Scientific Anglers Sharkskin Fly Lines

By now, most of you have heard about the new Sharkskin fly lines by Scientific Anglers but I wanted to take a minute and do a quick post about the lines now that they have been out for awhile and we have gotten some feedback and had a chance to use them. I promised myself that I wouldn't copy and paste the info from SA for this post so I will not use the terms revolutionary, microreplication, or premium (even though they are accurate) in my description.

First off, for those that have not seen the line its defining feature is that instead of a super slick surface to the fly line it has a micro texture embossed into the coating of the line, so under a microscope it actually looks "scaly". What the company claims this does is that it creates less surface area in contact with the guides and therefore, less friction and less wear on the guides with better shootability. The line also has less surface tension on the water thus allowing it to float higher. Does it work? Will it improve your flyfishing experience? The answer is yes, the line shoots easier and definitely floats higher so it is easier to mend and pickup line. It seems to have less memory than conventional lines as well. The Sharkskin line will last longer too for one big reason. The first thing to go on your new fly line is that wonderful, super smooth, fresh out of the box slickness, usually it's noticeably less slick before the first season is over. With the Sharkskin line, it doesn't rely on extreme smoothness for its shooting and sliding through the guides, it relies on the texture which does not go away. Even a little bit of dirt does not seem to affect the performance of the line.

So what about the downsides? There are a few minor negatives. The textured surface does create a significantly louder noise than conventional line when it shoots through the guides (it's a "zing") that doesn't bother some people and annoys the hell out of others. Secondly, if you are using the Saltwater taper or stripping flies a lot with any of the tapers, you will want/need a glove or finger sleeve. A running bonefish will burn you if you try to slow the line with light finger pressure. The last downside is/was the price of $99.95 which initially led many people to "wtf? $100 for a fly line?" but given the fact that the price of most other lines has come up to almost $70 and the fact that the Sharkskin will outlast the conventional line, the price is reasonable.

Scientific Anglers started the first year with the Sharkskin line in the Ultimate Trout taper and this past year have expanded the lineup to include a Magnum taper (bigger flies, windy conditions), a saltwater, a steelhead, and the GPX taper (1/2 size heavy to better load fast action rods). Now of course I'm not going to let you go with out a link so check out the lineup of SA Sharkskin lines at The Northern Angler and while supplies last, Scientific Anglers is giving away a free hat with the purchase of a line. Be ready for the upcoming season with a revolutionay new, premium line with the patented SA microreplication technology (damn! broke my promise) and you won't be sorry you did. We welcome your comments and feedback on the line.

Thanks,
The Northern Angler

Northern Michigan Flyfishing Report March 20, 2009

According to the calendar, winter has passed and I think we all are looking forward to spring, the fishing it brings and warmer weather. While we will bounce back and forth between the cold and warm, the days are longer and the sun is warmer and the good fishing will continue to build.

Steelhead anglers are finding mixed results. The bottom line is that water levels have come up some more and the temps remain cold, but are warming. While there are fish in the local rivers, it’s the angler with a good presentation in the right spot that gets the hook-up. Water clarity is a few feet and the levels should remain relatively steady as the snow melt continues to add to levels and no significant rain is forecast.

Patterns that have been working include: eggs in bold colors/combinations, large stones, leeches small black stones and hexes. Hold-over and fish that have been in the system for a few weeks have been coming out of deeper water just off of the main seam and fresh fish have been coming out of the faster water as they are moving through the system from the lakes. The smaller rivers like the Betsie, Platte, and Boardman will warm up faster on the sunny days and afternoon fishing could provide the best conditions.

Trout fishing has varied recently depending on the day. The bright conditions help make it comfortable for us – the anglers – but the steady barometer and high pressure seemed to have shut down the bite on trout. Look for those days where there is some sun mixed clouds to be best. The Upper Manistee and Au Sable’s Holy Waters and South Branch are open. Fish streamers with a slow retrieve and focus on tail-outs and structure. Try doing some Nymphing in the deeper pools with a bead-head if the streamer didn’t produce. Black stones are becoming more common on the warmer days and have faith that more bug activity will happen as the weeks pass and we get deeper into spring. Warmer water will only help things too.

Good Luck and Tight Lines!

The Northern Angler

The Fly Fishing Film Tour Presented by The Drake

Well, it's finally confirmed! The Fly Fishing Film Tour is on its way to Traverse City on Sunday, April 5th at 3:30pm at the State Theater. The Northern Angler, along with Homewaters Real Estate, The Law Offices of Olson, Bzdok, and Howard, and Right Brain Brewery, and are proud to be the local sponsors of the event. The tickets are on sale online at www.flyfishingfilmtour.com and at The Northern Angler. The tour is in its 3rd year and is a 90 minute collection of some of the best fly fishing footage ever taken. Seriously awesome fish porn! The trailers are available for viewing on the FFFT website. This is not a bunch of fish bums and their Youtube videos, these are professionally done, along the lines of some of the Warren Miller ski flicks - good stuff. If you can watch all of the trailers and not get fired up then it is time to sell your fly fishing gear!
The ticket price is $15 and with your ticket stub, there will be a free beer waiting for you at Right Brain Brewery after the show. That's right, FREE BEER! The proceeds from the showing go to the newly formed Michigan Anglers for Conservation, a registered Michigan non-profit group dedicated to conservation and habitat restoration projects. This will be a fun event and great viewing - put it on your calendar and tell your friends. The reviews from the other tour stops so far this year have all been great, so make plans to be there Sunday, April 5th at the State. See you there!

The Northern Angler

The Northern Angler Featured Fly 3-9-09

We are going to feature one of our better selling streamers this time around, Clarke's Rat.

It is definitely not a streamer for the faint of heart, at nearly 5" long and with a conehead that could be used as a weapon in the wrong hands it is a monster fly for big trout, pike, and bass. It gets down, has nice motion with the two rabbit strips, and some good flash without overdoing it. It can be very easily tied in countless color combinations to suit conditions/preferences too. Over the years we have had numerous requests for the cones (they are much bigger than the standard conehead) and we now have them in stock in the shop. They are called cross-eyed cones and in addition to coming in an extra large size, they come with circles drilled out on the sides to put stick on eyes into for a really sweet look. So here it is:

Hook: TMC 8089 #2
Tail: Two magnum rabbit strips in contrasting colors
Body: Medium Pearl Chenille
Wing: Flashabou (a dozen or so strands)
Head: Cross-eyed cone in extra large size with stick on eyes (3.5mm) to fit

1. Thread cone onto the hook
2. Tie in rabbit strips at bend and leave approx 2 1/2-3" long tail
3. The bottom strip can be cut off, the top strip needs to have 1" left to pull over the top
4. Tie in pearl chenille
5. Take thread forward and then wrap chenille forward and tie off but leave enough of a tag for a couple of wraps for a collar.
6. Pull remaining piece of top rabbit strip over the top of the fly and tie off.
7. Tie in flashabou.
8. Finish the fly by wrapping remaining chenille around behind the cone and tie off.

There it is, Clarke's Rat. Make sure to watch your backcast!

The Northern Angler

Northern Michigan Flyfishing Report March 6, 2009

Finally – March and March-Like weather.

The sun has been shining lots this week in Northern Michigan and the temps are on the increase. This should make for not only better fishing conditions, but catching too. Look for afternoon sun to bump water temps up just a bit and get fish more apt to move and eat your fly. This increase in H2O temps will also trigger the early black stone flies. As such, fish small black stones, as well as large hex patterns, rag eggs in various shades of “clown” and don’t hesitate to swing or drift a good size bugger/leech.

Water levels are good and depending on whether we get the rain that has been forecasted (we all know how accurate that can be) levels should remain stable. A little color is entering the rivers as some mud is flowing in with the thaw, but some color is good. Often at this time of year the water temps can actually remain cold if it is above freezing and there is no sunshine as snow and ice melts and enters the river at 33 degrees. Adjust your presentation and the water you fish as the weather and success dictates.

Trout anglers should look to fish the Big Manistee with nymphs near the Tippy Dam or the Manistee above the CCC Bridge. On the smaller water, try fishing medium sized streamers on the slow – almost like a dead-drift swing with some small bumps and strips to provide action. On the sunny days, look for fish to be sunning themselves on the sandy, shallow tail-outs; these fish are still smart despite months of little angling pressure – make your first presentation count!

Good luck and even better fishing.

The Northern Angler