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. We worked our way upstream fishing that beetle in several more spots just like the one that produced the big rainbow, but it produced no take, not even a single follow. We eventually snipped off the dry and were forced to fish subsurface again to resume catching fish. Next time you see a random rise on the river and you’re rigged up with nymphs, I don’t care how horrible the dry fly conditions are, listen to what the fish is trying to tell you and tie on a dry fly. Doing so, you may experience the same success we did. It doesn’t work all the time, but more times than not.
Examples of fish language
Read More »Camera Care in Saltwater
My cameras take a beating. On a trip to the Deschutes I dunked my Nikon D300s so badly that when I took the lens off, water poured out of the body. I was sure it was done but I pulled the battery out and set it in the sun and after a few hours it came back to life. The lens needed repair but the body seems fine.
I’m not recommending that you take your camera for a swim but good quality DSLRs like Nikons and Canons will take a lot of punishment. The one thing they can not take is salt water. I got away with a little dunk in the Deschutes but the salt spray and even the air in the Keys or the Bahamas can be deadly.
When I’m working around salt water I take great pains cleaning my gear.
You Can Be In The 10% Of Steelheaders Who Catch 90% Of The Fish
YOU’VE HEARD THE OLD ADAGE; 10% OF THE FISHERMEN CATCH 90% OF THE FISH.
I had a client ask me just the other day if I believed in that. “Absolutely” was my response. He then asked how many days would he have to spend with me to be in that 10%. I laughed and told him he already was. Simply by going with a guide you are likely in that 10%. But many aren’t fortunate enough to afford fishing with guides. So what is it that makes those 10% catch so many more fish than the other 90%?
In regards to swinging flies for steelhead there are three key things I have noticed that directly equate to success.
Being in the right place at the right time:
Of course fishing the right river, in the right month, and concentrating in the runs that are the best holding water will maximize your odds. Which holding water is best, changes with the seasons and as the river levels and conditions change. Concentrate your efforts in the best spots or section within the run.
Some big runs are great, but fishing them top to bottom could take several hours. Is that the best use of your fishing time? Some spots fish well in the morning, some fish well in the evening and some fish well midday.
In general, steelhead bite best when they are holding and fresh. Bumps in the water level and low light causes them to move and travel. Dropping water levels and bright light causes them to hold. Experience tells you where and when you’ll find them.
For beginners, swing your fly in water that is walking speed and 2-6ft deep with structure. For no apparent reason steelhead like certain runs and holds, and others that look good they don’t seem to like. So fish good looking water, but if it doesn’t yield results after several trips you might want to try elsewhere. Play your odds, don’t waste time fishing where they aren’t likely to be.
Maximizing the time your fly is in the water:
Efficient casting keeps your fly in the water where it could get eaten. When you are struggling with your cast it’s easy to keep recasting over and over because you’re not satisfied with your cast. Or to start the next cast before the swing is completed because you are anxious to correct casting mistakes.
The better your cast, the more time your fly will have to fish. A long cast often doesn’t increase your fly’s fishing time, especially not if
Read More »Small Flies For Big Steelhead
“Most people think, to catch a big fish you have to tie on a Woolly Bugger.” – Christopher Guest
Every year some fly fishing magazine publishes an article about fishing small flies for big fish. The quote above, from Christopher Guest’s 2000 film “Best In Show,” cracked me up because I had read the article in Fly Fisherman that he went on to quote word for word. If you are not familiar with the film, I highly recommend it.
I wouldn’t say it’s news that small flies catch big fish. Of course, big flies catch big fish, too, and an effective angler is the one who knows how to match the size of their fly to the conditions. Fly size alone is not a guarantee of catching fish, large or small. When it comes to summer steelhead, there are some pretty good reasons to consider sizing down.
It’s pretty well documented that summer run fish will eat flies who’s size might be more associated with resident trout. There are plenty of theories about why that is. I’m a pragmatist, and I think it’s likely they eat them for the same reason the trout do. Because they more accurately resemble what the fish see around them.
Fishing a big squid pattern to a winter fish, who has likely only been in fresh water for a day or two makes sense. Summer fish spend months in the river. They wouldn’t have seen a lot of squid around but they are likely seeing a lot of aquatic insects in the size 4-8 range. Unlike trout, the steelhead is not feeding, but it would be foolish to think that flies are the only thing they are snapping at. For whatever reason they bite, they bite what’s at hand, so imitation makes sense.
Small flies, especially on a floating line, are a pleasure to cast, which is reason enough to give them a try. The main reason I like fishing these flies on a floating line is the way
Read More »A Closer Look / The Large Mouth Bass
I’M GUILTY.
I have called them ugly fish. I have shown a lack of interest in bass largely due to their color palette. Then, just the other day I noticed the fin on this large mouth.
I’m a big enough man to admit when I’m wrong.
Read More »The Permit Story
By Louis Cahill
Stop me if you’ve heard this one, and if you’ve spent any time fly fishing salt water, you have.
I was talking with my buddy Bruce Chard yesterday. Thank God for living vicariously through my friends! Since I’ve been dealing with multiple eye surgeries, I haven’t touched a fly rod in five months. I haven’t been five days without casting a rod in twenty years, so I’m losing my mind and talking fishing with my friends is the only thing that keeps me going.
My buddy Scott had just sent me a photo of a friend of his with a huge permit. He was holding the rod, holding the permit and grinning like a cheshire cat, was Bruce. Just by chance, Bruce called me with in the hour, so I had to get the story. The story was not only familiar but a little disheartening.
This guy had never fly fished. He was in the keys visiting family and his brother-in-law had Bruce booked for the week and gave one of his days to this guy and his wife. Bruce poled them around a little and when they started losing interest, he took them to some nice spots to snorkel and picnic. I’m sure they had a blast but it makes me want to bang my head on the wall. You booked one of the best flats guides on the planet to take you snorkeling? OK.
“We’ve got about an hour left,” Bruce told them, “Why don’t we go check out this permit flat.”
Bruce was thinking he’d at least do a little scouting for the next day when he would be fishing his client who generously offered his day to these folks. A guy deserves a permit after such a gesture, right?
Bruce poles up on the flat and, as soon as they are ready to fish, he sees a permit swimming right to the boat from six O’clock. Not an ideal shot and no time to turn the boat.
“Throw that thing out as far as you can behind the boat,”
Read More »The Errant Cast
Why do we do that?
While on our latest fishing trip I brought up a rather interesting subject that I just don’t get.It was windy. Like 20-30mph windy. And to add insult, the wind was blowing right into my casting shoulder. I had just made a shitty backcast and knew that it would only translate into a shitty cast, likely causing the fly to tag me along its way. Even with this thought working through the innards of my mind I still ripped a double hauled cast that Steve Rajeff would be proud of, sending the fly screaming into my back. Shit Damn Piss! Seriously?! The streamer was stuck in the back of my shirt, and as Louis removed it, I posed the question… Why do we do that? We know when we’ve made a crappy backcast, and we know that when we follow through on our forward stroke that it’s going to be a horrible cast, and possibly inflict pain. So why the hell do we still make the damn cast?!
IN MY ENTIRE CAREER, I CAN’T THINK OF ONE TIME I MADE A JACKED-UP BACKCAST AND THEN DECIDED TO ABORT IT BECAUSE I KNEW THE OUTCOME WOULD LIKELY BE LESS THAN DESIRABLE.
Instead I just keep on trucking and hope the “chuck n’ duck” will suffice.
I mean, I’ve been brought to my knees from these errant casts. One of the worst occurred on a windy day at a local pond. I was fishing a #2 Clouser Deep Minnow. You know… the one with large, lead eyes and a big stainless steel hook. The wind was blowing right into my right shoulder at a pretty good clip. I made my backcast… Nope, no bueno. As I completed this totally awesome cast, this Clouser proceeded to rip
Cuda Up in My Grill
By Kent Klewein
JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS I’M SUPER PROUD OF MY NEW SLIM AND TRIM STATUS.
Louis has been on me a while now to drop some serious LB’s. I’ve really been stacking them on from my wife’s fantastic cooking. He says there’s a reason he doesn’t take photos of me anymore, and I really can’t blame him 🙂
Unfortunately, I’ve not lost the weight in reality. I ran across these two photos from four years ago, fishing down in the Florida Keys with Capt. Joel Dickey. He guided me to this behemoth barracuda on the fly. To this date, it’s probably one of my most memorable saltwater moments I’ve experienced on the flats. The take and battle were epic, particularly since my arms were already complete jello from the prior twenty minutes of stripping hand over fist as fast my arms would go.
Numerous barracuda prior had given us promising chases but as they so often do, they let off the gas and lose interest at the last second. About the time I was ready to yell uncle, Joel shouted in his famous southern accent, “DUDE, look at that giant cuda at two 0’clock”. I some how managed to lay out a good cast, and I was about five strips into my retrieve when this guy hammered the fly and took off faster than I’ve ever witnessed a fish swim. That’s when the “shit hit the fan”. Before I could transition from holding the fly line to the fly rod, that barracuda burnt the hell out of my hands from the fly line shooting across my palms and through the rod guides at fifty miles and hour. I’d wear that fly line brand across both my palms for the next two weeks.
But what really made this fish memorable was
Read More »Getting Sharper Photos In Low Light
IT’S NO COINCIDENCE THAT WHEN THE LIGHT GETS PRETTY, IT ALSO GETS LOWER.
That is to say that like low water, there just isn’t much of it. Those early morning and late evening shots are beautiful but challenging. Low light means slow shutter speeds and, all too often, blurred photos. Here are some tricks I use to help beat the blur.
Check your ISO
Formerly known as ASA, the ISO setting on your camera adjusts the sensor’s sensitivity to light. Some cameras are capable of adjusting their own ISO. If yours is not, you will get better results by adjusting this setting for the existing light conditions. If you are in bright sun, a low ISO setting like 100-200 will give you sharper images with less noise. If you are in low light like dusk, a higher ISO like 400-800 will give you faster shutter speeds and minimize camera shake. Some high end DSLRs get good results as high as 3200. When you start using your ISO setting, it is important not to forget to readjust when conditions change. Eventually it will become second nature.
Use a fast aperture
The aperture, or F stop, controls how much light the lens allows into the camera. Faster, or wider, apertures (the ones with the lower numbers like 2.8) let in more light and allow higher shutter speeds. When light is low it’s best to select a faster aperture but be aware that your depth of field will be reduced. Pay close attention to your focus, you may have to choose what part of the scene you want tack sharp.
Get a good grip
The way you hold your fly rod effects you casting, right? The way you hold your camera matters too. Most people never stop to think about it but I remember being taught in school the proper grip for a camera. First off, all SLRs are right handed. If you’re left- handed, you will just have to get used to it. To properly support the camera, your left hand should be positioned palm-up and level and the camera — whether oriented horizontally or vertically — rests in your palm. Your left thumb and index finger curl up to the lens to operate zoom and focus features. Most cameras have an ergonomic grip on the right side that leaves your index finger ready for the shutter release, and thumb free for the adjustment wheel. Let the left hand support the weight of the camera. With large telephoto lenses it may be necessary to move your left hand forward under the lens for balance. With a good grip you will have a steadier camera and sharper photos. You will also be prepared to act fast when opportunity presents itself.
Know what you can hold
Hand holding a camera at slower shutter speeds is tricky and your lens choice makes a big difference in how slow you can go. Longer focal lengths require faster shutter speeds. Ever look through binoculars and notice how shaky the image is? The same thing is going on in your camera. Fortunately there is an easy rule of thumb to help you select a shutter speed. Look for the shutter speed with a denominator as close as possible to the focal length of your lens. So the average person can hand hold a 24mm lens at 1/30 of a second or a 300mm lens at 1/250 of a second or a 50mm lens at 1/60. These are averages, you may get by with a little more or less. Experience will tell you.
Get grounded
When you are trying to hold a camera steady you need a good stance. Be sure your footing is solid and relaxed. Don’t try to perch on rocks in fast current. When possible make three point contact by leaning against a tree or other stationary object. Kneeling can help too by taking your knees out of the equation. Don’t be afraid to
Fly Fishing Bass Ponds – 101
Believe it or not, I’ve probably spent just as much time fly fishing on bass ponds in my life than I’ve spent traveling around chasing trout.
Fishing farm ponds is where I originally found my love for fly fishing. From 5th grade until I graduated high school, my daily afternoon routine consisted of dropping off my backpack, and picking up a fly rod until the dinner bell rang. I was religious about it, and many that new me may even argue I was a little OCD. Looking back on it all now, there’s a good chance I was, but it’s all good because it molded me into the angler I am today. That’s why, when I look back on those childhood memories or find myself randomly driving by one of those small 2-acre ponds, I pay my respects and give thanks.
Fly fishing for bass on ponds is a great way to get into the sport. There’s usually plenty of fish, and you always stand a good chance at catching them. One of the greatest things about ponds in my opinion, is that most of them are small enough to fish their entirety from the bank. And the smaller the piece of water you’re fishing, the easier it is to locate fish. If you don’t agree, go out on a big public lake, and you’ll quickly understand what a bonus this is for an angler.
The eight years and thousands of hours I spent fly fishing bass ponds growing up, I learned a great deal about fishing them. Below is a list of tips that I’d like to pass on in the hopes it will help others find success.
1. Casting parallel to the bank allows you to quickly locate where the fish are holding and feeding.
It didn’t take me long fishing ponds to figure out the best method for consistently catching fish was casting my flies parallel to the banks of ponds. The reason it’s so effective is because it allows you to cover water systematically and thoroughly. Furthermore, when you cast parallel to the bank you can follow your fly with the natural contours of the pond, work it along edges and keep your flies in similar water throughout your retrieve. Instead of spending your time casting out into deep water and working your flies back to you, start out casting your flies just off the bank, then slowly working your parallel casts outward into deeper water. Doing so, you’ll be able to locate where the majority of the fish are located and feeding, eliminate unproductive water and concentrate your efforts and first casts in the hot zones.
2. Bass are just like trout, in the fact that they go where the most food is located.
Warmwater species of fish are very similar to trout, in the fact that they spend most of their life span staying close to their food sources. The majority of the food found in ponds is located in close proximity to the banks. This is even more true when your fly fishing on ponds that lack lots of cover and structure. If you take the time to look along the banks, you’ll find bream and juvenile bass, newly hatched fry, frogs and tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs and crayfish. All of these species use the banks and it’s vegetation in and out of the water for cover and safety. If they venture out into open water, they know their sitting ducks for predators. Bass use two methods for foraging on their food sources. They either set up stationary in ambush spots close to cover or structure awaiting prey, or they stay on the move, slowly patrolling the waters where the majority of their food sources are located. The key here, is to have a strategy with your presentations. Don’t randomly cast your flies around the pond.
3. Bass can be spooky just like trout.
A lot of novice fly anglers seem to think bass pay little attention to their safety and feed with total abandon. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Maintaining stealth during your approach and your presentations can often determine whether or not you find success on ponds. Move slowly and quietly at all times, and make your