Saturday Shoutout / Waisted Youth
ONE OF MY BEST FISHING BUDDIES WRITING ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE GUIDES. HOW CAN I PASS THAT UP?
I was in the Bahamas recently for the G&G Bonefish School. My good buddy Rich Hohne was along representing for the folks at Simms who generously donated some sweet gear for all of our anglers. Rich got the chance to spend a day on the boat with resident badass, Jose Sands. That’s always an experience.
Anyone who guides saltwater, and does it well, has my respect. If they are willing to go out of their way to teach their clients, that respect is doubled. I have learned much of what I know about Bonefishing from Jose and the many hours spent on his boat have developed a deep respect that flows both ways.
On his blog, “A Wasted Youth” Rich looks at his day on the water with Jose through new eyes and he takes away some lessons that each of us can stand to learn. Rich Hone is one of the smartest guys I know and a fine writer to boot. Take a ride on a flats boat with him and Jose.
FISHING WITH AN OUTLAW
Read More »New Rods From Winston
One of the best known names in fly rods makes some interesting moves in 2015.
Winston is known for smooth powerful action and made-in-America quality. Neither of those things has changed but the the new Nexus and Micro Spey rod are both departures of a kind. Both rods show Winston’s commitment to quality while proving they are looking ahead.
The Nexus is Winston’s entry into the mid-priced American-made market. It’s a departure from the norm in two ways. First, it’s a fast action rod. That’s one thing Winston has never been known for and they’ve done a nice job of it. The Nexus steps up the pace without losing the feel Winston rods are known for. Second, it retails for $475. Some troll will make a snarky comment about it but that’s a great price for an American made rod with a lifetime warranty.
The Micro Spey rods are based on a very cool idea. Spey caster want light weight spey rods, not switch rods. While switch rods are basically small Spey rods, their action is usually a compromise. What the gain for single hand casting is taken away from two hand performance. These little beauties are true Spey rod tapers made for two hand casting. Actual Spey rods for trout. Pretty cool.
I’ve always loved Winston rods. If you do too, these are worth checking out. In this video Johnny Spillane talks with Adam Hutchison and Tom Larimer about the new Nexus and Micro Spey fly rods from Winston.
Read More »Don’t Keep Staring in One Place if You’re Seeing Nada
“IT’S VERY RARE THAT ANY TWO PEOPLE, MUCH LESS A GUIDE AND CLIENT, WILL SEE EYE TO EYE”
My recent trip to the Bahamas, fly fishing for bonefish at the wonderful Andros South Lodge, I got a chance to work out a bunch of kinks in my flats fishing. From the help of my buddies, the helpful staff on hand and the fantastic bahamian guides, I eventually got to the point where I could respectfully hold my own on the flats. Despite me being in paradise there were a few times during the trip when I found myself hanging my head.
The first problem I had was letting my mind get in the way of my fishing. That was to be expected though, since I’m most comfortable on the cold water streams and rivers, and it had been several years since I’d last chased the grey ghost on the flats. When I trout fish, I don’t have to think about my casts much these days and my confidence is through the roof. This is because I do it day in and day out. Take me to saltwater though, where I only make a few trips a year, and my confidence drops and the first couple days I find myself constantly battling my inner thoughts and nerves.
I’m sure many of you out there no where I’m coming from. Anytime you’re lacking confidence and dealing with nerves you’re going to fish at half your potential. And there’s no place this holds true more than standing on the bow of a skiff on the saltwater flats. Lesson learned, if you want to fish more effectively and maximize your success when fishing locations that aren’t your norm, you have to stay relaxed, keep your confidence no matter what, and learn to let the bad casts roll off your back.
My next problem I had during the trip, and the point for writing this post, was learning how to quickly spot the bonefish my guide was calling out to me. I missed countless shots during the week because
Read More »Give It A Chance To Fail
By Justin Pickett
ON A RECENT FLOAT TRIP, LOUIS AND I WERE EXCITED (A.K.A. DROOLING) ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO THROW OUR FAIR SHARE OF STREAMERS ON A PIECE OF WATER THAT IS MORE ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING DRY/DROPPER AND INDICATOR RIGS.
This river is full of big fish that lurk among its banks, and, to me, the probability of catching a trophy-size brown trout on a larger streamer pattern was high. So I made sure to bring with me my “meat locker” as I call it… A Cliff Bugger Beast slap full of streamers of all sizes big.
I also brought along a stout 9ft 8wt, a big reel with an aggressive tapered floating line, and plenty of sink tips to adjust for different flows and depths. My leader is hand-tied by yours truly, tipped with 15lb fluorocarbon, and could turn over a wet dishrag. As I rigged my rod at the truck, our guide checks out my other rod and approves of the dry/dropper rig I have tied on for now.
“Are you fishing a streamer today?” he asks.
With a friendly smirk on my face I reply, “Yes I am.”
My guide picks up my case o’ carnivore candy and scans through all of the patterns. After only a few seconds or so he shuts the case and immediately reaches for one of his fly boxes, leaving me standing there thinking to myself, “well, there must not have been anything in there that he liked.” Interesting….
It’s interesting because my streamer box is slap freakin’ full of nothing but sexy, fish catching strips of deliciousness. (At least I think so anyways). If a pattern doesn’t produce, then it doesn’t take up space in my box. Period. How did he not find something that he thought would work???
So he whips out this “streamer” and hands it to me. I admit, I liked the color combo. A burnt orange dubbed body with an olive rabbit strip laid over the shank serving as the wing and tail. The deer hair head would likely push some water. So what was the problem with this fly? It was a size #8… It was smaller than half the stuff I had in my dry fly box.
Negative. No Bueno.
I kind of chuckled and held this fly up in front of Louis and said, “this is the one huh?”
Read More »Sunday Classic / Poonshine
It’s sunny and sixty-eight degrees. Just a little breeze. It’s mid-April. A perfect day for fishing in Bozeman, Montana.
The trouble is, we’re not in Bozeman. It’s actually ten degrees warmer in Bozeman. I know this because my buddy Rich is looking at the weather on his iPhone instead of fishing. And why not? When it’s sixty-eight degrees in the Florida Keys in mid-April you’re about as likely to see Santa Claus as a tarpon.
At least that’s how our first day had gone. Beautiful day for a boat ride. That’s how fishing in the Keys is, you book your days and take your chances. I’m used to it. I do a lot of off-season fishing with friends in Florida and I have had some phenomenal days but I’ve taken a lot of boat rides too. For Rich it’s a little tougher. When you fly all the way from Montana to the Keys in, what should be, peak tarpon season it fair to have some expectations but as all fishermen know, expectation is a tricky business.
It’s about nine-thirty on our second day. It should be pushing ninety and we should be hip deep in tarpon but the weather has screwed us. Rich is already stressed over some issues at work. A dozen emails on his phone and the bad weather aren’t helping. If we are lucky it’ll make it to seventy today. Lacking tarpon, we have chosen to be hip deep in beer. We were clearly all thinking the same thing this morning because we all brought beer and lots of it, even our guide. That should tell you something. In fact we were so focused on the beer that we forgot to bring lunch so we’re on a liquid diet since early in the morning. We may not see a fish but we’re going to have fun.
The day before, we had some how gotten on the subject of moonshine. Rich is a westerner and has preconceived notions about southerners. That’s fair, I guess but he had confided in us that he had always suspected that moonshine was a southern legend and didn’t really exist, at least not these days. That was as good as a dare. For all of its tropical flavor, the Keys are still very much the south and it had been a simple thing for our guide to produce a quart jar as evidence.
We’re staked out on an ocean-side flat having a grand time. The conversation is lively. It would be lunch time if we’d brought lunch. I was on the bow and seeing as we had no lunch, or fish, I didn’t see the point in waiting any longer to open that jar. The cold homemade liquor was sweet and smooth with a hint of apple and cinnamon. It warmed my body like Georgia sunshine.
“Hot Damn! That’s what I needed!” I took another drink and felt a tingling numbness along the back of my neck and down my spine. “That is definitely real,” I told Rich as I passed him the jar. The expression on his face told me he was prepared for the worst. Some kind of half turpentine devil’s fire water from an old radiator, not this sweet well- crafted spirt. The south was looking pretty good right about now.
Proud that he had provided such a quality sample on such short notice, our guide is busy telling us about the care that goes into making good moonshine when he pauses, lowers his stance a bit and, reaching blindly for his push pole, says, “oh my fucking God!”
I wheel around and
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Videos Via Patagonia
Three great films with a focus on conservation.
There’s a renewed zeal among fly fishing film-makers for conservation. This interest in preserving our fisheries for future generations lines up perfectly with one of the largest players in the fly fishing industry. Patagonia puts it’s money where it’s mouth is on conservation issues and I respect that.
I was browsing the Patagonia blog the other day and found three videos that really struck home on some places I love. You’ll find these videos entertaining as well as educational.
Check them out and stop by the Patagonia fly fishing blog while you’re at it.
Read More »New Rods and Reels From Sage
If you like great casting fly rods that are made in America, chances are you own a Sage.
One of the most popular brands on the water Sage has a reputation for quality and innovation. In 2015 they are making sage more accessible for every angler. The new ACCEL is Sage’s entry in the mid priced rod category. Starting at $595, it’s not a budget rod but significantly more affordable. The new Salt, promises a more accessible action with plenty of power for the saltwater angler.
The new Domain reel was designed with Spey anglers in mind. It’s a full frame reel that will not catch thin mono running lines. It comes in a wide range of sizes and three colors. It a slick new piece of gear for two handed anglers.
IN THIS VIDEO KARA ARMONO TAKES US THRU ALL OF THE NEW GEAR FROM SAGE.
Read More »Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight!
By Justin Pickett
I often bring a 6-weight and an 8-weight with me when I plan on fishing with streamers.
I make the decision as to which rod I will use based on water conditions and what sinking tip and patterns I will be using that day. For fast flows that require me to throw heavier tips, or heavier patterns I’ll take the 8-weight. If the water is slow and low, allowing me to get away with lightweight patterns, then I’ll bring along the 6-weight. Sounds like a reasonable thing to do right? Well, not for everyone.
The 8-weight tends to get the raised brow, or the “WTF?” reaction.
Some people like to get stuck on the fact that I’m fishing with a “saltwater rod”, or a “bass rod”, for trout. That’s not what it’s about though. I’m not fishing with an 8-weight so I can hoss every fish in the river into my net in thirty seconds or less, or because I’m afraid of being under-gunned. The reason behind this is simple. It takes less effort for me to cast a heavier rig with an 8-weight, than it does a 6-weight. Over the course of an entire day, it makes a huge difference. At the end of the day my arm doesn’t feel like jello, and I’m less likely to make poor casts related to fatigue. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. Bring a damn cannon!
Try chucking a five or six inch articulated streamer with
What is more important, presentation or fly choice?
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to have the honor to participate in a podcast interview for askaboutflyfishing.com. It was an hour long conversation over the phone, with me spending most of that time talking about trout tactics on my home waters. Just as we were wrapping up the interview, the host Roger Maves, hit me with the mother of all fly fishing questions…..
What’s more important Kent, presentation or fly pattern choice?
I pondered for a few moments, before I gave a him a reply to the question that covered my butt. If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of, “well, you have to get the fly to the fish no matter what to have a chance at catching fish, but there are many times, when I’ve seen fly pattern choice the true deciding factor in whether you find success on the water.”
Since that podcast, I’ve been asked that same question by clients more times than I can remember. It’s kind of a joke to me at this point, and that’s because I feel the question is really a loaded question. In my opinion, presentation and fly choice are equally important. And in total honesty, you need both to consistently catch fish regularly. That being said, there are times when one can be more important over the other, but that all depends on the day and where you happen to find yourself on the water fly fishing.
For example, if there’s a strong hatch in progress or for that matter just a specific food source the trout are keying in on, it can be critical you have the proper fly pattern tied on that will imitate it accurately. In this situation, even perfect presentations may yield no strikes if you’re fishing the wrong fly pattern. Yes, you may get lucky and catch a couple with the wrong fly pattern, but an experienced fly angler, that is competent in entomology, can come in right behind you with the correct fly for the situation and humble you quickly. On the contrary, find yourself on the saltwater flats fly fishing and even if you have the perfect fly pattern tied on, you can stand damn near a zero chance for success if you fail to make a well executed presentation to the fish you’re targeting. In this case, pattern choice can be completely thrown out the window.
A while back, I volunteered my time to guide a trout tournament. Fishing was extremely tough due to high and stained water from heavy rains the night before. The fishing was ugly, with many of the anglers finding themselves skunked, after the first four hour morning session. I can tell you that there were a crap load of worthy presentations during the morning session that should have ended with hook ups, but instead, failed to get the fish to eat. In the end, success was only found by
Read More »T&T’s Solar, The Power And The Glory
Thomas and Thomas’s Solar saltwater fly rod is the one I’ve been waiting for.
I’m on the bow of a flats boat in the Bahamas. Norman Rolle is so on the platform and my buddy Murphy Kane is standing by with the video camera. We are poling along the edge of some mangroves. When we approach a corner with a deep cut way back into the mangroves, Norman spots a fish. He’s a hundred feet or more back in the cut, surrounded by sparse mangrove shoots. I’m going to work for this one.
The fish turns and heads across the cut toward the mangroves on the far side. I’m losing my shot. I take two false casts and shoot the fly. My line finds its way between the mangrove shoots and cuts him off perfectly. He pounces on it. After a little negotiation, I bring the fish to hand and release him.
“That makes a guide feel good Louis,” Norman calls down from the platform. “You make a hundred foot cast and put the fly right where it needs to be.” He is beaming.
“You are pretty spectacular,” Murphy tells me taking the camera from his eye. I feel like an imposter. Like a cheater.
“Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while,” I tell them. I know that that cast was about 25% skill, 25% luck and 50% Thomas and Thomas.
New fly rods come off every year like the Mother’s Day hatch. Each year, rods claim to be game changers. We anglers are a wash in hot new rods, but every once in a great while a rod comes along that actually does change the game. For me, that rod is the Thomas and Thomas Solar.
If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I’m a big fan of Tom Dorsey’s rod designs. When I was learning to make bamboo rods, fifteen years ago, I studied Tom’s tapers. He was a giant of bamboo rod design and did crazy innovative things no one even dreamed of. Bamboo rod makers of that time were like silent film stars. Almost none of them made the transition to graphite. Tom not only made the transition, he became a pioneer again. Half a century later, with his hair and mustache white as snow, he is making the best rods of his career.
For fly fishing in saltwater you need a rod with
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