Flyfishing Guerilla´s Last Chance

Flyfishing Guerilla´s Last Chance
by Stephan Dombaj
feat.: Paulo Hoffmann
and Nils

Circadian depression is about to come - in other words: Troutseasion is running off these days and nearly every troutfisher is fishing 24/7 in order to get the last pieces of the cake. Nils was ambitious enought to redefine his knowledge of light-tackle fishing. Be prepared for alleged faint rods that slam down big fat trouts. Do it Guerilla-Style!

(Big migratory on a Red MP CDC)

Items to go:
Loop Opti Creek 373-3A + Opti Creek Reel + Loop OptiStream WF3F
Loop AEG Signature 590-3A + Loop Evotec G3 FW + Loop Multi Line WF5F

Life is an enumeration of worthy moments, the duration between each moment is just the way towards the next experience that will blow your mind and sometimes the moment itself. On every trip we have experienced so far, there´s always a special moment, where flyfishing reveals it most tremendous treasure. It´s a language based on moments and experiences - non verbal though but spooken by every participant and understood by frontiers around the globe. Maybe that´s why flyfishing is sometimes harshly tinched by philosophy and sometimes religious influences. Hardcore fishing is one thing... having a reason for it is another... and that´s the basement for the moment I´m talking about. Doesn´t matter whether your sitting in a car, plane or a boat with your troup of FCMFs; Flyfishing-Gossip, laughter, conversations, stories... everything dissolves slowly into silence...not because there is nothing more to say, it´s because the moment takes over and everyone is captured by the spirit of Flyfishing; experience and greatfullness. This moment is simultaneously answer and question in once: The question why we are doing this, is the answer itself. Because we are doing this, because we are chasing one moment after another in order to convey the great spirit of flyfishing around the globe...a borderless language that is highly addictive and spooken by a very few!

(Last Chance)

Autumnal colours are surrounding you; just one last knotcheck because you don´t wont the fat trout infront of you breaking up your tippet. You are ready - the tiny little 3weight in your hand is ready to go for it but you feel like you have to walk on a tightrope. This could be your seasional PB (personal best) and it´s just one cast away...

(Fat migratory feeding on nymphs)

You are spooling some line off. First falsecast, second...smooth cast but not as smooth as your fly lands just right infront of this fish... It moves and STOP! this is your story... so get your ass back to the water and tell me something about an happy end. I want tell you our story today... I´ll show it to you:

(Nils´s first cast)


(Decent Brownie)


(Here we go...)


(Good one! Tight Lines)


(Paulo in action)


(Sweet Bow)


(Release...)


(Brownie on Wet-Pink-Conebomber)


(Release...)


(Nils again)


(Which pattern could be working?)

While both Paulo and Nils were chasing and slamming down one trout after another, I was in search for the big bang. Since the first runs of migratories are calming down now, I had to search a bit for them - but is was worth it. I discovered a nice one feeding on small needles and sedges. 0,12mm Diameter tippet with a MP Red CDC on it´s end, topwater-skating... here are the pictures:

(The take!!!)


(Get bend - what a curve)


("Dude, take the net!")


(Be prepared...)


(for...)


(another run!!!)


(Increasing the pressure)


(It turned around and went downstreams)


(Story about a net that was way to small...)


(Pt.I)


(Pt.II)


(But I finally got it...)


(Big fish vs. tiny dryfly)


(Tight Lines)


(Fatty)

Big Bow No.I for that day - perfect in shape and condition. Time for some regional gastronomic specialities: "Federweißer und Zwiebelkuchen" - "Federweißer" is a half fermented white wine, very sweet in taste and a perfect match to "Zwiebelkuchen" (Onionpie)

(Federweißer und Zwiebelkuchen)


(Landscape)

As we all relized that eating and drinking is way too overrated ;-) we got our asses back to the stream where they belong. Well, back at the river I went for another big trout which I have seen last time as it refused my dryfly...soo, item for to go: Peeping Caddis and 0,16mm dia:

(Third cast just came right...)


(Yeah, it´s the big one...and it´s moving upstream!)


(Holy Crap, that trout kicks ass!)


(Bend-Portrait)


(...into the deep run)


(There it is!)


(64cm)


(Release)

Big Trout No.II for that day - destiny strikes again and we are still not done...

(The Lighttackle effect)


(Beautifull Char)


(Char Portrait)


(Little Bow)


(Pt.II)


(Nils again)

(Landing)


(Mr. Brown)


(Instruction)


(Action)

Misc.

Autumnal Rush

Autumnal Rush
by Stephan Dombaj

Now that most Salmonids are preserved, the suicide rate among flyfishers is increasing rapidly. But there´s a cure and I am not talking about far-away places and tropical adventures. I´m talking about the toothy secret of your backyard: Pikes, Perches, Zeds, Asps and so on - but the best thing is: Autumn is the very best time to go for them, cause they got to gain weight before it´s getting cold. So, it´s up to you whether you are suffering from circadian-trout-preservation-depression or from bleeding hands because your last 40inch plus Pike has beaten up the shit out of you. I guess you like it the hard way just like we do...

(Predator-Hunt, the dark side of flyfishing)

Let´s start with Mr. Lucius itself - Pike (Esox lucius) is one of European´s biggest and most popular predator, period! And that for valid reasons: That monsterous mean fish kills for fun anything that is almost as big as itself. 850 needlesharp teeth are an appropriate tool to kill both warmblooded animals and aquatic animals. It is our godgiven duty to take revenge for each helpless animal that found it´s end inbetween the blood-dripping jaws of Mr. Lucius.

("Strip it fast and prey for the big bang!")

As you can see - big flies are needed in addition to the fact that Pikes, especally bigger ones, have a very hard and boney mouth, you have to make sure that you set the hook properly! After the take, wait a second till the fish turns, then nail it via flyline and the buttsection of your rod...several times. As far as your equipment is concerned, make sure that it´s prepared for these harsh actions...needlesharp hooks, shocktippet and an appropriate steelwire or fluocarbontippet. Need some flies? Check this out: PIKEFLIES

(Pike Booster prepared for some action!)


(Get equipped!)


(Fat autumn Pike - 40+ on 6wt. AEG Signature)


(Nearly 42 inches - Release)


(39 inch Glomma-Pike)

Talking about toothy secrets, we shouldn´t forget about "Zeds" (Stizostedion lucioperca) Zeds are considered to be far more distinguished than Pikes ... and well, it´s the truth. But ain´t that thing hot as hell? In my eyes a brilliant gamefish that can be quite tricky to get on fly... but that´s the challenge! As far as flies are concerned: Take the same patterns frome upon - maybe a bit smaller.

(6wt AEG vs. Zed)


(Zed on Pike Booster Fly)


(Fin-Artwork)


(Portrait)


(Stream-Zed)

Take your time and give it a try, beside the the two predators upon - there´s a lot more to experience! For example:


(Catfish on Fly)


(Perches)


(Asps)

Just slipping away from predators for a sec. you´ll soon find out that autumn is aswell the best time for giant carps on fly!

(Giant Carp on a 4wt)


(Wannbe predator nailed on a streamer)


(Koi on fly)

If that ain´t flyfishing - I don´t know!

Creek Addicted

Creek Addicted
by Stephan Dombaj

Flyfishing is your cocaine - it keeps you going and you need it periodically. Your life as a flyfishing-junkie is a walk on a tightrobe and you are constantly searching for the next kick. Time to take it to the next level. You think it ain´t possible, than check out the highly addictive Opti Creek Series: The ultimate ultra light tools par excellence...



After one year of harsh longterm abuse I have to admit that I´m addicted to this rods. To be true, I´m using both the 2weight and the 3weight version (short and the long one) 90% of the time for trout- and streamfishing. Due to the tremendously deep loading action, these rods give you both power and sensitivness without being too mellow.

(373-3A Creek vs. Mur-River-Grayling)

Some people are still quite sceptical as far as lightline rods and big fishes are concerned; 2 and 3 weights are considert to be small-fish-fun-optimizer but reality couldn´t be further... I caught some of my biggest fishes on this sticks! To boil it down, I caught some very big fishes JUST because of this rods and I will tell you why...


(65cm Barbel vs. 2wt. Opti Creek)

Think about the real efficiency of a flyrod... you´ll come to the conclusion that we are operating withing a 15meter radius in the majority of cases. So now that we know that distance is just a realtive convinience we can adjust our tackle to fit in this range as far a presentations on 2 - 15 meters are concerned. It ain´t as easy as one may think...take a common WF-Flyline and try to present and streach your leader on a range of 3 Meters. Common linesystems are - in most cases - way to light on the first few meters to create a straight energytransfer that is energetic enough to streach leader, tippet and fly. Some flyanglers start to wiggle the rod aggressivly in order to get some more line out - finally they are going to lose the precision we are aiming for. Corollary of that example, a line that loads your rod even on the shortest distances. Long story short: Both the OptiCreek and the OptiStream lines are perfectly matching up with this rods. Due to the action of this lightweight rods we can go for bigger and spooky salmonides with very thin leaders, which can be heavyweight argument for dries. The quite short but yet so heavy tapersection in addition to the delicate deeploading action of the rodsystem results in a never-seen-before fishtool.

(Size 20 SD´s Spinner, black)

Still not convionced? Allright, I guess it´s time for some action now! Beside the pros upon there is another very important thing about UL (Ultralight)-Tackle: The yet so deep action has the same effect as a rubber-strap - it is shock absorbing so it´s nearly impossible to break thin leaders even if you are playing rough. And believe me... you can play very rough with this sticks!

Ultralight Rods = Ultralight Flies ?! Not at all... believe it or not, but you better give it a try. You can serve real beef flies aswell...for sure it´s not that delicate but it works!


(Tungsten Wooly Bugger goes Creek 2wt.)

(0,12mm diameter on a OptiCreek 2wt. vs. BIG FISH)

(69cm Bow on OptiCreek 2wt. - the fish was activly feeding on emergers 3 Meters away from me )


(Giant Trout vs. Creek Combo - the winner is...)

The Rods are available in 2lineclasses and 3 diffrent lenghts, each rod is quite indiffrent in comparison to the others:

• LOOP Opti Creek 282-3A + Creekline WF2F is maybe the most versatile 2weight flyrod available. Superior "castability" even with big streamers! My fav. for 08.
  
• LOOP Opti Creek 373-3A + Creekline WF3F (New for 2008) The short 3wt. is a true jungle-rod! Smooth and delicate action gives you a lot of control on shorter distances.
• LOOP Opti Creek 388-3A + OptiStream WF3F is a true all-purpose rod. Powerfull and yet very progressive. Way faster than the short version.

Check out the following images. Maybe you´ll see why I am freaking out on that stuff. Beside all technical specifications and line recommendations it´s all about the feeling. Sometimes it´s not up to us to decide the moment when the fish of your lifetime/trip/year arrives - it´s just up to us to descide whether we are taking the chance or not. With this tackle you can be sure that you have the right tool to challenge this situation. And that´s what it´s all about - challenge everything.

(Get bend! 2wt Creek vs. Sneep)


(Creek-Chub)


(Mr. Brown)




(Conehead-Streamer Trout on 2wt.)


(Fat Barbel vs. Opti Creek 2wt.)


(Creek Combo did it again)


(Austrian Grayling on our latest toy - 373-3A Creek)


(Angry Sneep vs. Creek)


(Fat Sneep)
















(Opti Creek 373-3A slammed down a nice buck)


(Creek Char)


(Sweet Brownie, 09Softshell and Creek Combo)


(YOU BETTER FISH NOW!!!)

Still here? C´mon - take your rod and get back to the water! Tight Lines!

Flyfishing Guerilla - Trout Headhunting

Flyfishing Guerilla - Trout Headhunting
by Stephan Dombaj
feat. Paulo Hoffmann

Half day off - time to leave the city and it´s sins behind to cherish mother nature once again... ah, and before I forget, to challenge beastious evil trouts (of course)! Migratory and resident fishes are getting nervous right now; autuumn is coming and they have to gain weight for the spawning time - especally the big mamas. Be prepared for some heavyweight surprises, even in the tiniest creeks! Check out this half-a-day footage about 2Guys, 1River, several big trouts and a bunch of bad ideas:

(Guerilla Art: 50cm Brownie vs. AEG Signature 5wt)

Item to go: Loop AEG Signature 590-3A; Loop Evotec G3 FW 3/5; Loop Multi WF5F
The recommandation upon represents a medium-all-purpose-stream and lake combo, which is made to be abused and adjusted to fit into nearly ever possible situation as far as the common troutfishing is concerned (and of course way beyond - as you can see in this Article "Built To Resist") But enough theory for now...time for some action:

Rainpregnant clouds were covering the sky as I started to prepare my equipment and after the first 60+ migratory I realized that I forgot my camera, so I took a picture with the cell, released the fish and called Paulo to join me... with the camera.

(Abusing this shoes at least 3times a week)

Time to get up...actively feeding fish right infront. A spooky fish that refused my PJ-Nymph at first. Just the way I like it...no need to serve a low-fat-tofu-fly? Time for a Big Mac aka. Wolly Bugger! Well, fast food trout dig it... and:

(Bang! Nailed it right away from the surface)


(Good one - lot of pressure after a braketesting run)


(Time to play it way around)


(Landing...)


(62cm/25inches)


(Perfect shape, perfect condition - typical migratory Bow)


(Bow vs. AEG wt5)


(See you soon, take care and tight lines buddy ;-))

Time for some GloBug-Action; We have been searching for a while and found some descent smaller trouts rising for dries, but considering the fact that I lost a serious big brownie at the bridge a few days before, it was time to head up and prey for the harsh pull that rips the line off your hands.

(Hookup!!!)


(40cm Brownie)


(Portrait)


(Another Bow)


(Built to fight)


(P. again)

In a short subsumption: I really don´t know how many trouts nailed our flies away - a few tens for sure. Everything around 40cm, some bigger (till 43cm) and just a couple smaller ones. So I decided to try a real mean´n big bug... see what happens:

(Hook up! A good one! Time to play it down and dirty!)


(Looking for a better place to land it...)


(There it is! Just a little over 50cm - Awesome Buck!)


(...on GloBug)


(Release)

Misc. and some bad ideas:


(Mother nature teaches us: Endurance is the key to sustainable success)


(Flyfishing Guerilla till late)


(Sick, but that´s the way it is: Loop only!!! Other tackle is made for... well opening bottles ;-)(Don´t take it too serious) )


(Bad Idea No.I: A Wadingjacket ain´t a Fullbody-Amour)


(...)


(Bow)


(Bad Idea No.II: ... ;-) )

AEG Signature - Built To Resist

AEG Signature - Built To Resist
by Stephan Dombaj

The principle is as simple as fabulous: Take two worldrenown blanks and pimp them up to endure everything! Well, I´m talking about the latest generation of hardcore flyrods - the AEG aka. Troutbum Signature Series. Based on the internationally know Greyline/Multi-Series system both the 5weight (9ft) and the 6weight (9,6ft) are far more than just awesome troutrods. And I will tell you why...

(5wt AEG + WF5Multi - 6wt AEG - behind- WF6F OptiStill)

I have tortured both rods across Europe from Norway (Rena/Glomma) via Gemany, Austria down to the dirty south (Slovenia, Croatia) and of course at some meetings and expositions aswell. And I really mean it like this! Abusing tackle and clothing 24/7 without pause; and these rods are just the right tool for it - doesn´t matter at all what you´re aiming for. From most delicate graylings to monsterous pikes, carps and seatrouts...go for it!

(Climbing in waders - you want it? You´ll get it!)

Just a few words before the party starts: Some people keep asking for the gripmaterial: The grips are made of a non-slippery Cork-Rubber-Composite which is a logical consequenz when your fishing hardcore, because you eradicate all disadvantages of natural cork, like biodegradation, isolated inclusions on pressure points and so on. The quite rough structure of the material gives you a firm grip, even if you have taken a bath in living eels. A detail that makes the diffrence.

(Hand vs. Freshwater-Tiger...)

So time for some action now. For those of you, who are intrested in the shown setups: The 590-3A represents finest carbontechnology in additon with fresh and useful design that serves the idea of building the ultimative fishingtool. I use it with a WF5F Multiline and it performs very well on both distance and delicacy. The 696-4A is a true killer rod - especially with a WF6F OptiStill I´m about to run out of words. A versatile tool for every ocassion. Due to it´s very powerfull buttsection it´s predestined for BIG-FISH-Challenges. As I said upon: Trout, Grayling, Carp, Barbel, Sneep...and so on... typical targets for a 5 and 6weight - so it was time for a bit action: Item to go: 22cm PikeBoosterFly! Let´s play down and dirty!

After several carps it was time for a blast. Rules: Strip it fast and prey for the big band...and well: it banged!

(102cm Flyby)

(Landing)

(Yammy)

(Jumping mama)

Misc. Footage:

(Carp in 6wt AEG)

(Stream-Stalking)

More Pictures coming soon! Stay tuned!

The greatest Fly Line you've never seen.

Well a few of you may have seen them, but I am betting not many North Americans have cast or even seen these Loop lines before. The series is called Opti Stream, and they are simple amazing to fish. The underhand casters have developed this taper for their casting style, but the line sure doesn't know that. I found it to be the best casting single hand line I have ever seen. The front taper is short and it loads the rods quickly with only a single back cast. Hence the underhand style works well, but anyone who prefers not making a ton of back casts to deliver the fly will love them. They also are fantastic for small spey or skagit casts. If you have no room to back cast these lines excel.

If you want to get your hands on these lines you have 2 problems. First there are only a few locations in North America to find them, and Second, they are very expensive. In fact I was shocked at the price, but after a few days of fishing them I am sold and feel they are worth every cent.

Here is what Loop Tackle has to say about them.

Opti Stream

Opti Stream is precisely as the name indicates: for flowing water. The new taper is designed for extreme ease in both underhand and overhand casting. Easy to pickup and shoot overhand and yet perfectly balanced for tight, underhand casts. Head length varies between 7,1-9,1 m depending upon line class.

If you want to get your hands on one of these lines follow this link HERE and give one of the dealers a call.

Loop Saltwater Prototype Rods

I recently got a couple of the new Loop Saltwater Prototype Rods in the mail. After getting a chance to cast them I have to say that this new Saltwater Series has made some great progress over the past year in its development. All the field testing and analysis has really paid off and I'm excited to see how they handle some big bones and permit when I take em' down the Keys this week!


The rods have a new "Cross-Weave" design which makes the rods stronger and faster. The handles are made of a durable cork-rubber Composite that feels great in the hand and unlike some cork handles they are completely uniform with absolutely no soft spots. They both feature double up-locking triangular reel seats that make it easy to attach the reel. The guides are all oversized and double coated to prevent corrosion and offer less friction to the fly line. The fighting butts are removable and properly sized with the rod weight, they also have a locking rubber seal to prevent loosening. The rods are a matte graphite gray with blue wraps. The 12 weight model should be available soon, I can't wait to get my hands on it!

OPTI Bone -7wt 9ft
The action of the OPTI Bone is medium/fast, it has an incredibly smooth cast that is quick and responsive. It is a perfect rod for tailing bonefish that are super spooky and require long accurate casts.


OPTI Permit - 10wt 9ft
The action of the OPTI Permit is medium/fast, it offers good power in the butt section with a nice progressive action to the tip. This rod casts effortlessly and is an absolute hand cannon! It is the right rod for big permit and small tarpon and it can handle wind no problem.