Pike on the fly

Having fun with the pike fishing. 

James at work

DF&F, Lake Trout

Drawing Fish & Flies 52. This week's subject - lake trout and/or bunny leach.
Anyone following along is welcome to use my lake trout piece as screen wallpaper.

DF&F announces a weekly subject for those who want to play/follow along. Only one rule, 30 minutes for production. Check out Jason & Jeff's work at the links below.
Jason Borger - Lake Trout & Bunny Leach
Jeff Kennedy - Bunny Leach

Neuromasts of Esox Lucious

Look at all the neuromasts on the head of this predator. What a cool fish. All those spots and holes are part of the pike's lateral line -- the sensory system used to detect movement and vibration in the water.

Synopsis of Biological Data on the Northern Pike

excerpt: Frost and Kipling (1967) also studied the technique of prey capture of young northern pike. The pike "marks down" the prey which it stalks stealthily to within a certain distance and then, before striking, flexes  its body. This gives the impetus for the lightning dart forward strike. The prey is grasped crossways in the mouth and firmly held by the backwardly projecting teeth. Then it is swallowed head first. 

DF&F, Deceiver

Classic Deceiver

Anyone following along is welcome to use my Deceiver piece as screen wallpaper.

DF&F announces a weekly subject for those who want to play/follow along. Only one rule, 30 minutes for production. Check out Jason & Jeff's work at the links below.
Jason Borger - Striped Bass & Deceiver
Jeff Kennedy - Striped Bass & Deceiver 

DF&F, Bonefish and Crazy Charlie

Drawing Fish & Flies 52 - Bonefish & Crazy Charlie

Years ago when I was working as an art director at a small design firm we would get occasional illustration work.  I always enjoyed turning a quick sketch into something new. The 30 minute rule for DF&F production really puts me in high gear once I get things going with the sketch and computer. It's one of those 8:00AM after 3 cups of coffee productions. Prior to about 2005 the computers & software we designed on wouldn't have moved fast enough for me to compose with the computer so fast.

showing plastic layer & multiply transparency

Production Notes: Used the plastic scan from last week's brookie piece to give that ripple look. In Adobe Illustrator using the "Multiply Transparency & Opacity". This gives certain layers that "see through" quality.

Anyone following along is welcome to use my Bonefish piece as screen wallpaper.

DF&F announces a weekly subject for those who want to play/follow along. Only one rule, 30 minutes for production. Check out Jason & Jeff's work at the links below.

Jason Borger - Bonefish 

Jeff Kennedy - Crazy Charlie

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Pike in Black & White

This winter I've been spending time below the local spillway throwing meaty flies for pike. I started fishing pike this past summer with a local pike guru James O Durbin. Fishing Pike is a different game for me. Very different than fishing for carp, trout, bass, or anything else I chase here in Iowa. It's more physical -- long casts with big flies. Repetitive. I actually bought a heavier stick to throw meaty flies. It's also been a humbling fish to chase. Plenty of outings without a hit. Then you get that big one and you remember why you're pike fishing. 

  
Currently throwing Mike Schmidt's "Barry's Pike Fly with a Twist". & a variation of James O Durbin's Green Pike Fly