I have been doing live fly tying sessions on Instagram recently. To help with those who are unable to watch, or want to check them out later, I have set up another camera to make edited versions of these sessions.
Here is the Mickey Finn I did the other night. It's a classic bucktail streamer.
INSTAGRAM: @allpointsfly
There is still a considerable debate as to which sole is better for fishing - felt, rubber, or metal studded soles. Years ago, felt was king. It gripped the river bottom better than (older) rubber soles and gave anglers piece of mind knowing they were a little more surefooted.
But with time, state regulations outlawed the use of felt in some areas, plus fishing companies developed better rubber soles such as Vibram. This lead to less anglers buying felt and a driving demand for comparable grip to felt. In came various rubber sole configurations, metal studs/screws/bars, and replaceable soles with multiple options. But are any of these better than felt? Felt was good while wading, but held clumps of snow during the winter and did not fair well during hiking (out of water).
A few years ago, with some slight apprehension, I decided to try the Simms Alumibite Star cleats. I fish in some rivers where the bottom is very slippery, and combine that with my aggressive wading (read: usually stupid), I wanted to give myself a little more reassurance in the water. So I bought a couple packs of these Alumibite cleats and tried them out. I wore them for a few seasons - put them in, took them out, put some back in, took some out, etc...This is what I found...
I used my Simms G3 boots for this test. There are 10 designated spots on Simms wading boots for their cleats. This made inserting them very easy, especially with a powered drill. There are 10 cleats per "puck" so to utilize all given slots, one would want two pucks to cover both boots. There is no question after putting these in the boots that they provide more grip on the river bottom. Whether it was rocks or logs, these aluminum based cleats gripped and dug into everything. This was very noticeable difference between strictly rubber. But after a while, this started to change.
I walk a lot when fishing - especially trout fishing. Whether it is actually in the river, along the river, or on paths getting to the river - I usually cover a lot of ground. So even after a full weekend of fishing, I would start to feel less "grippy" the next time I went out. After quick inspection of the bottom of my boots, it was pretty clear that the cleats were getting worn down and losing their edge (the "grippy" part). I also noticed a fair amount were falling out. This was solved by adding some Aquaseal before screwing them in. But, the issue of them getting rounded off persisted.
You can see from the photo above that a fair amount of metal would get worn down. This would happen to a degree that after a decent amount of wading/walking the cleats were flattened/rounded-off on the bottom. When all of the cleats got to this point, my boots were actually more slippery than before. The cleats no longer dug into the rocks/logs with their "bite" edge. The solution was to replace them, but that got expensive and I started to feel like I was chasing my tail doing so.
Additionally, being the audio-nerd that I am, I recorded decibel levels of myself walking with and without cleats on the river bottom. It is seemingly an overstatement that cleats make noise on rocks, but it was enough of a difference to factor in the fish's hearing/senses as well. Trying to target spooky fish, especially in smaller rivers with cleats, proved harder. In some situations I don't think it made a difference, but in the smaller water it did.
So, do Alumibite cleats work? Simply stated: yes they do. But keep an eye on them. If you start to feel less grip, replace the worn ones. These are the types of cleats you will want to replace before or after each multi-day trip. Simms also makes the Hardbite Star cleats which are supposedly more durable. I have not tested these to the extent that I have with the Alumibites. Review on those coming soon!
Words + Photos by: Josh Thelin
Most of the best fishing spots, especially trout and salmon, are well off the commonly traveled roads. Specifically here in Maine, this sometimes requires the use of logging roads to reach these areas. Knowing the safety precautions, etiquette, and laws, can make your time spent on these dirt roads much safer.
There are a lot of logging roads that are highly traveled and used safely by many everyday. They are great ways of finding new locations and reaching your favorite water. Keep your eyes on the road, give way to the logging trucks, slow down, and you'll be finding those "super secret spots" real soon...
Words + Photos: Josh Thelin
Here in New England we have 4 distinct seasons. Each season represents change. Most people associate change in seasons with the weather. Fly fisherman will often associate the change in seasons with the change in fishing conditions, techniques and species to target. New England, and especially Maine sees as much change in fishing conditions as it does weather with each passing season.
Let’s start with spring, as it is often associated with birth and new beginnings. When I think about spring I think about the “start” of the fishing season. In Maine, many of the natural reproducing trout water is closed from October 1st through March 31st. April is seen as a time to get back to my favorite waters. Spring can be tough in Maine as winter can hold on through the end of May, but the fishing can be fantastic. Trout are normally hungry after the winter but sluggish as the water temps are still in the 30’s-40’s well into May. June sees the full blossoming of trees and insect life. The smelt and sucker spawn happens which coax the big trout out of the larger watersheds into the rivers where we enjoy targeting them. For saltwater fly fisherman, June is typically when the big stripers start to show along the New England coastline.
Summer can really be broken out into early and late summer. Early summer can be great fishing, with weather playing a large role. July brings the big bugs to the surface – big stones and the fabled Hex hatch. This can be some of the most exciting fishing of the year on rivers and ponds. Watching large trout sip on big dry flies has to be one of the highlights in fly fishing. Late summer can lead to slower trout fishing while most rivers get too warm and the trout will drop back into the big lakes for thermal refuge. During these times, not only is the fishing slow it can be unethical to stress the fish by fighting them in low oxygen level water. When this happens we seek out the warm water species such as smallmouth and largemouth bass. In addition the salt water fishing stays hot all summer long.
Fall is a special time in New England. I will admit I am including late September in “fall”. The trees are a blaze of red or orange and so are the native brook trout. The air is cool again and the bugs are mostly gone. Trout begin to stage for the spawn at the mouths/outlets of their chosen rivers in mid to late September. Water flows and temps are paramount to being able to enjoy this fishing. I believe that a male native brook trout in the fall is the most beautiful fish. The trout are not the only fish getting ready to spawn, the landlocked salmon also do their dance in the fall and the fishing can be outstanding. The fall run of false albacore and stripers is also happening down on the coast. This is when many salt anglers have their best fishing and have the chance at a 30-40 lb. striper from the surf. It is a wonderful time to be a fly fisherman in New England. It is my favorite time of the year.
Winter is spent tying flies and trying to stay warm. New England has some great winter fishing, mostly over fish that were stocked in the fall. Maine and NH have a great stocking program which can keep us busy in the slower months and thinking towards spring. Make sure to dress accordingly as the water and air temps are frigid.
Up here there are great opportunities to fish year round. Make sure you take advantage of the fishing opportunities in your area!
Words + Photos By: Tim Ervin
