Of Banjos & Buggers

I have some valuable fly fishing writing to share with you. But first, let me begin by blowing your mind:

THERE IS NO ENTRY FOR THE BANJO MINNOW ON WIKIPEDIA!!!

Shock, I know.

Anyway, growing up I was a fan of the Banjo Minnow. Not only did I use them (and with great success, I will add), but I watched the infomercial over, and over, and over again on whichever high-numbered cable channel the fishing shows aired. And if I found myself in a Bass Pro or Cabela’s where they had the Banjo Minnow infomercial on loop? I’d stop and stare, mouth agape.

Being a sucker for a good/tolerable sales pitch, I sent my $29.95 off and waited impatiently for the 110-piece set to arrive.

At least for me, they worked. Maybe it was the weedless rigging, which was essential in the chemically-enhanced suburban ponds of my youth. Perhaps it was actually the science behind the whole concept: the idea that fish simply could not pass up a dying baitfish. My money? It is on the fact that Bill Dance himself endorsed the Banjo Minnow.

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Last Cast of the Week, 4/13/2018

Most Fridays on Casting Across are  devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week.

Today, I’m sharing items from  Tenkara USA,  Trident Fly Fishing, & RepYourWater/Hank Patterson.

If you’d like to be featured in the Last Cast of the Week, or have seen something that others might be interested in, use my  contact form  or shoot me an email (matthew[at]castingacross[dot]com). Also, be sure to  subscribe to Casting Across to never miss a post.

Check out the links, along with my thoughts, below:

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Shame & My Favorite Fly Fishing Photo

This is one of my favorite trout pictures.

I caught this brown trout in the highest reaches of a Pennsylvania limestone stream. This fish was remarkable for its color. This fish was exciting due to its relatively large size. But this fish was most special because it was caught in a place where most trout had been pushed out of. Development and poaching had taken their toll. The big browns had been displaced.

I’ve always loved the stream. To catch this fish, in this creek, at this time, was exciting.

The fish came from alongside a submerged log to sip a tiny midge. In the tight, brushy water, I knew immediately it was a good trout. I quickly netted the fish, laid it in the streamside grass, removed it from the net, and snapped a picture. Back the fish went into the water, and back I went to fishing.

That night at home I looked at the picture. I wasn’t on fly fishing social media. It was just for me. The digital photo quickly became the background of my desktop computer. The colors, the proportions, even the symmetry of the image’s composition captured my experience and that trout.

***

Even without social media as a teenager, I was generally aware of best practices when it came to fish handling. In the 90’s, there were plenty of magazines and Trout Unlimited meetings to pass on key principles. The fly fishing community was starting to see that stewardship entailed more than simply catch and release.

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Finest Fly Tying Benches: Everything In Its Place

For most fly tiers, tools and materials are limited to what can be purchased commercially. And with more products than the rest of the fly fishing industry combined, there are a lot of options for tiers. But what if something isn’t just right? You’d need to be able to dye your own bucktails, breed your own chickens, or machine your own scissors.

In Jay Burge’s case, he felt like he needed to craft his own tying bench.

Fly tying benches are the happy medium between having your supplies in a transient bin and designating part of your home as a tying spot. Whether they be 18” laptop sizes or 30”, multi-tiered stations, tying benches help tiers keep tools, materials, and their overall process organized.

After being in the industry for a few years as a guide, Burge began to tie more and more to replenish his fly boxes. Necessity turned to passion, and he found himself immersed in tying flies. However, he was unsatisfied in the commercially available tying benches. Details in size, ergonomics, or aesthetics weren’t to his liking. Also working as an established carpenter, he had the means and ability to solve his own problem.

Within a short period of time working on this “problem solving,” Finest Fly Tying Benches of Colorado was formed.

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Rusty Flybox: Get Your Kids Fly Fishing

Maybe you have never gotten around to taking your teenager fly fishing. Maybe your six-year-old has just demonstrated enough patience and focus to spend an afternoon on the water. Maybe you just got into the sport, and you want to bring your kids along for the ride.

Maybe you’ve been thinking: “All I need to do is give them this fly rod, and they’ll figure it out.”

Let me humbly chime in and offer my opinion. That is a terrible idea.

To be fair, I don’t have it completely figured out. I’ve made my mistakes. With my own kids and with other young people I’ve been too hands-off or too intense. I’ve tried to put them on spooky spring creek trout and I’ve assured them that more bluegill was the pathway to success. All that said, through trial and error, I think I have figured out some principles for getting kids – be they your children, grandchildren, or someone else in your life – into fly fishing.

Here are three pieces that cover the topic. Two are practical tips for fishing, and one is just about being outside. Have a read by clicking on the titles of each article:

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Fish? Food.

Last night I had fish for dinner. It was cod; broiled with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon. It was wild and caught from a sustainable fishery. Most importantly, it was delicious.

Eating fish isn’t a typical topic in fly fishing media.

Given, I didn’t get anywhere near my cod while it was still alive. Admittedly there is a disconnect between the paper-wrapped filets I bought at the store and the muscles underlaying the patterns on trout that I fawn over. One is fish. The other is a fish. On the surface that distinction sounds ridiculous. A lot of people don’t understand.

Eating fresh, farmed tilapia at a rural village in Guatemala I saw how confusing this distinction can be. A local and I had been talking, and he knew that I fish for a hobby. Each of us two tilapia in, he asked me how it tasted compared to all the fish I caught in the states. Even if my Spanish was better, I don’t think I could have justified myself enough to assuage his bewilderment.

His circumstances led to the black-and-white thinking that fish are food. In fly fishing culture, our black-and-white thinking says that a good many fish are absolutely not for eating.

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The Perfect Small Stream Fly Rod?

There is no perfect small stream fly rod.

Various rod manufacturers and publications have declared they have the rod for fly fishing on high mountain streams or small meadow creeks. Such superlatives draw in attention (and customers). As is the case with medium-sized  or large rivers, there is no perfect small stream fly rod. It is a matter of opinion; and each opinion is based on personal angling preference.

Still, the shopping process can benefit from considering some parameters. Where you fish, how you cast, and what you value while fly fishing are all going to matter when you choose your next small stream fly rod.

Three major areas to think through are length, weight, and action. Here are some specifics pertaining to each regarding small stream fly rods:

Length

Where you fish, particularly the density of overhead foliage, should determine your rod length. Shorter rods, such as 6’6” or 7’ will allow you make overhand casts in all but the tightest canopies. Also, it will be easy to maneuver through the streamside underbrush. The ability to make unencumbered casts will be important because a short rod won’t make mending line and making presentation adjustments simple.

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Restoration, Not Escape

 

Being outdoors is often referred to as an escape. An escape from the hustle and bustle; an escape from the rat race; an escape from normal life. Whether it be fly fishing, hiking, or simply standing in a wild place,  these pursuits give a diverse group of people the feeling of liberation.

It is true. And it would be foolish to deny the sentiment.

Where the escape analogy begins to fall apart is the big picture.

Although trying and seemingly confining at times, normal life isn’t bad. Vocation, relationships, and just being a part of society are good things.  Perhaps enough time has passed that contemporary man is unaware that it wasn’t so long ago that humanity was clamoring to escape from  being outdoors.  Escape from the rivers; escape from the rusticity, escape from nature red in tooth and claw.

In the big picture, it is apparent that our world is groaning. Humanity is groaning, too. The futility of fighting against nature, work, and each other propels people to escape. For aeons, those in wild places run to the cities and towns. Those in civilization flee to the water and the woods.

The desire to escape isn’t a result of modernity. It is a result of fallen humanity.

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VIDEO: Risen Fly Genesis

When I found out about the Genesis rod series from Risen Fly Fishing, I was excited to get my hands on it. What happened when I received the 9′ 5-weight and took it out to cast? My anticipation was well founded.

Reason being, the Genesis is  A) a value, and B) flexible.

In terms of value, Risen Fly continues to turn out gear at a great price. Utilizing industry-standard components and construction, their business model and philosophy allows for wallet-friendly rods and reels. At under $100, the Genesis is a fantastic buy. That price point makes getting into fly fishing or adding another rod to your quiver simple.

The Genesis is flexible in more ways than one. I prefer a moderate fast action for trout because of the delicacy it provides when it comes to presentation. Additionally, it is my “action of choice” when I am teaching people to cast and fish. The Genesis is a rod that I’ll fish, but also a rod that I won’t hesitate to hand to someone I’m introducing to the sport.

Check out my video on the Risen Fly Fishing Genesis here:

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Opening Day of Trout Season Still Matters

In modern fly fishing, the idea of an opening day of trout season doesn’t hold the same kind of mystique that it did in past generations. With many catch and release waters being open year-round, the calendar doesn’t dictate if one can fish. The conclusion to fish or not depends more on personal choice. Weather, not law, becomes a deciding factor. For the ardent angler, conservation concerns such as spawning seasons or water temperatures might be the only limiting variables.

Season-free trout fishing is a relatively new phenomenon. The purposes behind closing and opening different waters is intriguing. Learning why different states across the country adapted statutes for reasons of conservation and economics is valuable for understanding the history of resource management.

Perhaps more compelling is the change in culture. In past years a certain day in April held a special allure. Throughout the cold winter months, a date circled on the calendar represented the renewal of fishing. More than that it meant anticipation for specific rituals. Cleaning tackle, tying flies, and putting in for a few days’ vacation built up the expectation. Coordinating with friends and family to repeat the same customs on and off the water was integral and part of the fun.

These days, a significant segment of the fly fishing culture associates opening day with crowds and stocked trout. These two elements are considered antithetical to the core pursuit of fishing. Spots with easy access or holes that are known to congregate fish fill up. Unfortunately, anglers who get unruly, leave behind trash, and push the boundaries of creel limits perpetuate the negative stigma that opening day can hold.

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