Fishing With Stevo!

Hey Everyone,

I have a good friend Steven. He is one of the "crew" as we call ourselves. The crew does a bunch of outdoors stuff together but mostly hang out and drink beer. Stevo (as we call him) had a bad (basketball not motor vehicle) accident a few months back and had to have emergency surgery to put his knee cap back in place. Awesome I know! Well Stevo was kind of bummed because he had caught the fly fishing bug real bad prior to this and had to sit out the whole fall season. He finally got the green light from doc to get out and fish. So to celebrate I decided to take him to a little stretch of water that has great fish but since I we didn't want to push the knee, also is pretty easy to wade. Needless to say it was an awesome day! Not a 100 fish day but one of those slightly hard days when you really have to think and every fish feels like a little win in the chess game. We had a mink watch us from the other bank for a few minutes which was really cool and there were a ton of turkeys, I mean a ton. They were going crazy yelping, purring, and gobbling all day. At one point we even had two of them fly right over our heads. I don't want to bore you with any more reading so here are some great photos of Stevo and I in action. Welcome back to the river Stevo!

See you on the Trail,
Lance

Don't Move Rocks!

Hey Everyone,

I saw this video today and thought it was eye opening. I have seen several Hellbenders in my day and never thought much of them until a couple years ago. I was up in the smokies with some friends on a backcountry fly fishing/tenkara trip. My buddy Jamie came running to me to tell me about a huge salamander that he had just seen. I told him what it was and that it was an awesome sign. I had seen something online that the wildlife resources commission wanted people to report any Hellbender sightings, so as soon as we got back I did just that. I know they are an ecological indicator species and started to think about how beautiful that particular stream was. I started to realize that every time that I had seen a hellbender, the fishing on that stream was exceptionally good. So you may not be a salamander fan but you're probably a trout fan since you're reading this site. So this just goes to show you that if you help to protect Hellbenders you end up protecting everything else.

Here is that cool video.

 

The Last Dragons - Protecting Appalachia's Hellbenders from Freshwaters Illustrated on Vimeo.


See you on the trail,
Lance

What Do You Eat?

Hey Everyone,

I was just recently up in the Appalachian mountains for the first ever Appalachian Tenkara Jam. There is a ton of good water up that way but some of the best streams to fish are off the beaten trail so to say. I don't know about you but there is something about hiking back into the high country and catching some eight inch brook trout that is just plain fun. I understand that some folks like big fish I mean who doesn't. However, to catch the only native salmonidae to eastern North America in its home water is a real treat. The only issue is that some of this water can be quite remote and require a hike to get to. I always recommend or advise that when headed into the back country that you go prepared. If you read just a couple post back I covered some simple gear that you may want to bring. I, however, did not mention food. I was in a rather health based grocery the other day and stumbled upon their "bar isle". It was kind of like an organic, protein, super bar mecca. I'm sure any seasoned hiker or backpacker has some favorites that they bring with them as do I but what do you look for in a bar? Be aware that not all bars are created equal. Some are full of sugar and are nothing more than glorified candy bars.

Here is a little list of some things to look for in a great back country bar. I understand that some folks have dietary restrictions so you may have to add to this list.

1. Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main fuel source for the muscles and brain. Carbohydrates are pure energy and get used up by your activity. If you are hiking all day or participating in other strenuous activities like running from bears, you will want an energy bar in the high carbohydrate range, around 40 grams.
2. Protein. This important nutrient provides the high amount of energy you need while hiking and fishing and keeps you feeling full longer. Energy bars that are high in protein are great snacks when hiking or partaking other activities that aren’t extremely intense (example marathons). Nine grams of protein is plenty high, but you can easily find ones with well over 20.
3. Calorie count. Calories are units of energy that will result in sustained energy throughout your back country trip. Although not the healthy way to go for day-to-day activities if you are replacing a meal with your bar you may want to find one with 300 calories or more.
4. Price tag. Once you’ve narrowed your search down to a few different bars, the price may be a deciding factor in your final decision. The price of energy bars can get steep, so if you are interested in saving money compare its nutritional content to its cost.

Now if you read any web site you will see that most of the advise is for people that are doing the normal everyday things work, gym, home, kids practice, etc. The thing that we need to remember is that we are hiking, climbing, fishing, and running from bears just kidding. We may not however be eating normal meals that day so although these bars may be the bad kids for normal folk, they are just right for us adventurers. I should ad that bars are not the only choice and there are some foods that are fairly easy to pack, don't weigh much, and are great sources of the above mentioned. If you have a favorite bar or a cool home made recipe share it with us it may just be the next big thing.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Appalachian Tenkara Jam!

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to let you all know about the first annual Appalachian Tenkara Jam. This is designed a bit like the Tenkara USA summit with seminars being done on the first day and on the stream demos the second. It is however the first event of its kind because it is more like a tenkara show. There are going to be some really knowledgeable people giving seminars on all sorts of Tenkara based info. Yes, I will be giving one of the seminars. I plan on doing a talk and tie seminar and show the history of the Japanese Kebari and all the different styles that were tied in different regions of the country. There are also going to be several tenkara vendors that are attending. Yes, I said there will be a bunch of tenkara vendors all under one roof! If you are into tenkara already or have just been toying with the idea of getting a rod, this would be the perfect event for you. This will be the place where you can wiggle test rods side by side. Tenkara Customs will even be there where you can buy a kit and build you own rod! Im obviously excited and could type on about this event forever so I'll stop here and give you the details.

Foscoe/ Grandfather Community Center
http://www.foscoecommunitycenter.com/default.php

There will be presentations on the tenkara style of fly fishing covering topics such as:
1. Overview: Rods, Lines, Flies
2. Kebari History and current patterns
3. Big Fish Wrangling
4. Small Stream Techniques
and more…

Special Guest presentations by:
Lance Milks
Robert Worthing
Tom Sadler
Al Alborn
Bob Ivins
and more…
Day One: Big screen presentations and live demonstrations inside,  tenkara rod building clinic, vendor tables and more…
Day Two: Casting Clinics, Technique Tutorials, Tenkara Rod Building, Stream-side Classroom, Small Group Guides and more…

We have set Day One to begin presentations at 12:00pm. This is to accommodate travel for people needing to come in Saturday Morning. We will still have a full day of content going into the evening. The Foscoe Community Center will be holding/ serving (independently) a fund raising breakfast at the Center that morning. For $8 you will get all the country breakfast fixin’s you can stomach.
For those coming in Friday evening I will be providing maps to local waters should you want to get wet that evening. Hit up the breakfast Saturday morning and go back out for a few more hours on Saturday morning. There is plenty of fishing to be had.

Registration cost is set per person to cover all expenses of this event.
1 day $30.00 this can be for either day for those that cannot attend both days.
2 day $48.00 this is for both days and covers all expenses.

Day Hike Fly Fishing

Hey Everyone

As a guy who grew up in south western New York, I don't mind a little snow. However, I'm sure that most if not all of us are ready for some warmer temperatures and may be day dreaming of that little brook trout stream that we like to hike back to. With that being said I thought that since its snowing like crazy outside and I can't get on the water today I can at least play with my gear and give some tips about what makes up a good back country fly fishing kit.

Planning

Most people go into the back country on day hikes of fishing trips with the thought of "I don't need to plan or bring much. I'll only be out there for a few hours." I would caution against this form of thinking. The greatest "contributing factor" to people getting in trouble, according to the 2012 NPS National Search and Rescue Report report, were 735 cases which were attributed to insufficient knowledge or bad judgement. There were also 524 instances in which the subjects either had insufficient equipment, clothing, or experience. Always research the area in which you plan to hike into and try to acquire a map. Also, make sure that someone back home knows where you are going and when you plan to be back. This ensures that somebody will come looking for you if you get stuck out there. Cell phones don't get service everywhere!

Packs

There are some obvious items in a back country day pack but there may be a few items that I like to carry that you may not have thought of or didn't know existed. I guess the most obvious piece of gear is a day pack. There are some great day packs out there as well as some cool sling pack styles by Vedavoo and Zimmerbuilt. Pick one that has the features that you like and go with it.

Water
Another thing that you may want to take with you is a source of water. You may prefer a hydration bladder and that is not a bad idea as I use one a lot. However, you may want to pair this up with a small filtration device like the aquamira frontier pro. I have started using a small metal bottle because this can also be used as a vessel to boil water in if needed.

First Aid and Fire
It may seem silly to mention a first aid kit since to most its also a given. I choose to make my own by using a couple aloksak and adding in items that I have. Although, there are some great kits from Adventure Medical Kits. Make sure that if you are any prescription medications that you have some with you as well. You should also have some way to start a fire. Weather its a way to dry some gear and stay warm or to boil some water for food or to clean a wound. This can be as simple as a "baby Bic lighter" or a nice flint and steel like the fire steel scout.

Shelter
Something that most people probably haven't thought of is shelter of some kind. I'm not talking about hauling your four person tent on a day hike. There are some great lightweight items that you can bring to keep you warm and dry if you end up having to spend the night in the woods. Even a good light weight rain jacket can keep you warm and dry. One item that I have and love is my Sea to Summit poncho tarp. I like that I can also use it as my rain gear so I don't need to carry a rain jacket. I pair this up with my SOL bivvy which makes a great shelter combo and gives me something to get in if my clothes are wet and I'm drying them by the fire.
 
Misilanious
Some other items that you may want to include in your pack are things like toilet paper, bug spray, head lamp, and a good knife. This kit is by no means the ultimate kit so expand on this as you wish. Its better to be little over prepared than not prepared at all.

I hope this post wasn't too long and also hope that everyone got something out of it. Maybe I reminded you to check the batteries in your head lamp or introduced you to a cool new piece of gear.

See you on the trail,
Lance

 

Tying Kebari in Public

Yesterday I had the privilege of not only attending, but being invited to be the guest tier for the Rocky River Trout Unlimited's January fly tying gathering. There was a very nice turnout and when I arrived everyone was in their respective groups and tying away. After a short lunch break a table was cleared and I set my station up. They used a camera linked to a TV that was zoomed in on my vise which was a great idea so that everyone could see what my hands were doing and also get a good image of the kebari. Since kebari are relatively easy to tie I thought it might be kind of boring to watch. Also, many tenkara anglers are only familiar with the iconic Takayama and Amano kebari but not with other forms of Japanese flies, many of which do not have a reverse hackle. So, I spent a few weeks gathering all the information that I could about different kebari, where in Japan they originate from and how they were tied. I also printed out Yoshikazu Fujioka's Map so that I could show everyone where each kebari originates from. Here are just a couple photos of me tying. Rocky River TU has photos here of the kebari that were tied. I had a great time and I hope that everyone enjoyed the event and also learned some additional info about tenkara and the unique kebari that are used.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Cold Weather Fly Fishing

Hey Everyone,

It's obvious to everyone that winter is here. Its even been rather cold here in southern Appalachia. With that being said, I thought I would share some tips on dressing and preparing your wader bag. Now I may be insulting the intelligence of some of you. However, having worked in the outdoor industry for several years has taught me that there are still plenty of people who don't know.

Lets start with layering. Some of you may have switched to neoprene waders by now and that is a good idea. However, if you are like me and prefer breathable waders you have to insulate them some how. I see a lot of guys who simply pull their waders over their jeans, but when its below freezing, you should consider a pair of fleece wader pants. Not only are they way more comfortable, but they are a much better insulator. If you pair these up with a nice pair of mid calf wool socks and you're good to go. I know everyone is a little different but I have fished in eleven degree weather with ice floating by with this setup.

Now for the top half. It's the general rule to start with a base layer of a synthetic material which will dry faster if it gets wet. I tend to ignore this rule and wear a t-shirt instead. The next layer is what I consider the warming layer. I prefer a nice thin fleece shirt as you will see me wearing in many of my fishing photos. I follow this with one of two outer shells if need be. On colder days in which there is little to no chance of rain I prefer a windproof fleece jacket. For those rainy days there is one item that no fly fisherman should be without, the wader jacket. The nice thing about layering is that you can wear any combination of these items to suit your needs. You can accessorize as you see fit with a beanie and or wool gloves. 

The wader bag.
When its this cold out it is a good idea to toss a few extra items into your wader bag as well. If you accidentally take a dip your going to be in real danger of hypothermia which could ruin your day of fishing. For that reason you should have extra change of of clothes starting with another pair of socks. If you happen to have a second pair of wader pants you should pack them as well. If not you can bring that pair of sweat pants that probably have the name of your favorite football team down the leg. Its not about looking cool if you have to change into them, its about getting warm. Don't forget another top. Perhaps the matching sweatshirt. Its also nice to have a warm lunch while on the water. That is why I like to toss one of my trusty old jet boils in the mix. Not only can you cook some Ramen, but if you need it you can make a hot cup of spiced cider in just under two minutes.

I know this may be redundant, but I hope that at least a few of you get something out of it. If anything, you might remember to pack that second pair of socks.

See you on the trail,
Lance