Georgia Fly Fishing Blog

Posted By Kent Klewein on January 5, 2009

Well, I won’t be hitting the river today despite good generation schedules and pleasant temperatures.  I think I’m the only person in GA unlucky enough to have gotten POISON IVY this time of year.  I had on five layers the other day to stay warm and I still got this stuff.  Next time your on the water and the fishing is slow, just remember it could be worse.  You could also have poison ivy like me and have oozing puss coming out of your arms.   Anyway, I’m heading into town to buy this Band-aid Anti-Itch Gel.  I read some real good reviews about it.  I figured it would save me money and a doctor visit if it works.  Hope everyone is having a better day than me

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Posted By Kent Klewein on January 5, 2009

I just finished tying this pattern specifically for delayed harvest trout water in North Georgia and North Carolina.  It’s kinda like the rainbow prince, but for a pheasant tail nymph.  I like the flashy blue colors which is a color rarely seen by trout.  It’s tied with a tungsten bead and lots of wire underneath the thorax dubbing.  Bottom-line, it’s going to get down very well.  I’ll be trailing this fly with a smaller natural pheasant tail or soft hackle pt.  Give this pattern a try.  It is very easy to tie up.  Let me know what you think.  Winter time is a great time to use attractor patterns, especially for your first nymph in the tandem rig.

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Klewein's, Artic PT

Hook: TMC 101 - Size 16-20

Tail: Pheasant Tail - Natural

Abodomen: Antron Bright Dubbing - Blue

Ribbing: Ultra-Wire - BR Blue

Shell-Back: Flashabou - Blue Sky

Thorax: Flashabou Dubbing - Blue

Bead: Silver Tungsten Bead - 2.0-2.8mm

Category: Fly Tying | No Comments »
Tags: Fly Tying, Fly Tying Blog, Klewein's Artic PT, pheasant tail, winter fly patterns

Posted By Kent Klewein on January 4, 2009

My good friend James Buice got me onto this pattern and it’s been working very well.  It’s tied with a tungsten bead and wire which gets this fly down quick.  It imitates the free drifting caddisfly larvae species.  I like to use it for my top fly when nymphing and drop something real small off the back.  The weight of this fly allows me to get my rig down quick to the fish and also allows me to use less split shot.  Try this pattern out next time your out fly fishing for trout.

Deep-Water Caddis Hook: Tiemco 2488 - Size 14-20 Tail: SLF Dubbing - Olive Abdomen: Ultra-Wire - BR Chart. Thorax: SLF Dubbing - Olive & Two Strands of Pearl Krystal Flash Head: Antron Dubbing - Brown Bead: Tungsten Bead 2.0-2.8mm

Category: Fly Tying, Lake Blue Ridge | 5 Comments »
Tags: deep water caddis, Fly Tying Patterns, nymph patterns

Posted By Kent Klewein on January 3, 2009

Thanks to many celebrating New Years Eve, and lots of hangovers following, we had the river to ourselves.  I headed up to North Carolina with Cari, my fiance, and good friend Louis Cahill New Years Day.  It was extremely cold, which called for us wearing lots of layers, but the fly fishing was absolutely awesome.  It was Cari’s first fly fishing trip and she did great.  She even landed the biggest fish of the day.  Soft-hackle nymphs were the key to hooking into lots of trout.

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Tip: For the best fishing during the winter try to hit the river during the warmest times of the day.  The increase in water temperatures tend to make the fish more active and easier to catch.

Category: Fly Fishing | 6 Comments »
Tags: winter fly fishing

Posted By Kent Klewein on December 29, 2008

I had a wonderful time guiding Rachel and Jamie Hillis before Christmas out at Noontootla Creek Farms.  We had a great time and made some unforgettable memories during the trip.  Here are a couple photos of some of the fish we landed.

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Category: Fly Fishing | 3 Comments »
Tags: Georgia Fly Fishing, Jamie Hillis, Noontootla Creek Farms, Rachel Hillis, trophy trout, Trophy Trout Guide

Posted By Kent Klewein on December 18, 2008

Capt. Joel Dickey just announced a limited time Holiday Special for guided flats fishing in the Florida Keys.  If you book three days in April or March of 2009 you’ll get the 4th day FREE.  Deadlines for this special offer will end January 5th, 2009.  A trip deposit will also be needed to hold your reservations.  Deals like this don’t come around very often, so please take advantage of this special offer.

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March and April brings some of the biggest numbers of Tarpon to the Florida Keys of the year.  This is one of the best times to take a tarpon on the fly.  Give Capt. Joel Dickey a call to reserve your spot.  Please tell him Kent Klewein sent you.

Capt. Joel Dickey

305-619-7769

Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tags: Capt. Joel Dickey, Saltwater Flats Fishing, Saltwater Fly Fishing Guide

Posted By Kent Klewein on December 17, 2008

In my opinion most of the crayfish patterns on the market today are lacking (Size & Weight).  Sometimes the only option for you is to take the time to tie up a pattern that meets all your needs.  I like catching big trout, and big trout tend to eat large forage food.  Most of the crayfish patterns I see in fly shops and catalogs in my opinion, are too small.  Don’t get me wrong they will catch fish.  However, most of the time the biggest fish in the river are going to need something of substantial size to get them on the aggressive.  This especially holds true when water levels are up, moving fast, and off color.  Big streamers get the fish on the move, but I feel most of the time they’re chasing the fly out of reaction not out of hunger.

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Klewein's, True Crayfish

If you can get a big trout to chase a fly out of hunger they’re going to commit and eat the fly a whole lot more often.  From countless hours on the water I’ve found crayfish to be the tenderloin steak of forage food for trout.  Big trout flat out seem less judgmental and cautious on this particular food source.  This translates into a higher success rate when targeting big fish.  I strongly feel you’ll have less refusals fishing a crayfish pattern.  It absolutely blows my mind how few crayfish patterns are out there in the streamer market.

I wanted to design a crayfish pattern that I could fish like a streamer on big rivers.  It needed to have good action, a big realistic profile, and sufficient weight.  I accomplished all of the above with this pattern.  The finished pattern measures over 4 inches long.

Category: Fly Tying | No Comments »
Tags: crawdad fly pattern, crayfish fly pattern, streamer pattern

Posted By Kent Klewein on December 16, 2008

Reel Job Fishing Guide, Netting Trophy Trout

Recent Testimonials:

“I’m a sportfishing adventure traveler and I’ve fished all over the world.  Out of all the guides I’ve encountered over the years, I rank Kent Klewein at the very top.  I make it a priority to fish with him every year.”  Neal Brown

I’m a serious angler and outdoorsman and I choose my guides wisely.  After I fished with Kent Klewein I knew he was the real deal.  I’ll never forget the giants we landed on hoppers last year.”  Charles Landford

“I had never picked up a fly rod before and Kent’s patience and great instruction opened my eyes to how wonderful the sport of fly fishing is.  I now pack my fly rod wherever I go.  Thanks Kent!”  James Eckard

“Kent was an awesome guide, he does everything to make sure you catch these trout! Can’t wait to go back! ” Jeff Bone

Category: Gear Reviews | 2 Comments »
Tags: guide reviews, testimonials

Posted By Kent Klewein on December 16, 2008

Here’s my attempt at tying a true-to-nature sculpin pattern.  Hope you guys get a kick out of it.  It’s an articulated pattern tied mainly with grizzly marabou and zonker materials.  You can bet I’ll be throwing this pattern next time I’m out chasing down the biggest trout in the river.

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Klewein's, True Sculpin

If your an advanced caster and not scared of spending the day out on the river throwing the meat, give me a call and I’ll be glad to take you on a guided trip specifically for the big boys.  You can visit my website for trip details.

Category: Fly Tying | No Comments »
Tags: fly tying pattern, sculpin fly pattern

Posted By louiscahill on December 15, 2008

After Kent and I had some success up in North Carolina last week I was ready to go back, so Dan Flynn and I drove up to meet Brian Boggs on the river.  Apparently I had the hot rod and made up for all the days I spend behind the camera watching Kent fish.  I landed 23 for the day.  Here are a few photos.

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Category: Fly Fishing, Louis Cahill Photography | No Comments »
Tags: Louis Cahill, North Carolina Trout Fishing, winter trout fishing

Posted By Kent Klewein on December 11, 2008

I wanted to take a moment to point out how important it is to get prepared prior to taking a guided fishing trip. Many newcomers to the sport of fly fishing often take this factor too lightly.  Taking the time to practice certain casts prior to your trip can turn a slow day of fishing into a highly successful one.  Below are a few casts you should practice before heading to the river.

Cast # 1 - Roll Cast

Many of our trips are on small streams, and very often we find ourselves in situations where we don’t have room for a backcast to present the fly.  Familiarizing yourself with the Roll Cast will allow you to get the fly to the spot your guide is pointing out.

Presenting the fly with Roll Cast - Photo By: Louis Cahill

One of the biggest problems I find clients having while trying to roll cast is dealing with moving water.  They often find the fly drifting into them just prior to their roll cast.  This can lead to an angler hooking themselves, but in most cases just a tangled rig. To eliminate this, I have my clients first lay a backcast upstream, and then give them the go ahead to start the roll cast.  Doing this provides the angler with extra time to make the roll cast and also increases the overall target zone of the cast to maximize their drift.

Cast # 2 - Presenting the fly with your Backcast

Presenting the fly on Backcast - Photo by: Louis Cahill

Most of us are right handers and that means we prefer to present the fly to the fish with our forward cast.  Unfortunately, you’ll often find yourself unable to present the fly on your forward cast due to obstructions.  In this situation, the first thing I tell my clients to due is pivot their body around to their left, where they are facing downstream.  Next I ask them to act like they are casting to a target down stream.  Instead of stopping the fly rod on their forward cast and presenting the fly I just have them stop the fly rod during their backcast.

One very important rule to follow is drawing a straight line from the target on your backcast back to where your forward cast will be traveling.  For example if your fly keeps landing right of your intended target you can correct the problem by casting farther to your left during your forward cast.  Doing this will aid you in casting at the appropriate angle.  Picture a straight line from your forward cast to your target.

Practicing these two casts before your trip will greatly increase your success rate on small streams.  You’ll be amazed how often you use them and how many more fish you’ll catch.