Captain Rich Waldner does it again...
By Uptown Angler
http://www.uptownangler.com
Captain, or Colonel Rich Waldner, whichever you prefer, has certainly made a name for himself in South Louisiana as the master of the spoon fly. His "Waldner's Spoon" has surpassed all other offspring of "Cave's Wobbler" in the pursuit of good action, durability and consistent productivity.
His "Mardi Gras Mama", which he simply calls a "Clouser", has turned more than a few mediocre anglers into heros on the marsh flats around Port Sulphur. These flies designed by Waldner are not the product of happenstance.
Dr. Fleming discovered Penicillin by accident in 1929 but Rich Waldner has spent years on the water, figuring out why some flies work and others don't. That is what has led to his creations. They have become such valued flies that at Uptown Angler, we actually keep them behind the counter, only offering the patterns to those who request them.
We've been fortunate to have such wonderful patterns as the "Waldner's Spoon" and "Mardi Gras Mama" here in South Louisiana for a few years now, but for Waldner, it's not enough. If you ask the Colonel what Redfish love to eat more than anything, he'll tell ya'......"CRABS"!
Rich has been fishing crab flies for years, especially in the Winter, when there is minimal grass to worry about getting a fly hung in and it's a time when that 20-30 pound "Bull Red" might just show up in front of your boat..
He has a pattern that he's been using for years which he designed. It consists of multiple layers of palmered Estaz Grande that have been glued and smashed to form a more rounded and flattened body. He's seen plenty of other crabs fished as well such as the standard "Merkin" ,the "EP 3-Tone" and the "Flexo-Crab".
All of these crab patterns do in fact catch fish, but there is a "catch". Louisiana Redfish, especially the Bulls, love big crabs. Therefore, a crab pattern with a large profile is often more likely to produce strikes. However, the material bulk of some of these larger crab patterns make the flies harder to throw and slower to sink. You'll often hear Rich say "1st man down wins" and there is validity in that, especially when fishing to Redfish that are actively feeding on crabs as they are looking down for their next meal.
Rich has thought about these issues for quite sometime with the intention of remedying the problems of fishing large crab patterns. And remedy he has. His new creation, "The Terminator Crab" has brought hundreds of Redfish to the boat since Spring '06.
The body consists of ane epoxied and glittered shank topped off by small bunches of "Unique Hair" tied in perpendicular to the hook shank, then epoxied and glittered on the tips. The epoxy/glitter combo is a Waldner trade mark.
You'll see it on the shank of the "Mardi Gras Mama" and it's what makes the "Waldner's Spoon" what it is. Another highlight of this crab, like the "Mardi Gras Mama", are the lead eyes that are also epoxied, glittered and painted. These unique and tedious steps define the level of perfection that Rich Waldner strives to achieve in every fly.
He takes no shortcuts. His attention to detail is unmatched and his enthusiasm for creating these enticing Redfish flies is what drives him to the vise for countless hours every week. He'll often spend an entire day on a batch of a dozen flies and you can bet that when you meet Rich Waldner at his house, at the fly shop, or on the water, he'll be slightly peppered with glitter. All of Rich's flies are truly works of art, but make no mistake. These flies are some of the most productive Redfish flies you will ever fish.
They are the product of years of experience, countless hours of research and development on and off the water, and a skilled hand at the vise, which happens to be a Thompson Model A. You can find contact information for Rich on our "Guides" page and you can find his flies at Uptown Angler....if you ask for them.
About the author
Our Mission is to provide the best flyfishing stuff and only the best stuff, no matter the price and no matter who or where we have to go to get it. Our standards are high. Our shop is small. We fish alot and in many places. We're constantly looking for the best. This is what we carry in our store. And on the web you will find only stuff you will find in the store.
Uptown Angler has been serving the New Orleans' fly-fishing community for 10 y from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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