The Good Old Day of Bahamas Bonefishing, Did I Miss Them?
By Carter Lyles
LIGHTNING PIERCED THE SKY AS ANOTHER BAHAMIAN STORM BLOCKED THE SUN FROM SHINING ON EVERY SHADE OF BLUE YOU COULD IMAGINE–IT WAS THE SECOND STORM OF THE DAY.
The serenity of the moment was captured by our Long Island guide, Docky, yelling with his hands cupped over his mouth: “Get back to the boat! Keep your rod tips down!” Wading back to the boat, I saw silver flashes to the left of me in about three feet of water and around twenty yards out. The smell of the salt air captured the moment as the warm, crystal clear Bahamian water swirled itself around my legs. “To the boat mon’! What are you doing?!” That last cast in fly-fishing is to me the hardest part of the experience, but I knew there was a possibility of becoming a conch fritter if I didn’t put myself in the boat as soon as possible.
Once in the boat, I met Docky who had taken out his ham sandwich that his wife had prepared him the night before. Not once did we ever get wet. The storm was split right down the middle when it met us, almost like the passing of the Red Sea by Moses. Docky and I spent an hour on the boat discussing the “good ole days,” unfortunately, something that I am too young to remember. “Thousands of bonefish mon’, every single day, just thousands…” I could tell how passionate Docky was about his bonefish fishery, because when he began talking about the “good ole days,” it was like staring at a man who had seen the other side. Long Island Bahamas holds some of the biggest bonefish in the entire world and especially in the Bahamas itself, but I just couldn’t bring myself to imagine it getting in better than this. Apparently I was wrong
Read More »G&G Product Review Policy, Just So You Know
GINK AND GASOLINE IS A NO BULLSHIT ZONE
I’ve received some criticism lately over the fact that my product reviews are all positive. The exact quote was this.
“Another glowing review of a free product. Imagine that.”
My first response was, “It’s a lot easier to make snarky comments on the internet than to write a meaningful review.” I do, however, think the subject deserves a complete disclosure. After all, if you spend your money on something I recommend, I’d like for you to know why I recommend it.
True – I only write positive reviews. Here’s why. It’s my feeling that there is enough negativity in the fly fishing world. I got into fly fishing for a positive experience, not to listen to some guy bitch about what or who sux. If I could, I would delete the word sux from the fly fishing lexicon. It doesn’t help anyone.
I write about products I love. That’s it, pure and simple. In my opinion that’s helpful. It informs you about what I believe is worth your hard earned money. That’s a lot more important than knowing what I don’t like.
I don’t write reviews because manufacturers give me product. As a fairly prominent photographer, I was getting plenty of gear before I started writing reviews. In fact, I write reviews about gear I buy too. I do it as a service to my readers. I do it because people enjoy them and because, publishing daily, I need stuff to write about!
I understand a certain level of skepticism on the part of this particular reader. There are a lot of BS reviews out there on the web. I promise you will not read them here. I do decline to review many products. You’d be surprised.
IN THE INTEREST OF FULL DISCLOSURE, HERE IS THE EXACT TEXT I SEND TO MANUFACTURERS WHO SUBMIT PRODUCTS FOR REVIEW.
G&G product review policy
We do not promise
Read More »Laying the Smack Down
By Kent Klewein
SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LAY THE SMACK DOWN ON THE WATER WITH YOUR TERRESTRIAL FLY PATTERNS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS TO ENTICE FISH TO EAT.
This trophy rainbow trout turned on our flies repeated times only to veer off at the last second. I changed flies and rigs multiple times and then this trout completely shut down on us. It wouldn’t budge even when the fly drifted the perfect line over the fish.
I was about to give up when I told my client to scoot up a few feet closer and smack his dry fly down hard on the water right on the trout’s nose. He did so, and this big hen came up with no hesitation and inhaled his fly. It was a really cool fly fishing experience and my client was thrilled. Next time this summer you spot a trout and a regular drift doesn’t get the job done, try laying the smack down with your fly to imitate a bug flying into the water. Often it’s like ringing the dinner bell for trout.
Read More »We’ve got answers
By Louis Cahill
YOU MAY NOT YET KNOW THE NAME CARTER LYLES, BUT HE WILL SOON BE FAMILIAR TO YOU.
Carter is the newest member of the G&G family. Although you haven’t seen his name on the site before now, if you follow us on Facebook, you’ve likely noticed him hard at work.
In addition to all the cool fly fishing content Carter has been sharing on Facebook, he’s been asking questions and so have you. Today I’m going to answer a few of the questions asked by our Facebook fans. If you enjoy it, let us know. We’ll do more of it in the future.
Question 1
Could a short rod ( 8 or 9 feet) with a two-handed rod’s grip and a spey/skagit style line work? Most of my water is very tight quarters from shore. All I would like to achieve is roll casting a deerhair bass bug about sixty feet. Is this possible or should I not waste my time on making a custom rod?
The line between single and double hand casting grows blurrier every day. What was once the realm of fifteen foot rods on salmon rivers is now common place on trout streams. Shorter and lighter switch rods are versatile tools for all kinds of anglers. While the idea of a short, two-handed rod is not completely invalid, if you are not set up to roll your own graphite what you will end up with is a pretty strong compromise. I will not discourage you from experimenting, but I will offer a couple of suggestions on how to work with what’s already available.
A switch rod will probably be the best tool for your purposes. It will give you the distance you need with ease and handle that popper very nicely. Working with a switch rod in close quarters is usually just a matter of adjusting your anchor placement. Check out this video of Jeff Hickman showing you how it’s done.
If the conditions truly don’t allow the use of a longer rod, there’s really no need to glue a bunch of extra cork on to your fly rod. There are a wealth of spey casts that can be performed with a regular single-handed rod. I use this technique all the time and I don’t know how I ever got by without it. My good friend Simon Gawesworth has written a great book on the subject. It’s pretty enlightening, and a whole lot cheaper than a custom rod. Check it out on Amazon
Question 2
What colors of flies work well in stained water?
This is a topic I wrote about recently. There are a couple of ways to think about it. Lots of guys believe
Read More »Sunday Classic / Keep your thirst quenched without the baggage
IT’S LATE SPRING AND EVERYDAY WE’RE MOVING ONE STEP CLOSER TO SUMMER.
Air temperatures are climbing into the 70s and 80s on most days and will soon be even higher. These conditions make it extremely important that anglers are staying properly hydrated while they’re on the water fly fishing. I really enjoy hiking into remote locations to fly fish for trout. The only problem with me doing this, is I’m constantly fighting to quench my thirst and stay hydrated. I used to utilize packs with internal bladders for storing my drinking liquids, but there were quite a few disadvantages that came along with using them. First, when filled to full capacity, they become quite heavy and take a tole on your body lugging them around all day. Secondly, if you’re using them during the warm seasons and you’re doing some aggressive hiking and fishing, eventually that cold liquid you filled the bladder with in the morning will eventually warm up and end up tasting like bath water. Thirdly, internal bladder systems require maintenance and cleaning to keep them from building up bacteria and mold. Five years ago, I decided to ditch the internal bladder systems in exchange for a light weight water filtration bottle, and I’ve never looked back. Doing so, I eliminated the three negatives I mentioned above with using internal water bladders, and I no longer
Saturday. Shoutout / Birds and Beasts
THINK YOU UNDERSTAND THE DEBATE OVER CLIMATE CHANGE?
There’s a lot of hot headed opinions flying around about climate change. One thing is becoming very clear. If you hunt or fish, the issue effects you more than most. Fortunately there are some sportsmen and sporting organizations who are getting behind the idea of doing something positive.
My friend Matt Copeland, of Stalking the Seam, is one of them. His award winning essay, “The Birds and The Beasts” puts the issue into a perspective that is unique and heart warming, as well as pertinent to sportsmen.
Even if you care nothing about the issue, this is worth a read. This Wyoming Sportsman’s story of lessons learned the hard way will resonate with everyone.
CHECK OUT “THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS.”
Read More »Fishing Streamers Is Still All About Presentation
STREAMER JUNKIES, AND I INCLUDE MYSELF, GET A BAD RAP FROM THE DRY FLY CROWD.
In some places they even go so far as to call them lures, rather than streamers. The dyed-in-the-wool purest would portray those of us with the nerve to fish a four- or six-inch fly as neanderthals. The mantra of the dry fly purest is this.
“Imitation and presentation, that’s fly fishing.”
When I hear those words, I think to myself, “Is there a better description of streamer fishing?”
That’s what we’re doing, isn’t it? Imitating a type of forage food and presenting that Imitation in a manner that makes it believable. The fact that the forage food we have chosen is not an insect makes it no less artful. If your streamer is not presented in a way which the fish can appreciate, it’s still not going in the mouth.
I was reminded of this the other day when fishing a great Tailwater river with my friends Dan and Garner. Water conditions were perfect for streamer fishing and we were working the banks, buckets and blow downs hard. Each of us, streamer fishermen but each with his own style.
I worked my big articulated patterns and snaky sculpins on a long leader and intermediate line, while Garner fished a Sex Dungeon in full Galloup style with a short leader and sinking line. Dan tossed his beautiful classic Maine style streamers. All of us caught fish, but none of us caught the fish we wanted.
I’m not complaining
Read More »Sunday Classic / How Louis Got His Groove Back
IT’S HARD TO OVERSTATE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONFIDENCE IN FLY FISHING. IT’S OFTEN THE SPECIAL SAUCE ON SUCCESS.
I squint into the sun. My eyes burn from sweat and sun screen. I take a few deep breaths and puff them back out. I stretch my neck side to side, it pops and cracks. I close my eyes for a second, though I know I shouldn’t, I squeeze the cork in my hand and try to slow my heart rate. I open my eyes and I see an army of tarpon. I am loosing my cool.
There must be fifty or sixty fish in this school and plenty of them are a hundred pounds or better. I’ve seen it before but it’s a sight you never get used to. You can easily spend a whole day on a flats boat staring at the water without seeing a fish. I’ve done that too. Moments like this have to be savored and at first I was doing a pretty good job of it but now things are getting weird.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Jazz and Fly Fishing
POPULATION OF NORDIC COUNTRIES 25,651,443
8 MILLION GO FISHING EVERY YEAR
100,000 FLY FISH
About 10,00 of them don’t hate jazz. Of that 10,000 only 8 are both professional jazz musicians and fly fishers. This is the story of 4 of them.
That’s the opening of Jazz and Fly Fishing. These four Nordic fly fishing musicians were the subject of a proposed TV show. When the show got canceled, they didn’t. They bought a video camera and made it themselves. They publish the episodes on the web and if it wasn’t awesome, which it is, it would be worth watching just because of the love, blood and sweat these guys put into it.
Tag along these crazy string pluckers as they slay fish, get skunked, die of mosquito bites and set their camping gear on fire. It’s an epic adventure not to be missed.
See the entire season HERE
Read More »Winston’s B3-LS 2 Weight, A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
THIS LITTLE GREEN WISP OF A ROD IS SO MUCH MORE THAN I EXPECTED.
For some time I’ve been asking myself, “Do I really need a 2 weight?” At some point this year the question became mute. I wanted a 2 weight and that was enough. I always considered the 3 weight to be as fine as I’d ever need, but after fishing a two that belongs to my my friend Michael White, last year in Wyoming, I was pretty smitten.
I decided on the Winston B3-LS. My logic was this. A 2 weight is not a utilitarian rod. It’s a luxury, a rod you fish because you want to, because you love it. I wanted a two weight that got me excited. A rod that felt so good in my hand that I made excuses to fish it. A rod to turn good day into great days, and that’s what I got.
When you think about fishing a seven foot, two weight you think of tiny brook trout streams choked with mountain laurel and brightly colored four inch fish. I love those fish and that kind of fishing, and the B3-LS is perfect for it. The truth is
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