Echo Fly Rods 2014 – Shadow 2 & Fiberglass Series
I’m really excited to showcase the new Shadow 2 fly rod and the Echo fiberglass fly rod from Echo today. Louis and I interviewed Tim Rajeff and got the 4-1-1 on these two very cool rods. Tim worked with the highly decorated fly fisherman and guide Pete Erickson to design the super innovative Shadow 2 fly rod. They call it a hybrid design that bridges the gap between a nymphing rod and a traditional fly rod, and I have to say, I like what I see. I’ve found myself in situations many times where I needed a little more rod length to get that perfect drag free drift to a feeding trout.
Read More »Now is the Time To Plan for The G&G Andros South Bonefish Trip
Last year’s trip to South Andros was a blast! Good times, great fishing and new friends for all. We are already getting a lot of interest in this year’s trip so now is the time to make a plan.
We have not set a date yet for the trip. We have options from January to May and we are hoping to accommodate everyone who wants to join us. If you’re interested in the trip, please let us know what your calendar looks like. If there are weeks that definitely don’t work for you, (family vacations, weddings, anniversaries) send us an email at hookups@ginkandgasoline.com and let us know.
South Andros bonefishing is the trip of a lifetime. Let us show you our favorite place in the world to fish. Cost ranges from 3 night / 2 day trips for $1845 per person, to 7 night / 6 day trips for $4635 per person
HERE ARE A FEW OF THE REASONS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS TRIP!
• The World’s Best Bonefishing: South Andros is hands down my favorite place to fish. I have never had a bad day.
• Learn To Fish The Salt: There is no better place to learn the skills needed for successful saltwater fly fishing. If you’re new to the salt you can take advantage of the abundance of eager bonefish to dramatically shorten the learning curve for skills like strip setting, fish spotting, making successful presentations and quick casting.
Read More »Six Cutties in a Hot Tub
Are you fixing to head out west for an exciting trout fishing trip?
If yes, and you plan to do some wade fishing, pay close attention to water levels before you decide on where to start your days fishing. Recently, Louis and I visited the Grey’s River in Wyoming for the opportunity to enjoy catching beautiful Snake River cutthroats on dries. Water levels were very high on the Grey’s and the lower sections of the river were too high to wade safely or fish effectively. We found out very quickly if we were going to get into some good fishing we’d have to focus our efforts on the upper sections of the watershed. That meant targeting the water above most of the tributaries dumping into the Grey’s, and driving 25 miles further up the forest service access road.
Read More »Sunday Classic / Snow Day
Ice in my beard, fingers burning, I haven’t felt my feet for hours. I
know from experience that it will be sometime around midnight,
standing in my shower with the hot water running out, before I feel
them again. My fingers are killing me, so I tuck my rod under my arm
and work them into the fleece gator pulled up around my face. I’m a
firm believer in global warming, but it’s a hard sell today. I have
fished on some truly brutal days. Alaska in the fall, Maine at ice out
in the spring. I fished in Colorado one day when it was ten below and
I could watch the ice form around my boot freeze when I lifted it out of the
water, but this day on the Nantahala river in the mountains of North
Carolina may be the worst. You may scoff at this if you live
somewhere like Wyoming or Michigan but if you’ve been here and seen it
you know, when cold comes south, it comes holding a grudge. It’s about
fifteen degrees at the truck. It feels colder on the water. The wind
is howling and the snow has tapered off to flurries but what cuts right
through the seven or eight layers I’m wearing is the humidity. It’s so
humid that icicles form, right out of the air, on every surface that
doesn’t have a constant source of heat. They hang grimly off of rods,
and tree limbs, forceps and drying patches.
I like days like this. I know that sounds crazy but any of the guys I
fish with will tell you, the more miserable it is, the more I want to
get at it. One reason is nobody else wants too. On a day like today
you can have the most popular water to yourself. By being outside
when no sane person will go, you experience things that those warm
sane people don’t. Another reason is that I find these cold days of
slow fishing can be punctuated by big fish. It’s that idea that gets me out of
bed in the middle of the night to creep up snowy mountain roads to the
top of Standing Indian, the third highest mountain in North Carolina.
Today, I’ve talked my buddy Kent Klewein into coming along. Kent and
I share a lust for big fish. I know it’s supposed to be about the
experience and all, and some days it is, but not today. You have to
work for big fish. For big wild fish in small streams, you work hard.
All of the really big trout I’ve caught I’ve had to stalk. It may take
me a year to catch a specific fish, once I’ve found him. One twenty-
seven inch rainbow I landed in a stream twenty feet wide and overgrown
with mountain laurel took over a year. I hooked the big hen three
times in that year before I landed her. With a fish like that you have
to do everything right and still be lucky. That’s the mission Kent’s on
today. He’s been stalking a big male bow in this stretch
Saturday Shoutout / SCOF and Pulp Fly
TWO COOL, NEW BLIPS ON THE FLY FISHING HORIZON THIS WEEK.
Southern Culture on the Fly is back with their unique brand of wit and wisdom, cool art and anglers. The boys at SCOF never disappoint. Best of all, it’s still free!
SCOF SUMMER 2013
Pulp Fly is back with Pulp Fly Volume Two. Pulp fiction for the fly angler from the best creative minds in the business. All the fun the law allows for $6.95
PULP FLY VOLUME TWO
There’s your summer reading list. Grab a beer and get busy!
Read More »Cahill’s Glass Shrimp
A few years back, on a trip to Andros South in the Bahamas, I had a day when I was just tagging along with some friends shooting photos. Not having a rod in my hand and fishing being a little slow I found myself reverting to my childhood, chasing little crabs and shrimp around in the shallow water of the flats. I caught a little glass shrimp and was amazed at what a delicate little creature it was.
The body of the glass shrimp is transparent, as the name implies. You can see his little organs working inside. He looks tender and tasty. What really struck me about it was, I had nothing in my box that looked like it. In fact, I’d never seen a fly that looked like it. When I got home I started working on a reasonable representation. This fly was the result.
It has worked extremely well for me, on Bahamas bonefish, ever since. The Glass Shrimp is especially effective on days when bonefish are spooky. If fish are spooking at my presentation or following the fly but not eating, this pattern usually turns things around. That’s not to say that fish don’t eat this fly every day. They do.
I’m convinced that these littles shrimp are tender and tasty and that’s why bonefish love them. They seem to frequent really skinny water and that makes this fly perfect for tailing fish in the shallows. I tie it with very little weight for that reason as well as to give a softer presentation.
Give this fly a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Watch the video and learn to tie The Glass Shrimp.
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / 3 C’s of Trout Fishing
Here’s the Million Dollar Trout Fishing Question…. Are you putting enough emphasis on the 3 C’s in your trout fishing? The availability of Current, Cover and Cuisine most often dictate where trout decide to set up shop. Being able to consistently pick them out will ultimately determine how much success you have on the water. Furthermore, if you can find a spot that has all three C’s, you’re probably staring at a honey hole that holds the trophy of your dreams. Back when I was a rookie fly fisher and lacked knowledge, I can recall early on how I’d start out my day selecting a section of water, and go about mindlessly fishing its entirety from point A to point B. I had no understanding of the needs and survival instincts of trout and how it influenced their whereabouts. All the water looked good to my untrained eyes, and I’d spend equal time fishing the entire stretch of water, regardless of the depth, where the current and food were located, or if the spot had any elements of cover. Back then, I was completely clueless that there was a reason 20% of the water held 80% of the fish, and in turn, I spent way too much time fishing in all the wrong places. It was amazing how long it took me to figure out why I wasn’t catching very many trout. Don’t make this common rookie mistake, you’re better than that. Instead spend your time eliminating unproductive water, and locating and fishing productive water that has all three C’s. Doing so, you’ll find your catch numbers and the size of your catches increase dramatically. Below are basic descriptions of current, cover, and cuisine, and why all three are equally important to trout. Current Trout have a love hate relationship with … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday’s Shoutout / FinPusher & Trout Twinkies, Tim Romano Early Summer Slide Show
Today’s Saturday shoutout we bring you a cool read from Collin Carlson at Finpusher.com that talks about the fishing highs we all get fly fishing when we’ve got multiple species of bugs flying in the air and trout eating our dries like candy. The second is a photography slide show by Tim Romano from Fly Talk that showcases some of his latest shots on the water. Thanks for tuning into Gink & Gasoline and may all of you have a great weekend.
Read More »Tarpon on the Fly: 10 Rookie Mistakes
I’ll never forget heading down to the Florida Keys for my first fishing trip for tarpon on the fly.
Cruise control set and adrenaline pumping through my veins, that fifteen hour drive south only felt like it took four hours. My rookie confidence was overflowing, leaving me zero doubt that I had the necessary fishing skills to step up to the challenge of landing a tarpon on the fly. After my first trip was completed and I played it all back in my head, I realized I could have been a whole lot more prepared. My guide Capt. Joel Dickey did his job. He put me on plenty of fish, I hooked up with a couple nice tarpon, but I never landed one because I made too many rookie mistakes on the bow. Below are 10 common mistakes I wished I would have taken the time to read over before I made my first tarpon outing.
Read More »The Sugar Foot
I SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE WATCHING BONEFISH CHASE FLIES.
If you do it long enough you’re bound to learn something. In the average presentation you want to lead and cross a fish. Therefore, when the bonefish first sees your fly, he sees its profile. If he likes what he sees, he generally follows the fly for a while before he decides whether or not to eat it.
I wanted to create a fly that gave the bonefish an incentive to eat. I wanted a fly the would change its appearance as the fish pulled in behind it to follow. I wanted to give the fish a visual trigger to eat. The result of that effort (and a fair amount of rum) was the Sugar Foot.
This fly has a light flashy shrimp profile and great action. The body of the fly conceals a bright orange egg sack that becomes visible as the fish comes around from behind. Does it work? So well that I call it by the same name I call my wife.
Watch the video and learn to tie the Sugar Foot.
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