Puerto Peñasco is a boomerang city for me. My home is in Mesa, Arizona, but I often find myself returning to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. There are many reasons I visit often (once or twice a month). The fly fishing is reliably good most of the year, and it starts to get better in the Spring. It’s an easy drive from the Phoenix or Tucson area, and the food and hospitality are wonderful and unlike many tourist destinations, I don’t feel like I am being taken advantage of when I buy a meal or get lodging. There are still good deals even if prices are going up. Have you visited anywhere in California lately?
TWOFER – back to one of my favorite topics fly fishing. I typically fish a tandem rig, two flies at the same time. I was introduced to this idea by an old fly fisher by the name of Charley Meck. Charley was a speaker at a Desert Fly Caster meeting, and I got to fish with Charley since he liked to get away from Pennsylvania Winters and spend time in Phoenix. The tandem rig that Charley taught was a simple tying of another piece of tippet on to the bend of the first fly, and then adding a second fly to the new tippet. You had more choices for a hungry fish to eat. I believe I caught more fish because of this set up, and on several occasions, I would catch two fish at a time. Playing two fish at a time on a fly rod is double the fun, a real twofer.
With this ring… vow to try the tippet ring tandem if you want to catch even more fish with a fly rod. Use your normal heavy butt leader set up for saltwater tapered down to 25-pound fluorocarbon, and then add an 1/8 inch tippet ring to the leader. Attach two 15-pound fluorocarbon tippets to the tippet ring, tie them different lengths from the tippet ring one could be 18 inches and the other 24 inches. Then add your favorite Clousers, Gotcha’s, or Crazy Charlies. This rig looks more natural in the water, and you will catch more fish.
For more fly-fishing tips visit a Desert Fly Caster meeting, second Wednesday of the month at the Chandler Elks Club 7:00 PM. Vince Deadmond Retired Hardware Guy can be reached at vincehasgonefishing.outlook.com and at 480 818 1796.
