FlyTalk

I told you folks that my New Year's resolution is to get more people flyfishing. Well, Scientific Anglers is partnering with Field & Stream's Fly Talk, really helping to make that possible. Here's the deal:

We have five "Ready to Fish" kits from SA and we're giving them away. When I say kit, I'm talking the whole deal, a 4-piece rod, a reel, fly line and tippet already on that reel, and an instructional DVD. This is a slam dunk option for getting someone young or old started in the sport. Just add water. Actually, there's a target for casting practice in the "youth" kit I'm looking at now. I think "just add kid" is more appropriate for this one.

We have different types of kits, ranging from a special youth kit, to bass, to a saltwater setup. They sell for around a hundred bucks a piece ... it's like I'm handing out five Ben Franklins here ... does this blog rock or what? Thanks Scientific Anglers!

For a shot at a free kit, tell us who you want to start flyfishing by way of your comments below ... your son or daughter ... your mom or dad ... your friend ... you can even choose yourself. Tell us where you're going to go. And you have to promise to make good on your goal by sending us a photo of the first fish you catch.

Because any reason to start fishing is a good reason, we're going to take all the comments, put them in a hat, and pick the winners that way. If you comment, you're entered. If you win, we'll get your kit to you ... just ask my buddy "Alex the Fly Rod Winner."

Deeter

This just in, from the AP in Australia:

A mako shark attacked a fisherman on his boat deck, biting him on the leg after the man reeled it in while fishing off Australia's east coast Sunday, an official said. The 20-year-old deckhand was airlifted by helicopter rescue, said Brian Russell, a spokesman for the rescue service. He was flown to the Gold Coast Hospital where his condition was reported as stable before he underwent surgery. The man had been fishing for tuna when he reeled in a 3-meter (10-foot), 90 kilogram (200 pound) mako shark and landed it on the deck.

"He stepped on its tail and it whipped around and latched on to his tight calf, biting through to the bone," Russell said. "The shark had his leg clamped in its jaws for several minutes until other deckhands cut its head off." Paramedic Darrin Hatchman said the victim was lucky to be alive because the bite narrowly missed major arteries.

You paying attention to this Conway Bowman? For more graphic warning
click here
Just don't do it while you're eating.

Deeter

PLEASE HIT PLAY BEFORE READING

Nothing like that feeling of jumping in the truck in the morning with a mug of coffee and a donut, and heading off for the water to fish. But what makes that moment really work is picking the right song to blare through the stereo as you roll. Can't be just one song ... the music has to match the mood, and more importantly, the type of fishing you're setting off to do. My picks:

Bass ... "Five Pound Bass" by Robert Earl Keen. (What else?)
Trout in the back country ... "Splendid Isolation" by Warren Zevon.
Tarpon ... "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n Roll) by AC/DC (Just try it.)
Mako Sharks ... "The End" by the Doors.
Stripers ... "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues.
Carp ... "Chocktaw Bingo" by James McMurtry.
Redfish ... "Essence" by Lucinda Williams.
Steelhead ... "In Bloom" by Nirvana.

And when you know you're in for that epic, blanket hatch on the trout river ...
Anything by Barry White, because that's all about love, baby.

Deeter

I like tying flies. Except for when I have feathers flying up my nose, fingers covered with glue crust, and miscellaneous animal parts littering my desk. Which is most of the time. Sure, I get the creativity, the history, the cultural attachment. It's very cool to catch a fish on your own fly. I wish I could be John Barr, or even Dan-Bob. But I'm not. So I've decided to focus my efforts on 10 patterns, and buy the rest, because for $2 I'm more than willing to yield to the talents of the good people in Thailand or Sri Lanka.

The 10: 1) Woolly bugger, 2) Pheasant tail, 3) Parachute Adams (transpose materials to make BWOs and PMDs); 4) Joe's Hopper; 5) Elk Hair Caddis; 6) Muddler minnow (for reasons previously explained); 7) Prince nymph; 8) Stonefly nymph; 9) RS2; and 10) San Juan Worm (because it is a crime to pay more than a nickel for a fly that takes 23 seconds to tie). What am I missing?

I think I'll put the cap back on my head cement now.

Deeter

We've found another candidate to extract loose bills from Romano ... Evan V, who correctly answered muddler minnow as "Most Versatile Fly in the World," if only because woolly bugger was taken. Woolly bugger was a great call, but I gave you hints vis a vis the weather conditions and the season. Fall is not only streamer time, it's hopper time, and the muddler is not only a great streamer pattern for those cool mornings, but I cannot estimate the number of fish that old standard has caught when greased up and drifted like a dry hopper. Dead drifting muddlers below the surface is also a killer tactic; sometimes those bigger fish like to key on drowned hoppers. Give it a try sometime.

Deeter