Saturday Shoutout / Saturday Matinee
Five great fly fishing films in one place.
This week’s theme is pretty simple. Just some awesome fly fishing videos to enjoy. Grab a beer and some popcorn and click play.
Read More »Scott Fly Rods Come On Strong In 2015
I’ve been a fan of Scott fly rods since the first time I cast one.
The quality and design of Scott fly rods is second to none. This year at IFTD Scott unveiled a couple of hot new rods that I’m pretty excited about.
The Tidal is a new saltwater rod designed with the goal of making saltwater fly fishing accessible for a wider group of anglers. The Tidal has an action that is efficient and powerful but still forgiving to the average angler. The price is accessible too at $475.
The new 3 piece SC Bamboo rods are remarkable. It feels like no bamboo rod I’ve ever held. It’s incredibly light and crisp. Hollow built and triple heat treated this little baby sings. It’s as beautiful to look at as it is to cast. Innovation in a medium as old as bamboo is extremely rare and my hat’s off to Scott for doing such a fine job of it.
Watch the video for a look at what’s new this year from Scott.
Read More »4 Worm Patterns I Always Carry In My Fly Box
Worm Fly Patterns That Consistently Catch Fish
It’s no secret worm patterns are super consistent most of the year for catching both stocked and wild trout. They work especially well for stocked fish, after a big rain, and during the spring, winter, and fall seasons. I’ve had days when the only thing I could get trout to eat was a san juan worm. There’s a bunch of haters out there that will not fish them, claiming it’s the next closest thing to fishing a real earthworm, but look in their fly box and I bet you’ll find a few. I on the other hand, have no problem fishing worm patterns, because they do a great job of keeping my clients rods bent, which in turn, pays my bills. To top it all off, worm patterns are among the cheapest and easiest fly patterns for me to tie. I can rip out about a dozen in less than ten minutes, for about $2.50 worth of materials. Choosing to put worm patterns in your fishing line-up, will almost certainly put more fish in your net. Below are four worm patterns I always keep in my fly box.
Fly Patterns Left to Right: Chamois Worm, Fl. Pink Flash San Juan Worm, Squirmy Wormy, Delektable Soft-Hackle Worm
The Chamois “Shammy” Worm
Yes, you read the name right, this fly is made out of a car drying chamois. For $10-14 you can buy one and tie about 100+ chamois worms with it. This pattern can be deadly after a fresh rain, when earthworms have been washed from the banks into the stream. Once the chamois material gets wet, it looks just like a live worm. I tie them in all sizes, but for my larger versions I often will tie a monofilament loop off the bend of the hook to keep the chamois material from fouling and wrapping around the hook. Most of the time you won’t find the chamios worm in fly bins at the fly shop. That means to some degree, there will be less anglers fishing this pattern. That can pay off when all you need to catch fish, is to show the trout a little something different.
The 2015 G&G Fly Fishing Photography Contest Begins Now!
It’s time for you to show us your best fly fishing photo of 2014! The annual Gink and Gasoline fly fishing photography contest is on. Send us your best fly fishing photos shot in 2014 and win some awesome fly fishing gear! 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 on Feb 20th 2015. 1st Place A Sage ACCEL single hand fly rod with a Sage 3200 reel. Boom! 2nd Place A Redington Vapen Fly Rod in red or black! 3rd Place A RIO InTouch fly line of your choice and a Fishpond Westwater Lumbar Pack! Last year’s contest was amazing and we can’t wait to see what you and that camera of yours have been up to all year. We have a panel of rock star judges lined up, so get those entries in. This year’s esteemed judges are: Bob White A renowned sporting artist, Bob’s beautiful painting have defined the look of fly fishing. His ability to capture a fleeting moment through the eyes of a sportsman has earned him international recognition. http://www.bobwhitestudio.com Greg Strelecki An advertising photographer and educator with over thirty years of experience Greg’s work has immortalized celebrities, athletes and Presidents. He currently heads the Photography program at The Creative Circus. http://www.gregstrelecki.com Steven Brutger Steven is one of the brightest rising stars in the outdoor photography world. His work captures the grit and elation of hunting and fly fishing. He is a passionate conservationist who works tirelessly to preserve wild places on behalf of Trout Unlimited. He shoots and writes for Stalking The Seam. http://stalkingtheseam.com SUBMISSION GUIDELINES HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET IN ON THE ACTION. •The contest is open to everyone … Continue reading
Read More »Sunday Classic / Fighting Big Bonefish
We’ve talked about casting to bonefish in a variety of conditions.
We’ve talked about the propped retrieve to get the fish to eat. Now that your hooking up with all of these big bones owe buddy Bruce Chard is back with some advice on fighting bonefish. Check out the video and Bruce will show you how to get that fish to the boat as efficiently as possible.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / The Cobra Climbs A Tree
Having trouble getting your fly into those hard to reach trees?
The Limp Cobra can help. This post strikes the perfect balance between humor and solid information. Even if trees are not a problem for you, you’ll get a couple of good laughs. If they are, you’ll learn something.
The Limp Cobra is quickly becoming one of my favorite stops on the fly fishing web. If you’ve never seen it, take time to browse through some of the older posts. There’s a lot of goodness in there.
“HOW TO LOOSE YOUR FLIES IN TREES.”
Read More »Simms Bags It In 2015
No, Simms isn’t going anywhere.
But you probably are and no matter where you go Simms has a bag for your gear. The new line of bags from Simms is one of the most impressive I’ve seen. Some of the highlights are waterproof zippered bags for travel and wading, gear bags made to hold Plano boxes and other real-world fishing gear and the long-awaited boat bag redesign.
It’s an impressive line up that’s durable, functional and thoughtful. Whether your flying around the world or stepping out the back door, Simms has you covered. Several of these are on my wish list and I’m sure they’ll be on yours.
Watch the video and see how I’m not quite as smooth as I think I am.
Read More »2 Alternatives for Attaching Your Split-Shot
You’ve been fishing hard all day long searching for that perfect honey hole. You know the one I’m talking about, it’s the one that holds that trophy trout that keeps haunting you in your dreams. It’s getting late, your tired, and you know you should be heading back, but there’s a bend just up ahead, and your curiosity keeps pushes you forward with those powerful words, “This could be it, just see what’s on the other side”. Sure enough, as you round the corner you lay your eyes on a picture perfect run, offering everything a trophy trout could desire. You get into position, make the cast, mend your line, and begin following your strike indicator with your rod tip, when out of now where, it shoots under the surface like it was just attached to a iron dumb bell. You set the hook and feel the heavy weight of the fish thrashing its big head, and you’re immediately on cloud 9. The adrenaline rush doesn’t last long though. It’s quickly replaced by painful heart ache when you feel your tippet snap, and watch your rod go straight. The excitement is all over…, you won’t land that trophy fish or even be graced with a quick glimpse of it for that matter. The only memory you’ll have to remember that trophy trout by is the few aggressive head shakes. You bring your fly-less rig to hand and find the tippet broke at the split-shot.
Has this ever happened to you before?
If you attach your split shot too tight on your tippet it can weaken its strength significantly. Most anglers try to avoid this by tying a triple surgeon’s or blood knot above their tandem nymph rig, and attach the split-shot above that. The knot keeps the split-shot from sliding down to the flies during fly casting, and it only has to be snugly secured, which limits the chances of it damaging the tippet. It’s not 100% full proof, but it’s the most popular method used by experienced nymph fisherman. To limit the break offs during fierce fights, anglers should get in the habit of regularly checking their nymph rig for weak spots and abrasions throughout their day of fishing, particularly after each catch.
Attaching Your Split-Shot on Tags
Read More »Sunday Classic / Fly Anglers Sixth Sense, Fact or Fiction?
Do you ever feel like you’ve got a sixth sense working for you when you’re out fly fishing?
I’m talking about an extra sense that seems to give you the power and clarity to sense future fishing success moments before it happens. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it’s one of the sweetest feelings I think a fly angler can witness; calling his/her fish before the cast. You’ve just rounded a bend when your eyes are immediately drawn to a perfect looking stretch of water. It’s a wide and fast riffle a little to shallow to hold fish, but there’s a fallen tree that’s condensing all the current into a tight six foot wide flow. Even better, that condensed current is flowing right over a drop-off, into a deep blue pool. A light bulb in your head goes off as your sixth sense kicks in, and you’re certain when your fly hits the water it will only be a few seconds until a trout rises to your fly. All you have to do is
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Romano on Love and Loss
VERY FEW OF US EVER HAVE TO LOOSE A LOVED ONE TWICE.
I’m not too proud to tell you that I balled when I read Tim Romano’s “The Sad Story of a Boat.” Having restored an old wooden boat I know the effort that goes into it and the personal attachment that goes along with it. But this story goes beyond anything I’ve had to live through and I hope that never changes.
This is a story everyone should read. It is impossible to not be touched deeply.
“THE SAD STORY OF A BOAT”
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