Chicones' Crusher Legs

Looking for some of the most brilliant colours for your salt, Steelhead, and Trout patterns? Check out the Chicones Crusher Legs. Available in micro, regular, or wide.

Assorted Fishing Tips - Bonefish in the Mangroves

So, you've made the cast of the month to a really nice Bonefish right in the middle of a mess of mangroves. The fish eats your fly, you strip set perfectly, and the fish proceeds to leave the country. As usual, the fish goes around as many mangrove roots as possible at somewhere around Mach 2.

What do you do? Most of us will just exert as much pressure as possible, trying to stop the Bonefish. Not going to happen...ever! Often the fish will go around enough roots, in enough different directions, until he just breaks off. 

When this happens next time try this:

1) immediately drop the rod tip

2) if the fish isn't on the reel yet let it go slack, if it is on the reel quickly strip off two or three pulls of line.

3) let the fish swim with no pull on the line. 

More often than not the Bonefish will immediately settle down and stop. This will allow you to move on foot, or position the skiff so that you can untangle your fly line from the mangrove roots and slowly reel in your line as you get closer to the fish. Once you get close to the fish you can resume pressure and maybe land the fish. Sometimes you may even have to repeat giving the fish slack a couple of times before you can land the fish.

Don't loosen your drag to try and accomplish this. First of all you can't mess with your drag near quick enough. Just quickly tug a couple arm lengths of line off the reel to give slack. If that isn't enough to get the fish to stop then it just wasn't meant to be. Second, if you kick the drag off and then the fish, or you, pull any line off quickly you're going to have a major birds nest on your reel.

This doesn't work every time. But it does work fairly often. It may mean having some chance where there was no chance before.

Tied a Popper Lately?

Finally! Someone does a good popper head that we can tie poppers easily. The crew at Flymen got it right with the all new 

Double Barrel Poppers. 

Easy to get on the shank and bond, perfect popper density, take colors with paint or markers really well, multiple sizes and colors

PERFECT!

Saltwater Fly Specials

With the downward evolution of the Canadian dollar against the U.S., we know your saltwater trip is a little more painful on the financial side this year.

We thought this might help. Save you a little bit of money on the ammo anyways.

For the Tarpon, 6 Packs of Colby's Corona Toads. Available in Chartreuse, Purple, or Red. Regular price is $42, special price of $25 for 6!

For Barracuda, 2 pack of Paulson's Ka-Cudda now $9.99, regular price is $24. Pre-wired and ready to fish.

Flats Boots and Booties

Cleaning up our inventory a little so we have some Simms Flats Footwear on special while supplies last! 

Just in time for your next adventure!

Simms Flats Sneakers 50% OFF




Simms Zipit Booties  50% OFF




Simms Zipit II Booties  50% OFF



New FF in Salt Water and Drake now in!

Saturday Morning Seminars-January 19

Knots and Rigging

Saturday, January 19  10 AM

Mike Gifford does a “how-to” for all your big game knots, connections,and leaders. For fresh and salt water applications.

You can also check out Seminar topics at our web site – www.countrypleasures.com – by following the links to Seminars.


All seminars start at 10:00 am and will end between 11:00 and noon. There is no charge and no pre-registration required. Simply drop by the shop and enjoy the seminar. Although we will make every attempt to present the seminars as outlined above, topics are subject to change without notice. If you have a topic you would wish covered in a seminar, please advise the staff.

Fishing Tips

So, as you stand on a flat, you realize that perfect Permit pattern you tied in preparation for your trip just isn't quite heavy enough. The guide tells you that you need something heavier! Drats!
You know that this is the fly!

Don't give up on the fly. Next time you go on a trip, throw a half dozen black Tungsten beads in your fanny pack. If you run into this situation and want to stay with your awesome creation just thread one of the tungsten beads onto the leader and re-tie the fly on the leader.

Bead will rest up against loop knot.

Although not as efficient as the right size lead eyes, this will likely sink the fly to where you need so you can prove your theory as to you "perfect" creation!

As an additional note, if you're designing new patterns for Permit and Bonefish, and want to test how the fly rides and sinks in water, keep in mind that flies will sink considerably faster in fresh water than salt.
I know of situation where an angler has tied dozens of flies, only to find that , although they sunk well in the sink, they almost floated in salt water.

New Destination: Palometa Club 2012

Country Pleasures is excited to announce a new travel destination for 2012.

We have managed to secure a week at the Palometa Club, Punta Allen.

Peak season dates can be difficult to book so this is a rare oppurtunity.

The Palometa Club just celebrated the 500th permit caught.

For only $3500, this trip doesn't dig too deep in the pockets and offers world class Permit fishing.

Dates: May 4-12, 2012 *Hosted by Mike Gifford* and is a spring tide week

Check out our website or give us a call for more info....

http://www.palometaclub.com/

http://www.countrypleasures.com/palometa_club.htm

What The Hell?

Looks real??? If she can sit in a kayak, reach over and lip a Tarpon this

size, as well as heft it up for photo, she'd kick my ass!

Photo editing software? Steroids? You tell us, comments are appreciated.

Saltwater Slide Show

Photos taken over the last few years on saltwater trips......

Louisiana Fishing Trip

So, our friend Greg Moffatt just got back from his business/fishing trip to New Orleans and he sent us some photos....

Nice photos of the drum and Red, Greg!

That's a pig of a Redfish!!!!

Bahamas Bonefishing

Another offering from Kevin Sproule. As always, he does some great stuff!

How to tie the Chewy Whistler

The Red and Black Whistler

The whistler is a great pattern for any predatory fish. Catch Trout, Steelhead, Pike, Tarpon or almost any species of fish that prey on smaller baitfish. Mix up the color of feathers, Puglisi Brush or marabou for different species as well as the size of fly depending on your quarry. Spin one up and give it a whirl!

What you'll need: the required Materials

1. Tie in bead-chanin eyes

2. Tie in Black Buck-tail to back of hook

2. Tie in two feathers from a saltwater cape

3. Add in rubber legs

4. Add in some black crystal flash

5. Now tie in Puglisi streamer brush and wrap forward

6. Wrap forward to 1/2 cm. from eyes and clip

7. Tease fibers out of brush with bodkin

8. Tie in Black Marabou and wrap forward against eyes

9.Cinch in marabou behind the eye and whip-finish.

10. Coat head with Hard as Hull. Done!

FIGHTING TARPON ON THE BEACH

Avalons video taken in Los Jardines de la Reina. Big Tarpon hooked by a client from B.C. Guides Coki and Jonger are both watching this one and Coki finally tackles the fish.
All of you who have been there might recognize "La Playa", just down the flat from Mangle Alto, greta place for big fish. The first Tarpon I ever hooked in the Jardines was on this flat.

A WHOLE WHACK OF NEW SALTWATER PATTERNS!!!

We now have a bunch of NEW saltwater pattern in stock!!!

Cool NEW patterns for PERMIT, TARPON, BONEFISH, etc., and they really work....

These patterns and whole lot more!!

"GO TO" BONEFISH FLIES - TAILER BEWARE

TYING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MUST HAVE FLIES IF YOU'RE GOING BONEFISHING.

CREDIT HAS TO GO TO RAINY'S FLIES FOR THIS PATTERN. THAT'S WHERE WE FIRST RAN ACROSS IT, WE HAVE CARRIED IT IN THE SHOP FOR 4 OR 5 YEARS NOW.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PATTERN FOR BONEFISH TAILING OVER SHALLOW GRASS. IT HAS THE PERFECT SLOW SINK RATE FOR FISH IN 6 TO 12 INCHES OF WATER. THEY SEEM TO ALWAYS EAT IT.

CERTAINLY A "GO TO" PATTERN TO HAVE IN YOUR FLYBOX.

HOOK: TIEMCO 811S SIZE #6

THREAD: ULTRA THREAD 140 TAN

EYES: MEDIUM SILVER BEAD CHAIN

BODY REAR: OLIVE EP SHRIMP DUB

BODY FRONT: TAN EP SHRIMP DUB

BEARD: TAN CRAFT FUR OR EP FIBER MIXED WITH PEARL EP FLASH, BANDED WITH OLIVE GREEN AND BLACK MARKER

LEGS: MEDIUM TAN BARRED RUBBER LEGS

STEP 1: TIE IN THREAD ABOUT 1/3 BACK FROM EYE OF HOOK. TIE IN BEAD CHAIN MAKING SURE TO APPLY ZAP A GAP GEL ON SHANK BEFORE EYE. X WRAP THE EYES FOR DURABILITY. WRAP TO REAR OF SHANK.

STEP 2: DUB OLIVE SHRIMP DUB FORWARD, TAPERING BODY, AND DUB AROUND EYES USING X WRAPS.

STEP 3: TIE IN TAN CRAFT FUR 2.5 TIMES SHANK LENGTH MAKING SURE MATERIAL TAPERS. TIE IN SMALL AMOUNT OF EP PEARL FLASH. THIS IS THE FINEST FLASH WE HAVE FOUND AND WORKS BEST FOR MIXING WITH THE CRAFT FUR.

STEP 4: USING OLIVE GRREN FINE TIP MARKER, MARK BEARD BOTH SIDES WITH FINE MARKINGS DOWN ENTIRE BEARD LENGTH. MARK BOTH SIDES OF BEARD.

STEP 5: MARK BEHIND OLIVE GREEN WITH FINE BLACK MARKER. MAKE SURE MARKINGS ARE FINE. MARK BOTH SIDES OF BEARD.


STEP 6: TIE IN RUBBER LEGS EACH SIDE OF BEARD. SHOULD EXTEN BACK TO ABOUT SAME LENGTH AS BEARD. TIE IN FORWARD TO JUST BACK OF EYE.




STEP 7: DUB TAN DUBBING FORWARD OF EYES. WHIP FINISH SPARINGLY RIGHT BEHIND EYE OF HOOK. CLIP FRONT RUBBER LEGS ABOUT 1.5 TIMES SHANK LENGTH.
GO FISHING!!!!!

BABY TARPON IN THE MANGROVES

Russ Webb hooks a Baby Tarpon along the mangroves. This is why we like this type of Tarpon fishing!

Crazy Baby Tarpon from Mike Gifford on Vimeo.

VIDEO FROM TURNEFFE FLATS, BELIZE

Neat video put together by Kevin Sproule, a customer who joined the Country Pleasures trip to Turneffe Flats this past November. Works best if you pause it, let it load for a minute , and then play. Otherwise it wants to keep stopping.

NEW DVD FOR CHRISTMAS

We get a fair number of DVDs and books through the shop and it's not very often we see one that really stands out.

The new DVD from Confluence Films, RISE, is a pleasant surprise. One of the more entertaining DVDs we've seen in a while. From the guys who produced Drift.

Check out the trailer below.

Now available at Country Pleasures!!