Saturday Shoutout / Cosmo
Pure fly fishing madness.
Take a trip to Cosmoledo Atoll for GT, milkfish, triggerfish, yellow fin tuna and more. One of the most remote and exciting fisheries on the planet. Also one of the nicest fly fishing films I’ve seen, from the folks at Yeti.
COSMO
Read More »New Simms Headwater Pro Waders
Simms has a new, made in Bozeman, Gore-Tex wader at an attractive price.
Simms has made the Headwaters wader for some time now, so what’s new about the Headwaters Pro? Basically, Simms has stolen a lot of great design from themselves. The new Headwaters Pro wader has many of the dynamite features of the Famous G-3 wader for $100 less.
Some of the new features include:
* New patterning based on best-ever G3 Guide Stockingfoot
* New top pocket array and feature set including molle webbing and two pockets
* New lower leg with front and back center-seam (patented) and reinforcement with an additional 4th layer on lower-leg for durability.
WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THE NEW HEADWATERS PRO WADER FROM SIMMS.
Read More »Bahamas Bonefishing Regulations Update
Take A Deep Breath! It’s Gonna Be Ok!
The conference room just outside of the walls of ICAST and IFTD is buzzing with chatter and anticipation of the coming announcement to be made by Rena Glinton, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries of the Bahamas. Over the past several months, numerous guides, lodges, members of the press, conservationist groups, and the everyday angler have been hearing, reading, writing, and talking about several newly proposed regulations that have been tossed around. While some of these suggested regulations have been sensible, there were some circulating that seemed downright detrimental to those that depend on fishing within Bahamaian waters. Talk of outlawing DIY anglers, removing non-Bahamian owned lodges, and only allowing native Bahamians to guide clients are just examples of some of the ideas that have come down the pipe. To say the least, this has had the fly angling world up at arms trying to make sense of it all.
As Ms. Glinton began to speak, the room fell silent and all eyes were forward. I’ve never seen a more attentive group listening to someone speak, few only glancing away for a second or two in order to jot down a note. A presidential candidate could only hope for such a fascinated group. Taking about ten minutes of her time, she explained the newly proposed version of fishing regulations that would, as is turns out, be the last version. These regulations would be the set that went into law at some date down the road. No more revisions. These rules are what will govern the fishing on the Bahamian flats.
As she began to read through the new set of regulations, I was equally pleased with what I heard, as well as what I didn’t hear. Past ideas pertaining to abolishing DIY and foreign owned lodges were nowhere in her announcement. The regulations that were presented seemed fair and could certainly have an immediate, positive impact on the fisheries. License fees were very reasonable. She even explained they were using Florida’s fishing license program as a model for their own. Multiple agencies and groups would be involved in developing a certification process for guides operating in the Bahamas, and would require all guides to complete the process prior to working with clients. There were still plenty of questions once she had concluded her announcement, however much of them just involved a little more information or elaboration on a couple of the regulations by Ms. Glinton.
Overall, everyone seemed pleased (and relieved) that these regulations seemed to be more focused on improving the conservation of the fisheries by providing a positive economic impact. I was able to talk in brief with Oliver White (Abaco Lodge) who seemed pleased with the new regulations. He spoke of it as a “great win” and surely a step in the right direction. No doubt, lodge owners’ fears of losing clients and business had gained some relief. Justin Lewis, Bahamas Initiative Manager of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, was also very pleased with the results and the funds that would be funneled into conservation efforts. I think we all wanted a little more explanation about the guide certification program, but the way I understood it, there wasn’t much information to give because the program hadn’t yet been fully developed and is likely only a concept at this time.
Here’s a list of the points that were made during the announcement by Rena Glinton:
Licenses – $15/day, $20/wk, $30/month, $60yr; Money received from the sale of licenses would be split. The platform from which anglers will purchase licenses will be online. They are using Florida’s license purchasing program as their model.
Where’s your money going? –
Bold New Fly Rods For 2017
By Louis Cahill
What a year 2017 will be for fly rod design.
I’m just back from the International Fly Tackle Dealers show in Orlando and honestly still recovering. We will be posting our in-depth video coverage soon, but for now, here’s an overview of the new fly rods coming in 2017.
I initially thought this year’s news would be a single story. Having had the opportunity to fish the new Sage X for the last couple of months, I expected there would be nothing that would come close. The X, which is very impressive, did take the honors for best freshwater fly rod, best saltwater fly rod and best in show but it was in no way a landslide. Rather than being a singularity, the X is simply one of many phenomenal new fly rods coming our way in the next year.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. I think the recent advances in fly rod design and materials will be looked back on as a great leap forward, on par with the genesis of graphite. After casting some of the new offerings, I’m even more convinced that’s true.
There are some definite trends, which are consistent across all brands. Rods are getting lighter. Shockingly light. This trend is driven in part by performance and in part by the market. Personally, I’m not concerned with what a rod weighs, except to the extent which it serves the action. In many of the new designs, however, weight is a big part of rod action. These hotrod sticks will be an interesting challenge for reel designers in coming years. We are reaching the point where balancing a rod and reel is becoming a challenge.
Another obvious, and welcome, trend is that rod actions are becoming more accessible. The X is a great example. Sage has taken advantage of their new super-fast recovering material to make a rod which bends deeper and loads easier than the One, while having a faster action. This hat trick is also immediately evident in the new G Loomis Asquith, which won my heart with the first cast.
The last thing I expected this year was
Read More »Sunday Classic / Do Bonefish Eat Popcorn?
I LOVE POPCORN CLOUDS. PUFFY, BILLOWING WHITE MARSHMALLOWS FLOATING ACROSS THE SKY.
Like huge mounds of cotton candy picking up the green, blue and gold of the flats. Nothing says, “it’s going to be a beautiful day” like popcorn clouds. Who doesn’t love them, well, bonefish actually. Popcorn clouds can be tough but you can beat the game and have a great day by fishing smart. Here are a few strategies that pay off.
Saturday Shoutout / A Search For Balance
Balance, Isn’t that what it’s all about?
When I first became aware of the rising tide of grass roots fly fishing writing on the internet, one of the first sites I found, and fell in love with was Fontinalis Rising. I’m happy, and proud, to now call Jason Tucker my friend. One of the things I enjoy most about Jason, as both a writer and a friend, is his authenticity. If you spend any time with him at all you’ll here him casually drop some simple truth and it will stick with you.
This post caught my eye. I think i like it because he has my number. Balance has never been my long suit. I’m way too fired up for that. While Jason doesn’t speak for me in this post, I think it will speak to a great many others, and might be a good lesson for us all. In fishing and in life.
CHECK OUT, A SEARCH FOR BALANCE
Read More »Sunday Classic / Listen to the Fish
Sometimes all fly fisherman need to do to find success when their not having luck is slow down, and take the time to listen to the fish.
Trout can’t speak to us in words, but they do often provide us with subtle clues from their behavior that can help us catch them. That is, if we’re paying close enough attention to pick up on them. Not long ago, I was on the water guiding one of my favorite clients during an unusually cold early fall overcast day. A cold front had rolled in the night before and it had completely shut down all bug activity on the surface. There wasn’t so much as a single midge in the air, so we opted for drifting nymphs below the surface and began catching trout. As we broke for lunch, I noticed the clouds beginning to break up and the sun starting to find its way down to the ground in spots. Refueled, we headed up to a productive bend in the river to resume our fishing. As we crept down to the waters edge, I saw a large slurp from a big fish on the surface. It came at the tail-end of the bend, from a bath tub sized spot where the sun was shining down on the water. Both of us froze in total shock and amazement. It was the first surface activity we had seen all day and we waited with anticipation to see if the big fish would rise again. A few minutes went by with nothing. I scanned the water to see if I could see what the big fish had taken on the surface, but I saw no signs of food drifting in the current.
Convinced, the big fish rise was an omen, I snipped off the nymphs, added a couple feet of tippet and tied on a big black foam beetle. I handed the rod to my client and instructed him to quietly get into position and present the beetle slightly upstream of where the big fish rose. He obliged with a perfect cast and we watched the beetle intently as it began slowly drifting through the big fish’s kitchen. Nothing happened at first, but just when both of us were about to give up on the drift, we saw a large wake heading downstream towards the beetle. Next, a huge head broke the surface with jaws wide open and the beetle was devoured. God save the queen, the hook was set and we battled the fish up and down the river for several minutes before bringing that vibrant red-striped 24″ rainbow trout to the net. That fish was absolutely beautiful but the take was even more. I’ll never forget being abel to stare down the mouth of the fish just before it chomped down on the beetle. It was a front row seat to an amazing rise that you don’t see very often.
Here’s the funny part.
Read More »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 »