Recently in New York Store Category

Rich Murphy, striper fishing fanatic and author made it down to the shop for a book signing last Thursday.  His new book Fly Fishing for Striped Bass is an extraordinary book done by the same people who produced Dec Hogan's book A passion for Steelhead; Masters on the Fly.  Rich was a little frazzled after driving hours from Georgetown, Massachusetts and getting stuck in traffic on the FDR; but he settled in well.  Everyone enjoyed the snacks, as well as the free beer and Rich was a real hit among the crowd.  We sold out all of our copies of the book and he entertained everyone with his new found passion for using two-handed rods and spey techniques for the surf while showing off some pretty cool striper flies.  Rich proudly showed off his Abel Super 9 he has had for years.  It looks like it has been through hell and back, but he

took it apart a number of times showing everyone how finely tuned the insides are.  Rich enlightened everyone on how he maintains his reels for the sand and surf.   Rich is a very detailed guy and explained how the book came about in 2003 fishing on the beaches in Mass with guys from the West who helped produce Dec Hogan's book.  If you like to fish for or want to know more about striped bass you should get this book.  Greg Pearson's illustrations are excellent, the photography is outstanding (Dave Skok has some close up photos of bait that are unbelievable!) and as I mentioned above, Rich's in depth knowledge and experience with striped bass makes most of us think that he is half striper.  Please e-mail us if you would like to be put on our e-mail blast list for upcoming store events. If there is only one thing that we learned from Rich Murphy's visit, it was this; "KEEP BREATHING!”

The Red Zone is not a football term to most fly fisherman.  We are talking about the Southern U.S., specifically Louisiana.  Urban Angler John Frazee spent a couple days last week sight fishing for reds with Captain Bryan Carter of Voo Doo Charters.  They fished mostly EP crab variations that were supposedly used from some of Capt. Bryan's old carpet.  Luckily they worked and John hooked this monster redfish. John quickly learned why we all trust Eddie, our famous rigging master, to do all of our loop to loop connections from the backing to the line.  He said his black dacron loop connection snapped off after a tussle with this Bayou hog. "It sounded like a gun going off, and we thought that we broke the rod".  They ended up chasing the trophy red around the marsh close to a half hour following the floating line until they were able to grab the backing and nail knot it back on the line.  John says he loosened his Abel's drag a bit and was able to finally boat it after the whole fiasco. *Note the black dacron loop in John's hand on the picture* 

Call us at the shop if you have any interest in sight fishing for redfish in Louisiana.  Many of us have fished with Capt. Bryan Carter and would highly recommend him.  If you plan on heading down to the Red Zone, or anywhere else this winter where you may encounter fish strong enough to snap off your loop connections, stop by the shop to have Eddie hook you up proper like! 

It was our first snow (or should we say dusting) in the New York City area this past Sunday.  Not all of us stayed bundled up drinking hot chocolate while watching football in our warm houses.  Urban Angler, Philip Sawyer, headed out to the Staten Island area with a friend to brave the winds and snow to hook into some pretty decent striper action.  There was plenty of bait and a lot of schoolie action all morning long, but Philip did manage to get into some pretty nice fish over 30 inches. Great work Philip!

 

 

I am sure most of you heard the news that Detroit, Michigan was named the nation's most dangerous city.  What many of you don't know is that most of these urban areas all over the world have become spawning grounds for a little known fly fishing group called Flugs.  Flugs are "Fly Fishing Thugs"  They may also go by other nicknames such as Banditos, Gangstas of the Falts or Fish Hawks.  They have been spotted all over the country in the fresh and saltwaters wearing buffs to conceal their identities.  Detroit, NYC, Islamorada, Los Roques, Montauk, Belize City, Missoula, San Juan, Salt Lak City and Twin Bridges are just some of the areas where there have been reported run-in's with Flugs.  They have been known to "tag" the local public transportation or walls with the motto "The tug is the drug!"  Some on-line publications have even promoted this lifestyle (See, This Is Fly - issue 01; pages 13 and 23).  Many of these Flugs are known to "Rip Some Lips", "Put Blood in the Boat" and even "Catch a grand Slam".  If you run into any of these Flugs on your local waters, keep your distance and STAY AWAY; they have been known to straight up CATCH FISH! 

 

 

 

Rich Murphy will be tying flies and signing copies of his new book Fly Fishing for Striped Bass Thursday, December 6th from 4 to 7pm. We'll be serving beer and chips! Come by and check it out.

Santa Has Arrived Early with the Perfect 2007 Holiday Gift for the Dedicated Saltwater Angler!

Fly Fishing for Striped Bass
Rich Murphy
October 2007
457 pages
8½ x 11 inches
Hardcover with dust jacket
Hundreds of color photos and line drawings throughout
Cover price $59.95

The striped bass is America’s favorite saltwater game fish. An estimated 50 million wild-spawning fish roam coastal beaches, bays, and estuaries from the Carolinas to Cape Cod, Montauk to Maine. Transplanted populations swim San Francisco Bay. And fishing for stripers with a fly rod—once regarded as eccentric—is now all the rage.

Fly Fishing for Striped Bass is the most ambitious and comprehensive book ever published on the subject. Author and noted saltwater fly designer Rich Murphy teaches you how to catch huge stripers from salt-marsh banks, shallow sand flats, ocean beaches, and rocky shores. This big, beautiful book is a cornucopia of fresh, practical experience that reveals how an average angler—whether new to fly fishing or a covert from fresh water—can enjoy this wonderful sport with or without a boat.

At an impressive 457 pages, Fly Fishing for Striped Bass is the new striper bible. In extraordinary detail it covers striper life history and behavior (of great value to lure and bait anglers as well), tackle and flies, casting and fishing techniques, and structure-specific tactics in a series of highly original watercolor diagrams painted specially for this book. Spectacular photography puts the reader right on the water beside the author and other striper experts. Underwater photos of startling clarity and stunning aerial views of famous striper habitat complete this remarkable book.

“My first saltwater fish on a fly was a striped bass—I have a great fondness for the species. After reading Rich Murphy’s new book, I KNOW he understands stripers as well as anyone. This is the best book written on the subject to date. Anyone who chases them with a fly rod should buy it and study it. Fly Fishing for Striped Bass is filled with practical technique, fishing lore, history of the sport, and much, much more.”

—Lefty Kreh, world-renowned fly caster and author of numerous fishing books, including the seminal Fly Fishing in Salt Water (1974)