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. Downsize the weight … Continue reading
Read More »Epic Run Off Continues
My last few posts have not dealt much with fishing. Here’s the reason. If you are planning a trip to the west, later is better. This is pretty much the story everywhere. Fall fishing in Wyoming should be great this year. Keep tying flies and telling yourself that. Keep on Fishing, Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »God Bless A Cowgirl
After three days of driving I’m in Wyoming for a week long shoot for the good folks at Redington. My assistant Travis and I went out to check on the water level at one of our locations. We were scouting around when up rode two folks on horseback. One was a bone-a-fide Wyoming cowgirl complete with side arm! We chatted fore a bit and into the lake she rode. You got to love Wyoming. Keep on Fishing, Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »Independence Day in Jackson Hole
Today I was doing a little last minute location scouting and preparing for my Redington shoot. I can’t think of a better way to spend the fourth of July. One of the things I am proudest and most thankful for as an American is our National Park system and public lands. I would be hard pressed to think of anything that has given me more pleasure. My hat is off to the men and women who are stewards of this precious resource. As fly fishers let’s remember how important these lands are to us and our loved ones and defend them from those who would exploit, destroy or privatize them. Keep on Fishing, Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Read More »3 Tips for Nymphing Success
Smart Nymphing I can’t tell you how many times just this year, that I’ve heard clients tell me no wonder I’m not catching very many fish nymphing on my own. For most novice to intermediate fly fishermen they get far less hook-ups than seasoned veterans nymphing for three simple reasons. 1. The difference between an average and advanced nymph fisherman is one split-shot. Often anglers fish the right fly patterns when nymphing but fail to get bites and hook-ups because they don’t have enough split-shot or weight on their nymph rig to get the flies down in time, or to the appropriate level and strike-zone of the fish. I’ve got holes on small streams that I fish that require me to add upwards of three to four BB size split-shot in order for me to get consistent bites. This holds very true in fast water where trout are reluctant to rise up into the current to take a fly for the simple fact that they’ll use more energy than the value of the food specimen. If your nymphing and your not bumping the bottom occasionally during your drift your probably not getting down to the fish, and will fail to get strikes. You don’t want to be hanging up every cast either though. I always set my rig accordingly and if I make a few casts with no bites and no bumps on the bottom you’ll find me adding more split-shot. If after that I know I’m getting down to the strike zone and I’m still not getting bites, you’ll find me changing my fly patterns. 2. The second reason nymph fishermen fail to get bites is their strike indicator is set too shallow. I had a client this past month that said he nymph fished in the smokies quite … Continue reading
Read More »7 Shots of Alaska by Louis Cahill
Alaska is awesome…, and in my opinion it’s one of the coolest places to wet a line. Most anglers already know that, especially if they’ve made a trip and witnessed it for themselves. If you’re anything like me though, you never get tired of checking out Alaska fly fishing photos. Check out these seven photos by Louis Cahill while visiting Alaska West this past year. For more information about Alaska fly fishing and planning a trip, visit Deneki Outdoors. Click Photos Thumbnails for Larger Views Keep it Reel, Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
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