Review-Sevylor Rio

Given my transportation status, I purched an inflatable Kayak towards the end of the summer, 2008; just prior to my surgery. I was unable to launch the S.S. sea slug-a name that is indicative of the way she handles-until this june. The boat has four inflatable chambers: one for the floor, seat, and two major chambers that comprise the side pontoons. It folds/rolls up and fits into a carrying case, and weighs 25lbs. It's somewhat of a lug to drag around, but overall an easy craft to fold, unfold and inflate. Inflation takes about 15 minutes using a double action hand pump-I definately work up a sweat! The air chambers are covered with durable PVC and canvas layers.

This craft is about as pleasant to paddle as a bath tub would be, and I use a double-bladed kayak paddle. God forbid ever having to manuver this thing with a canoe paddle. Tracking isn't horrible, but this inflatable kayak is very ineffecient to paddle. I found that placing the seat, which sets on the inflated pad via industrial velcro, as far back as possible while adding weight to the front improves tracking by 30%. A slight breeze (5-10mph) does not push around the boat greatly, but I am very hesitant to paddle in any heavier wind. Once the kayak is moving, it is easy to paddle though initial motion takes great effort. This is relatively stable, much more so than the canoes I have been in. It handles waves well head-on! You can almost kneel in this craft, but once your center of gravity leans over the sides of the pontoons it feels like it's going flip. So, in kayinking terms, the boat has descent secondary stability yet poor initial stability. The Sevylor Rio is very stable if your just sitting.

I spent $500 on this boat through Cabellas; however, if you shop around google you can find the Rio for half that price. I think the Rio's sister, the colorado, which is a tandam kayak, would likely track bettre due to its increased length. For the price, this boat is well put together and will let me fish near-shore on calm to breezy days. My only qaulm is that the Boston valves are cheap and a pain to work with-they hold air well, but are not very smooth when inserting. Advanced Elements makes an inflatable called the straight edge, which looks very appealing. If you're willing to spend near $800, I would recommend the Aire Sawtooth. This inflatable kayak is 13 feet long and comes rigged with a removable skeg! Of course, if your transportation allows it, it would be wise to buy a rigid kayak if you're already spending near 1k.

Night Fishing

Dave with a yellow perch
Dan and his favorite fish: the rock bass. I might add that he's afraid to touch fish

Styk with the year's fisrt bullhead-fat female full of eggs

Descent Small Mouth

Look at that smile-that a boy Dave!

Styk out-fished us all, each time out

Dave with a good size sunfish!

Styk's big sunfish

During summer vacation as a high school student, my friends and I would often spend the entire night fishing at the Keuka Lake State Park. We would grab a pack of soday, some snacks and head to the docks well after sunset. This fishing is very close to how most kids start-worms, spinning gear and panfish. Maybe that's the why this was so appealing: admist the issues with being a teenager, we could return to our youth for the entire night. Some what of an escape, shall we say! In early June, my friens Dan, Big Dave, Styk and I went retro during some rainy early summer night. We spent several hours chunking out night crawlers and hooked into a some perch, sunfish (some good sized ones), and several bass. Nothing glorious, but that's the beauty of these trips.

Trip to Boston

Kelly and Mike
Evening Surf


My mom being silly


surf meets sky

Sisters kitty, Karma

September 15th, 2000

My sister now lives in Leominster, Mass in a very pretty home with her husband, Mike (awesome guy!). My mom and I took the trip east to pay Kelly and Mike a visit two weekends ago. We spent lots of time bonding over good food-the best part of visits-watching movies together, playing wii (not to be confused with playing with our wee-wees), and goofing around. On Sunday we drove to Kittery Maine and spent some time shopping around the Kittery Trading Post, the local outlet stores and we ate dinner at a neat New Englandesque place-mmmmmm blueberry chicken, fish and chips, mmmm! In the evening we drove to Wells Maine to see the Ocean. It was a beautiful evening: nice and cool, beautiful sea breeze blowing on shore, the surf was 3-5ft, and the sun was setting. It was so nice to just to watch nature unfold like this with my family, and I wish Eileen could have been there. This trip brought back some great memories for me. My father took my mom, brother and I to Kittery and Wells when we were 12 or so, and it was the first time I saw the ocean. This area is probably cliche for New Englanders, but given the memories I have there and the family I was with, I adore it! On Monday we drove to Salem Mass. Salem was not what I expected-there were lots of neat shops, restaurants, etc. but I was hoping it would be less commercial. We arrived late so many of the shops were closing and the ghost hunts do not begin until October. Despite those shortcomings, it was great browsing around with my family! This trip flew by, which is a good sign. The best part were the long rides back to my sisters house during which we gorged ourselves on fudge and picked on one another. I miss Kelly and Mike already, and I'm excited to see them during the holidays!

Much Has Changed

Much has changed, to say the least. Hmmm, where do I begin? After my last post (10/18/08) I went through surgery due to gall stones. It went well, though the pain killers put me out of commission for several weeks due to insomnia. OYYYYY! I spent fall '08 adjusting my eating habits, working on my thesis, weight lifting, etc. I'm in much better shape this fall due to these adjustments, and my life has become much more beautiful due a girl named Eileen Jensen (check out picture to the side). She was my high school sweet heart, but we lost touch when we started college. Now, however, our romance has blossomed and we have been happily pursuing life together since December 5, 2008. She works in mobile marketing, so we are fighting through the distance and holding steadfast! She's absolutely amazing! In May 2009 I finally, after three long, stressful years, finished my thesis and graduated with a M.S. in biology. Graduate school was an incredible experience-I grew tremendously as a person, my eyes are open wider as well as my heart; I miss Richmond VA and the friends I made there. I am now living at home with my mom while I sort my thoughts out. I must admit that I did not make much progress during the summer months. I am thinking about teaching biology while I save up to invest into the resources I need to own and operate a fly shop and guide service in the Finger Lakes region (NY). This summer I started playing bass guitar: I absolutely love it! I've played a couple gigs for friends and family, and in a band during a church service. What a learning experience. Music is definately a new avenue I will continue to persue.

When I started this blog, I was consumed with fly fishing-absolutely obsessed. After surgery, my relationship and graduating, my perspective has changed. I still love fly fishing, but I am now more atuned to life's other offferings. That said, this blog will continue to focus on fly fishing though I will also rant and rave about my love life, family, guitar playing etc. I am hoping to turn this blog into a more detailed glance at my life.

Over the next couple weeks I will be posting details and pictures from summer fishing trips and a visit with my sister in brother-in-law in Boston. After catch up, it will be time to for the pike, brown trout, and lake trout to move in shallow thus my efforts will be focused there.

Enjoy!

Where did the smallies go?

A couple actions shots from today! This is my friend Stephen; notice he is missing the tip of his rod. Also notice that I am soaked as I tea-bagged the river this morning. These are lame, I apologize, urban angling shots!

I fished twice during this week rather than taking care of work obligations-a sure sign I need to join Fly Fishers Anonymous! I fished during the morning on both occasions and did not witness a follow from a single fish; I fished the same runs and pools that were productive this summer indicating one of two things: (1) the small mouth have transitioned to winter behavior, or (2) the low water conditions have pushed them into different areas. In actuality the culprit is likely a combination of the two as we have had some air temps at 50 deg. F over that last several weeks during the night and very little rain, which is typical for this time of year. I have read that smallies migrate to deep pools, or calm runs during these periods so I focused on a deep plunge pool with no success. This leaves me wondering if they have moved downstream, which is characterized by a broader, slower flow over all. I also joined VCU's Fly Fishing Club this week, so I am anxious to see how social fly fishing compares to my solo pursuit. So far, so good :). One thing is almost clear and that is the fall feeding blitz may have ended...I spent it dealing with surgery. Ah well, I am still kicking! I will make the official call after I receive reports from fellow club anglers and make a few trips out myself next week. A good rain fall is what I hoping for, as I am willing to bet smallies will move back to their normal lays and be active on the subsequent falling limb.

Fly Tying Principles

Jack Gartside, a well known fly tier residing in Boston, states that fly tying is an activity in which your fingers and eyes take your imagination on an angling voyage when life prevents you from physically doing so (please forgive my paraphrasing). As you sift through mounds of feathers, furs and synthetics your mind immediately transforms these materials into an object- an object which may just be the ticket to a dream. As a new fly tyer it has become clear that there are five basic components (note I did not state guidelines or rules) to dwell on when fly tying.

(1) Pattern

Pattern as a heading is a bit a vague, but rightfully so due to the numerous manifestations of sensory input that fish associate with forage. Scientifically, this is know as the search image-patterns of sensory input which animals translate into a feeding opportunity. In tying terms, pattern refers to the type of critter you are trying to imitate-crustaceans like crayfish, bait fish, macroinvertabrates (i.e. aquatic insects), terrestrials etc. These headings can be decomposed even further. For instance, are you imitating the larval, nymph or adult stage of aquatic insects? Are you going to tie terrestrial insects or mammals including grass hoppers, cicadas and small rodents respectfully? The final pattern category may be the ugly Betty-those flies that simply catch the fish's attention through being big, colorful and narly (a circus peanut comes to mind).

(2) Material Properties

This is often a frustrating one for tyers as we face endless options of tying materials available for purchase. This is apparent after your first trip to a fly shop, whether you visit one down the road or via cyber space. The type of material you tie with may be straight forward if you are using recipes of well known flies; however, creative tyers take note of a material's action and properties. Consider the following:

a. Does the material pulsate and flow in a fleshy manner, or is it stiff and rigid (think of the action rabbit and marabou relative to that of EP fibers used for many bait fish patterns)? This will greatly influence the fly's profile.

b. Is the material hydrophobic, that is, does it repel water or absorb it like a sponge? This property will greatly impact the sink rate of a fly.

c. Related to item 'b', how buoyant is the material? In addition to the degree of hydrophobicity, a a materials density can affect its buoyancy.

d. How well does the material push or move water? The lateral line on a fish enables it to detect pressure due to displaced water, so patterns that incorporate materials that push water as they are stripped are often good attracting patterns. The wool head on some articulated streams accomplishes this.

e. How well does the material reflect light?

(3) Color and Size

Many anglers who match the hatch can often be caught debating whether it is more important to match the color or size of particulate insects; this also undoubtedly applies to matching the prevalent bait fish species, so even the Striper folks are guilty! Two parameters dictate the color and size of a fly: (1) the forage being imitated and (2) current conditions. The extent to which fish are keying on particular prey items can influence how closely the color and size must be matched. Light availability is the main ingredient impacting how well fish see particular colors, and light availability is a function of depth, cloud cover, time of day and the water's silt and sediment load. When tying streamers I have found that chartreuse, purple, olive and white are suitable for most situations.

(4) Castability

This item became ever so clear the first time I tried to cast a a 5 inch bunny leech with a 5wt rod using a small tippet...anyone who has ever sailed a fly through the air as their tippet snaps understands this. Consider how heavy (wet weight) and bulky (this impacts air resistance) the fly is, and how well your particular set up will handle this mass.

(5) There are no rules!

You can tie with any material, of any color, in any combination to your heart's content. Many tyers get caught up, and often limited, when they think there are strict guidelines and only a certain way to craft a particular fly. Going back to my opening statement, allow your imagination to wander...strive to build a pattern that you can call your own. Granted, the staples (e.g. Clousers, deceivers, Elk Hair Caddis) have their places and have proven their abilities like a seasoned veteran athlete. But, I am willing to bet that your rookies can out compete these guys if you give them the time and effort they deserve!

Fish Pics - Spring and Summer 2008

7lb Blue Cat - Caught drifting a sunfish. This is a mere baby considering fish over 80lbs have been taken from the James River.

2-3 Lbs Channel Cat-Cut Bait (i.e. tilapia fillets)

My buddy Spencer with an awesome James River Smallie-biggest smallie to date for us

My First Large Mouth-Clouser Minnow

First Small Mouth On the Fly - Caught on a white nymph tied with fuzz from my pillow