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Fly-fishing News: Carp Fishing New York, Mystery Ranch Rumors and New Umpqua tools

Umpqua Feather Merchants has unveiled the RiverRun Four-piece Tool Collection: Nippers with Lanyard ($24.99), Trout Pliers ($39.99), Big-Game Pliers ($69.99), Nipper/Trout Plier Combo ($64.99). In an increasingly competitive hard goods/tool market, these products are intended to attract the mid-priced angler.

Great carp fishing piece from Field Mag: In search of carp with Dr. Brandon Dale, the only NYS licensed guide operating in Manhattan. “Hoisting the fat fish out of the net for a photo, it was hard to ignore the pungency of its odor. Yes, all fish smell, but boy, do carp stink on a whole new level…” Watch the episode.

GearJunkie reports on the YETI Rumors of a Mystery Ranch (consumer backpack) Phase-Out: “The speculation gained traction when the Rock Fight podcast broke the news on Wednesday morning. Several retailers and sales representatives for Mystery Ranch have contacted the Rock Fight podcast about YETI’s plans…” Read more about YETI’s plans to integrate Mystery Ranch from their new head of softgoods, Layne Rigney, as he discusses next steps in the brand integration.

Flylords interviews Andrew Murphy of Gaspé Coastal about the resurgent Canadian striped bass population: “Canada can be a tough place to love striped bass, especially as a fly angler, since much of the local community sees them as a trash fish or an afterthought. Salmon is the name of the game here and, for most, the only game in town. There’s a major misconception that striped bass are a significant threat to salmon…”

Ken Baldwin of Sports Illustrated goes deep on the old and new Pflueger Medalist fly reel: “Because of the original’s popularity and that it is still in demand among collectors, Pure Fishing re-released the Pflueger Medalist for a new generation of fly anglers. The new Medalist is a standard arbor fly reel with fully machined aluminum construction and a multi-position click and pawl system.”

The Beaverkill Angler, an iconic outfitter in the heart of Roscoe, New York, is for sale: “For anyone with a passion for fly fishing and a desire to become a steward of Roscoe’s rich heritage, The Beaverkill Angler offers an extraordinary chance to carry on a time-honored tradition and turn it into a thriving business venture.”

The Lodge at 58° North: Kate and Justin Crump talk about their new, sustainable lodge on Alaska’s Naknek River.

How to Cast Fifteen-Foot Leaders (and Why)

In places like New Zealand, a longer leader and tippet are considered vital. Kiwis want to keep the actual fly line as far away from the target fish as possible, and nine feet doesn’t do that as well as fifteen feet.

I don’t know if I’m that sensitive myself, but I have been using longer leaders, especially when I’m fishing dries on clear water, and one thing is becoming clear: The longer leader cannot hurt your odds if you know how to cast one.

The key to casting a longer leader is to build a longer leader that’s easier to cast. So, I do favor a very heavy butt section, and I’ll build down to my desired diameter from there. Knotted leaders are fine if you are going long–if I want to end up with 5x, for example, I’ll start the leader with 2x, and build out three-foot intervals (stepping down 2x, 3x, 4x etc.) with blood knots.

With longer leaders, you really need to mind your form and not over-wrist the cast. Easy, gentle, technical strokes are called for, because punching the line creates tailing loops, and the potential mess is increased incrementally the longer the leader.

Lastly, you want to adjust the plane of your cast so everything is fully extended about two feet above the surface–you can’t have that long leader extend six feet and drop to the surface, or it’s going to recoil, and you lose the whole reason for fishing a longer leader.

The exception is if you want some coils of loose tippet to absorb some current as the fly drifts. That’s another useful move with the long leader, and in that case, all you want to do is have the whole line and leader fully extend just a bit higher above the water’s surface.

And always remember: practice lawn casting before you ever show up on the river.

Fly-fishing News: Top Hunting Knives, G. Loomis Craftsmen and Muddy Creek’s Revival 

FlyLords takes a deep dive into the Benchmade Knife Company’s Water collection in the highly competitive outdoor knife category: “These knives are incredibly durable. Between using the blades as impromptu screwdrivers when the situations called for it (which, embarrassingly, it has multiple times) to being forgotten on waders/bibs and tossed around in mud and rain in the back of a truck bed, we have yet to find a circumstance unforgiving enough to bend or break one of these knives.”

GearJunkie reviews the Best Hunting Knives of 2024: “The knife should hold an edge or be easily field sharpened. It should fit well in the hand to protect the user from accidental injury. And a good hunting knife is usually stout enough to crack bone.”

The “Feel Connected” fly rod series from G. Loomis Rods. If you ever wondered how fly rods are painstakingly constructed and finished, this series looks at the people and hours behind the process: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.

Guide Logan Hurn from Wyoming’s North Platte River talks about the keys to hooking and landing big fish: 1. Use 8-pound fluorocarbon 2. Fish heavier rods (6-weights or bigger) to play fish quickly 3. “Don’t lead the fish up-river on the hook set,” which pulls the fly out of the fish’s mouth–anglers should always set the hook downstream.

Frying Pan River guide Beck Brooks talks about twitching dries for uber picky trout: “Make your flies skate or dance after a few dead-drift refusals…”

Muddy Creek water management: “Trout Unlimited and partners such as Wyoming Game and Fish, and the Bureau of Land Management, have been restoring vital habitat for Colorado River cutthroat trout in Muddy Creek, Wyoming. The basin is home to four native fish species…”

Partner News: New DTC Brand Zen Tenkara

Based in Colorado, Zen Tenkara is the oldest independently owned tenkara fly rod company in the U.S. They design, manufacture and sell a broad range of high quality tenkara rods, lines and accessories. The company has a reputation for modernizing this fixed-line method and creating a “fusion” of traditional fly fishing with tenkara to target not only small species, but also large, powerful fish not typically associated with the method. Zen Tenkara has set the standard for high quality, innovative products, as well as exemplary customer service.

Flylab discount: 35% off all regularly priced products, excluding gift certificates and lessons.

Zen Tenkara in the Louisiana marsh with Captain David Phelps, chasing redfish with a Zen Kyojin Tenkara fly rod.