Pheasant feather patterns

This is a great website with several patterns that can help you get the most out of those pheasant feathers!

http://www.jackgartside.com/art_pheasant_feathers.htm

1st pheasant

Upland, here I come!

So, there I was.  Alone. Cold. Anxious.  It was still dark out that morning and as I sat in my car alone, cold, and anxious. Then! What's that?! Headlights appear from around the bend  on the gravel road that I too had entered upon.  The truck were still a good ways away, but only on destination when you are on that road.... My location. Who is this person?  Oh!  It's my buddies Mr.D and the elusive Mr.G!  I think I forgot a part in the beginning,  my friends are taking me pheasant hunting for my first time today.  Very excited! Oh yeah I'm Also obsessively early to everything.

Hiwassee River

Sombody told the trout to bite!

Great day in TN to fish!  The bite was on this AM, and on the coldest day of the year thus far.   The brave reaped the benefits.   Blue winged olives were what's for breakfast on the Hiwassee River.

Shooting hour has arrived

Happy Opening Day PA!

Duck day is close, like super close!

Less than 1week until early duck season opens and personally I'm having a hard time keeping focused on anything other than the paddle out to Woodie heaven on Saturday AM.  I've been spending weeks packing, unpacking, and then repacking my gear.  Taking inventory of what I have and what I can't live without.  This week my school life is pure chaos.  But after this I will definitely feel as if I earned my opening day. 

Honkers Beware!!!!

Several hunting seasons opened here in beautiful PA on Monday.  Most notably were dove and goose.  I was fortunate enough to get out on opening day with my best hunting buddy and a few other friends, and well if my buddy were a better shot...he'd have a couple of birds to clean. I choose not to take the shot from my location because I knew his position would be better to harvest both birds.  Guess I was wrong.   LOL j/k Mr.G, but you did miss with 3 shots and I only missed with 2, and that makes me feel better.

2013-2014 Waterfowl Seasons released

The 2013-2014 waterfowl seasons have been announced recently and they are a bit different than most people expected.  I am including a link to the brochure(  so my loyal readers ( both of you) can have easy access to these dates and plan accordingly. 

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=997485&mode=2

From the information I have read biologists are citing a slight decrease in  populations as the reason of  pushing back the early season opening day.  This works for me...the 19th is my birthday and I can't think of a better way to spend the early hours of the morning!

Sunset float tubing

Time away

The summer is in full swing, and flying by.  I know in my part of the country it has been a mild and wet summer to this point but maybe I shouldn't speak too soon, August is now here and this pattern could change.  Cookouts, family vacations, and yard work fill our dance cards week after week, day after day, and hour after hour.  As I stated previously I'm a full time student, husband, and also work fulltime, so fishing time is definitely restricted and I get my " fix" an occasional few times a month anywhere where water puddles and frogs croak.  Committing maps to memory, surfing the forums, and retailer websites help me cut through the chaos and find some peace.  I won't wish the days away because every moment with my son is precious... But bring on duck season already!!!

Surface Tension

Stuck in traffic at 7AM today, fortunately I had a view.  I was in the middle of the Sewickley Bridge spanning the Ohio river.  OK its a pretty dirty stretch of water,  but for this moment, it wasn't half bad.  Pardon the cliché but the water was smooth as glass and gave a perfect reflection of both shore lines as well as a mirror image of the sunrise.  And I couldn't help but search the water for ripples of rising fish.  Then from the back seat comes a robust shout "Dada!",  my attention quickly turns to my rearview mirror to see my son smiling and pointing at himself once again exclaiming "Dada!". Yep, it was awesome to be stuck in traffic today.

Ribz Front Pack Product Review

     A few months back I decided I would start this blog and try to foster a community of people that believe that their collection of hobbies was a passion, and looked for meaning in bringing them full circle.  Several weeks into this venture I was approached to review some outdoor products...of course I agreed!  The first product was on my doorstep in days and it was the Ribz Front Pack. 
    I'm not paid to write my blog, nor do I choose at this point to allow advertising on my blog and I promised myself I would be honest in any product review that I posted on my blog, so you can take the following information as the absolute truth (at least from my point of view).  I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!   I have not got to put it to use specifically as it is advertised...but I assure you that I have put it through its paces.   A quick fact about me, I'm a full time nursing student, full time nurses aid, full time father of an amazing 19 month old son, and a full time husband...busy is an understatement.  The Ribz Front pack was my extra hands under my turkey vest to keep my valuables (keys , camera, phone, water bottle, snacks, etc...) close and secure.  And at the zoo Ribz managed to keep me organized enough to leave the diaper bag in the car while giving me the freedom to carry, walk, run, and play with my son without having my pants pockets bulging.  I've even gone as far as to wearing it around the house to get a feel for how the product would adjust to various activities and fit over different layering of clothes.  Did I say I LOVE THIS PACK yet?
     All joking aside, after reading other reviews of this product and researching the company's ideas on what this product is supposed to do, I have come to several of my own conclusions.  The idea is that it will help shift weight forward of your center of gravity while wearing a backpack and keep necessities close at hand.  The weight shifting idea, well that may be a stretch.  I don't believe that the pockets of this pack are large enough to hold enough gear to make a weight shift idea valid, unless you are packing bags of buckshot.  but that is what the hip belt on a backpack is for anyway (putting the weight of your pack on your hips and off your back/shoulders).  The ability to keep some frequently used items at quick reach is more than enough to make the Ribz Front Pack a wonderful addition to any outdoor enthusiasts gear list.  This is a terrifically convenient piece of equipment that alone weighs virtually nothing, it adjusts to fit your body perfectly, and its uses are only limited by the users imagination and desire to organize the products that may need to be at your fingertips.  But don't take my word for it, here is the company website, I encourage you to read up and make up your own mind.

http://www.ribzwear.com/


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Ribz Front Pack for free from Ribz Wear as coordinated by [Deep Creek Public Relations] http://deepcreekpr.com/

1st Turkey!!

PA Spring Turkey opening day

Opening Day of Spring turkey has come and gone, and I am writing this post without pictures to attach.  Is that due to the lack of a camera in the field, from my inexperience as a turkey hunter, or is it my guide’s fault (he’s not really a guide, just a hunting buddy I enjoy picking on)?  Whatever the case might be I did get to see some Toms put on a great show that morning and feel that I got to earn some stripes sitting 7 hours motionless holding up a massive tree.  BUT! The spring season isn’t over yet and I plan on going out again in the next few days, so hopefully the next installment to this blog will be merely a picture of me with my 45# (inside joke) Tom.  If any of you guys have pictures or stories you would like to share please post them in the comments section or you can email them to me at finandfeatherfiles@gmail.com   and I will post them for you.

Unwinding after a test

Cross Creek PA

So we got out the other day and cleaned some duck boxes; it was a great opportunity for me to scout a local lake that I had only been to once, briefly (I should also mention that I was skunked on that outing).  Cross Creek in Washington county PA was the location... and the temperature, well it was cold.  I had chosen that day as the maiden voyage of my "new to me" fishing vessel.  Picture this, not that it was absurd, but we were definitely pushing the limits,  3 grown men in a 15' square back canoe with a cute little 2.5 HP motor chugging (putting) along.  The water line was very near the gunnels and my buddy in the front appeared to me to be doing his best impression of Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic "I'm the king of the world!" as the white capping water broke over the bow of this visually unimpressive ship.  As you can probably guess we all survived without incident, but the experience was worthy of being committed to at least my memories, because the sketchy moments were pretty abundant.  We did see a decent population of ducks and geese, mostly Mallards, and at least one Woodie Hen in one of the  boxes.  As we cruised the waters of Cross Creek we traveled down several of the sloughs and around the points; both appeared to have a decent amount of coverage along the shore for some great looking panfish habitat.  Not to mention the corner of the parking lot that was stacked full of retired Christmas trees awaiting their final resting place.  I didn't have an opportunity that day to get near the dam to check it out, but do know from word of mouth that the waters in the main channel and up to the dam are relatively deep (50+ feet).  On the opposite side of the dam is the feeder stream Cross Creek; the waters on this particular day were up so the pass through the Cattails was easy to navigate, and from my perspective is going to be an exciting location to pursue my finned friends.  Word of mouth has lead me to believe that this is a productive water to fish, as I said earlier it has not proved itself to me quite yet, but that's not saying too much.  I hope that those of you that get the opportunity to get your line wet in this lake and have a wonderful and productive day! Oh yeah, one other piece of information, If you intend on getting a boat out on Cross Creek you need a Washington County launch sticker which can be obtained from the Washington County Sheriffs office ( phone number 724-228-6867) for $10.00 per year; a receipt will be provided until you receive your launch sticker.

Streamside Gear Needs

What’s in your vest?  No wait, do you even wear a vest?  I stated in earlier posts that I spend much of my time during the winter tying and when I’m finished tying I spend a bit of time organizing my fly boxes (not really sure why, the organization only lasts a few hours on the water) but either way, my boxes are full and organized.   I then move to organizing and packing my vest, then taking everything out of my vest and placing it in a hip pack I’ve had laying around that I don’t use very often, then at the last minute before my day on the water I hastily remove a few trusty items from the ol’ hip pack and tell myself “today we are going to use this chest pack that never gets to see any action”.  Two guesses what I say while I’m on the water.  If you guessed “Man I really wish I had my vest!”  well, then you were absolutely right! I truly enjoy entertaining the idea that I am a minimalist, but then the left hand smacks the right hand for allowing me to flat out lie to myself.  So here’s my plea for help; I want to change.  I realize I have a problem.  And from what I've heard, those are the first two steps…and the third is reaching out.  So what kind of fishing apparel organization platform do you utilize (vest, chest pack, strap vest, fanny pack...lol), and what’s in it?  How many boxes, how are they organized?   What tools do you carry?   Leader wallet, tippet spools etc…?  HELP!

E.T. (Exciting Terrestrials)

Spring has sprung, and with these warmer temps we get birds a’ singin’, bugs a' buzzin’,   and fish a' risen’!  In my excitement for the statewide opening of trout season fast approaching I start planning the first day on the water.  In my mind the spring means the thrill of top water fish strikes with dry flies and terrestrials.  And yes, I am aware that my last post was links to fly patterns, but I love to share great patterns and hope that my readers will share some innovative or tried-and-true ideas with me and the others that choose to numb their mind with my rambling.  Many of the waters we fish receive pressure from other anglers…so what we need to do is find ways to present flies more realistically than others and present patterns that those seasoned fish haven’t seen.  This is what separates us from hooking up with fish, and hooking up with the monsters that lurk in the shadows we dream about.

Tom Rosenbauers ideas on terrestrials and great patterns:
http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=364

Beetle patterns:
http://www.riverhouseflyco.com/patterns/fat-head-beetle/  (hi-viz pattern)
 
http://www.flyflinger.com/beetle.php  (pistachio shell beetle)   

Muskie and Carp pattern ideas

I confess, I tie flies all winter so that I have plenty of extras to throw into stream side trees and bushes.  This off season I have decided to take on two new species of fish when the ice recedes, Carp and Muskie, and have been searching for new patterns to fill my box with in hopes of landing some of these beasts this spring. I wanted to include the links for a couple of my favorites that I have found, and hopefully get some of your favorite fly patterns and suggestions. 

Bunny Leach
http://www.hatchesmagazine.com/page/may2006/176

Blind Squirrel
http://missouriflies.com/carp-fly-patterns/the-blind-squirrel-gets-busy-bustin-carp-nuts

Toccoa River

Since trout season in PA doesn't open until April 13th I have to live through others that are getting some quality time in on the water.  My Father is one of the lucky ones that is getting a jump on the soon coming Spring warm up.  He was able to get out last weekend in Blue Ridge, GA to fish the Toccoa River and hook up with a couple of nice rainbows.  Come on Dad, tell us what they were biting on!?  Happy Spring!!!

PLEASE READ ME!!!!!!!

Hello and welcome friends!  I am new to blogging, but after looking around for a format to learn and share my ideas on my love of the outdoors and outdoor activities, I decided to take a leap and try my own blog, so below is some information on what this blog will be about.  I hope that you will enjoy my posts and sharing your own information here.

I must admit, I am not a professional angler or writer, but I have enjoyed fishing since my youth and truly enjoy sharing the excitement and wonder of the outdoors with others.  My wife tells me that I have a hobby of collecting hobbies...this might be true, but I also believe that my collection of hobbies has come full circle and they are now blending into one multifaceted passion; fly fishing.  Love of photography, waterfowl and turkey hunting, canoeing...etc are all means to hone my skills and to gather materials used to enjoy fishing on several levels.  I wanted to start writing this blog to share some of my thoughts and experiences on my hobbies and create a place where other outdoor enthusiasts could read and share their knowledge in a format that was not a forum.   I feel that through guest  bloggers and readers comments we can create a venue that will encourage communication and people to share why and how they enjoy the outdoors, as well as grow a community dedicated to conservation locally and globally.

I hope that the next time I log on someone else will have joined in on this conversation.  I am interesting, but talking to myself gets old after awhile...............