Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum

Swung by the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum while visiting the place where I learned how to fly fish.  Saw lots of tiny flies and a hard back copy of Bassin' With A Fly Rod, which surprised me a little.

FWC Keeps Bass Regulations From Last Year

"The statewide bag and length limits for black bass are: 5 Black bass (including largemouth, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw, and shoal bass, individually or in total), only one of which may be 16 inches or longer in total length. There is no statewide minimum length limit for largemouth bass."

FWC Freshwater Rule Changes for 2017

Was I the only one that thought these limits would only last one year?

The Improved "V" Worm

This is my version of the "V" worm.

Hook:  EWG Worm Hook
Trailer Hook:  Small Salmon Hook
Body:  Wool or Other Large Diameter Yarn
Tail:  Marabou
Trailer Hook Mono:  20lb
Thread:  Black Flat Waxed Nylon

Instructions:

1)  Tie yarn in loop with the loop length ~4x the length of worm desired.

2)   Double the yarn loop.

3)  Anchor the tied end of the loop to something strong and twist the doubled yarn loop to achieve a tight twisted single strand.

4)  Keeping tension on the twisted single strand, fold the end to the tied end of the loop and release the tension.  The twisted single strand will twist with itself to form a double twisted strand.

5)  Using a clothes pin or hackle pliers, clamp the tied end of the loop so that the double twisted strand will not unravel.  Remove from anchoring device by either unhooking or cutting the tied end of the loop.

6)  Set aside the worm body and put hook into vice.  I recommend bending the bard down.

7)  Tie the worm body on hook with hook point up.  Tie close to clamping device.

8)  Remove clamp from worm and trim excess yarn from the hook eye end.

9)  Using 20lb mono, tie a Snell Knot on a small hook, preferably a Salmon Hook or Octopus Hook an inverted eye bend.  Leave a long tag end as that will be used to tie the hook to the worm body.

10)  Thread the "leader" end of the mono through the last hole at the end of worm body and thread until half of the hook's shank is in the body.  The hook should stick our straight of the end of the body with the hook point up.

11)  Using the tag end of the mono from the Snell Knot, form an Overhand Knot and slide the loop of the overhand knot over the tail of the worm body until it lines up naturally with with the tag end of the Snell Knot on the hook's shank.  Tighten to secure the hook to the worm body and repeat at least three times.

12) Trim off excess line from the tag end of the mono.

13)  Wrap the "leader" end of the mono around the worm's body so that it naturally follows the twisted yarn working your way to the eye of the hook.  It shouldn't be too tight or too loose.

14)  Tie the "leader" end to the hook eye as you would a single mono weed guard by threading the mono through the hook eye, taking a couple of turns of thread, and then folding the mono over the top of the thread and wrapping to secure the mono the head of the worm.  Trim off excess.

15)  Tie to the tail of the worm a tuft of marabou using the overhand knot location from step 11 as the tie end point.  Use enough threat to cover the mono and the marabou should hide the trailer hook.

16)  The completed Improved "V" Worm.

Quote For July

"..enjoy the fresh air, watch the birds, cast your graceful loops, and think transcendental thoughts.  I'd rather catch bass, thank you very much."

"Fred" an unnamed Boston professor that was also known as "Bubba" and held his bass club's "Mr. Bass" Title
(from the article "Bubba's Bait Box" by William G. Tapply Warmwater Fly Fishing Dec 1998-Jan 1999)