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Fly Anglers Should Be Ambidextrous

The more you develop your casting and reeling abilities with your “off” hand, the better fly fisherman you’ll become.

Here’s a simple way to start developing a cast with your non-dominant hand, shared by guide and writer Kim Leighton on the Yellowstone River years ago: cast as you normally would, using your dominant hand, but as you do this, gently cup the reel with your off hand.

This will build a sense of timing and tempo that you can eventually transfer from one hand to the other.

If you’re only able to develop a casting ability with your off hand that is 25 percent of your good one, you’ll still be better off when you find yourself in a tough spot where the river, cover and currents make an opposite-arm delivery your only viable option.

Think of great athletes, particularly basketball players–the ability to be ambidextrous is an essential skill and a key component of what separates the good from great players.

Sinking Lines, Winston Pure 2 Review and the New Gaspé Coastal Lodge

Just in time for some serious winter fishing, Patagonia is out with a new base layer combo–the R2 TechFace Pullover and R2 TechFace Pants.

From Flylords: The Complete Guide to Sinking Fly Lines. “Whether you’re trying to keep your streamer a few feet into the column for the duration of your retrieve or need to drop your fly into the depths, there’s a sinking setup for the job…”

MidCurrent reviews the Winston Pure 2 7-foot 9-inch 4-weight: “Unlike some of the older Winston rods, the Pure 2 is noticeably more stable throughout the cast–new materials Winston used in this rod (the same technology in their Air 2 lineup) allow for a crisper, tighter experience…”

From Outside: How to Clean, Waterproof and Care for Your Technical Apparel. “Your waterproof-breathable shells, sleeping bags, gloves, boots, insulation, and soft shells all need regular cleaning and maintenance to keep protecting you from cold, wet conditions.”

Montana Supreme Court rules in landmark climate case: “The court was unequivocal, stating that the ‘plaintiffs showed at trial–without dispute–that climate change is harming Montana’s environmental life support system now and with increasing severity for the foreseeable future…’”

The invasive sea lamprey: “This notorious predator arrived in the Great Lakes in the early twentieth century, triggering an ecological crisis and nearly wiping out populations of lake trout, whitefish, and other cornerstone species.”

New Canadian lodge launches: Gaspé Coastal. Kyle Schaefer partners with Sarah Nellis and Andrew Murphy to launch Gaspé Coastal, where pristine fresh water pours from the terminus of the Appalachian mountains to meet the Chaleur Bay in the north Atlantic. “From upholding the time-honored traditions of the region’s fishing culture to embracing innovative techniques that sustain our waters, we are dedicated to preserving the lifeblood of the Gaspé Peninsula.”

Gaspé Coastal: Andrew Murphy is a striped bass guide on the flats of the Baie-des-Chaleurs.

BONEDALE FISHING REPORT #23

I’LL NEVER BE HOME EXCEPT HERE DIRT POOR IN ABANDONED COUNTRY

Long before the valley was catch and release, making a kill was what made the man. Just upstream from the fish hatchery, the Crystal releases its banks into small, meandering tributaries, which, while only a few feet wide, are two-fold deep and carry an occasional lunker Brown. It was these rogue fish I sought when I pried apart the barbed wire fence and found my way on to the rancher’s land. I didn’t carry a rod, because I had discovered the guidance of two toe-headed boys who swore they were part Ute–indigenous to the most rugged places. They confided an ancient fishing technique–walking downstream, you could herd the trout beneath undercut banks, and once sheltered, it was easy to reach down and slide your hands below their soft underbellies. With one swift movement, you could send a thumb through their gills and scoop the fish into the air. The trick was to move your hands back and forth, simulating currents, until the fish were complacent before a strike. As I crept along the stream I saw three dark submarines scurry beneath the bank, and my heart pounded as I realized this plan might actually work. The trout were well over 18-inches. I approached the river on my hands and knees, before slowly reaching my arm under the overhanging grass. For a brief moment I felt something soft and slippery, but it moved further into the current, so I decided to lunge aggressively. The smooth flesh of the meaty tube was replaced by the fur, claws and belly of what felt like a newborn puppy. My harpoon hand found its way to the backside of a Muskrat, and I retracted my hand in terror, avoiding a bite from his wood-chomping incisors. As I think back, I realize I learned a valuable lesson–if you want to be a man, you better take it soft and slow. You better know where you’re putting your hands and how to use them. Worst case, you get bit. – Eric Hause, my brother in arms.

Live from the WORLD HEADQUARTERS

Kea C. Hause esq.

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Riding the stern during a Crystal River float window. Note the hand painted frame, Kea’s art was everywhere and not even visible all of the time. Photo: Copi Vojta

Take the Reins

When you hook a fish, the thing most people (rightly) think about is keeping that rod tip high. Good. But if you’re in or near heavy current, you also want to steer that fish toward the bank.

If you let a strong trout play you out in heavy current, even with a high rod tip, the trout is at an advantage, unless you are able to exert some will and influence its direction.

Watch a good angler work a hooked trout, and you’ll notice it doesn’t take all that long for him to land it. That’s good for both the angler, who will ultimately land more fish, and the trout, which will be subjected to lower levels of stress and exhaustion.

The key is to dip the rod toward the bank and force the fish toward slack water. It’s like steering a horse with reins. Tip the rod right, turn the fish right; tip the rod left, turn him left.

When the fish is ready for the net, that’s when you go back high with the rod tip. Start and end the fight with a high tip. In between, you dictate the action by steering side to side.