HookaLip Outdoors Magazine Rags for Chrome
Bob’s Earring
Brown Bear Hunt
Maple Leaf Chromers
Bozeman Reel ReNJ Turkey Hunt
Colorado turkey Hunt
Lefty
July 2014
Table of Contents Page 4 Bob’s earring By: AG Pammer
Page 6 Brown Bear
By: Louis A Cusack
Page 12 NJ Turkey
By: Dennis Cassel Jr
Page 14 Bozeman Reel
By: Dutch McClintock
Page 16 Colorado Tukey By: Joe Foster
Page 18 Lefty
By: Bill Elliott
Page 22 Rags for Chrome By: Michael Hunt
Page 24 Maple Leaf Chromers By: Scott Sklad
THANKS TO OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN THIS ADVENTURE! LAYOUT OF MAGAZINE: BRIAN HAGERTY Owners : Marlea Hagerty and Heather Nock I would Like to thank all of our Writers,with and all their hard work.
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Bob's earring
The Angler considers his pursuit as a fine art, of Which merely to obtain fish is but small part — these He can get more cheaply and in greater abundance in The market. It is the way the thing is done — this and The open air, the odor of the woods and flowers, the laughter of the running water, the beauty and song of the birds, and that peace and content which open the heart of man to see and love the ever-changing beauties of nature — these give to that pastime a charm possessed by no other. Though old age and infirmity come on, and the foot once familiar with wood and stream is now confined to the narrow limits of a chamber, when every other earthly pursuit has lost its zest, who ever heard even then that the enthusiasm of the angler had diminished, or that the dim eye failed to kindle at the recollection and tale of earlier triumphs with the rod. Henry P. Wells - Fly-rods and fly-tackle; suggestions as to their manufacture and use (1901)
Three of the local shop regulars, Harry, Chick and Carl were fishing on the Esopus, just above the reservoir and had decided to take a break on the wide gravel shore there. Passing around a thermos of coffee. “Jeez, Harry, was that you? If ya gotta, at least get downwind.” Waving his hand in front of his face Carl moved over a few rocks and settled back down. “Bob's been in a foul mood the last few days.” offered Chick to deflect the conversation. “I might know something about that.” muttered Harry looking off to study the pool that stretched nearly to the bend in the stream.
“Well?” the other two questioned in almost one voice. After few more moments studying the pool, Harry turned “It was last weekend, I had hooked up with Bob for a trip over to the Delaware for a day’s fishing. We were doing pretty well, the river was up a little after that rainy spell we had and there was a fresh hatch starting up. There was a bit of a breeze picking up, making it a little difficult to get a good cast. Bob had reeled in and was moving up stream around behind me. I backcast not noticing he was there. Well, a gust caught that line and the fly caught Bob just as I swung forward. “Son of a B*&+*!” was greeted by my “Awww Sh**t, I'm really sorry, man.” “He must have been pissed.” Carl said, shaking his head slowly and scratching at an itch in an undisclosed location on his lower torso. “Well not really, you see the fly had hooked him clean through the earlobe and he was kinda studying at it in the reflection off the back of the flask he usually carries around. I told him it didn't look half bad there, kinda like one of them earrings some folks wear. He said “It does kinda, Well, We'll just leave it there and I'll have Joyce get it out when I get home.” Packing up, we headed home, I convinced Bob to stop for a cup of coffee at the diner before we parted ways, once back in town. There were a few people there, Deputy Joe, George from across the street and a couple of girls I hadn't noticed around before. Bob got a couple of curious glances 4 from the few patrons. Joe and George returned to their conversation, but the two girls just kept sneaking glances over at Bob.
“ Bob” I said “them girls sure to seem to have takin a liken to ya.” “Don't even start, you know how jealous Joyce gets if she gets wind of me flirting around some female.” he replied getting up to leave. “I'll see ya tomorrow” and he was gone. Right after, them two girls came over and asked I if I knew were my friend had gotten the really cool earring.” With that Harry got up, stretched, picked up his fly rod and began to move off. “Hey! Harry, that doesn't explain why Bob is in such foul mood.” Exclaimed Chick. “I sent them two girls to Bob's house to ask him where he got the earring.” He replied as he continued to move away.
AG Palmer
Cleardrift.com
See them at Allseasonsports.com 5
The Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear Hunt Tagged Out ! For many generations old and new, these two simple words have been used to announce the ending of a successful hunt and as a young man growing up in South Louisiana hunting whitetail deer and turkeys with my father, I remember the admiration others hunters bestowed on the hunter in camp that no matter what the season or circumstances, they always filled their tags and usually well before others.
Mr Sonny Brehamann a tall dark Cajun who lived down the street from us and Paul Edwards a lean Mississippi veteran of Vietnam with a look that seemed to see everything around him, who won the admiration of others both in the field and on the battle ground were two such men. They always filled their tags. They were respected by others. Hunters reached out to them as a source of information and they readily shared their knowledge with them. Members of our hunting group spoke of them like basketball fans would speak of Michael Jordon or football fans would speak of Larry Csonka, hailed for their success and like most good hunting stories, stretched a bit beyond reality.
I looked up to these men. I wanted to be considered a part of this elite group and I enjoyed my time spent as a card–carrying, tag-filling member of this fine group of hunters. Today’s story, however, is about the love of the hunt and the point many of us reach where filling a tag becomes less important than experiencing the adventure, savouring time spent in the wilderness with friends and family and helping others fill their tags.
I’ve always had a thirst for adventure and a passion for remote wilderness hunting and this adventure will take Mrs Ruth Cusack, my good friend Andrew Mueller and I to the southern end of the Alaska Peninsula on a quest for big costal brown bear. Andy’s looking to take his first brown bear and I am on the hunt for a real trophy class bear. Mrs Ruth took a great coastal brown bear in the spring season of 2012 and she is tagged out until fall of 2015. So for this adventure, she will be shooting a camera.
Hailed by some as the land of the smoking giants, the Alaska Peninsula is well known for its rugged beauty, long list of active volcanos and home to some of the largest salmon runs and brown bear in the world. Each year, tourists travel to the peninsula from all parts of the globe to visit, fish, explore and hunt this beautiful area of our state and although it is only 350 miles as the crow flies from our home, we’re just as excited to go there as any one of them!
Hunting brown bears on the Alaska Peninsula comes with its own set of challenges and we’re headed back to the land where if you don’t bring it, you don’t have it and if something goes wrong, it’s all on you! This is where the 40-foot waves are seen crashing across the bows of the boats on “The Deadliest Catch”, slam against the shoreline and where the wind can blast you off the tundra. Our destination is the southern end of the peninsula and we are excited for the opportunity to test our wit and our skills against the best and the worst Mother Nature has to offer.
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Hunt Preparation:
Remote wilderness hunting in Alaska requires more than competence with a bow or rifle. The logistics of a hunt like this requires a lot of planning and my motto has always been: “Plan Your Hunt and Hunt Your Plan.”
Hunt preparation begins almost a year prior to our departure, where the logistics of getting gear, food and flights must be coordinated well in advance to ensure that everyone and everything arrives on location.
There are many ways to plan a hunt like this and one of our first decisions is route and transportation to the field. We choose to route our hunt through Kodiak Island via Sea Hawk Air which has an excellent safety performance record and from airport pick-up to shopping to transportation in the field, they run a tight ship which provides excellent service. On Top of that, Roland and Joe are great people and we simply love flying with them.
We’ll be using a base camp, inflatable raft/motor and other bulky items which cannot be checked as luggage. These items must be shipped via air cargo several weeks in advance and on these trips. I find the use of a hunt planner is an absolute necessity and I use a simple excel spread sheet to plan all of my hunts. I use it for everything from a check list, to a tracker, to an emergency contact list and over the years I have found that leaving a copy of the list with each party’s family members can be a great resource and source of comfort for those not joining the trip. There’s just something about a good plan that gives everyone a good deal of confidence, knowing that you have taken everything into consideration. Heaven forbid it is ever needed, but in a real emergency, providing a list with each person’s emergency contacts along with the flight service provider and emergency services contact information can become a life-saving necessity. The Hunt
Our hunt begins on May 8th with the flight from Kodiak Island to our hunt location. It is a clear windy morning and just the scenery on the plane ride in is worth the price of admission. We arrive at our bay, where Roland makes a smooth landing in the mouth of the bay and we are quickly off loaded and setting up base camp.
The Peninsula, which is well known for its costal winds and frequent storms, makes picking the right base camp location as important as remembering to bring ammo. This could mean the difference between having a great hunt and chasing your base camp down the beach. I usually do my best to find a flat location with some sort of a wind break to protect our camp from the predominant wind directions, usually a bluff, mountain side or clump of alders. We find our spot and after a few branch trims, and tent and bear fence setups, we are home sweet home and ready to begin searching the area for bear signs.
We wake up early the first morning to clear skies and after a quick cup of Starbucks and a bowl of oatmeal we are headed up the bay to scout the area. About two miles up the bay we find a ridge which offers a good viewing site and after a short climb we are setup and glassing. I use three well known methods for hunting brown bears: glassing, glassing and more glassing! My theory is pretty simple: if you’re not glassing, you’re not hunting. We hike and cover a lot of ground, but mostly just to go from one glassing area to another. 7
Andy is the first to find a bear - a sow with two cubs; they are just above us on the same ridge. She appeared to be just out of the den and in no hurry to walk down to the beach, where defending her cubs against aggressive boars looking to mate will become a frequent event. They provide us with a bit of entertainment for the next several days and we had a grand ole time watching the antics of her two cubs, while Momma limbered-up for the trip to the beach.
Note: Brown bear boars will often kill a sow’s young cubs to force the sow back into estruses, where they will sometimes breed with the very same boar that killed their cubs. I spot a decent boar walking right across the bay and bear sighting #2 is on the board. We’re finding lots of sign and bears, but not wanting to place all of our eggs in one basket, we pack our gear to head to the coast to scout another location before tomorrow’s opener.
Evening finds us on the edge of a bluff glassing a long strip of coastline where we have spotted fresh sign and we are not there long before a lone wolf steps around an outcropping walking in our direction. We setup to make a shot on him, but the wolf catches us flat handed, scrambles up the bluff and passes in front of us in the brush without giving us a shot opportunity. What happens next is one of the most exciting hunting moments I have ever experienced After several hours without any further sightings, we decide to pack it up and head back to camp for a good meal and night’s sleep before opening morning. So far it has been a very productive day, but the tide is in and a leisurely walk down the beach to camp is not an option. It’s time for a little alder busting which we all love and cherish about as much as walking barefooted over a bed of hot coals. If you have ever walked a bear trail full of fresh sign through the alders, then you know that our pucker factor is on full puck! I have personally never been to war, but several of my friends that have experienced both will tell you that doing this and walking point in Vietnam is a close comparison. Needless to say I am on high alert when I drop down in creek drainage and there stands old Willy Wolf locked-up and staring at me with less than 5 yards between us. He had completely circled us and was walking in on the same trail we were walking out on. I am not sure who was more surprised, him or me, but he bolts, I rack my bolt and the war is on. I get a good shot at him as he scrambles up the far bank of the creek where I am able to make a clean kill shot on him. One wolf down and two bears spotted and we are just getting started on what will be one of the best hunting trips we have ever made!
Opening Morning
May 10th, the official opening of rb370 brown bear hunting season finds us up early and back on our spotting ridge, excited about what this day will bring. Right off, we spot mother bear again, along with her two cubs basking in the sun and the little guys provide us with a bit more entertainment until we spot a bear on a side hill way past the head of the bay. We spent the rest of the day trying to get a better look at him, but he managed to elude us.
The next several days are spent looking at bears and hoping for an opportunity to place a stalk on one. Our entertainment crew has finally left the area for greener pastures, but with the coming of spring we are seeing lots of migratory birds, bald eagles and we even get a visit from a very curious river otter. If you ever get a chance to watch these guys in their element you are in for a real treat. This one spotted us up on our knoll and he climbed up to check us out. Quite entertaining!
On morning number five a bank of fog rolls in that is thick enough to cut and eat for breakfast, but we opted for Mrs Ruth’s breakfast burritos instead. After five days of sunshine, warm weather and tons of hiking, the little delay is a welcome break and we’ll soon find out that this late start was just the ticket for the long long day we have in store for us.
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Around 10:30 am, the fog is breaking enough to pick our way back to our spotting knoll. We are not there long when I spot a bear walking into an alder patch on a side hill up at the head of the bay and the hunt is on!
We could see the bear crawl into the alders, but with some of the fog still hanging around it is difficult to track his progress. After glassing the edges of the alders for a while, we are convinced that our bear is bedded up in them so we pack up and head after him. We slip around the bay and after a mile and a half we spot him balled up in the alders having a little siesta. At this point, we are 600 yards from him and Andy is starting to get excited about getting a shot on his first Alaskan brown bear.
With the wind in our favour and the old boar snoozing away, we get in single file to minimize our foot print and start hot footing it from one piece of cover to the next. A method I like to use for a stalk like this is to have one person advance while the other person (two in this case) watches, hopscotching from cover to cover, keeping an eye on the bear to ensure we do not get busted. We manage to get within 150 yards of the bear and setup on the edge of a creek bank to wait him out. The last thing we want to do is to try and place a shot on him in the alders where placing a follow-up shot could be difficult to accomplish.
As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and sure enough here comes the old bruin walking out of the alders and offering Andy a great shot opportunity. Not one to pass up a good thing, Andy is already setup on his bipod and he places a shot right in the shoulder with his .375 H&H magnum dropping the bear on the open side hill.
Now’s when the work begins but not before the ever vigilant Mrs Ruth reminds us that we have only one chance to capture this moment in pictures and video. Over the years I have learned (ok, I’m trying already!) that taking the time to get great quality pictures to capture a memory of a lifetime is as important as any other aspect of the hunt, and with a -1.7 foot tide at 10:17 and 03 sec pm (who’s counting? LOL!) We have plenty of time for pictures, skinning and a bush lunch before making the trek back to camp.
If you’ve ever tried to reposition a 900 lb. brown bear on a side hill, you know what a task this can be and once moved these guys have a tendency to go where they will, but Andy and I manage to get him into position for pictures and skinning. Once pictures are taken we begin the 2-hour chore of skinning and packing our bear up for the 4-mile hike back to camp. We finish in time for a bite to eat, a cup of coffee and evening siesta of our own before we begin the trek back, arriving back at camp in the dark at 1 am, tired and happy from a great day in the field.
We must have slept a lot harder than we thought because the following morning we wake to find the largest set of bear tracks I have ever seen within 10 yards of the tent! Walking towards the head of the bay, we are hunting and from this point forward nothing less than this old boy will do. We spend the rest of this day glassing and hoping we can get a glance of this big old bruin. Unfortunately, Lady Luck did not shine on us this day and we find where his tracks head all the way into the drainage at the head of the bay, so we plan to spend the next day working beyond the bay and looking at new country. We begin early the next morning, putting in 12 miles with a lot of glassing time in search of Big Foot, but just like the legend of The Boggy Creek Monster we believe he is, he vanishes without a trace.
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Walking out that night we spot a bear across the bay and although he is a really good bear, I decide to pass on him. As we round the corner, we bump into yet another bear. This guy’s on our side, but the wind is not in our favour and he winds us about the same time I spot him. Like many good sized boars he’s used to owning his territory and he only climbs about 50 feet then locks up and turns to check us out. About this time, we’re all scratching our heads wondering why we’ve been walking all day only to discover two great bears waiting on our return and we spend the next hour stalking, watching and taking pictures of them. By now I have had a good look at both bears and I convince myself that neither is the bear I am looking for, so I give them both a pass. May 16th the final day of our hunt begins like every day so far with clear skies and warm sunshine. We usually bring enough goodies for a special meal celebration on at least one night of our hunt and tonight being the night, Mrs Ruth hangs back at camp to dig for little neck clams at low tide, a treat we are all looking forward to. With Mrs Ruth staying in camp, I break out the two way radios and leave one with her in case of emergency, which comes in handy a few hours later when she gets a visit from The Alaska State Troopers. They had spotted Andy’s bear, salted and drying in the sun, so they land their super cub on the beach by our camp. The next thing I know, Mrs Ruth’s calling us on the radio and Trooper Joe Wittkop is asking if we would like to have our bear and wolf sealed. Heck Yeah! So we beat feet back to camp where they check our license, registration permits and seal our trophies, saving us a trip once we return home. Heck, what more could you ask for? We would like to thank Trooper Joe Wittkop for his help and for his service to our communities. He was a great guy to visit with and treated us with courtesy and professionalism.
bolducknives.com
Radios: Remember, it is against state regulations to use any radio communication to assist in stalking or hunting big game animals.
Now that the troopers are gone and since we are back in camp, Andy starts gathering wood for the grill while Mrs Ruth and I work on cleaning the clams she dug at low tide. It’s celebration time and collectively we grill New York Steaks, steam fiddle heads and sauté’ little neck clams for a feast as good as anything you will ever find in any 5 star restaurant!
That evening, stuffed to the gills, we work our way back to the glassy knoll for my final shot at filling my tag. We end our last day of the hunt by placing a stalk on a boar that is working the head of the bay. He’s another fine specimen, with a good hide and colouring but I opt to spend some time enjoying the opportunity to watch him and walk away in hopes that he will be around next season and all the bigger for me having let him walk. When it’s time to go, it’s time to go!
Our pick-up morning begins, like every day we’ve experienced this hunt and like the ride out, the plane ride back to Kodiak is filled with sunshine, clear blue skies and beautiful scenery.
See Gary’s work at bolucknives.com
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As I sit back with Roland at the helm, I have plenty of time to reflect back on our hunt and even though my bear tag filled count = 0, if helping a good friend take his first brown bear, spending time with Mrs Ruth on the Alaska Peninsula and ten days of great weather does not add up to a trip of a lifetime. Well then, I guess my calculator must be broken!
If there’s one sure thing in the world that you can bet your 401k on, it’s that if the Good Lord is willing, we’ll be back come the fall of 2015. Seeeeee Yaaaaa!
Louis A. Cusack
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Spring Turkey Hunting In Southern New Jersey Spring Turkey Season is an exciting time of year for Turkey Hunters. The cool mornings, smell of Spring in the air and sounds of Gobblers waking up the day with that sound of Thunder is something that makes even the oldest, wisest turkey hunter feel like a young kid again.
Hunting Spring Gobblers in New Jersey is a secret that has been kept for years but is fast catching on to hunters looking to harvest a nice Eastern Tom. With an ample amount of Turkeys in New Jersey, it provides a very good opportunity to hunters hoping to harvest a trophy bird or table fare.
It is important to know that Spring Turkey Season in New Jersey is handled by Permits through a Lottery process handled by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (www.njfishandwildlife.com). Prospective hunters need to apply for their permits during a period which usually occurs from the end of January until the end of February. The lottery is then held in the beginning of March with Unclaimed permits available for purchase later during the month of March. When you apply for a Turkey Permit, you must know some important information ahead of time. This will require you to make contact with a Guide ahead of time. Information that you are going to need to know are; What Hunting Period are you going to hunt? New Jersey divides permits in two ways, one of which is by Hunting Periods. The season is usually broken down into 5 blocks of dates which are labeled as Hunting Periods A through E. Additionally, you will need to know what Area you are going to hunt. New Jersey breaks the State into 18 Hunting Areas in which Turkey Permits are issued for the spring. All of this information is provided on the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Website. On my 2014 Spring Turkey Hunt, I called friend and Professional Guide Jay Sutton. Jay had guided turkey hunters for me when I used to own my Waterfowl Guide Service and yielded an amazing near 100% success rate, for putting the birds into gun or bow range anyway. The shooting was up to the clients and Spring Gobbler Fever struck more than a few. Jay was now on his own and had some time for me.
By my opinion, Jay is one of the best Turkey Guides in the State of New Jersey. He has multiple access to property, knows the land well and more importantly knows the birds even better. I may be a little impartial since Jay is a friend of mine but he is one of the nicest, professional, gentleman guides that you could chose to spend a day with.
Jay set us up on one of his properties where he had been seeing several nice Toms. On this days hunt, I chose my trusty Benelli loaded with Federal’s Mag Shok with the Flite Control wad loaded with 6 Shot. This combination gave me a pattern of 67 hits in the head and neck at 40 yards through the Factory Full Choke. No need to buy a special Turkey Choke Tube with those results.
Turkey hunting in New Jersey Jay Sutton 609-352-6957
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We arrived early which gave us ample time to set up one of my Primos Turkey Decoys and tuck away into our blind. We were hunting a field edge. As daybreak approached, we heard several hens making their subtle good mornings. As daylight arrived, those subtle hen callings were met with thunder. There were gobbles coming from all around us. I looked at Jay and said, “They are everywhere”. He just nodded as if to say I already know they are. We both couldn’t help but to laugh while tucked quietly in our blind.
Daylight greeted us with a Spring time morning fog. We couldn’t see even across the field. During this fog, we occasionally would see outlines of turkeys in the field about 75 yards in front of us but couldn’t make out if they were hens, jakes or the Tom that I was searching for. We patiently sat and Jay would call to which he would receive the answers we were looking for. They were around, just not wanting to come out and play just yet.
As the fog lifted, we had a hen and a Jake in the field. Jay was able to fire the hen up, to the point she was so angry that there was another hen out there, she came within 10 yards of us looking. Our blind did its job. Shortly after, the Jake walked within 15 yards of us. Although he had a large body, he was not what I was looking for.
In a very short time after the Jake walked away, to our right we saw 2 birds through the brush walking towards our decoy. It was 2 Toms together, both were real nice birds. My heart starting pounding to the point I think you could have seen my shirt moving. This was what I love about Turkey Hunting, I have shot numerous turkeys in my hunting days but something about Spring Gobbler Hunting still gets me cranked up. The Toms walked straight towards our decoy, never breaking inside of about 50 yards. They hit a point in which they seemed to get very nervous and turned and walked away. For a short time Jay and I were perplexed by this, then we realized….
Here he came, the Boss. He was in full strut at about 60 yards behind us and to the right. This Tom ruled this area. He was on a little stone lane, fan out, wings down and stretched and head tucked high and back. It seemed to take an eternity for him to reach us. He never left his strut position, he would turn left, then work it right, then move about 1 to 2 feet. This is how he worked the entire way in. My excitement was exploding to the point I was talking to myself to try to calm down. Jay just kept chuckling and now decided to video. I thought how my friend could be doing this to me. I am taking deep breaths trying to get myself together and he wants to laugh and video. Real Nice.
The Tom continued doing his thing. I prayed to myself, come on, 3 more feet so you clear this cedar tree in front of me. The Lord answered as he was now in full strut, right in front of the bead of my Benelli, at about 30 yards. He turned to face me at which time I squeezed the trigger. There was no question when my gun barked. The Federal Shell that I chose to use for today’s hunt hit that Tom with such force, it caused him to flip completely backward 1 full rotation. It was all over but the high fives. The Tom tipped the scales at 21 pounds with a 10.5 inch beard. Dennis Cassel JR
If you are looking for a great New Jersey Turkey Hunting experience, I strongly suggest you reach out to Jay Sutton jsutton@keengas.com Ph.
(609)352-6957)
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The Bozeman RS 325 Reel Review. I met Dan Rice from Bozeman Reel Company a few months back I asked him about field testing one of their new reels for Hookalip Outdoors Magazine. What caught my Attention was, This Reel is Made and Assembled in Montana, USA!!! To start a new company in this Economic time let alone a fly Reel Company, but that's exactly what Bozeman Reel is doing, and I was excited to Test it out. Their Specialized team has Technically been designing the RS 325 Reel since 2008, it seems to be this Bozeman Reel Co. is finally making a big push to get it in Fly shop's all over the Country. Bozeman's RS 325 was everything I expected it to be and more! I met Dan Rice at the Bozeman Angler, on the night of the F3t Fly Fishing Film Tour in Bozeman, Montana.
We had a Great conversation on the aspects of his Reel and the company goals for 2014. I wanted in on the Action! In April I went down to the shop and interviewed Dan Rice and met the Crew. We shot some video and I was shown around the shop and through all the phases of Construction and Assembly of the RS 325. The RS 325 is put together very well to withstand the Montana Elements! Cold and Frozen!! Oh wait its Summer Time Now! Ya Right!!! Welcome to Montana, Where it can and will snow during the summer. Now for the Specs.
The RDX Drag System is incredible! RDX utilizes Rulon and Titanium to create a tippet protecting, Monster Fish Run Stopping Drag System within an innovative new Conical Drag System!!! Sweet! The RS 325 Reel is incredibly light, yet built like a Timeless piece of Functional Art! Yup it's pretty! I had the Chance to put it to the Test here in Montana on the World Famous Yellowstone River, The Gallatin River and Depuy's Spring Creek. Oh Ya I forgot River X. I managed to get into some nice fish in the middle 20's and the RS 325 managed very well, I also tried it on various Rods. High Sticken a 10' Czech Nymph Rod, as well as a 4 wt. composite Rod and a 7'3" Fiberglass custom build rod.
I have tried to stay open minded on this Rs 325 and not compare it to anything else in my Arsenal! But I couldn't help myself! It is the Best Reel out there in this persons Opinion. The Drag is so smooth and it is Virtually Silent on the River. Very Important in Montana! The RS 325 balances out very nicely on any rod I put it on. It made the Glass rod Look Classy and the Czech Nymph Rod Looked and worked awesome with the RS 325 attached to it. I was spotted out on the River with the RS 325 Bozeman Reel and let several people try it out and everyone loved it! The tolerances and attention to Detail is incredibly tight. It is overall very dependable. I let some of my guide buddy's try it out and they all agreed! The RS 325 Reel is extremely smooth. A couple Guides actually managed a few fish over 20" on the RS 325 and they totally enjoyed it. This Rs 325 made this Rod look Sweet! It was an Awesome 3 weeks of Fly Fishing with the Rs 325. If you would like to get one you can contact Bozeman Reel on the web or call them at (406) 548-2858 14 www.bozemanreel.com to find a shop near you. Thanks---- Dutch McClintock.
Full Battle Rattle is a music therapy group designed to help veterans suffering from combat related disabilities discover the healing power of music. Mission The mission of Full Battle Rattle is help veterans who are struggling with post-war effects of combat. We are dedicated to helping veterans find a constructive outlet for their disabilities. We want to teach veterans how to play guitar completely free of charge, even if the veteran cannot afford a guitar we will try to provide one. Company Overview Started by Rob Mitchell and Chris Heart. Rob is a veteran of OIF II, and 6 1/2 year veteran of the Albuquerque Police Department. Chris Heart has been a professional musician for over 15 years.Chris Heart has acomplished such creditials as 5 time instrumentalist of the year for North American Country Music Association,Musicial DIrector for Fiddlers Feast Theatre in Pigeon Forge,TN,staff musician on Carnival Cruise lines,Recording engineer at Chapel Valley Studio,Chris has also worked for many Major Labels act on Capital Records,Universal,Rounder Records,Chris has been on tv shows such as CMT, GAC,and The Grand Ole Opry,Chris has a roster of endorsements and sponsorships and he continues to tour and record with Artists full time.Full Battle Rattle is a group dedicated to helping the combat disabled heal by teaching them how to play guitar FREE OF CHARGE. We are a BRAND NEW organization and already have generous donations from places like Guitar Center of Albuquerque and Seven Day Seven Night Rehearsal Studio.
Find Full Battle Rattle on Facebook They NEED our support. As Sportmans of the Outdoors let’s get the word out about Rob and his cause!!! Let’s help our returning troups!!! They have done so much for us it’s Time to repay them.
Email - fullbattlerattle@gmail.com
Fly on the Wheel 360-941-4488 See all of their Products Flyonthewheel.com 15 Tell them Hookalip sent you!
Spring Turkey HuntColorado 2014 Going back a ways, I always enjoyed picking up my nephews and taking them on hunting and fishing adventures. From the time they were both out of diapers they would come on high mountain trips. Spending long days in the field, munching on candy bars and having great times that I really enjoyed.
As they both got older their outdoor talents grew, but life as a whole interfered with opportunities to get together. My younger nephew, Jeremy, married a few years ago, to a wonderful wife, Skye, mother of 2 fine boys. Being separated by a few hundred miles makes for difficulty getting to see one another.
When Jeremy was 13, he shot his first elk. A great shot from about 175 yards across a deep bowed meadow. To this day I can still feel the pride and satisfaction his dad and I felt as he proudly stood over his prize This last winter, Jeremy and I would call back and forth about meeting for a Spring turkey hunt in Colorado. A canyon, not far from Cortez, has earned the well deserved name "Disappointment". Those who have been there know why it has that name. The people who make all those truck commercials should film there! If your truck can handle that area you’re going to be ok! I arrived in Cortez the day before the hunt, got my license and a cheap pair of camo pants at the local WalMart. I met Jeremy and his wife, Skye, and their 2 young sons. We talked about the old days and how it has been too long getting together. About two hours before dark we headed out to scout likely areas for the next days hunt. Turkey's in this part of the country are known to "roost" after sundown about 10 feet or higher off the ground in trees with spread branches.
This gives them a large field of view and room to fly if a predator approaches. Right out of the truck we noted several bobcat markers. These guys are fast, ultra quiet stalkers that are excellent and efficient hunters. To support large numbers of these cats requires an equally large amount of small game, including birds.Moving slowly and quietly is paramount to scouting. All was quiet around us till the last rays of sun went out on the horizon. Almost to the second, a Tom barked out from a dense stand of pines about 200 yards from us. My nephew, who does not need a call, broke out with a hen cluck from his throat. Suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded on 3 sides by talking Toms, beckoning for our attention. This is where most guys will blow their chance. If we were to over call or pursue for "just a quick look” at the next day’s prize, we are just as likely to scare off our quarry. Jeremy noted landmarks as we made a stealthy retreat out of the area.
We returned almost 2 hours before dawn and began to return to the prior evening’s location. Almost 45 minutes before sunrise the quiet of the night was broken by the same 3 Toms calling. The sky had taken a dark blue with the glow of dawn yellows and burnt orange on the eastern horizon. I love this time of morning when you can see the shapes of plants and trees but there is no color just black and grays. We came to a grassy park and heard 2 Toms fighting to our right, not far off. Jeremy led us along the edge of the park between the tree line and the sloping edge leading into the park. He spotted a small rise covered with sage brush standing about 50 to 60 yards from the edge of the tree line. Skye, his wife picked a spot to set a single hen decoy at the low point between the rise and slope from the trees. We laid out against the far side of the rise and were set for action. 16
The 2 Toms were still engaging each other which caused us to hurry our pace and be ready. Once we were all securely in position, Jeremy let out with his hen call. We all got nervous when the area went dead quite. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but my heart beating we were thinking that maybe the birds moved off and we would have to set up on another area. At that time the silence was scattered by a huge Tom at the edge of the tree line. He had flanked us to our left and was standing in a small gravel wash. Skye sat motionless as if she had turned to stone.
We sat motionless as he stayed between the tree line and park using the sage brush as cover. His fantail was up and wings knocking over gravel as he worked the edge of the park. I pushed off the safety of my Benelli Nova and took aim at the gap ahead of this big boy. Jeremy was whispering to me not to miss cause this guy was big. As if on cue he came into the gap and even raised his head. The distance was about 40 to 45 yards. I put my bead on him and fired. A direct hit to the head and neck ended our standoff. He was a beautiful Merriam’s turkey, with a 9 inch beard. His wings and spurs showed the battle scars of several fights. Fifteen minutes into opening morning it was over. Time for photos and stories of a Fantastic adventure. The sun was now over the horizon and lit up the area with early morning color. While taking the pictures we were planning next year’s adventure as 2 Tom’s remained calling in the same area. We went back to the house cleaned the bird and went fishing the rest of the day at Toten Lake outside Cortez, where Skye kicked our butts catching pike.
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LEFTY When asked to write this piece, my initial reaction was, sure why not? Then it hit me that I would be trying to tell you about a man who I am proud to call my friend who in so many ways has helped shape my life, my career and the person I have become.
I would bet that if you were anywhere in the world on a fishing trip and heard his name mentioned it would be a sure thing that they were talking about Bernard ‘Lefty’ Kreh. I know of no other person living or dead that this could be said about.
For me now at the age of 69 it takes me back to a place called the fly fisherman’s bookcase, and Sam Melner’s grand opening in Croton N.Y. of which Lefty was the main attraction. It was on that day that he took me out of a crowd and proceeded to teach me the true meaning of being a great fly caster. As I recall he was casting a 5 wt trout rod and after several minutes of first showing me how to cast and then in his soft quiet speech instructing me on the basic correct form. I let go a cast that went all the way into the backing, a feat that I had never come close to before.
So that is how our friendship began. Just what he saw in me I truly do not know but his friendship would change my life forever. Over the next few years our paths would cross on a more regular basis and with each meeting he showed a sincere interest in myself and my career. If you asked 100 fisherman to describe him I’m sure you would get 100 different answers. There was and is the public man a gifted entertainer and teacher, no other that I have ever seen can hold an audience like him. Many have tried but no others have come close. It is true that many will make the claim of being his friend but I can tell you he is a very special person with deep convictions and does have a very select group of friends who would do about anything to be sure that he is never taken advantage of or made to feel uncomfortable. When you can remove him from being the showman you will find a quiet and totally honest friend who will not mix words but give you his best judgment of a situation you may have fallen into. For me this is his greatest strength among so many.
By 1980 my wife carol and I had made the move to Chambersburg Pa. I wanted to be close to some great trout fishing and as a second bonus I would be but 90 miles from where Lefty lived. Over the next few years this allowed the two of us to spend more time on the water or in the corn fields hunting the wild pheasants of the Cumberland valley. If you think Lefty is a good fly caster you should see him shoot. His time was spent each week traveling from Thursday through the weekend, leaving him three days to deal with all his business involvements from magazine articles to new books or designing new rod tapers. He is the most organized man I have ever known and for the most part still is at 89 18 years of age.
Our first adventure would take place in 1982. We had spoken the night before and he assured me that he would be at my home before 8 am. We were going bird hunting but we were dealing with new seasonable temperatures for November. An early start was important if we were to get our two bird limit. I was standing in my driveway when his car pulled in. He got out and apologized for being at that point almost two hours late. It seemed that Mark Sosin had called to discuss some things about the book on knots they were co-writing just as he was walking out the door. I was a little upset knowing we needed that early morning window for my dogs to produce. Things were not what I had hoped for but we would do our best to save this day.
Just as we were starting to get things together my wife joined us. She had just gotten home from working the local night shift at the local hospital. She walked up to us wearing her slippers, purple nightgown, and robe. Without waiting to be introduced she lifted a jar of Skippy peanut butter looking him straight into his face and said”Mr. Kreh, are you staying for dinner?” Lefty burst out laughing and a bad start to this day was now well behind us. To this day he still refers to Carol as the hussy! That day passed way too quick for me. We both got our limits of pheasant with a few woodcocks to boot. I truly believe that this was the day that cemented our friendship. We were just two guys enjoying a day in the field.
Over the next three years Lefty came over several times to get some down time from his busy schedule and catch a few good fish. On one of those occasions I introduced him to my close friend and fishing mentor John Snyder. Of all the people I have ever fished with John was by far the best trout fisherman I have ever seen. On several occasions I had mentioned him to Lefty and today I would get them together. Having seen Lefty so many times at shows it was wonderful to see the other side of him relaxed and just enjoying himself. He was amongst friends with no pressure to entertain us. This was to be their time so once I made the introduction I left and fished by myself. I kept my eye on them and from what I could tell they were enjoying each other’s company. I am sure that enough wonderful information was shared that day to write the bible on fishing spring creeks. Later Lefty said, Billy I have to agree he is the best I have ever seen also. These getaways allowed Lefty to decompress and anytime he would come over I did my best to insure that he would not be bothered by others who would want to meet him and thus take away from him being able to relax.
To give you a clear understanding of just how generous this man truly is on another occasion we were once again scheduled to just spending a fun day fishing together but the evening before one of my closest friends had made the trip down from New York without letting me know he was coming. When Lefty arrived I explained my situation, He smiled and said “He can fish with us”. We all got into my truck and headed off to the springs. Once there we got rigged up and took up our respected location waiting on the blizzard trico hatch that would soon follow. Almost as if set off by the time on a clock the hatch began and both Lefty and I started hooking up. I tried to keep watch of both of them to be sure all was going as planned. What I saw was that Lefty was not fishing but rather watching my friend David and taking notice that he was not having much luck. Before I could do anything Lefty reeled up his line and went over to David and proceeded to spend the rest of that morning giving him one on one lessons. That selfless gift of his time was the high point of David’s fly fishing life and for his remaining years was talked about by him as the best day on the water he has ever had.
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That day taught me the true meaning of friendship, over the years I have learned so many life lessons from him. A few months ago we got together and had lunch and I did my best at that time to thank him for helping me learn what it means to be a man. Many years have passed since those days in Pa, and I am no longer a young man. Through his involvement I would discover saltwater fly fishing and move my family to south east Florida where we would remain for the next 28 years. The thing with real friendships is that neither time nor distance will change them. We don’t get to see each other as often as often as I would like but with life we learn to accept its limitations and enjoy what we have. There are many more stories I could share about my friend but for me the greatest one is that because of his gift of friendship over these 40 + years I am a better person for having him in my life.
Bill Elliott E L U S I O N C A M O . N E T
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RAGS FOR CHROME
Rumor has it that rags were invented by some construction workers in British Columbia. Apparently they set out on a last minute fishing trip and only had enough money for a few beers. Lacking the funds to buy some egg sacs they concocted “The Rag”. Since they were in the construction industry backer rod was quite prevalent. For those of you who don’t know what backer rod is it’s a tubular foam used for window insulation. Most of your backer rod nowadays comes in grey or white but can be colored with a sharpie. Check your local hardware stores for various colors and sizes. 3/8’ is the size I like to use along with medium glo yarn in various colors. If you’re having trouble finding backer rod you can always use precut foam ear plugs! I like the colors these come in especially the yellow ones but a great alternative to the backer rod.
As most steelhead fisherman know; the first thing you need to figure out when you head out for some chrome is what color are they biting on? It doesn’t matter what pattern or bait your throwing as long as you nail down the right color. This has everything to do with light and water clarity. Steelhead react to color more than any other sense in my opinion so you have to make that fish turn its head on your bait. I’ve seen days on the water when pink worms or pink egg sacs were all they would hit and other days it was sunburst orange beads or estaz orange egg patters. Fishing the rag is a great way to stock many of those colors in your arsenal. The Rag is simple and easy to make and you can get pretty creative with your favorite colors. They are also used with, sand shrimp oil scents, fish oil, and to relinquish my secret scent, vegetable oil mixed with anise extract.
To get started you will need, backer rod (3/8” or ½”), Glo Bug yarn in your favorite colors, 4-6 lb fluorocarbon leader material, 4-5 mm beads (optional), and size 6-8 octopus hooks. The tools you will need are scissors, a fly tying threading devise or a toothpick and your all set. Start off by cutting the backer rod in lengths of ½’-¾’ and make as many as you can. . Once they are cut you can lay out 2 different color strands of Glo bug yarn in 12’ lengths. Using the threading tool poke through the sides of the backer rod and simply thread one of the yarn strands through the side of the rod. You can pull several pieces of backer rod onto the yarn until they are evenly spaced about an inch apart. Once you have them spaced properly just cut the yarn between the pieces of backer rod. The next step is to run the second color strand through the other side of the backer rod so that both colors are offset of one another on the sides of the rod. These will be spaced and cut just like the first strand. Next you will want to cut your leader material. I personally like to use 18’ lengths. Tie your hook of choice to one end and slide a bead down on top of the hook. The final step is to thread the leader through the rag vertically so it slides down on top of the bead. Top your leader off with a loop or leave it loose for tying to a float rig or bottom bouncing rig. Now you’re ready to hit the water. To Book a Fishing Trip With Mike Call 22
302-722-3992
Most fisherman I talk to only like to use in Rags in high water. I find that scaling down this application you can fish them in shallower waters if you get the weight right. I like to use Rags the size of a dime in smaller water and the size of a quarter in higher water. The Rag rig is very buoyant so keeping it down in the strike zone can be tricky. Make sure you get your weight bouncing correctly on your bounce rig. I see too many guys fishing the same weight pattern in every hole they go to and not adjusting for proper depth. It could make or break your day so fish disciplined. If you’re running a float rig on a pinning rod then you have a great advantage to fishing pocket water with the Rag. By keeping your rod tip high and back against the current you can swing the Rag behind big rocks and hold your Cleardrift float in the eddy pools so the rag is in the strike zone longer. Don’t forget to work the seams coming off of those rocks as well. Sometimes the fish are in them heavy.
The Rag is a great tool no matter how you fish for steelhead. Like anything else we devise to fool the ever elusive steelhead species its best to go with what you know works for you and what you have confidence in fishing ,so play around with colors , sizes ,and bead combinations and have fun out there. Try running a pink worm below the rag or even a small egg sac. You never know for sure what’s going to turn that fish of a lifetime to the end of your line. That’s why we stay on the hunt for the latest fly or newest rig and who knows the next hot new idea could be yours.
Michael Hunt
Steelhead trips on the Salmon River - 3 days 2 nights includes lodging and license (7 day pass) ($600)per person This is a walk in trip -waders are provided but its better to bring your own.All gear is provided except warm clothing.Please bring many thin layers and thermal or smartwool under layers and a warm coat.You and your guest will fish for two full days and up until 10:30 am on the third day.Food and drinks are not included.
Brown Trout trips in western NY tributaries -3 days 2 nights includes lodging and license (7 day pass) ($800)per person This is a walk in trip-waders are provided but its better to bring your own.All gear is provided except warm clothing.Please bring many thin layers and thermal or smart wool under layers and a warm coat.You and your guest will fish for 2 full days and up till 10:30 am on the third day.Food and drinks are not included. 23 Call Mike 302-722-3992 These trips are not relegated to 3 days and can be extended !
Maple Leaf Cromer’s As I sit at my laptop, tapping at the keys, I look out the window and know that I will soon be wading through some river in Southern Ontario looking for Steelhead. Just a little background information, the steelhead is a migratory rainbow trout that, in most cases go upriver to spawn in spring and fall. For some the opening of trout season on the last weekend of April is a time for bonding for the fisher people. Many fishers travel great distances to camp out and begin a new fishing season with friends old and new. Steelhead can be as elusive a ghost but if you can locate them and if they are on the feed, hang on because you are in for a treat. SPIN FISHING There are three main ways to fish for these chrome beauties; spin rod, fly rod and centre pinning. When I first started fishing for steelhead, spinning gear was the method I used. It is one of the more versatile ways to fish as you can use different size spinners ranging from size number 0 all the way up to a number 3. Spinners come with different size blades that can vary the amount of flash given off and to sink at different rates. In my experience, the Colorado-blade spinner, with its larger surface blade, is best for shallow pools and slower runs as it will ride higher in the water column. I have found a French-blade spinner is better for deeper pools and faster runs because the smaller, narrower, blade on the spinner, results in less drag in the water and will get your lure down to the deep parts of the water quicker. The best way to use spinners is to cast across and up stream of your target area. After you cast, wait and let the spinner sink about a foot down into the water and then slowly start to retrieve. This will start the spinner spinning and the lure will start to swing sideways toward you, Hang on as strikes can be hard and fast!
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One trick I have used in the past is to tease big males with is a Wobbling Plug such as a Kwickfish, Flatfish or Tadpolly. You need to be careful that the fish does not see you. It’s best to stand at least ten or fifteen feet in front of the fish in order to be able to drift the lure slowly back, causing the lure to wobble and dive in front of them causing a strike out of aggression. Fishing with a float, split shot and hook leaves many options for bait. The most commonly used bait is roe, salmon, brown trout or steelhead eggs. Being the conversationalist that I am, I usually buy my roe from a store. That way you don’t sacrifice any fish just for her roe, keeping your river healthy. When I am choosing which color and size of mesh material to make up my bags, the rules I follow are use bright colors and larger bags in dirty, murky water and more natural colors and smaller bags in clear water. Pictured below is an example of a simple set up but getting it right can still take some practice. Bottom bouncing is another method that I use but it is a little tougher to master. With some practice it can be deadly on fish in fast pools and quick water runs. When bottom bouncing you need to get the weight just right, so that they are ticking the bottom. It’s one of the hardest things to do. The next tough part, is telling the difference between rocks, snags or fish. You need to be able to keep your line tight as too much slack will cause drag and will not look natural and you will end up getting snagged more often. By keeping your rod tip between two and three o’clock and following your line with the rod tip, if the rig stops, set the hook. Some fishers tend to lift the rod slowly thinking they are snagged when really it’s a fish and they end up losing it. FLY FISHING
If you haven’t tried fly fishing I recommend giving it a chance it is great fun and is one of my favourite ways to fish. Fly fishing looks much harder that it is. Being the first in my family to fly fish, I didn’t have the time honoured tradition of spending time with loved ones teaching me the tricks or art of fly fishing. I read books, watched shows and videos. I am by far no master of the arts but if you are able to get your fly more than twenty to thirty feet away from you, you can usually get into some fish. When fly fishing for steelhead I would use a seven weight rod or larger because steelhead in Southern Ontario can be rod busters.
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Swinging a fly can be one of the easier ways to catch a steelhead. First make a mental grid in your mind of the river and make quarter casts up stream. You don’t want your line to drag so mend the line, mending takes the belly out of the line that the current has put in. To do this you need to take your rod tip and give it a little flip away from the current in order to make your drift look more natural. You may need to do this more than once per cast depending on how fast the current is. When swinging flies you can use both nymphs and streamers. The strikes, when nymph swinging can be very subtle and may take some time to get the feel. You also need to watch your line to tighten up and then set the hook. Swinging big streamers is a bit different than nymphs. Streamers are big and are supposed to resemble water dwellers such minnows, leaches, crayfish or dragonfly nymphs. As with the nymph swinging you want to quarter your casts and mend your line as needed but at the end of your swing when the streamer is parallel with you in the river, pause and let the streamer rise a little, then slowly strip it back to you. I’ve taken quite a few fish on the pause as the fish think the rising streamer is getting away. The strikes from this kind of fishing, feels like the rod is coming out of your hands so hold on tight. CENTER PIN FISHING Center pin drift fishing is also known as float fishing. This is the type of fishing that I do the most these days. I’ve been pinning for roughly twenty years and though this may seem like a long time, I learn new things about this technique all the time. I usually use a thirteen and a half foot rod and ten pound main line. This length of rod helps with line control and mending. I carry different sizes and styles of floats. The same goes for hooks and split shots. Water color and level will decide what size and color floats I use. Typically I will use clear smaller floats in low clear water and bigger highly visible floats in stained water. When visibility is low I also choose a larger hook size. The main function of a centre pin reel is the ability to make long drifts. Like a spinning rod, a float fishing rod can handle a number of different baits. Baits that I have found to work the best are roe bags, small jigs, worms and beads. When fishing with a float and the bait of choice, getting your depth and weight right is the key. You want your bait in the strike zone as much as possible and that means just off the bottom of the river, creek or stream you are in.
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The float that you are using needs to be sitting straight up in the water in order for the bait to drift naturally. If your float is pointing downstream, then your length from the float to the hook is too long and the bait is probably dragging on the bottom. I like to have a main line of no less than ten pound mono on my reel. When rigging your rod, have your main line go through the fixed float and my split shot also attached to the mainline. Spacing the shot depends on the river conditions and personal preference. I tie a barrel swivel to the end of the main line. The other end of the swivel I attach a fluorocarbon leader. I use a leader of eighteen to twenty four inches. The hooks I use range in size from anywhere from a four to ten, and a twelve in a wide gap or octopus hook. I like to use red, gold, black or chartreuse. No matter what style of fishing you chose, remember it’s all about having fun, staying safe and preserving our natural resources.
Scott Sklad
elusioncamo.net
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Lime Grilled Salmon Recipe Ingredients
Juice of two limes 3 tablespoons olive ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper splash of hot pepper sauce (add to taste) 3 green onions chopped fine ½ teaspoon sugar Makes enough marinade for 4 salmon steaks Combine ingredients and place over salmon steaks in bowl or plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Grill salmon steaks over medium flame 4-5 minutes per side.
Crock Pot Duck Recipe
Ingredients:
8 duck breasts –
1 large yellow onion
3 cloves garlic – minced
2 cans cream of chicken soup or mushroom soup Flour
Creole seasoning
Cracked black pepper
Bacon – 1 package or to taste
Red potatoes – cut in 1 inch chunks
Directions:
Cut up the duck breasts into 2-3 inch chunks. Salt and pepper to taste. Lightly coat duck meat in flour. Melt some butter in frying pan and brown them up fast (don’t overcook). Once browned set aside in bowl. Next cut up bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook bacon and brown onions in frying pan adding the garlic for the last minute or so. Set aside in same bowl.
Next cut up potatoes in 1 inch chunks as well and set them in bowl with other ingredients. Mix all ingredients lightly together.
Now in the crock pot place some of the cream of mushroom/chicken soup on the bottom first then a layer of the mixed meat and potatoes. Repeat this process until all ingredients are used up.
Set the crock pot on low and let it cook for 6-8 hours or so until potatoes are done. Half way through you can take a large spoon and mix everything around.
You can make this crock pot duck recipe early in the morning, go out for a hunt, and come home to a delicious hot meal.
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