Saturday Shoutout / Good News From Yellowstone
Efforts to eradicate invasive lake trout and bolster the native Yellowstone Cutthroat within the park have reached a milestone.
“According to the Cody Enterprise, the ratio between the trout species is nearing 50–50, an improvement from what was previously a 90–10 domination by the predatory lake trout. Dave Sweet, a Trout Unlimited member and Yellowstone Lake special project manager, has spent the past eight and a half years working to improve cutthroat populations. He said the new findings are encouraging but also noted that there is still much to be done in reviving the native cutthroats. ” – Josh Parks, Field and Stream.
This is great news, but there’s still much to be done if the native Yellowstone Cutthroat is going to win the battle for it’s home. You can help.
CHECK OUT FIELD AND STREAM FOR, “EFFORTS TO RESTORE YELLOWSTONE LAKE CUTTHROAT PROVING SUCCESSFUL”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FIGHT AND GET INVOLVED BY VISITING, JACKSON HOLE TU
GET SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS NATIVE FISH BY WATCHING THIS VIDEO.
Read More »Innovative Fly Rods From Echo: Video
Echo usually means hearing something you’ve heard before, but not when it comes to fly rods.
The coming year is a big one for Rajeff Sports and Echo Fly Rods. There are 7 new rods in the Echo line-up and most of them are wildly different from fly rods you’ve seen before. There are some updates to proven Echo models and some rods which evolved from old favorites but there are also gems like a single hand spey model, a two-hand surf rod and an amazing fiberglass big game rod which runs all the way up to 12 weight.
You can always count on Tim Rajeff for a pleasant surprise and you can always count on Echo for fly rods that perform at a price that will make you smile.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TO SEE SOME OF THE NEW RODS FROM ECHO.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Look More and Fish Less on Small Streams
When I’m not in my drift boat on the river I’m wading fishing on small streams.
Most large rivers don’t provide much sight-fishing opportunities for the fly angler unless they have low enough flows, clear enough water or plenty of rising fish. On the contrary, almost all small streams offer great sight-fishing opportunities for fly fisherman. Fly fishing small streams over the years, I’ve learned that if I take the time to look over a spot thoroughly before I fish it, I usually have much more success. Spending just a couple minutes studying a section of water allows me to break it down into pieces, figure out where the most likely trout lies are and I often will even spot a fish or two in the process. Blind casting will catch fish, but if you’re abel to locate a trout before you begin fishing, you’ll know exactly where to position and present your fly on the first cast to give you the best shot at catching it. And that means, your chances of lining or spooking fish will drop considerably, you’ll usually be able to see if your flies are drifting in the right line or even see if
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Cosmo
Pure fly fishing madness.
Take a trip to Cosmoledo Atoll for GT, milkfish, triggerfish, yellow fin tuna and more. One of the most remote and exciting fisheries on the planet. Also one of the nicest fly fishing films I’ve seen, from the folks at Yeti.
COSMO
Read More »New Simms Headwater Pro Waders
Simms has a new, made in Bozeman, Gore-Tex wader at an attractive price.
Simms has made the Headwaters wader for some time now, so what’s new about the Headwaters Pro? Basically, Simms has stolen a lot of great design from themselves. The new Headwaters Pro wader has many of the dynamite features of the Famous G-3 wader for $100 less.
Some of the new features include:
* New patterning based on best-ever G3 Guide Stockingfoot
* New top pocket array and feature set including molle webbing and two pockets
* New lower leg with front and back center-seam (patented) and reinforcement with an additional 4th layer on lower-leg for durability.
WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE NEW HEADWATERS PRO WADER FROM SIMMS.
Read More »Bahamas Bonefishing Regulations Update
Take A Deep Breath! It’s Gonna Be Ok!
The conference room just outside of the walls of ICAST and IFTD is buzzing with chatter and anticipation of the coming announcement to be made by Rena Glinton, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries of the Bahamas. Over the past several months, numerous guides, lodges, members of the press, conservationist groups, and the everyday angler have been hearing, reading, writing, and talking about several newly proposed regulations that have been tossed around. While some of these suggested regulations have been sensible, there were some circulating that seemed downright detrimental to those that depend on fishing within Bahamaian waters. Talk of outlawing DIY anglers, removing non-Bahamian owned lodges, and only allowing native Bahamians to guide clients are just examples of some of the ideas that have come down the pipe. To say the least, this has had the fly angling world up at arms trying to make sense of it all.
As Ms. Glinton began to speak, the room fell silent and all eyes were forward. I’ve never seen a more attentive group listening to someone speak, few only glancing away for a second or two in order to jot down a note. A presidential candidate could only hope for such a fascinated group. Taking about ten minutes of her time, she explained the newly proposed version of fishing regulations that would, as is turns out, be the last version. These regulations would be the set that went into law at some date down the road. No more revisions. These rules are what will govern the fishing on the Bahamian flats.
As she began to read through the new set of regulations, I was equally pleased with what I heard, as well as what I didn’t hear. Past ideas pertaining to abolishing DIY and foreign owned lodges were nowhere in her announcement. The regulations that were presented seemed fair and could certainly have an immediate, positive impact on the fisheries. License fees were very reasonable. She even explained they were using Florida’s fishing license program as a model for their own. Multiple agencies and groups would be involved in developing a certification process for guides operating in the Bahamas, and would require all guides to complete the process prior to working with clients. There were still plenty of questions once she had concluded her announcement, however much of them just involved a little more information or elaboration on a couple of the regulations by Ms. Glinton.
Overall, everyone seemed pleased (and relieved) that these regulations seemed to be more focused on improving the conservation of the fisheries by providing a positive economic impact. I was able to talk in brief with Oliver White (Abaco Lodge) who seemed pleased with the new regulations. He spoke of it as a “great win” and surely a step in the right direction. No doubt, lodge owners’ fears of losing clients and business had gained some relief. Justin Lewis, Bahamas Initiative Manager of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, was also very pleased with the results and the funds that would be funneled into conservation efforts. I think we all wanted a little more explanation about the guide certification program, but the way I understood it, there wasn’t much information to give because the program hadn’t yet been fully developed and is likely only a concept at this time.
Here’s a list of the points that were made during the announcement by Rena Glinton:
Licenses – $15/day, $20/wk, $30/month, $60yr; Money received from the sale of licenses would be split. The platform from which anglers will purchase licenses will be online. They are using Florida’s license purchasing program as their model.
Where’s your money going? –
Bold New Fly Rods For 2017
By Louis Cahill
What a year 2017 will be for fly rod design.
I’m just back from the International Fly Tackle Dealers show in Orlando and honestly still recovering. We will be posting our in-depth video coverage soon, but for now, here’s an overview of the new fly rods coming in 2017.
I initially thought this year’s news would be a single story. Having had the opportunity to fish the new Sage X for the last couple of months, I expected there would be nothing that would come close. The X, which is very impressive, did take the honors for best freshwater fly rod, best saltwater fly rod and best in show but it was in no way a landslide. Rather than being a singularity, the X is simply one of many phenomenal new fly rods coming our way in the next year.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. I think the recent advances in fly rod design and materials will be looked back on as a great leap forward, on par with the genesis of graphite. After casting some of the new offerings, I’m even more convinced that’s true.
There are some definite trends, which are consistent across all brands. Rods are getting lighter. Shockingly light. This trend is driven in part by performance and in part by the market. Personally, I’m not concerned with what a rod weighs, except to the extent which it serves the action. In many of the new designs, however, weight is a big part of rod action. These hotrod sticks will be an interesting challenge for reel designers in coming years. We are reaching the point where balancing a rod and reel is becoming a challenge.
Another obvious, and welcome, trend is that rod actions are becoming more accessible. The X is a great example. Sage has taken advantage of their new super-fast recovering material to make a rod which bends deeper and loads easier than the One, while having a faster action. This hat trick is also immediately evident in the new G Loomis Asquith, which won my heart with the first cast.
The last thing I expected this year was
Read More »Sunday Classic / Do Bonefish Eat Popcorn?
I LOVE POPCORN CLOUDS. PUFFY, BILLOWING WHITE MARSHMALLOWS FLOATING ACROSS THE SKY.
Like huge mounds of cotton candy picking up the green, blue and gold of the flats. Nothing says, “it’s going to be a beautiful day” like popcorn clouds. Who doesn’t love them, well, bonefish actually. Popcorn clouds can be tough but you can beat the game and have a great day by fishing smart. Here are a few strategies that pay off.
Saturday Shoutout / A Search For Balance
Balance, Isn’t that what it’s all about?
When I first became aware of the rising tide of grass roots fly fishing writing on the internet, one of the first sites I found, and fell in love with was Fontinalis Rising. I’m happy, and proud, to now call Jason Tucker my friend. One of the things I enjoy most about Jason, as both a writer and a friend, is his authenticity. If you spend any time with him at all you’ll here him casually drop some simple truth and it will stick with you.
This post caught my eye. I think i like it because he has my number. Balance has never been my long suit. I’m way too fired up for that. While Jason doesn’t speak for me in this post, I think it will speak to a great many others, and might be a good lesson for us all. In fishing and in life.
CHECK OUT, A SEARCH FOR BALANCE
Read More »Sunday Classic / Listen to the Fish
Sometimes all fly fisherman need to do to find success when their not having luck is slow down, and take the time to listen to the fish.
Trout can’t speak to us in words, but they do often provide us with subtle clues from their behavior that can help us catch them. That is, if we’re paying close enough attention to pick up on them. Not long ago, I was on the water guiding one of my favorite clients during an unusually cold early fall overcast day. A cold front had rolled in the night before and it had completely shut down all bug activity on the surface. There wasn’t so much as a single midge in the air, so we opted for drifting nymphs below the surface and began catching trout. As we broke for lunch, I noticed the clouds beginning to break up and the sun starting to find its way down to the ground in spots. Refueled, we headed up to a productive bend in the river to resume our fishing. As we crept down to the waters edge, I saw a large slurp from a big fish on the surface. It came at the tail-end of the bend, from a bath tub sized spot where the sun was shining down on the water. Both of us froze in total shock and amazement. It was the first surface activity we had seen all day and we waited with anticipation to see if the big fish would rise again. A few minutes went by with nothing. I scanned the water to see if I could see what the big fish had taken on the surface, but I saw no signs of food drifting in the current.
Convinced, the big fish rise was an omen, I snipped off the nymphs, added a couple feet of tippet and tied on a big black foam beetle. I handed the rod to my client and instructed him to quietly get into position and present the beetle slightly upstream of where the big fish rose. He obliged with a perfect cast and we watched the beetle intently as it began slowly drifting through the big fish’s kitchen. Nothing happened at first, but just when both of us were about to give up on the drift, we saw a large wake heading downstream towards the beetle. Next, a huge head broke the surface with jaws wide open and the beetle was devoured. God save the queen, the hook was set and we battled the fish up and down the river for several minutes before bringing that vibrant red-striped 24″ rainbow trout to the net. That fish was absolutely beautiful but the take was even more. I’ll never forget being abel to stare down the mouth of the fish just before it chomped down on the beetle. It was a front row seat to an amazing rise that you don’t see very often.
Here’s the funny part.
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