Sunday Classic / Hyperfocal Focus
SOMETIMES TO GET IT ALL IN FOCUS, IT HAS TO ALL BE OUT OF FOCUS.
Shooting photos you often find yourself wanting an object in the foreground and an object in the background both in focus. This can be a frustrating situation. Inevitably, focusing on either the foreground or the background leaves the other out of focus. There is a way to make it happen but it requires putting on your thinking cap.
It’s called hyperfocal focus and yes there’s going to be math, sort of. You may have noticed that on the barrel of your DSLR lens there is a scale that shows how far from the camera your point of focus falls. That tool is handier than you might think. Here’s how you use it to get the shot.
First focus on the foreground object that you want sharp. At this point it doesn’t matter whether you use auto of manual focus. Take a look at the scale. Let’s say your foreground focus is at three feet. Now focus on the background object that you want sharp. Let’s say it’s at nine feet. We now know we need to carry six feet of focus.
That six feet of sharpness is called depth of field or DOF. Literally the depth of our field of focus. We control the DOF with our aperture. Smaller apertures like F16 or F22 carry a wider DOF. Larger apertures like F2.8 or F4 have narrow DOF. If you’re confused don’t panic. Stay with me. The higher the F# the smaller the aperture. It’s a mathematic formula and I could explain it but it’s not important for this exercise and it’s frankly too much information.
So what we need is an F# that will carry six feet of DOF. Now it’s time to set your camera to manual focus! if you spent a whole lot of money on your lens it may have a scale that shows you the DOF for each F#. If so, that’s great. Choose an F# and set your focus so that three feet and nine feet fall between the brackets. If you don’t have the scale, don’t panic, just set your lens for the highest F#. If you want to get really technical, consult this nifty DOF calculator.
OK, I promised math so here it is. The thing about DOF is it’s a
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / TFM And Things That Click
There’s something about classic fly reels.
For years I fished with classic fly reels. While those old reels are still in my collection, they made it out of the rotation for a while. I got focused on catching big fish and got tired of losing them because my reel wasn’t up to snuff.
I started getting interested again after landing a nice steelhead on my buddy Jeff’s hundred year old Hardy. I can’t drop that kind of cash on a reel right now but I have found a few nice old reels on eBay which were undervalued. Some of them for less than twenty bucks.
One of them was so full of dried mud it would barely turn, but after a good scrubbing and some grease it was running like a sewing machine. With that on my mind this post from The Fiberglass Manifesto caught my eye.
Cameron offers some good tips, and links, on cleaning and caring for old fly reels. If you’ve been buying, or just looking at, vintage fly reels it’s well worth a look.
CLEANING CLASSIC FLY REELS WITH THE “BULLDOG TREATMENT”
Read More »Simms Bounty Hunter Luggage
If you travel to fish Simms has you covered.
Fly anglers have some pretty specific needs when it comes to travel. Not every traveler has to worry about packing wet boots and waders,,for,example. So why not get your luggage from folks who understand what you need?
The new Simms Bounty Hunter rolling bag has lots of cool features designed specifically for anglers on the go. Rod tube storage that’s easy to access and lockable, a dry bag to hold waders and boots and spaces designed to carry common Simms gear. It’s a pretty smart bag and the winner of best luggage at IFTD 2015.
IN THIS VIDEO RICH HOHNE SHOWS OFF THE FEATURES OF THE BOUNTY HUNTER.
Read More »Fly Fishing in the Winter – Getting in the Routine
I’ll be the first to admit, that the first few cold fronts of the year negatively effect my angling morale. Those initial cold fronts are always a sobering reminder that winter is quickly approaching, and the warm days of the summer and fall are long gone. Yes, this is the time of year that I find it harder to get out of bed in the morning. My snooze button gets quite a bit more love from my index finger, and I’m forced to brew my coffee extra stout. As I loosen up in the shower, with my morning stretches, and warm water hitting my back (as us old folks are plenty familiar with), I think about my next objective of the day, which will be to de-thaw my frozen waders and boots. I left them laying in the back of my truck, and yes, I know, I should have brought them inside. I respectfully ask you all to turn your cheek because it always takes me a few weeks before I wise up to the cold season. That’s why, if you peak into the window of my truck this time of year, you’ll probably find me driving around with my waders and boots on the floorboard of my truck, with my heater set to high, and blasting on my feet.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Slowing Down and Casting Easier Can Improve Your Fly Cast
Read the title of this article and try to live by it.
It’s my attempt in “one sentence”, to help fly anglers quickly improve their fly casting, and it’s made me twice fly caster and fisherman I am today. There’s lots more to fly casting than slowing down and casting easier, but if anglers focus on doing both together, they often will find that it can greatly improve their overall technique and control. Ask any professional sports athlete how they maximize their performance and potential, and almost all will reply with excellent technique. It’s no different in fly casting. If you want your fly casting to reach its full potential, you have to first build a strong foundation of fly casting mechanics and principles that you can consistently live by on the water. I’ve found personally that when I take the time to slow down and cast the fly rod with less power, it’s much easier for me to focus on the most important element of my fly casting, my technique.
Let your fly rod do the work
I’ve noticed a great deal of fly fisherman over the years cast with a tempo that’s too fast (rushing their cast), and they also often apply far too much power during their casting stroke. The majority of fly anglers that fall into this category are usually intermediate fly casters. They’re generally skilled enough to fish multiple types of rigs and cast their flies close enough to their targets to catch fish, but they’re approach has them expending far too much energy in the process. Furthermore, this style of casting usually yields a casting stroke that is slightly out of control, creates loops that are inefficient (sloppy) and presentations generally suffer. Put all these negatives together and you’ve got a fly rod that’s not able to perform its job effectively. Remember to always let the fly rod do the work, don’t try to be the power house. It will only work against you in the long run.
Why slowing down and backing off the power will help your fly cast out
First, by slowing down and
Saturday Shoutout / Chrome
Some of my favorite folks have come together to deliver an important message about steelhead.
Tom Rosenbauer, Tim Romano, Kate Taylor Dylan Tomine and Todd Tanner take you to the river for some beautiful scenery, great steelheading and a sobering call to action. This trailer for “Chrome” the new film from Conservation Hawks is as riveting as sobering. If you love steelhead, take the time to watch the film and get involved.
You can see “Chrome” at this year’s F3T.
Read More »The 2016 G&G Fly Fishing Photo Contest Is On
It’s time to share your best fly fishing photos from 2015 and win some great gear!
This year’s contest is going to be even cooler than before. In addition to the contest here on G&G we will be running a parallel contest on Instagram, where the people decide the winner. So dig into the 2015 photo library and get your entries in today!
PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT INCORRECT SUBMISSIONS.
All submissions must be in by midnight EST Sunday January 24th.
PRIZES
1st – Sage MOD single hand fly rod
2nd – Redington Hydrogen fly rod and ZERO reel
3rd – RIO InTouch Line Gold fly line with Powerflex Plus Leader and Tippet
People’s Choice Award- Fishpond Thunderhead pack
THIS YEAR’S JUDGES ARE:
Greg Thomas
Photographer, writer and Editor of Fly Rod and Reel Magazine and Angler’s Tonic, Greg is a hard core angler with more than a little media experience.
Tim Romano
Tim is one of the hottest shooters in fly fishing. In his spare time he writes for Field and Stream and is the Editor of Angling Trade Magazine.
Robert Rostic
Robert is an advertising photographer and educator with over 30 years experience. He operates a photography school in Tampa FL. trgphoto.net
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET IN ON THE ACTION.
Read More »Fly Fishing Patagonia: Video
Justin and I have a small part in this beautiful video.
Our trip to Patagonia last year remains the coolest trout fishing trip I’ve ever taken. We were fortunate to be on the water with Pablo Saracco and get a little screen time on his project for Andes Drifters.
This film features some of the most mouth-watering trout rivers on the planet. Watching the takes and jumps of the wild Patagonian trout takes me right back there. I know you’ll appreciate it too.
I’m hosting a group for this same trip again in February. If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s the time to pull the trigger. We’ll be wrapping it up soon. It’s an amazing experience and a real bargain as destination fly fishing goes.
You can get all of the details HERE
And an itinerary for the trip HERE
ENJOY THE VIDEO!
Read More »Can Anglers and Trout Have Mutual Admiration?
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH?
This photograph reminds me of the blissful feeling I’m overcome with, just before I release a big beautiful trout back into the wild. There’s something very special about the last few seconds that an angler spends with his/her prized catch before it’s released. Everything seems to slow down, almost as though God is making sure we have time to capture the splendidness of the moment. I like to pretend that when our eyes lock, we feel mutual admiration for each other. I respect the trout for it’s majestic beauty and the thrill of the hunt. The trout in return respects me for my angling skills and belief in catch and release.
I’ve often thought about what it would be like to come back as a trout in my next life. I joke around with buddies that if I was a trout, I’d be one of the first one’s to be caught. After all, I’m always saying, “If I was a fish, I’d eat that fly.” In the off chance that there is such a thing as reincarnation on this planet, and some of us do go on to become trout in our next life, it would make sense that some trout would already know being caught is inevitable. As depressing and unpleasant as it must be for a trout to be caught, I wonder if there is some sort of similar blissful-like feeling that a trout is overcome with, when it looks out of the net after being landed, and sees
Read More »Sunday Classic / Flats Fishing is not All Sunshine
I was in The Fish Hawk picking up a few things before heading to the Florida Keys for my first ever week of flats fishing. My friend Gary Mariman asked me where I was going. When I told him he gave me a piece of advice that saved my trip.
“Take a fleece,” were the first words out of his mouth.
“Really?” I thought. It was already warm enough in Atlanta that I wasn’t carrying a fleece. “You’ll freeze your ass off,” he insisted. Gary, the creator of the Tarpon Toad, knows a thing or two about flats fishing so I took his advice and he was right. I’d have died without that fleece.
It’s tempting to think that it never gets cold in the tropics but I have fished in the Bahamas in two layers of fleece. That was highly unusual but I’ll never go down there without one. I’ve fished in the Keys in April when the temperature never made it to seventy. Even if it’s not uncomfortable to fish in shirt sleeves, running in the boat can get chilly.
The big couplet is water. If you get caught in the rain or splashed by spray you can get hypothermic on a chilly run. You never want to be on a flats boat without rain gear no matter what the weatherman says. The spray from the ocean is just as wet as the rain. Carry a good rain coat and a pair or rain pants that you can get into quickly.
If you’re planning a trip to some tropical paradise to do a little fishing, remember
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