Instead, I was reduced to gawking as the tarpon gorged themselves.

Nervous Water rounds the point.

How many tarpon do you see in this photo?

They hunt in packs!

Reminds me of humpback whales engulfing a baitball.

What a missed opportunity...

An incredible number of tarpon.

Dancing bait.

Regrouping for the next open-mouthed surge.

As darkness fell, the action stopped as if someone had flipped a switch. I heard later that the tarpon had been there for 3 days, consistently in a state of feeding frenzy. Alas, the swell is up and the area I was standing for these photos is now in the middle of a pounding shoreline. As soon as it dies down I will spend the weekend in search of this giant baitball and it's attendant predators.

On another day, I was actually ankle-deep in the salt when these bones made an appearance. My 8wt was rigged and ready, but I needed to try for a few shots of tailing fish before I scared them away. Sure as shit, leading a bone by 10ft in four inches of water isn't anywhere near enough. One cast later and they were gone.

Skinny Water.

Street Gang.

Taking tiny shrimp and sea urchins.

Lex Takes Us To Bonefishing School.

“Why aren’t you fishing?”

“The swell is down, yeah? Probably good conditions…”

“When are you gonna put Lex on some fish?”

He’d flown out three days ago but was mentally still fishing the flats. Mark’s only chance, having struck out with bonefish during his brief week of opportunity, was to live vicariously through us until he returned in 8 months.

A few days after Stace and I had begun to settle into the school week routine and Lex settled into her own routine of napping her way through the beaches of Tortola, I rigged up our 9wt for bones and the 10wt for baby tarpon and took Lex to our newly discovered honey hole.

The goal was to give her a chance to cast to some fish. This was unrealistic for a few reasons. More often than not, I see nothing during a trip to the flats. Not a sign. Of the remaining encounters, there is probably only a viable shot at a bonefish 10% of the time. As I have previously documented, bonefishing is difficult. Furthermore, Lex had received her first saltwater lesson about a week ago.

So, it was with these expectations that we slunk through mangrove roots and entered the water with about an hour of sunlight left. I helped Lex set herself up for a quick cast and gave her a 3 second tutorial on how to walk on the flats. Shuffle your feet slowly, watch out for rays, scan at the limits of your vision and look for movement.

Astoundingly, as I finished that lesson, I caught movement above the turtle grass not 10ft in front of me. Realizing it was a pod of bones, more bones than I had ever seen in one place, I ducked low and rasped to Lex a command to throw her fly 8ft to my 12 o’clock.

Lex was 5ft to my left and she was casting right-handed. Her first cast was not to hit it’s mark. The leader wrapped about my torso and the fly caught my shorts. I unhooked while barely moving and pulled as much of her fly line through her guides as she would need to get the fly into position.

We were both laughing. Her 2^nd cast wrapped around my neck but thankfully didn’t hook me in the face. She pulled the rod tip up in an attempt to untangle and only looped the line around the rod a few dozen times. Thinking all hope was lost, I dared look for the bones. Incredibly, they had moved closer to me. At least a dozen fish were no more than 6ft away, hovering above the turtle grass in 18inches of water.

We managed to untangle her rig without spooking them. Her next cast landed 3ft in front of me and I watched, incredulously, as two bonefish zoomed over to inspect the slowly sinking shrimp pattern. One of them moved right on top of it, and paused.

“Set.”

…

“Set!”

…

“Lex, set!”

“What does that mean?!” she replied.

“Strip! Lift! Pull!” I was freaking out. This was just too much.

She managed to take in some slack line and felt the fish. The bone took off, peeling out a bit of line, but Lex had a death grip on the fly line and wasn’t letting it take any.

“Let her run! Just let her run! Keep the rod tip up!” I barked commands as Lex giggled uncontrollably.

With about 20ft of slack line sitting on the water, the bone just cruised around, more confused than alarmed.

When I caught my breath from laughing, I told her to take in the slack and keep the line taught. At this, the fish thrashed and peeled out some line. It was no match for Lex’s superior play.

She guided the bone towards me and I scooped it up. In countless hours of fishing the flats of this island, my sister lands the first bonefish in ridiculous fashion.

How embarrassing for that poor bonefish.

The fish finally realizing it was hooked.

Pretty damn happy.

About to facilitate the release and she doesn't even know it.

Textbook.

New Year's Never List.

2010. A new year. I thought I would reflect on the many things I have never done as a fly fisherman. This is a little late with February days away but I am going to make my list anyway. In doing so, I am hoping to cross many of these off as the days continue to tick away.

I have never stepped foot in a drift boat. 

Therefore I have never floated a stream or river.

I have never caught a striper and have yet to even fish for them.

I have never had a casting or fishing lesson. I learned through trial and error.

I have never fished in New Jersey despite how close it is.

I have never hired a guide.

I never practice casting. I fish. 

I have never fished the Lehigh Gorge.

I have never casted a spey rod. 

I have never fished in New England.

I have never caught a bonefish. 

I have never used a high end camera such as a DSLR. I just bought one though. 

In ten + years of fly tying, I have never finished a fly in a traditional manner. 

It's called super glue and it never fails.

I have never been across the Atlantic.

I have never fished the fabled waters of the Upper Delaware.

I have never caught a permit.

I have never landed a trout out of the Letort.

I have never gone fishing just for a hatch. I go fishing and whatever happens, happens. 

Personally, I have never paid for a hotel room. The bed of the truck works just fine. 

I have never Euro-Nymphed.

I have fished Colorado but I have never fished any other Western states. 

I have never gone fishing with both of my dogs. Bad News Bears.

I have never tied a tube fly.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment. So here is to a new year, new fish, and all the new horizons and avenues to explore. For if there is one thing about fly fishing, it's deeper than the Marianas Trench. There will always be new fish to catch, flies to tie, ways to cast, places to go, and methods of fishing to learn. The sport runs deep, and the deeper you go, the more rewarding it becomes. 

A Toothy Tug

The switch rod cult…I never had a chance. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, it just flat-out ran me over. (long story)

My choice, Beulah’s 7/8. I had fished the rod single-handed for awhile, throwing in the occasional D-loop as I fished an indicator rig. This technique became too automatic..if you catch my drift. My interests soon turned to the other capability of the rod. Ever since then spey style casting has taken over my train of thought.

Teaching myself this new style of casting and fly presentation has been the most fun and rewarding experience since I first taught myself how to fly fish over a decade ago. I may just like getting new toys, Skagit heads, running lines, sink tips, poly leaders and so on. It’s been a new world of excitement ever since the first cast that placed my fly across river without a single backcast…leaving me to wonder why I waited so long for my first double-hander and what kind of spey rod to buy next…

Odd First Catch

I doubt that swinging flies for pickerel will catch on anytime soon...but for my first fish caught using my skagit head it was an unexpected but welcome surprise.