What a glorious President's Day today was. Temps in the high 60's, just some office work to do, a great lunch and a few more flies for the box. So today we celebrate George Washington's Birthday. He was born February 11, 1731, in Virginia. Besides being the first United States President he is known for his crossing the Delaware on Christmas 1776 and winning the Battle of Trenton by defeating the Hessians during the American Revolutionary War. I guess, by the above painting, he dropped a line to catch a striped bass as he crossed the Delaware River just a mile from my house.
Today I had the pleasure to be treated to lunch at Pete's Steakhouse Tavern in Hamilton. I met "Delaware Joe" on the banks of the river in Trenton last year and we've been meaning to catch up for an bite and beer since. Joe's been fishing the river for over 30 years, and has fished for stripers longer. It's safe to say he has caught thousands of striped bass just about however you can catch them. I brought
along my box of Delaware flies and got his approval, "Oh these will catch them", 'Especially when they are on the herring". Joe fishes from a 14 foot aluminum boat with a 25 hp. prop engine. Luckily he knows every rock and where they are on every tide, even in the dark which is when he mostly fished. Above he explains the right size of the river herring and when he got to his house he showed me his go to lure, a Savage articulated herring. The iridescence on that lure is something hard to replicate on a fly.
On the way home I was surprised to find a Monday garage sale so I couldn't pass that one up. I found the below treasure. It was a mount of a false albacore his father had caught in Florida many, many years
ago. It'll go nice with my old striped bass mount I snagged a few years back at the Allaire Flea Market. Early this morning I put some time in at the vice and came up with the below offerings. Since my mono extension flies suck I've been going to longer hackles out the back. I try to tie them on top of and then under bucktail so they have less of a chance of failing. They fly on the left has too much but up around the nose, I hate blowing the tie at the end. Heads seem to be my challenge now. I am avoiding the birds beak, but would like to see a little wider natural profile in the head.
