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
Read More »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 »Sunday Classic / Should Have Brought The Bamboo!
Somethings in the air and it ain’t good. Brad Wayne rethinks his rod selection as storms roll through the Gros Ventre Valley. Graphite is a great conductor of electricity. Be careful out there. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Saturday Shoutout / Bennett & Gracie on Bonefishing
Here’s a great series of articles written by Michael Gracie for Deneki Outdoors. How Bonefishing Can Improve Your Day on the Stream from Deneki.com How Bonefishing Can Improve Your Day on the Stream from Deneki.com Part 2 How Bonefishing Can Improve Your Day on the Stream from Deneki.com Part 3 It’s tough to beat the team of Bennett and Gracie! Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »There’s One Born Every Minute
My good friend Will Sands of Taylor Creek Fly Shop is caught holding the biggest sucker I’ve ever seen. I caught this brute last fall on the Colorado River just below Glenwood Springs. If I remember correctly it meashured 26″ and fought like a log. Thanks, for a great day Will! Will is the creator of the STD (Sands’ Tungsten Deception) and awesome Baetis pattern. Here’s a great post on how to tie it. BTW, we did catch trout too. Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Sunday Classic, Klewein’s Triple Trico
Part 2 of our new weekend format is Sunday Classics. Great posts you may have missed. This Week it’s Klewein’s Triple Trico I tied this pattern up on the road when I was out fishing the Trico hatch on the South Platte River in Colorado with Louis. The idea came to mind when I saw clumps of a dozen or more Trico’s floating down the river together. Trophy size trout weren’t feeding on single bugs floating down the river. Instead they were skimming the surface, mouths wide open, gorging on as many adults as they could eat per rise. I haven’t seen any patterns like this yet in the industry, just double trico fly patterns. Give it a this year when you run into this predominate morning hatch. The denser the hatch the better it will work. If the hatch is mild your better off using a single or double pattern. Anyhow, I thought it was something different that all you trout bums out there would appreciate. Klewein’s Triple Trico Hook: TMC 101 Size: 16 Thread: Uni-Thread Black 8/0 Body: Black Thread & 20lb. monofilament for the T- section Wing & Tail: Antron Yarn Tying Tips: Tie on horizontally a piece of 2olb. monofiliament onto the hook. This will allow you to tie the triple trico. Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
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