Sunday Classic / Fly Fishing Lights at Night
It’s long been known by fishermen, that bright lights shining on the water at night create fishing hotspots.
The lights attract plankton, which in turn, attracts the baitfish and other food sources that feed on them. Once you’ve got a good concentration of forage food hanging around the lights, it doesn’t take long before the larger predatory gamefish move in and begin making a feeding frenzy of the situation at hand. Using the lights as a perfect tool to coax and gather the food into a small area and the cover of darkness as camouflage, predatory gamefish will take turns darting into the light with mouths open to pack their bellies full. This feeding scenario reminds me very much of the relationship I have with my refrigerator. When I wake up in the middle of the night with my stomach growling, I know exactly where I need to head to get my quick food fix. The relationship gamefish have with lights on the water at night is no different. When available, gamefish will regularly utilize lights to locate and ambush food under the cover of darkness. Fly fisherman should always take the time to locate and fish lights on their home waters, because they will almost always provide consistent action.
If you randomly asked one of your fellow fly fisherman about targeting lights at night, they’d probably respond with success stories about either fishing lighted piers in saltwater or boat docks on freshwater lake impoundments. These are by far, the two most popular places fisherman prefer to utilize lights shining on the water at night, but it’s not the only places we should look. Fishing lights for trout
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Hookshots Musky…Or Not
The boys from Field and Stream are back on the hunt for musky.
When you’re chasing musky the question is always the same. Will the musky show? Maybe, and then again, maybe not, but either way this is some hard fishing action with something for everyone.
CHECK OUT HOOKSHOTS, “MUSKY FLY DREAMING: PART 2”
Read More »Simms Headhunter Fly Rod Luggage
It’s always a challenge to fly with fly rods and reels.
Fortunately Simms has a new line of luggage designed just for your gear. The headhunter line includes traditional tubes and larger cannons for single and double-hand rods, as well as reel cases and the roomy Vault, built to hold everything you need. The Vault offers the option of backpack straps and is suitable as a carry-on or a checked bag.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE SIMMS HEADHUNTER FLY ROD LUGGAGE.
Read More »Fly Fishing And Being Thankful
Once again fly fishing is there when I need it.
Over the years, when I have been at my worst, my fly rod has been there like an old and dear friend. It’s kept me company when I was alone, it’s focused my mind when I was in despair, and it has comforted me when I was in pain. Fly fishing has been my refuge when everything else has failed. I never expected to lose it when I needed it most.
I guess I’m making a habit of sharing something personal on Thanksgiving. If you read what I wrote last year, you know that the past 16 months have been the hardest of my life. I don’t say that lightly, and there has been some competition, but since the loss of my godson I have been to places in my heart I never imagined were there. A year ago I said I didn’t know if this was a thing I could fix with a fly rod. I know now, that it can’t be fixed at all. It must be accepted, absorbed even, made part of the whole, but there has still been some question whether the fly rod would come to my aid this time.
Life is, at best, one half risk and one half reward. That equation weighs into all things, but nothing more than love. If you can give your heart and keep that ratio one to one, you are way ahead of the game and that isn’t exclusive to loving people. There is risk in giving your heart to anything and fishing, at least for me, has not been an exception.
My heart, it seems, is prone to dehydration. It runs dry from time to time and water is the only thing which restores it. The solitude of standing in a river, or on a flat, grounds me. It washes away the bitterness and drowns the discourse. The purity of a fish’s soul calms me. The act of participating in that lovely creature’s struggle, and the act of releasing it, seeing it swim back into a deep pool reminds me that there is peace waiting for all of us. I know it isn’t something everyone understands, but it has comforted me.
I have to remind myself that it is only a coincidence that our world became such an angry and divided place at the very time I needed a little extra understanding. It has been very hard not to take it personally. I didn’t know what I was putting at risk when I decided to make fly fishing a job. I had no idea that I was hanging a target around my neck when I spoke publicly of my love of fishing. That sounds silly, but I’ll wager you’d be shocked to read some of the emails I get. Would you guess that I’ve had my life threatened for writing about catch-and-release fishing? I have, and
Read More »Some Days It’s All About the Twitch
Some days trout need more than just a well placed fly in their field of vision and a drag-free drift to persuade them to eat. When you’re working water that you’re certain holds trout, and a standard drag-free drift isn’t getting the job done, try imparting subtle movement on your fly/flies to trigger bites. The best way to execute this is by using well timed rod tip twitches, during the drift, when your fly is moving through high percentage trout holding water. Done properly, it will give your fly that extra “alive and life-like appeal” and that often will give trout the green light that your fly is a natural and not an impostor.
Last week, I had the honor of fly fishing with Rob Parkins (WY & ID veteran guide) and Zack Dalton (Farbanks Sales Manager) on the South Fork of the Snake River during an epic salmonfly hatch.
Read More »6 Tips For Catching Spooky Bonefish
BONEFISH CAN GET SPOOKY. CRAZY, UNREAL, MADDENINGLY SPOOKY.
I found myself dealing with just this situation the other day. Wading for super spooky bonefish in skinny water. Not the easiest day of fishing to be sure, but I did pretty well. I thought I’d share some of the tactics that I use to bring spooky bonefish to hand. Some are obvious and some, not so much.
Wade quiet, or not at all
Bonefish are very sensitive to sound. Especially the sound of your legs pushing water. On days when the wind is still and the water calm, you can barely move without alerting them. Take special care that your steps do not push water. Go super slow! Be aware of pot holes and soft mud that may throw you off balance and cause sudden movements. Find ambush spots like inlets and points and just hang out for a while. Let the fish come to you.
Use light flies
Bonefish are extra spooky in skinny water. You don’t need a heavy fly when the water is shallow so switch to a lighter fly that will land softer on the water. Use bead chain eyes instead of lead eyes, and for extra quiet presentations wrap some hackle at the eyes to cushion their landing.
Keep a low profile
When bonefish are close, crouch or kneel to minimize your visibility. Wear soft natural colors that blend with the surroundings. This is crucial when fish are following your fly and swimming straight for you.
Lead ’em farther
If fish are blowing up on good presentations, or even before the fly hits the water, it’s time to lengthen your lead. The other day I
Sunday Classic / Choosing a line for your switch rod Part one: Understanding lines and line tapers
SO YOU BOUGHT A SWITCH ROD…NOW WHAT?
The idea behind the switch rod is simple. What if you could have the best of both worlds? What if you were nymphing under an indicator but you had the length of a Spey rod to highstick? What if you could cast a dry fly eighty feet without a backcast? What if you could swing flies on a skagit head and sink tip in the morning and dead drift dries in the afternoon without going back to the truck for another rod? Is that a world you’d like to fish in?
Switch rods are a wonderful and versatile tool for fly anglers but they can be as vexing as versatile. In fact, it is their versatility that makes them so confusing. There are about a dozen ways you can set up and fish that new switch rod. They range from nymphing for trout to swinging for steelhead and even casting in the surf for stripers. How your rod will fish starts with the line you choose and it all adds up to make selecting a line for your switch rod the most confusing choice in fly fishing.
I know a lot of guys come to the switch rod from a single-hand casting background. They hear all the talk about two-handed casting and get to feel like they are missing something. The switch rod offers the option of single-hand performance and seems like a friendly way into the world of two-handed casting. The trouble is that lots of those guys never get comfortable putting their left hand on the rod, usually because
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Under the Bridge
A beautiful journey to Norway for grayling and brown trout on the Rena.
“Nothing kicks the Rena at its best,” or so say the Norwegians, apparently. From what you’ll see in this short film, it’s easy to believe. Blizzard hatches, long gliding runs boiling with rise forms, sone of the prettiest trout and biggest grayling you’re likely to see. The Rena must be a treasure for the anglers who call it home.
Enjoy, “Rena Under The Bridge.”
Read More »New Fly Lines And Leaders From Scientific Anglers
The folks at Scientific Anglers are always hard at work putting you on fish.
This year is no different. Lot’s of new products from SA, including new slickness technology, amazing sinking lines, price point saltwater lines and wire bite-tip leaders. I’v had the chance to fish several of these new lines and I’n very impressed. You can read my review of the Titan sinking lines here.
WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR THE FULL RUNDOWN ON NEW FLY LINES AND LEADERS FROM SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS.
Read More »Tarpon on the Fly: 10 Rookie Mistakes
I’ll never forget heading down to the Florida Keys for my first fishing trip for tarpon on the fly. Cruise control set and adrenaline pumping through my veins, that fifteen hour drive south only felt like it took four hours. My rookie confidence was overflowing, leaving me zero doubt that I had the necessary fishing skills to step up to the challenge of landing a tarpon on the fly. After my first trip was completed and I played it all back in my head, I realized I could have been a whole lot more prepared. My guide Capt. Joel Dickey did his job. He put me on plenty of fish, I hooked up with a couple nice tarpon, but I never landed one because I made too many rookie mistakes on the bow. Below are 10 common mistakes I wished I would have taken the time to read over before I made my first tarpon outing.
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