Friday, July 31, 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Friday, July 24, 2009

Hub Pages

Here is another blogging site that i recently became a member of. It's a good way to get your articles read by a lot of people.

Check me out!

http://hubpages.com/profile/Rob+Dee

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Fishing Jones

I'm sure that you folks are familiar with Pete over at Fishing Jones but check him out if you don't. He has great photos and a blog list like no other.

I'm feeling better. Thanks for all of the kind words and get well wishes.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Win My Fly Box


......well.....not really MY fly box......but one just like it.....and yes, it will be stuffed full of saltwater flies tied by yours truly. Deceivers, DT Specials, beadchain eye clousers, bonefish flies, tarpon flies, Greenie flies, majoras and a Bill Jackson's foam lined fly box adorned with your choice of a snook, redfish, bonefish or tarpon could be yours!

All you'll have to do is write a comment on this post advising me how to get off the snide. Much like a hockey player going through a goalless stretch, a baseball player who can't buy a hit, or a golfer who can't seem to find the fairway, i need to know from you the best "slumpbusting" techniques to employ to get out of my fishless streak. And eating sushi before you go doesn't work. All that got me yesterday was a redfish that couldn't seem to get a mouth on my crease fly if i fed it to him. Leave a way to contact you so i can send it to the winner.

So on the count of 3, start writing.....

Ready!? 1......2.......3!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Recent Tarpon Flies


Just a few tarpon flies i've been working on....not that i've had a lot of time recently.....All hooks are Owner.











This is a Black Death Keys style 3/0

















Red Death Keys style 3/0


















Diana Rudolph style mullet toad 3/0

















Location X floaty fly 3/0
















Purple and white toad 3/0

















Olive and black Bunny Deceiver 3/0

Let me know if you like 'em.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Saltwater Leaders


There is often a lot of debate among saltwater fly fishers when it comes to leaders and how to construct a good connection between your fly line and your fly. Of course choosing a leader depends on what species you're targeting, water depth and clarity.

Most folks say that using a 4 section system is the best way to help your fly turn over however, i have found it unnecessary to use 4 sections.....i've whittled it down to 2 sections and sometimes even one...."get out and practice" is what i say.

Most of the time, i'll use a 9 foot leader made of either Triplefish or Trilene Big Game or a shorter 6 foot leader if the conditions are windy. i don't like fluorocarbon because it tends to drag the fly down too fast even though it's quite a bit tougher than regular monofiliment. One rule of thumb to follow.....be sure to use the same brand of lines when putting together a leader.....the sections tend to hold together better and greatly reduces the chance of slippage.

When targeting redfish in the backcountry or on the flats, i'll use a 9 foot single strand of 25 lb Trilene Big Game. If there are oyster bars present, i might bump it up to 30 lb of the same material.

If going for snook anywhere, i'll employ a 7 foot section of the 25 lb Big Game and a 2 foot section of 30 lb for a bite tippet to defend against the razor sharp gill rakers that snook like to use against unsuspecting anglers.

For bonefish on the clear flats in the Keys, i prefer a 4 foot section of 25 lb Big Game and a 5 foot section of 10 lb Big Game. These fish can be quite spooky hence the need for a lighter leader, but you can't use material that's too light because they can break you off on a coral head or mangrove prop root.

Barracuda require a 6 or 8 inch section of wire bite tippet. For this, i prefer Surflon Micro Ultra nylon coated knottable stainless leader wire. These saltwater snotrockets are seldom leader shy and their sharp teeth make wire necessary when targeting this fierce predator.

There are many options and preferences when it comes to saltwater leader systems and it's best to use what works for you. One thing that we can agree on 100%....there is no need for a 1 lb tippet that you might use in a trout stream.....these are tough fish that require tough leader material and sound knots if you hope to land any of the saltwater game fish that inhabit the tropics.