By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

As you know, we rarely, if ever, plug lodges and vacation deals on this site ... but this is a smokin' good option that comes from a well-trusted source, Tony Fotopulos from Carbondale, Colorado.

If you're looking for bonefish ... maybe a permit ... maybe some tarpon, Ascension Bay in Mexico is a good place to go. Here's an "inside scoop" deal: Some of the local guides have opened a new lodge called Casa Viejo Chac. Nobody knows that water better than these guys. This is a small (six angler, three boat) operation. The food is apparently fantastic. The real bargain is that it costs $1300 for the week (six days guided fishing), including room and food. You fly to Cancun. There's a website up (with more details) at www.mexicofishingadventures.com. Assume you can spend at least $2900 for the same type of trip at other Ascension Bay lodges. There are limited openings between March and May. Just remember, you heard it here first.

Deeter

P.S. No matter how this lodge takes off, I'm nominating its mark as the best flyfishing logo on the planet ...

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

Found this hilarious video on Hook.tv. This little tike can cast! Apparently she's only two and is waving what appears to be a very large fly rod, an eight or nine weight pretty handily.

Roll-casting like a pro. Start em early folks, and they'll be outcasting you at age 10.

TR

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

We're proud to introduce Fly Talk's official "Fly Guy," Brian Schmidt from Umpqua Feather Merchants. He's the premier talent scout for all things hook-and-feathery, and an esteemed fly innovator. He's agreed to showcase the hottest patterns for us ... think of it as getting online guitar lessons from Eric Clapton, transposed to the world of fly tying. Deeter

Schmidt says: Umpqua Feather Merchants’ Jujubee Midge has won acclaim as a deadly midge pattern, whether drifted to finicky browns in the small spring creeks of Pennsylvania, or deep in Cheeseman Canyon on the famous South Platte River of Colorado. For fishermen unfamiliar with this fly, it will make a positive difference for your day on the water.

This pattern was created by Charlie Craven. The Jujubee is a midge pupa of simple elegance; durability and bugginess, making this a fly you don’t want to be without.

What makes this fly so delectable to trout, you ask? Why the Jujubee over simple thread midges? Well, one thing you must remember when choosing a midge to tie on is segmentation. For a midge to be as effective as possible, it must have segmentation. After all, what details on a midge really stand out? Take a Zebra Midge for example ... a fantastic fly, the only detail on the fly is the ribbing or segmentation Other than that it’s thread on a hook. What Charlie has done with his Jujubee Midge is take the segmentation to the next level and expanded the possibilities beyond the color of available wire. The Super Hair used on the abdomen of the fly is available in a plethora of colors and the combinations are extensive enough to match any color midge you’ll find on your home waters. Next, the fly must be slender throughout. Midges are tiny in nature, and many of the materials, be they synthetic or animal, are just too thick and bulky. Super Hair was an excellent choice due to its thin nature allowing you to use multiple filaments to adjust or create the contrasting body dimension you desire. The fly is finished off with a sleek thorax and Flouro Fibre wingcase and wingbuds that are subtle enough to look realistic, and give the fly just enough sheen to be eye-catching, yet not overly flashy.

Fish the JuJubee Midge as a dropper under a dry, in a multiple nymph rig, or cast it alone. In any scenario, trout will view it as FOOD. Give this fly a try, or try tying a few for yourself. Your fly box will thank you.

Hook: TMC 2488 #18-24 Thread: 10/0 white, colored with black marker for thorax and head or switch to black 10/0 thread for the thorax as shown. Must use white thread under abdomen to allow true color of Super Hair to show through. Abdomen: Super Hair, color combination of your choice. Two strands of primary color and one strand of contrasting rib color. My favorite color combinations are two olive and one black, two chartreuse and one black, two black and one white and two red with one white. Wingcase: White Umpqua Flouro-Fiber Thorax: Black tying thread or white colored with black marker. Wingbuds: Remaining stubs of Flouro-Fiber from wingcase, pulled back along sides of thorax like legs.

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

All good answers, but here's what really happened.

Rusty had Jim dunk the tip of his rod into the river after Jim made his casts. The water action absorbed the trembling action caused by Jim’s condition, and allowed those flies to float naturally and effectively through the run.

This is a true story, courtesy of Rusty Vorous, legendary Alaska, California, and Montana guide. And one of the best I have fished with in my life.

Deeter