Sunday Classic / A Closer Look, The Silver King
Tarpon are the stuff of dreams. To look at one, it’s hard to believe that they’re not made of metal. It’s even harder to believe when you try to put a hook in one!
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Alaska on My Mind
IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME. ALASKA IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
Here are three great articles on why you want to catch Alaska rainbows, what you want fish for them and how you could win a free trip.
Sunday’s Classic / Covering a Hatch From Top to Bottom
Have you ever been standing in the river watching a big hatch unfold with rising fish all around you but no matter how hard you try you can’t get the feeding fish to eat? Covering and hatch from top to bottom starts with you first having the correct fly patterns on hand. When you know you’re going to encounter a specific hatch on the water, always carry multiple variations (colors, sizes) and stages (nymph, emerger, dun, spinner) to make sure your bases are covered. Trout can get really picky during selective feeding and if you don’t have a deep enough bench of fly patterns you very well could miss out on all the action.
Read More »Saturday’s Shoutout / 2 Alternative Species During Runoff, TFM’s Soft-Hackle Bee
This week’s Saturday Shoutout we talk about two alternative species to chase during spring runoff in and around Jackson, WY and TFM’s step by step tie recipe for a realistic soft-hackle bee that’s actually quick and easy to tie.
Read More »Seven Places the Locals Eat and Drink in the Lower Keys
IT’S TARPON SEASON, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSE AT ALL, YOU’RE HEADED TO THE FLORIDA KEYS FOR SOME LINE BURNS. SINCE YOU CAN’T FISH TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY, YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE A DRINK AND SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT. HERE ARE A FEW OF THE PLACES THE LOCALS, AND THE SAVVY VISITORS ENJOY.
BIG PINE RESTAURANT
Comfortable and unassuming, the Big Pine offers great food at a reasonable price. It’s a favorite breakfast spot for the local guides but it’s great for dinner too and you won’t feel out of place in your fishing clothes. They’ll even pack you a sandwich to take on the boat. 29943 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key, FL (305) 872-2790
THE WHARF BAR AND GRILL
A casual spot where fun is pretty much mandatory, The Wharf serves a great assortment of fresh local seafood and decadent desserts. There’s a full bar sporting daily drink specials and notoriously tasty margaritas. Sit outside under the palms when the weather is nice. 25163 Overseas Hwy, Summerland Key, FL (305) 745-3322 www.wharfbarandgrill.com
THE SQUARE GROUPER BAR AND GRILL
A classy place, in spite of being named after the floating bails of pot that frequent the Florida cost, the Grouper is as close to a white linen table cloth as you’ll find in this part of the Keys. Chef Lynn Bell may serve the best seafood on the keys but there’s plenty of red meat and fowl options, including roast duck as well as some very good vegetarian dishes. Everything at the Grouper is outstanding down to the fabulous desserts and craft cocktails. 22658 Overseas Hwy, Cudjoe Key, FL (305) 745-8880 www.squaregrouperbarandgrill.com
Sunday Classic / The Original Eyewear For The Flats
Bonefish are just cool. They never cease to amaze me. Like all fish, they are perfectly adapted to their environment and in their environment you need a competitive edge. Right in the middle of the food chain, the bonefish has to get in, get fed, and get out in a hurry, before he becomes somebody else’s lunch. To do that, he needs keen eyesight, a hard nose, a turbo charged tail stroke and some high-tech eye wear. I handled hundreds of bones before I ever noticed the eye glass, and a few more before I captured a good photo of it. It’s so clear and flawless that the light and the angle you look at the fish need to be just right to see it. It is a slick outer lens that covers a good portion of the bonefishes face and encapsulates it’s eye. If you study it’s profile you will see that it turns the bonefish’s already sleek profile into a perfectly hydrodynamic projectile. The equivalent of cycle racers shaving their legs.
No doubt, this aids in the bone’s remarkable speed, but that’s just part of the story. The eyeglass serves a much larger purpose. The bonefish has
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / The Films of Camp 4
On our recent adventure for BF Goodrich’s Playground Earth we had the good fortune to work with the incredibly talented folks from Camp 4 Collective, a group of athlete/cinematographers based in Salt Lake City UT. I know from the emails and comments that we have received that many of you are as eager to see the footage as we are. Well, almost as eager.
While we all wait for the editing to be done, I thought I’d share some of Camp 4’s amazing work. While none of it is fly fishing, you can’t help but be moved by the beauty an drama of these incredible films. I can’t wait to see what they have done with our, considerably more humble, adventure.
Read More »Fly Patterns 2013 – G&G Top Picks
I told everyone a while back that I would be writing a post showcasing Gink & Gasoline’s top fly pattern picks for 2013. The flies below caught our eyes and we wanted to share them with the community. We hope everyone finds this post helpful and gets excited about adding some of these great patterns to your fly boxes for the 2013 fly fishing season. Match the number by each fly in the header photo with the quick links below for more information about the fly patterns, creators and fly manufacturers.
Read More »Redington SubZero Waders Review
I’m really excited to talk with everyone about the new Redington SubZero Waders that I had the opportunity to field test a great deal this winter. The name “SubZero” pretty much says it all. These hybrid technology waders, are the first of their kind that I know of, constructed from both breathable nylon and neoprene. The waders are designed for one thing, to provide anglers extra protection in key areas to ward off cold weather and increase fly fishing longevity on the water. I can tell everyone, with 100% certainty, that the waders proved worthy of their name. I noticed a significant warmth advantage when I tested them side by side with other nylon and gore-tex breathable waders on the market. If you’re looking for a pair of waders that will make your winter fishing more pleasurable, look no further.
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / Two Reasons for Greasing Your Leader
Many anglers out there shy away from fishing tiny dry flies because they find it difficult to see them and keep them floating during their drifts. Greasing the length of your leader with fly floatant can help your tiny dries float longer and make them easier to see on the water. A good scenario for this would be if you’re fishing a CDC pattern where you don’t apply floatant directly to the fly pattern. By greasing your leader you’ll increase the floatation of your pattern and it will stay afloat longer in more turbulent water. If you find the standard dry fly dropper rig is failing to get the attention of feeding fish during a hatch, try instead tying on a single emerger or nymph….
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