What’s It All About?

Thursday, 12 January, 2012 08:54 Written by Huskey

There are a variety of different reasons different people go fishing. You can deduct a lot about a person in a short discussion about fishing. Why do you fish? Is it to escape from your daily grind? To enjoy the company of friends or to get away from everyone? Do you find fulfillment connecting with the river and the land, or simply addicted to the thrill of fly rod throbbing hard under the heavy pull of a big fish? There is a continuous learning curve in fishing, so there is no end to the research and study element for those who seek maximum knowledge. Of course there can be great aspects of the stalk and hunt that many find appealing. Floating is fun in itself, and multi day trips down remote rivers provide great experience in general terms. Fishing is a perfect excuse to take photos and video, and lets be honest we all hope to find ourselves posing for a hefty grip & grin shot. There is an endless amount of gear purpose designed for fishing, and for the gear geek nothing beats playing with new toys. What’s it all about for you? Why do you fish?

Ian Majszak and Bryan Gregson give us a great look at what it about for them. They are not alone.

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Getting Through It.

Wednesday, 04 January, 2012 09:41 Written by Huskey

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It’s windy. Really really windy. The kind of wind you can actually see. The kind of wind that leaves its signature for a moment all around you. The grass parts, twigs and leaves are sucked up off the ground and reverse course away from the earth again. Cold water from the river around your legs forms spray as the wind makes its mark with ribbons of air that blast by. Fishing in January can be a venture of questionable intelligence.

Why even bother? In all reality you are not having fun. The wind has made casting such chore, you can’t even find reward in practicing your technique. You’ve had a dozen too many cups of coffee, but wading to the shore, and de-robing a bunch of icy wet gear is not sounding enticing, so you continue to suffer. The 33 degree water has given your numb legs a case of “beef leg” however the tips of your toes are conveniently firing constant signals of sharp pain to remind you they are cold and pissed! Your line is freezing to the guides, and ice must be picked and broken off the rod with numb fingers several times each hour.

Cast after cast, and not a trace of fish. How can this be called fun? Well really its not. There are plenty of days on the water that are absolutely thrilling. Warm weather, beautiful surroundings, cooperative fish, and great company. Those days are priceless, and what we all hope for more often. But the fact is that there are days on the water that are just tough. Streelhead fishing especially, there are days when grinding out a single fish simply feels out of reach. The process of switching everything from technique to location to try and crack the code is less than fun on days when the conditions are miserable.

For some of us, we head out to fish on days when we know these are the conditions that await us. The question is why? One way to look at it is that even though the actual time on the water may be tough, it will forever be warm in our memories to enjoy as we look back on days like those. Sometimes a fish is caught while struggling to get out “one last cast” , and savoring that moment will last over countless cups of hot coffee like right now.

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Tight Lines

Friday, 30 December, 2011 09:36 Written by Huskey

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There are countless fly fishing techniques out there, and they all work well for the particular situation they are designed for. One technique called the tight line swing is especially effective for covering large areas of water efficiently.

Most common as a steelhead presentation, “swinging” flies can be applied to other fish as well if the scenario allows. Ideal swing water is a section of flowing river or stream called a “run”. A run is typically water flowing with enough current to keep a fly from sinking as it swings along a tight line arch from down & across casts. Runs that are about walking speed and relatively shallow are best for swinging.

An angler can start at the top of a run, and begin to extend casts toward the opposite bank at apx 45 degree angle downstream. As the fly swings across the current, it completes it’s swing and stops below the angler. This process can be repeated over and over once the maximum casting distance is reached, and with a few steps down between casts the angler can work down a section of river with fly probing every few yards of the run. The speed and depth of the fly can be controlled by mending line up or down as needed, depending on currents and speed of the water.

This presentation works well with “swimming” patterns such as leeches, buggers, streamers, etc. But it can also be effective for dry flies like caddis, crane flies, and really fun for mouse patterns as well. It’s a low maintenance/high efficiency way to fish for any species of fish where the water allows. Just remember that with a take on a tight line like this, not to set the hook on a grab. Allow the fish to take the fly, then gradually lift the rod. A big set or lift will often rip a fly out of a fishes mouth.

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The Steelheaders Trick Or Treat

Friday, 28 October, 2011 16:00 Written by Huskey

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I like fishing down stream. Swinging for Steelhead is a fine seasonal transition from months of up stream trout fishing. It’s a different tempo, two stepping down a run. The casting is different, not to mention that some days the fly rod is even totally different. Two hands holding cork now. Cool.

When the swing comes tight it’s hard to know whats going on at the end of the line. Some times the weight at the end swims out and up stream, some time it runs down stream like a scalded cat. For a few moments that can seem like an eternity, you really never know what you’re tied to…

Trick or treat, have a great Halloween!

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What’s Your Drift?

Monday, 15 August, 2011 08:43 Written by Huskey

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SPALT! On a hot August afternoon the sound of a wind-blown grass hopper smacking the water along a shaded undercut riverbank is a dinner bell to trout waiting in ambush. The hopper kicks and twitches as it struggles to make its way back to the closest firm thing it can cling to. If it makes it.

Count down!

What is your favorite drift? Where does your head go when your mind checks-out and takes a road trip?
Maybe watching a strike indicator drift perfectly into a nervous seam along a boulder strewn back eddy? Counting down as the unseen fish below yanks it down. Seeing an indicator dart upstream is exciting, not knowing what’s down there and about to take you and your rig for a ride.

Hammer time!

Or chugging a big bass popper right past a protruding tip along a warm water reed line? Big shiny bubbles twinkling behind it as it gulps along. Waiting for the crashing take from a big bucket mouth bruiser. The bull dog intensity of a big bass crushing a top water fly sets up for a heavy-lifting battle royal.

Maybe your dreams take you dragging a big streamer on a sink tip down over the edge of a choppy shelf? A quick nip can turn heavy, or a swirling rush in the opposite direction can tear the line from your hand and burn the fly line as it shoots right through your stripping fingers. It’s like pulling a mouse on a string through a room full of cats. Anything can happen.

Step and swing...

Swinging your favorite steelhead pattern right into the sweet spot of your favorite run? Perfecting your two handed snap-t cast and dropping the fly right above the guts of the best run on your favorite river. The steady tug of the fly swimming in the current is pre-curser for the heavy slam you are anticipating. Your fingers just begging for the small loop of line they’re holding to get yanked away and make the drag on your trusty reel really work and sing.

Or how about gripping the salt and sand coated cork of a 10wt and stripping franticly through mangroves? Maybe and adrenaline fueled flurry of casts to deliver the needed cast to get your fly in front of tailing permit or group of bonefish.

Warm waves of salt and water.

Whatever your idea of the perfect drift is, day dreaming about it is time well wasted. Gets folks like us through the work week and into the weekend. Maybe closer to your next trip on the books, as you watch the clock crawl closer to the end of another work day. One more X on the calendar, and one day closer to the block of time circled in red… when your hand is holding cork and not that mouse and key board.

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Posts Tagged ‘Steelhead’

What’s It All About?

Getting Through It.

Tight Lines

The Steelheaders Trick Or Treat

What’s Your Drift?

Recent Posts

Another Ring In The Trees

Doc of the Delta Part 2

Doc of the Delta Part 1

Kicking Around The West

Snipe Hunt

Backing: Ed Anderson

Fish Handles Part 4 "Pushing Buttons"

Backing: The Fly Fishing Film Tour

Archives

Translator

Posts Tagged ‘Steelhead’

What’s It All About?

Getting Through It.

Tight Lines

The Steelheaders Trick Or Treat

What’s Your Drift?

Recent Posts

Another Ring In The Trees

Doc of the Delta Part 2

Doc of the Delta Part 1

Kicking Around The West

Snipe Hunt

Backing: Ed Anderson

Fish Handles Part 4 "Pushing Buttons"

Backing: The Fly Fishing Film Tour

Archives

HATCH Cloud

Translator