GRAHAM CRANKERS, LOCAL ANGLER SPECIALIZES IN REPAINTING CRANKBAITS

    The most devoted of anglers understand that fooling fish into fulfilling the biological process of feeding under the weak premise of a lure or fly is an art, and consider themselves artists of the rustic, self-sufficient breed.  Thus, tackle craft is a unifying factor in many of the sport’s top competitors and professionals.  Settling for the commercially-available rarely provides an angler an edge over others of like pursuits.

    

    Such was the reasoning of Fluvanna County resident, Chris Graham—a lifelong outdoorsman and tinkerer.  “My passion has always been fishing and then hunting.  My grandfather took me fishing as a kid and bought me my first rod and reel.  I grew up on the New River fishing with my parents below Claytor Lake Dam in Southwest Virginia,” he said.  “I originally started pouring and hand-tying my own jigs, trying to get an edge that everyone else didn’t have in tournament fishing.”

    When his kids went away to college in recent years, Graham was introduced to another aspect of tackle craft via a video entitled Crankbait Painting:  The Basics by Amistad Tackle.  After acquiring a Paasche VL airbrush system and an air compressor from a printing press, courtesy of local angler and mutual friend, Sam Clarke, Graham began tackling the learning curve associated with his new hobby.

Two taped bluegill-patterned Graham Crankers after painting.  Photo courtesy of Chris Graham.

A white-bellied crayfish pattern.  Photo courtesy of Chris Graham.

    Graham, who now operates his hobby under the business name “Graham Crankers,” paints and sells what he calls “repaints,” usually store-bought crankbaits that are old or that feature patterns that just don’t trigger the desired strikes from fish.

    With a store-bought lure in hand, Graham begins his process by removing the split rings and treble hooks from the wire harness.  Next, the hard body is rinsed in soap and water, dried, and sanded lightly with 220 grit sandpaper to allow the paint stick.  The bill of the crankbait is then taped using masking tape, to prevent paint from speckling the bill.  Finally, a coating of white (or another base color) spray paint is applied to the body and heat set with a hair dryer.  This helps to cover the original pattern.  With those steps completed, Graham begins working his airbrush magic, laying out a new pattern.

The bill of this crayfish pattern was first covered with masking tape before Chris put his airgun
to work.  This keeps the bill from getting "speckled" with paint.  Photo courtesy of Chris Graham.

    “The learning curve can be very trying,” Graham admitted.  “The whole process can be a little lengthy, and time passes quickly without a lot of results.  I quickly learned that when things aren’t going right, it’s best to clean your airbrush and put your paint away.  It can get a little expensive when you keep spraying and don’t get the desired result.”

Simple shad color scheme in a variety of body styles.  Photo courtesy of Chris Graham.

Baby Bass Graham Cranker.  Photo courtesy of Chris Graham.

    “Patterns have come from trial and error (shop to water), along with using some of the tried and true patterns from fishing’s past,” Graham said.  “As I look back through some of my rejects, I find out just how bad they look.  At the time I was proud of them, but when I look at them now they look like a 5^th grader painted them.”

    Today Graham produces and sells several patterns as standbys but continues to experiment.  Though he does make money at his game, he maintains that Graham Crankers is a hobby for the moment, and something he enjoys doing.  “It has created a lot of conversations that have inspired me to create and repaint crankbait patterns that can no longer be bought in the store,” he said.

A citation Virginia largemouth taken on a Graham Cranker jerkbait by local angler, Sam Clarke.  These lures produce!  Photo by Sam Clarke.

    Can’t find the old standby pattern you remember fondly from your childhood?  Give Graham a ring, check out his Graham Crankers Facebook page, and join the family!□

Originally published in the Rural Virginian

SHOOTING CLAYS IN THE WIND

In the process of packing up the house for a move, quite a few long-lost possessions surface.  A few of the more entertaining pieces included a box of 135 biodegradable sporting clays and a mechanical launcher, last used sometime in the previous decade.

Photo by Matt Reilly

So in the name of a little last minute fun, I gave friend Chris Swanson a call, and picked a venue to "dispose" of the orange birds.

The morning began windy, with gusts pushing 20 MPH.  Something about the way I slept in the night gave me a tight cramp under my right shoulder blade, and day three of my recently-developed cold was much worse than the last.  Thankfully, by the afternoon the wind had softened to intermittent gusts, an hour or so of stretching restored my muscles to normal, and a bit of moving about cleared my head to a comfortable level.

We arrived at a local farm property around 1:30 PM, and I aimed the launcher over the sparkling, medium-sized farm pond.  Taking our time, we broke almost all of the 135 targets before 4:00, emptying roughly five boxes of 7 1/2 shot shells.

Photo by Matt Reilly

Photo by Matt Reilly

The occasional gust of wind across the venue resulted in some interesting shooting.  With a shift of the wind, the clay would hop, drop, and skip through the air.  Sometimes back-to-back launches would fly in totally different directions.

But birds don't fly straight!  A good time was had for sure.  Can't wait to do it again!  Check out the video below put together by Chris, then check out his website HERE.□

2015 VIRGINIA FRESHWATER FISHING REGULATIONS

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has just released the new freshwater fishing regulations for 2015.

    New regulations of special importance include the prohibition of using personal tagging systems on fish, some important adjustments to smallmouth slot limits on the Clinch and New Rivers, an adjustment to the striper slot limit on Smith Mountain Lake, an adjustment to walleye limits, and the ban of the possession of American and hickory shad in the waters of Buggs Island, Lake Gaston, and the Dan and Staunton Rivers.  

    Read the new regulations carefully.  There is not excuse for a game law violation.□

Click the above image to read the latest fishing regulations updates.

VIDEO: "CLASSICS & LEGENDS"

The more I write, the more I come to understand that writing is an enterprise necessary to my existence.  

    It's a cathartic habit, a method of appeasing my mind's need to replay and romanticize the enchanting moments and adventures I find in my wanderings.  But writing without sharing is not writing as I know and love it.  I consider myself an outdoorsman first and a writer second.  As a passionate outdoorsman entranced by the sporting lifestyle, I consider writing for others a duty; for only in communicating the wonders I have known in the outdoors, can it be made possible that another might discover the same entanglement.  I am devoted to you.

    Making sense of the above semi-coherent rambling is this fantastic visual by Expedition Overland, "Classics & Legends."  Enjoy!□

A DEERLESS YEAR

The 2014-15 deer season has come and gone, and I hunted zero days.

    In light of the many other wonderful opportunities I was granted towards the tail end of 2014, the sport that normally occupies me most weekends in the fall and winter went totally ignored.  Much to my chagrin, due to the timeliness of my work load at school, bow season typically grants few opportunities to be in the woods for me.  However, during muzzleloader and general firearms season, I generally find my way to the stand countless times, particularly during the holiday breaks.  I typically harvest about two deer--enough to fill the freezer--and then revert to squirrel hunting or trout fishing.

    Luckily, from what I've heard from a few friends and contacts this season has not been one for the records books.  However, this is not grounded in personal experience.

    Does anyone have an opinion about this year's season?  Who shot bucks?  As always, leave responses in the comments!□

FROM BULLSHITIN' TO TUCKED IN: AN ORVIS CUSTOMER TURNED EMPLOYEE

Dear The Orvis Company,

Photo by Matt Reilly

    During the summer of 2014 I made the obvious personal decision to take a gap semester before going to college, to research a hunch I've had since picking up a long rod.  So I spent the month of September fishing and camping doggedly from Virginia on northward through Maine and back, and the month of November in the Southeast and the alien backcountry of southwest Florida, living off of stale bread, convenience store peanut butter, and pilfered diner jams, all the while keeping friends Michael Kaplan and Jeff Greendyk of the Orvis Charlottesville store well aware of my adventures.  I have since solidified my opinion that a fish bum is the only type of beggar worth being.

    It was my pre-determined plan, once I got home from Florida, to give Jeff a ring and ask him if they needed any help around the shop.  I'd need to do a little something to offset the costly non-resident fishing license and campsites purchases my bank account suffered while I was on the road.  But before I could act, fully aware of my dwindling time in Southwest Florida, Jeff gave me a call after a bitter day of backcountry snook fishing.  He wanted to know if I'd be interested in working in the store until I go off to college in January.  I accepted, and was scheduled for an official interview with the District Manager, Kathy Richter, at the end of the week.

    Interview finished, I was enlisted and in-store for training and work within a week of casting to linesiders in the Matlacha mangroves.  But adventure was not absent.  In fact, I think I had come to know those backwaters of the Sunshine State better in a week and a half than I knew the store after frequenting it for nearly a year.

    I was utterly dumbfounded to learn that there were about 4,000 more square feet to the store than I had previously recognized, mostly filled up with the scaleless monotony of clothes, jackets, and sweaters, with the odd fragrance and wallet mixed in--nice stuff.  The fly-tying wall seemed miles away from the head of the store.  It was slightly disconcerting--like a fish out of water.

    Upon realizing (as I do with some regularity) that I have a serious, perhaps medical, problem--namely the ability and craving to stare mindlessly at flies, tying material, and hardware for an infinite amount of time--I found comfort in the steady stream of customers stopping in to help me along in the healing process.


    "Howdy, there.  Anything I can help you with, ma'am?"

    "Nope, just browsing!" Or "Yes, do you guys have..."

    Each is friendly and supportive of my situation (for the most part), and just looking for something for their husband, wife, kid, dog, or self.

Slow days, perfect for PractiCasting, when there are no clothes to be folded...  Photo by Matt Reilly

    Most are interested in clothing.  That is, after all, what The Orvis Company makes the bulk of it's profit on--or such is my understanding.  Yet I still find it almost laughably humorous that most visitors are surprised by the fishing tackle on the back wall.

    "Orvis sells fishing stuff?" they'll ask.  The first time I was faced with this inquiry I was almost certain I felt my sunburned face twitch.  The mind behind my blank stare glitched, "Orvis sells clothing?"  

    Thankfully, my shift is typically broken up by the welcome spurts of fishing-enthused personalities.

    "Hey, there!  Anything I can help you with, sir?"

    "Yeah, I'm going down to North Carolina to do some fishing and wanted to pick up a few flies..."

    "OK WELL IF YOU'RE FISHING SMALL MOUNTAIN STREAMS OR LARGER FREESTONERS THIS TIME OF YEAR THAN YOU PROBABLY WANT TO BE FISHING HEAVY NYMPHS AND STREAMERS TO GET DOWN BELOW THE SURFACE CURRENT TO WHERE THE FISH ARE HOLDING IN THE COLD WATER COPPER JOHNS AND HEAVY STONEFLY NYMPHS ARE GREAT CHOICES DON'T BE SHY OF USING ONE TWO THREE OR MORE SPLIT SHOT YOU MAY ENCOUNTER SOME MIDGE HATCHES IN WHICH CASE YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO THROW SMALL DRIES BUT YOU CAN ALSO THROW A CLUSTER FLY LIKE A GRIFFITHS GNAT OR ASHER WHICH I PREFER BUT I DON'T REALLY FISH DRIES IN THE WINTER IF YOU'RE FISHING SPRING CREEKS YOU'VE GOT MORE OPTIONS LIKE THIS KREELEX OR SCULPIN BUGGER OTHERWISE YOU SHOULD CHECK THE HATCHES IF YOU'RE SO INCLINED BWO's MAY STILL BE HATCHING BY THE TIME YOU GET DOWN THERE IF THE HATCHES ARE THE SAME AS IN THE SHENANDOAH AND BLUE RIDGE  IN VIRGINIA.  DO YOU KNOW?"

    This helpful, cathartic rant is typically followed by a careful fingering through the fly bins, upon which the customer might pick out a handful of feathery creations.  Otherwise he decides he actually needn't buy flies to go fishing, and saunters off sheepishly, presumably to return, or rather bag some Carolinian trout with the aid of his bare hands or a net, plopping me right back where I started as a helpless fish bum, totally led on.

    "Oh well, I'll just go talk to Jeff or Dave or something," I'd think.

    Jeff is usually doing something like his job, and there is typically a customer waiting to be asked "Hey, there!  Anything I can help you with?"  I quickly learned that we don't actually get paid to talk to other associates and managers, or go fishing (I might add).  As associates, Jeff or new-to-fly-fishing associate Dave were technically doing their job by talking to me for an hour or more at a time when I was a customer, but not any longer!

    So I'd tether myself to another inquisitive customer in a pathetic attempt to suppress the calling out that comes in a steady stream from the feathered back wall.

    (Slight) exaggeration aside, working at Orvis is a pleasure, and something that I feel suits me quite well.  In fact, healing came in realizing that the job is really quite similar to any other pursuit.  With every person that walks in the door, there is another conversation to be started and puzzle to be solved.  There is no way to be sure who can be sold a product and who can't.  You can't judge a book by its cover; and you can't let your guard down.  Staying alert and always willing to help will in the end sell the most product.

    Most of the questions faced by associates on a daily basis are in regard to store inventory--more specifically, the clothing inventory.  Thus, the first hurdle I had to make as a newbie was in taking in all of the products contained by the front chunk of the store previously unbeknownst to me.  Even in the sporting section, the store contains a variety of products that I was unaware of, if only because I do not personally use them or had not seen them on the shelves I normally scoured.  So I quickly found that spending my free time reading labels, trying clothes on, and memorizing product locations and specs payed dividends.

    Still, there are times, as a new associate, when a customer makes a request that I cannot readily fill.  In such a case it pays to be an enthusiastic team player.  I quickly realized that even the most obscure of inquiries are typically not one-time requests.  Asking a senior team member for help and guidance, and being diligent in understanding the process required to solve the problem, is the most effective recipe for growth.

Access to countless rods makes getting in that half hour of casting practice per day easy!

     However, when a fishing customer does enter the store (and they are willing to listen to an 18-year-old kid), a unique opportunity to teach arises.  As an outdoor columnist and feature writer, this comes rather naturally; and having spent almost all of my life as an outdoorsman waving a long rod doesn't hurt when it comes to knowledge and experience, though I don't claim a lifetime of it.

    Undoubtedly the most joy that comes from the job is in helping kids my age who are new to fly fishing.  In fact, I've made friends through the store, who either live in Charlottesville or go to a college close to Emory & Henry, which I will attend in January.

    That sentiment comes almost hesitantly with regard to the value of the associate discount, which cannot be appreciated enough--definitely not in the mind of a college-aged, fish bum of an associate who spends almost all his money on gas, fly tying materials, fishing gear, and Aquaseal.  Thus, you can be rest assured that my last day (today) will be preluded by a shopping spree in and around that beloved back wall.

    With that, I sum up my first stint as a seasonal employee of The Orvis Company, and conclude the raddest resignation letter that Jeff Greendyk has ever received.  Thanks go to The Orvis Company and Jeff for the opportunity for employment, and for entertaining my obsession since birth.

    Cheers, tight lines, and happy hunting!□

    Matthew Reilly

SG-20: THE BEST NEW PRODUCT FOR KEEPING YOU DRY AND WARM

Two years ago, the second column of the new year was the result of a New Years Day field testing of my new chest waders, entitled "Dressing For a Winter Wade."  Despite the tips offered in that write-up, the most vital step in keeping dry and warm is in regularly checking for and repairing holes, gashes, and thin spots in your waders; and the best preventative measure to take is to own a waterproof sealant that you are confident in.  For me, SG-20 has become that product. 

    SG-20 is an adhesives company that has provided quality, innovative products to the automobile and veterinary industries for more than 20 years.  Now, outdoors enthusiasts will be excited to learn that their most recent project marries a legacy of industrial strength and dependability to recreational applications.

    Recommended for use on neoprene, rubber, canvas, nylon, felt soles, wood, aluminum, steel, polyurethane, cotton, and Gore-Tex® and other breathable fabrics, the new SG-20 is an invaluable tool to all outdoor enthusiasts who expect long life from their gear, as I do.  The product sets in one minute, and is watertight, flexible, and ready for field use within one hour, even on damp surfaces—freshwater or salt.

    Earlier this year, I got my hands on a kit to field test for myself.  I can now say with the utmost confidence that this product is the best sealant I have seen or used—worlds stronger and longer-lasting than the favorite, Aquaseal—and a stronger, easier-to-use, and more versatile adhesive than the common industry favorites.

    My first application involved a pair of seasoned felt-soled wading boots almost totally separated where the rubber midsole meets the the fabric foot liner—trashed after a weekend of garage cleaning.  A zig-zagged bead of SG-20 adhesive along the separation and a minute of constant pressure bonded the two materials and restored the boot’s value.

    My favorite pair of wading boots, a pair of Korkers—a brand featuring interchangeable soles, allowing anglers to utilize the different gripping potentials of felt, rubber, and studs with the same shoe—became my next target.  The plastic button glued into the back of the heel, where a tab on the heel of the snap-in soles secures the sole to the boot, had broken away several months ago, and I was unable to reliably repair it with another adhesive.  A puddle of SG-20 squeezed into the original hole and surrounding the button secured it to the point where I could pull on it with all my strength and not move it.  I have since worn the boots in icy water, tropical climates, and warm saltwater.  The bond remains strong as ever!

    This recommendation comes from someone who is extremely rough on their gear almost every day, yet cannot afford to replace it at a moment’s notice.  Check out SG-20.com and try out this new product for yourself this winter against leaky waders, boots, raingear, and more!□