Saturday Shoutout / Hunt Bones on a Budget
THIS WEEKS SHOUTOUT IS TO CHRIS HUNT VIA MIDCURRENT.
You might recognize Chris’s name from his awesome blog “Eat More Brook Trout” which is well worth your time.
Writing for Midcurrent, Chris gives you his 5 best tips for
“BONEFISH ON A BUDGET”
Thanks Chris, we needed that!
You can check out my DIY bonefish post (HERE)
Read More »Adipose Boatworks Review
Every year at the IFTD show Louis and I check out all the boats on the floor and pick one to showcase for all of our readers. This year’s featured boat manufacturer was Adipose Boatworks. We chose to showcase them because the craftsmanship and functionality in their boats are top notch and their eye on design is also very unique in many ways. It also didn’t hurt that we hit it off with the owners, Tracy Allen and Mike Ward right off the bat, which both happen to be veteran fly fishing guides. Listening to the owners talk about their Flow Skiff, we quickly realized it was our kind of boat.
For those of you that guide or simply just own your own drift boat, raft or skiff, there’s always those little design flaws here and there in our boats that give us grief on the water. They don’t keep us from catching fish, they’re just a constant annoyance. We all deal with them of course but if we were given the opportunity to fix them with the snap of our fingers, all of us would do it in a heart beat. That’s bascially what Tracy Allen did at Adipose Boatworks when he designed his Flow Skiff from the bottom up, and that’s why I think this boat is unique and worthy for all to take a closer look at.
Read More »Take the Time to Reconnect and Fish With Your Childhood Friends
A while back, I watched the movie Grown Ups, which tells a story about a group of childhood buddies reuniting after several years of losing touch with one another.
Watching the movie, I found myself reminiscing about my own childhood friends, and how much I missed hanging out with them. When the movie finished and the credits started rolling, I decided it was time for me to try reuniting with some of my own childhood friends. So the following day, I contacted my best friend growing up, Ryan Evans, and invited him to meet up with me for a day of fly fishing for trout. I had wanted to make this happen ever since I first became a fly fishing guide but for whatever reason the ball always got dropped and it never happened. We both agreed over the phone it had been far too long since we’d hung out and we agreed to set a firm date. I’d guide and Ryan would fish.
Read More »G&G South Andros Bonefish Trip Expands To Second Week
MORE OF A GOOD THING!
The Response to the 2014 G&G Bonefish Trip to South Andros has been overwhelming. In an effort to accommodate everyone who wants to come bonefishing with us we are expanding the trip to a second week.
April 19th – 26th
If, for some reason you couldn’t make the March trip here’s your chance to get in on the fun. Our amazingly generous sponsors have stepped up with more great gear giveaways so, again, everyone gets 2014 Simms flats gear and one lucky angler takes home a brand new Thomas and Thomas Saltwater rod!
Here’s the full story.
April 19th – 26th is your chance
Sunday’s Classic / Why Aren’t We Talking More About Angler Positioning
Countless fly fishing articles have been written about matching the hatch, setting up your rig correctly for the water you’re fishing, and how to cast tight loops. It’s true you should always have these areas covered in your fly fishing game but what about angler positioning? Why aren’t we talking more about how important angler positioning is for fly fishing success? Have you ever wondered why there’s trout fishermen out there that can’t cast forty feet, yet when they’re on the water fishing, they literally mop up every fish like a vacuum. There’s a simple reason for this folks. Great fisherman, that aren’t the best at fly casting, tend to figure out real quick that angler positioning is critical for ensuring they get presentations that produce hookups.
Listen up all you competition casters out there. I’m happy you can reach the far end of the casting pond with your fly. It’s not easy shooting fifteen feet of backing out the end of your fly rod with a five weight fly rod. That’s impressive, but if that’s how you choose to spend your time trout fishing, you’re probably going to catch few fish. Oh, and remember that guy that you just laughed off the casting pond with his pathetic forty foot cast? He’s probably going to out fish you if you meet up with him on the water, because he’s figured out that presentation trumps distance casting.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Central Overland
This weeks Saturday Shoutout doesn’t have a fly fishing theme but the publisher does happen to be a passionate fly fisherman and he’s also a big fan of Gink & Gasoline. Wes Craiglow runs the website Central Overland, for those on the road less traveled.
Read More »New Products From Derek DeYoung
IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT JUST ABOUT ANYONE WHO’S HELD A FLY ROD KNOWS THE NAME DEREK DEYOUNG.
Derek’s vivid and stunning art work has shown up everywhere, from magazine covers and fly reels to industry-insider promotional gifts. His unique vision makes his work instantly recognizable. His paintings and prints are highly desirable and owning one is the ultimate mark of fly fishing cool.
Now there are a whole host of new products sporting Derek’s distinctive art. Glassware, iPad and iPhone cases and boat wraps to name a few. Best of all you can get them directly from Derek. www.derekdeyoung.com
In this video Derek and his wife Jenelle show off some of their new products.
Read More »IFTD 2013 Debrief
If you read my article on the 2013 IFTD show, then you know that I think everyone in the fly fishing industry should support it.
What you might not know is that going into this year’s show, I was a little concerned. The last few years have been tough ones for IFTD. Support has wavered for the show and dealer attendance has been hit and miss. Some of the large manufacturers have, at least threatened, to sit it out. AFFTA’s decision to combine IFTD with ICAST, the huge conventional fishing industry show, was a bold roll of the dice. Many people, including myself, were not convinced it would come up sevens.
I am very happy to say that my concerns were unfounded. In fact, looking back, I think combining the two shows was pure genius. Sharing the floor with ICAST gave the show an excitement that it hasn’t had for years. That enthusiasm translated into confidence, and everyone I spoke to at the show felt that it was the most productive IFTD in years.
Some folks were concerned enough to sit the show out, or at least walk the floor as attendees rather than drop the cash for a booth. I talked with several of the “wait and see” crowd and every one of them plans to have a booth next year. I think that may be the greatest indicator of success.
I had been concerned that the fly fishing crowd would not be accepted by our plug tossing neighbors.
Read More »10 Brewing Companies That Protect Our Fish
Not all of us would fancy the idea of pairing beer and fly fishing together. To each their own, but it’s safe to say that the majority of fly fishers enjoy the refreshing taste of one or two cold beers after a long day on the water. For me, drinking a couple beers at dusk with my fishing buddies reminiscing about the catches and the days debacles seem to enhance my overall fishing experience. It relaxes and grounds me, it helps me to see more clearly why I choose to go out and cast a fly rod in the first place, and how special the people are around me that I share my water with. We all have our favorite beers that we like to drink. Some of us are so loyal, we’ve got our go to beer, and we only stray from it when it’s not available. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, believe me, I’m right there with ya, but before I go any further, let me ask you one question. Would you stray from your regular beer of choice if you had an option to buy another brand if it donated significant amounts of money that went towards protecting your watersheds and fisheries? I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I could learn to acquire the taste of a new beer if I knew a portion of the coin I was dropping was going towards real conservation efforts.
Below is a list of 10 beer brewing companies that make a point to not only strive to hold the highest of green business practices, but they also take it a step further and donate significant amounts of money annually to fish and wildlife conservation organizations.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Just When You Think Your Dialed In
IT’S A NINETEEN HOUR DRIVE AND A THIRTY MINUTE WALK TO THE SPOT WHERE THE SYCAMORE TREE IS DOWN ACROSS THE RIVER, MAKING THAT SWEET SEAM.
Flies are tied in the truck on the drive up. The color and size that worked last year but with upgraded hooks. Rods and reels have been selected. New lines have been spooled up. Waders patched, hats, gloves, down vests all packed. We’re on the river less than an hour when the first big male brown goes in the net, followed by a nice steelhead. High fives and smiles all around, followed by a toast. We are dialed in, or so it seems.
The next morning we are reminded of a lesson we have learned time and time again. Fish are fickle, conditions change, you always work for your fish. We had gotten to feeling pretty good about ourselves that first day on the river, and why not, it had been awesome. We had come a long way from our home waters, to a very different river and we had fished like champs. The next day we got back to the business of being humble and figuring it out. By the end of the second day we had a few more fish in the net, but they didn’t come easy.
That’s the game isn’t it? Figuring it out. How long would we stay interested in fly fishing if it was easy? If all you had to do was show up and tie on the same fly that worked last year and step into the same run and catch a fish, would we even come back? Probably. It felt pretty damn good that first day, being dialed in. Maybe that was a gift, or maybe it was that second day, the slow day that was the gift. Who can say. What I do know for sure is that I can’t wait to go back next year and figure it out again.
Fortunately Kent has a proven method for turning around a slow day of fishing. Check out the video for the details.
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