Saturday Shoutout / Catch Magazine
It might seem odd that I have never done a shoutout to Catch Magazine.
It’s an amazing online publication, but you have to pay for it and I’ve never felt comfortable sending my readers to a pay sight. That said, I have a ton of respect for these guys and what they do.
When I saw this video by Todd Moen was up for public viewing I jumped on it. It’s shot on the beautiful Limay river in Patagonia, Argentina where I will be spending three days this February when I host the G&G Patagonia trip. You should join me. It’s one of the most amazing rivers I’ve ever fished.
This video features Tim Rajeff and it would be a pleasure watching Tim fish the ugliest place in the world, which this sure isn’t. Check out Catch Magazine. A subscription is money well spent.
Read More »The Simms Vapor Elite Jacket
Simms makes some pretty incredible outerwear.
It has always impressed me that Simms understands there are a lot of different kinds of fly fishing and as many kinds of anglers. They don’t just design a rain jacket. They design a rain jacket for a specific situation. That means you have exactly the gear you need, when you need it.
The Vapor Elite jacket, winner of Best Mens Outerwear at IFTD 2015, is a great example. This jacket is designed to keep you dry in hot climates, howling gales and pack away in very little space. It uses Gore-tex seaweave fabric with three layers of protection and weighs almost nothing. Perfect for saltwater anglers or anyone on the water in warm weather.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR THE DETAILS.
Read More »Don’t Let The Two-Handed Rod Eat Your Brain
By Louis Cahill
It’s like the zombie apocalypse out there.
When you pick up a two-handed rod for the first time, it’s pretty common to experience information overload. It’s like you pick this thing up, make one cast and discover that some bloodthirsty zombie has eaten your brain. You forget everything you already know about casting a fly rod.
If you’ve picked up a switch or Spey rod, you already know there are some major differences between two-hand and single-hand rods. What takes a while to realize is that they have more in common than they are different. Switch and Spey rods are fly rods and they work on the exact same principles as their smaller cousins.
They load and unload in exactly the same way. They collapse when they are overpowered and they send the line in the direction the tip travels. This means that like a single-hand rod, casting them requires a smooth application of power, an abrupt stop to form a loop and straight line path for the tip. Sound familiar?
Of course, those fundamentals are compounded with some extra steps, and the fact that there are as many Spey casts and head styles as there are phone apps makes the learning curve seem worse than it is. It takes a while to to master these complicated casts and in the process many casters forget what they already know.
THERE ARE THREE PARTS TO MOST SPEY CASTS.
Setting The Anchor
This first step determines the direction of the cast and creates the resistance needed to form a D-loop.
The Sweep
The sweep aerializes the line and creates the D-loop, which loads the rod.
The Casting Stroke
Exactly what it sounds like. This is the forward stroke which launches the line.
Warning: there will very likely be an uproar in the comments section from the casturbator about what
Read More »3 Ways to Improve Your Fly Casting on the Flats
About ten years ago, I embarked on my first international saltwater fly fishing trip, with a couple Texas boys I’d previously met while chasing peacock bass in the Amazon. The saltwater trip took place down in Mexico, specifically the Ascension Bay area. Our primary target fish were bonefish but we kept a constant lookout for permit and tarpon. The two born and raised Texas boys had grown up fly fishing in the salt, and they both had more than enough testosterone, ego and skill to handle the demanding fishing conditions. I on the other hand, had never experienced first hand the difficulties that saltwater fly fishing brings. I really struggled with spotting fish in an unfamiliar environment and managing my presentations in 25 mph winds. I’ll never forget the humbling feeling of defeat after our first day of fly fishing on the flats. My counterparts landed a dozen bonefish a piece while I only managed to catch one. Just about the entire trip I was plagued with the feeling of being under-gunned on the water. The wind totally kicked my butt and I missed numerous opportunities because I couldn’t cast far enough to consistently get my fly to the targets my guide was calling out.
Read More »Sunday Classic / How’s your double haul?
Whether in saltwater or fresh, most experienced casters employ the double haul.
It’s possibly the best technique for creating line speed and generally energizing your line during the cast. It’s also a great way to create casting problems when done incorrectly.
One of the fundamentals of the double haul that commonly causes problems is the ratio of the haul to the line being carried by the caster. On a short cast where you may only carry thirty or forty feet of line, the length of your haul, that is the amount of line you pull through the guides with your line hand, may only be a couple of feet. On a cast of seventy or eighty feet be prepared to spread your wings.
Tall casters with long arm spans hold a decided advantage here. When it comes to casting the whole line it’s good to be well over six feet but the truth is that most of us don’t take advantage of the reach we have. If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, this photo should make my point.
My friend Joel Dickey has a powerful and athletic double haul. Better than mine, even though I’m 6’4″ to his 5’9″ but he really maximizes his reach and he gets a lot of power from it. Next time you’re casting a long line
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Fishing With Ghosts
A BITTER SWEET STORY OF THE OLD DAYS IN PATAGONIA FROM BOB WHITE.
It almost seems wrong for one man to be so talented. Not only is Bob White an amazing painter, he’s quite a writer as well. This story of his early days in Patagonia, shared on Fly Dreamers, is sure to have your mouth watering. Vivid images of cold mornings, majestic views and fish and friends lost. It’s a real treat.
CHECK OUT FISHING WITH GHOSTS
Read More »Cool + Dry = Under Armour
I see more and more anglers wearing Under Armour.
With good reason. Under Armour’s fishing products division has been killing it with tech clothing that looks good and works. For 2016 UA is focusing on keeping you cool and dry with two new product lines. Cool Switch, a printed technology that works like magic to keep you cool and Storm Technology, which sadly has nothing to do with Halle Berry, but does offer you three levels of waterproof protection.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR THE DETAILS.
Read More »AFFTA – Making Fly Shops Great
By Rob Parkins
WHAT DO GREAT FLY SHOPS HAVE IN COMMON WITH JOHN F. KENNEDY AND MARTIN LUTHER KING? I’M SURE YOU CAN COME UP WITH A FEW INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS, BUT THE ANSWER IS “VISION”.
Last week, Bozeman, Montana, saw 100 owners, managers and employees from 40-plus of the best fly shops in the country come together for the American Fly Fishing Trade Associations (AFFTA) second annual Dealer Summit. Wednesday’s speaker, Dan Mann, of the Mann Group, explained how successful businesses must have a compelling vision in order to differentiate themselves from the many other companies in the same industry.
As a specialty fly shop employee, we have a unique opportunity to create an experience for the angler—from beginner to veteran—that is unmatched in the outdoor industry. We are able to share our love for the sport, appreciation of the beautiful places we fish and our commitment to protecting the environment. At a time of political turmoil in Washington, where politicians from both sides of the aisle cannot even agree to renew the Land and Water Conservation Fund, it is more important than ever to introduce more people to the fly fishing experience.
After the three-day series of speakers and roundtables were over, there was an overwhelming response from the dealers that they can go back to their shop and implement ideas into their business that will benefit the customer. With support from the Dealer Summit sponsors (SAGE, Simms, Yellow Dog Fly Fishing, Scott, Hatch, Hardy, Patagonia, Orvis, Costa, RO Drift Boats, Umpqua, Angling Trade magazine, Trout Unlimited the Ocean Conservancy and the city of Bozeman) your local fly shop will be more prepared to share the story of fly fishing with its customers.
One of the highlights of the event was
Read More »8 Elements of Fly Design to Follow for Imitating Trout Food Sources
When tying fly patterns, it’s very important that you try your best to incorporate several different elements of fly design to increase their effectiveness. No one knows with complete certainty what order or priority trout rank each element of a food source or fly pattern, but most anglers agree that the value or ranking of the elements often change depending on how long a trout has been selectively feeding on a specific food source, at what frequency the specific food source is being eaten, and how diverse or consistent a trout’s diet is at the present moment. The order of the elements that I will talk about in know way ranks the importance of the elements. Instead, fly tiers should look at them together as a whole, and try to include as many as possible or as a check list of the features a fly pattern should have when completed. Doing so, they should find there fly patterns more effective on the water for fooling and catching trout. In this post, I will specifically talk about eight different elements of fly design that fly tiers should pay close attention to when tying fly patterns at the vise.
Read More »Understanding Fly Line Tapers and Diagrams
Buying a fly line doesn’t have to be a leap of faith.
For many anglers, fly lines and their characteristics are a huge mystery. They know that different fly lines cast differently and that some suit their needs or casting styles better than others but they have no idea why. What’s worse, when it’s time to buy a new line they aren’t able to make an informed choice. They just go to the fly shop and ask for the best line. Thank God for knowledgable fly shop guys, but do you really want to rely on someone else’s guess at what you will like?
If this sounds like you, I have good news. There is an easy way to get a sense of how a fly line will cast before you ever take it out of the package, and with a little experience you can quickly choose the line that’s right for the way you fish.
Fly lines have become really complicated in the last five years or so. Specialty lines have multiplied like rabbits and line companies have created lines to match every species, water condition and casting style. If you’re confused, you’re not alone. Fortunately, almost every manufacturer publishes line diagrams which show you, in detail, the taper of each line. If you know how to read the diagram, you’ll know how the line will cast.
BASICS
There are three basic types of line tapers. Weight forward, double taper and triangle taper. Looking at the diagram, it’s pretty clear how they get their names. The double taper line is a very traditional style of line which has a long level belly and a symmetrical taper on each end. Weight forward lines shift the weight to the front of the line and were developed to match modern fast action carbon fiber rods. Triangle tapers are a kind of hybrid of the two.
Think of the diagram as a picture of the fly line in profile with the thickness of the line exaggerated. The thickness of the line indicates two things. Where the weight is and the relative stiffness of the line. Where the line is thicker, it will be heavier. Different line materials have different stiffness, but within a given fly line, the line will be stiffer where it is thicker. Knowing where the weight is in the line will tell you how it loads the rod and the stiffness, as well as the weight, will tell you how it presents the fly.
ANATOMY OF A FLY LINE
To understand the information the diagram gives you, first you have to understand the different parts of the fly line and how they affect the line’s performance. Most modern fly lines have five parts. From front to back they are the tip, front taper, belly, rear taper and running line. Each one performs a specific function and its weight and length determine how the line casts.
THE TIP
The tip is the final word in fly presentation. The longer and lighter the tip, the more delicate the presentation. A long light tip will work to your advantage when
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