Romano On The Rocks
Tim Romano scampers across these boulders along the Colorado River like a kid playing hop scotch. It almost killed me keeping up with him. Tim told me a story about a moose that chased him down that canyon. Glad it wasn’t there that day. I’d have died. Tim is an ubertalented phtotgrapher and blogs for Field and Stream and Angling Trade. Check him out. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Sunday Classic / Your GPS Might Be Trying To Kill You
I’ve said a hundred times that my iPhone will be the death of me. I always thought it would end with me texting while driving ninety five miles an hour. But apparently Hal has something more sinister up his sleeve. NPR reports that more and more people who have become over reliant on their GPS systems are getting lost in dangerous remote places. At least one person has died in California’s Death Valley after being stuck on an abandoned mining road for five days. A check with the mapping company revealed over one hundred fifty nonexistent roads on the GPS software. This has happened to me, thankfully not in Death Valley. It’s easy to get dependent on our gadgets and with more folks on the water than ever we’re all going further out of our way to fish. It’s fun to explore and find a new spot. It sucks to die of exposure. So take along a good map if you’re blazing new trails or just leave a trail of beer cans. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Three Worth A Read
Here are 3 articles worth your time. Chards Choker Permit Fly! Friend of the Gink Bruce Chard is now Blogging for Fly Fisherman Magazine. If you’re looking to improve your game in the salt, he is a must read. Rogue Angles / Don’t Go Where People Don’t Want You! The Angles are doing a great job on all things related to the Pebble Mine disaster. Thanks Ladies! Anglers Tonic / Skate ‘Dat Fly! Sage wisdom from steelhead ninja Greg Thomas. HiiiiiiiiYa!
Read More »Ink For The Gink
Superguide, Andrew Grillos is half way to his slam in this photo. Andrew has some truly awesome tats. I’m especially fond of the rainbow. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Nymph Patterns for Dingy Water
I’ve been on the water many days trout fishing when I’ve had blue bird skies overhead and gin clear water. Then moments later without any warning, an isolated thunderstorm rolls in and dumps a ton of rain, turning that crystal clear water cloudy. When you find yourself trout fishing in dingy or stained water conditions (not referring to blown out conditions) try using nymphs with fluorescent hot beads or patterns with hot spots to increase your number of hookups. They create bright focal points that allow trout to spot them easier when water clarity is subpar. When I’m dealt this hand of cards on the river I’ll tie on a large profile lead fly like a woolly bugger or rubberleg stonefly imitation followed up with one of these flies below as a dropper in my tandem nymph rig. 1. Dave Hise’s Hetero-Genius Nymph 2. Hot Bead Soft-Hackle 3. Hot Head Pheasant Tail 4. Hot Head Buzzer Midge Attractor 5. Hot Butt Hexagenia Nymph Another situation when these patterns really shine is fishing them during the colder months of the year. When water temperatures drop into the 30s and 40s, trout can often become lethargic due to their low metabolism rate. Fishing flies that have hot focal points can snap the trout out of their trance and create reaction bites. Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Sunday Classic / Tips For Spooky Trout
When the Going Gets Spooky : Photos Louis Cahill Do you ever find yourself sight fishing to trout in big flats on the river? It’s as clear as water can get, and as flat and calm as can be. There are plenty of visible trout but they’re super spooky. What can you do to increase your odds at catching trout in these situations? Try these six tips that should stack the odds in your favor. 1. Use a long and fine leader. Your standard 9′ leader isn’t going to do the job in most instances. You are better off going with a 12′ leader, or even longer in some cases, that will allow you to lay out your fly with a super soft presentation. The longer leader will also help keep your fly line out of view from the ultra observant trout. Selecting a specialty dry fly leader that’s supple, and not stiff will aslo help you get a better drag free drift when dealing with intricate water currents. On a side note, you should do away with your fluorescent orange fly line, instead spool up your reel with a more natural and subtle fly line color like olive or grey. 2. Downsize your Tippet When you are dealing with crystal clear water conditions and spooky trout, you should not hesitate to downsize your tippet. I personally wouldn’t start out using anything lighter than 6x tippet on flat, clear water. If you get refusals from the trout, or if you’re using super small fly patterns sizes 22 or smaller, you had also better be prepared to breakout those tippet spools of 7x and 8x. It’s very important to match the tippet size with the size of the fly in order to get a more natural drift with your fly. 3. … Continue reading
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Finpusher
Here’s a great article of faith by Finpusher A Few I Try To Live By
Read More »If The Real Thing Don’t Do The Trick…BARRACUDA!
This toothy monster has saved a lot of slow days on the flats. A lot of anglers will ignore the barracuda and if the game is on with your target species, then, OK. But when things are slow this guy can offer a whole lot of action. Cuda are vicious and will trounce a fly that is properly presented. The take is explosive and if you never seen it you will not believe the speed this fish can turn on. Once hooked the fight is awesome with plenty of arial displays. I always have a cuda rod on the boat ready to go. They’re not the most challenging fish but they’re a whole lot of fun and that doesn’t suck. Just be careful getting that hero shot. Cuda fight to the bitter end. Here’s a video of my friend Bruce Chard telling you all you need to know to feed one. Video by Louis Cahill Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Risk It All For The Reward
Sometimes we’re called upon to risk our safety and health to increase our chances of landing those trophies on the water. Whether your situation calls for jumping off a boulder into waist deep rapids or crossing a swift section of treacherous river to chase after that big fish, the decisions we make in those adrenaline packed moments ends up defining us as anglers. How far are you willing to go to land a big fish? When I hook a big fish, I instantly look at it like a chess match between angler and fish. I’ll run my ass off hopping boulders, or do a Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild) slide down a steep bank to win the battle. It’s truly what I love about fishing, and it’s the closest thing I have in common with outdoor thrill seekers, like skydivers and rock climbers. I know one thing, when you hook a big fish and you shy away from the risky actions needed to land it, you’re choosing to miss out on what I thinks the most rewarding part of fly fishing; the battle. I wish there was a way for us all to go back and capture our epic battles on video from the past. We could have some of the best entertainment at our fingertips and have a blast giving props to each others wins on the water. Can you imagine how great it would be for the fly fishing industry to use this footage to promote and bring in new anglers? That would be sweet, wouldn’t it? I”m going to make a point to carry my waterproof goPro camera more this year. In the mean time, I’ll have to figure out how I can convince Louis to jump off boulders after big fish. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done … Continue reading
Read More »Junk In The Trunk
When fall arrives and my feet hit the floor in the morning and I’m reminded that my hundred year old house has no insulation or even subfloor it’s not long before I go looking for the junk box. As the weather gets nasty, especially in the south east, this little box of horrors works wonders. Eggs and worms may not be flies you’re proud to fish but the fish are not ashamed to eat them. So along with your fleece and wool carry a little chenille and yarn. Your never as cold when your catching fish. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
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