Saturday Shoutout / Venturing to IFTD
We are still recovering from the annual International Fly Tackle Dealers show in Orlando.
IFTD is a serious case of sensory overload. This years show in Orlando was no exception. G&G will soon be publishing our in-depth video coverage from the show, but in the meantime here’s a test of some of the new products from Tim Harden of The Venturing Angler.
Notable New Products at IFTD 2016
Read More »I think We’re On To Something
By Louis Cahill
You have to admit there is a family resemblance.
There’s no debate that Kelly Galloup has had a huge impact on fly fishing. He certainly has on my personal fishing. I had been tying and fishing a handful of Kelly’s patterns for several years when I first met him. I stopped by Kelly’s place on the madison and fished a day with one of his guides. Kelly offered my wife one of his horses to ride. We had a blast and were well taken care of.
I spent several hours hanging around the shop BS-ing with Kelly and the guys. If you’ve been by the Slide Inn you’ve probably had the same experience. Kelly is always generous with his knowledge and certainly his opinions, which I value. What you don’t get from his videos and books is what a funny guy he is. I remember Kelly telling a story about a fly fishing company, which I won’t name.
“The problem with those guys,” he proclaimed, “is they were all a bunch of drunks who didn’t want to work.”
He took a look around the room at the host of skeptical faces and added,
“OK, we’re all a bunch of drunks, but these guys didn’t want to work.”
Thanks Kelly. For all that you do.
Enjoy this classic Kelly Galloup video and feel free to share the meme of Kelly and Chuck.
Read More »The Douglas SKY Fly-Rod Review
Over the past handful of weeks I’ve been trying out a pretty awesome new stick that will be the new flagship offering from Douglas Outdoors.
“Who is Douglas Outdoors?” is usually the raised-brow response I get when I mention their name. Not everyone has yet to hear of them, but I’m sure that’s going to be a very temporary thing. However, for our readers that may not be aware of Douglas, let’s go ahead and address this question.
Douglas Outdoors is a newer company based in upstate New York that manufactures and distributes quality fly fishing gear, focusing on rods and reels. The company was founded by the Barclay family in 2014, a prominent conservation family and owners of the famous Douglaston Salmon Run in Pulaski, NY. Their goal was to bring together some of the most innovative rod and reel designers and create a NY-based fishing equipment manufacturer. In just a few short years their products have won many awards, with the Upstream series seeming to lead the way. Today they have five series of fly rods covering entry level to premium performance price ranges, including the SKY, DXF, Upstream, DHF and LRS series. They cover every specialty technique including nymphing, saltwater, ultra-light and spey. They also designed and manufacture a great click-check reel, called the Argus, right here in the U.S.
Back to the rod… I was given the opportunity by Douglas Outdoors to try out a new SKY 905-4 and hit the water with it as soon as I got it. At first glance, the rod is well-made and the blank is sleek and straight. One of the first things that I noticed when putting the rod together were the alignment dots on the blank. Oh boy, here we go. Alignment dots are a peeve of mine. I can’t tell you how many rods I’ve owned, both inexpensive and crazy expensive, that have had alignment dots that didn’t align the rod correctly, some having been just atrocious. However, I was pleased to see that once the rod was together the dots had the rod dead straight. The blank is a matte slate blue/silver that Douglas calls Platinum, which is a nice departure from the greens and browns that tend to dominate within the trout class of fly rods. The finish is neat, with black wraps trimmed in silver. The half wells cork has a dense feel and is very comfortable in the hand. The grip feels like it may be a touch slimmer than most half wells grips you’ll find. The reel seat is anodized aluminum with a nice burl wood insert, finished up with double uplocking rings, but (as I mentioned) it is very comfortable and has a great feel. Along the blank you’ll find a new Fuji Torzite stripping guide followed by titanium REC, single-foot guides. The rod comes with a nice aluminum rod tube and rod socks. The tube is powder coated in slate blue with a contrasting Douglas logo imprinted along the side. The rod sock isn’t your traditional sock. It is made from a thin, mesh-backed foam with the rod model sewn onto a label. Douglas strayed from the traditional route with the goal of providing improved air circulation for rods that are still wet when placed back into the rod tube, as well as a little more cushion for the rod.
The performance of this rod is, of course, the most important part of this whole thing. You can make just about anything look the part, but you had better be able to walk the walk as well. As is usual nowadays, I expected this rod to be on the fast side, so I strung the rod up with a Rio Grand WF5F line with a 7ft practice leader. The rod would certainly be considered
Read More »Sunday Classic / Bonefish Flats Revealed
IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR OPPONENT, AND TO THAT END IT’S GOOD TO KNOW HIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
When we look at a bonefish flat we tend to perceive it as two- dimensional. It’s right there in the name, flat. The truth is, it’s far from flat. The bonefish’s world is as three-dimensional as ours. It’s a landscape full of hills and valleys, mounds and burrows. The crabs, shrimp and such that bonefish feed on use these features to hide or escape from the hungry predator. Knowing this can give us an advantage.
Saturday Shoutout / Dam The Corp
“Anyone who believes our dam-managing agencies can do the right thing when it comes to salmon recovery is kidding themselves.”
It’s a familiar story. The stark disconnect between the people’s mandate and the government’s actions. This excellent piece by Jim Waddell discloses what he saw during his time with the Army Corps of Engineers as deputy district engineer at the Walla Walla District, which operates the four dams on the Lower Snake River in Eastern Washington. If you care about the future of wild salmon and steelhead, it’s worth your time,
“DAM-MANAGING AGENCIES WON’T DO THE RIGHT THING FOR SNAKE RIVER DAMS”
Read More »Sightline Contest Winner
Someone’s getting their Sightline on!
The entries are in for the Sightline contest on Instagram and francoisnadeau is the winner. Looks like he’s doing a little atlantic salmon fishing and he’ll be looking good on the river in his new Sightlines gear.
Thanks for your entries and a big thanks to Sightline for donating the prize. If you haven’t seen their stuff, check it out HERE.
What??? You’re not following us on Instagram? Are you crazy? Fix that right now!
Read More »Sunday Classic / The Best Way to Improve Your Trout Game
The single best way to improve your trout game is to fly fish on trout water that challenges you.
I’m talking about super technical water where trout are wary and extremely educated. The places where the smartest of trout live, where all you get is one or two shots to hit your target. These trout streams force you to maintain the highest level of discipline in your fly fishing. You have to think out every step of your approach and presentation to find success. If you fail at executing these strict requirements, you’ll almost certainly be skunked on the water.
It’s really easy for many of us with our busy schedules to focus our time fly fishing locations that allow us the most success, or should I say the easiest success. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy these easy trout streams myself, where I can immediately start catching fish within minutes of wetting my line. Just remember, if all you do is fish easy trout water, you’re going to have a rude awakening when you finally get around to stepping foot on a truly technical trout stream. You won’t find success, your confidence will shrivel, your pride will take a beating and you’ll probably feel like crawling off into a hole when it all said and done. Not only that, but you’ll also be impeding the improvement of your fly fishing skills in the process, and you’ll be no different than a kid refusing to take off the training wheels on his/her bike because it’s easier and safer.
So change up your routine, step away from your comfort zone and the rookie trout water for a while. Next time you go fly fishing, choose trout water that requires you to bring your absolute best to catch fish. Be prepared for there to be a learning curve, and some very slow days. But continue to
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Now Or Neverglades
Don’t miss this chance to help save the Florida Everglades, You won’t get another.
Finally, finally, FINALLY! Something is getting done to help stop the tragic and ongoing destruction of the Florida Everglades. I’d personally like the thank the Orris company and in particular Perk Perkins, who I don’t think gets the credit he deserves for his conservation work. Good job gentlemen.
If you are not aware of the situation in the Everglades you should read this post from Orris news. Either way you should add your name to the Now or Neverglades Declaration. I have. This fragile ecosystem is on its last legs and if it goes down it will take the fisheries in the Florida Keys with it. Don’t hesitate.
ADD YOUR NAME TO THE NOW OR NEVERGLADES DECLARATION.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN.
Read More »The Fishpond Thunderhead Fishing Pack Reviewed
Every couple of years a piece of fly fishing gear comes along that makes me wonder how I lived without it.
The Fishpond Thunderhead pack is one of those brilliant designs. It makes you wonder if the folks at Fishpond will ever run out of great ideas. This pack solves some specific problems for me and is versatile enough that you may find uses for it no one has thought of.
Like many great ideas, the Thunderhead is a simple one. A waterproof sling pack. That doesn’t sound like cold fusion. It’s exactly the simplicity of it that I love. It’s versatile, functional, durable and comfortable.
To start with, the Thunderhead is actually waterproof. Not water resistant, but totally dry, which is great for flies and gear but absolutely essential for cameras and other electronics. This was what initially got my attention. I am always looking for a safe, comfortable way to carry my camera and lenses, sound recording gear and cell phone and still be able to fish. The Thunderhead is the best solution I’ve found yet.
It’s the perfect size. You can load it with a surprising amount of gear without it becoming cumbersome to fish in. It swings completely behind you where it doesn’t interfere with line management or hang up on bushes. The wide shoulder strap is comfortable and doesn’t wear on you, even when the pack gets heavy. A waist strap can be used to keep the pack from sliding around, but I seldom find it necessary.
The Thunderhead uses the same waterproof zipper as the Yeti Hopper soft cooler. It’s extremely rugged and completely waterproof. It also makes the pack easy to get in and out of, unlike roll-top packs. I discovered a bonus to
Read More »Happy Birthday To Me
Happy 4th of July G&G fans! Here’s a piece of trivia for you, the good old US-of-A shares its birthday with Gink and Gasoline.
Today is a kind of special day. G&G turns 5. It’s hard to believe but it was 5 years ago today that the first post went live. It’s been an amazing 5 years and I can not tell you what your support has meant to me in that time. I simply can not thank you enough.
Much has changed and much has stayed the same. We remain committed to delivering the best fly fishing content possible. We stay focused on our community and we dedicate ourselves to our readers. I would like to share with you the 2 things I am most proud of in the last 5 years.
Our annual readership has grown to 2.5 million.
In our 5 years on lime we have posted every single day.
Now, just for fun, Here is the first ever Gink and Gasoline post from July 4th 2011.
Read More »