The Scott Sector Saltwater Fly Rod: Video
Why discontinue one of the best selling fly rods ever made?
If you’re Jim Bartschi, the answer is, because you can make it better. A lot of anglers were stunned when they learned that the Scott Meridian was being discontinued, myself among them. The Meridian was such a leap forward in fly rod design that it seemed destined to be with us for many years. Scott is not quick to rush new rods to market, so I knew there had to be a reason the new Sectoe was being fast-tracked.
By all accounts, I was right. I have to be honest, because of my recent illness, I have not touched a fly rod since June so I have not cast a Sector. Justin Pickett has though and he can’t stop talking about it. The Sector has two new design features. One is new components and the other new materials. Both bring new technology to the world of rod design.
MOST ROD COMPANIES WOULD KEEP PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGIES UNDER WRAPS BUT SURPRISINGLY JIM EXPLAINS THEM IN GREAT DETAIL IN THIS VIDEO.
Read More »Eye Surgery Update, Good News!
I’m two months past my last surgery and I have a lot to be thankful for.
First, I should tell you that I have lost what little sense of time I had to begin with. It feels like way more than two months, but Sept 26 was the date of my last surgery. I saw my doctor this morning and he is very happy with how I am healing. There is still some ground to cover and a bit of uncertainty, but for those who are following, here’s where I am.
I do have some PVR scar tissue from my last surgery but it is far less severe than what formed after the previous surgery. It has caused some small tears in my retina, but both the tears and the scar tissue are outside of my field of vision. That is itself unusual and a function of the size of my eyes. I have learned that my eyes are exactly twice the size of a normal eye. You know what they say? Big eyes, thick glasses.
The good news is that the laser work done in the last surgery is holding well and containing the problem. My doctor does not think I am at risk of my macula detaching again. That is great news! Keeping the macula attached is the real goal of all of this. My vision will not be good, maybe 20/200, in my right eye but if the macula we not to stay attached, the eye would have to be removed. The odds seem very high that we are winning that battle. Please knock wood with me!
The plan is to let the eye continue to heal and the scar tissue mature for about another sixty days. At that point I will have a laser procedure, which will not involve an incision, to reinforce the area where the tears have occurred. We will then monitor the healing, and if everything goes really well, I will have one more surgery to remove the oil put in my eye to support the retina, and clean up some issues left over from my first retina surgery. Both minor issues, but real surgery with real recovery time.
If all of that goes perfectly, I could be done as early as spring and move on with my life. I know that sounds like a lot but the average number of surgeries for my condition is more like six to eight. That puts me way below average, again, if all goes well. That’s the best news we’ve had and Kathy and I are both thrilled.
I have saved the best news for last.
Read More »Bonefishing: Getting Ready to Fish: Video
By Louis Cahill
Effective bone fishing is about making a clean shot every time.
You can’t do that unless you are methodical about the details. I can tell you, almost to an angler, who is going to catch fish and who isn’t. just by watching them get ready to fish. The preparations you make when you step onto the bow, more than anything else, will dictate your success, or failure. It’s worth taking the time to get it right, every time.
IN THIS VIDEO I SHOW YOU HOW I GET READY TO CATCH A BONEFISH.
Read More »Absolute Leader and Tippet From Scientific Anglers: Video
New SA Absolute leader and tippet boasts the best wet knot strength in the business. The new Absolute leader and tippet from SA is more than new material. It’s material plus information, working together to make a positive connection to your next trophy. Jeff McGawan, of Scientific Anglers, helps explain what’s new and how to use the new color coded packaging. Watch the video for all the details on the new Absolute leader and tippet from SA. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Split-Shot Placement For Your Tandem Nymph Rigs
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE SAYING, “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD NYMPH FISHERMAN AND A POOR NYMPH FISHERMAN IS KNOWING WHEN TO ADD ONE MORE SPLIT-SHOT TO YOUR RIG”?
If your nymphs aren’t getting down in the strike zone, you’re going to be missing a lot of bites. I know this sounds super obvious, but I see anglers all the time nymphing water with far too little weight on there nymph rig. Its often the only reason they’re not getting bites, so don’t be afraid to pile the weight on if you think your nymphs aren’t running deep enough.
So now that you understand you always need to have enough split-shot on your rig to get your flies down in the strike zone, now let’s talk about split-shot placement? I get asked the question all the time whether anglers should place there split-shot above there tandem nymphs or between them. Both can be the right choice depending on the type of water your fishing and the specific tandem nymph rig (fly patterns) your fishing. Below are a few examples when I place my split-shot in different locations in my tandem nymph rig.
Situations Where I Place Split-Shot Between my Tandem Nymphs
1. Big weighted lead fly with unweighted dropper 20-24″ apart.
When you’re fishing a trough for example with fast moving water and you see your dropper nymph riding up high above your lead fly during your drift, place split-shot in between the nymphs to ensure both of your fly patterns will be getting down in the strike zone. This especially holds true when your dropper nymph is beadless, lightly weighted with lead wraps, or 100% unweighted.
2. Both Nymphs are beadless or Lightly-weighted 18-24″ apart
Believe it or not, I have days where beadless nymphs are the ticket to getting consistent hookups,
New Simms G4 Waders: Video
The new 2019 G4 waders from Simms feature new materials and features.
Sporting a new Gore-Tex material the 2019 G4 Wader is lighter, stronger and more comfortable. The new bootie design keeps your feet warmer while you’re busy looking cool. It’s hard to believe that Simms made my favorite wader better!
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TO LEARN ABOUT THE NEW SIMMS G4 WADER!
Read More »Orvis H3 Artist Series: Video
These limited edition Helios 3 fly rods are literally works of art. This is one of the coolest things I’ve seen from a fly rod manufacturer. Each of these limited edition H3 fly rods sports a grip that artist and Orvis endorsed guide Tim Johnson has turned into a one of a kind work of art. Each H3 905F has a brown trout burned into the grip while back H3 908D bares a hand burned bonefish. Since they are all hand illustrated, each is unique and stunning. Orvis is releasing 300 5 weights and only 200 8 weights. They are available immediately and will surely go fast. Watch the video and see Tim Johnson hand burning an H3 for you! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Johnny’s Shark
A perfect cast right on the big shark’s nose gets nothing but a sniff and a refusal.
In a low and stoic voice the guide says, “the fish ain’t gonna eat if he don’t smell blood”. Johnny Spilane gives him a hard look, takes his fly from the water and jams the hook into his hand, then squeezes the blood onto his fly. The shark follows the fly almost to the boat, then charges and cuts left. We all thought it ate the fly. Maybe it did, and didn’t stick. Our guide was glad because he didn’t want to spend all day landing it. There were plenty of bonefish to catch but some people just aren’t happy doing what everyone else wants to do. That’s Johnny, and that’s why he brought three silver medals back from the Vancouver Olympics. It’s also why he’s a great fisherman.
WATCH THE VIDEO!
Read More »Eye Surgery Update: So Far So Good
It’s way too early to call my last surgery a win, but for now, all the news is good.
It’s been five weeks since my last surgery and as of my last checkup we are all encouraged. I don’t want to oversell. I could get bad news any time but it will be the end of the year, at the earliest, before we can call it a success. To help readers understand, I’m going to get into some details about my condition. Please pardon me but I do have friends looking for updates.
I will talk a little about what’s coming up at G&G, so feel free to scroll down to that.
After my first retinal detachment surgery I developed a condition called PVR, short for proliferative vitreoretinopathy. In cases of PVR, excessive scar tissue forms between the retina and the eye. As that scar tissue matures, it pulls the retina like a scab might pull the skin nearby, until it detaches the retina again. In my case, the retina tore in four places and completely detached.
This second detachment was far worse than the first. The combination of permanent scar tissue, holes in the retina, and a detached macula mean that, even if the surgery is successful, the vision in that eye will never be good. Legally blind is about the best I can hope for. That sounds worse than it is. I have one good eye and enough vision in the other to have some depth perception, and that’s huge.
The problem with PVR is that it’s persistent. Most PVR patients have from three to eight surgeries before things are resolved and with each additional surgery the quality of the outcome gets poorer. The best case is poor vision, the worst is removal of the eye. I understand that second option is extremely painful and I think I’m a long way from that.
SO HERE’S WHAT RECOVERY LOOKS LIKE.
There are two stages to the recovery. The first six weeks we are just looking for the reattachment to hold. That looks really good right now. The second stage is a ninety day timeline where we are waiting to see if the PVR comes back and detaches the retina again. Because the scar tissue from the first round of PVR is permanent, that part of the retina is more prone to detaching again. If it looks like that is going to happen, the option is to go back in and cut away the affected part of the retina. Of course, that leaves black spots in my vision. That’s not great, and let’s hope it doesn’t happen, but the priority is keeping the macula attached. If the macula does not stay attached, the brain sees the eye as dead and will start trying to get rid of it. The only tool it has to do that is pain.
As of now there is some new PVR in my retina, but it’s not bad. My doctor
Read More »Fly Fishing Lights at Night
It’s long been known by fishermen, that bright lights shining on the water at night create fishing hotspots.
The lights attract plankton, which in turn, attracts the baitfish and other food sources that feed on them. Once you’ve got a good concentration of forage food hanging around the lights, it doesn’t take long before the larger predatory gamefish move in and begin making a feeding frenzy of the situation at hand. Using the lights as a perfect tool to coax and gather the food into a small area and the cover of darkness as camouflage, predatory gamefish will take turns darting into the light with mouths open to pack their bellies full. This feeding scenario reminds me very much of the relationship I have with my refrigerator. When I wake up in the middle of the night with my stomach growling, I know exactly where I need to head to get my quick food fix. The relationship gamefish have with lights on the water at night is no different. When available, gamefish will regularly utilize lights to locate and ambush food under the cover of darkness. Fly fisherman should always take the time to locate and fish lights on their home waters, because they will almost always provide consistent action.
If you randomly asked one of your fellow fly fisherman about targeting lights at night, they’d probably respond with success stories about either fishing lighted piers in saltwater or boat docks on freshwater lake impoundments. These are by far, the two most popular places fisherman prefer to utilize lights shining on the water at night, but it’s not the only places we should look. Fishing lights for trout don’t come up in conversation nearly as often, but where they are available, their equally productive. Notice the
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