Sunday Classic / Don’t Put Off Your Bucket List
YOU’LL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME, I’M GOING TO TELL YOU A STORY YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO HEAR.
On more occasions than I care to count I have found myself the subject of judgment if not out right scorn from strangers, colleagues and even family over the amount of time I spend fishing. Sound familiar? Chances are, if you fish as much as I do you’ve run into the odd individual who, for what ever reason, feels that you owe them an explanation for what you’ve chosen to do with your life. I’ve seen people galled that I am “wasting my life”. Folks, sometimes visibly angry with me when I tell them I spend well over a hundred days a year on the water, demanding an explanation. As if they were a disappointed parent. This used to irritate me but I have come to see this jealousy as an opportunity to have some fun at their expense. I taunt them a little. I draw them in and let them get really comfortable with the idea that I am a worthless fool and they are setting me straight before I explain it. And because I don’t like being judged I enjoy watching their faces drop when they hear the answer.
My father was a pilot. He had his pilot’s license at fourteen but he had already been flying for years. He flew the F86 for the Air Force. He could do things with a plane that scared the pants off of experienced pilots. He was truly gifted and he loved it. It was his purpose for living. When he got out of the service he could have flown for a living but his father had started a business and asked him to come to work for him. He would have done anything for his Dad so he did and he hated it every day.
He chain smoked and after suffering a heart attack in his forties, reluctantly, he gave up his pilot’s license. He put his energy into golf. He was always athletic and competitive. He loved to gamble and always won. Gambling, it seems is only a problem if you lose. My brother tells the story of seeing my father win fifteen-hundred dollars on a single hand of cards then give the money to the local girl scout leader to take the girls to camp. That’s how he was. When he passed away about all he owned were his clothes, an old Chevy and his golf clubs. His family and friends never wanted.
At fifty-nine my father had all he could take and
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Summer SCOF
SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE FLY IS BACK FOR SOME SUMMER FUN WITH A PARTICULARLY WACKY ISSUE.
There’s musky, there’s bass, there’s disco, there’s Crapo. Everything you need for a great summer vacation, including a truly outstanding tarpon photo essay by our friends Steve Seinberg and Joel Dickey.
SCOF is one of the best fly fishing sites on the web.
GET YOUR ASS OVER THERE!
Read More »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.
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