On the Fly

We are please to announce that we are offering drift boat trips on the Thames, Maitland, Saugeen and Grand rivers. Book a day with us to pursue Muskie, Bass, Steelhead & Salmon on the fly.

We recently added Tyler Dunsmore to our pro staff and he will be manning the oars for us in a 14ft Hyde Drift boat. Our local knowledge of Southern Ontario rivers will make your day enjoyable and will give you the opportunity to fish some new water. We are booking for the first week of September and the weeks that follow. These boats are very comfortable so bring a book if your a non angler and enjoy they day with your spouse. Please email us for the details on the pricing!

Tyler has lived and been fishing southern Ontario rivers since he was five. He draws on extensive experience having lived and guided in various Canadian fly fishing hot spots from east to west. Tyler has guided on the Miramachi River in New Brunswick for Atlantic Salmon as well the British Columbian interior for trout including Vancouver Island Steelhead. From the far southern reaches of Tierra Delfeugo’s sea run browns to Argentine & Chilean Patagonian region trout. Tyler’s drift boat handling skills and experience is sure to provide an unforgettable day of fly fishing.

LOCATION – San Pedro Date April2-9 2011 Cost Per person $2900.00

San Pedro is situated 30 miles north east of Belize City and about 22 miles south of the Belize/Mexico border. The town of San Pedro is located on Ambergris Caye, which is the largest island off the islands off the coast of Belize

 PRIMARY SPECIES

Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon. Barracudas, snapper, and jack crevelle.

 ACCOMMODATIONS

 We use the Sun Breeze Hotel as our principal location in San Pedro. The Sun Breeze Hotel is located right in the heart of San Pedro and we feel that it makes the ideal base from which to fish the San Pedro area. The hotel is located right on the beach and is close to a wide variety of bars and restaurants to meet all tastes. The rooms at the Sun Breeze are perfect for gear hounds in that there is lots of space for gear bags and rods. The rooms are very large and bright, with 2 double beds, private bath with hot and cold water, television and small fridge. The pool overlooks the warm Caribbean Sea and the pier where guests are picked up and dropped for fishing is right in front of the hotel. 

 THE FISHING

The San Pedro fishing area is made up of large mangrove islands and bays, semi soft marl, healthy turtle grass flats and hard packed sand flats which are excellent for wading. The reef side, north of San Pedro, heading all the way up to the Mexican border, is also a great bonefish habitat. If the weather is calm, a day up at Rocky Point, where the reef angles into the island, is extremely productive and makes a fabulous day trip. Because many of the flats consist of a marl based bottom, the majority of the bonefishing is done from the skiff. There are some hard packed areas that are excellent for wading that are very productive so guests just have to let their guide know that this is something you’d like to do. The tarpon fishing to the west of San Pedro is consistently some of the best found anywhere. The Savannah Flats are world famous for their ability to produce tarpon year round. Juvenile fish in the 25 to 60 pound range can frequently be found throughout the year, with much larger tarpon showing up in the late spring and summer. The spring also means permit when fishing San Pedro. Not many people know it but excellent numbers of permit show up around Ambergris Caye from late April until the fall. Virtually all of our 25 pound + permit have been caught during this time frame. Permit will usually be found in about 6 to 12 feet of water so all shots will be from the bow of the boat as opposed to wading. The coastline has a vast array of creeks, lagoons and brackish estuaries that hold every imaginable species of fish that lives in these environments. Inside the reef, the cayes, sandbars and tidal flats are a dynamic fish producing habitats. If you’re serious about chasing a “Slam”, there are few places better.

BOATS AND EQUIPMENT

 The flats skiffs at San Pedro are 23 foot Mexican Skiffs powered by 60 horse powered engines. The boats have rod holders and poling platforms and a generous casting area at the front of the skiff. Fly fishing and spin casting. No gear available from this location.

 GETTING THERE Guests will fly into Belize City, where they will be met by our assistant Lilly. Lilly will escort you over to our domestic air carrier for the 20 minute flight to San Pedro. She will ensure that luggage is properly tagged to the correct destination and will help with lost luggage should assistance be necessary. Upon arrival in San Pedro, our staff will meet and escort you to the hotel for check in. Slipstream is a full service travel company that can handle international airfare, as well as a host of other services relating to your trip. Please contact us directly at 1 866 644-7703 if you’d like assistance with flight to Belize.

INCLUDED IN PRICE Being met as soon as you clear customs at Belize International Airport Round trip airfare from Belize International Airport to San Pedro The number of nights at the hotel as per package purchased. Accommodation at a beach front hotel. The hotel has A/C, cable TV, swimming pool and bar) The number of days fishing as per package purchased Breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. The food is excellent! Our comprehensive information package on the town of San Pedro. From the best bars and what their house specialties are to where to find the closest pharmacy as well as how and purchase Cuban cigars, it’s all covered in our information package. 12 guide select flies and 15% coupon for Jays Fly Shop for all your trip needs.

NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE – International flights to Belize City. Fly fishing equipment Alcoholic beverages Gratuities $40 US Belize Departure Tax

 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS REQUIREDFor American, Canadian, and E.U. citizens, all that is required for entrance to Belize is a valid passport. If you plan to spend more than a month in Belize, you will have to request an extension from the Immigration Office. Guests from China, Columbia, Cuba, India, South Africa, and Taiwan require a visa for entrance to Belize. Visa information can be obtained from the Belize Immigration and Nationality Department, Belmopan, Cayo District, Belize, Central America. (telephone 011-501-

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE- In April 2010 I had the opportunity to fish San Pedro. Let me say that it was a mind blowing experience. The fishing was great!  We caught bonefish each day and smaller barracuda as well. I hooked my first Permit on the fly but mother nature was on the Permits side. The food and accommodations are amazing and the people are very friendly. Richard has been organizing trips for many years and it shows with great trip results. San Pedro is a great destination for first time Saltwater anglers and it tests the most veteran rods as well.

For reservations and inquiries please contact Jay @ newell1@execulink.com

Well another fishing season is upon us. We have brought in some new products over the last few months and they have been well received.

Eumer tube fly products have been a favorite for steelhead tyers. You can add incredible action when a monster conehead is used on the tube. It provides a unique swimming action to the fly. What I noticed while fishing these tubes is how fast they sink. I was fishing the Maitland and I put on a  medium size teardrop tube and it dropped like a rock. This is great for swinging flies and fishing high water.

Eumer tying materials are great. They have a great selection of fur in a variety of colors. The Artic fox, Nutria and Finn Raccoon look great and give the fly lots of action. Tubes are available in a variety of sizes and styles. Ball, Cone, Conhead, Crayfish, Teardrop, and Tag tubes.

Give them a try you will like the results. For a full list of Eumer products go to http://www.eumertube.com

Loop was our biggest addition to the fly shop over the last year. It has been well received by our customers and all comments have been positive. The AEG 5wt rod has been a great seller. Yes, we are sold out. The new LOOP x-act fly rods have arrived, what a great stick!   The speedrunners are now available in black. I used one in Belize and it worked flawlessly. Below are some new products that LOOP released in 2010. New news today May 14th. I visited John the LOOP dist yesterday for a few hours and guess what, he has more AEG 5wt in stks. Take the opportunity and get one, $249.99. He showed me the Goran Anderson 12ft 6wt spey rod. What a beauty. Guides in British Columbia say this is the rod to get it will work perfectly for fishing here in Ontario.

New items- Loop switch rods 10′7 in 6,78wts, Evotec rods from 9′ 3wt to 10 8wt and saltwater series 8,10,12 wt with the nex x-grip. X-act rods are available in 9ft 4-8wt and doublehanders in 8 to 10wts. The Mutli fly reels are available in lightweight model 3/6.. I think this reel is the best bang for your buck. The drag is smooth and it has the v-groove spool which is great addition.

 Muskie fly’s available. Special order only. We can tie all color patterns. $9.50 each

Book a day fishing with Dave. He is our trout expert. Dave has spent many days on the river and creeks in NY & PA and has fished with Joe Humphrey’s which he says was an honor. His knowledge in entomology and fly selection  results in a successful day of  fishing. Call us to book a day with Dave!

Which fly do I use?  A frequent but important question. How many fly boxes do you bring when you are out fishing?  I must say that I was guilty of this in my earlier years as well. They don’t make vests big enough for some anglers. It boils down to confidence. When I’m steelheadfishing I stick with6 patterns. Trout fishing is a bit different. Have you  driven 1 1/2hours to your local river withfish  feeding on BWO but you forgot that fly box at home. What to do? Fish with confidence! As fly tyers we all sit at the vise when we first start tying but over time you will find yourself buying the same materials for your go to patterns.

Next time you get out fishing bring one fly box with you. This will be hard, but trust me it will make you a better angler. It makes you fish harder and learn the patterns in your box.  Overtime try to limit yourself to 6 patterns! Whether I’m fishing for Steelead or Brown trout I have my go to patterns because it’s what I’m confident in. If you’re  buying lots  tippet material and you have a chipped tooth your changing flies too often. I’m sure you have heard the expression, you can’t catch fish if your fly is not wet!

Below are some of my favorite flies and some tips you can try this season!

Dry’s – comparaduns, haystacks and elk hair caddis

Nymphs- bead head prince, hares ear and pheasant tails

Emergers- usuals, trailing shuck caddis

Streamers- white woolly buggers, black nose dace, olive sculpins

When I’m guiding on the Grand for Browns my go to fly is an Elk Hair Caddis. This fly will catch fish all season long. The white bugger is a great fly later in the season. Strip it as fast as possible and hold on! Remember to use heavy tippet. When fishing nymphs use them in larger sizes. One pattern that should be in your box is a crane fly. Fish seem to eat these all the time. I can remember casting to a brown 2 years ago during a hatch of March Browns, Caddis and Isonychias. Guess what the fish ended up smashing? Yes, the crane fly size 22. This fish was 23″, I couldn’t believe he was on cranes with all the protein floating past him.

When it comes to fishing dry flies many anglers think of -matching the hatch-. There are times that the fish will be on a certain insect and you’ll need to have a good imitation to have success. If you asked 10 fly fisherman if they preferred catching trout on dry’s 9 of them would say yes! So, your out fishing and nothing is hatching and no fish are rising. Your arm is getting sore from stripping streamers, your indicator is getting beat to hell and your catching the odd fish. Well, put a dry on. Concentrate on some faster water. Fish have little time to decide  and they will usually smash your fly. A pattern that works well for me is a white wulff. It floats well and you can see it in a faster run.

I’m sure you’ve heard that fish feed on nymphs 70% of the time. I think they feed on dry’s as frequent or more in some situations. The Elk out west is a great example. I have friends that fish it and they always use dry flies and catch more fish than fishng nymphs. Fishing for Brook Trout in PA in January on midges! I remember having one of the biggest browns come up and hammer my indicator in cold water.

When you get out the season pick a fly and be confident! Try keeping some fly boxes at home, your shoulders will thank-you. As a friend of mine says ” it’s all in the presenatation “.

Tight Lines- 

June 6th we are having a Brown Trout Clinic on the Grand River Cost $110.00 per person.

After six long months of tying flies and research it was time to jump on the plane to Belize. Everything was done and it was now up to mother nature to fill the void in my fly fishing career. We arrived on a Saturday, fishing started on Monday. Sunday was a very long day! 

I looked at the clock and it was 4:15am. Our guide was meeting us at the dock at 7:30am. I’m sure you can recall getting no sleep anticipating what the day will bring. This trip has been a dream since I started fly fishing! I decided to get up have a shower and go for a walk. The sunrise was  at 5:30 and the wind was stonger than imagined. I pictured a crazy charlie hitting me in the temple! We ate breakfast and met our guide Nato and loaded our gear into the boat. Our first stop was a beatiful flat where Nato helped  set our gear up and he showed us some great knots and gave us a short tutorial on Bonefish. Within 5 minutes Nato was yelling 3 bones 9 oclock at 40ft. Let me  tell you, if you can’t see the fish it is like casting in the dark. I was first on the bow, I layed out a cast and the fish bolted. Nato said ” you lined them” lesson learned.

A good guide will let you know when you mess up. We spent some time adjusting to the wind and getting familiar with Nato’s guidelines. He gave us tips on fish behaviour, retrieving flies and of course things not to do. Flies!Well Gary and I tied a pile of flies. Nato looked at them and pointed to about only a dozen patterns that could be used. Size is very important. We used sizes 6-8 with a 12 ft leader tappered to 10lb.  He suggested a 13ft 17lb leader for Permit.

• keep rod tip low
• retrieve with 8-10 inch strips at medium pace
• number 6 knot
• clear line
• pick up fish immediately
• use a strip strike not a trout set as Nato said
• copper/amber glasses

About an hour went by and I was on the bow again. I spotted 6 bones at 9 oclock about 60 ft out. At the same time Nato said school of bones 12 o’clock 50 ft. I wanted to look but I kept me eyes on the  fish I spotted. I layed a cast about 5 feet in front and started to strip with my rod tip low. I expected a small tug, but  this fish hit hard. I cleared my line and my speedrunner was screaming. I couldn’t believe the speed of the fish. Gary was laughing and shooting pics like he was working for Hustler. After a few good runs I had my first bonefish. What a blast!! First fish and it  took me into my backing- this is paradise!

Day 2 we had another great day catching bonefish and small baracuda. We were on a flat and I spotted a bigger fish. Nato said ” Nurse Shark” I grabbed the 9 wt and casted a blue/white deciever about 2 feet in front of the shark. It broke and followed my fly to the boat twice within 3 feet. My heart was pounding. Nato said it was about 15lbs.  I saw 3 snook on the edge of the mangrooves. They spooked when I casted to them. Nato said to lay the fly on their nose which I did. I guess they already ate. Gary did very well this day, he was finally getting the casting down. The wind is mind blowing!!! I thought our day was nearing the end until Nato decided to pole us across a long flat. He came out of the flat, another boat was in the spot so he continued to pole approx 400 yds to deeper water. These guys are work horses. He is from Belize with Mayan blood and I now understand how the Mayans did the things they did. We were half way across the flat and he noticed ” nervous water” we got within 100 yds and I could see the tailing bonefish. It reminded me of carp splashing in the shallows. I casted to the leading fish and he took the fly and ran with 100feet of fly line and almost the same amount of backing.  The Loop Speedrunner is a great reel for these fish. It picks up line fast which is needed when the fish decides to come back to the boat. Nato said this fish was around 5lbs. It was a fatty! Gary continued hooking fish with consistancy which was nice to see.

Day 3 This was the windiest day yet. The fishing is best until midday. You want to drift with the wind and sun should be at your back. This illuminates the flat and you can see everything. It was overcast most of the day so Nato brought us to a special place. Gary landed 15 bones and I landed 20. It was like fishng for perch on Lake Simcoe. We could have stayed all day but Nato said we could ruin the schools if we kept catching fish. Nato saved our day taking us to such a good spot. He commented that many anglers would have been blanked this day.

Day 4 This was our Permit day. They say a Permit is the hardest saltwater fish to catch on a fly well I agree. Nato polled us around all day. He spotted a big 20lb fish but he was too far away. I asked him how long that would take to fight and he said about 40 minutes. Between spots we stumbled across some muddy water on a flat and I took a few blind casts and landed a nice 2.5 lb bone. Always fish these spots.  They could have  bones and Permit or it could be a ray digging around for dinner.

Permit! 60 feet 11 o’clock left to right. I was ready and I picked the fish up immediately! 4 Permit were swimming 2 feet from the surface in  about 5 feet of water. I layed a cast and started to strip with a faster shorter retrieve. He is on it Nato yelled. It felt like 2 days waiting for the pull. Fish on, my hands were shaking, I had some line to clear and my finger got burnt from the line rushing out. I looked down and noticed my line swung under my grip and was caught on my hook keeper. I tried to clear it but the fish was swimming to Mexico with amazing speed and my line went limp. I was pissed. I think Nato was as upset. He spent all day hunting for fish  and I blew it. He said I did well just hooking it.

He mentioned he  had clients out for 6 days and they didn’t see a fish. Permit fishing drives him crazy because of the time needed to have success. Nato had some clients last year and they landed 36 permit in a week. They were beginners and he couldn’t believe how relaxed they were. A Canadian/American would have been jumping  around like  little kids. Permit can be easier than bones but very rarely.

It was a long boat ride back to the resort thinking about the Permit. It’s the one that makes you come back. Gary and I had a great time and our guide was amazing. We are booking a trip in 2011 with the Fly Shop so if you are interested please contact us.

I could have gone on for days about our trip. If you are planning a trip and need some information feel free to contact me.

Jay

It’s been a long winter knowing that on April3/2010 I would be heading on my first Saltwater trip to pursue Bonefish, Tarpon and the elusive Permit. After long hours at the vise, reading books and watching videos I think I’m ready. Over the past few months I’ve been conversing with anglers that have tangled with the species mentioned. I’m good at spotting steelhead holding in their favored lie but apparently finding fish on a light colored flat is not as easy. I’m told that the wind can stop your cast in midstream and fall like it hit a wall. The Tarpon, well to sum it up. Broken rods, reels and burnt flesh are some things that have been discussed.

I have over 400 flies tied! My friend went to Avalon last year and the guide looked at his boxes and pointed out 2 patterns to use. I hope a have 2 that will work. Bring vise grips for tying your knots with Tarpon leaders. 80lb bite tippet is not the easiest thing to tie a knot with. Oh, the heat. 8 hours in the sun with the wind beating up your face like  having  fell off your bike and road rashing your knees. Did I say I was looking forward to this!! I couldn’t be more excited. I’m flying our 6am on the 3rd and I can’t sleep lying awake thinking of what Belize is going to offer. I know they have cold beer, beautiful beaches and we know they saltwater fishing can be amazing. I guess that is up to me. Well I have 4 reels to line and more flies to be tied and I need to pack for the 3rd time.

 Stay tuned!

Sunday March 21/2010 Loop pro staffer Mike Barrand conducted his first Spey Casting Clinic for us at Gibbons Park. It was a great day and Mike did a superb job! Mike brought a great variety of LOOP spey outfits for us to try out. I must say that the classic spey was my favorite. People in attendance really enjoyed his clinic and walked away with some spey knowledge and a full belly thanks to Randy Wilson who supplied a great BBQ lunch. Thanks again to Mike, Randy and Floyd for all the help.

Great job Mike. If you would like to book a casting lesson with Mike email or call us at the shop. newell1@execulink.com-519-672-5487

What a LOOP!

Happy Family Day!!

We are please to add Hanak Fly Tying hooks to our inventory. These hooks were designed by Czech fly fisherman. These hooks are barbless and are very high in quality. Many competitive fly anglers are tying with these hooks. Hanak provides a good variety of hooks for all tyers.. Remember we have a full mail order catalog that is free!! Send us your address and we will mail one to you.

Warmer weather should be approaching us soon, we hope. If you want to see these hooks in action come to the shop this Saturday and watch Chris Pfohl tie some of his favorite flies.