Sipping Emergers Fly Fishing Blog. Essays, Reports, & Ramblings on Fly Fishing

Kids & Trout & Clean Water

2013-05-13T21:19:00.002-04:00

The kids in the Candlewood Valley TU chapter's Trout in the Classroom classes have cooked up some public services posters for keeping our streams healthy. Head over to CVTU's Facebook page and take a look (and vote with a "Like").

You need to keep Saving Bristol Bay

2013-05-09T06:08:00.000-04:00

I read the new EPA Executive Summary on Pebble Mine. You should too. This peer reviewed piece of work, which is in its second draft, continues to indicate that Pebble Mine would, with certainty, harm the fisheries in Bristol Bay. It's only a matter of time.

The video below is simple and powerful. It shows very directly the people, places, and fisheries that are at risk.

It's easy to voice your support for these people, places, and wildlife. It takes about two minutes to fill out the form. I once heard from a politician who said that if he heard from five people on a subject he paid attention. Let's make it more than five. Every voice is important.

Please, fill out the form.

sea-swallow'd from ryan peterson on Vimeo.

Das Boots

2013-05-08T06:25:00.000-04:00

I long ago made the switch to rubber soled boots. I buy the anti-invasives pitch, especially that cleaning a felt sole is a whole lot harder than cleaning a rubber sole. I still own a pair of Orvis Henry's Fork boots with a felt sole. When my go-to boots are drying (after being cleaned) I'll use the old Henry's Forks for a fishing trip so as not to risk invasive transport. Of course, I'm doubly careful about when and where I wear the Henry's Forks. Usually only to streams that are ~~known~~ believed to be scourge free.

The other night I wore them when I caught The Nose. Every time I put on the rubber soled boots I feel like Herman Munster. Wearing the felt soled Henry's I feel like a ballerina. I think the real joy of felt, aside from the light weight, is how the feel of the bottom is easily communicated through the sole. Rubber boots by comparison are dead.

I bought a new pair of back-up boots this evening. Big, rubber soled monstrosities. I considered some of the "lightweight" models but I killed my last pair of lightweights pretty quickly. I'm not easy on gear and I need something robust. I'm gonna miss these lightweight boots when they finally kick.

Maybe there's hope. I've gotta find my tube of Aquaseal.

Scar and The Nose

2013-05-06T07:12:00.000-04:00

I fished for stocked trout one night last week. I did pretty well as one with a modicum of skill is wont to do when uninformed, hungry trout mill about in a small steam. It was a stretch of water downtown where the state dumps a couple hundred trout before opening day. There are two good pools where the Opening Day crowd can retrieve those trout and they do so with a vengeance.

I stopped by the deli in town a week or so ago for a sandwich. It was one of those days when working from home became too claustrophobic and I had to get out. I ate my sandwich on a bank overlooking the stocked pool.

Freshly stocked fish have about as much sense as school children dropped unprepared in the middle of the African subcontinent. They do pretty much everything that a trout interested in long term survival should not do. There's far too much racing about, holding over a bottom that perfectly silhouettes^[1] a trout shaped form, or trying to hold in a spot that requires far too much energy to stay in place.^[2]

A couple of days later I returned for lunch and additional trout ogling. I noticed that the trout seemed to be congregated/racing in much the same place. I also noted that the number of fish had not diminished. none had yet landed on the dinner table. Anglers are drawn to the pool above this one and it seems the trout are drawn here.

There were a couple of trout the caught my eye. There was a crop of wild trout, notable for their diminutive size, that held tight to the bank in the shadows and did not try to eat flowers. In the heavier current at the tail of the pool a larger Brown with a scabbed hatchery-tank nose held in water that seemed to require more effort than he likely received in food. I don't think The Nose is long for this world.

Further up the pool was a Brown with a scar below his dorsal fin. Scar sat in front of a large boulder and flicked his tail just enough to stay in its soft cushion. Scar seemed to have a good feel for what was edible and what was not. If I didn't know better, and I didn't, I would think he was a wild fish. Scar got chased out of his prime lie every ten minutes or so by a larger fish but that fish didnt know that he had just boggarted a great thing and moved on. Scar sidled back a minute or so later.

Tonight I went out again to the pool I watched at lunch. Scar and The Nose where right where I had left them. I caught The Nose pretty quickly on an Adams Sparkle Dun. Upstream I marked the rock that Scar had been holding against. I made a couple of casts but Scar was having none of it. I caught a dozen other fish, but not Scar. That's one wily trout, wild or not.

Scar has a pretty sweet lie

Scar. Chilin'

Scar gettin' the brush off. He'll be back soon.

The Nose

The Nose showing off his moves.

Bait

Notes
1 - I spelled silhouettes without using spell check. Impressive.
2 - So as not to embarrass anyone I will not mention by name how many times I saw one particular trout sample forsythia flowers.

On Writing

2013-05-04T09:03:00.001-04:00

"The night's dampness clings to the hillside in long gray smudges."

Bing!

The nightstand beer clock into the hillside long gray smudge

What?!

"The night's dampness clings to the hillside in long gray smudges."

Bing!

The night damp a.m. Klaum to the hillside in Long Gray smudges

Fuck it. I type it myself.

Siri can't take dictation worth shit.

Signs of Spring

2013-04-29T07:59:00.003-04:00

I've been too busy with work, Trout Unlimited, writing (new work), family this past week to get some reasonable words on this page. Hopefully some pictures will suffice.

Signs of spring from my neck of the woods.

Jonny tells me the correct scientific name for this flowering shrub, is Stripersarein Fishtheoutgoingtonight

We lost all the magnolia blossoms last year to a hard frost as soon as they blossomed. Nature is a cruel mistress.

I like the idea of my kids participating in team sport but I'm glad this ritual holds no longer in our household.
I think the second baseman should turn around before she gets beaned by this ball.

Opening Day. I don't fish it. Especially at the "Trout Park". They should call it the "Butcher Shop".

Sharing a rod, Sam and I cast for a few hours on an outgoing tide with much luck.

Watched a pod of stocked trout tasting everything that passed on the surface

Fished a wild brook trout stream with a few buddies. Found lots of perfect Brookies. Some larger than this.

Flats Mud

2013-04-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

Got out again last night with Sam, Jonny and Bob. A late tide meant we were fishing after dark under the sliver of a moon. Spooky and peaceful all at the same time.

Not big numbers but the fisher were all bigger. Everyone got into fish. More later.

For now, mud.

Evidence on the driveway of a successful stroll across sandy & muddy flats.

Tax Day Schoolies

2013-04-16T08:10:00.001-04:00

I'm a trout angler. I don't fish for Striped Bass (Unless, of course, I get a text saying that the Striped Bass are in and Bob was catching them last night one per cast).

Last year I fished for Striped Bass twice. Once in the spring when they clearly weren't there and later in the summer when they were elsewhere as well. I had heard tell of times when the schoolie stripers were on the move and they could be had with abandon but that was last year or last week or at the other spot that I wasn't at.

Until Sunday evening.

Flats.

The day before the tax deadline I was at the dining room table putting the final touches on what was owed to whom. Living in one state and working in another was further complicated this year by a move of my office from one state to another in June. New York needed its slice and Connecticut hers and I'm not sure either will be happy. I expect questions.

If I could be done with the taxes by 4 p.m. I might have just enough time to gather my scattered salt water gear (which doubles as Steelhead gear) and make it to the designated sandy pull-off that would allow me to join a small group that would follow Bob to the fully recon'd beach where the Schoolies had been the previous evening.

I was done by 3 p.m. Made dinner for the boys. Assembled the gear and was standing in the sandy pull-off at 5:28 p.m.

As a trout angler I often fish alone. But I'm such a newbie to both Steel and Stripers that I follow the crowd of experts and they're generous enough to allow me to tag along (and loan me the special fly or two). It turns out that all the Steelhead guys I fished with last November were here. It's a group of guys that I'm not sure would work in any other setting but as anglers we all seem to fit together perfectly. I enjoy their company.

The walk out to the spot was proper prelude. The sticky saltiness of the wind coupled with the crunch of shells beneath the feet and the grip of tidal muck on the boots let you know you were far from the mountain stream. Ahead we spooked a couple hundred Canada Geese that were on our beach. Tiny shore birds raced past us in dense flocks.

Jonny gets into fish early.

The outgoing tide had a few hours to run and we set-up along the obvious rips. The first ten minutes had us all secretly doubting Bob's reports, then our ability, the presence of fish and the myriad other things that one doubts when the fishing isn't what it was supposed to be.

And then the switch was turned on, temperature, tide, water speed, who knows, but the next two hours brought fish after fish to the hand. My first Striper on the fly came that evening. It was a small fish by striper standards -- maybe fourteen inches in length, 2-3 pounds -- but what a specimen. Beautiful creatures. Caught it on a white and chartreuse clouser.

Fully Stripered Clouser Remnants

For two hours we caught our fill. Thirty pound test leaders allowed the fish to be brought to hand quickly and just as quick the line was back out and another was hooked. Grins and hoots and aching arms all around. By the time the fishing slowed I was standing back with Jonny enjoying a cigar and watching the gang try and tease the last fish out of a spot where the fish now weren't.

So far Steelhead haven't ruined me for trout and I don't suspect Stripers will as well but I'm already looking at tide charts for the next day or two. Perhaps another quick trip is in order.

Schoolie Striper. With bonus water spot on lens. Last one
of the night. I was so busy hauling in fish that I
almost forgot to take a picture of one. That's good fishing.

Schoolie Sunset

2013-04-15T07:05:00.001-04:00

More when the pain in my arm (and the smile on my face) subsides.

Why I fish for Trout: Reason #14

2013-04-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

Half Price Trout

2013-04-08T09:01:00.000-04:00

Thursday evening was my first time on the water in weeks. It was a breezy, spring evening cool enough to remind you that winter was just over the next hill. I put on a scarf for what I hoped would be the last time this season.

I only had an hour or two until sunset and intended to fish three spots where I thought I might find a trout. In my hands was a old rod with a new reel and line. I had succumbed to Orvis' marketing scheme a weekend before and purchased a half-price reel. Actually, I eventually purchased a half-price reel; things don't often go as planned.

I was at the airport two Saturdays ago when I saw the social media marketing pitch and immediately purchased a reel and new 5 wt line. I only later realized that I had forgotten to check out. By the time I realized my error it was Monday and the offer had expired.

When I noted my idiocy on Twitter, the Orvis folks -- Kathleen Moore and Juliana Booth -- swung into action and made things right. What is astounding about this is not Orvis' legendary customer service in making things right when they goof up. It's that they made things right when I goofed. Incredible. I screw up, Orvis comes through. I wish Orvis worked such wonders in other areas of my life.

So down to the water I went with my half-price reel and commenced to fishing. Dry-droppers are my usual rig on this small stream and Thursday it was a Usual above a chartreuse brassie. If you don't have a Usual in your fly box -- I don't care where you live in the world -- you're missing out on what may be the best fly pattern ever; not as famous as the Adams, but probably better.

The first spot yielded a trout on the second cast. The brown hammered the Usual which greatly pleased me. A sure sign that winter is waning is trout looking up. Sometimes I can coax another trout from this bathtub sized pool but not that day so upstream I went.

The next reliable pool was a repeat. About a third of the way back, just past the root ball of a tree that'll fall during the next storm, an equally aggressive brown smacked the Usual and quickly came to hand. This one was dark, buttery color with large brown and red dots. It's interesting how two trout of the same species living within a hundred yards of one another can appear to be entirely different things.

The third spot was a relatively new discovery. It was fishy. Very fishy. A deep slot that ricocheted off of a stone ledge. I had never caught fish there but I believed in it's fish-holding hydrology and knew that I'd get a fish there, eventually.

The first cast was awful. The second cast hit the water hard. The third cast was a token offering for a pool I had already spooked. One hour. Three pools. Two Trout. Home for dinner.

Sunday evening I returned to the stream with a couple of friends intending to show them a few good spots. I remembered my camera but forgot my rod. I think that's a first. Hopefully it will be a last.

Regardless, we had a nice walk along a stream. I got to ramble on about a place that I love, I took some pictures and they got into fish.

Along the way, Ann and Sam came by walking Ripley. It was unexpected and it was a joy. At times I seem pathologically drawn to crowds or solitude. I suppose the familiarity and routine of daily life makes family, despite the closeness of our bonds, somehow less. But whether I travel around the world or ten minutes down the street that return to the embrace, the smiles and knowing comfort, remind me that it is always more than anything else.

Back. Considering Options.

2013-04-02T07:50:00.000-04:00

After a few weeks in Slovakia I'm finally back and my jet lag is waning. Spring may actually be close. Just one pile of snow is left; in the shaded spot out front. I've had reports, and recordings, of peepers.

It can't be long.

And the winner is:

2013-03-29T04:01:00.004-04:00

The Random Number Generator has spoken: Ben Sameshima is the winner of the Simms loot.

Ben, shoot me your address via the Contact Me link above and I'll get your stuff in the mail.

The Simms Scavanger Hunt

2013-03-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

This scavenger hunt has been a week or so in the offing. I've been traveling on business - all airports and offices (with an occasional stop at a pub for sustenance) -- so I've been greatly delayed in getting this post up. I've got a brief respite having just arrived back in Slovakia. Sadly, trout season here doesn't open for another three weeks. Damn.

When I posted my Headwaters Pro Waist Pack gear review last week I promised a scavenger hunt for some Simms loot. Rich Hohne has provided a Simms Wading Belt and Cap (about $60 of Simms goodness) to distribute to the lucky winner.

Add a comment below with the answers to these questions. All the answers can be found on the Simms site. If you trust that someone who has answered before you got the questions correct, go ahead and cut an paste their answers. Of course, I would expect that some the readers of this blog* would start off with a set of answers that were intentionally incorrect so as to disqualify as many folks as possible.

From the list of correct entries I will select, at random, a winner. You have until at least Wednesday night to enter though my ability to adjudicate this event in a timely fashion will be determined by work schedule, access to the intertubes and Zlaty** consumption. It may take a bit longer to get to the judging so no bitching if it does.

The Questions:

What is the name for Simm's footwear technology that promotes features and/or materials that are more resistant to "hitch-hiking" organisms?
What country was Cathy Lang fishing in when she caught the monster brown featured in the Catch of the Day?
How long is the warranty on Simms products due to workmanship or defect?
What are the three ways to buy products from the Simms website?
How many styles of waders does Simms sell? Is that number really unlucky?

Notes:
* I'm thinking of you, Kirk, though it could just as easily be Jonny. Or T.J. Or Mike. Or Marc. Damn, there are too many to list. Don't trust anyone.
** Zlatý Bažant, Official Slovak Beer of Sipping Emergers

Simms Headwaters Pro Waist Pack Review

2013-03-19T07:23:00.001-04:00

Like many fly anglers, I'm a gear junkie. There's nothing that gets my juices flowing like walking into a fly shop or opening the latest catalog and perusing the baubles. There is so much stuff I don't need that I must buy.

One area where I am weakest are vests. Well, not just vests, but waist packs, chest packs, traditional vests, modern vests, and sling packs. On one trip to Pennsylvania a few years ago I couldn't decide between two vests so I bought both. Somewhere out there is the perfect pack. I don't yet own it.

Currently I'm partial to the sling pack designs. I own two; one of which I'm quite fond.

Simms Headwaters Pro Waist Pack, $99

Last fall, Simms sent me a waist pack (Headwaters Pro Waist Pack, $99) as part of the loot from last summer's Yellowstone Blogger Tour. I had tried a competitor's waist pack a few years ago. It did the job of storing the gear but I found that being at my waist it spent a fair amount of time slightly submerged when I was wading larger rivers. So, it was with a fair amount of trepidation that I tried this new waist pack. I've fished it pretty steady through the fall and winter and I've gotten a sense for its worth.

Waist pack configuration leaves little to the imagination. Basically, they're belts with pouches. The Simms pack has three compartments with two side pockets. The outermost pocket came with a large fly patch so it could be used as an ersatz fly box. I learned long ago to stay away from these fly manglers (Fishpond was fond of these on their vests) so out came the fly patch, in went a fly box.

The Middle Pocket: Gadget Holder

The innermost main compartment is where all the big boxes, cigar case, flask, powerbars, camera, first aid kit, etc. go. It's about as voluminous as one would expect and I've yet to want for room. It also includes a couple of mesh internal pockets that allow for some organization.

The middle pocket is the gadget holder. This slim pocket has a couple of mesh internal pockets as well as two bottle holders so you can leash your floatant and desiccant. It does beat having to dig around in the bottom of the pocket for stuff you use often. I do wish that the holders were more rigid. It's difficult to "reholster" bottles one handed though it can be done.

Stuff I liked about the Simms Headwaters Pro Waist Pack

A couple of things strike me right off the bat. First, a very clean design. There are few places for a fly line to catch on. I'm always getting my line caught on one thing or another and with this pack it seems to happens less often. I've noticed that cleaner designs are becoming part of most manufacturer's lines but Simms seems to have this down well.

Shoulder Strap: Great function,
but it needs a connector for a net

Next, there's a shoulder strap. A first I couldn't discern it's purpose. But after using the pack I realized that the purpose of the strap is to keep the pack at a specific elevation on your waist. No worries about it slipping down and getting wet and if you want it to ride high all you do is shorten the strap.

Stuff I didn't like about the Simms Heawaters Pro Waist Pack
The problem with most waist packs is being able to easily see into the depths. This pack also suffers from that. The pack is soft so the larger section seems to collapse at just the wrong angle to make peering into it difficult. I find i have to reach down and pull it up to see in properly. This is partially due to my middle aged body topography but i would appreciate a slighly more rigid design that held its shape.

The large main compartment could hold a water bottle but I prefer mine on the outside. A water bottle holder would be a good addition. I've ended up clipping mine on with a small carabiner.

The should strap just begs for a loop from which to hang a net. Again, a small carabiner has done the trick but it seems like an obvious miss.

Yet to be tested
The belt portion of the waist pack is well constructed. It's got a mesh back and a rigid foam lattice that seems like it would provide good ventilation during hot weather. I've only used the pack with waders and only during cooler weather but it does appear to be design that could be beneficial during the waderless summer months.

Overall Impression
If you're a waist pack person this is a good one. Yes, if you wade deep it's going to get soggy though the shoulder strap helps to prevent this. Perhaps the greatest testament to the design is that I haven't run back to my sling pack yet. I think I've become enamored by the additional capacity a waist pack provides.

Free Stuff
In the next day or so (I'm traveling on business so time for posting is rare) I'll post a Simms scavenger hunt. Rich Hohne of Simms has provided a Simms Wading Belt and Cap as a bit of loot to distribute. Hopefully tomorrow. Maybe Thursday.

One more day

2013-03-15T06:58:00.001-04:00

Learning to Fly

2013-03-08T09:42:00.001-05:00

Before you read on, head over to the Unaccomplished Angler and send him your hat photo. He's got the best prizes I've ever seen in a blog contest. I've had hats with mojo in the past but I've lost them all. There's one that would have fit right in with the contest but sadly someone walked off with it......

I started fly fishing eight years ago. My buddy Ross thought I needed a hobby other than work^[1] and so he dragged me up to Manchester, Vermont for three days of Orvis indoctrination. I fell hard for this new thing, just ask Ann. Heck, the fact that I'm writing this stuff here says something about my passion for this sport.^[2]

After the school I fished a bit on my own. It took a month or so for me to land my first trout on a fly. That spring I hired a guide to give me some nymphing instruction. And then I attended my first TU meeting and fished with some very talented anglers who helped me run up the learning curve.

If you're not able to do all that, you're left with figuring it out on your own. Fortunately, there are some professionally-crafted, free online resources to help new anglers through the process.

The benchmark is the Orvis Fly Fishing Learning Center. It's hard to compete against Orvis in this space. First, they got the talent (e.g Rosenbauer, Kutzer, etc). Second, they've got the resources to do some pretty slick video and animations. Finally, they've got ~~Rosenbauer~~ years of experience running a fly fishing school. Their knowledge about how to teach is deep. Plus they integrate the hundreds of podcasts that Tom has done over the years. Again, lots of knowledge upon which to draw.

Redington has a site called New to Fly? It doesn't have the depth of content that the Orvis site has but it covers the basics well. The lessons are more demonstrations than lessons. They show the things but don't explain the "why" behind it. For example, the Overhead Cast Lesson doesn't explain the dynamics of the cast -- rod loading, etc -- but simply shows the actions. For some this might actually be better; less confusing technical stuff. For me, I like knowing why. It helps me better understand what I'm doing. That said, it's got lots of content to cover the breadth of knowledge required to get up and running.

Cabelas also has a learning site called Cabelas Fly Fishing University. It too covers that landscape of things you need to know to fly fish. However, for a large company this offering is weak. There's no video that I could find. A majority of the offerings are text only and are broken down into such small chunks of information that I had difficulty putting them in context. Also, the look and feel of the website reminds me of learning sites from work and that's the last thing I'd like to be thinking about when learning about a hobby. Finally, it seems like they've taken the content out of a book but not a very good one. If you want to learn from a book, I think there are better ones out there.

While websites help I've found that the best ways to learn are to actually fish with people who know what they're doing. Just watching a good angler cast helps you add to your repertoire. Also, lots of fly shops hold clinics that let you get free instruction and tuning. Finally, hiring a guide can be the single best way of improving your technique. Just make sure you ask around for recommendations. There are some guides out there who know as much about education as Cabelas does.

Notes
[1] I thought doing hand crafted emails for work was a hobby. Who knew?
[2] Not to mention my desire to hear myself talk (or write, in this case)

Sweet!

2013-03-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last summer I spent time in Yellowstone National Park with Trout Unlimited, the National Park Service, Simms and the Yellowstone Park Foundation on their blogger tour. The purpose of the trip was to see first hand the recovery efforts of native trout in the park.

The restoration of native trout in the park is an amazing story. The erradication of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake is at the center of the Yellowstone Cutthroat restoration. While the restoration is a partnership among a group of organizations there are some extraordinary individuals who are making this happen.

The one individual who is most responsible for the momentum of these efforts is David Sweet, a Wyoming Trout Unlimited member. If not for David the telemetry work in Yellowstone Lake, the collaboration of the many partners in the program and the netting of 300,000 lake trout in the past summer would not have been nearly as successful as it has been.

David has been recognized in the past for his work in Yellowstone. In 2011 he received Trout Unlimited's Distinguished Service Award. This month he has been recognized as a Hero of Conservation by Field and Stream Magazine.

Like most important things in life, real progress is made because of the passion and drive of a single person. Dave is one of those people.

Congratulations, Dave!

David Sweet on Yellowstone Lake

Physical Therapy

2013-03-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

About a month ago I finally went fishing.

No, that's not right. It was last Saturday.

I've had this sharp pain in my shoulder for the past week. I awoke with it one morning and it's been there ever since. I attribute it to sleeping wrong. It could also be due to the fact that my shoulders seem to be curled up around my ears. Stress does twist the body.

On Saturday I stood in cold, moving water for a few hours. It was surprising how quickly the pain in my shoulder disappeared. I didn't notice its departure, but when I got out to warm my toes and stretch, I found that I could put my arm above my shoulder without the deep, stabbing pain. Perhaps it's coincidence but I'm crediting the healing power of fly angling.

The fishing was about what you'd expect in the dead of winter when there's no hatch and the water temp is just bit north of freezing. Only one bump and that one came to the net. It was a nice sized Brown though it was getting thin. I almost felt guilty tricking it with a pink egg. Almost.

I hadn't fished this spot in a long time. It's a popular pool that gets a lot of attention during dry fly season but is empty when there are no bugs in the air. When I do fish this stretch I usually fish it from the east bank but a tip put me on the west bank at the head of the pool. I'm not sure if one fish proves the tip was valid or perhaps fates smiled upon me. Either way, I got one and was satisfied.

Later I watched my youngest test for Junior Black Belt in Kung Fu. It's the first time I've had the opportunity to see him test in a small group. Usually it's a cattle call for the lower belts but Black Belt they take seriously and so he was up there with two other kids.

He did fine in the test and was awarded the belt. Like most parents, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Every error or forgotten move, I felt the angst four-fold. I think it may have actually been more stressful to watch the test than take it. By the end my shoulders were back up in "work" position.

It's Tuesday evening and the twitches are returning. The weekend is down the road a bit as are the angling possibilities. More snow is on the way. I'll have to find some other form of therapy to get me through to my next session.

This must end

2013-02-26T22:05:00.002-05:00

I have not been fishing in some time.

Frosted Valentine

2013-02-23T08:36:00.002-05:00

Valentine's morning we awoke to a light dusting of snow. It was one of those magical snows that dappled everything with bright highlights and renewed the dingy, old snow with a crisp, white coating.

Flood Plain

Poacher's Lane

Tenkara: It is what it is

2013-02-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying that I think "Fly Fishing Only" waters are idiotic as would be "Gill Net Only" waters.

I've seen a discussion going on in the social media about whether Tenkara is fly fishing or not. Specifically, this becomes an issue when one considers using a Tenkara rig in "Fly Fishing Only" regulated water.


Look, flies! It must be fly fishing. From Tenkara USA

There are two dimensions to this discussion. The first is a philosophical question: Is Tenkara, in form, a method of fly angling? I can easily see both sides of this discussion. I happen to think it is fly angling. That's an opinion.

The second question is a legal question: Does Tenkara angling fit the legal definition of fly angling in a given jurisdiction? In Connecticut, it does not. Apparently it does not in Washington either. Legally, Tenkara is not fly angling, it is Tenkara angling.

If you chose to fish with a Tenkara kit, I'm not sure why you would have an expectation that you'd be able to use it on "Fly Fishing Only" regulated waters. It's not, legally, fly fishing. So, either get over it or change the regulation.

I would suggest the change to the regulation would not be to redefine fly angling but instead to remove the restriction to the waters altogether. Anglers unite!

Quill Gordon's Story Time

2013-02-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

Private angling clubs are anathema to me but there is one that I might be convinced to join: The Neverwas Nonesuch Angling Society. This esteemed society of anglers sits on the banks of Fish in a Barrel Pond and stories of the goings on are brought to us regularly by its caretaker, Quill Gordon, via the Fish in a Barrel Pond blog.

I've enjoyed Quill's writing for the past few years and he and I have exchanged notes on writing and angling. I was pleased to receive a draft of some new work a few weeks ago. It's the sort of stuff that puts you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next installment.

Quill has also been toying with the mechanics of electronic publishing and recently published three essays on Amazon and Barnes and Noble to test the waters. These three essays, published under the banner "Quill Gordon's Story Time: Tales of the Outdoors for Anglers and Others" are wholly enjoyable in a manner that readers of Quill's blog will immediately recognize.

I'm not sure how to characterize Quill's writing style but there's a strong dollop of Mark Twain in there coupled with something else I can't quite put my finger on. The first story I read was "The Buddy System". This tale of the untimely death of an angling buddy will serve as guidance for future generations caught in the same situation.

The second was a cautionary tale of tinkering called "The Conflagration at Green Damselfly Cove". The ends that man will go to to tame fire and solve problems better left unsolved is perfectly captured. The last installment is "Teach a Man to Fish...". This tale provides insight into the intersection of fly fishing, beaver ponds, and the absurdity of otter angling.

If you enjoy Twain's writing you'll feel right at home with Quill's. The fact that he narrates around the sport and business of fly fishing makes it that much more enjoyable.

As I said in an earlier post, I believe electronic publishing will continue to change the way we both find and consume literature. Gordon's is a good example of the trend. I think the key will be finding the right price point for this work. At $1 for each installment the volume of content felt just a tad sparse. I didn't feel cheated, so the value seemed right, but I think Quill, and other author/publishers, will continue to seek the right sweet spot along the price continuum.

No doubt we'll see more from Quill in the near future. I, for one, am excited at the prospect.

Whitlock et al

2013-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I went to Somerset to see the IF4 show two weeks ago. A few folks I know produced and starred in A Deliberate Life and seeing it was the purpose of the trip. There were also a couple of other notable films including Mark Crapo's short, The Beard Chronicles, Cast Alaska 2 - Sheebang by the folks at Cross Current, The Last Salmon Forest by Detonation Studios. I've heard my buddy Chris talk about fishing the Tongass in the past and now it is firmly on the short list. If you get a chance to see IF4, definitely see it.

The trip would have been worth it for IF4 alone but a stay overnight made a visit to the fly show a no brainer. Sam and I got there early as we had to be home by mid-afternoon. We wandered around a bit speaking with the fly tyers, buying some critical supplies and oggling the shiny objects of our desire.

I made several passes through Dave Whitlock's booth. I hadn't met Dave before but like you I'm familiar with his work through the articles in numerous magazines. His illustrations of bugs, fish, and habitat that are among the most recognizable in our sport.

Early in the day, Dave was nice enough to spend some time talking as he worked. We spoke about the business of art - illustration vs fine art , the business of writing - writing for the paycheck vs the soul, and about being new to the game vs an old hand. It was very enjoyable and he was generous with his time.

Later Sam and I couldn't help but add a couple of prints to our collection and Emily and Dave were kind enough to donate a few prints for our upcoming TU banquet.

One of the things that I didn't count on was how much I enjoyed speaking with the vendors. Sure I was enamored with their wares, but there are a lot of fascinating folks in our sport and it was a good time just hanging out and chatting (and buying a few things, too). I suppose it's not much different from anything else in life, it's generally the people you meet that make the trip worth taking.

Drawing

Signing

Puglisi

Gregg Heffner

Claes Johansson

Cork below Bamboo

Minnows

Baubles

A Discussion with FR&R Editor Greg Thomas

2013-02-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had a revelation a few months ago. It was one of those things where you discover, as if struck by lightning, that something that used to be one way is now another. In this case, that thing had been changing forever but I didn't realize it. Perhaps my powers of observation are overrated.

The thing that had I had not noticed changing was the magazine, Fly Rod & Reel. Sometime in the past couple of years it had begun to change from a "how to" sort of thing to something different; not exactly literary but clearly not the bait and bullet mold.

I got in touch with Greg Thomas, Editor of FR&R, and he agreed to respond to a few questions about himself and the magazine. The results of that exchange are below.

Growing up in Alaska and Washington is seems like angling has been a part of your life right from the beginning. If fishing came first, are you an angler who writes or has your profession moved to the forefront and you're now a writing-angler? Or does that even matter?

I started fishing with my father, the artist Fred Thomas, when I was three or four. We caught steelhead and king salmon with regularity, plus big sea-run cutthroat. The outdoors has been at my core from birth, pretty much. Because my dad worked for himself he could always take up a friends offer to fish or hunt, when so many others couldn't. I wanted to mimic that. When it became clear that writing was something I excelled at—during high school—I decided that would be my ticket to doing just about whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it, in the outdoors. After college I shunned permanent work and just cruised the West. I didn't want to be a guy, say, from Florida, who fished Montana or anywhere else in the West for five days a year and then thought they would write a book about it. I wanted to be legit. So I bounced around, having fun, fishing nearly 200 days a year, living a pretty good, but lean life. I think that has paid off—when manuscripts cross my desk I know if a person really knows what they are talking about or they're just playing a game for gear or a trip somewhere. To your question, I'm at once a writer and an angler first.

What's your writing story -- when did it start, was it always about angling, where's it going?

At first I wanted to be a sports writer so I could afford to go to all the professional sporting events. Then the idea of fishing and hunting all the time took over. A teacher in high school once told me I was a very good writer and I ought to make a career of it. That was really the first time my academics had been acknowledged. So I enrolled at the University of Montana, mostly because of the fishing but also because they have a highly respected journalism program. Those journalism classes were invaluable. They taught me to write and edit strictly. But instead of going out and getting a newspaper job I always pursued freelance so I wouldn't have to be anywhere at anytime and could fish when it was prime. I struggled like most young writers, but has some early success, too. One day I said, this article that I just penned is as good as anything I've ever read in a travel or outdoors page of a national newspaper. I said I would send it to every major newspaper in the country until someone bought it. I faxed it (yes, that dates me) to the New York Times that night. I got a call in the morning with good news—the article has run in the national edition that day. Big break. Everything was pretty easy after that.

What writers influence you most?

I like reading the Japanese author Haruki Murakami, but his work is so fantastical it doesn't really influence my writing. Hemingway was a great storyteller and I think his work influenced me. McGuane is good, too, the best angling-essay writer alive. A.J. McClane was an early influence. But, really, Jerry Holleran, a professor at the University of Montana was the guy who ran my ass into the ground and made me a good journalist. He's responsible.

What writer, living or dead, would you want to work alongside, learning craft and sharing time on the water?

Probably Hemingway. He liked to tip them back and I do, too. But I think he was way more responsible than he's credited for. He worked hard, got his work done and done well, and then he cut loose. I'd like to work on the writing craft with him and get into his head, check out his mentality. I'd also liked to have learned boxing from him. I'd loved to have kicked his ass around in the ring. Or, yes, I'll admit it, it probably would have been the other way around. I don't know . . . he's just a man's man and was strong willed. He lived his life the way he wanted to and he lived it well with no excuses. There's a lot to be admired in that.

While this is not exactly fair, in Fly, Rod &Reel's pages between William's conservation column and Gierach's end story one has traditionally found the fare of a modern fly fishing magazine's -- go here, fish there, do it this way, etc -- but things seem to have shifted during the past year or so to a different kind of article and voice in FR&R. What's going on here?

I can't really take credit for the shift. I think the former editor, Joe Healy, is responsible for some of that. I worked under him for a couple years and our vision of what was tired in fly fishing and what could make a magazine stand out really meshed. We're both storytellers. And that is the key to Fly Rod & Reel and what separates us from the masses—we tell stories and along the way we give just enough information to allow someone to enjoy the same experience on their own or through a lodge or guide.

It's a big tent and it's all fun
and games until someone starts
eating someone else's lunch.

Is the editorial shift for FR&R being driven by competitive pressures such as The Drake and The Flyfish Journal?

I've never felt any competitive pressure at all. All I try to do is what I think is best for the reader. I just want to do all of it better than anyone else. Regarding the Drake and Fly Fish Journal, I like both publications and feel that they are important to fly fishing. Tom Bie and I started our magazines at the same time and leaned on each other a little for advice. You know, Tom started the Drake by selling his driftboat; I started Tight Lines with about a thousand dollars in my pocket. Both publications were successful and I'm proud of myself and Tom for having worked so hard. Tom now has his niche and Fly Rod & Reel has its niche. Steve Duda at FF Journal is a cool dude and doing a great job, too. It's not a matter of whether any of these three titles deserve to exist, it's just a matter of the industry supporting the effort.

Who are some of the new writers of our sport coming up in the pipeline - who are the guys you're reading and expect we'll see more of in the future?

The truth is there aren't very many high quality new writers coming into the fold. And there aren't a lot of old writers who are really good either. I'm not alone in searching for writers who are trained and care enough to turn in a manuscript that lacks errors, moves from point a to point b, and so on seamlessly. A lot of people consider themselves writers but few are writers. I say this because it opens up possibilities for anyone who does write well. Write well. Tell a great story. Edit your work. Provide hi-res photo support with the manuscript. Call me first.

The advent of electronic publishing, blogs, websites, etc. have created lots of outlets for readers to find content. Are books and print dead?

Print magazine and books aren't dead. It's just an atrophying market. The best will remain. Hopefully the manufacturers and the advertisers will look critically at who's making the best effort and providing the best material and the'll support that. Honestly, I still think the printed word is the best way for people to educate themselves on certain subjects, inside and outside of fishing. If the printed word is lost and all we have is video, the world will continue its dumbing-down process and we're all headed for hell.

Haida Gwaii. I still think
he made it up.

If you could live by any body of water, which would it be?

Not fair. Not a fair question. I love the Big Hole River but after living in a small town for seven years I couldn't go back to rural living. I love tarpon and thought seriously about moving to the Florida Keys back in the 1990s when I spent up to a month a year there in May and June casting everyday for giants. But there aren't any mountains. And most important, I don't have any family there. Family is everything to me. I am from the Pacific Northwest and it is in my core. It courses through my veins. It's where all of my family lives. Maybe I'd live on a particular steelhead stream in Alaska, which I won't mention the name of. Or maybe a stream on Haida Gwaii ^[1]. The Dean River would be killer. I spent a week there one time in a dreamlike state. It was during my divorce. Life sucked. I could have fallen off the face of the planet and not cared. Then the Dean came along. Life seemed worth living after that.

What's your favorite angling experience to date?

Dean River, British Columbia. Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec. Tarpon out of Marathon, Florida. Redfish in Louisiana. All sick experiences. But my days on Silver Creek in central Idaho, when my sister and mother and father would visit, and we'd grab a Bowl of Soul at Java and race to the creek for the 6 a.m. Trico spinnerfall—that's when everyone was happy and healthy and the world seemed too be at our fingertips. Great times. Wonderful memories. Freakin' giant rainbows and browns on tiny dries.

If you had to give up fly fishing or writing about fly fishing, which would it be and why?

I'd give up the writing because I've achieved most of the goals I set. But to give up fishing? When I'm on the water nothing else matters. It's an escape from reality that helps me through life. That said, I don't know if I'd like fishing as much if there wasn't that overriding sensation to find meaning and a story in my trips to the water. The combination drives me to do it as often as I can.

Does PBR have redeeming qualities? If so, what are they?

Are you kidding me? Rainier, too. Ditto for Red Hook. Actually, I've never met a beer I didn't like, warm or cold.^[2]

Not for drinking

Scotch or Whiskey^[3]? Rocks or Neat?

Whiskey. Rocks. Tiny splash of water to bring out he flavor. To hell with peat bogs. They're hard to cross and it taste like crap.^[4]

Are you cool because you fly fish?

I saw a bumper sticker in Missoula on a souped-up, lifted Chevy truck. It said, "I don't care if you fly fish." Loved it.

Sometimes I think many of us think we're gods gift to humanity because we fly fish. And we consider ourselves better than most people and certainly better than people who would fish in any other way. I used to think that way, but I changed my stance years ago when I started to consider fishermen, whether jerkers, spin-dogs or even the commercial guys, as a body that can make a difference in government and policy decisions. Hey I'll turn in the rat-bastard who's taking over his limit or killing a wild steelhead, or fishing with bait in a no-bait area, as fast as anyone. But I'm more accepting at this point. If they're playing by the rules they're ok by me.

_____________________________________________

You can catch more of Greg Thomas in the pages of FR&R or over on his blog, Angler's Tonic.

Notes
1 - Yeah, I thought he just made this up to mess with me, but there's actually such a place. Unless he made up the Wikipedia entry just to boldly manifest the lie.
2 - Clearly Greg has never tried this Belgian cherry wheat beer that tastes like Robitussin. Or maybe he has. That'd certainly say something.
3 - Would "Scotch or Bourbon?" been a more accurate question?
4 - While I'm generally a single malt guy, Woodford has it's charms.