Popular Post Peter Patricelli Posted January 13, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) This is in honor of Steve Schullery, who from the dawn of bulletin boards haunted the first fly fishing forums....and for the last decade...... this forum. Turns out most of my closest friends these days were met initially because of mutual fishing forum connection, and Steve is the best example. Health issues have precluded any further fishing for Steve for the past two years, but anyone who has fished with Steve is aware of his fishing-life's work of assembling a "life-list" of fish species caught.....almost 200 species,,,,,on the "Pink Wonder".......a pink and white clouser. After Steve and I began fishing together, first in Florida, then adding my him to my yearly Cape Cod group, his slow conversion work began to infiltrate our group. After last June's Cape Cod trip, I wrote Steve this letter: Hi Steve, An encounter: I was out with (guide) Josh Zacharias in the big boat and blue water and my partner was Scott, Bob Milbert's bro-in-law. At the dock Josh saw that I had the pink and white clouser rigged and I think he was already at the amused stage from seeing the same thing from others in the group in the days before. Whichever, your name came up repeatedly throughout the day. Initially, the fishing was frustrating because a stiff NW wind was blowing. We tried to go up and around the Race to get in the lee in the area of the “golfball” but it was too rough. We ended up in some shallows next to a steep gradient drop at the point of the hook. There was an endless supply of smallish schoolies....and the ever present hope for a larger fish below along the side of the chasm. In the course of the day Josh suggested and tied on for me a pattern of his several times. After 6 hours and an uncountable number of small fish I was about to call off the rest of the day, but Josh suggested we go up and take another look at the Race since the wind had been forecast to drop in the afternoon. OK, what the hell. Nothing to lose, and at least no more casting while we run. It turned out the forecast was correct and indeed the lumps had softened considerably. There were a few boats already working along the edge of the dropoff and we joined them. Ten minutes later Josh spotted working birds and breaking fish under them, with boats already racing toward them. We joined the chaos as first arriving boats put the blitz down, causing it to split and reform in open water nearby, only to attract the swarming boats again. The fish appeared to be medium schoolies and Josh hoped there were larger fish below them. Initially, we couldn't get close to the blitz itself and got nothing back from the edges. Then we spotted one of those views that takes your breath away, a very large school of very large fish moving in formation to the west at medium depth but clearly visible, so large that in fact the water over a large area had a brown tint. These were migrating fish that are generally not very hungry or responsive. They came straight at the boat and simply planed down deeper in the last 20 yards so they were not visible passing under us, but lighted up the sonar like a Christmas tree. Josh took out a gear rod with a large weighted sluggo and dropped it straight down, hooked a big fish, fought it up until he could let it hang visibly under the boat hoping to draw and/or hold fish under us. But a seal came up and took the decoy. We focused on the blitzes again since the smaller fish seemed to be following on top of the larger ones. We still hadn't had a hookup. When we finally got within casting range of a blitz Josh said, “when they're on small sand eels like this and blitzing they are very picky and I'll bet you can throw anything in there and nothing is going to touch it”. My first couple of retrieves seemed to confirm that. Then I asked, “have you tried pink and white?” Josh smiled with a coy, non-commital look. “Nooo......”. “I'll take that bet!”, and I started changing to one of two pink and whites Larry had given me the evening before. The first cast into the edge of the blitz came away without molestation, but I was able to get the next cast deeper into the school and let is sink a bit before starting the strip, hard and, fast with fear and apprehension, but only that I might NOT get et. I came tight and it was a near keeper schoolie. That started the pattern. For the next half hour we were able to repeatedly get close enough to the breaking blitz and I could see multiple fish peel off and follow the fly until one finally ate it. What was more amazing was that the other 3-4 boats throwing gear into the blitz got nothing, not even a snag. As we drifted and followed the brown-stained water westward toward Cape Cod Bay we lost most of the other boats. And as the wind was died I could cast further to get picky about where in the school I would put the fly, targeting the larger fish. Every retrieve would attract attention and get a follower, joined by others, until it seemed that the whole school had turned around. So far Scott, in the bow, had not touched a thing, even though we were able to get closer and closer to the school. After I was somewhere beyond 12-15 fish he turned in frustration and said loudly.....”I want something PINK!”. Josh was picking out a snarl in my line so I put down the rod and riffled through my pack to get the second pink and white, went to the bow, and began tying a no-slip loop knot. We were still surrounded by fish, and Josh arrived, so I handed him the uncompleted knot and rushed back to my rod. I hooked up again and after a minute, having completed the knot for Scott, Josh arrived to help me land my fish. Then we both heard grunting from the bow and looked up to see Scott solid to a fish. “First cast”, he said. Josh looked at me and simultaneously we both smiled, pointed a finger at each other, and said, “PINK!”. Edited January 13, 2022 by Peter Patricelli KidDkivahh, DeepBlue, The Fisherman and 12 others 15 https://flyfishingfotography.smugmug.com/ http://www.flyfishingfotography.com/flyfishingfotography_new_001.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitzlure14 Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) Wow, what a great story! This last fall I ran into a similar school of fish and I couldn’t get a follow! Next time I’ll try pink and white for sure. Edited January 13, 2022 by spitzlure14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCH Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 I have a lot of luck with an all pink flatwing - probably a similar size and profile to the Clouser you describe. Killer in the spring imitating spearing, really killer in the fall to imitate bay anchovy for albies. My theory is the pink stands out from the crowd. t_man7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 I've always got something pink in my flybox. Sometimes the pink & white clouser or the electric chicken (pink & chartreuse) can be the hot ticket for albies down here. Good medicine for specks too. Good story Pete. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillTop Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) Pete, I'm sorry hearing about Steve's issues. I really don't know Steve that well but the little amount I have been dealing with Steve he was a pleasure to communicate with. So many people fishing at the SOL group that it would have be nice to get together and meet some these folks. I've enjoyed his fly color and SOL threads and it made me think about my dads age where they would say about the old Ford A, you can get any fly you can color as long as you get a pink one. These were sent to me from Steve awhile back. I've saved from Steve as my "masters". HT Edited January 14, 2022 by HillTop DeepBlue, theshadow, Mallard1100 and 1 other 4 Currently have aphasia. Aphasia is a result of my head stroke causing a bleed. Happened in my Maine vacation in July (2021). Lucky me less than 1% of people get stroke aphasia. I'm making project but have been told this is easily 5 months to 1 year for this to improve. Until then hope you don't mind making sense with what I text. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooreLyonQuick Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 I remember Steve Schullery from a couple of other boards. Because of him, I started using pink in many patterns, sometimes, just a pink fluoro fiber throat on a clouser, or pink ostrich or marabou. Spotted trout seem to key on pink, especially when the water is dirty. KidDkivahh and Mallard1100 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Patricelli Posted January 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 A couple of addendums: Steve is the dude on the left side of my avatar. I have seen with my own eyes, out in the open Atlantic east of Chatham, a bass chase a very surprising sand eel out of a deep feed in 100' of water. The sand eel was trying to use the boat for cover, so I had a good, long look. The sand eel was 10-12 inches long and was an orangish PINK! I swear. It gave me an understanding of those large, long, bubblegum colored sluggos I see on offshore boats. Since Steve uses the Pink Wonder for just about everything, he gets a lot of incidental species, especially when fishing places like Florida. So far, Steve has hooked 6 big tarpon incidentally, He was in my boat, on the bow, casting to the mangrove shoreline for snook along the mouth of the Shark River in the Everglades when he connected with the sixth. I was casting from the stern and had a full cast out when all hell broke loose. The fish was 70-90#, didn't initially jump so there were a (very few) initial seconds before the gravity of the situation became apparent. The leader had a 40# bite tippet so that was not the immediate problem. The problem was that Steve only had 100 yards of backing on a 9 wt rod. Steve got cleaned as I got sorted in, fired the motor, and gave chase. So far, he has never landed any of those incidentally hooked 'poons. Don't know about you but 6 'poons incidentally, which means blind casting, for someone who lives in Michigan and only fishes tropical water (and not classic 'poon water at that) a few weeks a year....strikes me as very impressive. I've never heard of anyone fishing for 'poons with a clouser.....much less a pink and white one ......but Steve's experience strikes me as a flashing neon arrow pointing the way. Suave, Mallard1100, Bait Tailer and 1 other 4 https://flyfishingfotography.smugmug.com/ http://www.flyfishingfotography.com/flyfishingfotography_new_001.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAQ Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 I use a ton of pink for all of my saltwater fishing. (fly, spinning, conventional) Oddly, I don't use it much in fresh. Embrace American Privilege Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titleguy Posted January 17, 2022 Report Share Posted January 17, 2022 I spent April Vaca weeks on Siesta Key- my go-to fly on the beach was a pink over white clouser- yak hair, ultra hair and finally, DNA fiber. Everything on that that fly. I still use the pink over white in Maine with great success for stripers on the beach in June. I al so tied a pink & white gartside intruder style for salmon in the fall- they smash it. Finally, one of my go-to dropper flies for many years is a pink copper john in a 16 or 18. Pink & Purple... don't leave home without them. I would ******* LOVE a grave blanket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakman Posted January 17, 2022 Report Share Posted January 17, 2022 Lovely, fly fishing lore in the making. Thank you for sharing. All of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suave Posted January 18, 2022 Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 15 hours ago, titleguy said: I spent April Vaca weeks on Siesta Key- my go-to fly on the beach was a pink over white clouser- yak hair, ultra hair and finally, DNA fiber. Everything on that that fly. I still use the pink over white in Maine with great success for stripers on the beach in June. I al so tied a pink & white gartside intruder style for salmon in the fall- they smash it. Finally, one of my go-to dropper flies for many years is a pink copper john in a 16 or 18. Pink & Purple... don't leave home without them. Curious: what's a "Gartside intruder style"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titleguy Posted January 18, 2022 Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 Gartside soft hackle tied on a shank. Suave 1 I would ******* LOVE a grave blanket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suave Posted January 18, 2022 Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 Peter P., thoughtful thread. I've never met Steve S. nor, to my recollection, exchanged with him through posts on SOL (the only network on which I am active). But I've read many of his posts over the past eight years and remember them as being thoughtful, to the point and often contributing significantly to the discussion. And they left me the impression that they were written by a gentleman. JCH mentions above that he's had success with a pink flatwing. So with a tip of the hat to Steve S. and sending him a lot of positive waves, here is a simple three-feather flatwing in the color scheme of Steve'S Pink Wonder. On a #1/0 EC253 hook, about 5" long. JCH, JonC, DeepBlue and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCH Posted January 19, 2022 Report Share Posted January 19, 2022 I was thinking about this thread and it occurred to me that there are lots of different pinks. Seems like Steve (who I do not know) prefers a lighter, "shrimp pink: versus a brighter "hot pink." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suave Posted January 19, 2022 Report Share Posted January 19, 2022 Yes. Here's what he wrote in his sbs on the Pink Wonder that he posted on the April 25, 2017 thread "Hook Removal Video, including hook insertion": "light or medium pink bucktail; fluorescent is ok but not cerise". And the Pink Wonder is not a very big or long fly (3"to 3.5) as Steve ties it on a standard saltwater hook size 2 to 6. DeepBlue 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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