The Demon Midge
Complex patterns are sometimes needed for success on the water. At other times, ingenious simplicity wins the day. The latter is true for one of Matt McCannel’s most recent creations, the Demon Midge.
Matt’s motivation for the Demon Midge was to create a more effective point fly used in tandem rigs. He added a slight amount of flash to ensure that it would not spook heavily pressured tail water fish. The use of the red Daiichi 1273 adds to this element by blending with the pattern instead of displaying the bronze flash of a traditional hook. These elements combined with a highly accurate profile result in the perfect fish catching tool.
The outward appearance of this pattern does not honestly depict the true nature of its core. Veevus Body Quill in Fuschia is used to create the abdomen. The base color of the red hook and over coat of epoxy combine to create a glowing red appearance.
Highly knowledgeable people create highly effective fly patterns. This holds true for the Demon MIdge. The on-the-water performance of both the creator and the pattern warrant a place in your 2018 midge box.
Read More »Realistic Flies Are Worthless Without Movement
Worthless may be a little overboard, but there is some truth behind it. Every year new fly tying products burst onto the scene that are specifically designed for making our fly patterns look extra realistic. I’ll be the first to admit many of them are amazingly cool and innovative. I mean, who wouldn’t want black eyes on their tungsten beads, or a perfect set of pre-molded wing pads or stonefly legs you can plop on a hook to make your nymphs look ultra life-like, right? Seeing these new innovative materials for the first time always gets me giddy, like a fat guy spotting a 5 for 5 deal at Arby’s. But here’s the real question I think we should be asking ourselves. When it comes to purchasing and tying our fly patterns, should we only be focused on how realistic they look? I say hell no, but you’d be surprised how many fly fishermen out there believe “a realistic look” trumps all other attributes in a fly. Ask a fly shop owner why they carry them if they don’t catch fish, and they’ll quickly tell you, because they sell like hot cakes, that’s why. I think a fly being realistic is great, but there needs to be more working elements in a pattern than just a flashy realistic look. I’ve personally found, that a lot of the time the more realistic you go with fly patterns, the more unrealistic they end up moving and looking in the water. And if they don’t look good in the water, chances are, they’re probably going to be worthless for catching fish. For me, the key to tying and picking out successful fly patterns from the bins over the years has been to always make sure a pattern incorporates equal parts of realistic features and … Continue reading
Read More »The Orvis Helios 3 F and D
Which Helios 3 fly rod is right for the saltwater angler?
I have spent the last two weeks fly fishing for bonefish in the Bahamas. As you would expect, there were some beautiful days and some real howlers. In my rod quiver for the trip were two Helios 3 eight weights, the F and the D. It was the perfect opportunity to test each of these rods for their strengths and their weaknesses.
So what’s up with the F and D?
With the introduction of the Helios 3, Orvis dropped their description of fly rods as “tip flex” and “mid flex,” opting for the distinctions of D for distance and F for feel. The idea, I believe, was to give the consumer some idea what these rod actions might be used for rather than expecting them to understand the technical aspects of rod flex. I don’t know that “distance” and “feel” tell the whole story but the idea may be more approachable for some anglers.
Is the H3 really that accurate?
You’ve likely seen the ads claiming that the Helios 3 is the most accurate fly rod ever made. That’s quite a claim and one which is certainly difficult to either prove or disprove. It would be easy to dismiss as pure marketing but I do believe there is more to it.
Orvis is actually very good with their science. Even before Sean Combs, who brings with him a serious technical background, joined the company Orvis was very diligent with their collection and use of data. I have seen the testing they performed on the H3 and it is impressive.
The fundamental idea behind the claim of accuracy is that the new H3 tracks true during the casting stroke. That is to say that there is very little side-to-side movement of the rod blank and it loads and unloads. It is factual that a rod which tracks truer is capable of making a more accurate cast. That’s the science and, in that regard, the H3 is everything Orvis claims.
Having a rod that is capable of extreme accuracy and making extremely accurate casts are two very different things. There are casters who will see the difference in their casting accuracy and a great many who will not. The rod is a tool and performs no better than its user. It would be ridiculous to believe that, as a caster, you can buy accuracy.
Orvis did put a lot of work and science into making a fly rod which is capable of delivering a very precise cast. I can’t help but believe that they did this because it’s something their competition doesn’t do very well. You might be surprised to see the tracking data from some very popular and expensive rods. So, Orvis is clearly attacking their competition where they are weakest. That, I suppose, is the marketing so make of it what you will.
How true a fly rod tracks either matters to you or it doesn’t, but in my opinion it’s not the most compelling thing about the Helios 3. The H3 is easily one of the best casting rods on the market and what is of particular interest to me are the characteristics of the the F and D individually and as a set.
The Helios 3D
The 3D is a thunderstick. You might expect this from it’s distinction as a “distance” rod. It is a stiff, powerful beast with a blindingly fast recovery. Distance?
Read More »Sunday Classic / Is That Fly a Nymph? A Look At Insect Life Cycles
IS THAT FLY A NYMPH? THAT’S THE QUESTION I GOT FROM A READER THE OTHER DAY.
A fair question from a guy who’s only fly fished for redfish and isn’t familiar with trout flies. A simple question with a very complicated answer. Complicated enough that I figured it deserved an explanation, and why not share it.
The fly in question was a midge pattern, so technically not a nymph.
The word “nymph” however, like so many words, shares two meanings. The literal (denotative) meaning is a juvenile mayfly or stonefly in the subsurface phase of its life cycle. The word is also used to refer to flies that imitate these insects. Since a midge starts its life as a larva rather than a nymph, the flies that imitate them are not technically nymphs.
The word nymph also has a conversational (connotative) meaning. It is often used to refer to flies that are dead drifted below the surface. A San Juan Worm or an egg pattern is often referred to as a nymph because of the way they are fished. Some folks will use the term “wet fly” for any fly fished below the surface but this is not correct either. Wet flies are a specific style of fly intended to be fished in a different manner. So describing the midge fly as a nymph, while inaccurate, is not necessarily wrong. It can be fished as a nymph, connotatively.
I’m not generally one to engage in exercises of semantics but I believe there is more at stake here than clarity of the word. I know that when I first became aware of midge patterns many years ago, I was reluctant to fish them because
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / G&G Tyers
Looking for more great tying content? Well, here it is.
If you are a regular reader of G&G, then you are familiar with Bob Reece and Herman deGala. These guys are wizards at the vise and I am very proud that they are part of the G&G family. I know from your comments and emails that you enjoy the great content they share here on the site.
Did you know that they each have great sites of their own? If you are digging what you see here on G&G, check out the great content these guys put out on their own. If you’re like me, you can’t get enough great tying videos.
CHECK OUT THESE GREAT FLY TYING SITES!
Read More »Tipping Good & Bad Fly Fishing Guides Accordingly
DESPITE ALL THE CONTENT PUT OUT OVER THE YEARS, AND ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN FLY ANGLERS ON THIS TOPIC, THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE QUITE A BIT OF MYSTERY STILL OUT THERE WHEN IT COMES TO TIPPING FLY FISHING GUIDES.
I get many clients that tip above and beyond what’s expected of them. Other times, I’m literally crawling back to my truck with every ounce of energy zapped from instructing and putting my clients on fish, and at the end of the day I’m blessed with a cold empty handshake. Sometimes, there seems to be no reasoning at all with gratuity, most clients seem to get it, but no matter what, there’s always going to be those few that feel gratuity isn’t necessary or are uneducated that it’s customary. All I truly care about is that gratuity is determined and provided to the guide based on customer service and professionalism, and that with any service-oriented job, regardless of the industry, gratuity should be on the radar.
A few weeks ago, one of our loyal Gink & Gasoline followers sent us an email that voiced a few concerns about a fly fishing guide they hired on a recent float trip. Apparently, at the end of the day the follower and his partner were in disagreement about the amount of guide gratuity they should leave. Below is the email and question that was sent to us:
“I would like to get your thoughts on tipping guides. I just came back from a trip to Montana and mentioning no names, I spent a week with a very well-known guide. The trip went well and we caught a lot of fish but his equipment sucked. His Driftboat was a small skiff that he did not want you standing up in to cast, and his Skadden style raft frames front seat came off three times, almost pitching my buddy into the river. Any thoughts on amounts or percentages for tipping would be greatly appreciated.”
My Reply:
Here’s my opinion on what you told me, but keep in mind I was not there and did not see the water conditions or his boat equipment.
I’d say your guide passed with flying colors on putting you on fish and that should be a big positive. Depending on
Read More »5 Reasons People Don’t Catch As Many Trout As They Should
By Kyle Wilkenson
These 5 bad habits will keep you from catching the fish you deserve.
Whether I’m guiding or working in the shop, one thing rings true– I talk to a lot of anglers. Living in Denver, a lot of these anglers have made it past the ‘beginner’ stage but still aren’t catching as many fish as they’d like, or with the consistency they’d like. It is not enough in fly-fishing to simply get comfortable with your clinch knot and roll cast and expect the numbers of fish you’re catching to increase dramatically. I guide a lot of our customers who fall into this category– let’s call it ‘intermediate– and over the years it seems we always end up working on the same 5 things.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, HERE ARE MY TOP 5 REASONS PEOPLE DON’T CATCH AS MANY TROUT AS THEY SHOULD:
1. They Cast First and Look Second. I started with this reason because, in my opinion, it is the one thing people have the most trouble wrapping their head around. In reality, the correct order would be Look First. Cast Second. This is particularly true if you fish anywhere that presents itself with sight fishing opportunities. Whenever you approach the river, take a minute (or sometimes literally several minutes) and study the water. You’ll be amazed how many times there will be fish right at your feet, ready to eat your fly. More often than not though, people walk right up to the river and charge on in without ever breaking stride. By doing this, not only did you likely just walk through fish that could have been caught, but you also just sent them darting for the depths in a panic which can put other fish in the area on alert. Spotting fish in the water is not an ‘easy’ skill and is not something you learn to do in one day. Sure, we guides may make it look easy some days to spot fish wherever we walk, but I promise you this skill was hard-earned. Start making it a point to study the water looking for fish and once you have those first few successes, you’ll never look at the river the same way again.
2. They Don’t watch the bubbles. If you’ve never paid attention before to the speed of the bubbles on the surface versus to the speed your indicator,,when nymphing, it’s time to start. Simply put, the indicator NEEDS to be floating slower than the bubbles on the surface and here’s why. When it comes to nymphing, most of the time the fish you’re targeting are going to be sitting very tight to the bottom. The water on the bottom of the river is moving slower than the water on the surface. If your indicator is floating the same speed as the bubbles on the surface then this means your flies are whizzing by the trout at an unnatural rate of speed, if they’re even getting down into the zone at all (which they’re likely not). This problem can easily be fixed by
Read More »10 Types Of Water That Always Hold Trout
If you are new to trout fishing, you may find yourself asking, “Where exactly are the fish?”
At first the river may seem like a puzzle. Especially large rivers where anglers new to the sport are easily overwhelmed by options. Once you learn to read the water and understand what draws fish to certain types of water, the river becomes a road map with great holding water marked everywhere.
The most basic principal which guides the angler to holding water is called “The 3 Cs.” They stand for current, cover and cuisine. The three things every trout needs to be happy and survive. The trout needs current to deliver food. He needs cover for safety and a reliable food supply. These three things can be found anywhere trout hold. If they are not present, neither are the trout.
There are a few things to add to that very basic list as you start your search for trout. Although the trout wants to be near current, he can’t afford to exert the energy to hold in that current. He needs a refuge where he can sit and wait for food to arrive. He also needs oxygen. Oxygen levels are not homogenous in a river. Disturbances in the water’s surface add oxygen and trout like to be near them. Colder water always holds more oxygen and trout are drawn to it. Cover may come in many forms, including depth, structure, surface disturbance and overhanging vegetation.
Lots of options, but as you learn to understand the trout and his habits these thing make themselves obvious. You learn to look at big water in sections as if it were many smaller streams running together. You will begin to visually recognize the kind of water where you have caught fish before and before you know it, finding fish becomes second nature.
Here’s a list of 10 types of water where you will always find trout.
Read More »Sunday Classic / 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 »Saturday Shoutout / Silver Kings
If this doesn’t make you ache for tarpon season, you should see a doctor.
The 4th season of Silver Kings is now airing on Discovery Chanel. This trailer for Season 4 has so much heart pounding tarpon action it will have you calling a Keys guide, begging for days. If you love tarpon, give Silver Kings a spin.
SILVER KINGS SEASON 4
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