Sunday Classic / A Closer Look The Brown Trout
Another look at the object of all my affections. This time it’s the gill plate of a North Carolina Brown Trout. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Spey Gals Rule!
The Rogue Angels are at it again. Check out Kate Taylor’s in depth interview with the women competing in this years Spey-O-Rama. The Women Of SOR featuring Anita Strand, Donna O’Sullivan, Marcy Stone, Mia Sheppard, Rogue Angel Anita, Rogue Angel Donna, Rogue Angel Marcy, Rogue Angel Mia, Rogue Angel Whit, Rogue Angels, spey casting, Spey-o-Rama and Whitney Gould Lively, thoughtful and always passionate, I love this blog. Good work Kate! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Airflo Clear Tropical Lines. Exactly how much is stealth worth?
On a recent tarpon trip I had the chance to fish one of Airflo’s Clear Floating Tropical Ridge lines. I was prepared to either love it or hate it and to be honest I got a little bit of both. I fished it for two days and here’s what I learned. The positives. Stealth: I’ve always been skeptical of clear lines. It’s long been my belief that what fish see is the shadow of the line or the disturbance it creates on the surface and that a bad cast will spook fish no matter what line your using. I was surprised to find I was wrong. The first day fishing the clear line was bright and very calm. Landing an eleven weight line softly on a day like that is crucial. I’ll be honest, I made a few bad casts. Casts that should have spooked fish but didn’t. In this area the Airflow really delivered. It’s a great stealth line. Castability: All in all the line casts very well. It loaded my Thomas and Thomas eleven weight Helix very nicely. It turned over easily and was easy to land softly. It shot well, as promised, handled the wind nicely and, after some work (more on this later) had very little memory and laid out nicely on the deck. No complaints casting this line. Low Stretch: One of the things I generally don’t like about clear lines is they all seem stretchy to me. A stretchy line is the kiss of death when tarpon fishing. A tarpon’s mouth is so tough you really need some authority to get a good hook set. I expected this line to be a problem, but it wasn’t. The hookups I missed were on me, not the line. The Negatives. Sort of Floating: This is supposed … Continue reading
Read More »The River – A Short Fly Fishing Essay by Anthony Greer
Today’s post we honor a simple request from a Father to shed light on the one year anniversary of losing his son, and favorite fishing partner. Anthony Greer’s life ended far too early from a firearms accident, and we pay respect to this young articulate man and former guide, who was well on his way to becoming a fly fishing legend. Anthony spent many days guiding clients to trophy trout on the flaming gorge section of the Green River. His home water was the Provo River in Northern Utah. Anthony, we hope you’re spending your time in heaven casting dry flies to big beautiful trout on the prettiest water you’ve ever laid your eyes on. Below is a powerful and moving short essay Anthony Greer wrote. Please take the time to read and pay your respects to one of our fallen fly fishing comrades. The River Where does one venture when the responsibilities of life weigh heavy upon the mind? The answer, of course, is very simple. We go to where no others bother to look. The places we visit, time after time after time. The River. She’s always there. Always willing to share her bounty to the dedicated. The few. The ones who got the bug early and have never ceased to stop the quest for knowledge. The River, although a temptress at time, never ceases to amaze, and even if she takes your breath away, we always find ourselves coming back fro more. This, my friends, is not passion, hobby or sport. It cannot as easily be summed in those words. In a few enlightened anglers’ minds lies an addiction so deep, I dare say, that even after a lifetime of angling they would begin to feel satisfied. Or maybe these are just the rants of one lone … Continue reading
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / Are there Really Any Trash Fish?
I don’t know about you but if a fish will eat a fly I generally have no problem fly fishing for it. And I don’t consider there to be any trash fish, because they all provide enjoyment and opportunity for anglers to learn. Some people out there I’m sure would argue if it’s not completely wild, they don’t want any part. That’s cool with me and I understand where they’re coming from, I just don’t think and feel that way in my fly fishing. Heck, I remember when I was in middle school I actually got a real kick out of catching big channel catfish in my best friends farm pond with woolly buggers. Back then, it was all about getting my rod bent and watching that fly line being pulled off the reel. There was nothing pretty or serene about landing those catfish. Trash fish or not, I didn’t care because I was in it for the fight, and a 6-12 pound catfish puts up a good fight on a 5 weight fly rod. Furthermore, it was still more sporting than me breaking out my spinning rod, bobber and can of chicken livers like most kids my age. Take the golden rainbow trout, a.k.a. “Palomino Trout”, that you can find in North Carolina for instance. Many fly anglers would jump on the bandwagon to call it a trash fish. It looks like a Koi Asian Goldfish at first glance, but it’s actually a real rainbow trout created through selective breeding. It originated from a single rainbow trout that was spawned in the fall of 1954 in West Virginia. Apparently a female rainbow trout was caught that carried a rare genetic mutation giving her a pale golden color. It was then spawned with a normal colored male rainbow trout and … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday’s Shoutout / Collin Carlson – Finpusher
This saturday’s shoutout goes to Collin Carlson from Finpusher.com. Why you ask? Because he’s the type of guy we need more of in the industry. He’s an extremely talented fly fisherman, fly tyer, and photographer, that could care less about all the hype of being a big name in the sport. He keeps it reel and stays busy teaching our young wipper snappers it’s cool to love and get involved in the outdoors. And if that’s not enough, he’s extremely open when it comes to sharing his fly fishing secrets. For that, we cheers Collin and vow to try a little harder at being better role models for the sport. We got word Collin’s abroad right now exploring and fly fishing Costa Rica. We wish him good weather and fishing, and look forward to reading about his fish tales. Tying The Muskytoe Streamer – Step by Step Tying Tutorial Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »The Belgian Cast
Learn the Belgian cast and rule the wind.
You know that feeling you get when you watch a school of bonefish swim away while you squirm and wrench your arm out of socket trying to get your fly out of your back? Yeah, me too. Casting with a strong wind off your casting shoulder is the toughest shot in fly fishing. Well, our buddy Bruce Chard is back to show you how to take that shot like a hero. It’s called the Belgian cast and it can save your day so watch and learn.
WATCH THE VIDEO!
Read More »Sunday Classic / Secrets of Alaska’s Best Guides
What does it take to be a bad ass Alaska fly fishing guide? Let’s dig around in Whitney Gould’s pocket and find out! Looks like some twenty pound mono, misc tying materials, candy wrappers, a Thing-a-mabobber, a cool heart shaped rock, an empty Pepto pack and a week old Twix. Whitney has the right stuff. In addition to guiding for trout and salmon at Alaska West she is a champion spey caster and the only person I have ever seen kill a salmon with a single boot to the head. She’s a bad ass. She will be hosting Lady’s Week at Andros South this year. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Midcurrent and Monk by Deeter
Fly Fishing Jazz: The Monk Goes Fly Fishing Leave it to Kirk Deeter to take Thelonius Monk fly fishing. Some brilliant thoughts on jazz and fly fishing from one of the best minds in the biz. Kirk is one hep cat! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »G&G Caption Contest Winner
The past weeks Photo Caption Contest was a huge success. Louis and I were blown away by the large amount of participation from our readers, and we thank you all for providing us many good laughs. With well over 50 entries, I found it difficult to pick a winner, so to be fair, I dropped these seven hilarious entries into a bucket and drew a winner. Top 7 Entries that Stood Out Among the Rest 1. Winner: Fish camp, Day 4: Having left his toothbrush on the float plane, Ed wakes to the haunting realization that the repercussions of this mistake are only starting to emerge… 2. After a long winter of PBR and venison Sausage….the “Stash hatch begins”! 3. Victims of the almighty Sarlacc, his excellency hopes you will die honorably. But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hut shall now listen to your pleas. 4. That’s the last time I let Louis cook breakfast. 5. She didn’t know if it was the stale whiskey on the breath or the warmth of the untended beard that cast all of her inhibitions aside the night before, but in that sober, waking moment, Suzy realized she’d given away trout secrets that had been passed down from generation to generation. And she would now rather chew her own ass off than wake this wild beast up. 6. I wonder if he will notice the 60 babies I just dropped in his chute? 7. Twice a day I have to crawl out of this hole to clean the crumbs out of this guys beard. A thankless job. Congratulations to Brad Wallace for winning the caption contest. Please email us your full name and mailing address and we’ll gladly ship your: Scientific Anglers 5wt Trout WF Fly … Continue reading
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