Summer steelhead=perserverance

It has been written that Summer Steelhead is more about the fishing and less about the catching. A local guide told me to expect one steelhead per 750 casts. That requires some serious dedication, faith, and perserverance. Good thing it is a darn good way to spend the day.

Although not for everyone, the slender cast/fish ratio is probably exactly what keeps the die hards going to the river. When they do get a fish on, it is like hitting the Las Vegas Jackpot. Although instead of plying their craft in a loud smoke filled room they get to do it in the great outdoors. They also learn things along the way and improve their casts. If lucky someone is there to rubdown their sore casting shoulder at the end of a hard dar.

More New Patterns

In the never ending pursuit to foil the most weary of fish anew, we have added some new patterns to adorn your fly box. Rio Grande King Wet Fly, Beadhead Shop Vac, Zoo Cougar, Swimmin' Jimmy, Steelhead Stone, Beadhead Barr's Emerger PMD, Parachute Royal Wulff, Rio Grande King Trude, and the BWO Thorax.

The Zoo Cougar and Swimmin' Jimmy are originated by Kelly Galloup the author of Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout, we are currently sold out but more due back in stock soon. The basic tenet of his fishing strategy is to aggravate the huge fish, which are surprisingly close to the bank and in shallow water. He fishes each likely spot very fast, and plops down his huge streamer, tied on a very short leader, and strips it through the water, engaging the lunker to strike out of territorial infringement.

We have some further ideas on Streamer Techniques, and try Fishing with Streamers.

Grand Slam season in the Florida keys

Tis Grand Slam season in the Florida Keys, although there are lots of tournaments, pressure is usually low in the fall. Bonefish become very numerous on the ocean flats and backcountry as well. Keep your eyes peeled for Permit as the tides dictate use long leaders and very conservative presentations. Small tarpon are also present in the flats.

The Grand Slam is taking one of each of the three fish on one fly in one day.

On the Mend

Mending your line is crucial when dealing with different current speeds, it is vital in giving your fly a realistic presentation in the water, and perhaps THE most crucial element in dry fly fishing. Without a line mend the fly will drag unrealistically through the fishing zone.

Performing a mend can be tricky, but can be learned. When casting to rising fish, it is commonplace for your fly line to lie on faster water than your fly, forcing the quicker drifting fly line to drag your fly past the rising fish at unnatural speeds or dragging it out of the desired drift altogether.

Mending your line is simply throwing your fly line upriver from the fly after the cast, thereby eliminating that drag. How to do this properly requires a bit of practice and experience.

If you are just starting out, cast your fly to the desired location, typically above the spot where you ideally want the drift to be, and watch your fly line. When you it belly, throw it upriver the amount that was being dragged downriver. In other words make your mend up equal to the belly down. Make your line a mirror image of what it was.

The easiest way to do this is to actually lift the section you want to mend off the water, thereby eliminating disturbing the fly. You can easily tell the part you want to mend at the hinge point, which is the point the belly begins to form up the line from the fly. Simply lift and flip this section. Then watch your fly drift unencumbered through the target zone.

Even if a strike doesn't occur it is such a beautiful thing, you will wonder what the heck is the matter with the fish.

A case for not wading

During this time of year, with water levels low, fish on high alert from a summer of being cast upon, staying out of the water as much as possible makes sense. If you ever get a chance watch some fish working an emergence from up above, or perhpas just lying on the fringes of a pool. Throw a pebble as far as you can away from them, and watch the fish scatter. Fish can detect noise much better then we often give them credit for. Fall trout, steelies and salmon all seem more sensitive than at other times of the year and stealth can be one of the fly fishers biggest assets.

If you are forced to wade, wading upstream to your fishing spot makes more sense as it does not send visual clues to the fish, such as muck or debris.

Foam Hopper

We had an enterprising Big Y Fly Co. tyer re-design our Foam Hopper fly pattern, a couple of months ago. Adding rubber legs, a more robust body, and a bolder silhouette, the results have been nothing short of spectacular. With hopper season having at least a month to go in many areas, try these, I was going to add a picture but noticed we don't have it updated yet. They are going fast however, so some sizes and colors might be out.

Fly Fishing Knots

The difference between a neatly well tied knot and a sloppily tied knot can mean the difference between catching easily spooked fish and not catching them. Or perhaps landing that trophy fish or losing him only to find a curly end of leader, where your hook once was tied on. However the time to learn tying specific knots is not usually on the water. Try grabbing various pieces of materials such as fly line, backing, tippet, leader, and practice in your off time. Here are some links with step by step instruction and illustration. Frog Hair Knot Tying page, Killroy's.

For more detailed info try these two excellent straight forward books: Fly Fishing Knots and Connections by Lefty Kreh, or Fly Leaders and Knots By Larry V. Notley.

Stripers

Late summer, early fall the large ones love to lay hidden by structure, rock ledges, and boulders. Hidden in the shadow lines waiting to ambush prey. Try fishing these areas in evening or early morning when the heat is on, as fall nears all day. Be stealthy and use the tide to move the bait. Clousers and deceivers with chartreuse are excellent patterns. With the weight of the clousers for the deeper runs, hanging up in boulders is part of the game here so be prepared with flies and tippet.

The Dry Flies are back

After a summer of fishing primarily streamers, it is time again to fish dry flies. Late summer and fall typically produce more dry fly action than any other time of the year, except for perhaps spring. Faithful Blue Wing Olives are hatching still, as well as Midges and Tricos that can frustrate to no end. To add to the frustration is the fact that the fish always seem to be more skittish in the fall. Heavily pressured fish are wily and hesitant, barely making a ripple. Further, any drag will turn them away, yet any slack and you will miss the hit. Thomas Paine once said 'These are the times that try men's souls,' was that about taxation without representation or was it during a trico hatch?