23 April 06

    Greetings from sunny Baghdad. Yes, the heat’s turned on! We had our first day over 100 degrees. The troops who have never been deployed are in for a big surprise. The veterans can tell you…by the first of June we will be begging for 100 degree days. In July and August it will tip the mercury into the 120’s with regularity. The water is heating up and so is the fishing! The asp are particularly voracious, hitting just about anything that you drag in front of them. The carp are spawning and I haven’t figured them out yet. Some I cast to readily attack a fly. Others just ignore it. One thing I am positive about…they are spooky! Don’t go tromping down the banks and expect to find fish there for you to cast to. Note to self: when sneaking up on a fish don’t use the soft looking leafy palm fronds to cushion your knees. They look soft and green but are really quite hard and spikey…just as bad as cactus. Red seems to be the go-to color still. However, I did get some killer purple bunny-leach flies from Kyle in Billings. Thanks Kyle!! Your flies have caught fish on at least two continents now :) Next tying class we are going to try some San Juan Worms in, yes…red. We won’t be taxing the limit of our skills, but the fly bin is empty and the fish are biting and we need some quick ties. Time to fish is still our most precious commodity. Next class starts on Sunday the 30th. We’ll send pics and updates soon.
 

Tight lines…Bill