Fantastic Backyard Fly Fishing
Editors Corner
Ian Anderson
Fly Tier and Webmaster
Everyone dreams of heading out to far off places and fly
fishing for big Rainbow trout, Mountain Cut Throats,
Arctic Grayling, Atlantic Salmon, Caribbean Permit.
Obviously, catching fish you can not catch in your backyard
is a strong desire for trips of this nature. A big
part of the attraction is the setting you are fishing in.
Face it we all know fishing is a hit or miss thing. You can
have the right gear, the right flies and be in the right
place and the fish still won't cooperate. In this case
it is always a consolation to be in some location where you
see surrounding you don't see everyday. A number of
events come to mind that drive home the point that when you
are not catching fish the surroundings you are in can make
for a wonderful adventure.
Walking down a dirt path
to a small rapids to swing some streamers I was greeted by
two Great Horned Owls. They flew across the stream and
sat on a branch the entire time I was fishing. I can't
remember if I caught any fish.
One time on a
day long drift I had the pleasure of a yearling Bald Eagle
and parent the entire day. We startled the pair out of
a tree as we floated down the stream and they flew down
stream. As we drifted down they would periodically pop
out of the trees, sometimes together sometimes separate, and
fly a little more down stream. This happened the
entire 10 hour drift. I do remember catching some fish
on that trip.
After changing my fly while swinging
streamers into the headwaters of a riffle I was startled
when I heard a loud splash behind me. I turned around
to find three White Tail deer that had walked down to the
river and up behind me to within about 30 feet of me while I
was quietly changing my fly. As I dropped my fly and
started my false cast they became aware of me and bolted.
Another day I had the fun of watching a large beaver
munch on a downed tree. He/she swam around the tree in
the water collecting branches and swimming to shore to eat
them. I watched this for about 30 minutes and the
Beaver never knew I was there.
The great thing about
all of these memories is that they all happened within
ninety miles of my house in central Indiana. Each time
I felt like I was hundreds of miles away! Far off
trips are great but don't forget what memories await you in
you own backyard.
Be Well,
Ian
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Latest News
From the Fly Fishing World
Brookville Tailwater Conservation
With the weather improving, more and more people are headed out
to the Brookville Tailwater to catch trout in central
Indiana. Each season that goes by the pressure
increases on this little fishery. A number of people
and organizations have been leading the way in pressuring
the Indiana DNR to enact regulation to conserve and protect
the only trout fishery in central Indiana. Read the
Conservation Corner in this issue of The Drift for more
information on this issue and ways you can help. The
biggest asset there is to keep this fishery in good health
for year is you, the fisherman and fisherwomen of Indiana
and Ohio.
Wednesday opening Fly Tying
We have started on Wednesday nights a FREE open fly tying session with Charlie
Barnard.
 This
class it becoming one of our most popular classes. For those looking for a very informal setting
and just want to get out and tie flies with other tiers come
by the shop at 7:00pm on Wednesday. Bring your own
tools and material and be prepared to tie whatever you want.
Simply tie flies, share knowledge and have fun.
Sessions are from 7:00 - 9:00pm every Wednesday evening.
Come by and have some fun tying your flies up for the
up-coming fishing season.
FlyMasters Fly Fishing School
 Our 2009
Fly Fishing School has begun and many people are
now learning to fly fish. In the past month we have
had seven Phase I sessions. We currently have about 30
fisherman and women participating in our fly fishing school.
Many have already been on the water! Now is a great
time to learn this wonderful pastime. We all need some sort
of escape from the day to day stress of life and find some
activity to recharge ourselves. Fly Fishing is one of
the best pastimes to recharge your soul. There is an
unbelievable amount of quality fly fishing water within a
short drive from your home. Stop just driving over it
and start stopping and fishing those waters.
White Bass Fishing Picking Up
 One of the best fisheries in Central Indiana is the White Bass. They
are native to the rivers and streams all over Indiana and
will soon be running up streams for the spring spawn.
Read our February edition of The Drift to learn more about
the
White Bass fishing in your area. Stop by the shop
and we will help equip you with lines, leaders and flies for
this hot fish of spring. We even have
White Bass fly
kit you can pick up and get on the water as soon as possible
to catch fish. And don't forget the Hybrid Bass which
run soon after the White Bass. This Issue of The Drift
has Bill Butts 2nd installment on White, Hybrid and Stripe
Bass. You will be surprised at what you learn.
Summer Fishing trips Are Soon to Start
We have a number of trips already on the books for the 2009 fishing season.
Trips to Canada, Michigan's Upper peninsula and North Lake
Michigan, and Ohio are all underway. Check out the
Trips and Travel section of The Drift for more information.
Then contact us to make your reservation for a great trip in
2009.
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