Casting Accuracy = Casting Distance

Do you want to improve your distance casting? Better start with your casting accuracy. If your still struggling with turning over the leader, bet your britches your going to struggle throwing a long line. Here are a few pointers to improve casting accuracy to allow you to throw that fly a country mile.

To improve your accuracy you must first make sure that the rod is tracking properly through the cast. Take your target and invision a line going forward through your target and all the way behind you stretching to infinity. This immaginary line is the line that the rod must track to cast accuratly. Most anglers have no problem tracking the rod through the front cast. Their mistake comes on the back cast.

My first bit of advise is to improve your back cast. The back cast is a fundamental and a must for accuracy and distance. Here is an easy excersize to help you build the necessary muscle memory for the back cast. Take your hand as though you were holding your fly rod. Stand approximatly 18 inches from the wall with your casting hand resting on the wall slightly less than sholder high. Move your hand back and forth on the wall as though you were casting a fly. This helps you understand that your casting hand must maintain the plane of the wall to track the rod in plane. You can also stand infront of a mirror with just the but end of a fly rod. Take a comfortable grip on the rod and make your typicall casting stroke. Watch to see if the end of the rod comes out of plane. Work on this new casting stroke. You should understand that you can maintain this casting plane and track the rod tip 180 degrees around your body, but the back cast must track in the same plane as your target on your front cast.

Take your new casting stroke to the yard. Put a target out infront of you. Start with a short cast and try to track the rod on the same line or plane through the cast and drop your fly on the target. You will notice that with short casts the casting stroke will be short and fast. As you put the target further away the casting stroke should lengthen as should the time you pause between front and back cast. If your casting stroke does not lengthen, or your not waiting for the rod to load properly you will begin throwing a tailing loop. Work on distances that are comfortable and be sure that the leader is turning over properly. Once you can drop the fly on target, work on longer distances. You will eventually reach a point where the amount of line you carry durring a cast is too long, then you need to learn to shoot line, and double haul. We can cover that in another blog.

The Slickest Trout is a Char

Here is a little something that is hard for some hacks to understand. Is the fish you just landed a trout or a char? I am not a fish biologist, so this info might not be 100% correct, but I have studied as many fish as those who only study text books. There are few places left in the world where truly native trout or char rein supreme in their natural habitats. Trout and char have been distributed so widely throughout the world that at times you never know what might be on the end of the line. So how do you tell the difference between so called true trout, and char. The easiest way to tell the difference is the due to the dark spots on true trout opposed to the light spots on char. But the differences go beyond that. Most native chars need cooler water than trout and therefore become increasingly abundant in Arctic regions. Char also spawn in the fall, unlike most trout (Brown trout spawn in the fall). Scientists distinguish between the two groups not only by the color of the fish but by the arrangement of the bones, teeth, and the finer scales of the char. Scales? I am sure most anglers would argue that an eastern Brook trout has no scales, but the number and arrangement of scales differ between the chars and trout. Trout and Char have an equal number of scales as fingerling's as they do as an adult. As the fish grows, so do the scales. You can tell the age of a trout or char by counting the rings on a scale not too much unlike counting the rings of a tree. Brook trout have the the finest scales, and also the most scales. These fine scales give the eastern Brook trout the slickest feel of any trout.

Showing Off

Everyone loves hero shots, but you run the risk of seriously injuring or killing a trout to get them. Here are a few pointers I can give you to get the shot you desire and keep the fish safe. First rule of catch and release fishing is to pinch your barbs. Nothing bothers me more than seeing a beautiful trout with a mangled jaw because the S.O.B who caught it before thought he needed a barb to land a fish. A pinched barb will also minimize the amount of time you need to keep the fish out of the water. Try and land the fish as fast as possible. This minimizes the stress on the fish and will decrease the mortality on fish you release. Leave the fish in the water until you, or your fishing partner is ready with the camera. Imagine running wind sprints then when you were gasping for air having someone hold your head under water, this must be what it's like for a fish out of water after an exhausting battle. Before you attempt to hold you fish, wet your hands. A fishes slime acts as an immune system and protects the fish from parasitic mites and fungus that might infect a fish who is stressed and without some of its' slime. When you are ready to pose the fish for the photo, with a firm grip hold the fish just in front of the tail. The bony part of a fish is between the adipose fin and the tail and will provide you with the best grip. With your other hand support the fish just behind its' pectoral fins, be careful not to squeeze the fish, just support it. Try to have the sun so it's not back lighting you and your prize. Those photos usually turn up washed out. Focus on the fish not on the hack holding it. They are magnificent creatures and we are just there to love em' and leave em'. Try to eliminate your thumbs from the other side of the fish. I don't care how big they are, they look skinny if you can see your thumbs above the fishes back or tail. Click the photo, and get that pig back in the water. Here are some photos of some bragging right rainbows.

Two Fly Rigs

Most anglers are familiar with tying nymphs to large dry flies, or fishing with two nymphs, but their understanding of how and why rigging two flies is effective gets tangled. Fishing two flies is useful in unlimited fishing situations. When I am float fishing, I almost always fish two flies to cover fish feeding on the surface and subsurface (hopper dropper style). However, fishing two dries is also very effective. The first thing you should understand when you are about to rig up with two flies is that you are still trying to match the hatch. If you are fishing a dropper fly that has no similarities to the actual insects that are available to the fish, you are most likely wasting your time fishing a dropper. Many well known nymph patterns act as attractors. They don't necessarily look like a specific nymph, but have many similarities to the real thing. Your main concern should be with size, shape and color of your dropper. Most anglers rig up with two flies by tying the dropper to the bend of the hook. Although this is very effective, there are a few other ways which two flies can be rigged and fished. Here are few of my favorite rigs.......

The Standard, tie the dropper to the hook bend of the first fly. The tippet used for tying the dropper should be one X greater than the tippet tied to the first fly. Hopper tied to 3X, dropper tied to 4X. The standard way of rigging your dropper effects you dry fly in a few ways. First it may sink your dry if you try to tie a nymph that is too heavy to your dry. Second it makes the dry sit lower in the water. This makes a more believable presentaition for low riding insects such as hoppers and stoneflies. It also serves as a strike indicator for your nymph.

Several years ago, I had a guest who brought along another well known guide with him for a day of fishing. It was a great chance to learn something new from the other guide who was very respected in the area. The Snake River has a fall stone fly hatch which is a bit unusual. The male stonefly is flightless and has underdeveloped wings. He has to run across the river which makes him a favorite target for trout. This time of year also has nice caddis hatches. We started by fishing a fall stonefly pattern, with a caddis dropper. However this time, he rigged the caddis above the stone. The way this is done is by tying a separate dropper line. Tie a perfection loop, or double surgeon loop in the end of the dropper line. Then attach the line by threading the end of the line trough the loop above a blood knot. Attach the fly to the end of the dropper line. The advantage to fishing like this is that the large fly can still be cast directly to structure and the bank without having the small fly to worry about tangling. Also, the caddis can be bounced along the water by mending or lifting the rod tip. This also gave the stone fly the impression of running across the water. We had several times that day when we had two fish on the line at the same time. This is an effective way of rigging everything from dries to streamers and is a great way of improving your fishing skills. The heavier of the two flies always should be your lead fly.

When fishing two streamers I typically fish a light, unweighted streamer above my heavier lead fly. The flies should be separated by at least 2 feet. When fishing two streamers I also fish a clear intermediate sinking line and a level leader. I have had great success with type of rig and have even landed two fish simultaneously several times.

Get In The Swing

Swinging flies through all types of river features, might be the most versatile type of fly presentation. The swing, involves controlling the speed of your fly by the angle at which you cast, and mend your fly to the river current. Depending on which type of fly I am fishing, and the type of presentation I am going for, determines many factors of the swing but the general technique remains the same. For most dry fly and soft hackle presentations I cast at a 45 degree, down stream angle to the current. This is because I am trying to swing the flies as slow as possible. For dry fly and soft hackle presentations it's important to keep your tip down, almost in the water, to remain in contact with the fly. A slight elevation of the rod tip and you will notice the slack created between the rod tip and the water, lower the rod tip and the line draws taught. When fishing light tippits you will need to learn to slip strike the fish. This is done by keeping a small amount of slack line between your index and middle finger or stripping finger. When the fish strikes, drop the slack line as you raise your rod tip. Try a soft hackle when the fish are feeding on emergers or before those epic evening hatches. Dry flies, such as caddis are very effective fished on a swing. I recommend fishing a knotless tapered leader of 10ft or longer. It is also important to add a bit of floatant to the fly and leader. As the caddis swings through the run, lift the rod tip slowly, then lower it back to the water to give the effect of a caddis dapping the water. I love to fish this way when the light fades and it becomes difficult to spot my dry fly. By moving the fly, it is easier to spot and you also will feel the strike, a definite advantage when fishing low light conditions. Nymph fishing is also effective using a variation of the technique mentioned above. Use a weighted nymph, and again cast the fly quartering across the current, add a slack mend to the line to allow the flies to sink, then hold the line tight and slowly elevate the rod tip to give the impression of nymphs releasing their grip from the bottom and coming to the surface. You can do this several times in one drift, effectively covering the water. When fishing a streamer, I cast a little less than 45 degrees to the current and allow the line to belly slightly down stream of your fly. As the belly is pulled out of the line the fly accelerates giving the impression of a bait fish escaping. As the line begins to slow, twitch the fly pumping the line and allowing the current to pull the slack line tight again. Most fish will take in the middle of the swing but not always. When the fly come to rest parallel to the bank hesitate for a moment before recasting, you might just get slammed. Remember the idea is to cover water. By swinging the fly, imagine it sweeping the river. Start with a few short casts then gradually cast further out from a stationary position, after covering an area take a few steps down and start again. Tight lines!

Get Organized (Save Time and Money by Organizing Your Fly Boxes)

Fly fishermen go through an evolution, starting with only the basic gear, then too much gear, and then again a minimalist approach to the sport. It seems every time I travel to a new fishing destination I end up tying several flies, and most likely purchasing some patterns at the local fly shop. You quickly end up with so many flies that you either never fish with them, forget you had them, or they rot, rust or are eaten. Many anglers overlook the importance of protecting their investment. Some fly boxes are just not suited to protecting their flies. I recently threw out more than two dozen flies because they had been maintained in poor conditions. When I am fishing from a boat I prefer to have all my flies in a few large boxes. For some time I have been using the clear plastic type tackle box. I now realize my error. Although you can not beat the clear plastic boxes for their price or volume which they hold, they have a few features which prove fatal to some types of flies. The clear plastic allows damaging UV rays into the box which rots rubber leg's, and sucks the life from your foam flies. There is also a problem with condensation in clear boxes, never allowing your flies to dry fully and destroying your best rabbit fur streamers. I thought I had solved my problems by going with the soft type of foam fly box. Although these boxes are light weight, float and provide ample storage, they crush the delicate wings of your best dry flies. I solved my problems by purchasing two large fly boxes, one from S2,(http://www.s2products.com/) in Jackson, Wyoming, the other a Bugger Barn from Cliffs Outdoors of Wyoming (http://www.cliffoutdoors.com/index.html ). The wooden S2 boxes are attractive and inside house all my delicate dries beautifully. There is ample room inside the S2 box to not crush the delicate posts and wings of my dries. The Bugger Barn is made of durable plastic and has more than enough room for an array of streamers. Take care to dry your flies when you get home by simply opening your boxes and allowing the flies to dry overnight. If you are going to store them for some length of time make sure to put them somewhere dry and cool, maybe even going as far as stashing them in a plastic Tupperware to seal out any insects or other fly devouring creature. Now my flies are looking good and ready to fish. When I want to wade fish, I use one of my other soft foam or plastic fly boxes and only take what I think I might really need. Instead of carrying an array of boxes in my vest, now I only carry one or two in the chest pocket of my waders. Fly rod, lanyard, and a fly box is all you really need for an outing proving you have evolved, taking a minimalist approach to the sport of fly fishing.

Lessons From a Kid

When did you start fishing? Hell, I can't even remember the first fish I caught, but I've been with a few kids that had just caught their first fish. I spend much of the year guiding fishermen, and admittedly at times it becomes monotonous. However, I get snapped back to the wonderful reality of my position when a kid catches their first fish. It seems to put things back in perspective. A few days ago I was teaching a fishing clinic at Flat Creek Ranch with Todd, and his son Bryce. Bryce is a outdoor loving 8 year old and reminds me of me. He intently listened to everything I said and I had him swinging a peacock soft hackle through a riffle in a matter of minutes. It wasn't long before Bryce had hooked up with his first trout. A smile came over his face that reminded me how lucky I am to have a job that allows me to guide fishermen. Nice fish Bryce!