Anglers Choice Flies News Feed

Bar Flies

2012-02-16T20:01:00.004-05:00

Last night was my night on the Bar Flies roster, so after lunch I hit the road and headed north to the Dexter Pub to meet up with the Schultz Outfitters crew.

I got there a little early so I bellied up to the downstairs bar and enjoyed a few frosty beverages courtesy of Bell's Brewery.

We got underway once everyone got their gear unpacked and kncked out a few articulated patterns. There was a wide range of tying experience and we were able to knock out the Meal Ticket and the Red Rocket. Maybe next time we will do some of the really big stuff!

The boys at fishingporn.com surprised me and hooked me up with a customized bottle of Woodford...delicious!

I had a great time while I was up there and am hoping I make the roster next year.
Tomorrow I will finish up a day in the office and then head north to South Bend to do a workshop for the St Joe River Valley Fly Fishers. They are a great group and I am excited to be heading back. Should have some pictures in a few days...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

A little White River and the Louisville recap

2012-02-14T20:06:00.006-05:00

Starting off this one with a bit of fish porn courtesy of the boys at Streamside Custom Rod and Guide Service. Kelly, Adam, Erik and Bob headed out to Arkansas' amazing fishery...the White River system armed with boxes of meat to throw, including an good many ACF ties. The first few days were too nice and not as productive but the second half of the weeks sounds like it was much better. Some pretty quality fish here and I understand there were some tanks that eluded them as well.

I have a bunch of flies out there with other groups and really looking forward to seeing what they are able to get in to. Saw a few hog shots today... I am going to have to make that trip happen next year and have a few other streamer afficianados lined up to head out with me!

Last weekend I made my way down to Louisville on Friday for the Derby City Fly Fishers show. Upon arrival I headed over to a local watering hole to take in Linsanity on ESPN; 38 points in a win against the Yellow Kobes was pretty impressive.

Got a surprise when my cousin showed up with his boys to take in the show. The guys were full of questions and had a great time tying their own flies then checking out the other outfitters there. It was good to catch up and we'll see if they get the fly bug!

Heading north at lunch tomorrow to meet up with the Schultz Outfitters crew for Bar Flies at the Dexter Pub in Dexter Michigan. It should be a great time as we tie up some articulated streamers while enjoying a frosty beverage.

This weekend I will be headed up to South Bend to teach a workshop for the St Joe River Valley Fly Fishers, then next weekend it is up to Grand Rapids for the Celebration of Fly Tying. It should be a fun Saturday as usual, and then I head north to hit the water on Sunday with the Fish Whisperer himself...Tommy Lynch. Pretty stoked to see what we are able to entice from the tanin stained waters.

-mike schmidt
http://www.blogger.com/www.anglerschoiceflies.com

A few more shots from Zach Johnson

2012-02-08T21:45:00.005-05:00

Got a few more shots from the trip I took with photographer Zach Johnson a few weeks ago. Really digging the way these came out. You can check out his other work at http://www.zachjohnsonoutdoors.com

ahh yes...the shitty grin of a man whose hands stink of brown trout!

Had to have one more to keep the karma going.

One more night of tying and then need to get packed up for this weekends show in Louisville. It has been a few years since I have been to that show so I am excited to see how it goes. I will give you all a report when I get back.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

BUFF show and MRO class week 1

2012-02-06T22:19:00.007-05:00

I made it down to Cincinati last weekend for the Buckeye United Fly Fishers fly show. It seemed that this was the best year that I can remember as far as vendors and crowd size was concerned. I believe there were in the neighborhood of 600 people to come through the single day show! One of the people that came through was Michael Decoteau and he got this shot for me as I was in action. I do believe it may well be the best shot I have had taken at a show yet; thanks Michael!

At 11 I took a break from tying on the floor and headed over to the lecture room to demo streamer tying, and specifically the Red Rocket. It was a packed house and we went in to detail on the fly by focusing on the techniques employed as the fly was tied.

It was a pretty packed room that was very engaged. they asked good questions trhoughout and I really had a great time.

Here is a shot of the 'Tying Room'. this year it was a new set up consisting of a full ring of tables so that people could walk the exterior and see all the participating tiers. The swim tank was a hit again and was a great tool to show people exactly how a few flies act in current.

I tried to keep it clean....but this is the aftermath...

Since the show I have been busy this week knocking out orders to get to various corners of the country. Here are a few different shots of some flies that went out the door this week.

Tonight was the first night of the winter tying class at Mad River Outfitters. It is a good group of guys, and I think it will be a really good time through the end of the month. It will be fun to see how hard I can push them in this technique heavy class since a few have only been tying less than two months! They did great tonight and I think will be able to keep up just fine as we navigate our way through a few patterns a week. Homework will be to tie, tie, and tie some more in between classes ;)

Will be knocking out a few more orders and getting some flies ready for Orvis the rest of this week, and then it is off to Louisville for the Kentuckiana Fly Show Friday night. I am really looking forward to this show as I have had to miss it the last two years but had a great time the years I was there before that. Hope to see a few of you there this Saturday.

I did not hit the water this week, but have a whole lot of flies I know are getting a swim right now so keep your eyes out for an upcoming ACF customer fish posting...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Fly Fishing Film Tour Columbus details

2012-02-05T19:45:00.005-05:00

The Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) 2012
Gateway Film Center
1550 North High St.
Columbus OH
Thursday, March 8, 2012
(6:00pm - 9:30pm)

Tickets can be purchased online at http://flyfilmtour.com/buy-tickets for $15, or in store at Mad River Outfitters www.madriveroutfitters.com 614-451-0363 for $12.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE COLUMBUS SCREENING TO BENEFIT PROJECT HEALING WATERS www.projecthealingwaters.org

Local event sponsors include: Trout Unlimited, Mad River Outfitters, Central Ohio Fly Fishers, and Miami Valley Fly Fishers. Industry professionals and non-profit organizations will be in the lobby before the films begin to meet with guests: Project Healing Waters, The Fiberglass Manifesto, Angler's Choice Flies, Central Ohio Fly Fishers, Mad River Outfitters, Steelhead Alley Outfitters, and more...
Don't forget to bring some cash. There are some outstanding raffle prizes that you won't want to miss out on!
FLY FISHING INDUSTRY’S LARGEST EVENT EMBARKS ON CONTINENT-WIDE HD TOUR
Adventure film tour showcases global locales while supporting local businesses and filmmakers
Fly fishing’s most celebrated annual event, the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T), the original and largest event of its kind begins its continent-wide trek January 26th. The traveling spectacle serves as a stage for the best filmmakers in the industry, an avenue for supporting critical conservation groups, an expo for local outfitters, and one heck of a party for growing outdoor enthusiasts and avid anglers alike.

With never-seen footage from across the globe, a party atmosphere, audience giveaways and valuable coupons, the annual high-energy spectacle is the sport’s most anticipated live-event. This year’s tour will make stops in over 125 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Along the way local businesses, conservation groups, filmmakers and fans all stand to benefit from each screening.

“Our goal in doing this is to share our passion and support the sport we love”, says F3T producer Chris Keig. “This year our tour will donate over $30,000 dollars to filmmakers. We’ll work in conjunction with over 175 local business and 150 conservation groups, and we’ll be giving away over $350,000 in prizes to fans who come see us. It’s important people know that walking the talk is at our core.”

This year’s spectacle includes a more diverse set of content than any prior year or any other tour. “We have something for everyone”, says F3T Filmmaker and Road Manager Thad Robison. “From scrappy Steelhead in Kodiak, AK to 100-pound jumping Tarpon in the Florida keys, from places you may have been to destinations we probably couldn’t find on a map if we tried.” Other featured destinations (and fish) include the Bahamas (Bonefish), the Northwest Territories (Grayling and Arctic Char), the jungles of Belize, Scotland, Montana, British Columbia, Wisconsin, Silver Creek, Idaho and more.

With nearly 75% of the shows selling out in advance, the F3T is the fastest growing event of its kind. “We hear from people constantly who couldn’t get tickets, or want us to bring the tour to their town”, Robison says. “As far as tickets go, we recommend our fans visit our local retail sponsors where they can get discounted tickets.”

As for adding screenings, Robison continues, “We’re adding markets each year but we have a program setup where we partner with fans to put on their own show. It’s a great way to raise money for a local group. We help with the marketing and they get to put on a screening, have a great time and make some money.”

The Fly Fishing Film Tour is produced by Webeye Group, LLC. It is presented by Costa, and sponsored by Patagonia, Sage, Hardy Reels, Yeti Coolers, Scientific Anglers, Trout Unlimited, Mountain magazine, El Pescador, Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, and is presented in HD by the Outdoor Channel.

Hope to see you there...personally I can't wait!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Somerset 2012

2012-01-31T19:14:00.002-05:00

Made it back from Somerset this year in one piece after one heck of a great few days. Friday this year was as busy as Saturday was the last few years, and it only got busier from there. Must be a whole lot of people looking to shed the shack nasties these days! I only got a few shots over the course of the weekend due to the crowds and busy post show schedule.

Here is a shot to my left on Thursday. Got to have Kevin Compton share the neighoring table and it was a busy one. The shot below was the next aisle over on one of the handful of times that I was able to stretch my legs for a minute.

Of course I did get a chance to work on my streamer box a bit so it is no longer as pathetic as it had become over the last year or so!

The evenings saw just about everybody there wander through TKs for a cocktail or twenty...

It really was a fantastic time filled with meeting up with old friends and starting new friendships. It is always interesting to see what ideas and schemes come from this many driven people getting together and talking shop. There will certainly be a few new things rolling around here at ACF in the next few months as a result.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

A 'scientific number of flies' and some river shots

2012-01-24T22:40:00.006-05:00

So, I am pretty sure that this batch of flies is what world scholars would refer to with the scientific measurement known as a 'shit load'. Yes...a shit load of flies to be sure, and they are headed north to chase fish and certainly a few will also make their way to the White. Now you can see why I have been relatively quiet for the last week!

I got a lot of questions about a picture I posted last week of the glowing fly so here is a better shot. It is a Double Deciever that I incrporate glow in the dark Flashabou throughout the bucktail so that it has a tasty glowing profile. It is a great low light or no light option.

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to get out and hit the water with photographer Zach Johnson. I got there early and had a few fish in the net before he arrived, including one on the first cast...which is a great way to start off the day. It was fairly chilly despite the forecast and it was one of the most crowded days on the water that I have seen. I guess that everyone had the same idea when they saw the weather maps with mid to upper 40's listed...it only hit 34 while we were there. Below are a few shots from the day and there are more to come once he has a chance to go through what he shot.

This fish was a nice brown that came in just shy of 19" and hit the fly like a ton of bricks. The fly was one that I had posted a shot of the night before and it fished exactly as expected. After a few times out this has quickly developed in to one of my personal go to patterns.

It was a great day to be out and unwind a bit after tying heavily all the previous weekend and week. I really had a great time with Zach on the water and am looking forward to the next time. If you dig his work lik I do then check out some of his other stuff at http://www.zachjohnsonoutdoors.com/

Tomorrow I will finish out the day at work and then start making my way east for the Somerset NJ Fly Fishing Show that runs Friday through Sunday. It is a fantastic show and time that I look forward to as I get to catch up with many buddies I only see a few times a year. I hope to see some of you there.

When I get back there will only be one week until the Intermediate/Advanced fly tying class starts up at Mad River Outfitters. The class will be four consecutive Mondays starting February 4th and will cover a wide range of patterns and techniques. It is a small class set up so each attendee gets personal attention and is always a good time. If you are in, or close, to Columbus and interested then give the shop a call and sign up. They are at 614.451.0363.

Catch you all next week!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Tube Fly Tech swim tanks...yeah baby!

2012-01-18T22:38:00.004-05:00

For those of you that have seen me at the show the last few weeks you may have noticed the new addition of the swim tank to my setup...kind of hard not to with something this cool! Many have talked with me about it at the shows and taken the site down to check it out but I have not yet mentioned it here for those that have not seen it in person.

The tank is a Swim Tank from Tony DiBenedetto Jr at Tube Fly Tech. More than being a nice part of the display at the shows, this tank has been an invaluable tool for me as I take flies through the design phase. Since I do not have a clear river running through my back yard this tank is a fantastic way for me to confirm that the intended action for a fly successfully translates from thought, to paper, and finally to hook.

If you are interested in one then head over to tubeflytech.com, and let Tony know you saw mine and have to have one!

Got a fish shot from ACF customer Mike today. He headed out to the White in Arkansas to huck some streamers last week. Despite some pretty tough conditions they did manage to get some fish to play and he sent me a shot of one that decided to make a meal of a Cotton Candy Double Deciever. Just enough to wet the whistle for the next trip Mike!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Cleveland and some flies

2012-01-16T19:23:00.003-05:00

It is that time of year...lots of big flies headed out to chase browns and lots of shows. Tied up quite a few flies last week and then headed up to Cleveland for the fly show put on by the North Coast Fly Fishers. It is a smaller show but there seemed to be steady traffic throughout the day. I took the opportunity to work on refilling my own steelhead box...it was a good day! Got plenty of good use out of my Clear Cure Goo Hydro. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you have not already.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Trout, Indy, Tommy, and flies

2012-01-11T21:33:00.004-05:00

Had to start off this post with a great shot of an Ohio brown that took a mouthful of Meal Ticket last weekend. Local guide and ACF customer Ron Lewis was out with photographer Zach Johnson and got a number of reallt solid images, this being one of them. Check out more of Zach's work at http://www.zachjohnsonoutdoors.com/

Last weekend I made my way to Indianapolis for 'Indiana on the Fly', a great show that combines fly fishing, fly tying, and wingshooting. After a night of some fantastic micro-brews I got to the site early and got everything set up.

Hard at work...

I brought the swim tank along so that people could get a really good look at what some of the flies are doing underwater, and get a better idea of the movement even without any action imparted by the angler.

The show had steady traffic throughout the day and right up to the end of the show. I had a lot of good discussions about fly design and how to fish them, as well as bounce some ideas back and forth with attendees. I had a great time!

Last night we brought in Tommy Lynch, of the Fish Whisperer Guide Service, to give a presentation to Central Ohio Fly Fishers on fishing big streamers and streamer techniques. It was a fantastic presentation and I think everyone learned quite a bit. Nothing better than talking big fish and flies all night!

This is why I have not been posting much lately...been a little busy at the vise. This batch is headed out to Utah in the morning and I am on to a ton of flies for the White next. Man am I jealous that I can't be there this year...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Hypnot-eyes'd...the Goo is the Poo!

2012-01-05T23:16:00.002-05:00

Had a package on my doorstep yesterday and was happy to see it was my replacement Goo from Brian Carson of Clear Cure Goo. I was just about out so it was great to see a bunch of new squeeze bottles full of Thin and Hydro staring me back in the face as I ripped the package open. The added bonus in this package was some of the new Clear Cure Eyes. I have been stoked to see them since Brian told me he was working on them...and they are AWESOME! I will get more up on them in the coming weeks, but could not wait to try them out so I tied up this beastie tonight with them.

Now I need to finish up packing and hit the sack. I take off after work tomorrow to head to Indianapolis for 'Indiana on the Fly', put on by Reel Women Reel Menof Indianapolis. Should be a fantastic show again so I hope to see some of you there.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Dad

2012-01-03T18:44:00.003-05:00

Anglers Choice Flies is here in large part due to the influence and encouragement from John Schmidt, my Dad. What fly fishing and tying is to me in my life, the hunting and fishing was to him in his. He was the consummate outdoorsman who more specifically had an absolute passion for his family, pursuing venison for the freezer, and dragging crawler harnesses for walleye or perch. While growing up we spent countless days wetting a line, camping, exploring, or even taking drives at dusk to see how many deer we could count out in the fields. Staying inside was rarely, if ever, an option.

Once out on my own I found that the rivers were where I wanted to be and that fly fishing was to be my exclusive weapon of choice to be unleashed on unsuspecting fish. While he was not really a fly guy he was as excited as I was about pushing the boundaries, and seeing what new ‘bugs’ could be concocted. Pretty much every time I did a fly show I would call Dad to let him know how it went and any new landmark on the water warranted the same call. The last trip we took together was to make the drive down to Islamorada to throw bugs at Tarpon for a few days and then hit the backcountry. Tropical storm Andrea had other ideas though… With the sustained wind keeping nearly all the other boats in their slips we resorted to cut bait just outside the harbor for a few sharks and lots of relaxing on land for a few days.

It has now been three years since he succumbed to a long battle with cancer, and with show season starting up I am sure that I will start to reach for my phone as I head for home. I miss my Dad but know he is watching with a grin on his face every time I set the hook, succeed in the industry, or hug my wonderful wife.

Here are a few shots I pulled today.

Dad in '82 with 'Old Joe'...a St Clair County Michigan record for a long time.

A solid Lake St Clair Musky

Hanging at the farm. Lots of laughs were had and deer hung.

Dad at the helm of 'Therapy' cruising across LSC.

Our customary perch at Bud N Marys Marina in Islamorada during that last trip. We may have hooked in to some tarpon each night we were there...

One of the last times the family all made it out together for an evening on the town.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Starting 2012 off right!

2012-01-01T20:25:00.007-05:00

Got a call from a friend yesterday looking to start 2012 off right...and who am I to not take that opportunity!?! The alarm went off this morning and I was off to the river to see about a fish.

The river was still far to high to wade, so since Pat has a Claka we had one luxurious ride for our fish chasing mission. One quick car spot and we were on the water and looking to get on the board in the new year.

Part way through the first stretch we had a player and I was in the game on day one of 2012! Not a massive fishbut so great to get this year off to a good start.

In a few spots we beached the boat to stretch our legs a bit and dissect a few bends on foot.

This fish was a mid-teens fish that was all fired up to hammer the fly. This fish came in a small slot that we moved a few fish out of and saw something really cool. My first cast through I set hard on a flash and was hooked up to a little guy...who proceeded to be chased around by an absolute upper twenties hog of a male. That male chased this poor little fish around, slashed at him a few time, and rolled him before sinking out of sight after 30 or 40 seconds. It is awe inspiring to see these predators absolutely homed in on their prey to the exclusino of everything else going on around them!

For being a mid-teens fish this guy was vicious looking. Extremely well developed jaw and sqaured off upper means this guys will be around for a while. I hope I run in to him on down the line again...

One long float, fifteen degree temperature drop, on and off rain, fish to hand...not too shabby. Figured the only way to finish it off right was with a tasty Yueng.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Christmas Day Scandis

2011-12-27T21:49:00.003-05:00

Christmas day was spent tying at the kitchen table, eating at the kitchen table, then tying again until it was time to hit the sack. The flies of the day were some Scandis to complete an order for a great customer Rob. Hopefully these pretty little flies will do the trick for him...would love to see them hanging from some Canadian chrome!

Here is a wider shot of that batch.

I could not help myself...had to tie up a few for myself at the end of the night. They are a lot of fun to tie and not to tough. Actually may tie these at a few shows this year as they are a good example of a few different techniques and not too long at the vise.

The obligatory fish porn shot comes from ACF friend Craig; proudly displaying some Michigan chrome with his ACF deeked out riversled as the backdrop. Cool shot Craig!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Christmas, hats, and a few flies

2011-12-23T21:45:00.003-05:00

Christmas time is here...unbelieveable how fast this year went. Looking back at this year it has been amazing how well things have gone here at ACF. This year saw many new fly patterns, ideas kicked around, opportunities everywhere, and the best year yet by far on the sales front. All of this is a direct result of the support I have received from my friends and customers. Thank you all for everything you have done to get ACF to where it is today, and I hope to continue the momentum going forward with exciting plans for the coming year!

Yesterday I posted this picture of the hats on FB and got a great response to them so I will be ordering up a batch in a couple weeks. They are FlexFit six panel hats that are embroidered on the front and back. I will have them in white, sand, black, and loden (olive/brown). If you would like one then please send $27 through Paypal to mike@anglerschoiceflies.com and note what color you would like. As soon as I get them in I will then get them out to those who ordered them. This show season if I see you at a show sporting the ACF cap then there will be a three pack of flies with your name on it!

Here are a few flies I knocked out last night and today. These will be headed to PA and UT first thing this week, then I believe a few will be hucked at browns on the White. Looking forward to a few pictures from there if the fish gods cooperate.

Thank you all again for your interest and support of ACF. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the shows in the next few months!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Redfish flies for Cam

2011-12-18T21:35:00.003-05:00

Not the greatest picture, but I am exhausted and heading to bed! These are a few flies I am sending to Cam at http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/ to help with his redfish pursuit. Hope you kick some butt brother!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Some flies from the week

2011-12-15T18:30:00.005-05:00

This post will be a little light on words...just a few shots of some of the flies that went out the door this week. Was an interesting week of tying streamers, steelhead stuff, mini streamers, and finally got back to tying a few winged wets. Heading up to Michigan this weekend for our family Christmas, then will be back at it on Sunday night when we get back.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Chroming with the Orvis guys

2011-12-11T15:56:00.007-05:00

I made the drive up to Erie on Friday night to meet up with Greg Senyo and a group of the guys that made the trip out from Orvis corporate to fish the alley again. First thing in the morning we rolled out to see what we could find. Many decided to indy fish since it was so cold, but I went a different direction. Greg, Shawn Brillon, and myself settled on swinging despite knowing it would be tough with the recent drop in temps. As we arrived riverside I took a second to survey the river and get a good stick lit. I was able to hook up with a big fish right off the bat but lost it at the feet of a dude that seriously low holed me...it sucked.

The water was a perfect color for swinging but extremely cold. Here is Greg and Shawn working an ideal run.

Cast, mend, swing, step, repeat...

Greg did hook up with a player...we stuck with the swing game the whole day.

Yeah...not a good idea to keep your fly out of the water for too long. Tends to freeze.

Shawn muscled this monster in to submission!

As it got later in the day the sun pushed through and lit up the trees against the dark stormfront rolling through. It was really cool.

There first thing in the morning we worked the river hard all the way through to the sun dropping behind the trees. It was cold and not overly successful from a catching perspective, but had a great time spending the day on the water with two friends.

Once back at the rooms we had a magnificent dinner provided to us by our hosts at the Liar's Den. Chili, bean soup, perch, fries, salad, and plenty of beverages. Dinner finished up and the guitars came out. It was a great night hanging out with lots of laughs.

By the end of the night Jim and Steve were playing both classic tunes and a few of the 'on the spot' variety. It was great hanging out with old friends and meeting the Orvis crew. Looking forward to the repeat next year!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Columbus showing of CONNECT was AWESOME!

2011-12-08T21:32:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was finally the day that the showing of CONNECT was brought to Columbus. After work I headed to to the Gateway Theater ready for a great movie.

I was glad to see that I was in the right place!

The movie was in the private theater on the second floor so we had the area all to our group to mingle. I was able to get my table all set up before the rest of the movie-goers arrived. As everyone came in I was able to spin up a few bugs and talk flies. It was great to see many old friends and meet a few new ones.

It was a sold out packed house! It was so full that there were people we unfortunately had to turn away for this showing. Before the film got going Michael Decoteau, who was the person that got this event together for us, thanked everyone for coming and introduced the film.

The film starts off with fishing in the mountains of Japan and progresses from there. I always enjoy seeing films like this in a packed house as you really can sense and hear the excitement. CONNECT was no different and was a spectacular set of films rolled in to one.

Based on the buzz as people were leaving I thinnk this event was very well received. I know I certainly had a good time and enjoyed catching up with everyone. Based on this showing I would not count out other films being brought to town...

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Lot of Nutcrackers and some pics fom Holt

2011-12-04T23:37:00.005-05:00

Eight dozen Hawkins Nutcrackers headed out the door. That was a lot of deerhair being slung about today!

Spent the beginning of the weekend at the Great Lakes Council FFF Tying Expo in Holt Michigan. I was set up next to Greg Senyo of Steelhead Alley Outfitters, Eli Berant of Great Lakes Fly, Alex Cerveniak of Midcurrent and other projects, and the guys from Schultz Outfitters. Needless to say we had a great time!

Set up in the hallways of Holt High School we had plenty of space to accomodate the attendees. The show started off a little slower than the lst few years, but not long after this picture there was a rush of people to come through that kept us busy for the rest of the show.

One of the highlights of this show is the raffle that the put on each year.

For a second year in a row I picked up a print from Becca Schlaff. At some point soon I intend to commission a piece from her. She is a rising star in the angling art community though, so I better hurry up and get it done while I can!

I also picked up a few SICK musky flies from Eli of Great Lakes Fly. Eli is on the cutting edge of the big fly game and really puts out some fantastic flies.

Off to bed I go now to see if I can sleep after the Lions gakked away yet another game...

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Performance Flies

2011-12-01T19:31:00.005-05:00

After a long day in the office I came home yesterday to a few packages of materials…almost like an early Christmas! The first was my standard order of bucktail, schlappen, marabou, holo flash and various other goodies from Hareline Dubbin Inc. As I am sure you are aware Hareline is one of the largest wholesale fly tying material distributors in the country, so it is extremely likely that your local shop works with them. Nearly every material that I use on my production flies are Hareline products, and they have been a fantastic company to work with.

This time though it was the second package I was excited to open... full of stuff for my personal and experimental fly boxes. The package containing possum, stripped quills, synthetic quill body, Glo-Brite, dub blends, flash blends, Fly DK products, Hends products, Sybai products, Dohiku barbless hooks, wild Czech CDC, Camou French leader…the package from Kevin Compton of Performance Flies, full of items I can’t get from the larger US distributors.

Kevin is a very accomplished tyer that found a niche for himself supplying standby and innovative new patterns to world competition teams. His pre-competition research, both remote and onsite, for the comp locations around the world opened up different suppliers, materials, and material uses from across the pond that we do not commonly see stateside. He realized that there was a market for these products and started importing certain items that until now have had limited or zero availability in the US market. Now, through Performance Flies, Kevin is able to offer these different products to tyers here in the US that are looking for a little something different to add to their fly arsenal. Kevin is a great guy that is happy to share his knowledge and passion for the sport of fly fishing with his customers. He has built his business around quality product lines at the right price and top level customer service.
Check out Performance Flies and see what you think!

Now I am off to finish up packing for this weekend. I will be tying Saturday along with a ton of other talented tiers from the area, at the Great Lakes Council FFF Expo held at Holt High School in Holt Michigan. I hope to see some of you there!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Back at it

2011-11-28T19:59:00.007-05:00

If you have seen me tying at shows this last year you have not likely seen me tying winged wets like I used to as I have been tying streamers by the handful. After talking to Don about helping out with his book project I knew I would have to get back to tying them more to get the edge back, and as luck would have it I had an order requesting fishing quality Puffers when I got home. I emailed with the customer to confirm as the original pattern calls for wing tips, rather than slips, and recommended that he try them with slips as I have found they fish better that way in small sizes. He agreed and I got to tying up a half dozen for him. It was nice to break out the floss and mallard quills for a bit!

A few streamers here...

A few streamers there...

and a bunch of swinging flies for some chrome! Working on more streamer orders this week before packing up and heading north to the fly fishing show in Holt Michigan this weekend.

I did get out for a short bit on Friday morning. The water seemed to be in great shape but my buddy Nate and I were left with the short end of the catching stick. While I did have one on and one chase the fish were far less willing to play than I had hoped. With the high water we will have after this rain and the colder weather the fish should be solidly back in to their winter feeding here so later mornings and slower retrieves will be key!

For those in Columbus next week, don't forget that we will have the premiere showing of CONNECT at the Gateway December 7!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

2011 Int'l Symposium and a few customer shots

2011-11-22T20:16:00.011-05:00

Made the drive out to Somerset New Jersey for the 2011 International Fly Tying Symposium last weekend. I shipped out of work about lunch time and, after a stop in Cleveland to pick up Kevin Compton of Performance Flies, we rolled in to The Doubletree to unload our gear about 9ish. After catching up with old friends we got a few hours of sleep then came back bright and early on Saturday morning to get our tables set up.

Once I had my table set up I took the opportunity to head over to visit with Pat Cohen of Super Fly. While he is a highly talented tier across the board he is especially known for his world class deer hair bugs, so I was excited to see what he was able to come up for me in Michigan colors. When I saw the Punk he tied up I was blown away...it is AWESOME!

As the show opened up the front hall started to fill

and inside it got very busy! Saturday morning was as busy as I have ever seen the Symposium. It was great to see so many people come out for the show.

By the afternoon the table was not quite as neat and to ensure our throats were kept hydrated we accepted the occasional Yueng that made it's way over to us.

While the show is fun, the evenings with our fellow tiers are more fun! I had a great time meeting Swedish tier and friend Ulf Hagstrom. We have been in touch through emails and FB for quite some time now, but this evening I finally got to meet my friend in person to share some stories and put a dent in the beer reserves at TKs Pub.

Part of the crew; John Kavanaugh, Allen Landheer, Pat Cohen, John Collins, and myself. The rest of the crew was just outside on the lobby patio. Lot of laughs, lies, and fish pictures!

Also got to hang out with another Swede, Nik Dahlin, a bit later in the night. Really enjoyed sharing stories with the guys from the other side of the world.

The end of the night found everything to have the same focus as a nine year old with ADHD...
Ahh the life of a show tier...rough stuff.

ACF customer Rob has been at it again and sent over a few shots from his adventures on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. Great to see he was able to swing up a chromed out hen and a gorgeous Coho. Well done Rob!

Also got shots throughout the day, while I was stuck inside, from my buddy Mariano who was in town through this morning. After a rough day out last weekend it was good to see that he was able to stick a bunch of fish. Here are the best couple shots of a hen and buck he brought to hand. Now to figure out how to get down to Costa Rica to fish with him on his home waters...

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

New book on classic 19th century fly patterns in the works!!

2011-11-22T09:36:00.005-05:00

While I was at the International Fly Tying Symposium over the weekend I got a chance to catch up with fellow wet fly enthusiast Don Bastian. Quite frankly Don was one of the driving forces behind me tying classic winged wet flies, so I was super stoked when he asked that I be a part of a project he was putting together. That excitement grew as he told me who and what was to be involved...this book is going to be a world class reference!

Here is the press release as taken from Don's site:

Don Bastian

and

The Whitefish Press

Have entered into a contract to publish a book on 19th Century Fly Patterns titled:

The Favorite Flies of
Mary Orvis Marbury

All 291 of the fly patterns from Marbury’s 1892 book will be replicated in a fly tier friendly volume including tying recipes.

Featuring:
Hackles, Salmon Flies, Lake Flies, Trout Flies, and Bass Flies

Dressed by:
Eric Austin, Tom Baltz, Don Bastian, Dave Benoit, Scott Bleiler, John “CJ” Bonasera, Austin Clayton, Matt Crompton, Chris Del Plato, Ronn Lucas, Mike Martinek, Stanley Miller, Ed Muzeroll, Ted Patlen, Bob Petti, Roger Plourde, Paul Rossman, Dave Schmezer, Mike Schmidt, Bill Shuck, Leigh Shuman, Royce Stearns, Kat Rollin, Rick Whorwood, and Sharon Wright.

I would like to personally thank each of these contributing fly tiers. Their individual and diverse fly tying talents will enrich and enhance this project.

This book will present high-resolution photographs of the actual antique flies from all 32 of the original 1892 Orvis Fly Plates used for the painted lithographs in Marbury’s book, Favorite Flies and Their Histories, plus close to 100 additional 19th Century fly pattern recipes. For this privilege, a special acknowledgement and huge thank-you goes out to Catherine Comar, Executive Director, and Yoshi Akiyama, Deputy Director of the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, Vermont, for their permission, assistance, and cooperation of The Museum.

This book will include an instructional chapter and notes on pattern origins.

The Favorite Flies of Mary Orvis Marbury
by
Don Bastian

The Whitefish Press
Publisher

The Favorite Flies of Mary Orvis Marbury will present replications of all 291 of the historic 19th Century fly patterns from Mary Orvis Marbury’s 1892 book, including written and in some instances, updated dressings in a fly tier-friendly format. This combination of photographs and tying recipes will be available to the public for the first time since the publication of Forgotten Flies in 1999.

Exact publication date for The Favorite Flies of Mary Orvis Marbury is not yet determined. However, to reserve your copy of the Limited Edition, please contact:
The Whitefish Press
whitefishpress@yahoo.com

or by writing:

The Whitefish Press,
4240 Minmor Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45217

If I am able I will post some shots of the patterns I will be contributing to the project. As more details become available concerning the completion and release dates I will keep you all apprised.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Let the show season begin!

2011-11-17T22:36:00.003-05:00

All packed up and ready to hit the road in the morning. I will head east to Somerset by, way of Cleveland, to tie at the International Fly Tying Symposium held there each November. It is one of my favorite shows every year thanks to the wide variety of tiers, laid back atmosphere, and time enjoyed having cocktails with the Jersey crew. I am excited to meet the many Swedish tiers that will be there this year, but specifically to talk flies over a Yueng with fellow suds officianado Ulf Hagstrom. Hope to see some of you there!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Hell of a fish and the ACF show schedule

2011-11-13T20:43:00.005-05:00

I had a buddy fly in to town so I rigged up the Mystics and hit the water with Mariano and Carlos on Saturday. We chose a stretch of water that is like Disneyland when there are fish around, but mysteriously this day they were not...perhaps too far up in the system...

It was a day full of walking, fishing, laughter, Crown, and Fried Dough at the Crow's Nest to top off the evening. Tough to complain about a day like that!

The biggest problem we had was really the leaves. The stretch we fished seemed to consist of one part water and one part leaves. Definitely tough to be efficient on the water when you are hooking leaves on every drift or swing! I look forward to getting back up there soon.

I was very pleased to get an email from ACF customer Don Calhoun. For a second year Don had me tie up a order of custom colored Howell Prom Dresses to take west to Silver Hilton BC. The fish of his trip measured at a 42" length with a 23" girth...coming to an astounding 32.2! Based on his email that was the second largest there since 1999, congratulations on a fantastic fish Don.

Finished up the ACF show schedule this afternoon and got the new list updated to the website. There may be a show or class added, but this should be the bulk of the list.

-International Fly Tying Symposium, Somerset NJ 11.19.2011 and 11.20.2011
-Great Lakes Council Fly Tying Expo, Holt MI 12.03.2011
-Indiana on the Fly, Indianapolis IN 01.07.2012
-The Fly Fishing Show, Somerset 01.27.2012 - 01.29.2012
-Buckeye United Fly Fishers Fly Tying Expo, Cincinnati OH 02.04.2012
-Kentuckiana Fly Expo, Louisville KY 02.11.2012
-Bar Flies with Schultz Outfitters, Ann Arbor MI 02.15.2012
-Celebration of Fly Tying, Grand Rapids MI 2.25.2012
-Midwest Fly Fishing Expo, Warren MI 03.10.2012 and 03.11.2012

Hopefully I will see many of you at the shows this year.
Now back to getting everything in order for the Somerset show this weekend!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Confluence Films 'CONNECT' coming to Columbus Ohio!

2011-11-08T22:37:00.010-05:00

I am super excited to be able to announce that 'Connect', a Confluence Films Production, will have a showing in Columbus thanks to the hard work of recent Maine transplant Michael Decoteau! Michael put in the initial capital, worked with the production company, secured a theater location, and lined up local sponsors and talent to make this event a reality in Ohio's capital city.

Here is the offical release:

CONNECT From the makers of "DRIFT" and"RISE"
From Chris Patterson and Jim Klug - the filmmakers who created the highly acclaimed movies DRIFT and RISE comes CONNECT, the most ambitious, large-scale fly fishing film ever made. Continuing in the tradition of the multisegment, multi-story format that Confluence Films has become known for, CONNECT introduces a number of new locations, exoctic species, and compelling characters that epitomize and exemplify the sport of fly fishing. Shot on location in Japan, Yellowstone National Park, the Yukon Drainage of Alaska, the flats of Cuba, the coast of Maine, and in the wilds of Tanzania, Africa, this feature length movie will once again transport viewers around the world in search of new waters and exhilarating travel experiences. CONNECT features well-known anglers Greg Vincent, Jeff Currier, Jimmy Bartschi, Craig Mathews, Masa Katsumata, Brian Porter, and Captain Eric Wallace, and more than a dozen different fish species, both freshwater and saltwater. As with DRIFT and RISE before, the cinematography, sound, and feel of CONNECT come together in a visual masterpiece that promises to re-set the bar for fly fishing films.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS SCREENING WILL BEEFIT CASTING FOR RECOVERY OHIO. DON'T FORGET TO BRING CASH AS RAFFLES AND VENDING WILL BE CASH ONLY. THERE ARE SOME GREAT RAFFLE ITEMS THAT YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS OUT ON!

One night only. Be sure to get your tickets early as we expect this showingf to sell out fast. Come out and meet local pros and non-profit organizations: Mike Schmidt from Angler's Choice Flies, guide Jerry Darkes from Angling Consulting Services, guide and Patagonia ambassador Jeff Liskay, Madmen Chapter of Trout Unlimited, members of Casting for Recovery, Clintonville Outfitters, Central Ohio Fly Fishers, Mad River Outfitters, and more.

Special thanks to local event sponsors:

MAD RIVER OUTFITTERS
http://www.madriveroutfitters.com/

MADMEN CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED
http://www.tumadmen.org/

CLINTONVILLE OUTFITTERS
http://www.clintonvilleoutfitters.com/

CENTRAL OHIO FLY FISHERS
http://www.centralohioflyfishers.org/

DON'T WAIT, VISIT THE EVENTS PAGE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS.
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10.
www.ticketriver.com/event/2456-connect---columbus-oh-screening/

I hope to see all the Columbus people there!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

A few Florida pics and the second CD release!

2011-11-06T09:23:00.004-05:00

Made it back from another great trip down to New Smyrna Beach Florida. For those that are unfamiliar, it is the beach directly south from Daytona Beach and located on the island between the ocean and the Intercoastal/Mosquito Lagoon. The beaches are fantastic, the bars are plentiful and friendly, and the fishing is off the charts...generally. On this trip we drove in on the back of the remnants of a tropical storm so for the first five days my kayak never left my car and the rods remained in their tubes since the wind was at ridiculous constant levels and gusting north of 50mph.

Finally on Thursday I was ablt to get the kayak deployed at dawn to pole around the lagoon for a bit. I drove in to the Canaveral Seashore before light and made a beeline to my favorite parking area as the sun was cresting the waves.

I started out poling farther south to see what I could find. The conditions started out fantastic; sun was rising and wind was hovering around only 5mph. It was calm and gorgeous!

I did run across plenty of Redfish...literally ran across since I could scarcely spot them from the low vantage point until I was just a few feet away. I did find a few that were tailing but just could not seem to get the kayak in to position to let the wind push me in to casting range without spooking them. I switched over to casting a Pole Dancer to try my blind fishing luck as the clouds became more prevalent. I did have a Redfish wake behind it then turn at the last minute and a few good size trout slash at it, but nothing to hand this day. It ended up being my only day out this time, but I will give it a shot again next May!

Now it is time to buckle down and get in the show season mode; The International Fly Tying Symposium is coming up quick!

The day I took off to head south I found a package on my doorstep as I was doing one last walk through the house. The ACF Step by Step volume Two CDs made it! There are a few less patterns this time around but it is extremely streamer heavy with a lot of articulation involved.

On Volume 2 you will find the following patterns:
- Back Winged Scandi
- Hawk Sculpin
- Luscious Leech
- Mike's Fish Candy
- Mike's GHB Sculpin
- Mike's Gorgon Craw
- Mike's Mufasa
- Mike's Neversink Hex
- Mike's Red Rocket
- Mike's Stinky Mayo
- Mike's Voodoo Squatch
- Senyo Sensai Mouse
- Senyo Shaggy Minnow
- Senyo Sick Puppy
- Super Steech (larger version of Schultzy's fly)

I have added this CD to the website for $15 and will have it along with me at the shows as well.

Now back to unpacking and work...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

WALTER

2011-10-26T21:45:00.006-04:00

It's a fish that goes by many names. Gator, Piggy, Walter, River Unicorn, Hog Johnson.... Regardless of your chosen name it is the fish of a lifetime, and Kelly Neuman of Streamside Custom Rod and Guide Service brought one to hand today. Fishing his stomping grounds on Michigan's beautiful Au Sable river he convinced this 30.5" resident brown that that ACF Firetiger Double Deceiver he was chucking was indeed a meal worth moving for. Needless to say that is one hell of a fish. Congratulations Kelly!!

I got the text from Kelly this morning about this fish and had a smile going all day thinking about it, and picturing it in my head. It is pretty much the epitome of vicarious fishing.

This batch of flies just happened to hit the mail headed north to Kelly this morning just before I got the text. Conrad Sculpins, Double Deceivers, Fin Clips and Red Rockets all ready to chase the next fish of a lifetime! This was the last order I am filling before hitting the road after work to drive south. Looking forward to spending a week relaxing on the beach before the craziness of show season kicks in. Hopefully I will come back with a few more fish pictures from the salt...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Went to see a man about a fish...

2011-10-22T20:24:00.002-04:00

Oh what a day! I got a call a few days ago that Greg Senyo and a number of his crew were going to be hanging out at Conneaut Creek Club on Friday night and was invited to make my way up. I had just received my new 7WT switch rod in the mail so I of course said "Absolutely!". After a night of cocktails, stories, and tying we hit the sack and woke up to a crisp morning and headed out. With all the water lately there was not a whole lot of rivers fishable so we headed over to the Elk and were pleasantly surprised to see there was 18-20" of vis and good solid flow...perfect swinging water.

It took all of about six casts for Greg to get us on the board with a fish the nearly ripped the rod out of his hands. It was really cool to see a guy that has caught as many fish as he has still get super jacked about a good chrome tug.

Of course I made sure that I got in on the action as well. After a pair of fish that received a long distance release, including a real toad that popped 12lb flouro, I buttoned up this nice buck. A couple hard runs and jumps later I wrangled him in to the waiting net and simply smiled.

Here is another female that I brought to hand. I was surprised when I saw her size as I expected a behemouth based on how hard she crushed the fly. All told on the day Greg and I hooked up to 8 fish, all on the swing, and brought four of them in. Really a great day on the water!

Here is a shot of one of the fish with the new switch rod from Mystic Outdoors. It is a 11'3" 7WT that cast beautifully when matched up with a 400gr SA Skagit Extreme Short head to Dragon Tail shooting line.

Can't wait for the next time I get up there in a few weeks!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Regal Engineering Pro-Staff

2011-10-20T18:26:00.003-04:00

This just in....Mike Schmidt is the newest member of the Regal Engineering Pro-Staff!

For the better part of the last decade I have been tying on the same vise for both personal and commercial tying. While it has been a real workhorse for me I wanted to be sure that I was working with the best tools for me, so about a year ago I decided to keep an open mind about what my next vise would be when the time came. There are a lot of quality vises on the market today and I needed something that would be low maintenance and reliable, true rotary, as well as comfortably fit my hands. I know many people that tie on and talked highly of their Regal vises, but it was Greg Senyo that really convinced me that they are a phenomenal option since he and I tie a similar volume and style.

Earlier this year I decided that I needed something more portable for taking on road trips, so I picked up the Regal Travel vise and was very impressed with how well it performed. In August Greg introduced me to Don Barnes, of Regal, as we were packing to leave the Naknek River Camp in Alaska and Don was on his way in for the week. After talking about the fishing we had experienced over the previous week the discussion turned to gear. I told Don then that I was glad to have the opportunity to tell him in person that I was very impressed with the Travel Vise. After then being contacted by Mike McAuliffe to gauge my interest, I made the decision to join the Regal Pro-Staff and have been tying on the Regal Revolution...which is AWESOME!

I am looking forward to a great working relationship with Regal and their staff.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Salmonfest 2011 video!

2011-10-17T21:32:00.005-04:00

While we were up on the PM chasing kings around we had a few HD video cameras along for the ride. Brian Jester, of Balatro Photography, was along for the fishing and took all the raw footage home to see what he could put together. He touched base today to let me know that we have seven minutes of fish porn ready for HD viewing complete with a Michael Bay style intro. It is a big file, so if it gets choppy then pause to let it buffer for smooth play.

Check it out!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Crappy Detroit sports weekend

2011-10-16T21:14:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the short post, but I spent the weekend tying while getting kicked in my Detroit sports nuts...frankly it sucked. Got a good number of flies knocked out and ready to hit the mail in the morning.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Streamer Presentation at MVFF

2011-10-11T22:16:00.004-04:00

Had a great time last night giving my newly updated streamer presentation to the Miami Valley Fly Fishers in Dayton Ohio. It was a good size group that was a real pleasure to be infront of as they payed close attentionand had great questions throughout.

Here are a few pictures from the evening as well as the video of the Pitzen Knot as promised! The Pitzen is the knot that I use for all my leader to fly connections. It is a easy knot to tie with the highest break strength of any knot, and it literally clicks in to place when tied correctly

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Salmonfest 2011...what a few days

2011-10-09T20:45:00.009-04:00

Headed up to Baldwin Michigan for the yearly salmontrip with buddies to the Pere Marquette. The rumor has had it that this was the largest run, both for size and numbers, in a few decades...and I was amazed to see that the rumors were right on. This is a picture heavy post with a few comments along the way.

Early morning Mike was getting the rig set up and ready to go by the light of his headlamp.

At the same time Brian was getting his camera tuned in.

It did not take long for the first player to come to hand. There were a TON of fish around with plenty of them being fish that had plenty left in the tank to put serious bend in the rod.

Every back eddy was absolutely full of eggs swirling around.

Mike hooked up on a solid fish that needed netted.

I think the grin says it all! After this fight the fish was a bit tough to get lifted for a shot.

But not too tough.

The colors on this trip were in full swing. It was gorgeous in every direction.

This was one of two fish Mike landed that Boga'd over 22 pounds. This fish put on one sick show.

Brian with his first of the year, an acrobatic buck that was hanging off the back of a deep bed munching eggs.

Sometimes you need a helping hand to keep the stick at the ready while rigging.

Brian with his biggest fish of any kind to date. He did everything right while fighting this fish and is looking forward to besting it once his arm recovers.

Struggling to lift! This was another one over 22lb.

Needless to say this trip was an absolute blast. Good friends, good fishing, great location, anf great cocktails! Plans for next year were being formed before we even left.

The obligatory final fish porn shot.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

2011-10-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

Last few days before I get my gear together for the annual trip with some buddies up to the Pere Marquette to chase around some salmon and enjoy a few cocktails. Knocked out some Senyo Egg Raiders and Wiggle Stones for a steelhead crazed friend.

Also knocked out a few more orders for Red Rockets, Voodoo Squatch, Meal Tickets, Double Deceivers, and Robinson Munchable Minnows. Looking forward to seeing pictures of these with some fish soon.

Time for me to stock back up on my salmon stones, caddis, eggs, and egg sucking leeches. Hope to have some good pictures and video to post when I get back!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Streamer pile

2011-09-26T19:55:00.004-04:00

I have not had much time to post here lately because I have been so busy at the vise knocking out streamers in advance of the coming season. Here is a big order headed north in the morning; a bunch of Double Deceivers, Red Rockets, Stinky Mayos, Voodoo Squatch, and Meal Tickets. More to come in the nex few days...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

The Process

2011-09-18T21:21:00.006-04:00

The Sketch. Sitting at the desk and drew out a few flies, this being one of them. Shortly thereafter I got a picture from my buddy Rich Strolis, of Catching Shadows, and proceeded to text back and forth for the next hour about fly design.

The Draft. That night I tied an order all evening and then made an unsuccesssful attempt to go to bed. After laying there awake for a half hour I got up and tied up the first draft. It utilizes a Gama B10S hook in front and back separated by two small Articulated Shanks from Flymen Fishing Company.

The Refinement. The following day a few extra rubber legs were added along with some manual striping on the head, and it was ready to hit the water.

The Proving Grounds. Headed out to the home river on Saturday morning with a buddy. We knew the water would be very low and clear, but figured it was a good chance to scout a few stretches and get some flies wet. It goes without saying that a few fine cigars were finished off as well.

The Swim Test. The fly is light for it's size so it casts pretty easy. The configuration used with the Shanks made the fly stable in the air and very hard to foul, and once in the water it was a sweet sight.

The Feesh.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Others having success with ACF

2011-09-11T21:11:00.005-04:00

Had a few pictures come in over the last few days from ACF customers out on the water.

From Kevin I received a shot of both a Dorado and a Pacu from his trip to Tsimane in Bolivia. He took along a batch of Decievers and Andino Decievers that did the trick. I have to say that I am envious of him for this trip, and definitely have it on my to do list!

Michael sent over this shot of a very solid Taney fish that fell prey to a Meal Ticket.

Thanks for the shots guys! Hope to have some more of my own to get up this week.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Chromer Paul Revere...huh...?

2011-09-06T23:14:00.002-04:00

Filling orders for Senyo’s Egg Raiders is my chromer Paul Revere. The steelhead are coming, the steelhead are coming!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Busy since Alaska

2011-09-05T11:33:00.004-04:00

I came back from Alaska and hit the ground runnning. Not a lot to talk about now, but here are some flies that are in the mail or about to be.

Some Yaktails that should be devastating on the incoming salmon population.

If you are going to fish San Juans, why not go with a Medusa?

Yeah...I tie small stuff too. Here are some Brassies, 6X Emerger, and Crystal Dips headed out to target Yellowstone fish.

I am really excited that the new Sculpin Helmets are on the market now and usable. I had the opportunity to play with them over the last month or so, and they fish as good as they look. This particular one uses rabbit and Shaggy Dub to give it body and movement. It will be fun to see what people come up with using this new product.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

2011 Alaska Trip: Days Five and Six

2011-09-01T19:12:00.008-04:00

By day five I was exhausted from the long hours of fishing and preparations for the following day, but the time difference still had me up at weird times. It was nice to see the camp at different times when there was nothing else going an and it was quiet.

Our day was planned out to head across Naknek Lake to fish Margot creek. I was told that there would be bears and it did not take long to see them as there were a few hanging out along the beach as we came in.

It also did not take long to swing in to some char!

The bear population on Margot was certainly not over-hyped. I think we spent over a third of the time that day dodging bears as they were hunting for the same thing we were.

Of course there was plenty of time betweeen the bear watching for us to get in to fish. The fishing on Margot was absolutely phenomenal; numbers wise it may well have been tops for the trip.

At one point the bears really seemed to be everywhere all at once...kind of made it hard to get out of the way. There were three of us fishing a stretch as a few griz came from each direction. The Pats and I backed off and watched as one of the males cruised on by between us.

We then backed up a side channel a bit to allow a female and her cub to cross. It was a bit sketchy as one of the males had ducked back off the river and out of sight, and we had our backs to some prety thick cover, but it all ended well as they kept on looking for fish.

Of course we then had to back off a little more to allow the other female and her two cubs to bypass us and head downstream. Needless to say that ten minutes there were a lot of grizzlies around, and it was really cool to be able to see them so close...with only minimal heart palpitations...

On the way out I swung in to this Mack truck of a Sockeye...my biggest off the trip. He was not happy about being landed and did his best musky impression as I tried to get the fly back; almost got a piece off me but not quite.

Realizing that the trip was winding down Patrick Robinson and I took a boat out before stopping for dinner. We shot about a mile downstream on the Naknek to look for some silvers, but ended up with just a nice hour of casting in the calm. You can't win them all!

My last fishing destination of the trip was back across NaknekLake to fish the famous Brooks River. There were more bears on the Margot, but on Brooks they seemed a bit bigger and liked to cruise back and forth in the same stretches. We got to see each bear a few times as they went back and forth picking off the odd fish here and there.

This Char was able to narrowly escape a bear, but not able to throw my fly.

There were always bears hanging out throughout the day. The bear up on the bluff had an injured front right paw so we paid extra attention to him just to be sure we kept a safe distance.

This big dude cruised up and down in front of us chasing Sockeye around. His preferred method was snorkelling, with his ears above water so he could hear and eyes below water watching the fish. Check out the video as he moves on past us the last time.

Dave picked off quite a few nice rainbows with our buddy looking on.

The fish on Brooks were everywhere; Rainbows, Sockeye, Char and Silvers all mixed together in a paradise of a fishing situation. It was an excellent way to finish of a trip that exceeded any picture I had of it in my head.

The last morning I was up early. I had intended to fish a few hours but ended up walking around talking to people, and soaking it all in. Greg and Patrick, of Steelhead Alley Outfitters, put on a fantastic trip full of laughs and fish. I can not recommend highly enough Jim Johnson and the operation he has put together at the Naknek River Camp. It was a comfortable family atmosphere with the focus on the fish, and there were a ton of them. I will definitely be back.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

2011 Alaska Trip: Days Three and Four

2011-08-30T19:33:00.009-04:00

The sun came up early and we found that we were headed to the Ugashik Narrows in the big brother of the Beaver, the De Havilland Otter. The Otter has a much higher payload and was able to transport our whole group the seventy minutes to our destination.

On the way we came across a few mountains that seemingly rose straight out of the tundra.

As you fly over the tundra you realize that there is water everywhere. It is absolutely filled with pothole lakes and ponds, and criss-crossed with meandering rivers.

The Ugashik Narrows are a small stretch of moving water that connects Upper Ugashik Lake about 500 yards down to Lower Ugashik Lake. After landing at the intlet at the upper a few of us headed towards the outlet to see what we could find. Along the way I drifted a bead rig, and it did not take long to hook up!

In addition to Char, the Grayling were around and feeding heavily. This was the biggest one I caught to this point on the trip. I have heard so-so things about the fight they put up but found nothing lacking with them at the Narrows as they tried to bulldog their way through the current.

With the distinctive dorsal and shimmering coloration, these Grayling were stunning.

After getting a few fish under our belt on bead rigs Greg decided to try swinging streamers and, after he hooked up on seemingly the first drift, Patrick and I quickly followed suit. What followed was perhaps the best day of swinging streamers I have ever had or even heard of. By the end of the day we had landed well over a hundred fish on the swing including Grayling, Arctic Char, Rainbows, Sockeye and Lake Trout!

The flats section that was between the inlet and outlet was jam packed with Sockeye. The population of Sockeye there ensured that there were plenty of Char and Grayling around.

My favorite fish of the day, and perhaps the trip, was this oversized Arctic Char. The coloration of the fish was amazing, but to see it required I regain my line and backing a few times. This fish was not happy about being hooked and landed!

My biggest Grayling of the trip came as Greg and I were making our way back towards where the plane would be picking us up. This fish taped out over 18" and was as thick as my forearm.

Such a cool fish. I can't wait to fish for them again, hopefully with dries.

After two days of flyouts I felt about as lively as this moose...

The weapon of choice for my streamer fishing was the 8WT Mystic M-Series. This 10'3" rod had plenty to get the fly where I needed it and handle the fish once they were hooked up. This particular picture highlights the traditional Scandi that did very well for me throughout the week.

Day four found me back on the Naknek River. As we were cruising around we came across the bear that is likely the same bear we had around camp each night. This guy was not happy about the motor on the boat...

They say that musky are the fish of 10,000 casts, but this day made it seem that Silvers have the same frustrating propensity. I was nearly eight hours of the day in before I hooked up with my first silver. It was a beast of a fish that after a minute of rolls and leaps threw my hook...and I then threw my rod. At that point I was pretty salty about it but the video of it, that may makes it's way out some day, was pretty funny. Unfortunately I hooked up and lost another fish, then another fish, and another fish before on literally my last cast of the day I hooked up and landed a Silver. It was an amazing fight and I was lucky enough to win that round.

In discussion that evening we decided that perhaps a standard shanked hook provided too much leverage, so next time I chase Coho I will be prepared with stingers. I am not sure if it was all the casting in the wind, but I slept very well after that fish.

It was good that I did as I would need to be alert the next two days on bear infested Margot Creek and Brooks River!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

2011 Alaska Trip: Days One and Two

2011-08-28T19:30:00.008-04:00

Just got back from Alaska...what an amazing time! After looking at my options I decided to go this time of year to chase Silvers and Char, also the bugs are not as bad as earlier in the year and the bears are calm and full of salmon. I ended up going on a trip hosted by Greg Senyo and Patrick Robinson, of Steelhead Alley Outfitters, up to Jim Johnson's Naknek River Camp outside of King Salmon and directly on the shores of the Naknek River. It was a comfortable set of lodges nestled amongst the world class waters in the area, and is set up to make all of their guests feel like family.

On the trip out I spent nearly four hours on the tarmac in Chicago, and was then informed that my luggage would not be sent along with us...basically ensuring we would not have any checked bags until sometime later in the day on Sunday. Since I did not have any waders I spent the first day floating the Naknek wearing just my travel pants. It was a tough go at it but we were able to get a few rainbows and sockeye to play nice.

As we got off the water we were greeted with a spectacular double rainbow directly across the river.

The camp itself is set directly against the bank of what may be ther greatest rainbow hole on the Naknek River. In the evenings it was fair game to drift eggs and flesh flies to see what monsters would come out. This shot is one I took of another angler, Wayne, and the 27+" rainbow he had slam a small flesh fly. Fish like this seemed to be relatively common, though I did not get 'used' to seeing them while I was there. This particular fish took out it's displeasure with being hooked on Wayne's rod, snapped it, and ended up being hand lined in for the picture.

Each night as it got dark we had a single bear come right down behind the cabins and snorkle along the bank to find any salmon carcasses from the days catch and make a quick meal of them.

This shot was all of about 10 yards from the deck of my cabin!

Day two found me jumping in a De Havilland Beaver for a flyout to Contact Creek. I was not a fan of small planes and landing on water, but the rumors of massive numbers of char and rainbow, as well as world class grayling, I decided it was too much to miss.

The flight in the bush plane was absolutely amazing. We cruised at about 1000' over the tundra and the view was truly spectacular. The ride to Contact was about thirty minutes so I was able to take it all in and really anjoy the ride.

As we were getting close I had Patrick Robinson tap me on the shoulder and point down to a small pond off to our side, telling me that was our landing spot. I laughed, figuring he was nuts since it could not been more than a few acres, and then the plane banked and started to circle. Sure enough we came in no more than three or four feet over the tundra and set down. We were informed that the pick up was going to be a 40-50 minute walk on the tundra around the mountain since the weight of the anglers made it impossible to take off from this pond!

Once we got all geared up we headed off across the tundra to get to the water. Walking on the tundra was quite a new experience, and very taxing, as it was like walking on two foot thick sponges. With no plane and being over 50 miles from the nearest building I realized this was likely the most remote I have ever been.

The setting of the river is idyllic...water full of fish winding through the valley with the mountains in the background.

I did not want to simply drift eggs so I decided to swing a small streamer behind an egg. After a little bit we started to make our way downstream, as the salmon had started to back out of the creek, and were soon in to fish. My first of the trip happened to be my first ever Grayling, and on a swung fly!

The next surprise was a Chum salmon that tracked down and took the streamer as well.

The Chum salmon was one fish I wanted to catch but did not think I would have the opportunity to on this trip. It was really cool to hook up to one, and between the fish and the current it put a serious bend in the rod.

The view from up bove the river was amazing.

and this is why I went! This Arctic Char was as colored up as they come. The neon blues, greens, and reds on this fish were lke nothing I have ever seen in nature.

Of course since Greg netted this gorgeous fish for me we got in the shot together.

Here is a shot of Contact Creek and the surrounding tundra that I stitched together

It is certainly never a disappointment to get in to big rainbows on a swung fly. This beast came in a deep soft seam, just feet from the bank, to crush this weighted streamer as I swung it through the current break.

At the end of the day we were all physically and mentally exhausted from making the hike out across the tundra without any stops to ensure we made it to our waiting plane for the ride home. It was great to get back to camp and have a beautiful Alaska sunset to cap off the day.

I will be working on the next set of pictures now. Next up,Ugashik Narrows and Naknek...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Packed up and one day to go!

2011-08-18T20:53:00.003-04:00

Sorry it has been a bit slow around here lately but I have been in preparation mode for my first trip to Alaska. I chose this time of year specifically for the silvers but there will also be sockeye, char, rainbows, grayling, and maybe a few chinook hanging around. Well..now I pretty much got everything packed up and ready to go! Waders and clothes in the Simms bag, reels and flies in the roller carry on, and five rods in the tube. Going to take along a 9' 6WT Redington CPX, 10WT TFO TiCR, 9'6" 8WT Redington, 10'7" Shelbyville switch, and my personal favorite the 10'3" 8WT M-series from Mystic.

Here are a few of the flies that will be along for the trip.

Flesh and mice

Some Coho Candy using the Flymen Fish Skulls

Various leeches

and some big stuff, with and without lips. Will be interesting to see if I can annoy some salmon with them and I hear there is a great spot close to camp to get in to some pike! Going back through my list tonight to make sure I don't forget anything I know I need, and hope there is nothing I need that I don't know about. I plan on taking a ton of pictures, so when I get back next Sunday I will have a bunch of work to do sifting through them!

Keep an eye out for those pictures next week. I should also finally be able to show you guys a few of the things that I have been sitting on until their release at the trade show in NOLA!

Catch you all in a week!
-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Wow...what a response!

2011-08-09T20:41:00.002-04:00

After I posted the stickers last night I was absolutely blown away by the interest. I got emails from all over the place, so evidently I am doing something right around this ramshackle excuse to post pictures and tell stories! This morning I put stickers in the mail to fourteen different states and four countries outside North America, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing some of the pictures where they all end up. I have basically blown through all the stickers that I had set aside from the initial batch, and will be dropping the rest in with large streamer orders over the next few months.

Thanks again all, I really appreciate the support!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

ACF stickers are in!

2011-08-08T20:12:00.005-04:00

A while back I took some preliminary sticker designs and sent them over to Matt Zudweg, at Boneyard Fly Gear, to see what he thought. After a little tweaking the end result was a 4" die-cut sticker printer on high quality outdoor vinyl...and pretty sweet if I do say so myself! These are going to be put in to some of the outgoing ACF orders in the next few months and I will have them along for the fall show season as well. In the meantime I will be sending a few out on request, so if you are interested email me your address.

For those I send out or hand out at shows...take a picture of where you posted it and shoot it back. At the end of the year I will put together a 'where are they now' contest and the winner of the coolest location/background will get some flies sent their way!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

432 inches of deceivers

2011-08-06T19:59:00.002-04:00

Finished up the last pre-Alaska order; this was a bunch of 6" Double Decievers headed north.

Start off with the back hooks.

Attach the backs to the front hooks using19 strand .018" Beadalon.

Tie up the front ends.

Finished off with .5" Super Pearl 3D Epoxy eyes.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Mouse catches from up north

2011-08-04T21:39:00.002-04:00

That last order of mice made it north and wreaked some havoc on browns! Here are a few shots from Kelly Neuman and Erik Peterson of Streamside Custom Rod and Guide Service on their last foray in the dark. The mouse hatch is in full swing.

Working on a large group of Double Decievers to finish up by the end of this weekend. Once they are done then it is time to tie up some serious flies for Alaska.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

A few flies from the last few days

2011-08-01T23:19:00.003-04:00

Sorry it has been a little slow around here lately, but just not a whole lot going on worth writing about. Last few days I finished up a few more flies to get out tomorrow morning. Got some Howell's Prom Dresses, Roadrunners, Voodoo Squatch, RedRockets, and Sculpies ready to hit the mail. One more order left to knock out then I tie my flies for the Alaska trip...how sweet it is!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Meecy Micey that's a spicey...ummm...pile of mice

2011-07-28T23:34:00.003-04:00

Yeah...it was a busy night at the desk. These mice are headed north in the morning, now on to some Prom Dresses to chase Atlantics.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Flies heading to NY

2011-07-26T22:46:00.003-04:00

Tied up a bit of an assortment to send out to Ben Alex in NY. Looking forward to seeing the carnage he will inflict on unsuspecting trout with them.

***NOTE*** At this point I am completely booked for tying through to the third week of August when I head to Alaska for a week. I will continue to tie heavy each night, but anything not already ordered may not be tied until September 1.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Tricos, hammocks, and a bad ass new net

2011-07-24T21:48:00.006-04:00

Made it up to Michigan for my annual Trico pilgrammage over the weekend. This year I had two buddies come along with me and both of my brothers up for atleast a day to hang out. As always there was plenty of laughter, beverages, weather, and of course fish. This trip the second year ina row that I had a person come along for the fun who decided that their fly fishing education should jump straight from streamer fishing to the most demanding and technical daytime fishing there is...Tricos. Each morning I woke up at Shupac Lake Campground and rolled over to quite a sunrise.

Since we arrived at nearly 2am this was the first view the guys had of the North Branch of the Au Sable, as we headed south to our chosen spot. Needless to say this view brought smiles to all our faces.

Mariano dumped down in to the river and gave a few rising fish everything they could handle.

Nate started fishing with me around the beginning of the year and until this weekend hadn't fished anything under a few inches more than a handful of times. Once the Trico spinnerfall started we got him in to position and, after a few missed shots and a pulled hook, he was able to master a tricky drift to get his fly to this fish...his first on a dry fly! Definitely a well earned smile.

Of sourse I got in on the action as well...

I decided this year to try out the TrekLight hammock system, and I can say that it is without a doubt awesome. This was not tough to set up, exceedingly comfortable to sleep in, and stayed perfectly dry through the deluge we endured Saturday. By sleeping at a slight angle you flatten out almost entirely, and the bug netting surrounds the hammock so you do not have to worry about getting eaten up. I can not wait to get it back in action again soon.

The weapons of choice for the weekend were a pair of Mystic 2WT rods and a 3 weight Redington. I have to say, again, that the Mystic 2WT is very impressive and has become one of my favorite rods to chase fish with. It may be on the light end of the scale but in spite of it's sensitivity it has the backbone to handle fish with bad intentions. Check them out at the Mystic Outdoors website along with the rest of their series.

Here is the reason I head up there each year to camp during the hottest month of the year. These little flies bring up every fish in the river. They can be alternately fantastic and maddening. If you like technical fishing and have not tried fishing a size 26 fly across multiple seams on a 12-15' 8X leader then you are really missing out on a great hatch.

On a final note today, I stopped off on the way home and picked up my new custom net by Dr Sam Lacina. Last year at the shows Sam commented that he would love a mess of my streamers, and I told him I had been eyeing a net from him for a few years. I told him exactly what I was looking for and this it; the net measures 17"x22" in the hoop and totals 39" in overall length. It uses zip ties to attach the ghost bag, which both retains the full integrity of the hoop and allows me to easily change out the bag if anything happens to it. This net can handle a 30" fish and some serious weight...this is a MAN NET! I will be stalking the rivers now with a net that can handle pretty much anything.

Dr Sam really knows his craft, this net is a functinal work of art. Check out more of his stuff on his site: Nets That Honor the Fish.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

A couple flies then the road

2011-07-20T22:20:00.003-04:00

Got a few flies knocked out in the last few days and in the mail this morning. One was a set of Conrad Sculpins in custom colors that needed replacing after the first set disappeared in the Canadian Postal Service strike.

and the other was a bunch of mice headed up to Michigan to coax some monster browns up from the depths in the dark ogf the night.

Tonight, before packing, I tied up a Senyo's Sensai Mouse in an articulated version. This is one I will be getting out myself either this weekend or next.

This weekend I am headed north to chase some Tricos and Olives around the North Branch of the Au Sable. By this time tomorrow I will be pulling off 75 and heading east to the river to set up the hammock and sleep for a few short hours before the spinnerfall...or maybe throw the mouse... Should have some shots ready to post up on Monday.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Tying in the Pines weekend

2011-07-17T20:41:00.003-04:00

I made it back in to town from a great weekend of tying in northeastern Pennsylvania at the Tying in the Pines event. I got up there late after work on Friday, then got up before light on Saturday morning to stalk some brookies for a few hours. The creek was beautiful and extremely low. I did get my eyes on a few good fish but the second they sensed anything was wrong they slid back up under rocks like an eel and stayed there.

The class itself was held on the first floor of the cabin. Dave, Greg, Damon, Nate, Ron and myself got ourselves around the table after breakfast and got to work. We took a break for lunch in the early afternoon and then got back after it until the evening. Before dinner I headed over to the river just down the road with Dave to show him a few castin and rigging items and we walked in to the river to find a huge Golden Eagle sitting on a piece of wood. It took off when we got about 20 yards away, then not more than five minutes later we watched a Bald Eagle cruise up the river and sqwak at us as it flew over us and kept going. It was awesome!

After nearly nine hours of tying we put down some delicious steaks off the grill and then sat around the bonfire until it was time to turn in for the night. Lots of stories, laughs, and beers to say the least.

We ended up tying fifteen different streamer patterns over the course of the class. Here is a shot of a few of the flies we still had out as we were packing up. The guys that took the class did a fantastic job and seemed very happy with what they were able to learn. I really look forward to the next class we put together.

-mike schmdit
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Big fish prefer Moist Kittens

2011-07-10T22:27:00.005-04:00

Every now and then I get a brain cramp from production tying, it's a hazard of the business. For me those times mean I simply need to stop what I am working on and do a little vise freestyle to tie up some flies for personal use. In one such session I decided that I loved the front hook configuration of the Voodoo Squatch but wanted it to be a bit meatier and to have a little more backbone to the back half. Those changes would make a fly push around a whole lot of water, and would change up the action in faster water. The result was a 7.5" fly that is one Mack Truck of a streamer...the Moist Kitten.

Other than tying most of the weekend, I did get out on Saturday with a buddy to chase a few smallies and white bass around. Nothing really large came to hand, but there were some fiesty players and we got a chance to scout out a few access points on our local water. This week I will be spending some serious time at the vise since I will be out of town for Tying in the Pines next weekend!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

100 bodies

2011-07-07T22:56:00.004-04:00

100 HLS bodies tonight just about does it...off to bed it is for me. Bit of a slow week on the fly front but I will have shots of the BWO and Trico boxes filled up soon...and hopefully some fish over the next few days.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

All-American fish on the All-American Day

2011-07-04T20:35:00.004-04:00

Finally got a chance to get out and hit some water to chase some fish with my buddy, Mike Berkshire, today. Between work and family it seems that for the last few years the only time we are able to get together is for our annual salmon trip, but the opportunity presented itself today so off to the water we went to see about some smallmouth. The fishing was pretty solid today and we brought a number of good smallies to hand, but of course the BS was flying thick and the same old jokes never get old.

It took a little while to pattern the fish and where they were hanging out but black Red Rocket was what it took for me to be in to the fish.

The fish were wicked strong and not happy about being hooked. A few jumped like maniacs and some others did their best freight train impression...none came to hand easily.

This fattie was my most solid slab of the day.

Mike got in to a solid fish as well that had really prevalent barring to it. Really love to see the smallmouth with the pattern so well defined.

I hope you all had as great a fourth of July weekend as I did!
More flies to come this week...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Zak's shot and a few flies

2011-06-29T23:06:00.002-04:00

So a few days ago I got a surprise email from a recent customer of mine. Zak sent over an email saying "Hey Mike, I think I won your 50 follower contest...right? Am I too late?" It had been so long since I posted the winners avatar I had to go check and, sure enough, Zak was in fact the winner so he has the flies from that contest headed his way after this weekend. He also sent along a picture of a solid 20" brown that he got in to with one of the Meal Tickets he picked up from me a few weeks ago. Congratulations on the win and thanks for the fish shot Zak!
Now we are in the countdown for the 100 Followers dozen flies...

Here are a few shots that I posted randomly on Facebook this week, but wanted to get them up here as well. The first is a size 24 Trico spinner tied with fibbets, Superfine Dub, and snowshoe hare. It is a great little pattern that will float extremely well and is very visible despite it's small size. The trick to consistent wings this small is to pick out the guard hairs to get down to a manageable clump, then keep a firm grasp as you tighten your wraps so that the hair tips stay even.

The second is a shot of some custom Swimtail Deceivers I tied up for my good friend Mike Berkshire. It is a fun little pattern that, when jerked with sufficient force, darts in a very erratic manner. Tied on Gama SL12S hook means that anything trying to eat this fly is in for a world of hurt.

Finally, a shot of some flies from tonight that are headed west in the morning.

I have been working on filling up my Trico and BWO boxes in my 'spare time' over the last week. Once they are filled up and ready to hit the stream, likely in a few more weeks, I will get a few shote up. I always find it interesting that my favorite two fly fishing pursuits are throwing monstrous streamers or he smallest mayfly...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Mike's Impossihex is in current Eastern Fly Fishing

2011-06-25T10:35:00.003-04:00

Got word late last night that the Impossihex is in the Eastern Fly Fishing July/August edition as the featured step by step. Check it out at www.matchthehatch.com/easternflyfishing/current.aspx

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Flies for The Fiberglass Manifesto winners

2011-06-23T23:13:00.003-04:00

Finished up the flies tonight for the two lucky winners in The Fiberglass Manifesto 2000 fan contest. Nikki Targowski and Christian Fitchel will each recieve one of the new Umpqua Streamer Boxes, supplied by Blue River Fly Company, loaded up with a dozen streamers from Anglers Choice Flies. Included are Red Rockets, Voodoo Squatch, Meal Tickets, and muddlers. They will be in the mail in the morning and hopefully in the water catching fish next week. Congratulations you two!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Buncha streamers...06.20

2011-06-20T22:24:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy couple evenings, but I am headed to bed 'early' tonight. Double Deceivers headed one way and the other flies headed the other way. Wish they were all headed to my boxes!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

06.18 fishing...now tying

2011-06-18T14:50:00.002-04:00

Got out for a quick run at some fish this morning. My camera card chose today on the river to srap out so only got a few shots. There were some fish moving around and active beefore the Amazon style rain came in and shut things down. Here is one shot of a fish that I did not get a chance to tape as I wanted to get it back fast; it was north of 15" but south of 18". Put up a freat fight in the heavy current.

Fished a fly I will be adding to the site soon as it has performed well. It is a combination of some features of a few different patterns...I call it the Stinky Mayo.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Weekend is upon us!

2011-06-17T14:43:00.004-04:00

Another week of working and tying in the books...welcome to the weekend (at least in a few hours)!! This week has been fun for me as I took a short break on a few nights from tying to hit a local series of ponds for some 'urban fishing' with a few buddies. It kind of feels like cheating when I go to this spot until I make that first cast and watch the fish spook...not the bluegill of course, but the largemouth. These fish require a pretty accurate cast and presentation both due to the already mentioned skittishness in addition to the fact that there is so much food even when they are interested they are not going to move far to eat. That abundance of food is allowing these bass to grow faster than most in Ohio, and frankly the fishing here is really solid for something that is only a few years old.

Fished a few different patterns and styles but the fly that has been best for me this week has been a Schmidt's Rattlesnake. It is a great little pattern that sinks slowly and then can be retrieved slowly while maintaining it's depth in the water column.

Here is another fish that fell prey to the Rattlesnake. Again it was sight fished, with the fly cast ten feet or so out in front of it as it lazily made it's way across a point. Fly landed and sunk a few feet before being twitched, and then on the second twitch...YAHTZEE! Where as the first fish was a bulldog down deep this fish fought more like a smallmouth and actually jumped clear of the water three different times. It was awesome, and a great fight on a 4WT.

The first night over there Mariano got in on the action and hooked up to this fish while I had the first fish on. He was slow moving a pencil popper and the bass was not about to let it get away. Crappy picture, but cellphone shots from 100 feet away do not blow up well.

Also got a few shots from ACF friend and customer Mike Paulus. He was up in northern Michigan fishing the Au Sable River...and putting some Meal Tickets to good use. Here are a shot of a 20+ brown and a pig of a river smallie that he had to hand. Congratulations and thanks for the pictures Mike!

On a final note, I received my copy of Soulfish2 yesterday and promptly threw it on while I tied...big mistake as I was not exactly as productive as I should have been. Soulfish2 is the new Mikey Weir/Burl Productions video that follows Mikey and a cast of friends through some amazing fishing locations such as Mongolia, Egypt, Louisiana, Belize, BC, Hawaii, Mexico, and Northern Cali. The word 'epic' is thrown about a lot these days but in this case I can think of no better word for this hour and a half video excursion. It is not as fast paced and frenetic as other videos from the last few years, rather it incorporates smooth post production work and rock solid videography to make you feel like you are there in the room or on the stream with them. The cast of friends included in the video are extremely knowledgeable, well spoken, and skilled anglers. While this video has a underlying story narrate through each section, it is chocked full of fish coming to hand. This is not a video that makes you wait for a payoff, and despite the 'professional angler' status of most of them these anglers are genuinely happy and infectious with their enthusiasm. I own most of the fly fishing DVDs out there and, in my opinion, this one is way up towards the top of the stack...I thouroughly enjoyed it all four times I have watched it since six last night.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Step by Step: Neversink Hex

2011-06-13T15:48:00.005-04:00

So...thanks to the bubble it's not exactly a purist dream but a great fly during drake and hex time for anything that is willing to come up and eat them! This is a fly I definitely do not offer commercially since anybody not named Bill Gates couldn't afford them, but it is a fun fly to tie and fish on a heavy leader! This pattern is really an adaptation of what has been my favorite northern Michigan Hex pattern to allow for the addition of the Unibobber to aid in floataion. This particular shoot was done of one with a clear Unibobber, but they also make a glow in the dark Unibobber which is pretty solid for this application.

Thread: UTC140
Hook: Tiemco 5212, size 8
Tail: Moose Body
Body: Deer Body, natural and yellow
Wings: Hen Back, Speckled Brown (natural)
Body Hackle: Ginger Hackle
Wing Hackle: Furnace Hackle
Float: Unibobber

STEP 1: With your Tiemco 5212 size 8 secured in the vice get your thread startedsomewhere around the middle of the hook shank. Grab a small clump of Moose and measure it out to be the full length of the hook, then tie it in hanging off the back of the hook. Bind it down securely with wraps back to the rear tie in point and then forward about three quarters up the shank.

STEP 2: This step will be tan deer body on top of the shank and yellow under the shank. Cut out a clump of hair and prepare by stroking out the short and guard hairs then tip stacking. Hold the hair in place so that the tips extend out just past the bend of the hook and tie in with a few firm wraps, then trim the butts and bind down. Invert the hook and repeat with yellow deer body on the underside of the shank.

STEP 3: Stroke the hairs back and hold them in place as you spiral wrap back to the rear tie in point. At the rear tie in point give yourself three or four wraps right on top of each other. At this point I usually dot the wraps with Zap a Gap.

STEP 4: Select a ginger hackle feather to be used for the body, generally between a size 12 and 14. Prepare the feather by pulling the fibers down from the tip to reveal the stem, and tie the feather in with a pair of wraps. Once the feather is secured then sprial wrap back forward over the body of the fly.

STEP 5: To complete the body you will now palmer the feather forward. Take care as you wrap forward to stroke the fibers back so you do not trap too many against the body. Once you get about three quarters of the way up the shank then tie the feather off. At this point I usually dot the wraps again with Zap a Gap.

STEP 6: Select the largest furnace hackle feather you can get off your neck and prepare it by stripping the fibers and chaff from the bottom inch of the feather. Tie it in place and palmer half a dozen wraps right next to each other, then tie off the feather and trim the excess.

STEP 7: Prepare a few hen back feathers for this step by measuring out the feather to be the length of the hook shank, and strip the rest to the quill. Once the feathers are prepared then you will figure eight them in place directly in front of the hackle from the last step. I know some that are able to do both at once, but I find it easiest to tie in each feather separately.

STEP 8: Over the wings I tie in a second furnace hackle, again as large as you can get. Once I have a few wraps tightly in place I again hit this spot with a dot of Zap A Gap to add a little durability.

STEP 9: With the deer hair and hackle tied in, clipped, and wrapped down the end result should be a small 'ramp' down towards the hook shank. Slide the Unibobber over the eye of the hook and wedge it up over those butt ends. With a few tight figure eight wraps it is now held securely in place.

STEP 10: The final step is to palmer the last hackle on an angle around the Unibobber and eye of the hook, then tie it off and whip finish.

The way this fly is constructed the fly will ride high in the film to start with, then after a bit the tail will settle in to the surface film and the front of the fly will continue to ride high. As with all Hex and Drake patterns make sure you have a short and stiff leader to keep the fly from spinning too much. Have fun with it!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

A few flies from the last few days...big and small

2011-06-12T15:28:00.005-04:00

It has been awhile since I have tied trout flies, but got back in the swing and knocked out some size 16 and 18 loopwing emergers this morning. Also a couple of snowshoe hare emergers in the mix...going to have to tie some more of those for my pathetically stocked boxes.

Here are a few more shots of flies ready for the water.

The last shot is Deceivers and Andino Deceivers headed to Bolivia in pursuit of Golden Dorado, wish I could go with them!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Tying in the Pines...the class is sneaking up on us!

2011-06-10T13:33:00.002-04:00

It has been about three months since I put anything up on the 'Tying in the Pines' weekend tying workshop that I am co-hosting with Greg Senyo and, since it is only about a month from now, I figured it is about time to get the word back out there as there are a few open spots.

As taken from the original post: This is to be an all-inclusive workshop that gives the participants a broad knowledge base of streamer tying and rigging techniques. We will cover single hook flies and multiple articulated techniques as well as stinger flies...all you need to bring is your vise and tools!

If you have followed this blog then you have seen the sort of quality fish that I prefer to target. There are certainly many variables to my success in stalking, hooking up, and landing what I consider to be apex fish but none is more important than the fly design. I firmly believe that the realism and size afforded by articulated patterns has allowed me to be very successful where I otherwise may have been less so. It is these steamer techniques and patterns we will be tying over the weekend so the participants can take them back to their home waters and push that streamer envelope!

It does not hurt that the class will be held in beautiful northwest Pennsylvania; home to wild brookies; fantastic scenery, and Yueng. Here are a couple shots I took when I was at the cabin in April.

To see a few more shots of the area you can check out the blog posts from either the Steelhead Alley brookie retreat or the Schultz Outfitters brookie retreat.

It is an amazing area and we will have a great time pushing through a bunch of streamer patterns and techniques. If you are interested, or want more details, then drop me a line at 614.638.6727. We can discuss the weekend and hopefully get you signed up to join in on the fun!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Smallie Madness!

2011-06-08T22:51:00.003-04:00

Could not resist the draw of the water tonight, so off to chase some smallies I went after work. Five minutes from my back door is a pretty solid stream and it did not disappoint tonight.

Mariano was chucking a pencil popper and had plenty of action. Here is is hooked up with his best fish of the night.

A chunky central Ohio smallmouth that taped out at just over 15" of mean.

I spent the night slow retrieving a Rattlesnake just under the surface and this was my best fish of the night. Hell of a nice bend in a slow 4WT!

As we were walking out I was surprised by a hell of a nice hatch coming off. We were parked in a lot that closes at dark otherwise I would have liked to have stuck around and seen if we could have banged out a few fish on dries. There is always next time...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Some days you just got it

2011-06-04T20:18:00.004-04:00

Back up at 4:30a this morning and back to the river. On the way to the river I was thinking about the previous morning when Mariano had told me that despite completing his graduate studies in a month he was not leaving until he landed a 20" brown. Upon arrival riverside we were again greeted with high and light cloud cover to start off the morning with temperature and water color that was absolutely perfect....it was on!

As we worked our way through the stretch we had chosen we got into a few year old fish and were having pretty regular action from fish turning on the flies and chasing. About an hour in he informed me that the tree about 250 yards downtream that was sticking out over the water was where he was going to get his fish...to which I responded "sweet!". We continued to work our way from undercut tree to undercut tree and pretty soon were down to the spot Mariano had called. As he carefully positioned himself to get a proper cast all the way up and under the overhang, right to the base of the rooball, I moved a bit downstream to get out of the way and to have a better view through the surface glare. The very first cast I watched in amazement as a big shadow followed his fly for 20 feet before retreating back from site. After a few laughs and big smiles he sent in cast number two, and the fish came out again and followed a good 30 feet...close enough to me when it turned that I could easily tell it was a big male. Dumbfounded he fired in another cast and watched the fish chase again...this was getting ridiculous. I looked at him and he wanted to let it rest for a minute so we carefully retreated to the far bank. I told him that I thought the fly was to light and the fish was turning away as it rose in the water column, to which he agreed and tied on an olive Meal Ticket. The fourth cast seemed to fly in around one branch and under another in slow motion, and as soon as it landed the water opened around it and Mariano was attached to a whole lot of pissed off fish. After a nail biting fight I slipped the net under the fish and we both let out a Jersey Shore style "WOOOO!!!" along with some high fives.

Once the fish calmed down a bit we slid in the tape under him and confirmed that Mariano had indeed called the spot from 250 yards upstream and backed it up by landing his largest brown to date; a solid 21" fish in the books.

We were both so excited about the fish that it took a few attempts to get a halfway decent shot, but I think the smile says it all.

After releasing the fish safely back to the river it was time to sit down, calm the nerves, retie and of course light up a celebratory cigar.

After a quick but intense rain shower we continued to work our way downstream towards some promising water. As we waded down through a relatively shallow stretch I spotted a good looking cut along a log and fired in a cast. As my fly slid in to the head of the cut the bottom of the log moved and my fly disappeared in an explosion of water, it was the most vicious hit I have had on the river. As I let out a yell the fish was furiously trying to dislodge the fly and get back under cover. Mariano was able to get over to me for the net and after a few minutes cram the massive brown securely in to the ghost netting. We both were making such a fool of ourselves laughing and high fiving that the landowner downstream came out to see what all the fuss was and then went back in to get his own camera...it was awesome!

25 inches of Voodoo Squatch decimating brown trout. The tail on this fish was absolutely huge and she had spots I would consider regal looking. She was a gorgeous fish.

Nothing better than a day on the water, except maybe a day on the water with a few big fish thrown in. What an awesome day!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Quick morning on the water and a few flies

2011-06-03T17:46:00.003-04:00

OK, so I am jumping the timeline a bit by starting off with a fish picture but it was a helluva good looking trutta!

With a few things shifting around at work lately I was left with a second shift to work today (currently working strenuously as you can see) so I did what any self respecting fish junky would do and planned a quick run to the river to start my day. The alarm chimed at 4:30a and I was out the door to pick up my buddy Mariano and head off to chuck some streamers and do a little recon for a few hours. As we were headed down the highway it started to lighten up, revealing a high layer of thin clouds and a gorgeous morning. This sunrise was the backdrop against which we put on our waders. It was a hell of a nice start to the day!

The river is still high and ripping fast, but we decided to give it a go. Started off a bit slow, or maybe we were just rusty with our presentations, but about an hour in this feisty fish went after a sizeable fly and came to hand. Despite being about the same size as the streamers I throw I had a smile on my face and sweet stink on my hands. The obligatory 'picture of the first fish of the day' was taken to appease the fish gods and make it less likely they would rain down a fishless hell on us the rest of the morning.

No monsters were landed but we had a few solid fish come out to play over the course of the day. Here is a shot of Mariano with a thick fish that just hammered the streamer with a vengance. It taped out at just shy of 16" but the current sure made it feel like a pig. As we got ever closer to the time we had set that we had to leave to get to work the fishing got progressively better. With a lot of fish coming out, swiping, rolling and slashing at flies it was very hard to leave; good thing I am headed back out tomorrow...

Things on the fly front have continued to be very busy. Lately I have been tying a lot of the same patterns so I have not been shooting a whole lot of pictures, but here are some flies that went out a few days ago.

Finished up tying last night with a pair of custom flies for my box that I posted shots of to Facebook. They are basically Conrad Sculpins on steroids. The top one is my favorite brown trout chasing color of yellow with a topping of barred tan and a white belly, and the bottom is a shot at a chub so it is peach with a topping of burnt tan and black and a belly of white. Both flies have a few rubber legs thrown in, to add some vibration in the high water I was expecting today, and a little Laser Dub gill action behind the razor cut head. They fished awesome today though only the Chub made it home...the other ventured a little too close to some submerged cover in a spot I would not wade in to at 500cfs let alone 750cfs.

Hope to have some more shots both of fish and flies to post by the end of the weekend!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Slammers

2011-05-29T16:36:00.004-04:00

That's a lot of Premo strip! Finished up part of an order for a variation of a Michigan classic called a Houghton Lake Slammer. Been a while since I have spun this many heads in a sitting...

Tied on a Daiichi 2220 size 2, you start with a red tag and then wrap flat silver tinsel through a large black chenille body about two thirds the way up the shank.

Then tiw in a wing hanging off the back of white bucktail topped with brown bucktail.

Finally tie in a thick collar and two big spun chunks of Premo Strip, then trim to a basic sculpin head shape with a slightly rounded bottom.

I have not been able to get out much lately so another shot of a Tan Red Rocket sent over by Shen will have to suffice as the fish porn for today. Hoping to get out tomorrow...?

-mike schmidt

http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Work In Progress...

2011-05-27T17:41:00.002-04:00

A little work in progress...six dozen Houghton Lake Slammers. Once they are finished up I will get a few shots up here as it is a pretty cool fly, and a Michigan classic.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Back in production mode

2011-05-23T23:02:00.003-04:00

Nice to be back behind the vise to take my mind off the local weather. Here are a few flies headed across the country...California, Michigan, and Connecticut.

TYING IN THE PINES update...Still a few spots open for this exciting weekend of streamer tying instruction with myself and Greg Senyo in mid-July at his family cabin in northwest Pennsylvania. Touch base with me if you are thinking about the weekend and want more details or to reserve your spot!

Good friend Rich Strolis, of Catching Shadows, sent over this shot of a nice brown that fell victim to a Tan over Yellow Red Rocket. From what I hear he has had a few close encounters with some apex level brown following...looking forward to the picture and stories when he ties in to one of them!

Evidently the Tan over Yellow has been the ticket out east as I got a few shots from Steve Shen, of the Delaware River Club, as well. Above is a close up of a brown with some great spots and beelow if Steve's buddy Kevan in the grip and grin. Those guys are lucky to have that fishery out there...I need to get back there sometime.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

New Smyrna Beach week 2011

2011-05-21T23:14:00.004-04:00

In case you were wondering why ACF has been so quiet lately it is because 'the office' was closed up nine days ago and I headed south to New Smyrna Beach Florida for some chill time. It was an amazing trip that I am just back from and wanted to get up a few shots before I crash from the long day of road time...nearly 16 hours worth.

Day one I headed up to the NSB side of Ponce Inlet and walked from the Coast Guard Station all the way out to the open surf with my 8WT in tow. I did see dolphins, manatees, crabs, rays....but nothing decided to play with the business end of a fly that day. Little did I know that I would only bust out the rods on one more day. On the way out I did get a visit from one of the local burrowing tortises.

The other day I got out ended up being on Monday with Capt Mike Mann of Fat Fish Guide Service. I have been out with Mike numerous times over the last few years so I expected to have a blast, even if I brought the clouds or wind with me as per my norm... We got out extra early, as the launches were clogged with people trying to get a view of the shuttle launch, and headed out on Mosquito Lagoon. Started off the morning prospecting for some early tarpon but only ended up seeing two roll so we headed south to nail some reds and catch the launch.

Not fifteen minutes in this ambitious little guy hammered on some top water. I know I have said that I don't care what size the reds are as long as I catch some, but....really!?! At least the stink was off early.

At the appointed time the shuttle headed off for the stars.

It really was cool to see another launch and especially in the close proximity from the lagoon. There was dead silence for a few minutes and then, once the shuttle was already out of sight, the noise made it to us and we have rumblings and sonic booms for a few minutes. Really neat stuff!

Little bettter fish I would be happy to catch all day long. This one came in at six pounds and unfortunately did not fare well after the fight. We tried multiple times to revive it but it had lost too much blood, so this became my first Red to go from the lagoon to the pan...and needless to say not a single bit was wasted, delicious.

The prize and my best Redfish to date was this fish that boga'd out at nine pounds and 30". This fish had tons of fight and went on half a dozen runs before allowing us to take a quick picture. The second it hit the water after the shot this fish was throwing serious wake while powering away at top speed.

As a group we took advantage of a suggestion to contact Tim from East Coast Paddle. It just so happened that he was available for the next day so we had him take our whole group out and hit the kayak trails in the lagoon. It was one hell of a workout and just a ton of fun, I can not recommend it enough. Really a cool way to spend a few hours, see some new territory, and get in to some skinny water with the fish.

With the full moon in effect I had to go for a long exposure and see what came out. A few attempts later the 1.8second exposure won out. This was not easy without a tripod!

One final parting shot on the way out this morning. Cant' wait to get back down there later this year.

Tomorrow...back to the vise.

-mike schmidt

www.anglerschoiceflies.com

A year..really? Already?

2011-05-12T11:36:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe it, but a year ago I was headed south to finish up the preparations for my Florida beach wedding. It has been an amazing year both personally and professionally. The wedding and subsequent nearly twelve months with Mrs ACF has been nothing short of fantastic. She is an amazing and supportive woman, something that has allowed to to continue growing ACF. Speaking of which, the last year for ACF has been a banner year as well thanks to all of you. It has grown considerably for yet another year, articles have been published, balls in the air for other projects, trips planned...good stuff!

Here is that last order I knocked out last night after packing. When I hit the road after work today it will be without the vise and, by the time I get back late next weekend, will have resulted in the second longest span of consecutive days without tying since my first fly; unless of course I simply can't take it and step behind the vise at New Smyrna Outfitters...

Will be nice to relax with a few friends, recharge with some frosty Yueng, draw out new ideas for patterns, and play a little quiz game at the bar

It will be a rough week...

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Mothers Day Weekend flies

2011-05-09T08:49:00.002-04:00

Thanks to high water and a lot of orders needing completed it has been a bit of the same old routine for ACF since the last post. For going on six months now the plan for last weekend had been to head up to Lake St Clair with the kayak and get out on some serious smallmouth action, but the water is simply no where near warm enough to have the fish even thinking about moving in to the shallows for pre-spawn yet. Since that option was dashed by midweek I dug in and knocked out flies...a lot of them. The shot here is nine dozen weekend flies headed north as I type; a good selection of 8" Double Deceivers, Conrad Sculpins and traditional Deceivers. It brings a smile to my face knowing that these big flies will likely be hanging from the mouths of big fish in the coming months. The next few days will be tying, watching the Wings, and packing for a return trip south...ahh the life!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Couple big flies and some customer shots

2011-05-03T19:52:00.005-04:00

So, I got settled back in when we got off the plane and was back to the vise as the first load of laundry was in the washer. Hammered out some flies to get out quick and on to a few big orders now that will keep me busy for a few days. Here is a shot of a few eight inch flies headed east to complete an partial-ship order. These should rage on some New England fish!

A few months ago I had posted a shot of a friend, Nate, that decided to pick up fly tying. Having never tied before I gave him some guidelines for tools and materials that he would want to start with and he came over to start the addiction. I could tell right off that night that he had what it takes to be really good if he decided to stick with it. Well...he did and now has more materials than some shops I have been too. Here is the shot I posted of the second fly he ever tied from that first night about four months ago.

...and here is the shot he sent me yesterday of his most recent creation he dubbed the 'Meal Stick'. He said that it is the Meal Ticket body with a Fish Skull head...I say it is hella cool! It may well makes it's way to the ACF fly catalogs at some point.

Got a chance at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show this year to see Chris Warren tying. This year he was tying at the Pro Flytyer Tube Fly component booth. He is a very talented young tier that I am excited to see continue to develop in the coming years. He picked up a few flies from me and shot over this bass pic from last weekend.

Also got some more pictures from Stephen Shen, a guide for the Delaware River Club. It seems that he has been doing pretty well with the Voodoo Squatch lately!

Keep it up guys!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Tough leaving this to come back to the clouds...

2011-05-01T20:51:00.004-04:00

Knowing I will be back in 13 days takes off a bit of the edge...

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Seven inches of Shut Yo' Mouth!

2011-04-25T23:01:00.003-04:00

Last few flies to be tied and shipped north before I head south to Florida for a few days are a set of custom seven inch Voodoo Squatch. This is the Cotton Candy color that has proven itself to be very effective tied in the Voodoo pattern with 3/4" eyes. This is a man fly to be sure! Can't wait to see what these monsters coax out of the deep; perhaps a 30" brown.... We shall see.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Yeah...I've been tying...

2011-04-24T21:39:00.009-04:00

With the all the rain we have had in central Ohio over the last few weeks the fishable water has been slim to none. While I would have liked to have been out chasing fish it was a good chance for me to stick around the house, without finned distraction, and knock out the backlog of orders I had on the books. To that end I kncoked out quite a few flies this weekend to hit the mail in the morning.

I also had the opportunity to touch base with '1% For the Planet' and confirm my membership for the next year; ACF is member #2171. With the state of the environment in today's world I have no doubt that every little bit of monetary support and awareness helps. Though Anglers Choice Flies is a comparatively small company I am proud to be able to continue to pledge the little I can to environmental causes.

I have seen this shot in a few other locations over the last week, but Adam Peterson's Au Sable beast from last Wednesday is just too nice not to be posted one more time. Another victim of the ACF Cotton Candy, I understand that this big male was boga'd at just over seven pounds before being released back to the flow.

After seeing a compilation shot of some browns on Rebekka Redd's site I got a chance over this weekend to play with a few of my Ohio early season shots from the last month. It was fun going back through some of the pictures and realizing how vividly I recall each fish and fight.

The next few nights will be spent knocking out a few random flies and getting everything packed up. I am headed out early Wednesday with Mrs ACF to New Smyrna Beach; not a fishing trip but I will no doubt wet a line while I am down there. If I get a chance I will get a parting blog posted, othwerwise...catch you in a week!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Fishing with Strolis

2011-04-18T09:15:00.008-04:00

The second part of the weeklong ACF fishapalooza began last Thursday when I took off at lunch and headed over to the airport to pick up a good buddy Rich Strolis, of Catching Shadows, fresh off his flight out from CT. Rich is a great guy and seemingly guides more than he gets out to fish himself, so I really wanted us to have some success while showing him my central Ohio playground. After a quick stop by the house to drop off some gear and pick up other gear we took off to hit the Mad and chase some browns around. Our target area was a stretch I have not fished in a bit so it was fun to see how it has changed. True to her nickname of 'the Maddening River' she gave up her bites sparingly, but I was able to 'Mufas-ize' an 18" and a 16" fish. We moved a number of other fish with a few that hooked up and then decided they'd had enough and spit the hook. I do believe I will fish her again soon...

After a quick bite and a few Guiness we hit the sack knowing that our wake up call would come early the next day. As the alarm went off I was already eyes open and ready to go. Based on river levels and a few phone calls we decided to head up to the Vermillion to start off the day. We got there to see pretty clear water that was just a bit off color and enough fish around to play with. We walked a long stretch hoping to be able to swing a few flies, though we carried indi rods as well. The highlight of the morning was Rich hooking up on the swing to a big bright fish that took a hard tug and a few rolls before slicing his line for a quick getaway.

The oddity of the morning was a double landed fish. I nymphed through a run and burried my fly deep in the mouth of a drop back male. That guy was having nothing to do with my forceps in his mouth trying to get the fly...a few flops and he popped my line and took off with the fly still in. No big deal I figured as the fish was pretty beat up and not really picture material anyway despite being pretty girthy. About ten minutes later Rich yelled up 'Fish On' so I headed down to help out and found that he had his egg buried right next to my fly! Both flies removed, along with a third, from the mouth of this active dude and away he went.

Lunchtime hit and we took off to head east across the Alley. We stopped at my favorite river and found that it was super low and gin clear, but we decided to take a stroll anyway as it is so scenic. We did see a few fish but there was no getting near them, and the few spots in that stretch with nice dark slots were already manned upon our arrival. Wonder how wet wading in jeans worked out for that one family...brrrr... We finished off the evening with a long walk swinging flies on Conneaut before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning saw us hitting Elk despite the weather...which was ridiculous. We got there to find gin clear water, but the wind was starting to pick up. We kicked up a few fish here and there as we worked our way up river and marvelled and how gorgeous the area was. Long story short the wind was a steady 35mph and gusting to 50mph which meant that any attempt to mend and the wind would blow your whole rig upstream. The trees coming down all around us was a bit unnerving to say the least! At one point we heard a massive crash up around the bend and within minutes the river went to total chocolate for a half hour or so. Twice we had trees come down within about 25 yards of where we had just been so we were both a bit on edge. When the wind calmed down the rain picked up and within a few hours the river was visibly rising and the runs were chocolate milk so we called it a day.

I had a blast hanging out and fishing with Rich for a few days. Preliminary plans are in the works for a trip out east to chase some fish around...

Also had a few good shots emailed over to me from some of my customers that are getting in to solid Michigan browns on ACF flies. Here are a few that took a Cotton Candy Double Deceiver, Red Rocket, and Voodoo Squatch. Thanks for the pictures guys, glad you are hammering on some fish!

-mike schmidt>
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Mystic Steelhead Camp and a few brookies

2011-04-12T15:20:00.006-04:00

Made it back home for a day and a half between trips so I figure I may as well throw a few shots from the last few glorious days up!

Took off after work on Thursday and drove to the NW corner of New York to meet up with a group of guys for the Mystic Rod Steelhead Camp weekend. It was a great little cabin that easily accomodated the eight of us for a few nights. We stayed up pretty late talking flies and Mystic rods. Going in to the weekend I was looking forward to fishing a few of Mystics heavier sticks and they did not disappoint. The 10' 7WT and 8WT are ideal indi-rods for steelhead, and the 7WT switch cast like a dream. I ordered up the 8WT for myself and am anxiously awaiting the completion of their 8WT switch.

NY tribs were mostly blown so we headed over to some small PA tribs and proceeded to find fish in spots where fish should be. The water started off with hazy green tint that lightened over the three days on the water.

Some fish were beat up a bit but the majority of the fish we got in to were either colored up and clean or straight chrome. This fish had a beautiful coloration and pulled like a freight train.

As I came up on the pool this beast was in I could see a little bit of shadow so I made a few drifts and it happily munched an egg. This one was a bit on the larger side for the weekend and also was not happy about being stuck.

Saturday evening we were on our way back towards camp and stopped off at 20 Mile. She had dropped significantly over the previous few days so a few of us hit the mouth to make good use of the switch rod since the weather was so calm. About 30 minutes in we switched up to a smaller shiner imitation and it was game on! First I hooked up....

Then Thad hooked up!

Nothing so cool as a lake double of pure chrome! Coming from Oregon to hit the tribs with us for the week was a haul for Thad, but I am pretty sure he won't forget this.

Another nice male taken down close to the lake.

Proud papa Dennis with his son Fisher. This was Fisher's second time out and his first landed steelhead; I think the look says it all! He clipped off the fly that he used, so I am sure this is going 8x10 with the fly clipped in the frame.

Fisher handled the fish carefully and allowed me to get one more shot as he slid it back to the water.

After a great time chasing steelhead Sunday night an Monday were a welcome change of pace. I headed about an hour over to a private cabin on a small creek to fish for native browns Sunday night, then brookies on Monday. It is the second time I have been over to the Senyo property and it did not disappoint.

Spotted this guy as I crept along the rocks and was able to sprawl over a boulder and drop my camera down in to the plunge pool to get a shot.

Nice male brookie that decided to make a snack of a small streamer.

This was not the biggest of the weekend for me, but it was the biggest with someone right there to snap a shot for me while sporting my TFM gear!

This male had just phenomenal coloring to it...enough so that I felt it deserved the only color in the shot. Can't wait to get back and give the 2WT and 7x another workout.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Dawn of a fishing trip

2011-04-07T09:06:00.006-04:00

Harder to sleep last night than usual for me....so much to do and thoughts of fish dancing in my head. Stayed up late finishing up a pair of orders to hit the mail this morning in advance of the weeklong ACF hiatus to the water. I am super excited as I will have the opportunity to fish a number of rivers through New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio over the next week with a few groups of friends. Hoping to get in to some nice fish but that is secondary to simply unwinding a bit and having a good time; of course tying in to a few hogs would facilitate said unwinding quite nicely. I have a mid week break back at the house next Wednesday, so I will try to get a midway update posted before picking up a buddy at the airport and heading back to the water.

The picture above is not steelhead or trout water.
It is not a recent picture.
It is not cold.
It is however one of my favorite shots and evokes a great sense of what good is coming over the coming days. This shot was taken a few years ago on a small creek outside of Columbus that I was fishing with my good buddy Berkshire. Mike and I don't get to fish together very often anymore but something epic seems to happen the few times a year we make it happen (for example Mike landing a largemouth...in a cold water spring creek...that was pretty much blown out...in January...on a stripped streamer...ridiculous). If you ever get a chance to fish with him make sure you don't get tangled up or take too long rigging because he will ignore courtesy, cast to your spot, and catch your fish with a smile....fish stealing Shut Yo mouth.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Mufasa Step by Step

2011-04-05T17:18:00.027-04:00

Mouthful of Mufasa...what a beautiful site! Since Martin gave me the prototype skulls to work with at Somerset I have been working with the Flymen Fishing Co Fish Skulls to come up with a pattern I can effectively streamer fish, and the Mufasa has been my most sucesssful articulated pattern with the Skull to date. Fished with quick jerk strips on a sinking line this fly has a great vertical action to it that really gets the fish going.

Thread: UTC140 denier, tan
Hook1: Gamagatsu B10S, size 1
Hook2: Gamagatsu SP11, size 1
Tail/top: Barred Marabou
Body1: Schlappen, tan and yellow
Body2: Ice Dub, copper
Legs: Barred Rubber
Head1: Senyo Laser Dub, dark tan and rusty brown
Head2: Fish Skull, large Coppertone
Weight: .035 lead
Eyes: 3D Epoxy, Super Pearl 1/4"
Epoxy: Clear Cure Goo, thick
Connect: Beadalon, 19 strand .018" with three size E beads

STEP 1: With your Gamagatsu SP11 size 1 in the vise get your thread started and wrapped to the back of the hook shank. Once at the rear tie in point, located above the midpoint of the hook spear, tie a single barred marabou feather hanging approximately one hook length off the back of the hook. Tightly wrap the material forward up the hook shank then return your thread to the rear tie in point.

STEP 2: Select both a tan and and a yellow schlappen feather to be tied in as the body. Grasp the feathers by their tip and stroke the fibers back so you can tie in the feathers by just the stem. The feathers should be tied in on top of each other at the rear tie in point, and with the concave side facing down.

STEP 3: Using a good amount of Ice Dub, to provide a bulky underbody, dub forward to about one eye width back on the hook. Having a properly dubbed underbody will allow the feather stems to sink down in the next step, and so protect them from teeth.

STEP 4: Taking the two schlappen feathers together, fold them and palmer the forward. Be careful as you wrap forward not to trap fibers down to the body.

STEP 5: Just behind the eyes tie in three barred rubber legs by their mid-point, so that three legs extend back down each side of the hook shank. Clip them relatively evenly so they extend about to the bend of the hook. Then tie in another barred marabou feather extending about halfway back on the tail, so as to form a nice taper.

STEP 6: With your Gamagatsu B10S size 1 hook in the vise use a 3" piece of 19 strand .018" Beadalon to attach the back hook. Make sure that the back hook is inverted, so the hook at this stage is pointing up. You will string on three size E beads to help keep the wire gap closed, resulting in less fouling of materials.

STEP 7: With the two hooks securely attached you will add a little additional weight. This weight will give the fly a little more vertical motion on retrieve and ensure that the fly rides correctly, with the front hook up. You will attach two pieces of .035 lead side by side on top of the front hook shank. They should cover about two thirds of the shank but not too close to the front where the head will be added.

STEP 8: As in step two, select both a tan and and a yellow schlappen feather to be tied in as the body. Grasp the feathers by their tip and stroke the fibers back so you can tie in the feathers by just the stem. The feathers should be tied in on top of each other at the rear tie in point, and with the concave side facing down.

STEP 9: Same as steps three and four you will now dub the underbody of Ice Dub and palmer the two feathers forward. This should reach about two thirds forward on the hook shank.

STEP 10: Again, tie in three rubber legs by the midpoint resulting in three legs down each side. Trim them about where they reach the eye of the rear hook.

STEP 11: Invert the vise and tie in a topping of Barred Marabou extending back to about the midpoint of the rear hook.

STEP 12: Pull a clump of dark tan Senyo Laser Dub from the bag then pull and stack the material so that all the fibers are in the same direction. Tie in that clump on top of the hook shank by it's mid-point and then repeat with a clump on the bottom of the hook shank. It will take doing it a few times to get the amount correct; what you are aiming for is as much as you can add and still comfortably slide the Fish Skull over it.

STEP 13: To add the appearance of gills tie in a small pinch of Rusty Brown Senyo Laser Dub on each side.

STEP 14: To assist with this step I tile the front hook up a bit in the vise. Make sure the 'heavy' side of the Fish Skull on the opposite side of the shank from the hook point so it will ride correctly, then slide the large Fish Skull directly over the eye of the hook, reversing the materials and forcing it backwards, until the eye of the hook comes through the slot. Secure the skull in place by squirting some Clear Cure Goo thick through the slot and on either side of the eye, then hit it with the light to cure it and the Fish Skull is going nowhere.

STEP 15: The final step is to add eyes. I personally do not use the eyes that come with the Skulls, instead opting for 1/4" 3D Epoxy Super Pearl eyes. Just a little dab of Loctite Gel and hold them in place until it heats up.

I have mostly used this pattern in the tan and olive variations as the heads I got when they first came out were these two colors. With seven colors of head this pattern can be altered to suit your local forage. I can say that recently I have done well fishing a variation with the black head, black marabou, black and blue schlappen....

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Busy weekend on the river and at the vise

2011-04-03T23:03:00.006-04:00

Yet another crazy busy weekend here at ACF. Started off the weekend on Friday night by hitting a wine shop on the north side of town with Mrs ACF and just relaxing for the first time in a while. Good wine, good food, and great company! Got home late and quickly got together my gear for the morning so I could get a few hours of sleep before heading to the river. Wake up call came early and off I went to chase some fish.

Saturday was a day that Mother Nature showed off just how bi-polar she can be when it comes to weather. We started off the morning in the low 40s and overcast...perfect streamer weather. Early on the fish were actively stalking streamers as they were ripped from cover, following for 15 feet, then turning back without taking a bite. A few fish made half hearted slaps at the flies, including one fish in the low twenties, but no hook ups early. About three hours in everything shut down as the temp took a sharp drop, then started to hail, then rain. The hail and rain did not last too long and after about aan hour it started to warm back up a little and the sun came out. Eventually we got in to a few mid teens browns as the fish became active again and I found my mind focusing on a hole I knew was coming. Sure enough when we got to the spot and worked in to position a big buttery slab showed itself as the fly came through the first time, but it did not hook up. Waited a few seconds and fired a second cast through the slot and again a flash. Fired the fly in a third time along with a big upstream mend to slow it down and saw the fish coming seemingly in slow motion, mouth closed, line tightened up, JACKPOT! She fought unbelievably hard and took me downstream as she tried every trick in the book to get in to the far bank. I finally got the upper hand a bit downstream in a bit of slack water and coaxed her in to the net.

Nate was able to get a great shot of the fish with a Mufasa still flowing from her mouth. This fish was the hardest pulling brown I have fought through this last streamer season, and she taped out at 23.5". After two quick lifts for a photo the fly was removed, and the fish returned to freedom. Stuck to the plan for nine hard hours of hard fishing and it payed off.

Sunday consisted of continuing the tying that I started when I got off the river on Saturday. All day was spent at the vise knocking out flies for orders to hit the mail in the morning. The Post Office will be happy to see me coming!

Got a few sets of step by step shots completed and have some video of the fish release on Saturday....so good stuff to come here this week.

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/

Quick update and a nice fish from out east

2011-03-31T23:04:00.004-04:00

Nothing super exciting coming from the ACF desk this week, just lots and lots of flies being cranked out. Thanks to a bit of snow in central Ohio we got a little bump in the water levels and some added stain to our rivers; from what I understand fishing was great the last few days. I really hope that holds true through the weekend as I intend to get out and harass some fish.

Last week I heard from Stephen Shen and Bob Lewis, guides at the Delaware River Club, about some success they'd had on the Delaware with the Red Rocket. Pictures made it today of one of the fish with the Rocket still hooked up....great looking fish guys!

I did get the shots taken of the Mufasa as I tied up more replacements for this weekend. Once I get the shots cleaned up I will get a step by step posted for those that have been asking about it. Hopefully I will also have more shots of it in fish mouths from this weekend!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

ACF customer Brock Dixon takes February SOTM!

2011-03-28T23:35:00.012-04:00

Congratulations are due to ACF customer Brock Dixon for taking the Moldy Chum Slab of the Month title for February. With a total voting percentage of 37.5% it is obvious that there were plenty of others as impressed with this hog brown as I was...and the shot is totally worth posting again. Good luck on the Slab of the Year voting Brock!

The pattern that this hog took was an ACF tied Senyo Shaggy Minnow tied up in white with blue/pearl flash and blue eyes. Greg Senyo came up with pattern to chase steelhead, but it has been proving itself plenty deadly on a number of other fish species.

-mike schmidt http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/