Top Ten terrestrial patterns
By Johnny Spillane
THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN FISHING TERRESTRIALS!
I know Kent was just gushing over his love for terrestrial fishing a few weeks back so we thought we would do a second installment of top ten flies. This week we are going to pick our top 10 favorite western terrestrial patterns. Ants, beetles, hoppers, cicadas, crickets you name it, if it crawls on the land and falls in the water, fish eat them. It didn’t seem fair to compare a hopper to an ant to a cicada so these are our favorites in no particular order. Let us know what you think and send us your favorites!
Carl’s Cicada
Cicada’s are one of the best “hatches” to fish when you hit it at the right. During the first few days of seeing them, you will find the biggest fish in the river up on the surface crushing them. Carl’s Cicada was developed on the Green River below flaming Gorge and has been putting fish in guides boats down there for a long time. It can also double as a big beetle pattern.
TIMMY’S HOPPINDICATOR
It’s a hopper, no wait, it’s an indicator. Hoppindicators are great for a few reasons. As the name implies, you can fish it alone as a hopper or you can drop a reasonable heavy nymph without sinking it. It’s got big old googly eyes and holds up even after catching a bunch of fish.
POWER ANT
Its an ant with a little pizzazz.
6 Easy Tips to Help Fly Anglers Catch Educated Trout
Back in 2012, I wrote an article titled “The Best Way to Improve Your Trout Game” which talked about how beneficial it was for fly fishermen to not shy away from fishing technical trout water. And that the increased challenges of such water was one of the best ways for anglers to take their fly fishing skills to the next level. Today’s article is sort of going to be a complimentary piece that falls into the same category. Specifically, I’m going to provide 6 easy tips that fly anglers of all skill levels can use to help them be more effective at catching educated trout.
Read More »Buying US-Made Fly fishing Gear Helps US Fisheries
DID YOU KNOW THAT 10% OF THAT NEW FLY REEL GOES TO SUPPORT FISHERIES?
It’s true. Thanks to the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 and the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950, a 10% excise tax on all hunting and fishing equipment goes into a trust fund to support fish and wildlife management.
The US public lands and the opportunities they offer to hunters and anglers are unmatched in most countries. If you are an American angler, a short conversation with European anglers will leave you thanking you lucky stars you were born in the US of A. Our public lands and National Parks are the finest anywhere but we too often take them for granted.
The hidden engine behind our fish and wildlife management is this 10% tax. It has brought species like white tail deer and turkey back from the brink and puts fish on your fly regularly. I know taxes are a hot button subject and I’m not looking to start a political debate so let me be clear. No one wants this tax to go away. It has been a boon, not only for the sporting public but for sporting manufacturers as well.
The idea is that by creating a quality hunting and fishing experience, more people will hunt and fish and they will spend more money doing it. It’s worked very well. The numbers are better documented for hunting than fishing. Hunters spend between five and ten billion dollars a year, generating as much as $324,000,000 in management funding. Firearm manufacturers see a return on their tax investment of around 1000%! You can read more about this (HERE) (HERE) & (HERE)
It’s pretty clear that Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson have been good to both the economy and the ecology, but there is one place where they come up short. The tax is figured on
Read More »The Flies Of Our Fathers
I RECENTLY VISITED MY HOME TOWN IN VIRGINIA FOR A FUNERAL.
Although the occasion was a sad one it was the largest gathering of my family in some time and as you would expect there was a good deal of nostalgia and sharing of family stories. This got me thinking about my Grandfather. W.S. (Pete) Cahill, “Dad” to his Grandchildren, was the man who taught me to fly fish when I was eight years old. He was an icon in our family. In our community really. He was an inventor. Honest to God, that was his job. He held dozens of patents. He was a skilled machinist and, in spite of limited education, the most brilliant and creative person I have ever known. He passed away a long time ago but his home has remained in the family and my brother moved in there a few months back. I knew that he had found a box of Dad’s flies. I couldn’t resist photographing them and like most encounters with my Grandfather, I learned a few things.
I’m not suggesting that Dad was a great tyer. Fishing was a hobby and he was a workaholic. He loved to fish but seldom got the chance. His flies were utilitarian but effective and some great examples of the common wisdom of his time. My guess is that most of these were tied in the 1950s or 1960s. There are some classic wet patterns like the Royal Coachman. There are classical streamers. Maybe most interesting are stone fly nymphs that foreshadow today’s more realistic aesthetic while holding on to the art deco influences of the 1940s with their long sweeping tails and streamline design. Some are so simple you might feel silly fishing them but I feel sure they will still produce.
The materials are very different from what we use today. Hackles are much coarser. Thread is of a heavier weight. The materials all seem stiffer than what I use. There are, of coarse, no synthetics. Swiss straw is fairly common and floss ribs the bodies where you would expect wire. The colors are mostly
Read More »Fish the Amazon with Gink & Gasoline and Nomadic Waters!
By Justin Pickett
Who’s ready to chuck flies at aggressive Peacock Bass in the Amazon jungle?
We are excited to announce our newest hosted trip with Nomadic Waters! Join us September 10-18, 2021 as we travel to the Brazil interior to chase Peacock Bass throughout some of the Amazon River’s fish-filled tributaries. The Peacock Bass of the Amazon are known as some of the most aggressive, yet beautiful fish on the planet. Found on most anglers’ bucket list, they live within the watersheds of the largest, most biodiverse rainforest on our planet, making this a trip of a lifetime.
Before we go any further, I know everyone is concerned about COVID-19. You’ve got questions and Nomadic Waters has answers.
Read Nomadic Waters COVID-19 policy here: https://www.nomadicwaters.com/covid19-response
Read General terms and conditions here: https://www.nomadicwaters.com/terms-and-conditions
Over the past several years, the Nomadic Waters crew has developed a fly fishing experience that offers amenities and hospitality unrivaled by other operations in the Amazon.
Through their dedicated work they have built strong relationships and gained support from the local Amazon communities, helping grow their mothership program to become an increasingly popular fishing program that welcomes many repeat guests, and hosts, yearly. Yes, the fishing in the Amazon is amazing, but it is the attention to the finest details, professionalism, and their hard-working staff that made us choose Nomadic Waters.
Location: Uatumã River Federal Reserve, Brazil
Trip Dates: September 10-18, 2021
Price: $5500 ($5800 after April 1, 2021). A 50% non-refundable deposit will hold your spot.
Our trip will focus on the prime time of year to fish the waters of the Uatumã River and the surrounding federal reserve. September through October is the sweet spot of time when the water is low enough to bring the fish out of the deep cover, but remain deep enough to navigate our mother ship through the Uatumã’s secret channels. This area has very limited access to outsiders. In fact, Nomadic Waters is one of only three outfitters allowed inside this federally protected reserve. This means that you will be casting in water that has not been fished since the previous year’s trips, literally 365 days before. Because of this, these fish are less accustomed to being fished to, which only increases your chance of hooking up!
Being that Nomadic Waters is a mothership program, we will constantly be on the move. Fishing from top-of-the-line Bass Trackers (don’t worry, they’re setup for fly fishing!) during the day, the mothership will motor to a new location overnight. Due to this and the great size of these waters, you will always have short runs to the fishing and never see the same water twice! Throughout the week we will cover some 60 miles of river, while also exploring some of the countless lakes and lagoons along the way. The mothership is rarely more than 20 minutes away from where we are fishing, so this is a great expedition for those who might want to come back early and rest. Anglers often choose to return to the boat for lunch and a siesta in your air-conditioned suite, or in a hammock on the deck.
This is a great adventure for anglers who are looking for a complete jungle experience. We will have contact with small jungle communities throughout the trip, usually having several opportunities to visit
Read More »12 Smallmouth Bass Patterns For The Fall
Fall is one of the best times of the year for fly anglers wanting to target big smallmouth bass on reservoirs.
Particularly if the lake impoundment has good populations of shad, blueback herring, or other native baitfish. Fly fisherman fishing surface poppers and subsurface baitfish patterns to these schools of bass can be rewarded with big bronzebacks. The fall brings positive changes in fish behavior and fishing conditions from cooler air temperatures and increased rainfall. For the first time in several months, water temperatures drop significantly on reservoirs which triggers an increase in baitfish activity. Smallmouth bass counter offensively by congregating themselves into schools and driving the baitfish into shallow water where they’ll ball the bait up for easing feeding.
Smart anglers will search out smallmouth bass and the baitfish around the same spawning grounds they visited in the spring during the pre-spawn and spawn. The only difference is during the fall smallmouth bass aren’t’ spawning, they’re instead using these shallow areas of the lake to ambush and corral baitfish. Anglers should also concentrate on main lake points and flats located close to deep water, since smallmouth bass will use these areas to feed as well. It’s best to get on the lake early when the topwater bite is hot. Daylight until ten o’clock in the morning is generally the best for breaking fish, but the evening until dusk can be very good as well.
After the sun gets up
Read More »Bonefishing: No Dancing Allowed!
By Louis Cahill
This is the number one mistake I see that keeps anglers from catching bonefish.
I know it’s simple but it absolutely couldn’t be more important. I see it happen time after time. Anglers loose their shot at a bonefish and usually don’t even know why. It gets passed off with, “Man their spooky today!” or “Something ran that fish off,” when the truth is, it was you.
The sound of a careless step on the bow is enough to spook a wary bonefish. The rocking of the boat by an angler casting with locked knees will spook a fish who isn’t smart enough to find his own tail. I see it all the time.
WATCH THIS VIDEO AND I’LL SHOW YOU HOW TO KEEP IT QUIET AND CATCH MORE BONEFISH.
Read More »Tie The White Tiger
It was a windy day in November on the west side of South Andros.
My buddy Bruce Chard had tied up a fly he called the White Tiger. It was big and gaudy and orange and every time it hit the water the bonefish went crazy. We stuck so many big bones that day it was silly so when we got back to the lodge I asked Bruce to tie the White Tiger for a video. If your going bone fishing don’t go without a White Tiger.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!
Read More »The New Ross San Miguel Fly Reel
The new San Miguel fly reel from Ross is an update of a classic design.
Sometimes you can’t beat the classics. While the look and feel of the new San Miguel is all classic, there are some definite performance upgrades, like the hidden large arbor.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE NEW SAN MIGUEL.
Read More »Why All Fly Anglers Should Be Watching Their Back Cast
No fly angler should ever feel ashamed to watch his/her backcast when fly fishing. In fact, if you make a habit of consistently watching your back cast, you’ll become a much better fly caster overtime and catch a good deal more fish when you’re on the water. Just because Brad Pitt in the movie, A River Runs Through It, didn’t watch his back cast in most of the fly fishing scenes throughout the film, doesn’t mean fly anglers should follow his lead. The best fly casters in the world watch their back cast when presentations call for it. They might not do it all of the time, but they sure as heck don’t think twice about doing so, when a specific presentation calls for it.
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