Simms Freestone Waders, Simms Quality At An Amazing Price
THIS IS A GAME CHANGER.
One of the most exciting new products at the IFTD show this year were the new Simms Freestone Waders. Simms took home the best in show honors for both men’s and women’s waders this year. Only two of the seven honers they enjoyed, but significant in that the new Freestone Waders from Simms have fundamentally changed the wader market.
Simms has, for many years, held the distinction of making the best waders on the planet. Plenty of companies have tried their hand at making lower priced knock offs Simms waders. This year Simms has taken the bold step of knocking off themselves!
It’s a truly brilliant move and one that’s sure to shake up the wader market but good. Simms has produced a line of waders, in the Freestone, that incorporates all of the technology that makes their waders great, but is made in Asia. The result is a bona fide Simms wader at a remarkable price. Literally half the cost of the Bozeman waders.
Check out the video and learn all about the new Simms Freestone Waders.
Read More »In The Dark of Night
By Johnny Spillane
SOME OF THE MOST FUN I HAVE EVER HAD FISHING HAS BEEN AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN. THE BIGGEST FISH IN THE RIVER COME OUT AFTER DARK AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY FUN WAYS TO FISH FOR THEM.
If you are anywhere there is a prolific caddis hatch, which is almost everywhere, swinging and skating caddis can be deadly. My favorite caddis pattern for fishing at night is the Goddard Caddis. It floats really well and skates across the surface with ease.
Typically when fishing at night I use much heavier tippet then I would use during the day because fish tend to slam flies harder and a lot of times you wont know there is a fish until you feel the tug. If the moon is bright enough, often you can still see the take as you would during the day, but if not, your going to have to rely on your sense of feel. Try using 2x first, and if that proves to be too heavy, switch to 3x but very rarely do you need to go any finer than that, even in areas that are heavily fished.
I like to fish the runs the same way I would fish a streamer. Starting at the top I’d make a cast towards the far bank, throw in a quick down stream mend and then let the fly skate across the surface. After each cast, take a step downstream so that you are covering all the water.
Another really fun option is to
Read More »Sunday Classic / The Fish Gods and The Temple of Swing
A STEELHEAD IS CAUGHT ONE WAY AND ONE WAY ONLY, ON THE SWING!
The temperature of the room is getting kind of warm. The fishing banter takes on a surly tone when one of the guys mentions bobber fishing. This is steelheader slang for nymphing under an indicator. “I’d rather see bait guys out there,” someone says. The room falls silent when I chime in with, “trout fishing is trout fishing”… What I have done, in essence, is light a match to see just how bad this gas leak is. Everyone knows that when you’re in the Pacific Northwest, in the Temple of Swing, surrounded by the faithful, you never ever call a steelhead a trout. The room is silent for a bit while they size me up, then my buddy Jeff breaks the silence. “The Fish Gods are going to punish you for that”.
Jeff Hickman lives just a half hour outside of Portland on the banks of the Clackamas River. He guides the Clackamas and the Deschutes. He’s a tall soft spoken and thoughtful guy. Tough as cut nails with a deep and unshakable passion for wild steelhead. He’s as pure a purest as you will likely find but humble and in no way an asshole about it. A live and let live kind of guy. You do what you do, and he’ll do what he does, and at what he does there may be no one better. Jeff has told me for some time that I’ve never caught a steelhead and I’m here to change that.
I was almost certain I’d caught steelhead before now. I think I’ve even seen photos of myself holding them, but I was mistaken. Jeff cleared this up for me. First of all, obviously, those fish in the Great Lakes are not steelhead, they are trout. (I’m just repeating what I’ve been told here so hold off on the hate mail.) As I said, those fish are trout and we don’t catch trout, we are steelheaders. Secondly, a Kelt (a fish which has spawned and is headed back to the salt, AKA a down stream fish) does not count. This fish is an abomination and should be got out of the net as quickly as possible. Steelhead should be bright as chrome. A colored up fish can still be counted as a steelhead but it’s nothing to be proud of. Neither is a hatchery fish, regardless of how bright. Steelhead should be wild. Lastly, and most importantly, any fish caught under a bobber does not count and is a disgrace to all fly fishermen. A steelhead is caught one way and one way only, on the swing!
OK, I’m making this sound worse than it is. All of this ribbing has been done in fun and friendship but in all seriousness this week I am here with a purpose. I’ve come to the little house among the fir trees, on the banks of the Clackamas, with the chainsaw carved steelhead in the yard, the place I call the Temple of Swing, to do one thing. Catch steelhead on the swing. I’m in Spey boot camp. I will stand in the rain and snow with my waders leaking and I will catch steelhead on the swing or not at all. And as anyone who’s fished for winter steelhead knows, “not at all” is always an option.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / The Cobra Eats
THE LIMP COBRA IS A GREAT FLY FISHING SITE FROM FRANCE
(don’t worry they post in English) which shares some fun and interesting content. It’s run by Marc Fauvet who teaches casting and fly tying. The site is named for one of his signature casts.
Here are two posts that caught my eye.
HOW FISH EAT
Some great slow motion footage of fish eating. You really get a good look at the amazing mechanics behind the eat.
LINE DANCING
Some amazing footage of Pavel Kupstov’s inspiring fly casting. You can learn a great deal about the dynamics of the cast from this video and the related articles.
Read More »IFTD Behind The Scenes
THE INTERNATIONAL FLY TACKLE DEALERS SHOW IS BIGGEST EVENT ON THE INDUSTRY CALENDAR.
Once every year, folks from around the world come together to see what’s new in fly fishing gear for the coming year. It’s always exciting, fun and educational. More than just a chance to catch up with old friends and see what’s new, it electrifying havering the smartest people in the fishing industry under one roof. Now combined with ICAST, the conventional fishing show, it’s bigger and more exciting than ever.
This years show was awesome! Very energized with tons of cool new products. We will be bringing you our video coverage and product reviews from IFTD over the coming weeks. Today we’ll kick it off with a little fun, behind the scenes at IFTD with Gink and Gasoline. Including some blooper reel moments.
Enjoy!
Read More »The Chum Salmon, He’s Mad As Hell And He’s Not Going To Take It Anymore
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A FIGHT, THIS IS THE GUY TO GIVE IT TO YOU.
Chum salmon get very little in the way of respect. It’s either called a chum or a dog salmon. I don’t even know it’s proper name but it’s pretty clear from the two I know what folks think of it. It’s stupid, aggressive and the most disgusting creature on earth when it reaches its final days. If you don’t know where the term ‘moldy chum’ comes from, you’re probably happier for it.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for some pure fun and you like the idea of attaching your fly line to one of those monster trucks you see on TV, this guy might be looking better to you. I’m not a big salmon fisherman and to be totally honest I’d never pursued chum salmon until just recently. I was fishing with my buddy Alex and he wanted to give it a try so I eagerly joined in and I confess, it was a blast.
I had been carrying a fly for some time that I tied as a joke. It was a pink rubber worm pierced on a hook and superglued in place with a collar of pink ice wing. Just a bit of jackassery at the vise but I knew it would catch fish and I’d been waiting for the right time to deploy it. The traditional salmon flies were producing a few fish but when I broke off my fly and the guide offered me another I declined and tied on my dirty little secret. Eight fish in twelve casts later, the guide came down to see what I was using. We both had a good laugh. Then the damnedest thing happened.
I hooked a big buck and fought him hard for several minutes. When I say hard, I mean hard. I was putting the wood to this guy and he was pissed. At some point the fish made a hard turn and my barbless hook popped out. This is where it gets weird.
Read More »Fly Fishing: Too Much Mending Can Ruin Your Drift
One of the most critical techniques of fly fishing that anglers often lack knowledge in, is understanding how to properly mend fly line during the drift. If I tallied up all the time I spend each day instructing clients on various fly fishing techniques, teaching the art of mending fly line would easily rank number one on the list. I bet I say the word “mend” a thousand times a day. It’s not that difficult to mend fly line, all it takes is a little practice and time on the water to get the hang of it. In my opinion, it’s much easier to learn how to mend than the art of fly casting. The main reason mending takes so long for fly anglers to master is because the timing of the mend, the direction of the mend and the size of the mend can change from one presentation to the next. Two of the biggest mending problems I see on the water is bad technique and mending fly line too much during the drift. When mending is done correctly, you usually only need one or two mends per drift to get the job done.
Read More »Fly Fishing Through My Eyes
By Carter Lyles
“MANY PEOPLE GO FISHING ALL OF THEIR LIVES WITHOUT KNOWING THAT IT IS NOT FISH THEY ARE AFTER.”
That quote by Henry David Thoreau is what makes up the fine line between a fisherman and then a fly fisher.
•The line is not drawn upon an “elitist” image that most portray fly fishers to be. We are not elitists, and to those who think we are, you’re wrong.
•Anyone today can pick up a fly rod and learn how to fly fish and I strongly encourage everyone to do so.
•This so called “line” that separates us from conventional and bait fisherman is about a journey, not catching fish.
Life Is Too Damn Short, That’s Why We Jump The Mainstream
Turn on the news today and I guarantee you that you’ll hear about at LEAST one of these issues: poverty, war, money and corruption. A recent Gallup Poll revealed that 70% of Americans are unhappy with their current occupation. And an even more recent study by The Hunger Projects uncovered that nearly three billion people make less than $2.50 a day from their occupation. This obviously causes stress, which is a reason why three out of four doctor visits in the United States are for stress-related ailments (www.stress.org). And with stress comes unhealthy eating habits, depression, sleep deprivation, and a series of negative health effects.
Listen folks, everyone in this world has problems they are facing. Just because you see Johnny constantly posting pictures of him on Facebook having a blast with all of his hip friends doesn’t mean his life is perfect. Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes to other people’s highlight reel.
This entire man-made test course of life that we have created overtime has run us aground. We’ve got nowhere else left to go! That’s why I believe that we will end up killing each other long before any natural disaster. Like good ole Rocky Balboa said: “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.”
Man is altered. We sin and no matter how hard we try, we cannot and will not ever copy what has already been provided for us. Haven’t you ever heard that natural is better? Natural diets are the healthiest way to lose weight. Water is the best liquid to put in your body. Natural beauty is much more magnificent than fake beauty. Natural forces that are held within us are the genuine healers of disease… As world-renowned scientist Neil Degrasse Tyson once said:
“Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big natural disaster to wipe all that away and remind us that, here on Earth, we’re still at the mercy of nature.”
In the Buddhist religion, the Buddhist monks who practice deep meditation look within themselves and within the natural world to discover their enlightenment. For most, it takes YEARS to reach enlightenment and when it happens they find peace within themselves, the world, and a final understanding of being. It is their journey.
How Does This All Relate To Fly-Fishing?
Read More »Sunday Classic / 4 Tips for Making Better Backhand Presentations
MOST OF THE ANGLERS THAT I RUN INTO ON THE RIVER, WHO ARE BEGINNERS OR OF INTERMEDIATE SKILL LEVEL, SEEM TO ALWAYS HAVE A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTHS WHEN IT COMES TO PRESENTING THEIR FLIES DURING THEIR BACKCAST.
For whatever reason, anglers that fall into this category, find it to be an awkward cast for them to make. Here’s what I find so ironic about backhand presentations.There’s really no difference between making a regular presentation with your forward cast and a presentation on your backcast. All you do differently is stop your rod and present your fly on your backcast instead of your forward cast, everything else should remain exactly the same. So why is it that so many anglers find backhand presentations so painful and unpleasant to deal with? Most of the time it all boils down to executing four simple steps during your false casting and presentation to pull off an easy and accurate backhand cast presentation.
Saturday Shoutout / Deneki Does It Right
I KNOW I SHOUTED OUT TO DENEKI JUST LAST WEEK, BUT THIS IS SERIOUS.
Today’s shoutout serves two purposes. To share some great Alaska fishing content and to set the record straight on a few things. I hope you will read this and indulge my rant. It’s from the heart and it’s something I care about so thanks for reading.
I f@*king hate river drama! It’s stupid, it’s inappropriate and it’s a waist of time. Attention fishing guides…stop being a bunch of bitches!
Read More »