Whisky, Tango, Foxtrot Caption Contest
IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF FUN AT OUR FISHING BUDDIES EXPENSE.
Test your wit against he rest of the G&G community. It’s fun! It’s challenging! It’s ridiculous! Best of all, you might win something really, really cool!
The person who comes up with the best caption, left in the form of a comment, for this bit of saltwater shenanigans wins this Flood Tide ball cap with an original Paul Puckett hand drawn redfish tail under the brim. You will be the envy of all your friends in the wearable piece of art.
Check out Flood Tide and Paul Puckett Art!
Let the fun begin. Leave your caption in the comments field below. No emails please. The winner will be announced March 13th.
Good Luck!
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / Spring Fishing on Tributaries for Wild Trout
Several of our blog followers on numerous occasions have asked Louis and I if we ever catch small trout? Jokingly, they mention, “All we see are trophy size fish in most of the pictures on the blog”. I assure you all, we catch plenty of small fish, and Louis and I both appreciate and photograph them on the water with the same gratitude and respect. It’s just fair to say, that a large portion of anglers out there are constantly striving to catch a trophy class fish. We tend to use our big fish photos as motivation and assurance that persistence pays off. However, it’s important to note, in most cases, there’s no distinction in our fishing technique. We pretty much fish the same way for all sizes of trout. We approach the fishing spots the same, we make the same casts and presentations, and we fish the same fly patterns. It really just boils down to whether or not it’s a numbers day or a big fish day, and we’re generally happy with either. Location does play a factor though for size of trout, but remember, a trophy fish should be defined by the water it inhabits. A 14-inch trout on a small creek has just as much right to hold the trophy status as a 20-inch fish on a big river.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Kleis’s Mysis Shrimp
If you’ve ever fly fished in Colorado, or for that matter, on any trout stream or river that has large numbers of Mysis Shrimp, you probably know how important it can be to have some of these patterns stocked in your fly box. Years back, during my maiden fly fishing trip to the Frying Pan River, in Colorado, I had an unbelievable day catching one trophy trout after another, on Mysis Shrimp patterns. There’s no doubt, without the aid of my Mysis Shrimp patterns, I wouldn’t have landed nearly as many trout during my time in Colorado. While we’re on the subject of talking about fishing Mysis Shrimp patterns, it should be noted that not all Mysis Shrimp patterns are created equal. Jon Kleis, from the Coloradoflyfisher.blogspot.com, explains matching the correct profile and color of naturals can be critical for fooling the highly educated trout in Colorado trout rivers and streams. Furthermore, he recommends that fly tiers should choose specific tying materials, like UV flashabou and fluorescent eyes, when tying Mysis shrimp. Doing so, it will greatly increase the realistic look of the imitation and performance on the water.
Read More »Adipose Boatworks Sponsors Gink & Gasoline
For a few years now, Louis and I have had the dream of getting a Gink & Gasoline drift boat for all of our fly fishing adventures. After rowing many different drift boats and skiffs on the water, and talking with different boat manufacturers in the industry, we’re very happy to let everyone know that we’ve decided to build a long-term partnership with our good friends at Adipose Boatworks. As you’re reading today’s post, our long-time friend, fly fishing guide and photographer, Rob Parkins is in transit from Victor, ID trailering our new and fully pimped out Adipose Flow Skiff. Louis and I will be heading out of town this Saturday, to meet up with Rob for a few days of streamer fishing on the White River. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be a dream trip for all of us. There’s nothing like falling in love with a new boat and dropping it in the water for the first time. I’m already dreaming about what a pleasure the Adipose Flow Skiff is going to be to row and fly fish out of. Big thank you to the entire crew at Adipose Boatworks, who fully believes and supports what Louis and I are doing with Gink & Gasoline. We’re permanently indebted to your company, and jazzed that we’ll be sporting, in our opinion, the highest quality drift boat/skiff on the market.
Read More »Glass With Ass, The Orvis Superfine Glass Rod
WARNING: FIBERGLASS IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE.
I love the feel of fiberglass rods for trout fishing. It’s as if all of my stress is just absorbed by the material. I can not be tense or angry or anxious with a glass rod in my hand. It’s just a joy. The pace and the feel of the rod just puts me in a good mood. Like the first day of summer.
The problem is, a lot of fiberglass rods don’t come out of the tube until summer arrives. Though they may be pure bliss with a dry fly, they can leave you a little under-gunned when old man winter demands a little weight. Lead and fiberglass generally don’t mix.
Well, this winter has been an exception. I’ve spent most of the colder months fishing my new Orvis 7’6″ 4 weight, Superfine Glass. This little gem has all the feel and delicacy of presentation that I expect in a great fiberglass rod, and something I didn’t. Enough ass to throw a tandem nymph rig with split shot and a Thingamabobber.
That means the Superfine Glass is a year-round rod. That’s a huge plus for me. I fish a lot of small streams in the colder months and a 7 1/2′ 4wt is perfect. Now I get the fun of fishing fiberglass on those days too.
When the bugs do come out the Superfine can not be matched for delicate dry fly presentation. It drops a fly as soft as a whisper and has surprising range. The slow pace of the cast makes reach casting a dream and the deep bend of the rod means great roll casting. It’s all around a veritable, precision fly fishing machine.
The Superfine glass is available in
Read More »Sunday Classic / The V Grip
MORE ON LINE SPEED FROM BRUCE CHARD.
Hopefully you’ve gotten comfortable with adding the wrist snap to your cast. Today Bruce is going to get into some serious advanced technique. Your going to see him use the “V Grip”. This is going to feel seriously odd at first. In fact I think this is harder to get the hang of if you have been casting for a long time. Don’t get discouraged, the results are amazing. Don’t expect to get it over night but with a lot of practice you can do this smoothly and effectively and you’ll be glad you spent all that time out casting on the lawn. Bruce will be back on Friday with the final video in the series.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Midcurrent Talks Streamers With Kelly Galloup
THE NAME KELLY GALLOUP HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH STREAMER FISHING.
Kelly’s book “Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout” shaped the tactics of a generation of fly fishers. It’s popularity established Kelly as the ‘go to’ expert on the subject of streamer fishing. This week Midcurrent talks to the streamer man about his theories on streamer design and tactics for fishing them. Whether you’re a dyed in the wool streamer junkie or just curious, it’s worth your time.
TALKING STREAMERS WITH KELLY GALLOUP
Read More »The Airflo Saltwater Cold Striper Line Is Cooler Than Cool
SALTWATER FLY FISHING IS NOT ALL FUN IN THE SUN.
A couple of my recent trips have been pretty cold and miserable. One thing that can make a cold saltwater trip especially miserable is having the wrong fly line. Most saltwater fly lines are tropical lines made to perform in the heat of the tropical summer. Cold weather puts very different demands on your fly line and one of those tropical lines that performs great in the heat can be a recipe for frustration when the mercury dips.
A lot of anglers don’t understand the difference and will turn up on chilly days with a tropical line. I’ve done it myself. When that tropical line comes off the reel it coils up in a bird’s nest on the deck and stays that way for the rest of the day. The result is a bunch of time spent untying knots and missing fish. It’s a bad feeling.
A tropical line just isn’t going to behave until the temperature is above eighty degrees Fahrenheit. Even winter fishing in the tropics can be sketchy. The air can be well over eighty degrees and the water still be below seventy. Your line comes out of the water too cold to preform as it should.
No one deals with this more than striper fishermen in the northeast. Those guys deal with brutal conditions. It was for them that Airflo designed their Saltwater Cold Striper Line. Designed with absolutely no memory and a super low-stretch core, this line performers when Mother Nature does her worst. Although it was designed for chasing stripers, I find I’m using this line for everything from blue water to redfish.
Airflo-Ridge-Striper-lineThe Airflo Saltwater Cold line is
Read More »And The Winners Are…
THE RESULTS ARE IN FOR THE 2014 GINK AND GASOLINE FLY FISHING PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST.
Clearly, our readers stayed busy with both fly rods and cameras in 2013. We had so many amazing entries this year. I am so glad that I did not have the difficult job of judging all of this great work. You guys rock!
AND THE WINNERS ARE!
1st place goes to Reuben Browning
For this amazing photo of a free swimming rainbow trout. Great work Reuben! Enjoy that new Echo 590-4 fly rod, you’ve earned it!
An Amazing Photo by Reuben Browning
An Amazing Photo by Reuben Browning
Second place goes to Joel Dickey
For this beautiful underwater view of the silver king. Joel gets the awesome Fishpond boat bag.
Photo Joel Dickey
Photo Joel Dickey
Third place goes to Stu Hastie
For the Double Rainbow. Stu finished first last year and that MFC reel was his prize. Nice work Stu! You’ll be casting like a pro with your new RIO Perception fly line!
Photo Stu Hastie
Photo Stu Hastie
I’d like to thank Echo, Fishpond and RIO for their generous support of the G&G 2014 Fly Fishing Photography contest. Without your help it could not happen.
Most of all, I’d like to thank everyone who submitted photos! You guys continue to blow me away with your talent and passion for fly fishing. Keep up the great work and we’ll see what you’ve been up to in 2015!
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / Wood is Good
Anytime I come across any sort of wood on the water while trout fishing, whether it’s a log jam, isolated root ball, or just a low overhanging tree, I always take the time to fish around it. Wood offers trout cover and safety which are two very important elements that trout search out when they’re deciding where to position themselves in a river or stream. Wood also in many cases offers current breaks, eddies, and soft seams, all of which allow trout to feed more easily, while adding a extra degree or two of safety from the cover it provides. Furthermore, there’s an incredible amount of food that hangs out amongst wood, that very often falls off of and into the water, and next, ends up in the stomachs of trout. All of the above make wood prime habitat and magnets for trout.
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