Sunday Classic / Respect Thy Tarpon Guide
I respect tarpon guides a great deal.
As a trout guide, I run into many of the same struggles they do on the water, but tarpon guides have to deal with managing them at the extreme level. They spend their days on the water guiding in some of the most demanding and technical fly fishing conditions on the planet, and to make things worse, many of their clients have never experienced the saltwater fishing conditions before in their life. Getting the job done, day in and day out, is rarely easy for a tarpon guide. I imagine there’s plenty of silent prayers being made on those poling platforms, begging for a starving fish to show itself at just the right angle, and that a good presentation follows.
Friends that guide for tarpon tell me of occasional periods where the skunk doesn’t leave the boat for days at a time. Hookups that are short lived, are the only thing that keep them sane and focused on the prize. It’s not that they aren’t spotting fish and getting plenty of opportunities during the day. Most of the time, their hands are clean and the skunk falls on the operators standing on the bow. It’s hard to hit your targets if you haven’t taken the time to sight-in your fly rod before you begin the hunt (pre-trip casting preparation). Consequently, a large percentage of the fish catching opportunities witnessed by tarpon guides fizzle out before they can materialize, from presentations missing their intended targets. And don’t get me started on the unstable emotions that plague newcomers to chasing tarpon on the fly. That’s a whole-nother can of worms. I’ve been on the bow many times, where I completely fell apart after locking eyes with a 100+ pound poon.
They also tell me that many times when they’re fortunate enough to get an experienced fly caster on the bow of their boat, they often get dealt the shitty weather card. A cold front will show up out of no where and most of the fish will run for their lives to deep water. When a cold fronts aren’t the problem, strong winds blowing the wrong direction, end up depriving them access to prime water. Focus, patience, and persistence are three attributes you better have if you want to hack it guiding in the salt. For myself
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Rosenbauer Bares All
If you think you know Tom Rosenbauer, you need to hear this podcast.
Tom is an icon in the world of fly fishing. It’s hard to think of anyone who has done more to introduce new anglers to the sport. We all listen to his Orvis Guides Podcast. We’ve seen him on TV, and we’ve read his books. But do we really know Tom Rosenbauer?
G&G contributor Dan Frasier sat down for an interview with Tom to find out. What he uncovered is no less than shocking. Unless you consider hilarious less than shocking, in which case, it’s far, far less than shocking.
LISTEN AND LEARN WHAT TOM ROSENBAUER HAS BEEN UP TO OFF THE WATER.
Read More »Alice’s Angle, Catch of a Lifetime
By: Alice Tesar
FLY FISHING IN ITS ESSENCE, IS A SOLO SPORT. EVEN FOR ANGLERS IN LOVE, IT’S A TRICKY ROUTE TO NAVIGATE.
I’ve observed two types of romantic relationships in the all-consuming world of fly-fishing: relationships that allow one individual to obsess over fishing individually and relationships that share a deep personal love of the sport. The first type seems to occur when two people love and enjoy completely different hobbies and thus spend little to no time sharing their passions, except the occasional holiday family event or ‘date night’. Typically, the angler in this duo opts for an evening on the river over said ‘date night’ causing a riff which will be closed up the next time the other wants to partake in their own sport of choice. This relationship usually involves a significant number of gifts (in the form of flowers or clean dishes) left for the lover as a sign of affection and gratitude for the mutualistic relationship.
The second form of love in fly-fishing occurs when two people mutually obsess over the sport but in their own ways and so rarely take time on the water together. In my own experience ‘date-night’ usually is time on the river but we inevitably end up with stretches of river between us, each taking our own approach and listening to the yelps of the other’s excitement over misses and catches from around the bend. Our certainty of our differing methods is so strongly linked to our egos that the distance between us on the river is increased. Fortunately, there is usually a beer or a flask to smooth things over when the angling has ended.
I’ve illustrated two extremes and maybe your partnership falls somewhere on this spectrum. While I’m making large assumptions about what it is like to be in-love with an angler I know that love is dynamic and requires attention to what seems like a trivial detail, just like what it takes to be a good angler. If we went out and plopped a Royal Wulff on the surface every time we hit the river we may have a few lucky strikes, but we’d get into more trout if we looked closer at currents and bug life. Still more trout would be caught if we started to see where the fish were holding, at what point in the water column the trout are eating, and what bugs were coming off when. Effective anglers pay attention to weather in the past and forecasted, they know how the water temps affect bug life and trout feeding habits, and they keep track of the smallest changes and adapt accordingly. Effective lovers adapt to shifts in the metaphorical wind also.
Read More »Fly Fishing Tips for Stocked Trout
My first memory of bringing a trout to hand with a fly rod took place back in the spring of 1990, on a seasonal trout stream, located 45 minutes north of Atlanta, GA. It was a far cry from a trophy trout at 10-inches, but that freshly stocked rainbow trout, touched my eleven year old fishing soul to the core. I’ll never forget the excitement I felt watching that stocker chase down and eat my olive woolly bugger at my feet. It felt really good for a change, not relying on that plastic blue can of worms to get the job done. From that day forward, I never looked back, and I’ve moved on to become a respectable trout guide in my area and I’ve fly fished for trout all over the world.
Read More »Book Review — How to Read Water: Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea
Reviewed by Captain John Byron, U.S. Navy (Retired)
We fishing folk are looking at water constantly.
From the bow of a flats boat. Deep in the river carefully shuffling over rocks. From the beach in the surf searching for stripers or snook or searuns.
But do we really know what we’re seeing? Are we getting all the facts that water can tell us? Do we experienced fisherfolk really understand the fish’s medium? The answers lie in this marvelous, easy-read, fun book. Not focused on fishing but highly informative for those of us addicted to fishing.
The author is the real deal. Example: wanting to verify the navigation skills claimed for the Vikings, with a companion he set out from the Orkney Islands to Iceland sailing a 32-footer, determined to get there using only the tools and techniques of those ancient mariners.
Nearly 600 nautical miles. He got there reading water.
Library Journal says this: “With the help of this book, and with careful attention and observation, anyone can learn how to interpret the messages water offers to aid in everything from navigation to weather forecasting. A riveting and highly accessible book that will appeal to water enthusiasts and nature lovers of all kinds.”
Wall Street Journal describes the book this way: “Mr. Gooley misses little in his paean to Earth’s most abundant resource. He starts small, at a mud puddle watching ripples fan out from a pebble drop, and ends big, in the frigid reaches of the Arctic Sea. Along the way he asks and answers many questions. If you like water, as I do, you will learn a lot.”
Read More »Sunday Classic / 6 Proven Winter Dry Fly Patterns
Nothing allows me to forget about the cold temperatures of winter quicker, than spotting the surface rings from trout feeding on Midges or Blue Winged Olives. It’s not an everyday occurrence by any means, but when it happens, it feels like someone turns the heat up a few notches, and I’m instantly warmed head to toe. When we think about hitting trout water during the winter months, most of us don’t typically think about fishing dry flies. It’s true that day in and day out, most anglers will find their nymphs and streamers to be much more productive, but every once in a while, when luck is on our side, we can find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a winter hatch, with trout rising all around us. It’s during these special two hour windows of trout fishing, that the winter can provide us some of the most rewarding catches of the year. That is, of course, if we decided to bet against the odds, and pack our dry fly box.
I’ll gladly give up catching numbers of fish during the winter, in exchange for taking a handful of fish on the surface with tiny dry flies. The trout don’t even have to be all that big either. They just need to give me a pretty rise and tug my line a few good times. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that I believe hatches in the dead of winter, are like rare gifts handed down from above. Gifts that should always be full appreciated by the fly angler, otherwise they may decide to not show up again until spring. Late morning through the afternoon is the time of the day when I find midge and blue winged olive hatches to appear the most, and it’s often the bitter cold days with drizzling rain or snow flurries when the hatch decides to show up. Below are six proven winter dry flies and emergers that have served me well over the years. All you need to do is downsize your tippet and rig them up, with a standard dry fly/dropper rig.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Stranger Things
This new streamer pattern from Andrew Grillos gets the job done.
I’ve known Andrew for about a decade and I learned pretty quickly to pay attention to what comes out of his fly box. Patterns like the Hippy Stomper, Party Animal and Bob Gnarly are epic producers and when I heard he had a new streamer pattern, I was all ears.
The Stranger Thing is a wiggley, fishy looking creation, newly available from Umpqua. Although I haven’t pined Andrew down on it, I assume the name comes from the TV show. When Grillos shaves his beard, he bares a striking resemblance to Gaten Matarazzo, on of the stars.
Our buddy and contributor Brian Kozminski has done a great writeup and step-by-stem on tying the Stranger Thing over at True North Trout. Check it out and put a few Stranger Things in your box. There’s no telling what scary creatures will come out after it.
Andrew Grillos will be Teaching a tying class at Trout’s Fly Fishing in Denver on March 16th 2019. If you are in the area, you should check it out. Andrew’s skills are crazy and he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. More info here.
TIE THE STRANGER THING STREAMER
Read More »Cataract Surgery Update And Smith Optics Giveaway
By Louis Cahill
I’m half way through the process of replacing my eye’s natural lenses and doing well. Here’s an update and a fun way for you to win a pair of Smith Optics fishing glasses.
First, let me say thanks for all of the well wishes I’v received from friends and readers. It’s been awfully nice hearing from all of you and knowing you’re pulling for me. Thanks you!
If you are not into the update, just scroll down to the contest.
My hope in writing about my experience with cataract surgery is to help inform those of you who might be considering it. Hopefully it will help you know what to expect and maybe make a more informed decision about your eye care. I’m not a doctor or an expert, just a guy going through a pretty common procedure thats a little frightening and mysterious.
I talked to a lot of people who have had interocular lens replacement before I decided to have it done. Having made my living as a photographer my whole life, I was extremely nervous about it. The procedure is not without risk and it’s not a decision to take lightly. I was pretty unhappy about how my vision was effecting my fly fishing and my photography, but after a couple of close calls driving, I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. Thank God it is a problem with a solution.
Once I decided to have the surgery, the first step was choosing a doctor. I talked to a lot of folks who’d had the surgery and a couple of names kept coming up. I googled each doctor and read reviews, then talked to a couple. It was important to me to find a doctor I felt I connected with. I was very impressed with Dr Trevor Woodham. I met with him twice before moving forward and he was extremely patient. We talked in depth about how I use my eyes, including more than he probably wanted to know about bonefishing. He helped me choose lenses I’d be happy with.
I had never thought about having options for my new lenses.
I’m glad I took the time to understand the differences. I chose a very nice accommodating lens, designed to focus like natural lenses. They were expensive and not covered by insurance, and it was a short term sacrifice paying for them, but I wasn’t about to go cheap on my eyes.
The procedure is said to have a 98% success rate. I don’t like odds, not where surgery is involved, and I quickly thought about all of the times I’ve been in the 2% in my life. After doing some research, it seems that 98% figure might be misleading. I now think of it as a 2% chance that something might go wrong. Some of those somethings are worse than others and many are fixable. It seems that the chances of something catastrophic happening are more like one in several thousand. That made me feel better.
The procedure itself was a surreal experience.
Read More »Bonefish Beginner
By Bob Reece
After twenty five years of fly fishing for freshwater species, I recently threw my first casts into salt water.
As is always the case, hindsight is 20/20. While I had plenty of success, there are several things that I wish I would have done prior to my first saltwater trip.
I’ve always been a huge proponent of practicing your casting. Throughout my time guiding freshwater trips, it is consistently one of the most common elements that holds anglers back from having greater success. While I did practice a handful of times prior to my trip, I should have practiced more. I’m a confident caster with lighter weight rods, but never having cast an eight or nine weight left me lacking the muscle memory of working with a heavier rod. As part of this practice, it cannot be overstated how important it is to have the ability to effectively present the fly with a backhand cast.
In addition to the casting itself, I wish I would have practiced my footwork. In the vast majority of freshwater situations, we as anglers target slowly cruising or posted up feeding fish. The rapid directional change by the bonefish was a drastic difference from any other fly fishing experience that I’ve had. The need to change the path of my line and body position mid cast challenged me. Extra practice time with this factor would have helped take advantage of opportunities that I missed.
As a newby to salt water flies, I had no idea what I was doing in this category. I phoned a friend.
Read More »Sunday Classic / 3 Tips For Fly Fishing Kung Fu
WE ALL KNOW THE CHINESE PHRASE KUNG FU, BUT FEW OF US KNOW IT’S TRANSLATION. KUNG = ENERGY AND FU = TIME. TO PUT ENERGY INTO ANYTHING OVER TIME IS TO DEVELOP KUNG FU.
I love to teach fly fishing. I do it every chance I get and I see folks wrestle time and again with the same three issues. I can remember being there myself and it sucks! Three things that seem so simple to me now just about cost me my sanity. I’d like to spare you that. If you are new to fly fishing for trout following these three suggestions will not only put you on more fish, but it will accelerate your learning curve dramatically.
Here are the three things that come between every new angler and the fish they want to catch.
PRACTICE YOUR CASTING
The first, most basic skill an angler needs is the ability to put the fly in front of the fish. This means, not only distance but accuracy as well. There have been a truck load of books written about fly casting and there will be a truck load more but there is nothing in any of them that can replace time spent with the rod in hand. That really is the trick. Time plus energy. Set aside a time, just ten or fifteen minutes a day, for the next year and spend that time casting in the yard. Every day! In a year you will cast like a Grand Master.