S7, Ep 91: The Chocklett Factory: I Have Been Everywhere, Man

EPISODE SUMMARY

Guest: Blane Chocklett - Owner/Guide at The Chocklett Factory and Blue Ridge Guide Service (Blue Ridge, Virginia)

In this episode: Fly tying innovator Blane Chocklett shares his Jack Project conservation mission, reveals revolutionary new fly tying products and discusses critical menhaden management issues with ASGA. Topics include jack crevalle protection efforts, groundbreaking tying innovations and saltwater conservation battles.

Key fishing techniques covered:

• Game Changer platform flies for multiple species
• Gummy Minnow patterns for false albacore
• Articulated streamer techniques
• Flexible weighted eye applications for Clousers
• Swim bladder integration for buoyancy control

Location focus: Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina (Albie Fest), Virginia rivers, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf Coast jack fisheries

Target species: Jack crevalle, false albacore (albies), menhaden, redfish, striped bass, musky, smallmouth bass, tarpon

Equipment discussed: Flexible weighted minnow eyes, swim bladders, rattle boxes (4 sizes), spreader discs (round and oval), flexible crustacean eyes, game changers, gummy minnows, TFO rods, Ahrex hooks

Key questions answered:

• How to protect jack crevalle as gamefish species?
• What are the best fly tying innovations for easier pattern construction?
• Why does the 275 million pound annual menhaden quota overestimate matter?
• How to tie Clousers faster with flexible weighted eyes?
• What role do swim bladders play in fly design?

Best for: Intermediate to advanced anglers interested in saltwater fly fishing, fly tying innovation, conservation advocacy, game changer patterns and multi-species techniques

Marvin Cash00:00:04

Hey, folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of The Articulate Fly. And we're back with The Chocklett Factory with the man himself, Blane Chocklett. Blane, how are you?

Blane Chocklett00:00:11

I'm tired, man. How are you?

Marvin Cash00:00:13

I'm about the same. I could tell when we started talking that I don't think I've heard you this tired after several days of muskie fishing back to back.

Blane Chocklett00:00:21

Yeah, it's what, eight weeks straight of being on the road, you know, I've been on the road for eight weeks. I think I was home three days out of eight weeks and finally back. But a lot of stories, a lot of fun times. Just it's been a whirlwind, to be honest.Where did the summer go? You know?

Marvin Cash00:00:43

Yeah, it's kind of nuts.So I know you were, like, out in the Midwest and I know you most recently were down at Albifest and you want to kind of give people the 30,000 foot view of where you've been and then kind of where you're going and then we can talk about products and all kinds of other cool stuff.

Blane Chocklett00:00:57

Yeah, yeah. So I was up in the factory up in Ohio a couple times and left from there, went to Louisiana. I was down there doing the Jack project.Was able to take my family with me on that one, which was great.So we were down there for a week and came back, I think I was home for a day and a half and then went up to Indiana to do some shop demos and tie in stuff and got back from there and was home for one day and flew out to Alabama, did some more Jack Project stuff and that was a great trip too. A lot of cool stuff going on down there.And then flew home and was here for 12 hours and went down to North Carolina for the Albie Albacore Festival, which I've been doing forever. It's such a great place. And just putting as much attention on Albies and Jax as I can this year.And, you know, with that filming we're doing with the Jack Project and all, that's rewarding. But it's kept me on the road because I've been. I've been all over. I've been everywhere, man. You know how that song goes.

Marvin Cash00:02:11

Yeah, I do. And, you know, it's kind of funny, I know you're not a big fan of flying. How did the airlines treat you this time around?

Blane Chocklett00:02:19

That was good, actually. Everything was great, you know. No, no delays. Everything was smooth, you know. It's been good.Just keep my fingers crossed because I got to hit the road next week. So hopefully won't have any issues on that either. So it's just part of the game, man. Just, you know, it's crazy.You know, the Jack project this year took me everywhere from Florida, I mean South Carolina to Florida and Florida to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas.So hit all the jack spots and we got a lot of great footage on that and just telling the story of the jack and putting as many acoustic tags in them so we can start getting the science done for the research that we could give to the powers to be to make the policies and get these jacks protected. So that's just been a real goal of mine. I love jacks. I think they're one of the best game fish we have to offer. They do everything we love.They're strong, they're beautiful, they fight like crazy, they eat good. It's. There's nothing not to like.And it's important to not only recreational anglers, but the, the guides that guide for them, because people travel now all over. You know, you've heard for years about gts and going all over the world to do that.But the American gt, which is a Jack reval, is to me as important as any fish out there. And, you know, if anybody's ever targeted them or haven't, I highly recommend it. And those that have, they know how special they are.

Marvin Cash00:03:49

Yeah. And I would say too, you know, in addition to the Jack project, I've been seeing some stuff from asga. I'm in Hayden.You want to let folks know about that?

Blane Chocklett00:03:56

Yeah. So, I mean, the news came out on that. I mean, we've.In all my travels from, you know, Louisiana, I've seen the men, Aiden fleets here in the Chesapeake, the men haven fleets and, and watch the spotter planes and just seeing the devastation that happens. You know, it's. I'm not against commercial, I'm not against anybody trying to make a living, but, you know, it's.It's time that we make everything sustainable. You know, and the fact that I think the numbers came out, it was like £275 million over quota a year, which is ridiculous. I mean, they, they under.They overestimated and which was really telling you that they thought there was a lot more men hating in the ocean than what there really is. And that's a big problem. You know, that's not a number that you can really look at and say, oh, we did a great thing here.I mean, now we're like scrambling to try to protect one of the most important species that we have. I mean, there's so many animals that, you know what, from whales to birds to all the different predator fish we target depend on them.Not only that, but they're, you know, they're filter feeders. So they help clean the ocean, they help do all kinds of stuff.I mean it's a, it's that whole pyramid effect and you know, the menhaden are the beginning of it. And to be having that giant of a number, £275 million overestimated. So that, that just blows my mind.So we're trying to get as many people to sign on to try to get these regulations and you know, and the, the sad thing is, is in Louisiana, I mean if they, they block them from working on the east coast or where do you think they're going to end up going? So the big scares, they're going to all end up in the Gulf.And when that happens, I mean there, there's no quota limitations if I, if I'm speaking correctly in Louisiana. So they could just go and just, just destroy it completely down there.And you know, they did this crazy buffer line which is just, was a joke that we were totally against and they went through with it anyway thinking they were getting a win there. But I mean it was, we're talking about like, like if you look at the big picture, it's like a speck of sand difference, you know.So there's a lot of things that we're fighting with ASGA and trying to get as many people, you know, Tony and the whole team over at ASGA has been working hard on it.Unfortunately, you know, I haven't been a part of the meetings as much as I usually am because I've been on the road so much doing my part on the Jack project. But you know, I get the, the notes and all that stuff and try to read up on them as much as possible. But you know, we, we have serious problems.I mean, and it stems from menhaden to redfish being overfished and striped bass in trouble. I mean, it's, there's, there's not a lot of good signs for anything.And anywhere I go, you know, it's, it's, it's kind of depressing and it's, that's why it's becoming even more important for me to help spread the word about what's really going on and how important it is for us to use our voice. I mean, that letter to sign up on the menhaden, literally click on that link at asga. You read it, you just fill in your information.It Takes you literally one minute to do it. You click a button and your word is on print saying that it's time for real change.And instead of things, you know, backdoor agreements, you know, for special interests, those days are, they should be over. And hopefully they will be because, you know, the light's being shown a lot more in the darkness.And I'm happy to be with Asga and, and helping shine that light towards that darkness because it's, it's just a, it's ridiculous.

Marvin Cash00:08:07

Yeah. And I'll drop a link to that stuff in the show notes for folks. And you know, folks haven't been following you on Instagram.You know, you've recently dropped a ton of new goodies at the chocolate factory too, right?

Blane Chocklett00:08:18

Yes, yes, we have. It's as you know, it's stuff I've been sitting on for years and you know, where to start.You know, a lot of my stuff over the years has always been about problem solving. Something I was taught years ago by Popovics. And, you know, I just kind of went back to, you know, some of the things that I don't enjoy about tying.Like, you know, the, for instance, all the rattles that are available on the market, you know, trying to tie on a round object onto a round surface like a hook or a shank, it's a pain.So I went to the drawing board and designed my own rattles that we call the rattle box that we have in four sizes from small to, to extra large to fit a variety of size flies or whatever platform that you want to tie on. And you know, it's designed with a clip where it clips into a hook or a shank.You can just put a little bit of glue on the hook or shank before you just clip that, that rattle box on and then you just wrap over it and it's locked in, welded to the hook. And it just makes tying so much easier. The front portion has a nice slope, so you don't have that just immediate drop off.So you can create, you can continue the nice flow of whether you're using brushes or chenilles or, you know, just reverse tying with hair. It just makes the time process better. And that's that, that's.That was my whole goal in this is anything that we bring to the table is going to be unique and better for the tire and angler.And that includes, which I think is some of the biggest things are all the new flex eyes, from the flexible crustacean eyes to the flexible bug eyes that are weighted and unweighted. And then probably the.One of the most, if not the most important thing are the flexible weighted minnow eyes, which anyone that's ever tied a clauser or any dumbbell weighted eye, they know how much of a pain that is to tie in.And this really durable flexible cord that we use, you can make a couple wraps, you can put a little glue on it if you want, but a couple wraps, it just seats in because of the, the nature of the material. It doesn't slip, it just and doesn't roll and it's locked down. And the best thing about it is we have the eyes in a variety of weights and sizes.And you can time it in with brushes. And they, they set out nice and clean. And you want to do Clousers, you could do anything you want to on them.And you don't have to worry about spending a minute, a minute or so just getting all your thread wraps crisscross and glued and all that to make it hold. And then first cast, hit a rock or a dock or a cowling or the side of the boat and have the eyes break off.So those eyes are, I think, are going to be a really big deal in the fly tying arena. And like I said, I've, you know, as you know, I've had those for a long time and it's just time to release them.Um, then we have the swim bladders that we released too, which I'm gonna do a lot more talking about that here in the future about, you know, the, how important buoyancy is in flies and how it helps with keeling. It can help you set the fly to certain depths.It's not only for shallow water, but it's also for deeper water with sneaking lines to keep the fly in a certain zone. And then adding those swim bladders makes the flies swim different because it's basically like putting a balloon in a fly.And if you've ever held an airtight object underwater, force it underwater and then let it release. How it's just wobbles like crazy as it goes back up. Right. I mean, it's the same concept as that.So you're creating motion within the fly by adding these swim bladders. So that's a big deal, but I'm gonna have to explain that a little bit more. But people that know about it and I've talked to about it get it.So I'll just have to do some videos and show the swimming actions and all the different ways you can use it for not only changer platforms, but beast flies to deceivers to bass bugs, so you name it, right? Um, so that's part of it.And then of course, the, the spreader dams that I've used forever with the, you know, reverse tied body cord that I've had forever. You know, I've. It's been sitting on these, these discs and just finally had the opportunity to be able to make them.You know, I, you know, we're doing a lot of laser, laser cutting and 3D printing, and I've got a whole team doing that with Zach. And, um, so we're just systematically getting everything out as we can.And with those discs, they come in a variety of angles and sizes to create taper.So basically, in a nutshell, if you wanted to do a feather changer or a crafty changer or a polar changer or even a reverse bucktail type changer, you can just use these different size discs as you go forward to create the flow and taper and silhouette of the fly without. Without having to add a bunch of brushes underneath it to get your support.So you're basically setting your taper as you go forward, just putting a disc on there so it's tied in glued. Then you put your. A couple wraps of a, a brush or whatever material you want in front of it and just keep moving forward.So the end of the day, it allows you to tie a fly much faster. It definitely allows you to tie a changer a lot faster. I mean, it's half the time, right?So I love that, especially with when you're doing any type of veiling, type of fly. It's perfect for that type of stuff. And we have them in round sizes and oval sizes.So if you want to do a fly that's more bunker shaped or bluegill shaped, and so it's flatter sizes, flatter sides, and a taller profile from top to bottom, you know, so you can create any type of profile silhouette that you want with them. And so I'm real excited about those hitting the market. And that's just the tip of the iceberg is, you know, we've, we've.I've shared with you over the years of different things I've been wanting to get out and it's, it's now happening. So we just launched all those for now. And once we get through all that, then we've got a lot more stuff coming. So I'm excited for the future.There's a lot of cool things that, that we've been, I've been doing over the years. I'm really happy to share with the world now.

Marvin Cash00:15:08

Yeah, that's really neat. Like, I'm sitting there, you know, while you're talking, thinking about the swim bladder.And I guess one of the super cool things I can think of would be for, like, really small streamers, right.Where in the past it would have been hard to get the buoyancy, you know, because you kind of would like, I don't know, do that in a hover changer with, you know, hollow deer here. But you'd need a certain amount of it.You can actually probably really scale down your streamers and still get that, you know, hovering effect, right?

Blane Chocklett00:15:31

Yes. Yep, yep. It's. It's all those things, man.It's, it's all designed to just, just kind of just build on the, you know, the, the innovation of fly design and building on the things that other people have done over the years.And, you know, I've got a lot of bug heads and popper heads and all kinds of stuff coming out that has a lot of influence with people that, that's inspired me and that I've known over the years, like Joe Blados Crease fly. There's a little bit of Joe in there.There's a little bit of a couple people, you know, and I, I, you know, not to give it all away, but, I mean, there's a lot of neat things that it's kind of taken ideas for other people and just kind of bringing it forward to put it towards just an easier way for people to tie. And I'm excited to have that coming.Not like I said there, I need to hold out for a little bit on some stuff, but there's just so many different ideas that I've just been sitting on for a long time, and I'm just really happy to finally get them to start coming out.And a lot of these are going to be in the flies that we're selling through the chocolate factory moving forward from now and, you know, through next year, so. And we have a lot of those new patterns that will be coming out with that, too.And, you know, it's just fun just being at the Albie Fest and having two buddies down there that were in the tournament and, you know, seeing the fishery and the way it was, just the conditions were tough and the fish were up and down. It was hard to get on them. When you did, a lot of people weren't getting bites.And my buddies were using gummy minnows, which are 30 years old now, close to it, you know, and game changers.And my buddy Corey was using Most of the game changers and he ended up winning the tournament and Shane was using gummies and then switched to game changers and he came in second. So it was, that was cool to see that.And then what kind of dad would I be if I wouldn't mention that my little boy won his third youth division in the Albie Festival. So a super proud dad on that deal. And my son's over the moon. He got this great albacore trophy that he's got hung in his room now.So love that and just love seeing my son get to see the things I get to see.And it just brings me back to why I do this and why it's important to share the conservation side of this or my son gets to experience what I've seen throughout my life. I want to make sure that he gets to do that and, and his kids get to see it.You know, that's what it, that's what it's all about, sharing knowledge and just trying to conserve what we have.

Marvin Cash00:18:23

Yeah. Very, very neat. And so you're heading out here in a few days.I think if I remember correctly, you're going to be at Dakota Angler and then you know where else you're going to go. So maybe if there's some spots and some classes, people can kind of jump in and spend some time with you.

Blane Chocklett00:18:35

Yep. So I'll be there last weekend in October and I will be coming back from that and then I'll be down in Charleston doing a.Some time demos and just a shop day down there with my good friend Randy Hamilton that I've known for a long time. He now works First Shot down in Charleston.Super happy to go see my buddy Scotty and all my friends down there and just kind of teach my flies for their great red fisheries, their tarpon that they get moving in and out of there at times and their jacks and just, you know, I get to fish down South Carolina quite a bit.So I do have a good knowledge base of what to share with them and, and just share with them flies I've used when I've been down there and how I've done well with those and excited to share that. And then there's a couple other places I got to go. But one of the big things is, as you know, we've. We've lost a lot of heroes the past few years.And you know, losing Flip this year was just really tough. And he and Brian at Mad River Outfitters had a trip scheduled to Cuba and Flip was supposed to be going on that doing a documentary.And after his passing, they. They called me up to ask me if I would take his place. Not that I can or.Or even want to, but they wanted me to be there because they want to kind of just honor Flip on that trip. And there's a lot of guests that were going to go, and I was honored to be asked. And, you know.You know, I knew Flip well and thought the world of him and just being able to go to Cuba for the first time and share a lot of love about Flip with his friends and people that paid to be there with him.I know I can't make up for Flip, but I'll do my best, and hopefully we'll have a great time and, you know, just share a lot of memories about Flip and catch some fish. I know that's what he'd want us to do.

Marvin Cash00:20:46

Well, there you go.Well, I will drop links to all the chocolate factory stuff in the show notes, and, you know, hopefully, you know, our paths will cross in the Old Dominion around Thanksgiving. We'll be able to maybe have a turkey sandwich or something and maybe watch a little football.

Blane Chocklett00:21:01

That sounds good, man.

Marvin Cash00:21:02

Yeah, absolutely. Well, listen, safe travels in tight lines and tight lines, everybody.