Monday, April 29, 2013

Progress


The theme of taking people fishing is continuing so far this year. I recently took out my roommate, Pat for his first small stream trout experience on one of my favorites that I fish once a year. With very little fly fishing experience, I was a little hesitate taking him to fish such tight quarters. However, he honed his casting all winter long using a Redington Form rod in our living room, roll casting into randomly placed wine glasses. The tight quarters in our living room transitioned well on the stream and I was impressed with his ability to fish dry-dropper with minimal tangles. We caught wild brown trout up to 10 inches and a few stocked brookies. It was a perfect day to spend the morning hiking up a small stream under a cloudless sky. On the hike out, we got to spread out a little bit on another stream and catch a few more stockers. Pat even got to show off his improved casting skills placing dries under overhanging rhododendron bushes. With his progressing skills, I think it might be time for a step up in competition.


Hole 1# 
Roll Cast From the Prone Position



Rocking the Fit-overs. 


Camo


The Chutes



Ugly Scenery


A Wild One


Spook Central


He did manage to hook himself in the neck...


Morning Light


Roll casting upstream...


A wild one...


Stalker Mode


Who is this guy?


Stocker Brook Trout


Easy Work

Thursday, April 25, 2013

"IN THE FACE!"


"IN THE FACE!" -- The origin of this phrase comes from people that snag, line, or floss fish on the Great Lakes tributaries. These individuals utter this phrase with extreme excitement when they realize that their hook is actually in the head region of the fish--anywhere outside of the mouth, from the nose to well behind the pectoral fins. This signifies a legal catch in their minds...

The last time I checked, fly fishing was the art of enticing a fish to eat an artificial fly. As the interest of pursuing carp on fly has grown it seems to me that the general definition of fly fishing has been altered. What do I mean by this? Let me explain…

You have all seen the photos, those where the angler is blissfully posing with a foul hooked carp… Foul hooking carp happens to the best of us. I know. It’s unavoidable and it’s going to happen. What I don’t understand is how someone can happily pose for a picture with a fish that has the fly firmly lodged outside of the mouth. It’s ridiculous. Do they know they snagged it? Do they care? Do they think they actually caught the fish? These are all the things I ask myself when I see a photo like that. I guess people have different definitions for “catching a carp”.

As for me, I visually don't see the majority of my takes. So I pride myself in my ability or “6th sense” to know when a carp has eaten my fly. If I snag a fish by accident (which I do), I’ll slip my barbless fly out of its face…while simultaneously saying a few choice curse words and watch the fish swim away. Absolutely no picture! A snagged fish for me is a personal failure. It’s the absolute worst feeling in the world. I’d rather spook a dozen fish or have the fish of a lifetime refuse my fly than accidentally snag a fish.

I think what people need to realize is that carp are not like the other game fish that we pursue. They do not attack a fly like a northern pike will. When we blind cast for super predators, like members of the Esox family. These fish will sometimes slash at a fly in the process of feeding and get hooked outside the mouth. The angler has no control over this due to the aggressive feeding habits of the fish.

 Carp fishing on the other hand is 99% sight fishing with a non-aggressive species. All rare circumstances aside... It's a species that is going to consume your fly very slowly. Therefore you have the ability to let the fish eat your fly before you set the hook. It's super easy to snag carp all day long if you wanted to, just set the hook too early every time... If your going to take this route your better off using a spinning rod and a treble hook. It would be a lot easier.

I’d love to hear where you all stand on the matter...

All said and done, there is only one location for the fly that I find "acceptable"... inside the mouth.


















Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Passing It On



A First Fish on Fly. 

When I first started showing a serious interest in fly fishing, I had no idea what I was doing. No one in my family every fly fished and the learning curve was intimidating, especially for a young kid without any experience. My slow development consisted entirely of trial and error, on my own, or with Adam on the various streams around my parent's house. I never received a lesson on casting, knot tying, or fly tying. I was on my own.

As word slowly spread of my interest in the sport, a family friend gave a helping hand. At a swim meet, I received a stack of "how to" books and magazines from Fly Fishermen to old Orvis catalogs. I immediately became a kid at a candy store and devoured the material. A small time hobby slowly evolved into a small obsession that featured a seemingly endless amount of knowledge, flies, and fish. I fell into the deep end and never looked back.

When news came that a coworker had purchased his young son, PJ, a fly rod kit for Christmas, I immediately thought about the impact a few magazines and books had on my development as a fly fisherman. I arrived the next day at work with a box full of magazines and some of the very same books I received 14 years earlier. Later on, I brought in a Redington form practice rod, after I heard of casting sessions gone awry. As winter progressed, I received a thank you letter and a small box with a DIY homemade fly. The kid was hooked to say the least.

When spring arrived, I promised I'd stop by and help out with casting and fishing. I brought several rods and let the kid try them all out in the yard. The highlight came when we were discussing the various ways of setting the hook. PJ interrupted and informed me that, "a strip set is mainly used when fishing for tarpon because they have a really bony mouth". As the smirk left my face, I realized that one day, he'd probably catch a tarpon on fly. However, he'll have to work his way to that point in time. Later, we transitioned to the local pond that featured largemouth bass and crappie. With the water really low, the fish were a little skittish but after putting in some time he caught two crappie, his first fish on fly. 

As we left the pond, I reminisced about my first fish on a fly rod and how hard it was as a young teen teaching myself how to fly fish. Passing on knowledge and gear, I can only hope that PJ's learning curve is shortened and that he finds a lifetime of enjoyment from the sport of fly fishing. 


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Spring Beginnings



With recent temperatures the past few days, it feels a lot more like summer than spring. Speaking of spring, where was it? Two weeks ago it snowed twice then all of a sudden it was 90 degrees outside. I went from begging for a pair of gloves to fishing without a shirt. I wish that the fifty degree days would come back for awhile. This post is representative of that change because it features fishing pictures from the past three weeks.

I spent the majority of my time carp fishing and exploring. Fishing ranged from getting my butt kicked to losing count of the number of carp I caught. Second place went to my dogs who got spoiled for a week straight during my spring break. Third place went to about a day and a half of musky fishing where I realized I need a boat. Badly. Despite the opener of trout season, I spent very little time fishing for them. My father and I went out for about an hour one evening and that was that. Finally, I spent some time on my home river practicing my spey casting. The highlight came when I had a big pull and thought I had a lunker trout. It ended up being a fine smallmouth and I was pleased to say the least.

Enjoy.


Ghillie suit and dress shoes for the most interesting carper in the world...


Trying not to get them wet...


Two of my new favorite things....
Loop Cross S1 590 and the Orvis Guide Sling Pack





Something dragged a carp out of the water and feasted on the bank...diagnosis: river otter from the Chesapeake watershed.


Remnants










Fail.


The home river I don't fish enough...


Sculpin


Little stocker brown...


Loop Cross S1 6110-5 piece switch rod, Multi 6/9, and a 420 grain Airflo Skagit Switch
Great Combo.




Pack of bones coming into range...


Pack of bones getting out of range...




Floating...


Wishing, Watching, Praying...


Typical stocker...


Riley's confused look...


Saying goodbye to an old highly attractive couch...


A little too burnt orange...



Fishing Adam's "kiddie" pool...


Mirror mirror on the wall...


All the carp are gone, but all the other fish remain... 


Oh, there they are...


I dub thee "Balerion, the Black Dread" 


Still need to tie some flies for trout...






SUP in five inches of water? Yes...

















Auto-capture...fail


Fail...


Fail.