Category: Fly Fishing

Tie-Fast Tutorial

I recently changed out my fly line & backing on one of my reels.  I usually use a nail knot to connect the backing to the fly line and another nail knot to connect the fly line to a monofilament leader loop.

It’s been quite a while since tying a nail knot, and I have a tool to help with it called the Tie-Fast, but I lost the instructions or directions.

So, I searched around to see if there were any PDF instructions on the manufacturer’s website.  In the searching I found something much more informative.

On youtube, I found WildOnTheFly’s video on how to use the Tie Fast tool.  It’s a great little instructional video on how to tie several knots using the tool like:  nail knot, nail knot splice (blood knot), nail knot on a fly, and a snell knot (or shank tie).

If you fish and happen to have the Tie-Fast tool (or something like it), this video is worth watching.  Enjoy & thanks to WildOnTheFly!

– Dom

Upper Boone Fork

I came across some pictures from when I trout fished in North Carolina back in the late 90’s, some great memories.  I really liked fishing the Upper Boone Fork, this little gin-clear stream offered boulder hopping and wild trout under a nice canopy of trees.  I casted flies into small pools often at eye level since the elevation change was so steep.  The Upper Boone Fork drains into Price Lake just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

There are wild trout in this little stream.  As you can see (from the fly size), the little fish smack just about anything if you don’t spook them first.  The fly is a size 18 Elk Hair Caddis.

Here is a link to the nearby parking area so you can find this nice little & challenging creek (if it’s still like this).  Enjoy!

– Dom

Jemez River Swimming

When it gets hot here in New Mexico there are a limited number of places to cool off due to the lack of water in the state.

Since I love flyfishing, I knew of a place that was a small enough river for my young boys to handle a gentle current.

We ventured up into the Santa Fe National Forest just north of Jemez Pueblo and took a dip in the Jemez River.

The La Junta day use parking area is just north of the intersection of New Mexico Highway 4 and Highway 485, about a 35 minute drive from Bernalillo, NM (don’t speed in Jemez Pueblo).

As you can see by the video my kids and niece had a blast cooling off.

My real goal is to see if my boys like the moving water in hopes they may one day take to flyfishing like their dad 😉

Oh, here are the GPS Coordinates if you like them:  35.670873, -106.743095 or  +35° 40′ 15.14″, -106° 44′ 35.14″

– Dom

This video was shot using a Flip Mino HD video camera on a tripod and rendered in 720p using Sony Movie Studio Platinum 9.0.

San Juan River Fly Box

I really love fishing the San Juan River in New Mexico, it’s one of my favorite places to fish because one can get into 20+ inch trout in the quality waters just below Navajo Dam.  The consistent flows and consistent water temperature create a rich food source for all the trout that live there.  It’s this rich food source that causes the trout to feed on very small bugs, and when fish feed on very small bugs you need very small flies.  In this video I detail my San Juan River Fly Box, what it is, how I made it, and how I use it.  Enjoy!

– Dom

* For better video & audio quality watch the 720p HD version.