Winter 2023 |Volume 21, Issue 1

FAIL is not an AMPLITUDE INFINITY SALT with AST Plus “I know how hard saltwater guides work to put anglers on fish. The last thing I want to do is disrespect that effort by throwing a bum line that could mess up our chance at a great memory. I use Amplitude Infinity Salt because, when I’m in the client seat, showing up with the right line is the least I can do.”

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Executive Publisher Jennifer Bird Founding Editor Derek Bird Managing Editor Bob Covey Associate Editor Gary Bird Art Director Terry Paulhus Content Administrator Kim Carruthers Office Administrator Selina Latham

Department Editors Derek Bird Frank Brassard Brian Chan Kastine Coleman Jim McLennan Derek Olthuis Jeff Wagner Contributors Jackson Bird Bob Covey Jake Dicks Faceless Fly Fishing Peter James Glenn Hilary Mayberry Landon Mayer Cale Neufeld Douglas Paton Gordon van der Spuy Arian Stevens

Executive Producer Film & Television Chris Bird

Fly Fusion is published quarterly by Fly Fusion Ltd, a division of Bird Marketing Group Inc. 111, 7 Avenue S, Suite A Cranbrook, BC V1C 2J3 1-888-435-9624 info@flyfusionmag.com flyfusionmag.com The current issue of Fly Fusion can be found across North America in specialty fly shops, sporting goods stores and retail outlets for $8.99.

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© Photo Jake Dicks

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The wildly popular Fly Fusion Series is returning to television, small and silver screens in 2024. Join us as we explore the trout rich and storied rivers of Wyoming and Idaho.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

CONTENTS 12 GET PRIMED

Landon Mayer Preparing for proper presentation means preparing for the day—determining what an angler might encounter in terms of water, fish and the environment. By getting primed, as Colorado fly fishing guide Landon Mayer calls his planning process, we can prepare for success.

20 PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE Jake Dicks

Atlantic salmon can test the limits of the most unflappable anglers. Throw in 80mm of rain in 24 hours, a camp on the verge of flood, and the pressure of getting “the shot,” and patience can turn to painstaking. But if it was easy, everyone would do it.

26 TRASH OR TREASURE? Douglas Paton

Whitefish too-often get the snub from anglers who want trout, not “trash” fish.

But one angler’s trash is another angler’s treasure, and Okanagan-based fly fisherman Douglas Paton has discovered that there are plenty of gems to mine in the Rockies, particularly in winter.

35 2023 GEAR GUIDE

Fly Fusion Editorial Staff Our team had the chance to test a pile of gear from a variety of hard-working, innovative companies which specialize in fly fishing; the least we could do was put it through the rigours. After a season of wading, walking, casting and cursing, we present our annual Time Tested Reviews feature.

10 32 40 44

Stream Lines Water Marks Tight Loops, Tight Lines On the Vise

52 56 60 66

Long Lines Wandering Currents Stillwater Secrets End of the Line

© Contents image Arian Stevens | On the cover Faceless Fly Fishing

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STREAM LINES

Derek Bird I’m always willing to share a few fly-fishing secrets. My favorite fly, for example, is the one the trout are taking. My favorite season is the one when trout are biting.

My favorite stream is the one where the trout are plentiful and the anglers are few.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

Grasshoppers and Gladwell The unreliability of memories

I

want to tell you about my favorite trout from this past summer, but I face a conundrum. I’m certain I remember the day in vivid detail, but more and more over the last few years psychologists and podcasters remind me that memories are unreliable. Are memories really unreliable? The most memorable podcast I’ve listened to on the unreliability of memory was a Malcom Gladwell podcast titled “Free Brian Williams”. And since then, I’ve had to tune out a number of experts discussing the unreliability of memories.

What should I do? Should I forge ahead with the retelling of my favorite fish memory from the summer or should I simply realize that my memories are similar to the meat versus filler ratio of a McDonald’s chicken nugget (45% percent meat, 55 percent “other ingredients” for the wondering mind). Did I even catch fish this past summer? I’m so confused. In spite of Gladwell, I’ll give it a try anyway.

There’s a trip I deliberately take each summer in late August because I know the rhythms of my life are about to get quite hectic and because the emerald water of this small Vancouver Island stream has a way of reminding me to breathe in the moment. That, and because the persnickety trout that can normally only be coaxed by light tippet and small mayflies become less wary and choose to ignore the 4X tippet I use to turn over Hoppers.

The stream was filled with trout but not with anglers, because they’d joined the throngs closer to the salt in hopes of filling their freezer with Pink salmon. I tied on

a Morrish Hopper and set out from my vehicle, imbued with hope and confidence rooted in the knowledge I’ve gathered from years of walking the same path at the same time. But after the first few casts, I was reminded that the trout will only ever take what they want and not what I expect them to take. Three casts and three refusals. I saw their noses come up and inspect, but none committed, so I changed to a beetle and then one of the trout moved from his lie and attacked my fly. It was going to be a good day.

Not the day I’d expected, but a day I’d enjoy.

I ambled upstream, casting in every pocket and watching as each pocket that should hold a trout did.

As long as I casted accurately, I mended correctly, and I didn’t lose sight of the small orange post on my beetle, I hooked and landed a trout. At one spot a half a kilometer up from where I started, I had to sidearm my cast in order to deliver the beetle under low hanging alder branches.

I missed the first cast short and then placed the second cast where I wanted it. Where I wanted the beetle to land also happened to be the exact spot where a trout wanted it to land. I reached behind me to grab my net, and when I turned, I noticed what I assumed to be my net that had fallen out of my pack. I felt again and my net was in my pack. I shuffled back and grabbed the net from the rocks behind me and used it to land the trout. I recognized the net and remembered my good friend told me he lost his net on the stream a few weeks prior. The Prodigal had returned. I placed his net in my pack and looked forward to getting back to cell range so I could tell him the good news.

feet of drift, but it only needed two.

A trout recklessly grabbed the hopper. Explosive.

Completely uncharacteristic for that time of year. I’m not sure why. Maybe because his superior shelter inflated his confidence. Maybe he hadn’t seen an artificial fly in months. Or it’s possible he just really wanted the hopper.

He wasn’t my biggest trout of the summer or even that day. He unofficially registered in my brain a healthy 15-inches. But he registered in my brain. He’ll be there for a while I suspect in spite of what Malcom Gladwell has to say about memories. I think using the word ‘unreliable’ as an all-encompassing descriptor for the way our brains store memories is irresponsible. I suspect they can be unreliable at times, like when filtered through egocentrism, panic, anger, or trauma. I get that. I even see Gladwell’s point when a memory sits on a dusty shelf somewhere in the deep recesses of the cranium. But in that case, I wouldn’t describe a memory as unreliable. The brain does something incredibly efficient. It preserves the core of the memory and releases some of the superfluous details, allowing the storyteller to use generic content to bridge the gaps.

I’m going to do something incredibly Canadian and apologize. From one Canadian to another— sorry Malcom Gladwell. Sorry, but you’re completely incorrect about memories. Come fly fishing with me one day and let your brain start to compile a long list of what’s called “unforgettable memories”.

© Illustration Peter James Glenn @peterjamesglenn

I moved back downstream and eventually stopped where the river widened and shallowed to ankle deep in the thalweg. On the far bank was what could be gratuitously described as a logjam. Two alders and a spindly fir lay perpendicular with the stream, with the largest in the water and the other two stacked on the first. The section of the stream flowing into the logs and branches was barely enough to cover the top of a wading boot, but directly beside the log, the spring current had carved away the gravel and now in late August the water colour indicated a depth change of maybe a foot. When I saw the colour bleed, I thought maybe…possibly?

I had to try. I stood there for a moment determined to solve the riddle of how to get a fly close to the log.

I couldn’t cast directly at it. Even if I could avoid the branches, I’d spook the trout. I could move below it and cast up into it; there were fewer branches but it still looked to be impossible. Hmmm. Casting above it proved difficult because a small cluster of semi-submerged branches just above the prime lie.

I reeled up my excess line and decided to change my beetle. It had been a few hours since my first few refusals on the Moorish Hopper. Maybe it was time in the heat of the day to give it another try. I stalled hoping that in the time I changed my fly the answer would become clear. It didn’t. I decided on the most desirable of the undesirable options. I casted well above and waited patiently as the hopper floated into position. Just as I suspected, the obstructing branches didn’t let my hopper get within three feet of the log. A tiny trout with eyes bigger than its mouth came up and nosed the hopper. I pulled the fly away and false casted.

If I cast again and get dangerously close to the branches, maybe the current on the other side will pull it in close enough. I have to be ok with losing the hopper, or ruining the run by retrieving the hopper if it gets fouled up I thought to myself. I recast a few inches closer and watched as the fly bumped up against the semisubmerged branches. The summer flow lazily pushed it over. This time within a foot of the perpendicular logs. I prepared for a full 10-15

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Get Primed

Preparing for proper presentation

© Photo Faceless Fly Fishing

Landon Mayer

P Landon Mayer Landon Mayer guides full time in Colorado on the South Platte River drainage. He resides with his wife, Michelle, and their four children in Florissant, Colorado. Mayer enthusiastically teaches and demonstrates his techniques for rivers and stillwaters to fellow anglers and has developed innovative flies as an Umpqua Signature Tyer matched to strategies for sighting, hooking, and landing selective trout.

He shares these tips and secrets in his books 101 Trout Tips: A Guide’s Secrets, Tactics and Techniques, Colorado’s Best Fly Fishing, Sight Fishing for Trout, and The Hunt for Giant Trout: 25 Top Locations in the US to Catch a Trophy. landonmayerflyfishing.com

reparation is the key to success, and one of the best ways anglers can improve their success on the water is to adequately prepare for the day ahead. I call this being “primed.”

While fly selection is important, what’s even more critical is getting your imitation to drift and act natural.

That sounds simple enough, but to achieve a perfect drift, an angler requires the relevant information— about the water, the fish, and the fishing techniques likely to be required throughout the day.

The following discussion points are elements I consider in my aim to collect as much information as possible about any river situation I come upon, in order to get the proper presentation of my fly to feeding fish.

Speed reading

Reading the speed of water plays a big part in top water success—particularly when conditions are tough. In an ideal world, I’ll have an opportunity to fish water with an even speed, and which contains soft water such as eddies, or side channels and sand bars. Trout can hold in these waters comfortably to eat, but for anglers, these lies are advantageous because feeding fish are closer to the surface, making it easier for them to see our fly.

Water depth is also a big part of finding nosing zones. In deep slots, fish can hold without fighting the current, while still having access to a variety of subsurface and top water treats. My personal favourite lie is a swollen, grass-choked bank with a soft gravel or sand bottom. Without structure on the substrate the water’s surface will remain calm, making it ideal to imitate a falling meal—a big, juicy hopper, for instance. Foam is also a great indicator of potentially-productive top water; trout are supplied cover below the white stuff, All photos Faceless Fly Fishing giving anglers a safe haven to present a dry.

When rivers rise, currents can change direction in many locations. Sometimes those diversions will allow trout to feed while facing downstream in soft water or large eddies. When you prospect these areas, fan the water by starting on one side of the run and covering it with one-to-two-foot adjustments as you progress.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

White of the mouth While prospecting for fish in likely-looking locations is a big part of the angling experience, sometimes, if you know what to search for, fish can be spotted before you cast.

When you are scanning shallow runs—and even deeper slots, so long as the water is clear—the white of a trout’s mouth can become apparent. If a fish is continually feeding, the opening and closing of a big, fishy gape can mimic a strobe light—an invitation to dance if there ever was one. But in many fisheries, such a beacon isn’t always available. And certainly in dirty water, it’s harder to discern—although experienced fish finders will still be able to spot a white mouth standing out against the dark tint of the run. Where you want to slow your walking speed and thoroughly search are the shallow waters between deep runs, those spots where the rocks or the river bottom can look very similar to the opening of the trout’s mouth.

It’s also helpful to search areas of the river where there are contrasting colours—for example, in the shade of an undercut bank. You’ll be surprised that some of the smudges you might normally not give more than a passing glance are in fact trout suspended above the river bottom.

The silouhette When it comes to sighting fish in low light situations, often the easiest thing to see is movement. Second to that is the silhouette of the trout. When I teach others the art of detecting a silhouette, I tell them to imagine a picture of a trout, with a penciled outline, but filled in with bold colours. Now take this same picture, erase the outline, and paint the trout’s body with watercolours. The conjured up image—ghost-like and semi-transparent— is what I tell my students to watch for in the water.

Hopefully, if the trout possesses vivid colourations—a red gill plate, a yellow belly, or shade differences on its fins, for example—its silhouette will stand out even more against the dull river bottom.

Positioning Once you’ve found a likely-looking run, or better yet, sighted a feeding fish, you can start preparing for your presentation. The foundation of a natural drift starts with your position on the water. First, take the time to

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

look around and plan your attack. I prefer to pick two or three options where I can position myself for the cast— positions which are free of obstructions, ideally, but also which are selected based on the flow of water. For example, if I am fishing a run that has an even current speed, I position myself perpendicular to the fish, so I will have a clear view of the trout when it takes my fly. From this spot I will cast up and across the stream, allowing my fly to drift naturally through the run, with the current, without requiring me to make a mend. Taking the time to prepare your presentation will result in more hookups and, eventually, more fish.

Understanding line control Line control is critical for a successful presentation. Firstly, that means being precise with how much line you have out. It has become common for many anglers to present nymphs, and dries, by shooting an excess amount of line for each cast, or to continue to pull line out with each cast, progressively getting further from the fish. I prefer to be more exacting. Often, once I locate the trout, or the water in which I think a trout is holding, I make a few practice casts to adjacent water. Once I have determined the precise length of cast required to get my presentation in the right spot, I cast above the trout and allow my flies to drift naturally through the run.

The steeple cast punch But even if you’ve put yourself in an ideal position, sometimes you need a little extra help to fool a feeding fish. Particularly in systems where trout have become wary of ever-more anglers on the water, longer leaders (more than 10 feet) can greatly assist in preventing trout from detecting your presence. However, a long leader can make conventional casting—especially if using two or more flies—a nightmare. The challenge of getting a straight, accurate cast is amplified if the target is only a short distance away. Because the rod cannot load properly with only a few feet of line coming out of the rod tip, there is a lack of energy to shoot the rig to where it should go. One way to overcome this hurdle is with a steeple cast punch.

In addition to casting a short line/long leader rig, the steeple cast punch helps shoot through wind and weather and, because of the minimal casting motion involved, reduces the chance of you spooking the fish. For these reasons, the steeple cast punch is one of the best false casting strokes you can use in short line situations when you are sight fishing for trout.

The key to the steeple cast punch is stopping the rod high—at the 1 o’clock position on the back cast—to allow the small amount of line, leader, and tippet to unroll and straighten out. On the forward cast, the angler must direct the fly line, leader, tippet, and flies at a 45-degree angle towards the water’s surface. Some force is required when performing the forward cast at this angle in order for the leader, tippet, and flies to straighten out.

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Using a mend The conventional method for a mend is to place a loop of line upstream of the indicator or fly, facilitating a natural, drag-free drift and allowing the weight or weighted flies a chance to sink. While a traditional mend is effective in many situations, it may not work in others. In rivers with uneven current speeds, where fast water in the middle of the river meets up with slow water towards the river’s edge, a regular, upstream mend can cause the line to drag: part of the line drifts upstream in the slow water, while the fast water drags the rig downstream. To counter this, I’ll often place a mend downstream in the slow water—this will place the line ahead of my leader, allowing the fly to drift naturally in the fast water and eventually meet up with the remaining line, minimizing drag.

An alternative to mending is feeding line. Sometimes, when fishing a section of river with a glassy surface, mending the line risks disturbing the water and spooking

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

the trout. In this situation, I’ll position myself upstream of the fish and make the cast. While not ideal for setting the hook, a downstream cast allows me to avoid lining the fish, and to mitigate drag, I can feed line out of my rod—often by twitching the tip gently up and down—a few feet at a time, allowing the fly to drift naturally.

Get primed Mending is one tool for achieving line control, just like a steeple cast punch is one way of making a short, accurate cast when using a long leader. Positioning yourself to give you the best chance of making a good presentation and hook set is a simple yet often overlooked tactic that can be done without learning a fancy new cast. And before you even get to that juncture in your day, there are observations which can be made from the bank or the boat which will help you not only locate prime lies, but potentially feeding fish.

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A Serpentine Journey Patience is a virtue Jake Dicks Jake is a professional photographer and cinematographer from Newfoundland, Canada. He spends his time sharing the amazing landscape and people of Newfoundland through photography and short documentary films. As a lifelong angler, he focuses on capturing Atlantic Salmon and the anglers that follow their migration to the island each year.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

“

InReach weather report says 80mm of rain over the next 24 hours.”

We sit under our tarp listening to the sound of rain as Matt reads out the daunting weather report.

Three days into Newfoundland angler Matt Scott’s annual trip down The Serpentine River in Western Newfoundland, it seems he has just been given an ultimatum: Pack up camp and make the full day canoe journey back upriver or stick it out and hope camp doesn’t get flooded out.

Going home without a hook up is an angler’s worst nightmare. To have this result after driving seven hours across Newfoundland, two hours down a washed out back road, and a full day of canoe travel would be all the more devastating.

We’re constantly asking Matt how he always manages to find a fish, even in the most difficult conditions. We experienced it firsthand on past trips fishing alongside him. Skill, gear, fly selection…none of those matter as much as time on task. In his search for Atlantic salmon, dedication is the single most important tool in his arsenal.

So there wasn’t really a decision to be made here: sticking it out through the rain was the next step in the process of hooking a fish. The pressure was on for all of us; after lugging two canoes full of camera equipment down the river, there was no turning back now.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

Fishing from a young age and having the privilege of filming salmon fishing for the past two seasons, I am well aware that Atlantic salmon angling lends itself to long days on the water.

Even so, the unusually low numbers of fish in Western Newfoundland this past season has pushed many anglers to their limits. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with anglers that are determined to stick it out, sunrise to sunset, to make the catch.

Our team for this trip is no different, though this journey—to document the wild, Serpentine River—is a true test of patience. While the vast, winding river which sits between two mountain ranges is an amazing subject to document in itself, it is difficult to tell a fish story without the fish.

“Type two fun, eh?” Matt exclaims as he makes his seemingly millionth cast of the trip.

After changing camps, making many canoe trips up and down the river, fishing all the pools in the area and, all the while, going to painstaking lengths to keep our camera gear dry, we are still playing the salmon waiting game.

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It’s the evening of our fourth day on the river.

Our new camp is set up between a large mountain face, mere steps away from the salmon pool. As the fog rolls in and out of the valley, waders doing little to keep us dry from the downpour, we are all just as focused now on the fly drifting downstream as we were on our first day of the trip. But with the light fading quickly, we consider calling it a day.

Suddenly we see his rod bend and hear Matt’s classic whoop: “Yeewww!”

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

Photo: Mark Seacat

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One Person’s Trash(fish) A whitefish love story Douglas Paton

© Photo Hilary Maybery

T Douglas Paton Douglas Paton has been writing professionally now for close to 25 years and has been fishing for nearly as long as he can remember. It didn’t become a full-blown obsession until he took up fly fishing and started writing about it.

Doug calls the southern Interior of BC home and spends most of his time writing about tech. When he’s not writing, he’s wandering the creeks near his house looking for small trout or on the rivers looking for whitefish. thewatercalls.ca @the_water_calls

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

here’s very little about fishing in January that I enjoy.

It’s cold, for starters. And, you’re either staring at a hole in the ice waiting for something to happen or standing waistdeep in frigid water waiting, well, for something to happen.

But even though it’s January (and I hate January fishing), I’m having the time of my life. Every few drifts, my indicator drops and I feel the familiar pull of the Rocky Mountain Whitefish on the end of my line.

These fish, often considered a trash fish by anglers, are exactly why I’m here.

I caught my first whitefish a little more than a year earlier, not far from where I currently stand. In fact, it was in almost exactly the same spot. I’d been on the hunt for fall rainbows at the time and had been working my way down to the deeper water, hopeful that I’d find what I was looking for. Instead, I finally hooked into one of the fish the internet has always said was kind of a bummer: the mountain whitefish.

I did eventually find trout, but for the most part, each of the dozen or so fish I landed that day was a whitefish. I had a blast. It was the start of my love affair with whitefish, so much so that I went back the next week to find more.

For whatever reason, the mountain whitefish doesn’t seem to get a lot of love from the angling community. It falls into that category of fish that, while native to the streams they’re found in, isn’t considered a sport fish.

Long before I ever caught one, I saw post after post of people complaining about catching whitefish and I never understood why.

They sounded a lot like the always-present school of sunfish and perch I battled in my youth—fish that would swarm anything I dropped in the water, outcompeting anything and everything for the tiny bit of nightcrawler that sat on the end of the hook.

But, those sunfish were only occupying their place in the ecosystem. It wasn’t their fault that they were stripping every hook I dropped in front of them.

Whitefish are no different.

They have their place. It’s just that their place happens to be the same place that trout live. The mountain whitefish

(Prosopium williamsoni) is found throughout Western North America. Their range runs from the Northwest Territories down to Colorado, which means that if you’re fishing for trout in the west, there’s a good chance you’re going to encounter a whitefish at some point. In fact, based on what I saw on social media in my first few years of fishing, it was more a matter of when, than if, when it came to catching whitefish.

It always surprised me that I didn’t catch a single whitefish for the first eight or so years of fly fishing in and around the Rocky Mountains. I knew where the hotspots were, locally. I knew what flies they liked. Heck, I could even see them in some spots.

As it turned out, presentation was my biggest problem.

Whitefish typically sit low in the water, as close to the bottom as they can get. Not only that, unlike trout, they won’t really move for a meal. They’ll sit and wait for something to come close enough that all they need to do is shift slightly to one side so their small mouths can suck in whatever’s passing by. If you’ve ever seen whitefish in a pool with trout, you can watch as trout move around constantly, both up and down the water column as well as up and down the run, looking for food. Whitefish, on the other hand, just sit there.

Because of that, you need to have your depth dialled in and you need to be in the feeding lane. Not near it. Not close by. In it.

I watched this play out in the Boundary region of British Columbia one fall. I had found a hole that was absolutely crammed with whitefish (packed to the gills, if you will). There were probably a few hundred fish in front of me, all staring intently upriver. I drifted nymphs past those fish for nearly a half hour before I realized they weren’t watching the ledge. They were sitting in an eddy and waiting for nymphs to drift up from behind them.

When I figured that out, boom! Fish on.

For the most part, the best way to target whitefish is by nymphing. As I mentioned, you need to get to where they are. They’re not going to eat a hare’s ear drifting by a foot above them, no matter how tasty your presentation is.

You basically need to bop them on the nose with it.

The good thing is that, even though they like to go deep, they also love clear water. More often than not, you can see mountain whitefish lining the bottom of a pool

and, because they like to school up, you won’t just see one or two. You’ll probably see a lot of them.

This is especially true in the winter. Unlike trout, who go deep and don’t eat much in the colder months, whitefish remain pretty active. In fact, active isn’t even the best word for it. They’re not just active, they gather together in huge numbers, in the deeper pools, to feed. It’s the only thing that drives me out of the house in January, February, and even into March. The whitefish run is a fantastic time to fish for something that doesn’t require a thousand casts just to encounter. And there’s almost zero ice involved— not counting the shelves you’ll probably need to walk on to reach the water.

Sure, it’s cold. And sure, the water is also cold. But it’s the perfect way to shake off the shack nasties and an

even better chance to test out any fly patterns you’ve been working on over the winter.

Whitefish have never seemed particularly picky to me. Once you find them, it’s mostly a matter of drifting the nymph of your choice by them. You can tell they’re actively feeding by the way they flash their undersides.

They do this because their mouths are quite a bit smaller than a trout’s and because it’s located on the underside of their face, kind of like a sucker. I’ve heard from others, though, that sometimes they prefer a hotspot, a splash of colour, to punch through the water and catch their attention.

Where it gets really exciting with whitefish are those moments when they decide that they’re not interested in nymphs anymore—when they want what’s on the surface.

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As I discovered a couple of years ago, dry fly fishing for whitefish is way more exciting than you’d ever expect.

In the fall of 2022, again in B.C.’s Boundary region, I was looking for trout. I’d done the same trip the year before and had an amazing time; I found no shortage of trout and a few really nice pockets of whitefish.

My second trip was different, though. It had been a hotter year and the rivers were noticeably lower than they had been the year before. Everywhere I went there was a distinct lack of trout. In fact, the biggest fish I’d seen all week was a surprisingly large whitefish I’d pulled out of a favourite hole of mine, some 40 km up-river.

It got so bad that, at one point, I went back to my cabin to do a bit of writing. I hoped that maybe the fish would show up when everything cooled down.

A few hours later I pulled up to my favourite run. This run had been very good to me over the years; I knew it hid more than a few solid rainbows. Sure enough, I saw fish rising almost immediately.

This was new. In the past, I’d had most of my luck here with nymphs. The thought of catching some of these fish on a dry was exciting. A few casts in, I landed one—a smaller rainbow that hinted at the bigger fish I knew existed in the pool.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

A few more casts and a few missed takes later, and I had my second fish. This time, though, it wasn’t a trout, but a smaller whitefish. The first one I’d caught on a dry fly.

What followed was a beautiful couple of hours of dry fly fishing. Every few casts I’d hook into a whitefish that looked a lot like the first, topping out at about a pound. The smaller mouths on the whitefish meant I had to watch my fly like a hawk and lift my rod at the exact right moment or I’d lose the fish. It was the perfect mix of technical fishing and relaxation.

I fished until all the warmth left the air and my stomach started to rumble. But the fishing was so good, I went back the next day and did the exact same thing.

Thinking back, there’s nothing about the experience I would change. I wouldn’t trade the whitefish for trout.

I wouldn’t have asked for bigger fish. I wouldn’t change a single thing. It was everything I loved about fishing.

Whitefish fill a space in rivers that provide everything I love about fishing, just like the sunfish used to when I was a kid. For me, a good day on the water simply means I’m on the water. Catching fish is a bonus. Catching a specific fish in a diverse ecosystem is a bigger bonus.

There’s very little about fishing in January that I enjoy.

But even though it’s a short list, whitefish are at the very top of it.

+ CASEY UNDERWOOD Multiple NEW Casey Underwood engravings now available | abelreels.com

Tailing Bones

Cruising Carp

High Country Cuts

Cutty Feast

Red Dawn

GT Frenzy

Timber Smallies

Casey Underwood engravings are available on multiple model reels and all Abel solid color options

© Photo Bob Covey

Stuff That Works And stuff that doesn’t Jim McLennan

WATER MARKS

T Jim McLennan Jim McLennan has been fly fishing and writing about it since sometime in the last century. He continues to indulge his passions for fly fishing, bird hunting, writing and music. His latest book is Trout Tracks, Essays on Fly Fishing

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

he late Texas songwriter Guy Clark created a memorable song called “Stuff That Works,” which extolls the virtues of a favourite shirt, boots that fit, and an old car that it seemed “ain’t ever gonna stop.”

This started me thinking about things in our chosen obsession that do their jobs well. Some of the items that popped into mind are magnetic net releases, sunglasses with magnifier bifocals, fold-up wading staffs, UV wader-patch cement, and interchangeable-sole wading shoes.

But because I’m a bit contrary by nature and can’t help myself, and because fly fishing is such a fertile field for invention whether mothered by necessity or not, I also thought of a few failures in the realm of fly-fishing gadgets.

How ‘bout the little “rod holder” that’s included on every fly-fishing vest ever made? There’s a loop near the bottom of the vest to hold the butt of the rod, and somewhere farther up the vest, there’s a velcro flap that goes across the rod to hold it there. This allows you to attach the rod to your body, thereby leaving both hands free to change flies. I’ve never used this thing and I’ve never seen anybody use this thing. I suspect the reason is that most people can put the rod under one arm and hold it that way while changing flies.

Another thing on most vests and chest packs that was once sort of useful has now become obsolete, even though manufacturers still include it, I assume for fear of losing a sale or two to old-timers. It’s the “fly patch,” a little piece of wool, velcro, or foam on the front of the vest, into which we’re supposed to hook flies when we stop using them and change to a different one. Before the days of barbless hooks, fly patches worked, more or less. But with barbless hooks so prevalent today, they are sure-fire “fly losers.” Flies fall out of these things the moment you look the other way. I’ve lost dozens of flies this way when I’ve been in too much of a hurry to put them back in their boxes. I’ve pretty much settled on a pro-active approach and now just throw the fly away when I’m through using it. That way I know it’s gone and don’t waste time looking for it.

What about knot tying tools? This is a little more useful category. Some people with vision or steadiness issues can benefit from them, but other folks would be just as far ahead if they put the same amount of time into learning how to tie

the knot without a tool as they have put into learning how to tie it with the tool.

Here’s a gadget that appeared, failed, and just faded away: the “tippet gauge” for measuring the diameter of your tippet. I found these quite useful, especially given the prevalence of knotless leaders, but of course I lost it and have since somewhat reluctantly learned to live without it.

Tippet dispensers were a big thing for awhile too, as a way of gathering all the different sizes of tippet in one place where we could get at them more easily. There were several types; one that was the size of a medium fly box and took up the same amount of space, and another that looked a like a hockey puck. The problem with both of these and most of the others was twofold: First, you had to transfer the tippet material from the spools they came on onto the much smaller spools that came with the dispenser. This was a tricky manoeuvre, requiring great dexterity, superb eyesight and a fully charged cordless drill. Problem number two was that there was no way of knowing when you were getting low on a particular size of tippet until you actually ran out of it. People today seem to use the store-bought spools either individually or connected to each other with a little lanyard or—heaven forbid—an old piece of fly line. These are better ideas.

Have you ever noticed that we’re obsessed with containers? An expensive fly rod goes in a little cloth bag, the cloth bag goes in a metal tube, the tube goes into a big bag with a bunch of other rods in tubes. The big bag of rods reposes in the basement. I’m confident that the rod is pretty safe down there, but what happens if the little cloth rod bag is damp? What happens is that it stays damp inside the metal tube and gets stinky and damages the finish on the aforementioned expensive fly rod. Ask me how I know. And what is the little cloth rod bag supposed to protect the fly rod from anyway? A tiny rattling sound? I can live with it.

In the gadgets-that-haven’t-been-invented-yet-butneed-to-be category are wet-wading socks that take up the same amount of space in our wading shoes as the feet of our stocking-foot waders do. This would allow us to use the same pair of wading shoes with waders and for wet-wading. No more need for three extra pairs of thick soggy socks stinking up the back of your car after a summer trip. Hello Orvis, Patagonia, Simms et al.? I’m waiting…

Airflo

Premium Nylon Tippet

Wide-Mouth Hand Net Even before getting on the water with this net, I was impressed with its very fish-friendly design.

The small diameter, hook-resistant, coated mesh bag is deep enough to easily handle trout over the 20-inch mark. An overall hoop dimension of 26.5 by 10.5 inches and a 9-inch handle make this a very compact landing net, ideally suited for anglers walking and wading streams and rivers. The Wide-Mouth is built from durable composite materials, making it an extremely lightweight floating net that will capture fish friendly memories for many years. orvis.com

TIME-TESTED GEAR

Orvis

Grundens

Women’s Boundary Stockingfoot Wader On first glance these waders are beautiful, the navy blue colour accenting the stone nicely. The flat shoulder strap is comfortable, adjustable, and the design eliminated strap twisting while putting them on—a task I’ve seen seasoned anglers struggle with over the years. I appreciate the draw strings on the inside of the chest piece, and tighten them when I’m not wearing a sweatshirt. This allowed for a form-fitting look and reduced the number of wandering mosquitos around my navel. Pockets include a soft front zip pouch and a thin lined inside kangaroo pouch (with zippers). They also feature a velcro tab pouch on the inside of the waders. Seams are well sewn and taped, made with Gore-Tex and good for varying temperatures.

The gravel guards fit securely around the boot.

If there was one improvement I’d make, it would be to add a zippered pouch on the inside of the waders—for valuables. And I seem to be right in the middle of sizes based on foot size, so if you find yourself here, make sure you try them on first.

These handsome, functional and warm waders are the first pair my clients reach for when heading to the river. Available in sizes S through XL. grundens.com

© Photo Jake Dicks

© Photo Arian Stevens

Airflo maintains a well-deserved reputation within the fly-fishing industry and their Premium Nylon tippet material is another example of Airflo’s commitment to offering quality products. This clear, copolymer tippet offers high tensile strength, fine diameters and high knot strength.

I had the opportunity to fish the 2X, 3X and 4X this past summer on my local stillwaters and found the material to stand up well to the rigours of fighting and landing numerous fish. I also liked the slight elasticity of the material. Spools hold 50 meters of tippet, ranging from 7X to 1X. airflousa.com

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Lid Rig

TIME-TESTED GEAR

Magnetic Fishing Line Nipper System

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

These little nippers come seriously sharp and slice through 100l-pound mono like a hot knife in butter. The magnets make them easy to use without having a lanyard hanging from your neck, creating yet another thing for your fly line to wrap around. Getting rid of the lanyard might seem like a small thing but when it’s raining or cold, digging through layers of clothing to find your nippers is a nuisance. Gear that provides convenience is always welcomed and the magnetic design makes life on the water a little more efficient. lidrig.com

Fish Pond

TailwaterFly tying Kit

Skwala

Apex Hoody The Apex Hoody is perfect for the indoor and outdoor environment. The soft, insulating material on the inside is smooth, making this the ideal hoodie for lounging around the house in the early morning hours prior to heading out to your favourite stretch of water. The hard-faced fleece material lets you embrace the world outside.

The zipping kangaroo pocket means you no longer have to worry about dropping your phone or flybox from your hoodie. And the hidden locks on the hood’s drawstrings secure any adjustments made, keeping you warm when you leave the house to hit the river. skwalafishing.com

I put Fishpond’s fly tying kit to the test on a bull trout trip to Golden, B.C. last fall. In the past, when I went on a trip, I had always carried around my tying materials in baggies and plastic containers. Needless to say, things went missing. And unpacking, once back home, was always a nightmare. With Fishpond’s Fly Tying Kit, everything remained organized. The system allows for exceptional storage with many zipup pouches and purpose-specific sleeves for scissors, bobbins and spools. Not to mention the foam storage for my vise. It easily fit everything I wanted to bring and the unpacking was a breeze. The only thing lost on that trip was a feisty bull. fishpondusa.com

Lamson

Centrefire Lamson’s Centerfire sat on my 8wt all season. I loved it straight out of the gate. It became my workhorse for fishing for large, predatory trout. This reel is everything it promises to be. With a solid and smooth drag system, complimented by the subtle clicking noise, it enhanced the casting experience. I used the Centerfire on three backcountry multi-day trips. It was carried down canyons, helped make thousands of casts and helped catch dozens of bull trout. Throughout a rugged summer, the reel held up perfectly and still looks brand new.

Available in size 8, 10 and 12, it is definitely one of my favourite pieces of gear for 2023. lamsonfishing.com

Umpqua

HD Weekender The Weekender Foam is the only dry dropper box you will ever need. It has a dense slotted foam sheet on both sides. One will accommodate smaller nymphs while the other can hold large hopper patters. I even inserted a couple small articulated streamers in there (just in case). What’s truly brilliant about the box though is the magnetic mat which serves as tray for your wet flies. I would drop my flies on it before cutting the tippet. It will hold the flies in isolation until they are dry and you’re ready to reintroduce them to the general population. umpqua.com

Orvis

PRO Waterproof Sling It didn’t take me too long to test the capabilities of Orvis’ PRO Waterproof Sling.

Within a week of strapping the 14L bag to my back, I waded too deep while crossing a not-yet-low-enough channel in a slow-moving river. The bag was submerged but my gear didn’t get wet. Score.

I love being able to slide the bag from my back to my chest if I want to change my rig, midstream, and when I’m hiking between lies, I can access the water bottle pocket easily—often without missing a stride. The bag is big enough for half a dozen fly boxes, a raincoat, a small first aid kit and a few reels, but compact enough as to not impede my travel—even as I crawled through heinous willows on a spooky brown trout stream in the Alberta foothills recently.

Intuitive design on a backpack is a concept that I didn’t fully grasp until I docked my forceps, floatant and nippers on the PRO Waterproof Sling’s beefy shoulder strap. I felt like somewhere, an Orvis product engineer was winking “you’re welcome” at me. And while I’m gushing about smart features, can we pour one out for the creators of Orvis’ patented Tippet Whippet? Never has adding length to my leader been so gratifying. orvis.com

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Fishe

Korkers

All Axis Shoe Many of us have given up on finding a way to use the same wading shoes both with waders and for wet-wading and still get a good fit. Until that happens, the best approach is to get a pair of shoes for each purpose. The All Axis shoes are the most comfortable wet-wading shoes I’ve ever worn.

And the Korkers interchangeable sole system has been a winner since inception. These shoes come with two pairs of soles, with more available for separate purchase. I prefer felt soles or studded rubber soles for slippery wading conditions, but need felt or un-studded rubber when I’m in a boat owned by a friend I want to remain a friend. korkers.com

© Photo Jake Dicks

TIME-TESTED GEAR

HaliBorealis Riffle Snap Fleece Just putting on this fleece brightens my mood. Its wide neck allowed me to easily pull it over my head while wearing a ball hat, an excellent efficiency when out on the river. Made from lightweight fleece, the garment is wind and even water resistant.

It has a nice deep pocket on one side of the front that can easily hold a phone and a fly box if needed, yet somehow it doesn’t add noticeable bulk. The fleece is soft, it is well made with tidy seams and cute fish patterns.

It washes (follow instructions) and wears well, and gets lots of compliments both on and off the river. fishewear.com

Ross

Evolution LTX The top reel manufacturers just keep making them better and better. Ross continues at the forefront of reel design and production with the American-made LTX. Available in four sizes (3/4, 4/5, 5/6, 7/8) and three colours (black, platinum and matte olive), it’s a piece of gear that will do the job flawlessly and possibly forever. Improvements in drag strength, arbour shape and handle material got my attention first, and of course in typical Ross fashion it looks great. With a significant degree of comforting “overbuild” for trout, the larger sizes will be stellar in the salt. rossreels.com

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

Simms

Tributary Wading Boot

Scientific Anglers

Amplitude Textured Trout I tested SA’s 5wt Amplitude Textured Trout floating line on both a fast action rod and a medium action rod. The line is “true to weight” and excelled on both rods, though I enjoyed the feel of it more on the medium action rod. The line moved through the guides quietly and loaded the rod effortlessly at a variety of distances. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the line and was consistently impressed by its versatility. The Amplitude also was easy to pick up off the water and landed softly on the occasions I needed a delicate presentation. I tested the line with dries and nymphs on skinny water and on larger rivers and the line performed well on both. For anyone who’s in the market for an all-around line that’s going to excel in a variety of fishing scenarios, this is an excellent buy. scientificanglers.com

I think one of my favorite gear items to test are wading boots. The “walk a mile concept” and then having the opportunity to evaluate is pretty straightforward with boots. They’re either comfortable or they’re not. They either hold together or they don’t. And they either provide traction or I end up wet. The Simms Tributary Wading Boots delivered outstanding performance in a few areas and less in others. The two areas where the boots excelled were grip and foot-in-boot fit. In the past, I’ve always felt it necessary to put studs in any rubber sole boots.

I started without studs to see how they’d do, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that at no point did I feel the need to add the extra traction. The Tributaries gripped the rocks well, so I always felt safe when wading. I think this was their best feature. The boots also receive top marks for their appearance. They look sharp. The gray and black blend together seamlessly, and the colour matches well with the waders and wading pants I wore. The set eyelets are inset so they sit flush with the exterior of the boot, and the hook eyelets effectively hold the laces in place so I never had to stop and retie. simmsfishing.com

Riversmith

Swiftcast Rod Holder The Riversmith Swiftcast Rod (and reel) holder is an excellent tool for the raft. This innovative, universal rod holder can be mounted onto any standard raft frame or raft size. The deep U-channel that the rod sits in provides great protection to the eyelets of the rod, and as the channel funnels down to a covered tube it ensures that the rod tip is completely protected. As I floated down the river with my clients there was no worries about accidentally damaging the rod. Once the rod was secured in the holster, it didn’t move; the reel sat solidly and even allowed me to put a cover over the reel while remaining in the holster. I especially appreciated the fact that I could put a 9-foot or a 10-foot rod in it. The mounting brackets are very solid but a tad bulky which provided some minimal rubbing on the raft. Otherwise, the River Smith Rod Holder is a winner. riversmith.com Review by Cale Neufeld - St. Mary Angler Fly Shop

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Fishpond

TIME-TESTED GEAR

Tacky Original RiverMag

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

It’s dusk on my favourite stillwater. My fingers are freezing, dinner is now going to be a bag of chips on the ride home, and if I thought scrubbing the bathrooms earlier would mitigate my wife’s eye-rolling at how late I’ll pull into the driveway later this evening, I better now add a load of laundry and a foot massage, for good measure.

However, if one of the big fish showing up on my sounder takes my chironomid before complete darkness forces me off the lake, the payoff will be worth the penance.

It’s times like these when my new Tacky Original RiverMag Fly Box really shows its better benefits.

Like many lake anglers, I have no problems sifting through my selection of size 16 to 20 midge patterns—so long as I’m in my warm home, sitting under a bright light and have a workbench handy to catch any mishandled flies.

On the water, it’s a different story. Picking out a size 20, Ryan Ermet-tied “R.E.-fuchsia,” among the dozens of other minuscule chironomids that might match what the trout are sipping on, can be a fumbling, bumbling, curse word-mumbling pain in the hatch.

Not anymore, thanks to this new box. First off, I don’t have to open the darn thing to see what’s inside—a surprisingly uncommon feature in tackle boxes, considering what we risk losing each time we open them. Secondly, if the open RiverMag does tip off axis, the magnets hold the patterns in place—even if I’ve tossed them in there haphazardly after going too long without a bite.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the aesthetic of a neatly-filed fly box as much as any other angler. But when I’m flipping through flies, trying to match the hatch or get my indicator to sink into the lake before the sun does, time is of the essence.

Of course, actually tying on a size 20 chroni in low light with desensitized digits is a different challenge, one which the RiverMag isn’t much help with, but thanks to this thoughtful product, digging the bug out of the box in the first place is no longer an excuse. fishpondusa.com

Bajio

Stiltsville Light and crystal clear, Bajio’s Stiltsville shades made spotting trout easy over the summer. This extra-large, full-wrap style is named for the ruins of several prominent prohibition-era social clubs built at sea in Biscayne Bay, Florida. They proved to be equally effective on Rocky Mountain trout streams located in areas near the 49th parallel where Canadian produced wobbly pops were known to have been “imported” during the prohibition era.

The lightweight, feature-rich shades with narrow temples offer stealthy sun protection with Baki’s built in Sun Ledge—not visible from the outside, it blocks sun from the inside. Plus, Stiltsville’s polarized, radically clear lenses feature proprietary LAPIS™ technology to block blue light and diminish eye strain. Ergo vented rubber nose pads and temple tips keep shades snug and in place when any fish sends you into the backing. Choose from 3 biobased frame colors, 7 polycarbonate lens colors or 6 glass lens colors. Stiltsville is available in prescription. bajiosunglasses.com

TIGHT LOOPS, TIGHT LINES

Staying Curious Embracing what we don’t know Kastine Coleman Kastine Coleman is a Fly Fishers International casting instructor, a two-time IGFA world record holder for Atlantic salmon, fishing guide and co-owner of Tight Loops Tight Lines with her partner Terry Byrne. She is a director with FFI and the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation and a SPAWN board member. She resides in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, with her three children..

All photos Jake Dicks

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

T

he light from the sun hits my face and I stand there as long as possible, waiting for the heat that would normally follow.

When it doesn’t come I take a deep breath and hold it for a moment, knowing the smell of summer will surely still be lingering in the air. A single golden leaf drops in the water next to me and floats gently in the current, not unlike my dry fly. I slowly release my breath, pick the line up and make another cast.

It’s the last month of fishing for the season, leaving me wanting more out of every moment. More sunshine, more daylight hours…more time with these incredible fish that test my skills and my patience every day.

Eight mile Fly fishing for Atlantic salmon in the fall is a unique experience in Newfoundland, Canada. As the temperature begins to drop, salmon start to make their way to their spawning grounds. The morning starts with hugs all around—for friends new and old. We’re sharing the river with two gentlemen from Sweden, one Nova Scotian, and three locals. They are all here to fish for a few days. Certain times of the year it would be difficult to pull up to a river and have room for that many anglers, however, retention fishing is now closed for the year, which leads to an immediate decrease in the number of people on the river.

On top of that, moose hunting season has started; focus has shifted for many avid outdoorsmen and finding space for eight anglers won’t be an issue. Today we embrace fall fishing whole-heartedly with plans for a hot mug of tea, a riverside lunch over an open fire, and an extra layer of clothes to stay warm.

Trading techniques Terry and I love the group dynamic on the river, and are delighted to have Marcus and Lars from Sweden with us.

Their approach to Atlantic Salmon fishing is different than how we do it here. This weekend is going to entail a sharing of ideas for everyone involved, and hopefully we can all learn things that can help us to become better anglers. Today will be a day of trading techniques with the Swedes.

We load up the boats and head out on the water. We try flies that are not often used here, and explore tactics

used for fishing different sections of the river. As we approach a pool, we discuss how we would usually fish it, then ask Marcus and Lars how they would fish it if they were in Sweden. It is an eye-opening experience to see the difference in fly fishing culture when chasing the same species. What we are most surprised by is that neither Marcus nor Lars has ever caught a salmon by dead-drifting a dry fly. Of course this immediately becomes our focus for the morning. In my opinion there is no better feeling than setting the hook on an Atlantic salmon rising for a dry fly.

The Swedes were quick to adjust, switching to singlehanded rods, mending lines and creating that coveted drag-free drift. We were all impressed with how eager they were to learn, truly living up to their business’ philosophy.

Marcus and Lars are the founders of the premium fly rod company, Nám Products. Every product tag reads “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” On the water this looks a lot like two passionate anglers asking questions and soaking up every bit of knowledge from the day—initiative you often see in a fly fishing beginner, but one which becomes rarer as the years pass. Marcus and Lars’ visit was a gentle reminder to stay curious.

Sentimental season Fall fishing can challenge even the most skilled angler; this time of year is tough, for a variety of reasons. With the weather and the water temperatures changing, it’s natural that the fish and anglers will start behaving differently. We see salmon skimming the surface of the pools, fighting for position as they wait to spawn. We are still more than a month away from spawning season, but that won’t stop the fish from asserting their dominance.

There is a mix of salmon, some having been in the river for months now, their silvery scales changed to dark brown and black. Fresh, silver fish still arrive on the tides—mainly large females in the 15 to 30-pound range and smaller males in the five to eight-pound range. The large males often enter the system in October, after the river closes.

Most salmon have seen so many flies at this point they could tie their own Blue Charm, but for us, that’s just an incentive to work harder. While salmon activity intensifies,

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I find my time on the water more and more relaxing. Trips start later in the day, there’s more quiet time soaking in the sounds of the river, and the casts mean more to me, each one holding almost a sentimental value.

September surrender Though the season closes October 7, as fall turns into winter, we don’t ever know how many calm days we’ll have left. As an angler, weather changes on the water can bring you through a range of emotions. They say if you don’t like the weather in Newfoundland, to wait five minutes. Having grown up here, I am fully accustomed to this and especially in September carry four seasons-worth of clothing in my backpack. Our guests are used to this type of weather as well and make jokes about the wind putting us all at ease.

The weather, like the fish, are out of our control. Salmon fishing is often about letting go—not just of a released fish, but generally letting go of all expectations for the day. It seems to me the more you need to feel in control of the day, the more obstacles you will face.

The first fish of the day goes to Marcus. It’s a small grilse that is lost at the net. But each connection with an Atlantic Salmon—of any size—is a huge success, and worth celebrating. A grilse is an Atlantic Salmon that returns to the river after just one winter feeding at sea.

They’re generally in the five-to-eight pound range.

Float therapy The scenery is breathtaking. Vibrant colours shimmer in the Humber Valley’s surrounding wilderness. After an incredible weekend exploring the water with our guests, we sit on the beach for a fire. I pan-fry some fresh Newfoundland scallops in butter, lay out crab legs and oysters. The aroma is almost enough to get everyone off the water. I step out to take a few casts with a dry fly, soak up a few more moments in the sunshine, and breathe deep. The conditions are perfect today and there are fish everywhere.

Yet nothing is taking the fly. A single golden leaf lands in the water next to me and floats by. I make another cast and try to make my bomber drift as naturally as the leaf.

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We accept that our Swedish fishermen will have to come back another time to hook a salmon on a dry fly, and with their ferry departure creeping ever closer, we pack up for the day.

We don’t know why, but a fish always seems to break the surface when we leave the river. Today a 30 pounder jumps to wave goodbye as we sign off on camera, catching both Terry and I off-guard. It’s the perfect end to

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

an incredible weekend of embracing what we will never fully know.

Season 2 of Tight Loops Tight Lines is available to watch on the Sportsman Channel Canada, World Fishing Network, and on FlyFusionMag.com. The episodes “New Kids on the Block” and “Welcome to Newfoundland” were filmed on Kastine and Terry’s Atlantic Salmon fishing adventure, in Newfoundland and Labrador.

VISIT ROSSREELS.COM TO LEARN MORE AND SHOP THE EVOLUTION FS

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ON THE VISE

If The Fly Fits Frank Brassard Frank Brassard is a fly tyer and fly fisher based in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. When he isn’t chasing trout in cold, glacier fed streams, he enjoys taking traditional nymph and dry patterns and giving them his own twist. Frank’s flies can be seen on Instagram at @frank.brassard

Making room in the desk for tradition and technology

I

n the mid 1930s, the garment company Woolrich started production of the legendary 503 Mackinaw plaid hunting jacket.

It was, and still is, made of 100 percent wool and adorned with brass buttons. It has a timeless feel and, while it underwent through a few iterations over the decades, has always had a place in the company’s catalog. I happen to own one of the earlier versions of the 503. I stumbled across it in a small, dusty thrift shop on British Columbia’s Hornby Island. The jacket shows some

signs of wear, but considering the vintage, not as much as you might expect. The 503, like most Woolrich garments, was built to last and so it has. It won’t keep me as warm as a good down jacket, nor will it shed snow like the woven synthetic of a modern “softshell.” The one thing it has in spades, however, is reliability. Wool keeps you warm when wet, it’s abrasion resistant, it breathes, it’s even fire resistant. If I had to pick only one jacket for a long backcountry trip, the 503 would win, hands down.

The reality, however, is that I rarely take it out of the closet. The 503 gets overlooked in favour of more specialized pieces—my Gore-Tex shell or an ultralight synthetic insulated vest, for example. Nevertheless, the old coat has something the newbies don’t. It has rich history and a feel that is unmatched.

A whole new world The materials used in the production of a good outdoor jacket are critical to its adoption by the consumer. By the same token, the materials we use for fly tying have a direct impact on the performance, aesthetics, and cost of the flies we tie. When Ray Bergman wrote Trout in the midto-late 1930s (the same time my 503 was manufactured), most, if not all of the available tying materials would’ve been derived from natural sources. Jump ahead a few decades, and advancements in chemistry (most notably from the petrochemical industry) provide the average tyer with a cornucopia of fibres, sheets, spools, and packets.

All of these are mass produced, carefully standardized and conveniently packaged in order to facilitate a worldwide distribution. Someone buying a spool of Powerthread in

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

Canada will get the exact same product as one purchased in Argentina and since the early 70s, the fly tyer’s desk drawer has had to make room for new products made from materials such as nylon, polyester, polypropylene and biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate, to name a few. New words have also entered the fly tyer’s dictionary, words such as cactus chenille, flashabou, scud back, crystal flash, silly legs, UV resin and, dare I say, mop and squirmy.

With the advent of these new products appeared new patterns and revisions on some classic ones. As the list of new synthetic materials increased, so did the conversation around what can or should be used in fly tying.

Philosopher wings Does a line need to be drawn to preserve the long tradition of fly tying? If so, where should it be? In the previous issue of Fly Fusion, casting columnist Jeff Wagner touched on the essence of fly fishing and how new methods of delivering a fly to the water prompt questions of where the state of that essence now stands. How far can we stray from the bamboo rods and horsehair lines before fly fishing and fly

tying get broken up into subgroups?

Most fly tyers already know where they stand vis-à-vis the place of synthetic materials on a hook. You have the traditionalists, who won’t tie with anything that hasn’t at one time been alive. Then there are the modernists, who will whip up vibrant patterns using anything from the microfibres from a kitchen mop to their kid’s teddy bear.

Finally, you have the rest of the crowd, happy to dabble in both worlds, using whatever they have on hand or consider the best product for the application (full disclosure: I belong to the latter group).

The materials that will end up on one’s hooks often depend on four factors. First, the tyer’s fundamental view of fly fishing and tying (being a traditionalist, modernist or in-between); second, the availability of products; third, the sought-after performance of your flies; and finally, the overall desired aesthetic.

The philosophy of the tyer will influence the style of tying and material choices (please allow me to grossly generalize here, knowing full well that people are nuanced and that many exceptions are possible).

New spool vs old spool Let’s assume that a traditionalist, whose vision of fly fishing venerates the mid-18th Century practice of presenting delicate dries on floating lines, exclusively, would shudder at the notion of tying on a Sunburst Fritz Blob. Alternatively, a modern Euro-nympher, whose idea of a good time is to lob a series of 3.8mm tungsten beads with a bit of resin, might not be inclined to dabble in the art of tying, and fishing, fully-dressed salmon flies. Both visions—although arguably on either end of the spectrum—have a respectable place in the tying world, even if they don’t represent the majority of the community. That share belongs to the inbetweenists, the tyers that will use whatever suits their purpose and needs.

Location, location, location

Textreme’s Cactus Chenille in substitution of peacock herl

Your country of residence also has an important impact on one’s material selection. A lot has changed since Bergman’s time behind the vise. Some of the mammals and birds that became popular for the rendering of delicate salmon and trout flies were also highly coveted

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

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by the fashion industry. Throughout the first part of the 20th Century, tremendous pressure was exerted on certain animal populations to fill the demand for hats, dresses, and shoes. Some species were hunted to near extinction while others were raised in terrible conditions. Fast forward to the 1970s and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) now publishes a list of 156 birds and 334 mammals banned from international trade. Some products from listed species can circumvent the ban, if the producer can prove that the animals were raised humanely and in captivity. And although CITES puts a ban on international trading, the convention doesn’t prevent countries from producing and selling certain materials within their respective boundaries.

This nuance helps explain why listed animal products are still available in some countries. Take for example, seal and polar bear fur. Both are readily available in Canadian fly shops but nowhere else in the world.

Many manufacturers of synthetic tying materials have seen these bans as a golden opportunity to innovate

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Chubby Chernobyl has been on the list of best-selling flies for years. Then there are the pure synthetic materials, those not intended to substitute for any naturals. These products, such as vinyl sheets, plastic dubbing and resins, are in a category of their own and are all extremely useful in creating realistic-looking nymphs.

Look good, fish good

Craft fur in substitution of rabbit and come up with new offerings that aim at imitating (to various degrees of success) their natural counterpart.

Some, such as polar chenille, semi-seal and hi-resolution printed jungle cock are very good.

Teddy-ready Most very good fly patterns are designed with two goals in mind. First, to maintain castability, and second, to catch fish. Synthetics are excelling in both categories. As the popularity of saltwater and freshwater predator fly fishing increases, so does the development of large flies.

These can become quickly waterlogged and tough to cast.

Most synthetics are impermeable and thus, shed most of their water on the first back cast. Blane Chocklett’s Gamechanger comes to mind. This pattern uses a chenille to form the entire fly. Another absolute favourite in the creation of large streamer is craft fur. Trust me, once you use it, you’ll never look at stuffed teddy bears the same.

Additionally, some man-made materials float all day, independently of the use of floatant. Think here of foam, polyyarn and EP fiber. These have a lower density than water, and makes them a great choice for dry flies. The

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

Finally, your choice of material to create flies often depends on your desired aesthetics. Some enjoy the vibrant colours most often only attainable with synthetics. Others, like myself, have a soft spot for the ephemeral and delicate properties of natural fibres. I find that some of the most attractive and timeless flies are the ones incorporating the best of what both worlds have to offer. Aesthetics might be seen as superfluous—after all, a fish isn’t going to count how many rib wraps or the number of legs your fly has. Trout don’t care if the wing case is matte or glossy. Nevertheless, I believe that if you are going to create something, it should be agreeable to the eye. Aesthetically-pleasing flies can impel a sense of satisfaction and pride.

No matter what manufacturers of synthetic tying products come up with, some naturally-sourced materials can never be matched. Here I think of pheasant tail, elk hair, and CDC. These extraordinary and essential natural fibres will be nearly impossible to reproduce. On the other hand, some substitutions are very good—their qualities are perhaps not immediately obvious on the vise, but once in the water they truly shine. If you are looking for some substitutes for common natural materials, the photos and captions above show some of my favourites.

Fly fishing and fly tying are ever-evolving. The changes are influenced by various factors such as technology, education and a generational shift. It’s my opinion that changes are necessary to remain relevant and that, overall, such changes are good. It is important though, like a good wool coat, to understand that strong traditions and quality tools help protect the fundamentals of our cherished pastime. Keeping these traditions in mind, all while incorporating new techniques, ideas and materials, will help shape the forward progress of fly fishing and fly tying.

LONG LINES

Getting Loopy Loop shapes, sizes, and how to beat the wind

Jeff Wagner When he’s not fishing or casting you’ll find Jeff hiking or biking the back country with his family.

They also volunteer their time to conservation efforts with groups such as Fly Fishers International.

Oh, and during business hours Jeff does business stuff.

F

ly casting can be defined as a smooth and constant acceleration, ending in a rapid deceleration of the rod (often described as the stop). As the rod slows, the fly line continues on. As the line begins to move past the tip of the rod, it results in the loop. The fly line, a weighted, tapered line, is the subject of the cast. When done properly, the line, as it moves through space, forms a loop. The loop is the shape of the line as it travels through the air. It is typically described as U-shaped, or candy cane-shaped. The loop forms as the fly line overtakes the tip of the rod, straightening at the completion of the casting stroke.

Follow the path A key factor in forming a loop is the path that the tip of the rod follows during the casting stroke. For a good loop and efficient cast, the path of the rod tip should be as straight as possible. To get this straight tip path, the rod must be accelerated smoothly, the casting arc must match the rod’s bend and the stop must be good. This is all because of a single principle: the fly line follows the path of the rod tip. This is logical, as the fly line can only go where the tip of the rod

goes. Even though the line goes through the guides and is connected to the reel, it is the tip which pulls the fly line.

We see loops in three basic shapes:

Tight Loops Tight loops are the most efficient loops and what we strive for, most of the time. They are typically less than three feet in height; the top leg of the loop is very straight. They are formed from a mostly straight-line path of the rod tip. These are loops that work well in the wind and are good for making distant, accurate casts.

Wide Loops Wide loops are typically four feet or more in height. They are formed by an upward-arcing or doming path of the rod tip—which can cause the top leg to be similarly curved. Wide loops are often the result of bending the wrist too much. Wide loops can be very useful when fishing rigs which are prone to getting tangled, such as nymph rigs and streamers.

Tailing Loops Tailing loops can be a variety of sizes, but they all end with the top leg of the loop dipping below the bottom leg of the loop. These loops are often formed by an erratic application of power or an otherwise non-smooth acceleration.

Get a leg up The loops have a top leg (or fly leg), a bottom leg (or rod leg) and an apex, or the forward-most portion of the loop where the “legs” come together. The fly leg, as we will call it here (it may not always be on top if the orientation or plane of the loop changes), is that part of the loop from the middle of the apex to the fly. The rod leg is that part of the loop from the middle of the apex to the rod tip.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

To fully understand loop shapes, it is important to understand how fast the parts of the loop are moving. While it may appear that the entire loop is moving forward at the same speed, it is not. Fly casting depends on the fly leg of the loop moving fast and the rod leg moving slowly, or not at all.

This gives loops stability.

Speed bag To know the speed the loop apex is moving, you can add the speed of the fly leg with the speed of the rod leg and divide by two. For example, if your fly leg speed is 50 mph, and your rod leg speed is zero, 50 + 0 = 50, divided by two = 25 mph. If the rod leg speed isn’t zero (if line is being shot or hauled), the calculation is the same and apex speed will be a bit different.

A matter of physics Why is all this math important? Because of the physics of wind resistance. Wind resistance is to blame for the dissipation of most of the cast’s energy. Any angler who has cast into the

wind knows that if we want to cast efficiently and accurately we must reduce wind resistance as much as possible. What a lot of anglers do not know is that wind resistance increases exponentially as speed increases. That means if you double the speed of something, wind resistance quadruples! If you increase speed four times, wind resistance increases 16 times.

Obviously, simply increasing line speed is neither the whole answer to casting farther, nor is it the only solution for casting into the wind.

Because the fly leg is the part of the loop that is travelling the fastest, this top portion is the part of the loop that is most susceptible to wind resistance. By controlling the shape of the top leg we can control and minimize wind resistance.

Look at the two loops above. Both are about the same size, but one is much more wind resistant than the other due to what we call “exposure.” The small horizontal line at the apex of each loop divides the fly legs and the rod legs.

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Everything above the apex is moving very fast and is therefore fairly wind resistant. But you can see that the upper loop has a much straighter fly leg, and therefore has much less “exposure” to wind resistance, than the lower loop.

Straight legged Remember: only the moving portion of the line is affected by wind resistance and, if we’re not shooting line, only the fly leg is moving. As fly casters, our mission is to make the fly leg as straight as possible, rather than reducing the entire size of the loop. It is the exposure to the wind that affects the efficiency of a loop. This concept is on full display during distance casting. The requirement to cast far is to have efficient loops and high line speed, so the loop will travel a long way before hitting the ground.

Here we can start to relate distance casting with speed and wind resistance.

Talking ‘bout practice Many casters can make a 75-foot cast, even a 90-footer.

Such feats can be achieved by people of all ages, shapes and sizes. However, I would contend that the number of people who can cast 100 feet is but a quarter of those able to cast 90 feet, and those able to cast 110 feet is a quarter of those that can cast 100 feet (and so on). The reason that consistent, ultra-long-distance casters are so few is that it takes a lot of skill and practice to cast loops with very straight top legs, at high speed. As with any sport, maintaining perfect form at high levels of exertion is very difficult and making a 100 foot cast takes a certain amount of effort.

You would think that casting 110 feet would require just 10 percent more force, but in fact it takes much more than that, because of the dramatic increase in wind resistance at high line speeds. At extreme distances, loops must be perfect. Simply adding line speed will not make the line go farther if the top leg isn’t straight.

You may have seen some distance casters making casts beyond 110 feet. You may have also noticed what appears to be large loops, and wonder how in the heck those casts are traveling that far. Even though some of these extreme casters’ loops are wider than four feet, in every instance

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

you will notice is that the fly leg is very straight and that the apex of the loop is very near the top. The bottom leg of the loop may be sagging, drooping and even contain waves in it. This phenomenon hints at one of the secrets to fun and effective fly casting: learning how to cast a very straight top leg, which comes from a (wait for it)…very straight rod tip path during the casting stroke.

Apply and demand So how do we learn keep that rod tip path straight? First, ensure smooth acceleration. Accelerating the rod smoothly through the proper casting arc will cause a straight lined path of the rod tip and subsequently, a straight top leg.

Concentrate on making the top leg straight and almost all of your casting woes will disappear.

Secondly, stop! A smooth acceleration with an abrupt stop will help form the loop and transfer energy. Through practice and experimentation, work to stop the rod as abruptly as possible while limiting shock waves in the line.

The best way to practice these concepts is by reducing the amount of power used in the casting stroke. Casting instructors rarely, if ever, find a caster that didn’t use too much power—especially intermediate to advanced casters. Adding power can cover up a less-than-smooth acceleration or poor stop. When practicing, use roughly 30 to 40 feet of line. The key is maintaining good loop shape with smooth acceleration and an abrupt stop, but reducing the power. Keep reducing the power until the loops are almost touching the ground and failing.

Third, increase that line speed. Increasing line speed is important not only for distance casting, but also for other areas of casting: casting into the wind, throwing wind-resistant flies, and simply using less energy to make a cast. Increasing line speed can be done by adding a haul and by smoothly accelerating to a higher maximum speed.

As you practice, keep loops tight, maintain smooth acceleration and make that abrupt stop. Practicing your loops will make your casting better and will improve your fishing by facilitating better and more effective presentations. And at the very least, it will improve your efficiency and reduce the power needed to cast, thereby decreasing the strain on your joints and hopefully keeping you fishing for many more years!

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WANDERING CURRENTS

A Gray(ling) Area Where time melts

Derek Olthuis Derek loves researching and exploring new places to fish–the more remote the better. He is obsessed with sight fishing; to him there is nothing more enjoyable than stalking a fish and watching it eat a fly.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

M

y boots made a loud squishing sound as they sunk into the soft tundra beneath my feet. My shoulders ached from the weight of my backpack, which aided in sinking me further into the bog we were struggling to cross. In it was a week’s worth of food, clothing, rafts and other essentials required to fish our way 30 miles down river.

The wind blew through the mountain pass, spattering rain drops on our faces as we moved slowly across the tussocks. The uneven, unstable ground—now saturated with water from the recent rain—made each step a challenge. But frequent rests to catch our breath gave us the opportunity to appreciate the rugged landscape which lay before us. We scanned the horizon. Earlier, a herd of muskoxen lumbered their way across the tundra as they fed.

Clouds moved rapidly through the valleys, obscuring the distant peaks. Small breaks in the weather allowed the occasional beam of light to pierce the canopy of mist and rain, highlighting the colours of the tundra against the mountainside. Technically, we would have been halfway through the second day of the trip, but where we were, time seemed to melt into itself; the hour of the day meant very little. Finally, we reached the river, but as we dropped our packs and began blowing up our rafts, Dyson pointed across the river.

“Bear,” he said calmly. We stopped to watch as the brown giant lazily ate berries. Alaskan bears which feed on fish can be 600 pounds or larger. This one looked intent on stuffing itself ahead of winter. As it moved across the tundra its belly practically dragged on the ground.

These types of encounters are exactly why Alaska is so special. There is a rawness that lingers in the air— an untamed and unconquerable aura. The weather, the

wildlife and the landscape leave you with the undeniable sense that anything can happen. The unpredictable component of these types of trips feeds the soul of any angler looking for adventure.

It wasn’t until the third day we finally strung up a rod and started fishing. Dyson was the first to hook up, and his 20-inch grayling, fat from a summer of gorging itself, ended up being the largest fish of the trip.

Rivers in many parts of the far north are fairly sterile.

The water is so clean there isn’t much to eat, and it is only when the salmon bring in nutrients from the ocean that fish can get large. When salmon are scarce, in these remote watersheds, resident fish often grow slowly.

We took time to admire each fish, noting that many of these grayling were likely older than most of the members on the trip. Large grayling can live more than 30 years.

The iridescent colours highlighting their fins stood out as they thrashed the water’s surface, attempting to throw the dry flies stuck in the corners of their small mouths.

We fished nymphs, dries, streamers and even mice, and each method brought some success. But the tactic that proved most productive— and was by far the most fun—was skating foam beetles. The fly would slowly wake across the pool or riffle, creating a clear visual of where the fly was on the water. Then, without warning, a grayling would explode from below, often coming completely out of the water to attack the beetle. It was a miniature version of a scene from a classic novel—the monster of the deep attacking a ship sailing across the ocean—except our ships were made of feather and foam, and hid a hook to entrap the mythical creatures.

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The attacks were aggressive and splashy. Often, if the fish’s first attempt was unsuccessful it was followed up with another, and another, until the job was done. We hooted and hollered at the determination of these feisty fighters.

Grayling might be one of Alaska’s smallest game fish but they are hands-down one of the most fun species to catch.

Often overlooked because there are larger fish present in a river system, it’s hard not to love a fish that is willing to forgive casting errors, dubious fly selection or flaws in presentation. Unlike on many trout streams, forgoing a drag-reducing mend doesn’t necessarily spook Alaskan grayling. In fact, the drag often caused the fish we were targeting to respond with further aggression. We laughed that we could have packed only one dry fly pattern for the whole trip.

As we waited around at the pickup location, we watched the clouds once again move steadily across the now-distant mountains. A week had somehow passed in the blink of an eye. We had hiked through the mountain passes which now seemed out of reach and time melted back to reality. Soon we would be back to our normal lives: meetings, work and family, with all of their demands.

For the time being, however, we simply soaked up our last remaining moments in the Alaskan wilderness—raw, untamed and unconquerable.

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

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STILLWATER SECRETS

Deep Dive New tech for the stillwater tool box Brian Chan Often referred to as “Dr. Chironomid,” Brian has always viewed stillwater fly fishing through the lens of a biologist. Lakes and their inhabitants are always changing–no two days are ever the same–and that’s what Brian finds so fascinating about fly fishing in still water.

L

ooking out over a motionless basin of standing water can lead to a frustrating experience for many trout anglers, and particularly for those new to fishing lakes. Unlike rivers and streams, which have visually defined fish-holding structure, a lake can be secretive about showing anglers what lies beneath. Clear water lakes at least reveal the depth and bottom structure of the shallow or shoal areas, as well as giving a glimpse at the transition from shallow to deep, however, many of our most productive lakes are often laden with algae or suspended solids which do not provide any visual clues to depth or underwater structure.

Mix master An understanding of the lake morphometry (the depth, composition and underwater shape of the basin) is the foundation for learning how to become a consistently successful lake fly fisher. Next, it is important to have at least a basic knowledge of the seasonal changes or mixing events known as spring and fall turnover which occur on almost all productive trout lakes. These mixing events recharge the lake with oxygen and thus determine where and why fish live in certain areas or depth zones of the lake during the open water seasons. Simply put, fish need adequate oxygen levels and water temperature in order to feed, rest and escape predators.

Study, buddy Learning about the life cycles of the insect and other invertebrate foods as well as forage fish is an ongoing commitment for anyone that wants to a become a proficient stillwater angler. Aquatic entomology books, instructional videos, online resources and magazine

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

articles are all readily-available information sources to further one’s education. When all this information is put together, we have a much better understanding of where and why fish are living or feeding in a particular area or depth zone of the lake. And equally important is that we know why the presentation tactics used on a particular day were so successful.

Map making For many years, long-time stillwater anglers relied on government produced contour maps of some of the more popular fishing lakes to locate shoals, drop-offs, deep water zones and sunken islands. However, the vast majority of small trout lakes have not had bathymetric mapping completed. Prior to the arrival of depth sounders we marked our anchor ropes at regular intervals to confirm the depths we were fishing and to basically plumb the lake to get a crude depth map, as well as a feel for the extent of shallow versus deeper water. Knowing the depth we are fishing allows proper presentation of basic trout food sources such as larval, nymphal and pupal insect imitations, as well as scuds and leeches.

Information satiation Lower cost, basic depth sounders began to appear on the lake fishing scene in the late 1970s and having one of these units made a huge difference in our fishing success as we could know exactly the depths in which we were anchoring, as well as that of the surrounding areas where we were fishing. Those early sounders also marked fish, as well as thermoclines that exist during the warmer summer months. A big leap in technology for the lake angler was the arrival of the holster-style portable sounders which

offered depth as well as primitive side scanning views. The side scanning ability was a game changer as we could now see if there were fish out over the area we were casting and retrieving our flies. Depth sounders/fish finders are now very complex units with even the lower priced ones offering high definition viewing on colour screens. As is the case with anything electronic, sounder technology continues to evolve.

Going in depth We have gone from simple, basic depth sounders which told us depth below the boat, to live-scanning sonar units that provide detailed images below and horizontally around the boat—and in real time. “Mega Live Imaging” and “LiveScope” systems have been in use by professional bass and walleye anglers for the past several years and are now capturing the interest of a much wider base of fisher folk, including those who seek trout in stillwaters.

I have seen first hand how these live imaging units work and was amazed at what I saw and how much I learned about fish behaviour, whether scanning under, or to the side of the boat. Scanning out to the sides gives you a landscape view of the entire water column from top to bottom and for distances of up to 200 feet. Fish that are marked within the scope of the scan are seen at distance,

depth in the water column and direction of travel, all in real time. A similar view is seen when scanning below the boat. It is extremely interesting to watch fish feeding on chironomid pupae in 50-plus feet of water, literally right on the bottom of the lake. On an outing this past summer we found many fish suspended five to seven feet off the bottom. Those fish would frequently swim down to the bottom and then immediately swim back up to their holding position. Throat samples showed the fish were picking off chironomid pupa that were staging just off the bottom. It is well known that recentlyemerged pupa will suspend right along the lake bottom for days prior to ascending to the surface and emerging into the adult stage. We thought about why the trout were not just cruising along the bottom and gorging on the pupa which were present in large numbers. The only answer that made sense was that the oxygen levels right at the bottom were not optimal for fish to spend lengthy periods of time in—hence, they positioned themselves higher in the better-oxygenated water column. At some point, those staging pupae would make the ascent to the surface, allowing the trout to feed on them in the comfort of well-oxygenated water, but in the meantime, if the trout wanted to eat the pupae, they had to make continual brief trips to the lake bottom.

A sound bet Constantly changing technology, whether we like it or not, plays an ongoing role in our daily lives. For many, fly fishing has been an activity that allows us to escape the everyday bombardment or intrusion from the electronic world. I suspect some anglers will frown upon the use of this latest depth/fish finder technology. However, I look at it as another way to learn more about the general habits and feeding behaviour of trout and other species of fish.

This latest technology is worth about the value of four premium-brand fly rods, so it is a major investment. And while these units show us where the fish are in the water column in real time, we still need to rely on our knowledge of aquatic insect life cycles and emergence tactics, along with an understanding of the habits of other food sources, to determine what those fish might be targeting. We then have to select the right size and colour pattern and fish it on the right fly line to hopefully fool a few fish.

Sounder technology will continue to evolve but I have a feeling that live imaging systems will begin to show up in more than a few stillwater trout boats.

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END OF THE LINE

The Feather Mechanic Gorden van der Spuy Gordon van der Spuy is an actor, writer, podcast host, fly fisherman and fly tyer from South Africa. His first book “The Feather Mechanic- a Fly-tying philosophy” sold out to critical acclaim and his second book “The Feather Mechanic 2- beyond the pattern” was released in August 2023 and is set to be an instant classic.

Gordon runs South Africa’s largest fly-fishing expo and has been teaching tying for years.

His approach to tying embodies the idea that form needs to follow function. “Figure out what you need the fly to do and then tie it to do that”, he always says. He dabbles in Victorian Classic salmon flies from time to time. Fly tying is both his addiction and therapy.

The Western Coachman

The Leadhead Bug

Hackle Wing Dun

Hook: Mustad 7957 BX, #6-14, Daiichi 1550 or 1560 (wet) Thread: Black Nymo 310 (original), black Fly master 610 (modern) Tail: Golden Pheasant tippet barbs Rib: Gold wire counter-wrapped Body: Peacock herl Hackle: C-grade India cock’s hackle, Coachman brown (original), Whiting Farms hen cape, Coachman brown or furnace (modern) Wing: White hair from the flank of a whitetail deer

Hook: Daiichi 1560 #6, Daiichi 2110 #10 or Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8 Thread: Semperfli Classic waxed thread brown/tan 810 Head: 4 mm Off bead from Bidoz Tag: Fluorescent green Flexi-Body Tail/legs: Speckled feather from a Coq de Leon hen saddle Underbody: Wool Body: Squirrel/hare mixture dubbed and well picked out

Hook: Daiichi 1190 #12 Thread: Waxed olive Danville Flymaster 610, 70 denier Tail: Three blue dun spade hackle barbs Body: Olive-dyed muskrat dubbing Rib: 810 Uni-thread, light Cahill colour Hackle: Olive grizzly Dubbing ball: Olive-brown Andra dubbibg Wing: Natural dun neck hackle Head cement: Flexible penetrating cement

Easy Peasy Ant

The Coq de Leon Matuka

The HDA Fav

Hook: Gamakatsu C12 #16 Thread: Red Griffiths Sheer 1410 Body: Black larva lace dry fly foam Post: Polypropylene Hackle: Any decent genetic cock hackle Thorax: Peacock dubbing Halo: Black CDC barbs in a split thread wound under the hackle

Hook: Daiichi 2051 #1.5 Thread: Uni 810 white and black Tag: Silver medium Oval Tinsel Body: Partridge SLF dubbing, natural, yellow and fiery orange Rib: Medium Gold wire Wing: 4 Coq de Leon Saddle hackles (Colgaderas) Collar: Two Coq de Leon Kidney feathers (Riñon). Dyed Hot orange Head: Black thread

Hook: Dohiku 301 #14 - #18. Hanak H230 is good for big fish Bead: size and colour dependent on application Tail Coq de Leon barbs Rib: Copper wire Body: Squirrel dubbing or hares ear dubbing Hackle: CDC and partridge barbs separately applied, split thread, twisted up and wrapped

The Feather Mechanic Book Review We are ecstatic to feature a handful of patterns from Gordon van der Spuy’s latest book. The Feather Mechanic II: Beyond the Pattern is a coffee table book, a keepsake and a manual all wrapped into one. And Gordon is an artist to the core whether using a pen, canvas or vise. As Conrad Botes writes in his testimony on the back cover, “Gordon’s drawings were created to serve a purpose, namely to explain the mechanics and nuances involved in the act of tying a fly. It is the kind of drawing you keep looking at, even after it has done its job of explaining to you how to tie a fly.” We highly recommend you visit flylifecanada.ca to snap up a copy today!

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The Soul of Fly Fishing

SHOP SALTWATER LINES AND VIEW TECH SPECS

AIRFLOUSA.COM

Ridge 2.0 Universal Taper 9ft Clear Tip

Ridge 2.0 Tactical Taper 12ft Clear Tip

STEALTH • ANTICIPATION • SUCCESS

RIDGE 2.0 FLOATING CLEAR TIP

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER. Designed to be day-in, day-out “workhorses,” IMX-PRO V2 is packed with performance and utility to cover a broad spectrum of freshwater applications. That said, don’t take it from us. Experience this diverse set of purpose-driven actions for yourself. Because, after all, actions speak louder than words.

gloomis.com