Saturday Shoutout / Fly Tying Hook Up
Hatches Magazine Hatches fly tying magazine is only sent out annually, but what’s really cool is there regular newsletter I receive packed with tons of fly tying content. Even better is it’s large archive of fly patterns that show you step by step instructions on how to tie them up. Big tiers in the industry submit fly patterns to them and you’ll find lots of unique fly patterns for all species. Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Are Gold Beads Out or Is it just all in our heads?
When I first started guiding for trout it seemed like every nymph in the fly bin had a gold bead on it. Everyone caught fish on them and you didn’t hear of anyone back then shying away from using them. So why do I find myself so reluctant to use them on the water these days? For some reason they don’t seem to work as good for me anymore. Maybe the trout have caught on from everybody using them, or it’s worked its way into their DNA as being a negative trait. More than likely it’s just the fact that there’s so many different colored bead options available to fly fishermen nowadays. Whatever it is, I’ve got a serious confidence issue with gold beads that keep them staying high and dry in my fly box. What’s your take on gold beads? Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »Attractor Midge Larva for Cold Water and Picky Trout
WHEN WATER TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO DROP IN THE FALL AND THE MAJORITY OF OUR BIG HATCHES START TO TAPER OFF, MIDGE PATTERNS BECOME A BIG PLAYER FOR ME.
November through January, when I’m sight fishing and I can’t get trout to eat, I’ll often opt for tying on an attractor midge larva. Quite often, the fish eat them like candy and my clients think I’m a hero. I can hear the words now, “I had no idea you could catch big trout on flies that small”. Make sure you downsize your tippet to 6X or smaller for a more natural drift, and play your big fish easy, otherwise you’ll risk pulling those tiny hooks out of the mouths of big trout. Experiment with bright color combinations with and without beads. One of my favorite attractor midge larva is simply a fluorescent orange thread body, wrapped with fine gold wire, finished off with a black thread head. You can coat them with Sally Hansen’s Clear Nail polish for more shine, but it’s not required to catch fish. These fly patterns are
Read More »Sunday Classic / Lionfish – Hell on the Ecosystem
Lionfish may be the mother of all invasive species. Take a moment to think about this: a lionfish (native to the Indo-Pacific) has no natural predators in the Atlantic ocean. It can live up to fifteen years, reaching sexual maturity in less than a year. Once mature, a pair can spawn as often as every four days. A single mature female can produce up to two million eggs per year and they will tolerate a population density of two hundred adults per acre. Just the math involved scares me, but you don’t even have to get out the calculator to see where this is going. Introduced in several locations in Florida as a result of aquarium damage during hurricane Andrew, lionfish have been making their way around the Caribbean and east coast of the US for the past twelve years, but in the last three years the population has exploded. They are now found as far north as North Carolina and south into South America. They are rampant in the Bahamas as well as the Florida Keys and are now common in the Florida panhandle. Why am I so worried about this beautiful tropical fish? Here are a few more fun lionfish facts.
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / SCOF November Issue
This week we recommend you check out Southern Culture on the Fly – November 2011 Issue We’re friends with Dave & Steve at Southern Culture on the Fly, but that’s not why we’re recommending you check out their online fly fishing magazine. There ezine is top notch, very entertaining and packed with the latest southeast fly fishing news, fishing chatter, and video. And their witty humor throughout will have you busting a gut laughing. Well done gentlemen at SCOF. Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »A Closer Look
In honor of fall here’s a closer look at male Southern Appalachian Brook Trout in spawning colors. This little guy is clearly a mature adult at four inches long. Perfect. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Read More »The Grandbaby
Up in the North Georgia hills up past Suches, up about Hells Holler and Devils Den they tell a story. They say that when the leaves turn the color of blood and the moon hangs like a old orange pumpkin in the sky and a cold wind blows down out of Big Frog, an age old ritual comes to pass. The elders take the youngest of the clan and dress them in their finest denim and trucker hats and lead them down out of the hills. Down to where the water runs cold and deep. Down in the shade of the ironwood tree. Down by the big rock at the bend in the river with worms and crickets and then there’s blood. Lots of blood. That’s when it does its worst. The Grandbaby. Happy Halloween From G&G! Seriously guys, teach your kids that it’s more fun to release a fish than to kill it. And if you want to read something really scary, check out Kent’s story on the death of the Toccoa River in Southern Culture on the Fly. The new issue launches tomorrow! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Sunday Classic / Big Fish Require Slow Hook Sets On Top
If any of you have fished for cutthroat trout with dry flies you know most of the time you need to wait a good while on the hook set. The first time I fished for cutthroats I missed many more takes than I care to share. Cutthroat trout are known for their slow motion rises, and if you set the hook too quick, you’ll end up just pulling the fly out of the trout’s mouth. Just like cutthroat’s, big rainbow and brown trout also require you to count, 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississip…in your head before you set the hook to ensure consistent hook ups. If you can still see the fish eating your fly you need to wait longer. A big trout comes up, opens it bucket mouth, and usually doesn’t close it fully until it’s submerged completely below the surface. And if a fish is chasing after and eating your dry fly moving downstream, you have to wait even longer. Keep in mind also that the bigger your dry fly, the longer you need to wait on your hook set as well. If your fishing a big size 4 extended body foam hopper, you’ll want to make sure the trout gets all of the fly in it’s mouth. Quick hook sets will often result in the fish just getting the tail end of the fly in its mouth or you’ll get what I call a hair lip hook up, that quickly results in a spit fly. Every angler no matter what their skill level, will end up setting the hook too quickly occasionally. Especially when trout catch you off guard when your scratching that nagging itch or looking at another trout rising. Just remember to give the big boys plenty of time to munch on your fly before … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Bring It On Home
This week, two very different perspectives, on two very different homes and some exceptional writing. “In the Impressionist Wing”, from Mysteries Internal. Erin Block, a wonderful writer, on becoming a mountain woman. “Lights Go Out On A Fly Fish Frat House” Lo Fi Fly, on the end of all good things. Makes me sad I missed it! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Why Can’t There Be Heated Fly Rods
I’ve got a special request for Santa Claus this year. Bring me my very own, one of a kind, heated fly fishing rod, damn it! I’m fed up with having to de-ice my guides every other cast during the winter. And how nice would it be to have a heated handle to hold onto all day, to help keep the dexterity in your fingers. Come on, I know I’m not the only person out there that would love to see this become reality. My good friend Murphy a.k.a. Charlie Murphy, brought this ridiculous but legitimate request to my attention. This guy is so hardcore, he’ll throw rocks into a river frozen over, to break holes so he can cast a fly into them. After talking on the phone about the idea, we both agreed we had to find out the scoop to see if a heated fly rod existed. Murphy volunteered to do some research and here’s what he found. In 1995, someone actually invented and patented, a heated fishing rod. It’s not a fly rod but damn close, and I’m sure it could be tweaked so a one piece fly rod design would work.. Click the Photos for a larger view, or you can click the link to visit a full size .pdf document of the U.S. Patent. Heated Fishing Rod – US Patent Maybe we’ll get lucky and one of the fly rod companies out there will read this post and get inspired. I know one thing, if a rod company did manage to bring the heating element to the table, I bet just about every fly fisherman would purchase one. I know I would, hell I’d purchase four at least. That way I’d finally be able to convince my clients to come fishing with me … Continue reading
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