We’re here for a tough conversation. This one’s about fishing the pay-to-play setup of a club. Not all clubs stock fish, and not all clubs are a bad choice. But in short, we believe things can be better.
Search Month: May 2024
Smith and the Tree
Right on time, Smith’s signature worn-out ball cap crested the hill on the north side of the gravel pull off. When his full frame came into view, I motioned to the propane grill and smiled with a nod. It was preheated. Resting on a large chunk of limestone, I had the portable grill ready for meat. When Smith approached, I handed my friend a beer without a word. Glass chimed and we nodded again.
This is what I like about Smith: We planned for noon, and he’s so reliable that I knew it was worth lighting the propane at 11:50 . . .
One Nymph or Two? — Here’s a Particular Look That Can Only Happen With Two
“That slowdown on the tag happens when the lower nymph — your point fly — reaches the strike zone,” I said. And even though both nymphs are going slow, they like the position or the level of the upper one.” That can only happen with a two fly rig.
PODCAST: How Woodsmanship Catches Fish — S11, Ep6
There’s an intangible quality built into the best anglers. It’s about being comfortable and natural around the water. It’s about having an instinct and a guiding intuition on a river that informs decision without even giving it much thought. It’s an innate knowledge of the environment and what will happen next. Knowledge of the woods, water, weather and the trout comes together with ease and adds up to something that is hard to identify.
This Is Real Silence
. . . It can be dead silent on that mountain, quiet enough to remember a place in time with no interruptions, a day that started in a bustling, wide valley and finished in stillness on top of a mountain.
. . . . . . The guitar amp, the voices, the conversations, the laughing and arguing, the engine noise and the truck’s rattles, the NPR opinion and the crackly speakers — it’s all gone. And it’ll stay gone for as long as I’m here on the mountaintop. This is real silence.
Be a Voice for Wild Trout — Your Most Effective Conservation Measure is Also the Easiest
The Pennsylvania Fish Commission needs to hear your comments. And a simple, short email makes a BIG difference. Stop stocking over wild trout. Let’s support all policies that eliminate the stocking of hatchery fish over wild trout. Pass it on . . .
PODCAST: Boat Fishing — How Everything Changes When Floating a River — S11, Ep5
It’s the companionship and teamwork, along with the effort and commitment required to get down the river. It’s about a good lunch and friendly banter as much as the novel approach to tactics and the pure advantage of accessing more water.
From the put in to the take out, boating changes everything. It’s a wonderful way to learn a river and to connect with friends.
Back to Basics — Back to Buggers
As much as I try to keep things simple for myself, I’m too often lured in by the latest, greatest, next-best-thing-ever streamer pattern to come around. And I while I do believe that reasonably sized, natural streamers catch more good trout than huge streamers, I catch myself looking at a simple #8 Bugger these days and thinking, “Oh, that’s not nearly good enough.”
The Setup Cast — Fly Fishing Strategies
The setup cast keeps you in control on the river. It allows for repositioning and redirecting the line, leader and fly to the next target. The setup cast gives you a chance to regroup and rethink, too. It keeps you in rhythm by keeping you out of trouble and lending new options to an active angler.
PODCAST: What’s the Deal With Emergers? — S11, Ep4
From the bottom to the top, when the bugs transform from water born to airborne, meeting the with an emerger often sells the presentation.
Our conversation in this episode covers those emergences . . .
Why You May Not Need the Crutch of 6X and Smaller Tippets
I’m not suggesting that 6X and lighter tippets are always a crutch. But they certainly can be. Extra-thin tippets are an easy way to solve a tough problem — getting a good dead drift. But sometimes, choosing a harder path makes all the difference — because you might learn more.
. . . How and why in the article . . .