2015 Holiday Gift Guide
IF YOUR LIKE ME YOU HATE MAKING A CHRISTMAS LIST. GOOD THING WE’VE DONE IT FOR YOU!
Whether your looking for ideas for your own list or shopping for that special angler in your family, we’ve got your Holiday gift list covered. Here’s a list of this year’s hottest fly fishing gifts. From stocking stuffers to to flat out mind blowers, there’s something for the fishiest of Santas. We even included links to make it super easy.
A word about those links. Many of them are what’s called affiliate links. That means this if you use them to buy G&G makes a small percentage. It costs you no more. That money helps us produce the content you love. It’s an easy way to support G&G. We know you have a lot of options. We thank you for choosing to use ours.
Abel Zinger- dependable, high quality, and unmatched attention to detail. $50 may seem a bit excessive to some, but is sure to prove cheaper in the long run after continually replacing ‘lesser’ zingers year after year.
G3 Guide Jacket- New design is 25% lighter. Dry Cuff sleeves keep you dry when releasing fish.
Simms WW Layering- Top- Bottom- The importance of proper layering may be one of the most misunderstood areas of fly-fishing. Do yourself a favor and quit wearing jeans under your waders. Step into some quality Simms Wader Wick Layering and get ready to enjoy a much more comfortable day on the water.COR3 technology in the fabric reduces smell.
T&T LPS-II- great medium action that is perfectly at home in a variety of trout fishing situations. While most at home fishing dry flies to rising trout, this rod is going to be just as capable tossing around light nymph rigs and small streamers when the time arises.
Scott Meridian- A high performance saltwater fly rod with a touch that will make you smile. The perfect mix of power and finesse, the Meridian will make a short, soft shot or drop the long bomb.
Orvis Superfine Glass- There’s nothing like the feel of glass and this rod is one of the most versatile glass rods on the market. The perfect rod for the small stream enthusiast.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Line Marking Shorthand
I’m told that Lefty Kreh came up with this, but I learned it from my friend Rick Whorwood.
It’s a great idea, who ever thought of it. As fly lines get unspooled and respooled it easy to lose track of exactly which line is which. This simple short hand system for keeping up with line weights is a life saver.
Mark the line on each end with a sharpie. Heavy blocks represent a value of five and thin lines represent a value of one. Just like “V” and “I” in Roman numerals. So a heavy block and three lines means this is an eight weight line. Couldn’t be simpler. Mark both ends so you can quickly identify a line whether it’s on the spool or on the reel.
I’m sure this will be old news to many of you but if this is the first time you’ve heard of it, you’re going to love it.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Stalking The Yeti
“Do you really need a Yeti cooler?” Asks Steven Brutger, of Staling The Seam.
Love them or hate them, the Yeti cooler is one of the biggest success stories in the outdoor industry. With sales, possibly equaled only by GoPro, Yeti coolers have become the new status symbol for the outdoorsman with everything. And like all status symbols, they don’t come cheap.
While a lot of the guys you see driving around with Yeti stickers on their cars don’t need, or often even own a Yeti, there are folks who legitimately need that level of performance out of their cooler. Steven Brutger, of Stalking The Seam, is an avid hunter, angler and ex-NOLS instructor. He has a pretty good grasp on what you need and don’t need in a cooler.
In his article, “Do You Really Need A Yeti, ” he does a great job of separating the facts from the hype. Reading this article could save you $300-$400 or it could just talk you into spending it. Either way, you’ll know if that Yeti on you Christmas list is something you need or just want.
CHECK OUT, “DO YOU REALLY NEED A YETI”
Read More »Airlock, The Better Bobber
With the Bobber Wars Roaring, it’s the perfect time to talk about strike indicators.
We all fish indicators, so why not fish a better indicator. If you like the bobber style indicators, you’ll love Airlock indicators. Their ingenuous post and nut attachment system is fast and easy, will not slide once tightened and won’t put a mark on your leader.
I caught up with Tim Rajeff at IFTD and he showed us the features and how to set up the Airlock strike Indecator. I’m including a clever video on how to set up the Airlock as an adjustable 90 degree indicator.
CHECK OUT THESE VIDEOS FOR THE DETAILS.
Read More »Fly Fishing Tactics for Bass in the Fall
In the fall, however, fly anglers should pay less attention to deep water on the main lake and start focusing their time fly fishing up in the creeks and backwater coves, found in the fingers of the lake. The migration of the forage food into the shallow water areas of the lake is great news, because it’s much easier to target the following bass with fly fishing gear. When the days begin to get shorter and we start getting successive nights with temperatures dropping below 50 degrees, fly anglers should start looking for the fall bass bite to heat up. Below are some 8 tactics I use to help me catch bass with fly fishing gear during the fall months.
Read More »Bobber Wars: Episode 2, Attack Of The Clones
By now you probably know that Deeter and I are having a little fun.
Yes, Kirk Deeter and I have been up to something. An experiment, a hoax, a stunt even, but not without some basis in fact. The two of us have been talking about this for some time and even though we’ve been playing roles in this debate, the debate itself is all too real. Our idea was that we, as friends, could publicly have the argument that’s been raging at fly shops and bars around the country for some time.
Judging from the comments, it’s an argument many of you have already been part of. It’s way too much fun to stop now, so I will gladly fire another round back at Mr. Deeter, and then we’ll put it to bed.. Just know, as you read the rhetoric from both of us, that it’s a mix of our true feelings and some of what we hear at the fly shop. Kirk and I are blood brothers and the bobber isn’t going to change that. If you see us together, we’ll be laughing, drinking and probably fishing and Kirk will likely be wearing a dress. That’s just Deeter, there’s only so much you can do with him.
So here’s the next round. I hope you enjoy it, and if you take anything away from this game, let it be how silly this argument really is and how, like Kirk and I, all anglers should be friends.
Mrs. Deeter,
I started this with a Star Wars reference, so let me put a finer point on it. You have fired off another sortie, and just like an Imperial Storm Trooper, hit nothing! Whether or not you are calling for regulations, a gentleman’s agreement or a constitutional amendment banning bobbers is not the issue. The issue isn’t the regulation, it’s your elitist attitude.
I’m not curious to see what would happen on your bobber-free water. I’ve already seen it and it has nothing to do with the trout. It has everything to do with a flock of egotistical anglers creating a safe space where they can’t be bothered with the uncouth and under-skilled. Perhaps we should give you your bobber-free water just to get you off of ours!
OK, that’s over the top, but seriously, why are you so pissed about the bobber?
Let’s be honest, it has nothing to do with fish
Read More »Sunday Classic / Has Distance Casting Hijacked Rod Design?
How often do you really make a 100 foot cast?
Every time I visit a fly fishing trade show and walk by one of those 100′ casting ponds filled shoulder to shoulder with anglers all trying their best to land their fly on the far end of the casting pond, I ask myself, “is that really what the majority of anglers today think fly casting is all about”? A part of me thinks we should shorten those casting ponds all together, and instead throw out a bunch of target rings at random distances starting out at 20 feet. Maybe that would paint a clearer picture of what fly casting is about and how a fly rods performance should be judged. Casting a 5wt and shooting backing through the tip of the rod is hard to do, and something to be proud of, but is it really what we find ourselves doing when we’re out on the water trout fishing?
Furthermore, have we all become so tunnel visioned that we feel it’s correct to judge a fly rods performance and craftsmanship based on how much fly line it can pick up and carry, and how far we can cast a fly with it? That’s not how
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Bowhook Sharks
It’s shark week on South Andros!
If you read my recent article on shark safety, you know I had a little run in with a shark a few weeks ago. In that article I mentioned that my buddy Michael Poulin caught a little black tip shark that morning. Bonefishing had been tough, due to a sudden high pressure system and when we found a school of bonefish they were being hammered by a pair of sharks. I asked Mike if he wanted to catch one of them and he jumped on the chance.
If you want to feel a big fish pull, sharks will make it happen for you. We get them on flies all the time, but we didn’t have a shark rig for the fly rod, so Mike got this one on bait. Mike got a good fight out of the fish and we drew the sharks off of the school of bonefish. Mike handed me his video camera and we got it on film for his blog Bowhook , including a big black tip stalking the one Mike had on.
CHECK OUT “SHARKS ON THE FLATS”
Read More »New Rods And Reels From Redington for 2016
Bold new designs from Redington this year.
Paul Richardson, the new industrial designer for Redington, is making his mark with some bold and innovative design strokes on the new rods and reels. The new offerings are sleek and down to business.
The new Chromer two hand rods replace the prospector line. I’ve not cast them but the action feels very nice and there are some sweet features like rubber ends on the cork grips that make handling mono running lines easier. The Chromer is available in switch and spey.
The new Hydrogen single hand rods are super light weight with a crisp action. The black blank is even visible at the reel seat. No spacer material to add weight. There’s a full line of standard lengths plus some 10 & 11 foot nymphing rods.
The Behemoth is a powerful big game reel with 30 pounds of drag and a bold new look. The Zero series reel is super light weight with a great click drag for old-school sound. As always each of these products is at a very competitive price point, offering serious hardware for the budget minded angler.
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO GET A LOOK AT THE REDINGTON RODS AND REELS.
Read More »Why All Fly Anglers Should Be Watching Their Back Cast
By Kent Klewein
No fly angler should ever feel ashamed to watch his/her back cast when trout fishing.
In fact, if you make a habit of consistently watching your back cast, you’ll become a much better fly caster overtime and catch a good deal more fish when you’re on the water. Just because Brad Pitt in the movie, A River Runs Through It, didn’t watch his back cast in most of the fly fishing scenes throughout the film, doesn’t mean fly anglers should follow his lead. The best fly casters in the world watch their back cast when presentations call for it. They might not do it all of the time, but they sure as heck don’t think twice about doing so, when a specific presentation calls for it.
The reason I’m taking the time to talk about this today is because most of my clients struggle with the idea of watching their back cast. From my point of view, they shy away from doing so, because they feel like they’re raising up a red flag that signals, “Hey everyone, I’m a rookie.” But that notion is completely untrue. In reality, if a more advanced fly caster walks up on you and you’re casting poorly because you’re not watching your back cast, he or she is probably going to be thinking, “That poor angler, all he/she needs to do is make an effort to watch his/her backcast and most of those casting flaws would disappear.” If you’ve hit a plateau with your fly casting skills, more times than not, the best thing you can do to take your skills to the next level is start paying more attention to watching your back cast. Put it to the test next time you’re on the water especially if you’re a newcomer or intermediate fly angler. And don’t think it only applies to trout fishing in freshwater, it can be just as important, sometimes even more important, when fly fishing in the salt.
4 REASONS WHY WATCHING YOUR BACK CAST CAN IMPROVE YOUR FLY CASTING AND FISHING
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