Saturday Shoutout / Fly Fishing GTs!
THE OTHER DAY A READER TOLD ME,
that one of the things he loved about G&G was that we gave, “Actionable advice on real fly fishing. Not just stuff like fly fishing for GTs that normal guys don’t get to do.”
Damn him! Ever since he said that, I can’t get my mind off of GT fishing. I can already see that conversation costing me thousands. Well, if I’m going to be poor you might as well too.
Here’s an almost random collection of GT action.
Read More »G&G Takes You To Alaska!
I PROMISED MORE GINK AND GASOLINE TRIPS AND I’M NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU WAIT!
We have heard from a lot of you who are interested in a Gink and Gasoline trip but aren’t into a saltwater location. I’m happy to announce that we have an epic trout and salmon trip for you! Good times and amazing fishing in Western Alaska.
The destination is Alaska West Lodge on the Kanektok River in Western Alaska. The dates are July 25-Aug 1, this year. These dates can be hard to get and five spots have just opened up.
The Kanektok is an amazing fishery. The rainbow trout and salmon fishing is really good. Thirty inch rainbows are not uncommon and there is the opportunity to fish mouse patterns and streamers if you choose. It’s exciting and different from what you get in more pressured parts of the state. I fished AK West a few years ago and it was my best Alaska trip.
Here are the details.
DSC_6525July 25 – August 1.
7 nights lodging / 6 days fishing for
2014 South Andros Trip Wrap Up
I HATE PUTTING MY SHOES ON.
My feet hate it too. After a week, barefoot on South Andros, my feet as well as my spirit have expanded. Neither wants to be put back into confinement. The shoes, however, have to go on and it’s my mental cue that the trip is over and it’s time to go home.
This year’s G&G Bahamas Bonefish Trip, which ended up being two trips for me to accommodate as many folks as possible, was a huge success. We accomplished so much as a group and as individuals. Better than half the group had never caught a bonefish before. We checked that off everyone’s list on the first day.
“This isn’t a fishing trip, it’s a clinic,” one angler told me. “I not only caught a ton of bonefish, I’m going home a better angler.” Hearing that is incredibly rewarding for me. Helping folks become better anglers is my mission in life. Helping them find confidence in their fly fishing means more than catching a trophy for myself.
What’s even more rewarding is sharing one of my favorite fishing destinations in the world with new and eager anglers. The look of wonder on their faces when they see flats without end and huge schools of bonefish is priceless. Hearing their stories over drinks and great food in the evenings, with a gentle breeze coming off the ocean and some Bob Marley in the background was a sweet lullaby.
The people of South Andros were, as always, great ambassadors for the islands. Especially the guides, who entertained and educated as they worked tirelessly to put their anglers on great fish, wading and from the boat.
There were some very experienced anglers among us as well, including Mark Richens (owner of Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods), Brower Moffit (sales for T&T) and Rich Hohne of Simms. Rich brought a very generous gear package for each angler, dressing them head to toe in technical flats wear. Glenn Ancelet and Jeff Nickles each won Thomas and Thomas fly rods to boot. Mark and Brower brought along a huge assortment of T&T rods for everyone to use as they liked. These guys were as generous with their knowledge as with their gear. We are very grateful.
In the conversations Kent and I had when we started Gink and Gasoline one word kept coming up. Community. That’s how we see G&G, not as a fly fishing site or even as a job but as a community. It belongs to you as much as it does to us.
That’s the most amazing thing about these trips. Connecting with that community. Fishing with guys who have exchanged comments on the site for years. Seeing them use what they have learned from reading my articles to catch fish. Putting faces to the screen names. Making new friends that feel like old ones.
There is no way I can tell you how rewarding that is. I’d like to thank everyone who joined us in South Andros. The readers who came to fish and the sponsors who came to support us. You rocked my world.
Read More »Sunday Classic / I’ll Have The Fish
Is Aquiculture Wrong?
I got into a discussion with a friend the other day that put a burr under my saddle. We were talking about what fish is OK to eat and what isn’t. Not in the way that I refuse to eat a catfish from the Chattahoochee but rather how no one should be eating wild steelhead. My friend, who is not a fisherman, asked “what about farm raised fish?” Without thinking about it I said, “sure, that’s fine”. He then went on to explain that he did not eat farm raised fish because it was cruel to take a fish that was meant to be free and confine it in a pen. ( I’m not going to dwell on this idea for too long for reasons that I think are obvious. If that’s the story you want to hear, click here! ) I am unashamedly opposed to the idea of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to any living thing but I also understand what these teeth were put in my head for. I could write a couple of thousand words on this but instead I’ll leave it at this. I remember standing on a gravel bar in Alaska watching a salmon struggling in the current. The fish’s tail was missing along with the last eight inches of him. Two trout were following taking turns eating him while he was still alive. My point being, if we are going to get into the business of attaching human emotions like happiness to fish, let’s be sure we’re choosing the correct emotions. Nobody cares about fish more than me, but that’s their nature. If you hold still long enough, they’ll eat you. I’m really not sure what happiness is to a fish but most of them will choose to stay in one spot if there is plenty of food so I’m not worried about the pen.
Still, this got me thinking. Did I give the right answer? Is fish farming OK? With recent outbreaks of
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Haley Powell’s Little Mountain
THERE’S STILL BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE MOUNTAIN
Last summer I was lucky to spend some time in the most beautiful place on earth. Wyoming’s Little Mountain District. This amazingly rich wildlife area is a hidden gem. Hunters and fishermen alike know Little Mountain for its rugged abundance. But Little Mountain is in trouble. It’s precious lands and waters are threatened by energy leases.
TU and the Greater Little Mountain Coalition are working hard to save this mountain paradise, but it’s not an easy fight and there is much left to do. They need your help. I’ve told you my story about Little Mountain, it’s time you heard another.
Watch the video and let Haley Powell tell you her story.
Read More »Making the Switch to Two-Handed Casting
THE UNION IS DIVIDED, BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER.
Not since the rivalry of cats vs. dogs has there been a break like the one between two-handed and single-handed casters. Much of it stems from some practical issues of sharing the water but there’s more to the story. I found out exactly how much more when I first picked up the Spey rod. It’s highly uncommon to find Spey casters here in the southeast, and when I started some of my buddies reacted with outright hostility. Others, however, were curious and eventually most of them came around to asking me for a casting lesson.
Many of the guys I know who have fooled around with two-handed casting came to it through switch rods, because the idea that they could fall back on their single-hand casting gave them confidence. There’s nothing wrong with that in theory, but in practice it’s usually a disaster. The world of Spey is complex, and without a mentor it’s nearly impossible to master.
Too many anglers will set their switch rod up just like they do a single hander and fish it as a long nymph rod. Once in a while when nobody is watching they will try to pull off a Spey cast, yank the fly out of their neck and move on to a new piece of water.
Switch rods are simply short, lightweight Spey rods. Their tapers are Spey tapers and they are made for two-handed casting. They work in the world of single-hand casting but it’s not what they are designed for. They are more challenging for two-hand casting than longer Spey rods and choosing the right line for them is fiendishly complicated. Add to that the sheer complexity of the Spey cast and you have a goat rodeo for the uninitiated.
It may sound like I’m trying to talk you out of that switch rod, but I’m not. I love switch rods and I think everyone should fish them. I just want to
Read More »Sunday Classic / The Moth Larva Hatch
Previously published in last issues Southern Culture On The Fly Magazine. As I relived last year’s spring fishing season in my head searching for the perfect hatch, the color of bright green began entering my conscience, and bam! Like a slap to the face, it hit me. Every year we get a month-long trout feeding frenzy, as moth larva burst onto the scene by the tens of thousands. Yes, I’m talking about the green weenie, the inch worm. The tree limb-repelling caterpillars that every trout in the stream will gorge themselves on through the month of May, and well into summer. Multiple species of moth larva ranging from 1-2″ long annually coordinate a synchronized blanket hatch during late spring that ends up packing the bellies of trout with protein-rich, green gummy goodness. Anglers smart enough to take advantage of this late spring phenomenon can find themselves fooling the biggest trout in their waters. Timing the Moth Larva Hatch For the hottest and most consistent fishing, the best time by far to target the moth larva hatch is during it’s early stages. The blanket hatch usually begins the first week of May in North Georgia, but can start a little later depending on how far north you live in the Southeast. Because this hatch unfolds and gains momentum so quickly, it takes very little time for trout to recognize the new food source and begin keying in on it. As soon as I spot the first moth larva of the year, I begin working the larva imitations into my fishing within days. This way I can monitor their effectiveness, and do a much better job of timing the hatch during its peak periods. When most of the trees have gotten the new years foliage, you should start anticipating the hatch to … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Where The Road Narrows
“I grew with each whistle that echoed into the primeval growth or pierced the brilliantly dense fireweed for brown bears in day-bed drowse, and each step that found the river bottom, alive and ever-shifting. I began to understand that my steps here, or anywhere on this planet, are not, in fact, inconsequential.”
Matt Smythe, The Fishing Poet, travels to Alaska’s, Tongass National Forest and finds the place where the road narrows. Take a minute to join him on this personal journey. It’s one you’ll be glad you took.
Where The Road Narrows
Read More »The First
TODAY WE HAVE ANOTHER FIRST.
Our first article by Paul Puckett and Paul is about to tell you why firsts are so important. You may know Paul as as one of the most talented painters who has turned his brush to fly fishing. You may know him as the creative mind behind The Flood Tide Co. You may know him as a musician or an angler. Who knew he was also a great writer? Enjoy, The First.
Photo by Louis Cahill
Photo by Louis Cahill
NOW I’M SCREWED!
In the world of fishing, I have had a lot of firsts, with the most recent being a Permit. Leading up to this Permit chase, I had heard everything about this fish being so challenging and finicky, and it wasn’t over-sold. The way I tried to make it happen made it even more challenging. Using an Everglades Special fly failed and I had to switch.
This made me reflect on all of the firsts I have had and now, maybe take for granted. When I say “take for granted,” I mean from the angle of hearing someone say they caught their first Trout on a dry fly, or first Redfish, or first fish at all on a fly rod. I have heard these statements many times, across the counter at a fly shop, over the last twenty years. It has been easy to lack excitement for someone when I hear, “I caught my first,” just because I hear it all the time. But, it is a special time in this sport to have a new first, and I was reminded of that 2 weeks ago.
I remember my first big bass, I was 3 years old, I think, and it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. It was maybe 2 pounds. I remember my first rod, given to me by my dad and grandad. A Zebco 33 “Classic,” with the extra silver trim on it. Better than a Red Rider BB Gun.
I remember the first time I ever saw my Grandfather cast his fly rod. I was mesmerized.
I remember the first time I held and waved that rod after he passed. I was obsessed.
The first time I cast that fly rod
Read More »Sunday Classic / PUTMBAK!
I wonder what the Great Lakes Steelhead would think if he knew what a controversial fish he is. No, he’s not a native fish. Yes, it’s a completely man made fishery. No, it’s not a wild and scenic experience. Is he a real steelhead? Who cares. I love fishing the tributaries of the great lakes for the biggest toughest trout this side of the Mississippi and so does everyone else who’s tried it. I have to wander though, as I stand in the river with my fly rod watching the horde of bait fisherman stack their catch on the bank, if these fish got the respect enjoyed by their west coast cousins, couldn’t this be a whole lot better? I’m not dogging the fishery, it’s awesome, but it just seems like common sense. It’s true that great lakes steelhead do not successfully reproduce but left in the river they will continue to come back year after year, providing a better angling experience and saving state hatcheries money. I’m with this angler who’s license plate I found in New York in a parking lot on the Oak Orchard. PUTMBAK!
Read More »