Sunday Classic / 3 Ways to Make Your Wiggle Minnow Fish Better
The foam wiggle minnow has been a mainstay streamer for me for trout and other predatory game fish for several years now. When you combine its realistic swimming action and the significant water it pushes during the retrieve, its one of the best streamers I know of for calling in fish from great distances to eat. Plain and simple, the wiggle minnow will catch fish just about anywhere you visit in both fresh or salt, regardless of the water conditions you may find yourself fly fishing. Furthermore, it also fishes well on all types of fly lines (floating, intermediate, sinking) and on a wide range of rod weights. This can prove to be very valuable if you find yourself on the water with limited gear options. The last few years, I’ve been experimenting with modifications to my wiggle minnows in the effort to improve their fishability.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / One Life One River
Water, work, cancer, and a thriving will to live, on the water.
Becca Klein’s story is truly an inspiration. You’d never guess, meeting Becca, that she has survived two cancer diagnoses. You wouldn’t guess that anything could slow her down or dampen her irrepressible spirit. Maybe that’s the key because while many see cancer as a death sentence, in Becca’s case it’s been more of a sentence to live.
It was through cancer that she discovered fly fishing, and through fly fishing a love of a river, the love of her life, and a career in conservation. If this story doesn’t warm your heart, you need to see a doctor.
CHECK OUT THIS GREAT STORY FROM DUNN MAGAZINE.
“ONE LIFE ONE RIVER”
Read More »Orvis Mirage LT Fly Reel: Video
Orvis has a great new light weight trout reel that’s made in America.
Orvis introduced it’s Mirage fly reel a couple of years ago and it’s proven to be a workhorse. Their goal of producing a quality, made in America reel was certainly achieved but the Mirage was certainly aimed at the big game market. This year they are offering the Mirage LT with a focus on trout fishing.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE ORVIS MIRAGE LT FLY REEL.
Read More »Take the Time to Research Your Boat Ramps
It’s really easy to get excited about a last minute trip when your buddy calls and says the fish are biting and then not take the time to research the logistics of where you’re going to be fishing. Much of the time things work out in the end when we’re doing what we love but every now and then, no matter how hard you try to make things right, you’re bound to get screwed. That was the case for us during our final day of our recent musky trip with our good friend Charlie Murphy in West Virginia. Due to poor water conditions, we had to go with a Plan B and change our fishing location the final day of our trip. Charlie had taken an friends word that we could launch our boat at the designated spot with no problem. Unfortunately, his acquaintance thought we were launching a drift boat, not a john boat, and that turned out to be and impossible task, without the aid of a cheap pvc roller and a 20 foot section of rope. Now, I’m known for being able to back up a truck and trailer with the best of them and until this day, I was batting a 1000%. So much for my perfect batting average of backing up, because this midget boat ramp put it to me. I tried like hell, but it just wouldn’t fit.
Read More »Simms’ Women’s G3 Guide Waders: Review
By: Alice Tesar
Simms’ Women’s G3 Guide Waders are a change worth making.
I’m a skeptic for change. I’ve worn my leaky waders for 2 years now because I like the fit and the weight of them. 2 years of settling for cold, wet legs after standing for hours with (dry) clients in the river. I’d patched and re-sealed my waders numerous times but it only held for so long. When I researched my options I’d find myself frustrated that there were limited choices for women’s GORE‐TEX® waders and I wasn’t going to spend $500 on a pair of men’s waders that didn’t fit me. That’s changed now.
No longer my fellow anglers will you sneak a peak of me changing into dry pants before hopping into the truck on a brisk fall day. The Simms Women’s G3 Guide Wader is 3- layer GORE‐TEX® Pro Shell in the upper body and 4-layer GORE‐TEX® Pro Shell from the butt through the legs. GORE‐TEX® Pro Shell offers durability, breathability, and a fit that allows me to focus on my clients and their catches instead of slopping around in wet wool socks and a garbage bag.
I’m 5’9” and wear a size 9 1/2 shoe, I wear medium weight socks with my waders and I fit a medium in this Simms Wader. I also run cold (even on clear, summer days I’m wearing my down jacket ’til noon), fitting a heavier layer or two under the waders is not a problem. With the scalloped top opening I don’t feel like all my extra top layers are strangling me.
I spend plenty of time on the river with my 1-year-old son in a backpack, the low profile wading belt and loops don’t catch on the backpack or my fishing pack, which I wear reversed. The suspender straps are 1.5” wide and are not overly padded but rather comfortable even with all the extra weight and additional pack straps.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Organizing Your Bonefish Fly Box Makes For A Better Day Of Fishing
OPTION PARALYSIS EATS UP VALUABLE FISHING TIME.
I’ve found myself, more than once, staring into my fly box as if I’d wandered to the refrigerator in the middle of the night, with no idea why I was there. That’s fine, unless you’re surrounded by feeding bonefish and your guide is wailing in tongues. Even if your not under pressure to make a quick fly choice, having your flies organized in a logical fashion will help you choose the right fly for the conditions and that means catching more fish. Here are some tips on how I organize my bonefish box and how I use that organization to make better fly choices.
Keep It Simple
Bonefishing is not generally a match-the-hatch situation. Bonefish are highly opportunistic and presentation usually trumps pattern. I know guys that carry a thousand flies on the flats boat. They might fish three of them in a day. I keep it to one box. I probably cram a hundred flies into it but that one box has everything I need.
Making Smart Choices
When paring down your fly selection it’s important to understand
Saturday Shoutout / Alignment
Join Eric Jackson on his search for alignment in British Columbia.
What does it take for you to be completely aligned? For Eric Jackson, and a few others, it’s steelhead and snowboarding. In this beautiful short film Eric and his crew, including my good buddy Curtis Ciszek, spend a winter in B.C. doing some amazing snowboarding and catching some big Skeena river chromers. Even if you don’t snowboard or steelhead, you’ll enjoy this great film.
FIND, “ALIGNMENT”
Read More »2 New Wading Boots From Patagonia
Patagonia teams up with Danner to make the toughest wading boots ever.
The new River Tractor and River Salt wading boots from Patagonia are not like any other wading boot on the market. Even from a distance you can spot the rugged look of classic Danner construction. Made in Portland Oregon, these boots’ with their leather uppers and stitched on soles, have a pedigree that goes back to the Marine Corp.
The idea behind these new boots is that they could be the last wading boots you need to buy. They are built, not only to last, but to be repaired. The construction allows for the boots to be resoled or repaired over time. Patagonia sees this as a plus for environmentally conscious anglers who don’t want their boots being landfilled every year or two. I’m sure there are plenty of anglers who will like that idea, and plenty who won’t care, but there is no downside to a boot that lasts.
There are two models to meet your fishing needs. The River Tractor is a classic cold water boot, designed to be worn over waders and is offered with the option of aluminum traction plates. The River Salt is a wet wading boot that’s light and built to hold up to trail hiking and sharp coral for the flats angler.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THE NEW WADING BOOTS FROM PATAGONIA.
Read More »4 Ways To Up Your Streamer Game This Fall
By Kyle Wilkinson
While fishing streamers can certainly be a productive way to put fish in the net year round,
there is no doubt that “streamer fishing” and “fall” go together like peanut butter and jelly (or if you’re like me, chicken fried steak and Coors). I know I’m not the only person who has recently spent a hot summer day dreaming of how good it will feel to need a few extra layers of clothing and a 6-weight in the months to come.
As many of you know, I talk to a lot of anglers, both in the shop and guiding. Whether it be a beginner/intermediate or more advanced angler, streamer fishing seems to get in a lot of people’s heads and in my opinion, causes a lot more confusion than is necessary. I tell these folks in simplest terms, it’s really not that complicated. You just have to do it. And more importantly, commit to it. This is where I think many people struggle — the ‘committing’ part. They don’t realize that a different mindset is required to become a proficient streamer angler, that you have to work your butt off, making countless casts, fully prepared to go hours without a strike.
I pride myself in my streamer fishing abilities but I’d be lying if I said there still weren’t times on the river where I find myself getting a little too worked up between the ears. There’s no way around it — some days are just a flat-out grind. On the flip side though, not every day is like that and if you fish streamers enough you’re going to find yourself on the river one day where the fish are in the mood to chase down your offering and give you explosive eat after explosive eat. If you’ve ever had one of those days then you know what I’m talking about. I’d also be willing to bet those days are some of your best on-water memories to date.
SO, TO GET WHERE I’M GOING WITH THIS, IF YOU’VE GOT IT IN YOUR HEAD THAT THIS FALL YOU’RE GOING TO IMPROVE YOUR STREAMER GAME, HERE ARE FOUR SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
Keep On Movin’– Everything listed below is built on this foundation. When streamer fishing, you HAVE to cover a lot of water. There’s no way around it. If you’re wade fishing, this means possibly logging many miles on your boots that day. You know that run you love to nymph and have found yourself spending hours in before? Be prepared
Read More »What is more important, presentation or fly choice?
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to have the honor to participate in a podcast interview for askaboutflyfishing.com. It was an hour long conversation over the phone, with me spending most of that time talking about trout tactics on my home waters. Just as we were wrapping up the interview, the host Roger Maves, hit me with the mother of all fly fishing questions…..
What’s more important Kent, presentation or fly pattern choice?
I pondered for a few moments, before I gave a him a reply to the question that covered my butt. If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of, “well, you have to get the fly to the fish no matter what to have a chance at catching fish, but there are many times, when I’ve seen fly pattern choice the true deciding factor in whether you find success on the water.”
Since that podcast, I’ve been asked that same question by clients more times than I can remember. It’s kind of a joke to me at this point, and that’s because I feel the question is really a loaded question.
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