Sunday Classic / The Flies of Our Fathers
I recently visited my home town in Virginia for a funeral. Although the occasion was a sad one it was the largest gathering of my family in some time and as you would expect there was a good deal of nostalgia and sharing of family stories. This got me thinking about my Grandfather. W.S. (Pete) Cahill, “Dad” to his Grandchildren, was the man who taught me to fly fish when I was eight years old. He was an icon in our family. In our community really. He was an inventor. Honest to God, that was his job. He held dozens of patents. He was a skilled machinist and, in spite of limited education, the most brilliant and creative person I have ever known. He passed away a long time ago but his home has remained in the family and my brother moved in there a few months back. I knew that he had found a box of Dad’s flies. I couldn’t resist photographing them and like most encounters with my Grandfather, I learned a few things. I’m not suggesting that Dad was a great tyer. Fishing was a hobby and he was a workaholic. He loved to fish but seldom got the chance. His flies were utilitarian but effective and some great examples of the common wisdom of his time. My guess is that most of these were tied in the 1950s or 1960s. There are some classic wet patterns like the Royal Coachman. There are classical streamers. Maybe most interesting are stone fly nymphs that foreshadow today’s more realistic aesthetic while holding on to the art deco influences of the 1940s with their long sweeping tails and streamline design. Some are so simple you might feel silly fishing them but I feel sure they will still produce. The materials … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / BRM Musky Please
The boys at Bent Rod Media are all hot and bothered about Musky these days. And they’re catchin’ em too! Musky? Yes Please! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Quotes out of context, overheard at BC West
I was fortunate to spend a week fishing the legendary Dean River in British Columbia recently. As with any group of fishermen, this crew of anglers at the BC West lodge was full of lively conversation. I couldn’t possibly recall for you every topic of discussion but I have made a list of my favorite quotes for the week. Taken, of course, completely out of context. #5. “There’s a scary amount of wood on the river this morning.” #4. “Get your ass in here and take off your waders.” #3. “Running 20 miles hurts, but it doesn’t hurt as bad as fucking Christine. ” #2. “Every time I piss in these waders it makes me happy.” #1. “I’m not a picky person but I don’t like to wake up with wet dog balls in my face.” It was a great week and a great bunch of guys and, yes, there was some drinking. If you are keeping a bucket list, put the Dean on it. It’s legendary for a reason. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / Landlocked Stripers on the Fly
So I wrote this post this past winter, but the truth is, the striped bass fishing is really good right now on many of our lakes and rivers. My buddy the other day landed a 25 pound striper on the fly. Much of our trout fishing is limited to the mornings and evening right now unless you’re fishing on a tailwater up high. If you’re looking for a break from the trout game, I recommend chasing stripers on the fly. Winter Striper Fishing – G&G Classic Post It’s that time of year again, for me to get excited about layering up and getting on one of my local reservoirs for some landlocked stripers on the fly. The fall and winter months are great times for both numbers and big fish if you’re willing to battle the cold. Dropping water temperatures get baitfish schooling up and very active, and you’ll find schools of hybrid bass and striped bass following their every move. It sounds easy right? Tell me that again when the alarm clock is ringing at 4:00am and it’s twenty degrees outside. For best results you’re going to want to get on the lake early, well before sunrise. You will find your best opportunity for breaking fish is the first three or four hours of the day. Once the sun gets high on the horizon the baitfish and the striped bass usually go deep. Even with full sinking lines you’ll find it hard to effectively present your fly in the strike zone when fish are deep. Long points close to deep water or flats and humps surrounded by deep water are hotspots for stripers and hybrid bass driving and abusing baitfish. Sometimes stripers will also use the backs of coves to trap baitfish so don’t overlook those as well. If … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday’s Shoutout / Lo Fi Fly in Cuba
This week’s Saturday shoutout goes to Lo Fi Fly, for an interesting piece that’s lie-free from a recent fly fishing trip to Cuba. Lo Fi Fly – Chuck T’s, the Woodsman, Cajones & The Tarmbada Here’s what I like about this post from Lo Fi Fly. They write brutally honest, and they’re not ashamed to admit the fish got the best of them on the flats. That’s saltwater fly fishing, which dishes out far more failures than rewards to fly anglers, and I respect these guys for telling it like it is. Lo Fi Fly understands what fly fishing is all about; the journey, experience, and challenge. Nice work guys, I enjoyed the humorous piece, and thanks for reminding me to pack my Gold Bond this week before I head to the Keys. Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »The Simms Pro Dry, BULLETPROOF
This thing is dry. I got my Simms Pro Dry jacket just in time for the winter steelhead season and this was a good year to put it to the test. It’s seen some truly brutal days now in New York, Oregon and British Columbia. It’s also gotten me through a few real frog chokers down in the south as well as some soggy boat rides in the Keys and the Bahamas. My first impression of this jacket was good but now that I’ve put it to the test, I think it’s fucking awesome! There are a lot of nice features to the Pro Dry, like the super tight wrist seals or the stretch panels at the elbows and shoulders but the most impressive thing about it is how it preformed its basic function. This thing is dry. I have never had a rain jacket that repelled water like this one. After seven months of hard use water still beads up on it like a freshly waxed car. There really is something to the real Gore-Tex and the stretch panels are just as water resistant. The collar is extra high and lined with comfortable micro fleece and the hood is nicely designed. When the hatches are all battened down, all that’s exposed are my glasses. I really like the pockets. Four on the outside and three on the inside. Simms has done a really good job of designing these pockets so they are useful and yet streamlined. They don’t catch line and when they are full of fly boxes and such they don’t restrict movement. There is a nicely designed pocket for an iPod and even a little stretchy loop to help keep up with your ear buds when they’re not in your ears. Personally I don’t listen to music … Continue reading
Read More »Stream Side Roadkill
I don’t know what I’m going to tie up with these salvaged black crow wing and tail feathers. It’s all that was salvagable with the majority of the bird covered in maggots and flies. I just felt obliged to swipe a few feathers in the efforts to create something positive and pay my respects to this unfortunate road kill speciman. I’ve scoured the internet looking for some fly patterns recipes that use wing and tail feathers from black crow, but I’ve come up empty handed. Can anybody help me out here or point me in the right direction? Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Sunday Classic / Now That’s A Bonefish Guide!
We were fishing along the edge of the mangroves at high tide when this big bone ate. As soon as the line came tight the fish ran hard into mangroves. Thinking fast our guide, Norman Rolle of Andros South, shouted “let him go! Loosen your drag!”. The bonefish zig-zagged thru the mangroves way into the backing. Norman hopped down off the platform and waded thur the mangroves, following the line to the fish and landing him. That’s a lesson I’ll never forget. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Deeter Takes It Back
I love it! Only Kirk Deeter would publicly take back a positive gear review. Find out what Kirk thought he liked and how it let him down. On the list are Sharkskin Fly Lines, Korkers Svelte Wading Soles, Cloudveil Waders, Moffitt Angling System, Polarized Sunglasses with Interchangeable Lenses Great job Man! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »A Closer Look, The Cutthroats of Summer
Nothing says summer like a Snake River Cutthroat. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
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