The time that I have spent as a guide I have witnessed many a fish being landed. Some in a timely manner and others not so much. This makes it harder to revive them. My mantra on the whole fish fighting thing is GGG. (Get them on, Get them in, Get them off). Most anglers I see baby the fish way too much, and they do not realize that they can put more pressure on the fish than they think. When using a light leader and tippet, it is important to keep the rod tip up, or bend in the rod. With out … [Read more...]
How To Trick Summertime Trout
When the heat picks up a lot of anglers give up on fishing. Just because the temperature picks up does not mean the fishing has to stop. Trying to trick summertime trout does not have to be as hard as people make it out to be. First you must have reasonable expectations as to how your day will go. Obviously early and late in the day are your better windows of opportunity. So now you need to think a little bit differently. Every body of water is going to have its own personality and no two … [Read more...]
Reading The Water (Part 2)
Being able to read the water and do it correctly is a true talent. I can tell what type of angler you are by looking at your leader, watching you fish, and the water you pick to fish. What people don’t understand is that you need to be able to read the water and match what you are reading to the technique you are using. I find that anglers like to pick a method of fishing and then fish all the water around them with that method. They catch fish in water that is conducive to the method of choice … [Read more...]
Reading The Water
There are many different facets to fly fishing. So many that learning them all in one lifetime is close to impossible. Once you think you have mastered trout fishing, someone then takes you steelhead fishing and everything changes. Now think about adding salt water fishing, bass fishing, and maybe some salmon fishing. Then you have fly tying in all its glory with different fly patterns, materials, hooks and other paraphernalia. So, you can never stop learning. Master one and a new one … [Read more...]
Right Fly Wrong Design
Dry fly selectionUsing the right fly is definitely a big plus when it comes to catching fish. And using the correctly designed fly helps even more. So, what does that mean and how does it apply to your fishing. Take the common May Fly, and the basic stages it goes through. Nymph, emerger, adult, and spinner. There are hundreds of patterns that will represent those stages. But for now, let’s stick to just the dry fly to keep it simple. Some dry flies are hackled, some aren’t some lightly … [Read more...]
Selecting The Right Bug
One of the more frequently asked questions I’m asked is, “which bug should I use?” It’s a fair question considering the multitude of naturals on the water and the bazillion options you have in the fly bins at your local fly shop. My favorite answer of course would be “the fly that’s working! “, so which fly is that? Do you look to see what bugs are flying around in the air? Or landing in the trees along the bank?! Since fish have no hands it’s hard for them to hang on to the branches. How … [Read more...]
Hot Weather Leader
One of my favorite quotes that you often hear me say is “conditions dictate as to how we fish. “This is the time of year that conditions change dramatically. With that being the case one thing that needs to change is your leader composition. The shorter leaders that you could get a way with earlier in the season, now become a hindrance. Not enough people put a lot of thought into their leader. This time of year, it is totally possible to fish to short of a leader. I see it all the time. With … [Read more...]
‘Advanced’ What?
This may sound more like ranting than anything else, but stay with me for a moment. There is a word floating around the industry, that I think takes advantage of anglers more than anything else. This particular word would be "Advanced." You see it all the time: Advanced Nymphing Clinic, or Advanced Dry Fly Fishing; the list goes on & on. Well, the truth is that in 25 years of guiding I have never seen a fish eat a nymph, dry fly, streamer, indicator or anything else in an ‘advanced’ … [Read more...]
Alternatives to Winter Steelheading
Steelhead are strange critters! Chasing them sometimes requires good sums of money. But, like duck hunting, if the ducks aren't there, you are just out for a day in the field. The same goes for steelheading....if the fish aren't in, you're just out for a nice day on the water! In northern California we are fortunate to have other options for the fishing. Sometimes we may only catch one or two, and other days we might catch a boat load but that is just winter fishing. Winter is a … [Read more...]