geartalk

Many years ago when I worked as the editor of The Flyfish Journal one of my favorite duties was trading weekly correspondence with Kea Hause, a long-time friend and fly-fishing guide from Colorado’s Roaring Fork valley. Ostensibly, the exercise was intended to curate content for the magazine’s blog, gathered in weekly “fishing reports,” though over time, it simply became a way to explore language and stay connected throughout the seasons. Kea is gone now, having passed away from complications related to a backcountry ski accident, and the rivers and valleys he called home for more than fifty years are left with an enormous drift to fill. Equal parts explorer, artist, dreamer, addict and riverman–he was a rare, untouchable soul, blessed with an innately curious spirit. The following are his letters. He would want you to read them. He would want you to SHOW UP, WORK HARD AND DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE GOING TO DO. He would want you to follow the Plastic Jesus. He would want you to feather the oars, and let God take care of the rest. Aye Aye Captain.

Boat Tip: Girth Hitch Your Cam Straps

Look at ten different rafts, and you’ll likely see ten different ways to rig many of the same boat components.

Almost every time I go on a river trip with another oarsman, I learn something new about rigging. Some good, some bad, and some will change the way you do things permanently.

This rigging tip I learned a while ago, but had forgotten until a trip down the main stem of the Salmon River a couple years ago. It’s incredibly basic, but super handy for boat organization, keeping the raft tidy (high on the list for anglers) and most importantly, it keeps the cam straps where they should be and doesn’t let them wander off after unbuckling.

All it really consists of is using a girth hitch to attach your cam straps to the frame, or D-ring. It’s great for attaching your frame to the boat, because the strap cannot fall off–same for lashing down a cargo net, or cooler, on multi-night river trips. There’s also no confusion as to what goes where the next morning during rigging, as the cam straps stay put after being unbuckled.

The downside is that you use a little more webbing material, shortening the length of the strap, but it’s generally just inches for most tubing on frames.

Give the girth hitch a try on your next river tip, and we bet you’ll like it.

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Tips to Help You Select, Rig and Fish the Right Fly

Trout mostly eat insects and small fish. For you to catch them, your offerings generally have to resemble the real things.

To zero in on the right fly pattern for the right situation, you need a basic understanding of the different insects and their stages.

The insects trout eat are divided into different classes: mayflies (the oldest winged insects in existence, dating back roughly 370 million years; the wings of an adult look like a sail on a boat); stoneflies (big, meaty staples in many rivers); midges (usually tiny); caddis (moth-like flies that inhabit many rivers nationwide); and terrestrials (land walkers, as the name Implies, like grasshoppers and ants).

To figure out what fly to fish, and when, follow these three steps.

Step one is to decide which classes of insect(s) the trout are most likely keyed on. Late summer, clear day, probably a terrestrial. Spring day, cloudy, a good bet for mayflies, or caddis. Early June, high water, you’ll know the stoneflies are moving and hatching. Midges are year-round bugs, but staples in winter, especially in tailwater rivers below dams.

Step two is to divide class by species. Which mayfly species, for example, is hatching now? This all depends on where you are, and the water and weather conditions. There are generalities you can follow. Baetis, for example, typically hatch in spring and fall. Hendricksons and Quill Gordons are classic spring bugs in the East (hence the name, mayflies). Gray Drakes and Hexagenia are big June bugs in Michigan. Green Drakes are July-August (rainy day) insects in Colorado, and so forth. Caddis love springtime (hence the Mother’s Day caddis hatch), and the big stonefly hatches (like those on Rock Creek and the Big Hole in Montana) happen in June. Any simple hatch chart will give you a general idea of what hatches where and when, and for the most part, all they’re good for are generalized guidelines. Seeing what’s on the water with your own eyes is always the best place to start.

Step three is division by insect stage. Insects live their life in stages. Once an insect hatches from its egg, it lives as a nymph in the river. The nymphal stage is the caterpillar to the butterfly, for all intents and purposes. The vast majority of an insect’s total lifespan is spent as a nymph. There are always nymphs in the river, every season, in all conditions. Moreover, when fish are feeding on dry flies, you can and should always assume they are eating nymphs as well. The emerger is the insect transitioning from nymphal form to adulthood, ascending to the river surface to sprout its wings and fly away. The dun is the recently emerged adult, drying its wings on the surface before it can fly away. This is the most vulnerable insect stage. Trout love it. Anglers love it. Fishing the dun is classic dry fly fishing. The adults will fly around, mate and do nothing else, as they don’t have mouths and are unable to eat. This takes only a day or two. The adults mate, the females lay their eggs, they die, and the whole cycle starts over.

Take three steps–pinpoint the type of insect, species and stage–and you take the mystery and guesswork out of bug selection.

Using The Human Anchor To Catch More Fish

Anchors seem to be a common talking point when angling boaters get together. How big? How small? What type? How heavy? The debates can go on forever.

There’s one type, however, that you may not have tried: The human anchor.

Many years ago, I had the privilege of being invited to Bristol Bay Lodge by acclaimed painter and fishing guide Bob White as a “visiting artist” to explore the area and teach the guests photography. While out one day with Bob, he showed me the finer points of the human anchor. I was blown away, as I’d never seen it in action before. Since then, I’ve used the system many times here at home in Colorado.

It works extraordinarily well if the conditions are safe.

The basics consist of the rower getting out of his/her vessel, grabbing a solid piece of the boat, pointing the bow downstream and simply walking the boat with angler slowly with the current. It’s far more accurate speed-wise then back rowing and will let you sit in a spot for as long is needed, while targeting every rising fish, instead of just one or two. It’s also much quieter than rowing.

Try it next time you’re out. Just remember that you need to check the depth and swiftness of the water, as to not get swept under the boat before exiting.

Water conditions are extremely important to track beforehand.