Nautilus Feather Weight Reels, a short review.

Not only do I think that these are the slickest looking reels out there, but they also perform on the water. I have had a FW 5 for about two years now and have put it through a lot of use. I can honestly say that these reels are one of the finest reels made and have one of the smoothest drags out there. Did I mention how good they look?

I have decided to replace all my current reels with Nautilus FW reels. I have the FW3, FW3+ and FW 5 and FW5+. The + system is a unique way to match one reel with various rods and lines. With a FW3 and a FW3+ spool, you can use a 2 or 3wt line on one spool and use the 3+ to hold a 5 wt line with ample backing utilizing the same housing/cage. Instead of having different size reels to match different rods, you can now match them up more precisely. As their name implies, they are lightweight, matching nicely with today's lighter rods. I prefer the Tianium color over the Black as it matches nicely with my Scott S4 rods.

More info from the Nautilus web page. http://www.nautilusreels.com/reels/fwplus

Compact Lightweight Reels

Pairing the Nautilus FW 3Plus reel with a WF5 line will give you a more compact 5 weight setup, yielding increased backing capacity and reduced weight. These reels are ideal for the fly fisher who is looking for a more compact package, whether driven by need for added versatility or just personal preference.

The Nautilus FW Plus reels were designed to offer an increased range for either backing or line weight allowing you to pair more rods or fishing conditions to your Nautilus FW series of reels. FW Plus spools can be interchanged with regular FW spools for added versatility, allowing you to convert your existing FW 3, 5 or 7 to a FW Plus series.

Bullethead Hopper Juan

Here is a new twist on my Hopper Juan that I have been playing around with. I added a deer hair bullethead to this fly to give it a bit different look. I have fished with a couple of these and they work just fine. The body is still that of the original and can still be changed according to what color you want it to be. You can add knotted hopper legs if you like or just keep the barred legs tied in X-style as the original. Tie some up and let me know what you think.

The Club Sandwich/Triple Decker Fly

Club Sandwich #12

Hook: #6-12 3xl hook

Body: 3 pieces of 2mm foam glued together and stamped out with a cutter

Thread: 6/0 or UTC 140 Denier

Legs: Tan Rubber Legs barred with marker

Hair: Elk or Deer

Use the thread to form segmentation on this fly. Slit the foam with a razor blade to recess on the hook shank and use super glue applied to thread before doing so to help hold onto the shank. Make sure the segments are even spaced. I start the thread about the 50% point on the hook and work back to the tail of the fly and then back up the shank of the hook making the segments as I go. Form the legs by using three strands at a time and place a knot in two rubber pieces. Tie them in at two separate points or segments. Separate the three strands on both the rear and front legs. Clip out two strands on the rear portion. Pick the best angled leg and remove the other two. On the front legs, I clip both top and bottom strands. Use a bodkin or needle to pierce through the middle portion of the body. Then insert a threader and double over a piece of rubber leg and pull through. Trim to length.

I prefer tying these flies with a hair wing or something on top to make them land hook down.



Here is the video tutorial:


Tying the Club Sandwich in HD from Juan Ramirez on Vimeo.

Salmonflies

They are here and I have been busy tying away, trying to fill the fly boxes. Too bad they are not for my boxes. I have a buddy that is going to do a 3 day float down the Gunnison and the trip is next week. I tied up a dozen Foam Stones as well as a new pattern that I came up with based on the Hopper Juan. I guess you could call it the Salmon Juan, but that's pretty lame. Maybe the Gunnison Gorgess. Heck I don't know what to call it. I guess I have to wait to hear how it did before I officially name it. I also tied some nice drown or sunken stones, but I don't have a photo of them. I think that those may get the most attention on the trip. We shall see.


Rouge Foam Stone # 6

I should be orange, not dirty orange. Dang Sharpie!

The Gunnison Gorgess?
#6

A mess of stones.

Dirty Stone.

I've seen this before. What's that other hopper that poses this way called?

Leggy and plump. Just the way I like them.

Who writes this crap?

It blows

Somedays are just not meant to fish. Today was one. But fish we would. Someone had this crazy idea that since his wife was out of town, there would be some fishing that gets done. If nothing else got done, the fishing would.
I invited a friend to go with me and he did. He also drove and insisted to pay the fee up Pike's Peak Highway. He even offered to pay for lunch afterwards. I need to fish with him more often! I let him out fish me, letting him build the confidence needed to get through the summer until fall rolls around and then I will unleash my will on the fish eating baetis.
We fished North Catamount Reservoir today and when we got there, there was already whitecaps on the water, but fish we did. Coves can bring protection from the wind, and usually waders bring protection from the water, but today that didn't quite happen, but fish we did. That was until the wind and water got the best of both of us. Both of us suffered from leaky waders, one more so than the other, and we called it a day..or a morning since it was almost noon. What better to do to warm up a bit than head down in elevation and the local Mexican Cantina for lunch?
Tomorrow, I have plans to fish again, with a local fly shop owner on another lake and fish we will, because remember if nothing gets done when the wife is away, fishing will get done. Wish us calm weather and tight lines.

Juan

Lonely, Lonely Spinney Mountain Ranch (Dream Stream).

So, today I took the day off to fish. I have wanted to do so for a while, but it is hard to get away and I always tell myself next time I will do it. So, today, I did. I headed to Antero Resevior for a few hours. I arrived to a nice morning with no wind and lots of fish eating. The fly of the morning was a #14 BH chironomid with silver. It worked well. I only fished a few hours before the hail chased me to shore. I then headed to the Dream Stream for a few more hours of fishing. Once I got there I got my stuff together and pulled my fly rod out of my car. When I raised it up in the air, there was a lot of buzzing going on. Oh, crap I thought, no fishing yet. I wanted to get out so I took a few steps and raised the tip again and now it was even more evident that I should stay put for a while. I retreated to the car just as it started raining. I leaned the seat back and I fell asleep for a few minutes listing to the rain on the roof of the car. I woke up and the rain had passed. I got my gear and headed out. Once again, as at Deckers, it was very quite. I was the only car in the middle parking lot, with only one car in the upper lot and two cars in the lower lot. I guess I should start fishing more during the middle of the week. After fishing a while, I managed to land a nice solid 20" rainbow on a caddis larva. It was the only fish of the day on the D.S. With more rain headed my way and even more wind, I packed it up and headed home.

#14 Cream Caddis Larva

Olive Green Caddis Larva