Keeping a Buffer Between You and the Fish
Most fly anglers would agree that success in fly fishing is often determined by how well they can stay out of sight from the astute fish their trying to catch.
If your finned adversaries are able to put a bead on you (identify you as a threat), there’s a good chance they’re going to ignore your flies or even worse, run for cover. Your ability to maintain a small signature on the fish’s radar should always be high on your objective list when you’re on the water fishing. Failing to do so, you’re going to be setting yourself up for defeat before you even make your first cast. So make a point to keep a sufficient buffer between you and the fish when you’re working water, and it usually will yield you higher catch rates.
There’s several variables anglers should look at and weigh-in to determine the size of the buffer they should maintain. Fast moving riffles (choppy water), freshly stocked fish, dingy water, overcast skies or fish positioned deep in the water column, are all variables that generally shrink the size of the buffer needed by anglers. Trout in these conditions usually feel relatively comfortable and safe, and therefore you can get away with moving in order to make precise presentations. On the other hand, if you’re dealing with flat water (slow moving or calm water), crystal clear water, wild educated fish or fish holding closer to the surface, anglers should keep as large of a buffer as they can, without losing their ability to execute a good presentation and drift.
It’s important to note that I think presentation trumps the importance of a buffer altogether though. If you can’t get a good cast and presentation because you’re positioned too far away from the fish and or target zone, that will seriously decrease your ability in getting fish to eat your flies. Skill level and experience gained over time will eventually get you where you can quickly analyze the conditions on the water, and determine the correct
Read More »When In Rome…
By Jason Tucker
The saying goes “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This can be good advice, both in travel and fly fishing. In fly fishing the locals often have knowledge of local hatches, runs and quirks of the local water, knowledge that is invaluable to your success on their water. But it doesn’t always hold true.
Several years ago my brother and I went up to Nipigon to see if it still lived up to its old reputation for producing big brook trout. When we arrived, the water was low and clear (still a raging torrent) the skies were clear and blue, and high pressure seemed to put a damper on the bite.
All the local guides were singing the blues, and no one seemed to be catching fish.
We had done our research and were hucking big sculpin and smelt patterns. We did this for two days with no results. The guides launched their boats where we were camping and every morning and evening we asked them how it was going and the reply was the same—slow.
No one was catching fish including yours truly, and then I got desperate. I started fishing the flies that work for me at home—Au Sable skunks, orange and copper foam hoppers, and of all things, mice. You know what?
Read More »DIY Fly Line Loop with Step-by-Step Instructions
Most fly lines these days already come with welded loops at the ends for the easy attachment of backing and leaders. If you fish as much as I do though, eventually they get worn out and need to be replaced. Most anglers just use a standard albright knot or nail knot to fix this. It works perfectly fine, but I prefer instead to tie my own fly line loops with a fly tying bobbin and thread. Done correctly, it will provide a stronger connection to your leader than the manufacturers welded loops or knots you tie (this is important when fly fishing for big game species). The bright thread that you tie the loop with also works really well as a spotter. It comes in real handy when you’re fly fishing and you have conditions where it’s hard to keep track of your fly in the water. That bright spot on the end of your fly line provides a quick reference that your fly is a leaders length away. Below are step-by-step instructions for tying your own fly line loops.
Read More »More Eye Surgery News.
By Louis Cahill
WELL, HERE WE GO AGAIN.
I apologize for being a little self involved lately. I have posted updates because it’s the best way I have of letting friends and G&G readers know what’s up. Please bare with me. If you are not up to speed, three months ago I had surgery to repair a detached retina in my right eye. The recovery was long and complicated by scar tissue that formed under my retina, threatening to tear it loose once again.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. In spite of a great deal of caution and eleven weeks in bed, my retina tore in multiple places last Sunday. As of now, I am totally blind in my right eye. I am scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, and doctors will try to put things back together. The odds of success are not great but it’s worth a try. Hopefully they will be able to salvage something.
I’m sure this is not the news any of us were hoping for. It will mean that for the immediate future Gink and Gasoline will continue to recycle some classic content. We have been working on the selection process and there are some of my all-time favorites coming up, so I hope you will all enjoy it. I apologize for the inconvenience and that this is taking so long.
G&G will still be represented at IFTD this year. Justin Pickett and probably a few others will be doing interviews and there will be new gear videos to enjoy. We are working on some fresh content up as well. The back end of the site is complicated, and unfortunately, I am the only one who knows which buttons to push. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring someone else up to speed before long.
I appreciate all of your support and well wishes! I know this sounds awful, and plenty of it is, but I will survive this and be back in action. I have a couple of friends who catch plenty of bonefish with one eye. This is just a little speed bump, and maybe a reminder that I sometimes take on a little too much. I am certainly learning to slow down. LOL! Way down.
You will not hear from me for a while, but stay tuned here at G&G. Theres lots of great stories, articles and videos coming up. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued support. It means more than you can know.
Read More »Eye Surgery Update / What’s Up With G&G
By Louis Cahill
Ten weeks ago I had surgery for a detached retina.
Many of you will have seen the post I put up explaining that emergency surgery caught me with my pants down. I know that others have simply noticed that G&G has been recycling content lately. That was the best I could do on short notice. For those of you who have been wondering, here’s an update.
I’ll keep this short, as I am still in no hope to work. My recovery has been challenging. Everything looked good early on but I soon hit a set back. Ten days ago I was told that I would likely need additional surgeries, the likely outcome being that I would loose the site in my right eye. I have been fighting this with everything I have and, when I saw my doctor yesterday, she revised the prognosis. I am not in the clear, but I have a chance. If my retina hangs tight for another two weeks, I may not need additional surgery. I’ll take a chance.
As of this writing I have been in bed for ten weeks. I have at least another two, and who knows from there. I am remaining optimistic and expect to be back to work before too long. It is, of course, out of my control. I appreciate your patience and support while I, and my sainted wife who has been incredible, work through this challenging time. Rest assured that no matter what happens G&G will be back and better than ever.
Thank you all!
Read More »The Best Cup of Coffee Ever
ON A COLD RAINY MORNING IN WESTERN ALASKA, WHEN YOU’VE BEEN UP SINCE FIVE AND YOUR ARMS ARE TIRED FROM FIGHTING FISH, A CUP OF HOT COFFEE GOES A LONG WAY.
The best cup of coffee I ever had was made by Jim Palmersheim on the Arolik River. Jim guides for Alaska West but he’s not going to let living on an island in the Alaska bush all summer get between him and a great cup of Joe. There’s a lot to be said for timing and location but the coffee really was amazing. Jim packs his beans in and heats his water like a chemist so that it’s the perfect temperature when it’s time for a coffee break. He has a high tech press like I’ve never seen before. I asked Jim to share his secret and here it is in his own words.
Ok, Thermos should be tempered with hot water before the coffee water is added. Temp of coffee water before adding to thermos is 200 degrees. This will make the water around 175-180 degrees around 10am for an AK coffee break. I like to use Sumatran beans. The beans are ground daily in a blade grinder(cuz that’s what I have in the AK bush) for 20 seconds. Two scoops of ground coffee are added to my Aero Press and the hot water following. Fill to the #3 mark on the side of the press. Stir with the supplied paddle for 20 seconds. This will give the perfect grind for the right pressure to leave a little crema after it is pressed. You can
Read More »Triple Trico Fly Pattern
I tied this pattern up on the road when I was out fishing the Trico hatch on the South Platte River in Colorado with Louis.
The idea came to mind when I saw clumps of a dozen or more Trico’s floating down the river together. Trophy size trout weren’t feeding on single bugs floating down the river. Instead they were skimming the surface, mouths wide open, gorging on as many adults as they could eat per rise. I haven’t seen any patterns like this yet in the industry, just double trico fly patterns. Give it a try this year when you run into the morning trico hatch. The denser the hatch the better it will work. If the hatch is mild your better off using a single or double pattern. Anyhow, I thought it was something different that all you trout bums out there would appreciate.
Klewein’s Triple Trico
Read More »How To Hold Fish For A Photo: Video
Here’s a few simple tips on how to best hold a fish and get a great photograph, without harming the fish.
There’s a lot of debate right now about photographing fish. Like most topics that get blown out of proportion on the internet, this debate is riddled with sensationalized accusations and disinformation. I’ve written about holding fish for photographs but I thought a short video showing how simple and noninvasive it can be would be a big help.
First, I’d like to clarify my stance on the subject. When done properly, I do not see any harm in photographing a fish. Fish are injured by poor handling, not cameras. I have two serious problems with the ‘no photo’ argument. First, it simply doesn’t address the problem. If anglers are mishandling fish, they are doing so while landing them and unhooking them with or without a photo. Demonizing the camera does nothing to stop this and doesn’t save fish. What we should be doing is educating anglers on ethical fish handling. Secondly, the photograph is the bargain that makes catch-and-release fishing work. Whether you like it or not there are simply a lot of anglers who require proof of their catch. It’s much better to give them a photo than a corpse. Like any right minded over reaction the ‘no photo’ movement will generate (and is generating) push back. People will kill fish because of it. If you don’t believe me, see the 2016 U.S. Presidential contest.
We are much better off teaching anglers to pinch barbs, wet hands, revive fish and limit their exposure to air than we are demonizing photography. In my experience the greatest danger in fish handling is panic. The average angler just needs to learn to calm down. When faced with a stubborn hook or an unruly fish, most anglers try to subdue the fish with force. This is the exact wrong reaction. It only panics the fish, making them struggle more. If you relax and keep the fish in the water, the fish will relax. Just watch how relaxed the fish in this video is. It works.
Lastly, all fish are not created equal. Some are more delicate than others and some species are more at risk. While I think it’s OK to lift a trout from the water briefly, the same thing doesn’t go for steelhead. The stakes are simply too high. What works for a trout in 50 degree water doesn’t work when the water temp is 70. A tarpon might seem tough but they are actually very fragile while a redfish or permit are surprisingly strong. Take time to know the fish you’re after and always ere on the side of caution.
Watch this video and see how simple it is to get a great photo of a fish and do no harm.
Read More »Choosing Flies for Tandem Nymph Rigs
Today’s post is intended for beginner and intermediate fly anglers that struggle with choosing what fly patterns to tie on when they’re fishing a tandem nymph rig. Because most of our fly boxes are stocked with dozens of different fly patterns, it can be difficult at times to know where to start. I get the question all the time, “how do I know what flies to tie on?” The answer to that question is I don’t. Sometimes I can get a good idea by doing some bug sampling or observing the conditions on the water, but generally, I have to experiment with fishing different flies just like everyone else does until I figure out what the trout want. However, the key to my consistent success is treating my two-fly rig like it’s a buffet of food choices for the trout, and always fishing flies that imitate different types of food sources that the trout forage on. This increases the chances that the trout will like one of the food imitations in my rig and I’ll catch fish.
To make things easier for me, I categorize my nymphs into four different categories: Big flies, small flies, bright colored flies and natural colored flies. When I start out my day on the water, I begin rigging my two-fly rig with combinations of these.
Read More »5 Reasons Why I use the Uni-Knot for Trout Fishing
Why use the Uni-knot?
There’s plenty of other fishing knots out there that have better knot strength than the Uni-Knot, but that shouldn’t be the only factor you look at when you’re choosing what knot to use on the water. Reliability, how quick and easy it is to tie, type of rig your fishing, and functionality should all be weighed into the equation when deciding on knot choice. The decision to employ the Uni-Knot for my personal fishing and guiding has made my life easier on the water because of its versatility and ease of tying.
5 Reasons Why I use the Uni-Knot for Trout Fishing
1. The Uni-Knot is quick and easy to tie with fine tippet and small flies, particularly in low light situations.
2. The Uni-Knot is very reliable, is rated at 90% strength, and won’t slip (fail) like the improved clinch knot will if it’s tightened down incorrectly.
3. I only need a small amount of tippet to tie the Uni-Knot. That lengthens the life of my leaders, cuts back on tippet usage, and saves me money in the long run.
4. The Uni-Knot allows me to quickly change out my lead fly in my tandem nymph rig and also saves me time untangling knots on the water since it can be loosened and re-tightened on the go.
5. The Uni-Knot serves other purposes other than tying your fly onto your leader. It also can be used to join two lines and used to secure your backing to the reel.
The Uni-Knot Can Save You Time Untangling Knots
Untangling knots is a subject that I know far too well being a full-time fly fishing guide. These days I can often spot a tangle in mid-air or by the way the leader lays out on the water. I’ve grown accustom to having clients look at me with a bewildered look when I tell them to stop casting and strip in. Moments later, when they get their fly rig in, the confused look leaves their faces and the question of why is answered. Using the Uni-Knot in my fishing rigs often allows me to untangle a knotted mess and get back to fishing much quicker than with other fishing knots because I don’t always have to retie the knot. I often can