Local Trout Lake Update

It’s difficult to blog about fly fishing these days; it all seems so superficial given that so many in the province are facing such difficult times. The flooding this past week is the worst on record and the cleanup has only just begun. If you live near one of the affected areas and are able to help out, there is no shortage of people in need; and not just in the well-to-do neighborhoods – our First Nation communities and older neighborhoods have been hit just as hard and may in fact need our help even more (but they seem to get scant coverage in the media). If you live too far from the affected areas to pitch in, consider making a cash donation to a disaster relief organization.

If you do find time to do some fly fishing, lakes are the best option. With the cooler weather, local trout lakes are still fishing well and some big fish are being caught. Damsel and dragonfly hatches are almost done – although you may see a few stragglers emerging here and there.

Remnants of the spring Dragonfly hatch

Newly emerged Damselfly about ready to take flight.

Caddisflies are starting to come on strong. You can’t go wrong with a soft hackle emerger fished just under the surface, or rising to the surface on a floating line. Your best bet would be size 12-14 in a light brown/amber color. Adult cinnamon sedge imitations will also work well on cooler evenings and when egg laying females are skittering across the surface.

Caddisfly exuvia (shed pupal skin) indicating recent hatch activity

Adult Caddisflies resting on lakeside vegetation

Part 6: Pseudo-lamination

The wood fly rod build project continues...

Lamination is a process where thin strips of material are glued together to form a multi layered composite that is stronger than an equal thickness of the original material alone. The increase in strength is usually the result of orienting fibers in different directions, and in part, from the adhesives used to bond the layers together (think about how plywood is much stronger and more resilient than a solid pine board).

Most modern wood fly rods (especially bamboo) are composed of multiple triangular strips laminated together. Laminated construction gives the rod more strength and power by off-setting weak areas in the wood grain (knots), or bamboo nodes; but the lamination adhesive and rod varnish also impart some additional reinforcement to the blank. Since my rudimentary fly rod design involves a simple piece of wood sanded to taper, the wood grain needs to be reinforced using alternate means. The pseudo-lamination process is designed to impregnate the entire rod blank with polyurethane. The polyurethane helps bind the wood fibers together and adds strength to any weak areas inherent in the wood.

To set up the pseudo-lamination assembly you will need two lengths of ¾" x 10' conduit, 10' of ⅝" ID clear vinyl tubing, a roll of electrical tape, and two clamps. Start by positioning the tubing so the end extends about 10 cm beyond the end of the two lengths of conduit; make a few wraps of electrical tape to hold it in position. Now working your way down the conduit, place a few wraps of tape every 20 cm so that the tubing is held straight all along the lengths of conduit. Leave the last 20 cm of tubing loose at the end to give room to fold the end of the tubing over and clamp it. With the assembly prepped, the rod blank is pushed all the way into the tubing.

The top end of the assembly with some of the tubing extending past the conduit.

The bottom end of the assembly with the tubing folded over and clamped.

There are two solvent based polyurethane products that will work best for the pseudo-lamination process: Minwax^® Polyurethane, and Varathane^®. My preference is for the semi-gloss finish of either brand – the gloss finish looks good but I feel that it produces too much reflection while casting (and may spook some fish), while the satin finish is too dull and produces a rod that lacks aesthetic appeal. Avoid any water based acrylic products as these will reverse all of the work done drying and heat treating the blank, and cause the wood fibers to swell.

In the past, I have always used clear polyurethane to bring out the natural look of the wood. But for this rod I am going to try using Minwax^® PolyShades (stain and polyurethane combined) in a satin finish shade called Pecan (Varathane also produces a tinted product but it is not clear from the label if it is just regular stain, or if it contains polyurethane as well). The PolyShades Pecan finish should produce a slightly darker blank and hopefully enhance the wood grain. Once the pseudo-lamination process is complete, I will finish the blank off with a few coats of clear semi-gloss to get the final look I want.

The polyurethane should be thinned out using 10-15% mineral spirits to enhance penetration into the blank. A small funnel is used to slowly pour the polyurethane into the tubing. Fill the tubing almost to the top and clamp the upper end to prevent evaporation. Stand the assembly up in a corner of the garage (I put the end in a bucket in case something leaks). Check the polyurethane level daily and top up as required.  After a few weeks the level can be checked once a week. The rod blank should be allowed to soak for four months to allow for full penetration – another two months are needed to fully dry the blank once removed from the polyurethane. Note that summer is the best time to do this; unless you are fortunate enough to have a heated work space (cold temperatures will inhibit penetration of the polyurethane).

My rod blank has been soaking for a couple of weeks already so it should be ready to start drying by the end of September.

 

Don't Despair

With many central Alberta streams being off colour due to recent rains and mountain snow melt, now is a great time to get out to your favorite trout lake. The first week or so of June can provide some of the best angling of the year before the summer doldrums set in – late evenings or cloudy, drizzly days are my top pick.

Dragonfly and Damselfly hatches are peaking about now. These hatches often draw the attention of some of the largest fish in the lake, but patience and stealth are needed to entice them. Find a quiet area along the shoreline (i.e. a spot where there are no other anglers working the area) and slowly work a Marabou Dragon or Damsel nymph imitation over the weed tops on a floating line (or along the bottom on a sink tip if aquatic vegetation is sparse to absent). If the shoreline is undisturbed, large trout will often feed in just a few feet of water under low light conditions (i.e. late evenings or drizzly days).

Chironomid (midge) hatches will still draw their fair share of attention this time of year as well.

 

Chironomid larvae exhibiting some interesting colour patterns