You Can’t Catch Fish Unless Your Fly is in the Water

You can’t catch fish unless your fly is in the water.

Guides have told me this, and I have used this simple phrase plenty of times myself. And it is true. But why do we, as fly fishers, keep our flies in the boat or in our hands? What gives us pause? Is it always wasteful, or is it sometimes worth it?

Moreover, are there times when you should take a moment and get your fly out of the  water? It seems counter-intuitive. On its face, it runs contrary to the aforementioned maxim.

The reality is that we are finite. We make mistakes and we have limitations. Furthermore our time on the water is finite. We don’t have unlimited shots at fish. Consequently, 9 good casts and presentations are better than 10 okay casts and presentations. What does that mean?

It might sound like I’m making a big deal about a little issue. But little adds up over a day and over a season. Here are a few ways to think about your fly’s time in the water:

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Podcast Ep. 89: Fish Trippin’

Road trip!

Depending upon your particular experiences, that phrase might elicit great joy or terrible fear. But what if you have a fly rod in the car? Or, what if you’ve had a fly rod in the car while taking that same route in the past?

Adding a little fishing to a longer drive can break things up. But, there are a lot more benefits than just a pair of wet boots and a few fish in the net. Getting off the highway and into some of the local flavor can really increase your enjoyment of a place and a drive.

What do I mean?

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Rusty Flybox: Kids & Fly Fishing

Full disclosure: Taking kids fly fishing is work.

You’re not going to be fishing. You’re going to be untangling monofilament and dodging poppers. The time spent getting ready to go fishing is incredibly disproportional to the time spent actually fishing. And heaven help you if the fish aren’t biting.

Taking kids fly fishing is an investment. A little here, a little there, all managed with patience and grace and love will pay off in ways that are much deeper than an excuse to go fishing in the future. Plus, kids know what you like to do. For that reason, these are the things that they want to do. Taking them fishing is the ultimate dad/mom/grandpa/cool uncle move.

But how do you do that?

Since we all love lists, here are three articles with lists about getting the kids in your life into fly fishing. (Full disclosure: one list is 100 items long…)

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Trout Quixote: Seven

I had the morning to myself. While on a family trip in Northern Virginia, I could have easily found my way to some amazing fly fishing opportunities. Feisty mountain brook trout. River smallies on topwater flies. Thick spring creek browns. While there is no such thing as a done deal in fly fishing, each of those options probably would have yielded fish. I’m familiar with all of them. I know the flies, the pools, and the fish.

But something else was on my mind.

Three years prior, while living in the area, I had hiked up a muddy river bank to access a small spring creek in search of wild trout. I failed. That failure had been camping out in the back of my mind all this time. It stood out from fish that I had missed or casts that I had messed up. Those memories were just  moments I couldn’t get back. This little spring creek was still there. I had another shot.

So that was my choice on that morning. The challenge outweighed the familiar.

The hike was the same. A hot, humid Virginia morning. A muddy, slick riverbank. Dense weeds and posted property kept me along the water. I had to climb over fallen trees and their accompanying jams. Dried in the summer sun, anything thinner than a man’s wrist would snap under any weight. Add in a few snakes, and it was slightly harrowing while carrying two rods.

One rod was for spring creek trout. The other was for anything swimming in the river. There was a lot swimming in that river. Panfish cracked at dragonflies. Bass sent baitfish skittering across the surface. And there were more common carp than I have ever seen in my entire life. I’m glad I brought the larger rod, but I quickly realized that it was a distraction that was going to keep me from making upstream progress.

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Podcast Ep. 88: Trout Mission – Accomplished

There is one fish that I have been trying to catch for nearly 20 years. It isn’t a specific fish, per se, but any  rainbow trout out of a particular stream.

This week I caught that fish.

It was a little fish. Really little. But that is okay. After numerous failed attempts (some of which resulted in law enforcement intervention), it was immensely satisfying to catch and release this one trout.

How can one little fish be so hard to catch? And why would I have some quixotic obsession with it? Let me tell you about it.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Trout & Feather: July

This month on Trout & Feather, my post is called Fly Fishing Past. There are also some great tying tutorials to be found, including the “perfect” jig nymph.

Where is the farthest point upstream you’ve fished on your favorite river? What do you think is a little past that? And, if you were being adventurous, what do you think you’d encounter if you went even a little bit more?

As a general rule, the pools and deep runs that are within a short walk from the parking lot get fished hard. The water looks great. It seems like it might be productive. Styrofoam worm cups and Bud Lite cans are often serve as the fishing report. Only five or ten minutes up into the mountains and things change. The literal quiet is accompanied by a sense of quiet. The trails get narrower. The signs of people disappear.

Then, there are fish.

Watch the videos, and find a link to the article, below:

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Fixing Fly Fishing Failure: 3 Thoughts

Just over three years ago I visited a stream that I had fantasized about for decades. Decades. It isn’t on the other side of the world. It isn’t even across the country. In fact, I’ve crossed over it hundreds of times. The access just so happens to be a bit on the restrictive side. As in none.

So how did I find myself on this particular creek? A lot of poring over maps, researching property lines, and hiking. Some class A quickest-way-between-two-points is muddy, weedy, and steep hiking.

But when I got there I struck out. Not a fish. They’re there and I know they’re there. I’ve seen them during reconnaissance. Rainbows, primarily. Smallish, but healthy and (this is the important part) naturally reproducing. All of this data was gathered sans trout in hand. I pulled out all of my usual tricks for the situation I was in. I bounced small streamers through the deep pools. I splatted little foam beetles under overhanging trees. I even resorted to tightline nymphing a hare’s ear. Still nothing.

This week I intend on retracing my steps. Part of me thinks it is foolish. More of me wants to catch something in that little spring creek. Consequently, instead of fantasizing about the fish I’ll catch I’ve been strategizing about how to catch them. Here are  three things I’ve been thinking about that ought to help me on that creek – but should translate to any failure you or I have had on the water:

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Podcast Ep. 87: Sneak a Little Fishing In

If you can negotiate some time on the water, then you should absolutely sneak some fishing into your family trip.

Want my advice? Don’t bring what you would normally bring on a fishing trip. Pack lighter. Be it out of necessity or simply to keep the peace, choose what you’re hauling along with coolers, strollers, and scooters wisely. Even if you are flying and going solo, there should be a minimized method to your madness.

Today on the podcast, I talk through fitting fly fishing into trips. Specifically, I discuss packing theory. (Packing theory sounds like a 21st century college major, doesn’t it? I think I could teach in such a program…)

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Fun in Spite of the Sun

I don’t like the sun.

…let me qualify that statement: I am very thankful for the  gravitational, thermodynamic, and myriad of other benefits that the sun provides to me and every other organism on this planet. However, I certainly don’t like sunburn and I’m not that fond of UV rays in general. Add to that the fact that I loathe sunscreen. I don’t like how it smells, feels, and stops working without warning. There might be detrimental health concerns for the stuff, too. That isn’t my top concern, but it isn’t helping it’s case.

That is quite the predicament for someone who enjoys fly fishing and the outdoors, isn’t it?

I want to stay outside, but I don’t want to get fried. I want to stay comfortable, but I realize that it is going be a relative comfort if I’m out in the elements.

So what do I do? Here’s five things. You know, in case you also have a hate/love relationship with the sun:

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The Bad Day Eraser

I’ve got the cure for a difficult day. And I don’t think it’s a presumptuous statement to assume that a lot of us are having difficult days. It isn’t anything chemical, expensive, or difficult itself. But what it does promise is some peace, some quiet, and some fun.

After work, after dinner, after the kids are in bed, go catch some sunfish.

Take your 3-weight, your 5-weight, or 7-weight. It really doesn’t matter that much. Forget packing up a fully loaded sling or vest. Just put a small box of poppers or foam dries in your pocket.

That’s it. That’s all you need.

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