Losing Louisiana
By Lucas Bissett
Louisiana: When it Comes to Land Ownership and Coastal Land Loss, it’s One of a Kind.
From a fly fisherman’s perspective, Louisiana stands out for its seemingly endless watery landscape, bountiful redfish population, and its mouth watering cuisine. On the surface, Coastal Louisiana it appears, has seen the creation of a balance between sportsmen and Mother Nature. Sportsmen have a vast expanse of coastline to use while Mother Nature provides a target-rich environment. Scratch just below the surface of this fairy tale facade and there exists epic battles that threaten the very fabric of what makes Louisiana the “Sportsmen’s Paradise”.
It’s not uncommon to read in the glossy pages of a fly fishing magazine that there are battles over public versus private land rights in streams and rivers out west, but it’s almost unheard of to see the same battle waging over salt water estuaries. Louisiana sees itself in the middle of such a battle over coastal waterways. Currently, a boater or fishermen could find themselves staring at a hefty fine for criminal trespassing or even run out of a bayou or marsh area at gunpoint. Louisiana land owners have the right to fence or gate off waterways that are tidally influenced. As of 2003, it is the fishermen’s responsibility to know what is private with or without posted signs. The real head scratcher is that most of the time these anglers used a “navigable waterway” by the federal definition to get into these fishing spots.
So, the question begs to be asked, how is this determined to be private property? Louisiana has never been comfortable following the status quo. Come to Louisiana and you won’t drive from county to county you’ll drive from parish to parish. Even the law code used is different from the rest of the country so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when it comes to determining “navigable waterways,” Louisiana finds a unique solution there, too. A good portion of Louisiana’s coast is privately owned. Over the years, families and wealthy corporations have bought up any land on the coast that has come up for sale. Currently, Louisiana determines state owned “land” by using the map from 1812 when Louisiana became a state. When looking at a map from 1814 it becomes apparent that most of what seems to be navigable today was solid land then.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Thank You God for the Terrestrial Season
bout this time every year, when I’m starting to get run down from guiding, the terrestrial season arrives, and I’m blessed with a second wind. I’m always astonished at how the presence of terrestrials can make my familiar trout waters seem so fresh and new to me. Even after I’ve already spent hundreds of hours during the season drifting flies through the same riffles, runs and pools. Every day, I find myself more excited about fishing than the last, despite it being one of my busiest times of the year guiding. Thank God for the terrestrial season. I tip my hat to the creator, for he sure did a fine job of planning out the life cycle and timing of the terrestrial season. Yep, life is grand for the fly fisherman when the terrestrials are out. The water and air temperatures (at least where I live) are usually warm enough to leave those stinky waders at home, and the longer days allow us the luxury of staying on the water for a few extra hours.
Is it just me, or do trout seem to have the same look in their eyes as we do during the terrestrial season, pure addiction. I love the fact that it’s not the end of the world if we forget our strike indicators or split shot when the terrestrials are out. The trout often rise
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / The Deep End
Who needs more sharks?
Who doesn’t love a good shark video? If you’ve never caught shark on the fly, you owe it to yourself to do it, at least once. Here’s a great video my buddy Conway Bowman chasing 1000 pound mako sharks off the coast of California.
Read More »Keep a Backup Nymph Rig Ready
Changing out flies on the water takes time but is often necessary to catch trout consistently all day.
Keeping a pre-rigged tandem nymph rig ready to go, will allow you to quickly change out your flies from one hole to the next and save you critical time when your fishing time is limited. They’re great to have when you find your hot fly has turned cold, when you break your rig off on a snag or find yourself with a nasty tangled mess. Let’s face it, we often find ourselves in question on the water, particularly in the first hour after we’ve wet our line. It can take some time to figure out what the trout want for the day, and by having a couple different pre-rigged tandem nymph rigs on hand, you’ll find it much more efficient to try multiple fly patterns and rigs out, and that should help you dial-in quicker and start catching trout.
Sometimes the tandem nymph rig you just caught trout with in the hole downstream, may fail to get the attention of the trout in the next hole you fish. This isn’t always the case, but sometimes for sure. In fact, this happened to me just the other day. My client had landed a fish out of the first three holes we fished in the morning with a woolly bugger lead fly and a micro san juan worm dropper. As my client worked the fourth hole of the day, the bites abruptly stopped, despite him making several great presentations and drifts. Knowing there were fish in the hole, I snipped off the rig and tied on one of my different pre-rigged nymph rigs.
First cast, my client landed a trout, and he went on to
Read More »G&G #KeepEmWet Photo Contest v.2018
By Justin Pickett
It’s time for another “Keep ‘Em Wet” photo contest!
Last year’s contest was a great success with hundreds of entries. We had some amazing submissions from our readers, and we are looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to this year! Working in conjunction with KeepEmWet.org, we look forward to continuing to spread the message to keep fish in water.
Not just a phrase, #keepemwet has become a practice that many of us have chosen to uphold with hopes that leading by example will convince others to keep fish in the water, whether they are snapping photos or not. Fish need water to survive, and we can all do a better job of doing our part to protect the fish that we pursue, whether it be trout, steelhead, bonefish, musky, or tarpon.
We want to see your best, most creative “Keep ‘Em Wet” photos! Get out on the water and submit two of your favorite photos for the challenge before midnight on May 15th. Louis and I will be judging on the content and creativity of the photos, and we will announce a winner on May 18th! We can all benefit from keeping fish wet, but here’s how you will benefit even more by keeping your catches in H2O!
So what’s up for grabs?!
1st Place: Orvis Mirage Reel
“Own the Fight with the most advanced drag system ever designed. Adjustment from zero to dead stop in a single drag-knob rotation. The Orvis Mirage renders any previous perception of “smooth drag” to obsolescence. Completely sealed and maintenance free. American made.” – Orvis
2nd Place: Fishpond Gunnison Guide Pack, River Rat 2.0, and “Don’t Tread On Me” Trucker Hat.
“Able to carry all the flies that you could possibly need in a day’s fishing, the Gunnison is designed to organize and comfortably carry all of the essentials. Constructed from “Cyclepond” recycled nylon with an integrated net holder, places for all your largest fly boxes, water bottles, tools, and more.” – Fishpond
3rd Place: Plan D Boat Box with Custom Art by Michael Williams
Mike has become known for his epic, color sketches of trout, as well as many other species of fish, on several media, such as Cliff and Plan D fly boxes, as well as trucker hats. If you’re interested in Michael’s work, check him out on Instagram (@greenbusdesigns_mikewilliams), or on his website (greenbusdesigns.com)!
Go get out on the water and put some fish in the net over the next two weeks, and good luck to those of you who submit your photos!
For more information about Keep ‘Em Wet, please visit www.KeepEmWet.org
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET IN ON THE ACTION!
Read More »Sunday Classic / There’s No Such Thing As A Bad Perm
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY. THERE ARE NO SMALL PERMS.
Just perms, and big perms. Happy perms and happy clouds. If you can’t catch perms, you can always drink.
Here’s Bob Ross to teach you how!
http://vimeo.com/32582348
The Bob Ross Drinking Game
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Desert Bass
Like big bronze backs and top water eats? This film is for you.
Todd Moen, of Catch Magazine, always delivers the good stuff. Here’s a great short film just in time for spring. These shots of chugging poppers and explosive takes have me ready for a little ditch fishing.
ENJOY DESERT BASS!
Read More »The Reach Cast: Video
The reach cast can be the difference between catching fish and not.
All too often you find yourself casting across fast water to a rising trout on the far bank. It’s a classic set up and one that can make you crazy. You land your fly in the exact spot, only to have it dragged away as the faster current midstream pulls a belly in your line.
Your best shot at hooking a fish in this scenario is to make a reach cast. The reach cast builds a mend into your line before it touches the water. It can buy you a perfect drift long enough to fool a sipping trout.
Make your normal cast and after you stop your rod tip to form the loop, move the rod tip upstream as the loop unrolls. The movement is perpendicular to the angle of the cast so the tension stays in the line and keeps it energized and on course. Once you know how to make this cast, you’ll wonder how you ever fished without it.
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW IT’S DONE!
Read More »Streamer Tactics for Small Trout Water
Streamer fishing isn’t for everyone.
I’ve known fly fisherman that would refuse to tie one on, even if you offered them a 20 dollar bill. But for those very few anglers that find fishing them repulsive, there’s plenty more of us out there that hold a deep love for streamers. It’s long been known by fly fisherman that streamers hold an uncanny ability to tempt the largest fish in our water. Streamers work on all types of trout water (rivers, streams and still-waters), but despite their wide range of effectiveness, most of the attention and information provided to fly fisherman in the past has been heavily skewed toward only promoting fishing them on our larger rivers and streams. To some degree, this favoritism has resulted in giving the impression to many beginner and intermediate fly fisherman that streamer fishing isn’t meant for small stream applications, and they should leave them at home. The truth is, that’s not the case at all. I’ve landed some of my largest trout on small streams with streamers when I couldn’t get them to eat a dry or wet fly.
It’s important for fly anglers to know they can have just as much success with streamers on small water as they can on larger water, and they shouldn’t overlook the opportunity to use them when conditions are right. Furthermore, if we lumped all of our trout water together in the region, the overwhelming majority of it would be considered small trout streams, creeks and high-elevation tributaries.
Small Stream Strategies for Streamers
The first thing you need to understand is that you need to fish streamers differently than you do on large trout water. Large water streamer fishing is all about making repetitive presentations and covering lots of high percentage trout water–you make considerably longer casts and stealth becomes less of a factor. On small trout water
Fly Rod Rentals?
By Justin Pickett
Would you ever rent a fly rod?
Have you ever planned an awesome fishing trip, or maybe gotten an invite from a friend, but you didn’t have the rod, or rods, that you needed? Sure, if you booked a guide for a trip, then he/she will likely have you covered, but, for the folks who DIY, you will have to rely on your on equipment to get you there. Buying a rod, or an entire setup, can cost a near fortune. Even on the cheap, you’re looking at a few hundred bucks on top of what you’re spending on travel and licenses. Buy on the high end and you are quickly flirting with dropping a couple grand to get you on the water. Now, if it’s a setup that is going to get frequent use for many years, then it may very well be worth it. But what if it’s for a trip that you may never take again? Spending hundreds, or thousands, on a one-shot-wonder outfit probably isn’t in your budget. It would certainly leave me high and dry.
What if I told you that you could rent the rod you needed for your trip, and have it shipped to your doorstep in time to go for your trip? Would you be interested?
Rent This Rod is a new company that is hitting the scene with the goal of making fly rods accessible for those that may not have the money to purchase a fly rod, but would have the need to rent one for a short period of time.
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