Saturday Shoutout / Public Lands, Public Hands
Congress is considering a bill to sell America’s public lands to the highest bidder.
The United States of America has has the greatest collection of public lands on the planet. Within them are the waters in which we anglers we spend the better parts of our lives. We can not afford to have this precious resource sold out from under us.
Check out this short film by Trout Unlimited, featuring John LeCoq of Fishpond. I’m sure you will agree that we can and must preserve our American birthright. Got to the TU page to see how you can help. http://www.tu.org/public-lands-action
Read More »New Reels From Allen Flyfishing
Allen brings it home to the USA.
Allen Flyfishing has been getting plenty of attention with their colorful fly reels aimed at the angler on a budget. The import models, starting as low as $139 for freshwater and $209 for salt, offer the some sweet features at a intro level price.
This year Allen is introducing an made in the USA reel. The Omega, made in Detroit, is a powerful and stylish saltwater reel for $575. I’ve had the chance to fish the Omega and I’ve been very pleased with its performance.
WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR ALL THE INFO ON THE 2015 ALLEN FLY REELS.
Read More »Fly Fishing Karma
By Kent Klewein
The feeling of losing a big trout can be heart breaking.
Especially when it’s a fish of a life time, but it happens to all of us, some just more than others. Most of the time fish are lost because of angler error during the fight, but every once in a while, there’s really no clear identifiable explanation, and all we can do to move forward with a positive attitude, is believe some fish just aren’t meant to be caught. Recently, I had a day on the water where the fly fishing was absolutely epic but no matter how hard my client and I tried, we kept unbuttoning our best fish right before I could get a net on them. At the end of the day, when all the cards had been laid out, I had an epiphany. Below is a break down of the day and my new theory on why certain fish are lost and others are landed.
Some time ago, I had a wonderful day on the water guiding my client David Joiner. He turned out to be a dream client, the kind of client most guide’s would clone and fill up their calendar with if they had the opportunity. The thing that made David such a pleasure to guide was the fact that he was there, first and foremost, to learn. David wanted to catch fish, but it was far more important for him to learn the how-to, so he could then go out and have success fly fishing on his own. This allowed me to really slow down and be thorough with my teachings, and I took the time to describe every detail of the set up and presentation for each spot we fished. I remember early on, David saying to me, “Your the first guide that’s really taken the time to break everything down for me, and that’s what I need if I’m going to take my fly fishing skills to the next level.” His comment of appreciation felt good, and he provided me the freedom to pass on my wisdom any way I saw fit, even if my ramblings ended up costing him some fishing time on the water. If you show your guide your appreciation for his knowledge, he/she will work twice as hard for you and provide you the key fly fishing tips most anglers find difficult to comprehend in books.
A few hours into the day, as I was teaching David how to pre-scan water for trout, I spotted a lone riser out of my peripheral vision.
It rose up from the bottom to inspect something on the surface and it immediately dropped back out of sight, camouflaging itself in the darkness of the deep water. I’ve got pretty good trout eyes, but this twenty-inch trout proved that it doesn’t matter how good an angler’s eyes are at spotting fish, they never
Read More »Nymphing in the Discotheque
by David Grossman
I am not now nor have I ever been European.
Like a lot of my red-blooded American friends, I nymph a lot of ways, but always with an indicator. Always. There’s something comforting about having a colorful (and in my case cylindrical) point of focus for my sub-surface proclivities. The status quo is the status quo because changing the status quo seems to be a pain in the ass most times. My fishing should never be a pain in the ass. That is until you get said ass handed to you by a buddy nymphing sans indicator.
Yes, it pains to me admit my buddy’s Euro rig cleaned my American rig’s clock.
I adjusted depth, flies, my underwear, and anything else I could think of, all to no avail. America sucked hard that day my friends, and a bald eagle actually cried while Uncle Sam got repeatedly kicked in the junk on those banks. My non-European friend would go back through the hole that I just pulled a blank on and euro rig up at least a couple fish. Every hole. Damndest thing I ever saw. From my little knowledge on Euro-nymphing, this is pretty much how the technique came to this country. Our U.S. fly fishing team was tired of getting whacked at international competitions by our cheese-eating cousins across the pond, and in an “If we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” kind of scenario, adopted what I will now refer to as naked nymphing (saying “Euro” all the time can grow tiresome).
I am now in desperate search of a
Read More »Sunday Classic / Presenting Your Fly To A School Of Bonefish
Bonefish are on the move! Presenting your fly to a school of bonefish has to become second nature. There is often not time to make a plan. The successful angler is one who can make split second decisions and place the fly quickly and accurately. It’s a little like shooting a shotgun. You have to know how far to lead the fish in a given situation and you have to be able to picture that lead to know where your target is. It’s a skill that takes time to master but hopefully this video will set you off in the right direction. Our friend Joel Dickey is back to help you see your target. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Mark Manson
Screw finding your passion!
This may seem off topic at first but bear with me. As I read this article, which a friend shared on Facebook, I started realizing it has everything in the world to do with fly fishing. At least for me it does. It’s almost exactly the way I found myself where I am today. It actually made me feel better about the choices I’ve made.
Manson writes,
“Remember back when you were a kid? You would just do things. You never thought to yourself, “What are the relative merits of learning baseball versus football?” You just ran around the playground and played baseball and football. You built sand castles and played tag and asked silly questions and looked for bugs and dug up grass and pretended you were a sewer monster.”
If you are questioning the time you spend fishing, or wish you could spend more, or if you are in any way unsure about what you’re doing with your life, this article is for you. It’s a bright, insightful read. A dose of truth that will either leave you feeling better about where you are or put you on the road to someplace better.
READ, “SCREW FINDING YOUR PASSION”
Read More »New Products From Tenkara USA
Tenkara USA is fine-tuning their presentation.
I love these rods and the company that makes them. This year Tenkara USA is focusing on the details, with an ingenious line keeper, new Tenkara kits and new and improved rod tubes. If you’ve never tried Tenkara, it’s way past time. Its fun, easy and affordable.
Shop for Tenkara USA.
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE NEW PRODUCTS FROM TENKARA USA.
6 Easy Tips to Help Fly Anglers Catch Educated Trout
Back in 2012, I wrote an article titled “The Best Way to Improve Your Trout Game” which talked about how beneficial it was for fly fishermen to not shy away from fishing technical trout water. And that the increased challenges of such water was one of the best ways for anglers to take their fly fishing skills to the next level. Today’s article is sort of going to be a complimentary piece that falls into the same category. Specifically, I’m going to provide 6 easy tips that fly anglers of all skill levels can use to help them be more effective at catching educated trout.
Read More »Cold Fusion-The Scott Meridian
There’s a new breed of fly rod out there.
I am a total fly rod geek. I make no apologies for it. Nothing gets me as excited as casting an awesome new fly rod. Especially when that rod represents a change in thinking. Rods like that don’t come along every day, or even every year, and when they do the game changes.
Jim Bartschi, president and rod designer for Scoot Fly Rods, has been hinting for years now that something special was coming. Not long after the S4s won the best rod prize at IFTD 2011, there were rumors that Jim had something cooking and when the Radian hit the market, it was clear that Scott rods were evolving in a significant way. About a year ago, I asked Jim outright if there would be a saltwater Radian.
“Well, there’s something in the works,” he told me, “and it won’t be long.”
That something was the Meridian. Not a saltwater Radian, but another evolutionary step forward.
For as long as I can remember, the answer to making a saltwater fly rod better has been to make it faster. That way of thinking changed the way we fish saltwater but the inevitable end of that evolutionary road is a rod that’s too fast to cast. After all, a rod does have to bend. Recently a couple of rod designers have come to realize it was time for a change.
How do you make a fly rod that has the power of an ultra-fast action saltwater casting machine and the soul of a trout rod? I wish I knew, but clearly Jim does. We saw it in the Radian and now we see it perfected in the Meridian. Speed with feel. Power, line speed, tight loops, line pickup and wind-defying performance, minus the stinging muscles and sore joints.
Some of the magic is in the weight. The Meridian is remarkably light. This, in conjunction with some proprietary materials and tapers, gives the rod a very fast recovery rate. This makes the rod faster, without making it stiffer and more powerful, without adding weight.
The Scott Meridian offers saltwater fly anglers cold fusion.
I have to tell you, I love the way Jim Bartschi rolls. In a marketplace where too many manufacturers would rather put out something new than something good, Jim has taken six years to perfect an action that can really change the way we fish. If you think of the fly rod industry as a noisy party, while others make mindless small talk, Scott has kept their mouth shut until they had something to say.
Another thing you get from not rushing a rod to market is
Read More »Sunday Classic / Fly Fishing Bass Ponds – 101
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I’VE PROBABLY SPENT JUST AS MUCH TIME FLY FISHING ON BASS PONDS IN MY LIFE THAN I’VE SPENT TRAVELING AROUND CHASING TROUT.
Fishing farm ponds is where I originally found my love for fly fishing. From 5th grade until I graduated high school, my daily afternoon routine consisted of dropping off my backpack, and picking up a fly rod until the dinner bell rang. I was religious about it, and many that new me may even argue I was a little OCD. Looking back on it all now, there’s a good chance I was, but it’s all good because it molded me into the angler I am today. That’s why, when I look back on those childhood memories or find myself randomly driving by one of those small 2-acre ponds, I pay my respects and give thanks.
Fly fishing for bass on ponds is a great way to get into the sport. There’s usually plenty of fish, and you always stand a good chance at catching them. One of the greatest things about ponds in my opinion, is that most of them are small enough to fish their entirety from the bank. And the smaller the piece of water you’re fishing, the easier it is to locate fish. If you don’t agree, go out on a big public lake, and you’ll quickly understand what a bonus this is for an angler.
The eight years and thousands of hours I spent fly fishing bass ponds growing up, I learned a great deal about fishing them. Below is a list of tips that I’d like to pass on in the hopes it will help others find success.
1. Casting parallel to the bank allows you to quickly locate where the fish are holding and feeding.
It didn’t take me long fishing ponds to figure out the best method for consistently catching fish was casting my flies parallel to the banks of ponds. The reason it’s so effective is because it allows you to cover water systematically and thoroughly. Furthermore, when you cast parallel to the bank you can follow your fly with the natural contours of the pond, work it along edges and keep your flies in similar water throughout your retrieve. Instead of spending your time casting out into deep water and working your flies back to you, start out casting your flies just off the bank, then slowly working your parallel casts outward into deeper water. Doing so, you’ll be able to locate where the majority of the fish are located and feeding, eliminate unproductive water and concentrate your efforts and first casts in the hot zones.
2. Bass are just like trout, in the fact that they go where the most food is located.
Warmwater species of fish are very similar to trout, in the fact that they spend most of their life span staying close to their food sources. The majority of the food found in ponds is