Sunday’s Classic / Kype for Days
I love it when I luck up and catch a big male trout, steelhead, salmon, or char. There’s something about big gnarly kype jaws that fascinate me. For starters, males always seem to sport more vibrant colors than hens, especially during the spawning season. In the wild and according to my catch rates, there seems to be a higher ratio of females to males in most watersheds I fly fish. If you really want to know what gets me fired up when I land a big male, it’s the fact that every male specimen I catch, seems to have its own unique face and features, just like all of us. It probably sounds weird, but I always find myself trying to imagine what the fish would look like if it was a person. The big kype always turns into a big smile, and the shape of the snout ends up being the shape and size of the person’s nose. For no rime or reason, it happens like clock work before I release every bruiser. God bless all the kype jaws swimming around out there in our watersheds. They always make my guide days a little extra special and rewarding when they show up.
AM I ALONE HERE IN HOW COOL I THINK MALES WITH BIG KYPES ARE?
Read More »Saturday’s Shoutout / Larimer’s Deschutes Nymph Rig, Feather & Fin, Jay Nicholas Saltwater Fly Tying 101
We’re honored to have many loyal fly fishing professionals around the world, that take the time out of their busy schedules to follow and comment on Gink & Gasoline.
Tom Larimer, owner of Larimer Outfitters, is a veteran fly fishing stealhead and trout guide, spey casting instructor and hosted trips specialist. He’s a good example of the type of “high caliber professionals” that make up a significant portion of our G&G community. We can’t tell you enough how much we respect this man and what he brings to the fly fishing industry. If you haven’t visited the Larimer Oufitters website, we highly encourage you to check it out. It’s loaded with all kinds of great fly fishing information and it’s updated frequently. You’ll also find information about Tom’s fly fishing guide services and his international hosted trips.
This week, we showcase Tom Larimer’s “Nymph Rig for Deschutes Trout” a great fly fishing tips article, that’s sure to help you learn how to rig and fly fish big water more effectively with nymphs. When Tom shares his fly fishing knowledge, we listen. The man knows a thing or two about catching fish on the fly.
Read More »Simms 2014 Wading Boots Change The Way You Wade
SIMMS HAS SOME EXCITING NEW IDEAS IN WADING BOOTS FOR 2014.
The new Simms wading boots are truly redesigned from the ground up. The guiding principal in the new designs is based on the idea of proprioception. (Yes, I had to look that up) The idea is that when your foot can feel what you’re walking on, your balance is better. The new Simms wading platform gives your foot more feel so you can wade with confidence. It’s a simple but powerful idea.
Simms doesn’t stop there. The entire line-up of boots for 2014 are radically innovative, including the new G4 BOA boot. This boot design solves problems which have plagued the BOA system from the start. It’s a very exciting design.
Watch the video and Rich Hohne will show you some of the exciting ideas Simms has for your feet.
Read More »The New Orvis, Sales Pitch or Substance?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE STICKERS THAT READ: PROUD NOT TO BE AN ORVIS ENDORSED GUIDE, REAL GUIDES SUPPORT REAL FISHING COMPANIES?
Well, Orvis has. I was surprised to see the sticker at the Orvis headquarters in Manchester, Vermont, and even more surprised to hear Orvis executives discussing it openly, and even take responsibility for for the perception that lead to its creation. Orvis has an image problem and they know it.
The problem started where so many do, at an ad agency. In the 1980s Orvis was having great success with its lifestyle stores. It was no longer just a fly fishing company. It was a fly fishing/hunting/lodge/clothing/home decor/dog bed company. That’s quite a lot for agency account executives to get their heads around.
Orvis was rebranded under the label ‘distinctive county living,’ and the hundred-thirty year old brand that embodied fly fishing to many anglers was folded into something that felt immediately phony to serious anglers. Suddenly the men and women at Orvis, who had spent their careers creating innovative, high quality fly fishing gear, were the picture of uncool.
“That phrase sets my teeth on edge,” Tom Rosenbauer tells me.
It’s a very rare thing for a company the size of Orvis to get their heads around this kind of problem. The more common corporate response involves drinking a lot more Kool Aid and doing some vigorous, if unwarranted, back slapping. The fact that Orvis sees the problem speaks volumes.
So what’s changing at Orvis?
It’s pretty easy to see that the face of Orvis is changing. The company was the first in fly fishing to embrace internet marketing and social media. With the creation of Orvis News and Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast the hundred-fifty year old brand proved it could still lead the pack when it comes to innovation.
“Tom Rosenbauer has done something truly great here that transcends the conventional customer-retailer relationship. He has built a community around his podcast and I believe our listeners feel he is more like a fishing than a brand representative.”- James Hathaway of Hathaway Communications. (Read the full interview @ Trout Underground)
The look of Orvis has changed as well. Images and design in the company’s ads and branding are fresh and young. Gone are the silver-haired, pipe-smoking country gentlemen who rode the company’s image, among hard core anglers, into the ground. Rod tubes show off flashy graphics and Orvis ball caps flaunt the likeness of carp. This is definitely not your father’s Orvis, at least on the surface.
But what’s really going on? Is the man behind the curtain an advertising executive or a rod maker?
What I saw at the Orvis plant and headquarters surprised me.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Facebook, A Matter of Life and Death
Just What the Doctor Ordered Photo by Louis Cahill
“Gone Fishing! Great way to start the New Year with a little father / son outing.”
That’s what Harry Murray’s Facebook status read on New Year’s day. I was thrilled, and confused. You see, I had heard through the fly fishing grapevine the Harry had passed away. For those of you who do not know, Harry is the Dean of Virginia fly fishing. Although I don’t know Harry personally we have a lot of connections. His fly shop in Edinburg, VA opened in 1962, the year I was born. My grandfather knew Harry and frequented his shop back when it was a pharmacy. (Harry is a pharmacist who ended up in the fly fishing business.) I still have some of Harry’s flies in the old pill bottles he used to pack them in. It was Harry who introduced my good friend Gary Lacey to bamboo rod making. Gary is now one of the best rod makers in the world and taught me to make rods fifteen years or so ago. When I heard that he had passed I couldn’t believe it. I just wasn’t ready for a world without Harry Murray.
It made me think of the morning last year when I answered my phone at eight a.m. To hear my good friend Andrew Bennett, breathless on the other end. He wasn’t really talking and it was clear something was wrong. It spooked me because Andrew is as tough a guy as you are likely to meet. Not easily shaken up. “Are you alright?”, I asked. “yeah, I’m fine now that I hear your voice”, Andrew replied. Now, Andrew and I are friends but I’m not used to getting “that kind of call” from my fishing buddies so I was a bit puzzled. Turns out, someone had seen a photo of mine on Andrew’s blog and sent him an email saying, “hey, did you hear Louis Cahill died?” it’s a long story but here’s the gist of it.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Fishing Poet, The Things We Carry
MATT SMYTHE, AKA, THE FISHING POET HAS BEEN ON A BIT OF A SABBATICAL.
He’s back now. With this beautiful, introspective essay written on a receipt trip to the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Matt’s ride in the De Haviland Otter takes him not only the wilds of Alaska but, figuratively speaking, back to where he belongs.
This is a heart felt piece from a man wrestling with the ceaseless change of life, family and the things we carry. There’s a lesson here for each of us and some deeper understanding of why we pick up the rod and head to the river. We’re glad you’re back Matt. You’ve been missed.
CHECK OUT “THE THINGS WE CARRY”
Read More »Quick-Cast Rigged Rod Transport System
Let’s face it, not all of us have pickup trucks or large SUVs capable of safely stowing away our prized fly rod on the go (pre-rigged). If you’re the run and gun type, or you despise having to stop every 100 yards during remote hike-ins to and from the water to de-snag your leader or fly line, the Quick-Cast Rigged Rod Transport System has the potential to suit you well.
At this year’s IFTD show in Las Vegas, the LT Series Transport System by Quick-Cast, took home the Best New Fly Fishing Accessory Product Award, and with a little practice using this simple system, you’ll be able to setup or stow away your pre-rigged fly rod in 30-45 seconds. Like it or not, the Quick-Cast system is an innovative product. I actually think it’s a pretty cool concept for the fly angler that feels the need to always have a rod ready to go at all times (in the back seat or on the dash) or the die-hard combat fisherman that finds themselves bushwhacking to remote sections of water regularly.
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / 4 Reasons Waterfall Plunge Pools Can Hold Trophy Trout
There’s few things I love more than fly fishing a small stream and stumbling upon a steep vertical waterfall, that has a deep plunge pool at its base. Waterfalls like the one pictured above are pretty rare on small streams, but if you’re lucky enough to locate one of these gems, you could very well next find yourself hooked up to one of the biggest trout in the entire stream. Below are four reasons why I feel waterfall plunge pools are great places to look for big trophy trout on small streams.
1. TONS OF FOOD GETS WASHED OVER WATERFALLS, ESPECIALLY DURING HIGH FLOWS.
Large amounts of food (like tiny fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans and amphibians) are constantly being swept over the falls. In many cases, it provides a steady enough stream of food that a big fish will take up residence, and won’t be required to leave the plunge pool to fulfill its daily food requirements.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Koz’s Steelhead Kandy & TFM 12 Days of Xmas
Today’s fly fishing Saturday Shoutout on Gink & Gasoline, we spotlight Brian Kozminski’s signature Great Lakes Steelhead Kandy. If you like surfing the web for fly fishing related content, you’ve probably run across Michigan fly fishing guide and veteran blogger, Brian Kozminski many times in the past. Brian is highly active in the fly fishing scene, an all around friendly dude, and a very talented guide and fly tier. There’s nothing not to like about this Brian and I love that he’s stayed humble despite his huge following.
When I ran across Koz’s Steelhead Kandy fly pattern, I immediately wanted to showcase it on the G&G website. This proven Great Lakes steelhead fly pattern tied by Brian, is special for a number of reasons. First, it’s extremely easy to tie. So easy, in fact, a first-time fly tier could manage the tying recipe), but it’s also extremely durable and versatile enough that the attractor pattern can be downsized to catch trout and other species. I’m in the process of tying some of these guys up right now, and I’ll be getting them wet later this week.
Check out the Step-by-step fly tying tutorial for all the details on this great fly pattern.
Read More »The TFO Mangrove Saltwater Fly Rod
WE CAUGHT UP WITH BRANDON POWERS FROM TFO AT IFTD THIS YEAR AND HE SHOWED US THE NEW MANGROVE SALTWATER FLY ROD.
TFO charged Flip Pallot with designing the fly rod he wanted to put in his client’s hands and the Mangrove was the result. A smooth action rod that anyone can cast. The perfect balance of power and presentation.
I was impressed with this rod and took one to the Bahamas on my last trip. It was a joy to fish. You can read about that (HERE), but make sure you click on the full post.
In this video Brandon gives you the lowdown on the new Mangrove fly rod.
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