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 YOUR FISHING, AND HOW TO CAST TIGHT LOOPS.
It’s very true these are all areas in your fly fishing game you should always have covered, 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 are 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 suck at fly casting, usually figure out really quick how important angler positioning is 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. 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 going to out fish you nine times out of ten, because he’s figured out, presentation trumps distance casting.
Forgive me if I came across a little tart there. Sometimes it’s helpful for driving the point home with my target audience. The fact is, I consistently find fly fishermen of all skill levels struggling with angler positioning. Most have problems determining where they should position themselves when they first approach a stretch of water. The problem lies with them not first thinking about where they need to be standing, so they can make their best cast and presentation. Instead, they’re thinking, “I”m not going to waist my time wading upstream, if I can reach that spot with my fly where I”m standing right here”. This usually doesn’t pan out very well for them. Two scenarios usually play out with this fishing approach. The first scenario has the angler landing the fly short, right on top of the pod of fish, very often resulting in alerting or spooking the fish. The second scenario, the angler does manage to get the fly where it needs to be, but because they’ve chosen to stand in the wrong spot, they have conflicting currents that compromises their drag free drift. In both cases, anglers that ignore the importance of angler position, remain fish-less.
BELOW ARE 3 TIPS FOR BETTER ANGLER POSITIONING.
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Have you ever felt like this when you got back to the truck after a long day of fishing?
Giving it my all on the water is a trait I strongly believe in for my fishing and guiding. I always try to make a point to explain to all my clients, that as long as they give it their all on the water, that’s all that really matters. There’s no reason for them to be disappointed about having a slow day on the water or get upset when a big fish fails to eat, so long as they took the time to approach their holes with stealth, made their best presentations, and fine-tuned their rig and pattern choice. After all, that’s why it’s called fishing not catching, right? We can only do so much as anglers, and even when we bring our best, there still will be times when we won’t be able to persuade certain fish to take our flies.
Keep this in mind next time you go out to wet a line. Don’t lose sight of the big picture, which is to always enjoy your time on the water. And don’t fish lazy, try to consistently give it your all when your out fishing. This way, whether you experience that epic day of fishing
Read More »Sunday Classic / Johnny’s Shark
A perfect cast right on the big shark’s nose gets nothing but a sniff and a refusal. In a low and stoic voice the guide says, “the fish ain’t gonna eat if he don’t smell blood”. Johnny Spilane gives him a hard look, takes his fly from the water and jams the hook into his hand, then squeezes the blood onto his fly. The shark follows the fly almost to the boat, then charges and cuts left. We all thought it ate the fly. Maybe it did, and didn’t stick. Our guide was glad because he didn’t want to spend all day landing it. There were plenty of bonefish to catch but some people just aren’t happy doing what everyone else wants to do. That’s Johnny, and that’s why he brought three silver medals back from the Vancouver Olympics. It’s also why he’s a great fisherman. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
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Splitting Cane I have Made Bamboo rods for nearly fifteen years and I have never heard the process described so beautifully. Erin Block deserves a great cane rod. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Bug Sampling Courtesy of Home Depot
Man, I love my $2 paint strainer from Home Depot. I’m a big believer in aquatic bug sampling on the water. It has saved the day for me guiding numerous times. Eighteen years ago, Angling Designs won a tackle dealer show award for its “Quick Seine Net“, specifically designed for instant bug sampling on the water. It’s an ingenious product, but I can’t use it because it won’t fit over my big guide net. Searching for a fix, I found myself standing in the paint section at Home Depot staring at a 5-gallon paint strainer thinking, “this should work and it’s only 2 bucks”. I’ve carried this inexpensive piece of gear on the water with me ever since, and I love it. Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »The Freak
When your looking for that little something extra to motivate that big Bonefish, you may be looking for The Freak. Bruce Chard shows you how to tie this crazy looking but very effective fly. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
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My Posts have been pretty wordy of late. You all deserve a break! Here’s a cool Steelhead photo. ‘Nuff said? Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Sunday’s Classic / Tandem Streamer Rigs Catch More Trout
Louis Cahill with a nice Roaring Fork Brown Trout fishing a Tandem Streamer Rig. There’s no doubt that Louis and I are both hardcore streamer junkies. We never leave home without our streamer boxes packed full. One thing we do a little different from some streamer fishermen on the water is fish a streamer dropper rig. Quite often we’ll tie on a nymph dropper off the back of our big gaudy streamer to increase hookups. Big fish are smart, especially during the busy season when their getting pressured, and they can sometimes get a little gun shy eating big streamers. If you’re on the water and you’re getting a bunch of chases or short strikes on your streamer, try tying on a dropper nymph. It will serve two purposes. First, it will be less intimiating to spooky trout. Secondly, it will often tempt a trout to eat that has turned off your streamer at the last second. Case in point, last year Louis and I were on the Madison River streamer fishing with very little luck. Instead of giving up on the streamer bite, Louis tied on a size 10 golden stonefly nymph dropper and began putting on a clinic. Every fish ate the golden stone like it was candy and he brought numerous twenty plus inch fish to the boat that day. Experiment with tandem streamer rigs on the water. You don’t have to just use a nymph dropper either. You can also try trailing a smaller streamer in the lead or dropper position. Fishing two streamers with contrasting colors is a popular choice of ours as well. Multiple flies are usually better than one, that’s our take on it at least. Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter! … Continue reading
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This weeks Saturday Shoutout provides you with three interesting reads for the weekend. We hope you enjoy, we sure did. Top 10 List for “Rudest” trout rivers for Fly Fishers in America by Kirk Deeter Kirk Deeter is a fly fishing guru and amazing writer, but what really sets him apart from the other talented writers out there, is his uncanny ability to look at everyday life and find a way to relate it to fly fishing. Case in point, he takes a recent poll done showcasing the “Top 10 rudest cities in America”, and flips it into a fly fishing version of his own. Hats off to you Kirk, you never fail to amaze me. The Fiberglass Manifesto Cameron Morteson’s blog, The Fiberglass Manifesto (TFM) has generated a huge following the last couple years. His success doesn’t surprise me though, if you’re fortunate to meet him, you’ll see he’s one of the most genuine and friendly trout bums out there. Here’s why I follow TFM myself, and encourage you all to follow him as well. First, TFM is a great blog for staying up to date on the latest fly fishing products and/companies coming on to the scene. Second, he finds talented professionals in the industry that the everyday angler may have not heard of, and take the time to introduce and showcase them. It’s a unselfish stand up thing to do to propel the industry. Lastly but not least, The Fiberglass Manifesto is obviously a great place for fiberglass rod lovers to learn more about fishing fiberglass rods and the ins and outs of their construction. Hammertime – “This is Fun, Right” by Bruce Smithhamer Bruce Smithhammer is the High Country Flies, fly shop outfitting manager, veteran fly fishing guide, fly fishing magazine contributor, and blogger for Buster … Continue reading
Read More »Looking Forward for Gink & Gasoline
We just had our 6-Month Anniversary at Gink & Gasoline, and Louis and I have been blown away by the huge amount of support and feedback we’ve received from our readers and professionals in the industry. It seems like it was just yesterday that I stumbled upon Louis for the first time, fishing one of my secret honey holes swinging a mouse pattern. I’ll never forget seeing that surprised look on his face, like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, fishing trout water that was already claimed. He just couldn’t help himself after overhearing from a friend a week prior, that I’d landed a legendary brown trout in that very spot, skating a big rodent pattern at dusk. That worried look on his face ended quickly, once he realized I was actually rooting for him to get a big smash and grab of his own. Since then, five years have gone by, and we’ve become best of friends. We’ve spent hundreds of days fly fishing the Southeast and traveling the country burning gasoline, emptying numerous bottles of Gink on our dry flies, and making new friends. We’ve taken our mutual love for fly fishing and found a common purpose. Our goal being, to spread the word of fly fishing and encourage more anglers to give it a try. We believe in core values that stress the importance of angler camaraderie and ethical fishing practices, of which, we feel are pertinent for sustaining our resources and growing our sport longterm. Although our journey has just begun, we’ve got a clear vision of where we’re headed, and we welcome all our fellow anglers to become a part of the Gink & Gasoline community. With your help we look forward to providing great content for many years to come. Cheers … Continue reading
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