Berkley Bedell had a great dog with a perfect color. One evening, Bedell snipped a few hairs off the dog and tied up a couple of flies. The next day, those flies caught trout as fast as he could cast with his fly rod.
His fishing buddies wanted to know all about those simple but deadly new flies. Well sir, Bedell’s poor dog had to go through the rest of his life with little bald patches all over his otherwise luxurious coat.
While his master worked over his vice in the evenings, the dog would sniff the hand-tied flies suspiciously and then go curl up close to the fire. That’s the way I heard the story.
Bedell went on to found one of the biggest fishing tackle companies of our time, named after himself. Now every time I see a dog with little patches of hair missing, I have to wonder if the dog’s master is a Bedell kind of guy.
Fortunately for pet dogs, cats, birds, etc., there are plenty of packaged materials available today for tying flies. The best selection in town is at Hook, Line & Sinker fishing tackle store on Calle Real between Upper State Street and Highway 154.
Summer is a popular season for fly fishing in both fresh water and saltwater. After such great rains this winter and spring, streams are flowing well and providing perfect spots for fly-fishers to practice the art.
Yes, fly fishing is an art. It is beautiful to watch an expert cast a fly to a spot behind a rock in a stream, especially when that spot is 20 paces away and not much bigger than a coffee cup. Then it is a blast to watch the angler fight a big trout with a light fly-fishing rod and reel. It is a worthy sport to take up.
Saltwater fly fishing is gaining popularity, too. Summer is the best time because now we have surface gamesters. Even mackerel are fun on light fly gear, and there are plenty of mackerel to stay busy all day catching as opposed to fishing. Barracuda are even way more fun on fly gear because of their size and strength. In kelp beds, calico bass provide action for fly-fishers.
In August we often have schools of feisty bonito show up, and they have been running large the past several years — up to 15 pounds. Bonito are very powerful fish for their size. If a bonito could grow to 50 pounds, I’m not sure we could stop it. Those 10- to 15-pounders are a hoot and holler on fly-fishing equipment. Give it a try!
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help.
