Angler Seeks Eunuch For Lasting Relationship
By Louis Cahill
Personal Ad:
Angler seeks eunuch for long-term fishing partner. Applicants should have absolutely no political opinions, be financially self-sufficient and possess adequate rowing skills. Physical appearance unimportant. Alcoholics welcome.
At the take-out, Jason and I are cleaning out the boat and stowing gear. We pause from filling a plastic bag with beer cans and turn our attention to our buddy who is pacing the parking lot, head down, cell phone tight to his ear. He turns circles and kicks rocks off into the brush. It’s a dance I’ve seen many times before.
We are a couple hours late getting off the river. Not without good cause. It might be an overstatement to say we had saved a guy’s life but he would have been in bad shape if we hadn’t showed up. He’d taken his kayak under a sweeper in heavy water. He was out of the boat and perched on the trunk of the big tree, bloody and in shock. His boat was tangled in the branches under the raging water.
We managed to get the fellow to safety and retrieve his boat. I insisted he ride out with us but he wouldn’t. We stayed with him until he recovered and had his wits about him. Once it seemed safe for him to boat again we all headed down river well behind schedule. You can’t turn your back on a boater in trouble. If it isn’t a law, it damned well should be.
The gravity of this situation didn’t mean jack to my buddy’s wife, who was presently chewing his ear off through his cell phone. All she heard was, “I’m going to be late.” I’ll never understand some people. I’ve told fishing buddies, “Don’t promise her anything past coming home alive…at some point.” It still seems there is always an expectation and it’s frequently not met.
Our buddy continues to pace, gesturing and pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Jason turns to me and shakes his head.
“Women are the hardest part of fly fishing,” he says to me in a weary tone.
I have burned through more than my share of fishing partners. Even the ones who have dedicated their lives to fly fishing eventually peel away like heat shields from a space shuttle. Often just as spectacularly. Almost every time there is a spouse involved. Why is it so hard to fly fish and stay married?
Read More »Sunday Classic / Ronnie Hall’s Floating Baetis Nymph
When it’s time to get technical, he’s your man. Ronnie’s flies have been honed from decades of guiding. They are as elegant as they are effective. Beautifully proportioned and deadly simple, with carefully chosen materials.
Watch the video to see Ronnie tie the Floating Baetis Nymph
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Single Hand Skaters
I don’t know of anything cooler than catching a steelhead on a swung dry fly.
Dillon Rento and Sterling Dillingha make it look pretty easy in this beautifully shot video by Tyler Orton and Curtis Ciszek, sourced from The Amberjack Journal. It’s pretty cool to watch some skilled dudes spey cast single-handers and put some nice fish in the air.
CHECK OUT SINGLE-HANDERS AND SKATERS.
Read More »The New Sage X, The Technology Behind The Action
For weeks now I’ve been keeping the biggest secret in fly-fishing.
I feel very fortunate to be one of a few folks trusted with knowledge of the new Sage X fly rod. When a company like Sage asks you to keep your mouth shut about their new product, you know they are cooking something big. When I visited the Sage factory last month, to see the X, I could feel the electricity in the air. I’ve known these guys for a long time and I’ve never seen them so excited.
Today the cat is officially out of the bag. There is a new family of rods coming from Sage. The X series is built on a new proprietary technology platform and is very different from rods of the past. I have said before that I think this period in fly rod design will be remembered as a great leap forward and Sage is working very hard to prove me right.
If you saw my video about testing recovery rate, you already know some of the basics. Sage has a unique workflow in its R&D lab. They are the only fly rod manufacturer I know to employ a materials engineer. Steve Greist is the man behind the curtain at Sage and I have to say his methods and his materials are pretty impressive.
The X is the next generation of fast action fly rods from Sage. If you are a dyed-in-the-wool glass head, it might not be for you. But, if you like fast action rods, especially ones which are extremely light and responsive with buttery smooth actions, you’re going to love the X. Yep, it’s expensive but it’s a damned fine fly rod and I expect they will sell every one of them.
I got to see, or I should say hear, the resonance test on the new X technology blanks and the material is significantly faster than the technology in the One rods. You might expect it to be a broom stick. I kind of did, but it’s far from it. The 9’ 5wt X that I’ve fished feels much better to me than the One.
Looking at a cross section of the blank under a microscope, you can see
Read More »Sunday Classic / Stocked Brook Trout – Strip it, Skate it, Swing it
I’m very fortunate to have a great trout stream near by that operates a delayed harvest program.
Catch and release fishing by artificial flies only, starting in the fall every year, and runing into the early summer. I love visiting this trout stream because the DNR stocks big male and female brook trout, some of which, can push well over twenty inches. To consistently catch these beautiful brookies, I usually have to experiment with different types of flies and presentation methods to find out what’s the best option for the day’s fishing. Sometimes all I need is a simple drag free drift with a dry fly or nymph to catch them. Other times, the brook trout will completely ignore my dead drifted flies and I’m forced to impart extra action and movement on my flies to trigger bites. When I can’t get stocked brook trout to rise to my dry fly or take my nymphs dead drifted, I’ll then try fishing tactics like stripping a streamer, skating a dry fly or swinging a tandem nymph rig. For some reason, the added action and movement, often will trigger reaction strikes from stocked brook trout that have lock jaw. Moving your fly upstream, and causing it to make a wake, be it a dry fly or wet fly is another technique that can work wonders. Everyday can be different, so it’s important that you figure out what kind of presentation and type of fly the brook trout want to help you find success. Now that I’ve gone over how movement can trigger bites with the stocked brook trout, let’s talk about each in a little more detail.
TECHNIQUE #1 – TRY STRIPPING STREAMERS WHERE THE BROOKIES ARE LOCATED
I’ll never forget a day on the water with my good friend Joel Dickey several years ago, where he landed two brook trout well over 22 inches with a streamer. They were the biggest stocked brook trout I had ever laid my eyes on in the Southeast, and the only thing that proved effective for catching them that day, was retrieving a streamer across their noses erratically. Try fishing brightly colored streamers that incorporate flash for stocked brook trout. Multi-colored streamer patterns with yellow, orange and blue have served me well over the years. Take an attractor approach when tying or purchasing your streamers, you don’t need to fish natural looking streamers that resemble the local sculpins, crayfish or baitfish. These can work also, but I’ve found streamers that are colored loudly get the most attention. Your streamers don’t need to
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / My Old Man
With Father’s Day right around the corner, here’s a great story of a father and daughter connecting on the water.
Fly fishing guide and TV host Hilary Hutcheson draws together the generations of her family by teaching her father to fly fish.
Hilary Hutcheson’s father, Dave, has dedicated his life to the outdoors. After spending decades as a Park Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, he retired to Montana’s Glacier Park and all but retreated from the wild activities that defined his career. But Hilary is changing all that, by taking her father out on the water to learn the sport that became her life’s calling – fly fishing.
Read More »Three Tactics for Tougher Terrestrials
By Bob Reece
Large foam terrestrial fly patterns have exploded in popularity over the past several years. Their intriguing aesthetics, all day buoyancy and ability to elicit violent takes have earned them a place in fly boxes worldwide. However, the durability of these high floating flies can sometimes become an issue. The three following tips can help you beef up the longevity of your favorite foam offerings.
The use of super glue in the creation of foam terrestrials exponentially increases their lifespan. When tying these patterns, I follow two rules of use. I apply super glue wherever foam is attached to the hook shank and when two foam surfaces contact each other. The glue applied to the shank inhibits the pattern from twisting loose as it is used. Glue used to bond two pieces of foam together reduces the stretching of the foam. This stretching leads to tears and cuts that progressively weaken the material. In addition to this, a small drop can be placed on each of the tie in points for any rubber legs and antennae. This prevents them from being dislodged when setting the hook and fighting the fish.
UV clear coats have countless uses in the process of fly tying. Their cured surface provides an abrasion-resistant barrier for the underlying material. Several of the terrestrials that I tie incorporate Wapsi’s Loco Foam on the underside of the pattern. Brushing on a thin layer of UV cure prevents damage to the metallic covering, as well as
Read More »Saltwater Fly Fishing: 11 Tips for Presenting Your Fly To Tarpon
Anyone that’s fly fished for tarpon has probably experienced how easy it can be to present the fly incorrectly. If you miss your target, even by just a little bit, it can drastically lower your chances for getting a tarpon to eat. Cast the fly too close, and the tarpon will spook. Don’t lead the fish enough, and your fly won’t get down to the tarpon’s depth. Cross the fish at the wrong angle, and your fly will be moving towards the tarpon unnaturally, and it will spook. The list goes on and on.
Bottom-line, there’s a very small margin of error bestowed to anglers fly fishing for tarpon. You have to execute everything damn near perfect to put the odds in your favor, and even then, you aren’t guaranteed squat. Here’s the problem. The average angler that travels to fly fish for tarpon is not usually educated on how to read and respond accordingly to different fishing scenarios on the flats. A lot of this has to do with lack of experience and time on the water. If you find yourself falling into this category prior to fishing, you should take the time to have your guide explain how you should handle common fly fishing situations that you’re likely to encounter. As a kid, the same preparation was used by my Dad to walk me through how to make a clean kill shot on a deer. I can hear him now, “If the deer is faced in this direction, I want you to put the crosshairs here”. He must have gone over a dozen different scenarios during the drive up to the deer camp that first year. By the time he was done talking, I felt like I had been hunting for years and I was ready for any situation. It’s no different fly fishing for tarpon. Taking the time to have your guide walk you through different fishing scenarios beforehand will greatly increase your tarpon insight, fishing awareness and get you prepared for the real McCoy.
The second thing anglers should do to increase their success tarpon fishing is have a solid game plan or checklist that they’re willing to stick to on the bow. It must run like clockwork, flawlessly and consistently every time to ensure opportunities aren’t missed out on. The game plan should begin at the angler ready position, with fly in hand, and end with a well-calculated presentation cast. Success all boils down to angler aptitude and experience. The more you have of it, the better the chances will be that you’re going to make the right calculations and decisions on the water when time comes.
Read More »The Winston B3 Plus, Is this A Turning Point?
I have loved Winston fly rods since I cast one for the first time, but this is something completely different.
I just got my hands on a Winston B3 Plus 11 weight and took it to the Florida Keys for tarpon. I only own a couple of Winston fly rods but hey have been among my favorite trout rods for a long time. When it came to saltwater, however, I have always favored rods with a much faster action. Anyone who fishes the salt will no doubt understand.
Winston has become synonymous with the word “feel.” Largely thanks to their own marketing, and “feel” has become synonymous with “slow.” For years that has been fairly accurate, but recently rod designers have taken advantage of new technologies the make rods with both powerful actions and feel. It’s a very exciting trend and think history will remember the rods of this era as a turning point in rod design on par with the shift from fiberglass to graphite.
The Winston B3 Plus is a classic example. This rod is as good as any fast action rod on the market today. Better, in fact, than a great many. I believe it’s a turning point for Winston. A watershed moment when a classic brand with one of the most revered histories in fly fishing stepped firmly into the future.
I have a pretty nice selection of 11 weights. 11 is kind of a magic number for me. It is the perfect rod weight for tarpon, in my opinion, but it’s also the point where rod designers and casters alike start to struggle with castability. While a 10 weight is an easier rod for most anglers to cast, and I know a lot of anglers who fish them for tarpon, they don’t have the authority of the larger rods. As we move to the 11 weight, we have some serious fish fighting power, but the rod becomes more physically demanding to cast. I think you can tell a lot about a family of fly rods by fishing the 11. Everyone has a good 5 weight, a good 11 is a gem.
The B3 Plus
Read More »Taking An Epic Plunge
By Justin Pickett
No, not over my head into a cold river. Instead, I’m diving completely blind into my first rod build.
I’ve been interested in building a rod for some time, but the task has always seemed more daunting and tedious than I had patience for, leading me away from the idea. I’d still think about it from time to time, but I’d just always tell myself “Eh, I’ll do it someday.” I kind of likened it to fly tying. Initially you’d probably start out with a small kit and then graduate to new and more materials, or a better vise, if your interest in tying continued to develop. However, to me, it seemed as though there really wasn’t a great way to start “small.” Not mention the fact that I currently don’t have much room to place a rod jig or store rod building supplies. It could be that I’m just ignorant to more sensible and economical options that may be available, but, no matter, I still kept putting it off. Years have gone by, and I still haven’t tackled a build. I’ve checked off many other things on my fly fishing “to-do” list, which there are still many, but this one has made its way back to the forefront. If this sounds like you, then you’ll want to read on.
I finally decided that I was going to build a rod, and it didn’t take me long to figure out where I was going to start. Epic is a well-known name within the fiberglass world. They produce some amazing glass rods that have won the hearts of glass lovers the world over. Aside from building rods in house, and sending glass blanks across the globe, Epic also sells a “Ready to Wrap” kit. They advertise that, with this kit, they’ve “made the simply incredible — incredibly simple”, and I believe they’ve nailed it. They’ve taken the intimidating task of choosing the right items to build a fly rod and squashed it. On top of that, included is a detailed handbook filled with step by step instructions, as well as tips and tricks to help you along the path of building one of their amazing blanks, which range from a sweet 4WT on up to a wicked 12WT. It was a no brainer for me! Click. Ship. Done!
A week later my kit made its way across the Pacific and arrived at my doorstep.
The big, bold “Epic” logo staring me right in the face! I couldn’t wait to tear into the box and start building immediately! Approximately 3.2 seconds later I was staring at a beautiful collection of quality components worthy of any rod maker’s studio.
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