Yuba-Ku 7-24-2016 Yuba on fire!

Sparrow, swung pulses.
Big flash, rainbow kype-jawed.
Oh, what a monster!

Yesterday I fished the Yuba River with no expectations, just really going to field test this new ‪‎bamboo‬ quad ‪‎spey rod that I've been making over the past few months‬, to this date I revised the mid and tip section three times. Each time making the rod faster and faster. It really likes a 435 scandi head with a floating poly leader, effortless casts to about 90 feet. Well I guess with the results I think I'll go ahead and take off the masking tape wraps and put some silk on her! I just can't settle in on the color.... I sort of like the idea of Black against the auburn cane,sort of how my buddy Dave does of his switch rods, but then again I like the dark olive translucent wraps I've been doing on the single handed 6wt Quadrates. What do you think?

A new small brewery opened down the street from my workshop here in Oakland so my buddy Jacob who is a rod maker had a few of their IPA's while talking tapers.... a very good time!

Yuba-Ku, Fall Caddis

Shits and giggles,
even the Osprey's paying dues.
Swing-en and drifting.

Twilights fading day.
Under the scorpius marker,
its Rainbows rise.

Soon,
Fish and I,
like Perigee.


The Steak and Eggs;

Yuba River, below island to Hammond Grove. lots of walking.
Hours fished: noon to 7pm
2 fish total: 1@18" 1@14"
Water temp 54 degrees, flow 1000cfs, air temp 80ish degrees.
Method: Dry fly, Spey cast swung wet flies.
Gear: 6wt 11 foot Bamboo spey rod 350 grain scandi line, 10 floating polyleader.
Sage 5wt 9 foot XP
Flies: Fall caddis emerger dry size 4 "Dr. Octo" and "Poison Spider", wet fly size 14
Observed insects, Caddis, Caddis and more Caddis. lots of Caddis.

Dr. Octo,    fall caddis emerger

Poison Spider,   caddis emerger wet fly

I'm Planning a trip to the McCloud River in a few weeks, and for "Shits and Giggles" I wanted to try some of my new Fall Caddis patterns. I had a good number of fish rise and hit the Dry but only hung onto one, and my wet fly only got one fish. A slow day until the very last two hours of the day. The four runs below the island, down river towards Hammond Grove was really pop'en with big fish until dark, especially by Rattlesnake Hill.

Scrap Wood?

What do you do with all that scrap wood someone asked me the other day. Well since exotic woods are becoming more and more expensive to buy as well as find i tend to save pieces that are big enough to make something out of. The past week i've been too busy to go fishing with my show in Denver of my sculpture and drawings. However being in my workshop and studio, being inspired by my friend Jim's landing net, i thought oh why not try and make yourself a nice landing net to go with your Bamboo rods? plus the experience in learning the craft will be a great excuse as well.
I settled in on a piece of Lace Wood for the handle, with Red birch and Wenge for the hoop. I took and old piece of ABS to make a quick steamer for the hoop strips and soaked them for two days in the heat.
i made a template for the handle and with the shaper quickly had the rough for that.
the next hurdle was the glueing form for the hoop. i came up with a shape and size i liked that would fit a Ghost netting from Brodin, that i bought from their on line store.
The next day i began forming the strips of Birch and Wenge around the form to pre dry them to the shape before gluing. after they were dry from setting in the sun, I took them off the form and started the glue up with Gorilla glue and lots of clamps.
While this was drying i sanded the handle with the horizontal sander to get the form in an almost finished state.
The following day i sanded the hoop to rid the dried glue and merged the handle then to the hoop on yet another form to help hold the clamps in place.
after this was dry i began the careful process of sanding the complete net frame into a finished form. next i need to router the thread groove around the outside of the hoop as well as drill the holes for the cord....

Yuba-Ku 8-31-2012

Mars and Saturn Set.
Fruits of the rise, Salmonoids tail dance.
Once in a blue moon.

Steak and Eggs:

Yuba River, below Parks Bar Bridge
Clear and sunny weather, windy
Water temp 52 degrees, air temp 85 degrees
Flow 1000cfs
Hours fished, 10:30am til dusk
Zero bug activity
9'5wt single handed rod and 5wt graphite switch rod
13 fish total, 4 on dry fly, 9 on swung soft hackles
Successful flies: Black and orange Stimulator size 8,
Partridge and pheasant soft hackle size 14,
Partridge and copper soft hackle size 14,
Golden Stone nymph size 2

Prototype 6 wt Yuba Swing Boo

Since i've been catching some really nice fish on the Yuba river lately i though i should have a photographer take some nice photos of the 6 wt spey rod and the tube before i gets to banged up from fishing.
last week i caught several nice rainbows one 18 and a 19 incher on the swing with variants of north country soft hackles. At the end of the day i landed a super, riffle charging 22 inch spring run chrome that really made the bamboo yahoo!
The Spey rod I wrapped in Olive Gossamar silk and tipped in black Gossamar silk. The guides are all Snake and H&H that i gun blued. I made the ferrules all of Brass on my lathe then those were gun blued as well. The bamboo was impregnated and after the guide wrapping with 4 coats of satin spar.
The rod case i built as a prototype for the rod is fabricated out of a product called PlyBoo from Smith and Fong. Its a 1/4 inch plywood, i then built the hex tube and the leather straps i crafted to hold the tubes top. the small acorn top i made on the lathe to match the ferrule toppers as well gun blued brass and maple.
Here are some pictures.

Swing Boo with the 22 inch chrome on the other end.

Etsy feedback

"You can tell these flies are made with the care and patience of someone who appreciates the art of fly fishing himself. Beautiful!"

Thanks Catherine Cavanaugh! Those flies you purchased are flies i carry in my fly box every trip to the river. I appreciate that you can appreciate them. Not all "work all the time" but by in large one or two of my signature flies produce a fish or two... always fingers crossed!

Don't hesitate to send me a picture of a fish you catch with one of the flies, i'd love to see it!

best Tony

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88886129/raty-rhyco

Yuba-Ku

Above crossing glide.
infrequens emerge
Rainbows leap, splash!

Timbuctoo bend.
Rhithrogena morrisoni swing,
oh mighty tug!