Fly Fishing For Dummies

Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: The Basics 5 Chapter 1: What Every Fly Rodder Needs to Know 7 What is a Fish? 7 How do I know it’s a fish? 8 What does a fish want out of life? 9 Fishing versus Angling 10 How Do I Learn? Who Do I Ask? 13 Parents 13 Friends 13 Fly shops 13 Guides 14 Schools 15 Online: My inbox runneth over 15 Four Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me about When I Started 17 Bad vibrations 17 Trying to do more than you really can 17 Shadows of evil 17 Your Budweiser hat 17 The Dog Ate My Homework (Or Why You Need a License) 18 Chapter 2: Choosing a Rod 19 Anatomy of a Fly Rod 20 No, butt seriously 22 You have to cast your way 23 The Four Jobs of a Rod 24 When bigger is better (and when it isn’t) 24 Line weight and rod weight: The bottom line 25 The long and short of it 25 Realistically speaking 26 Where the action is 26 A Rod for All Seasons 27 Trout 27 Bass, pike, and light saltwater 28 Heavy saltwater: Tarpon, sharks, and other monsters 28 Matching the rod to the fish 29 Have rod, will travel 29 Rod Care 30 Be finicky about ferrules 30 Use a rod case 30 Not getting stuck 32 Getting unstuck 32 The last word 33 Chapter 3: Reels 35 MFP (Maximum Fishing Pleasure) and the Balanced Outfit 36 Fly Reels 36 What does a fly reel do? 36 The ABCs of arbors 38 Kind of a drag 38 Using your tools to stop the fish (Hint: Your hand is a piece of tackle, too) 39 Why is a Reel Like a New Business? 40 Be seated 40 The full-figured reel 41 Maintaining Your Reels 42 Like the dentist says, rinse often 42 Don’t forget to oil 43 Chapter 4: Between the Rod and the Fish: Hooks, Lines, Leaders 45 Checking Out Fly Lines 45 Is weight good or bad? 46 Does color count? 47 Taper tips 47 Sink or swim 47 Threading your fly line 48 Looking at Leaders 50 Matching your leader to your fly 51 What tippet should I tie? 51 How strong does the leader need to be? 53 Everything You Need to Know about Hooks 53 When bigger is smaller 55 Get to the point! 55 Unhooking yourself 56 Get rid of your barbs 57 That Sinking Feeling 59 What Comes After the Tippet? 59 Tie one on 59 Hopper dropper: A true life saver 59 Part 2: The Fish and the Flies 61 Chapter 5: Trout and the Bugs They Love (Plus Some Non-Bugs Too) 63 The Short, Happy Life of the Mayfly: Swim, Eat, Fly, Mate, Die 64 In the beginning 64 Dry-fly time: The big show 64 Spinners: The happy ending and then kaput! 66 Get wet! 67 Get net! 68 Some Nymph Basics 68 Crawlers 68 Clingers 69 Burrowers 69 Swimmers 70 Reading the Rings 70 Headhunting 71 Emergers: Trout candy 72 Spinners: After the fun is done 72 Don’t ignore the small stuff 72 Caddis Flies: Not Sexy, but They Work 73 Stone Flies: The Biggest Bugs 76 Salmon flies: The greatest hatch 76 Grasshoppers: Trout Candy 78 Beetles, ants, and other terrestrials 80 Big fish eat little fish 80 Chapter 6: Mayflies (And Why Trout Love Them) 81 How Big (Or Small) is a Mayfly? 81 The Quill Gordon: As Unpredictable as the Weather 83 The Hendrickson: When the Fishing Gets Serious 84 March Brown: Big Enough to Care About 86 Green Drake: The B52 of Mayflies 86 Pale Morning Dun: All Summer Long 88 Trico: Major Snack Food 90 Callibaetis: Banker’s Hours 91 Giant Michigan Caddis: The Champ 92 Blue Winged Olive: Always There 93 Isonychia: Fast and Furious 94 Chapter 7: Fly Tying 97 How Many Flies Do I Need? 97 Why dry? 98 Wets came first 99 Nymphs: Unseen but invaluable 100 Streamers: More than a mouthful 100 An Even Dozen 102 The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear 102 The Prince Nymph 102 The Comparadun 104 The Elk Hair Caddis 105 The Parachute Adams 105 The Ausable Wulff 106 The Griffith’s Gnat 107 Rusty Spinner 107 Zebra Midge 107 The Chernobyl Ant: All in the nuclear family 108 The Clouser Minnow 109 The Woolly Bugger 110 The Muddler Minnow 111 So Which Fly Should I Use? 111 Roll Your Own? 112 Tools of the trade 112 Tying your first fly, a wooly bugger 115 Tying a dry fly 121 Tying a Comparadun 122 Tying a Nymph 125 Finding Help Online 128 Chapter 8: Freshwater Fish 129 Trout 129 The champ: Brown trout 130 High jumpers: Rainbow trout 131 Sentimental favorite: Brookies 134 The cutthroat 135 Lakers: Big Macks 136 Pacific Salmon 137 Atlantic Salmon 139 Basses 140 Largemouth 140 Smallmouth: The gamest fish 141 Pike (“And the Winner of the Mean and Ugly Contest is ”) 144 Northern pike 144 Muskellunge 145 Pickerel 147 Fun with Panfish 148 Catfish 150 Shad: The Poor Man’s Salmon 151 Carp 153 Golden Dorado 154 Chapter 9: The Beautiful Black Bass 155 Smallmouth and Largemouth 155 Do I need a special rod for bassing? 156 Don’t be shy 156 Mainstays of the Bass Diet 157 Mayflies: Not just for trout anymore 157 Damselflies: Big and crunchy 157 Dragonflies: Bassing’s B-1 bomber 158 Crickets and grasshoppers: Always good, by Jiminy 159 Hellgrammites: Helluva meal 160 Leeches: Finally, something good about these slimers! 160 Crayfish: If you don’t eat them yourself 161 Frogs: The bass cookies 161 Sculpins: Little big head 162 Shiners: A classic bait 162 Mice: A bonus 163 Great Bass Destinations 163 The Everglades: Often overlooked, but nearly perfect 163 The St Johns: Fishing with eagles 163 The Ozarks: U-pik-it 165 Lake Superior, Lake Michigan: Some very Great Lakes 165 The St Lawrence River: A lotta water 166 The Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers: A good connection 166 The Susquehanna River: Birthplace of the Clouser Minnow 166 The New River: Not so new 167 Alabama’s statewide bassin’ 167 The Snake River and the Columbia River: The great Northwest 167 Quetico Provincial Park: The boundary waters 168 Down east: Ayuppp, pretty fayah fishin’ 168 Any farm pond 168 Golf courses: No clubs required 168 Great Bass Flies 169 Popping bugs: My favorite 169 The Clouser Minnow 170 Wooly Bugger 170 Big-headed deer-hair flies 170 The Deceiver: I’m a believer 170 The Gamechanger: It ain’t the meat; it’s the motion 171 Chapter 10: Saltwater Fish 173 Some Saltwater Fishing Tips 174 Fishing in 360 degrees 174 Deciding what rod to use 174 The trout strike: A big mistake 175 Striped Bass: A Silver Treasure 175 Bluefish: Tough Guys 176 False Albacore: The Fall Classic 177 Weakfish and Speckled Trout: Brothers in Angling 178 Redfish: A Cook’s Tale 181 Fluke: Flat and Fun 182 Marlin: Fly Fishing’s Mt Everest 183 Bluefin Tuna: Big, Fast, and Gorgeous 184 Inshore Grand Slam 185 Bonefish: Gray lightning 185 Permit: As if 187 Snook: No schnook 188 Tarpon: The silver king 189 Giant trevally: Gangsta of the flats 190 Chapter 11: Saltwater Baits and Flies 193 Seafood: Major Saltwater Bait 193 Sand eels: Not reely eels 194 Silversides: Ocean-going French fries 195 Anchovy: Not just for pizza 195 Bunker: All in the baitfish family 196 Cinder worms: On the moon tides 197 Paolo worm: Small bait, monster fish 199 Mud crab: A white sand standout 199 Shrimp: A great go-to bait 201 Mullet: Good in the gullet 201 Great Saltwater Fly Types 202 Crazy Charlie: A very sane choice 202 The Surf Candy: The name says it all 203 Snake fly: Eels and then some 203 A crab fly: It fairly screams “eat me” 204 Lefty’s Deceiver: A true friend 205 The Clouser: Still the champ 205 The Crease fly 205 Part 3: Fly Fishing Essentials 207 Chapter 12: Casting and Presentation: The Heart of the Game 209 The Keys to Success 210 Timing: Not just for comedians 210 Keeping your loop tight 210 Holding the rod correctly 210 Mastering the Forward Cast 212 Okay — I tried what you said; what did I do wrong? 214 What am I looking for? 215 Don’t be in a hurry 215 Now what? Preparing to catch an actual fish! 217 The reach cast 217 Mastering Other Useful Casts 219 The roll cast 219 The backcast 221 The steeple cast 222 Dealing with a headwind 222 Aiming for distance 223 The double haul 223 The Spey cast: Where have you been my whole life? 226 Drag: It’s a major drag 227 Adding to Your Casting Arsenal 228 The backhand: A great tool 228 The pile cast: Lotsa loops 229 Bouncing under a limb 230 Mending: A must-learn technique 231 Keeping a dry fly dry (or at least floating) 231 False casting: The awful truth 232 Quarter casting: A great old-timer 232 Using a stripping basket and the two-hand retrieve 233 Fish Near, Then Far 234 Fishing the clock 234 Understanding the boat clock 234 Chapter 13: Time and Place 237 Getting in the Zone 237 Going with the flow 238 Lakes and reservoirs 241 Salt water 247 The Time is Now 251 Good times 252 When the barometer’s moving, rent a movie or clean your closet 253 “Real guys fish at night” 253 No Matter When or Where You Fish, Remember This 254 Keep a cool head 254 Go slow 254 Be quiet, please 254 Stay out of sight 254 Be chill 255 Wading 255 Thy rod and thy staff 255 Thy friend, too 255 Don’t do what fish do 256 Back(ass)wards, please 256 If you fall 256 Chapter 14: Catching and (Often) Releasing 257 When Should I Strike? 257 Lifters and Strippers 258 Trout: Be firm but gentle 258 Salmon: A different tune 258 Bass, pike, muskies: Gangsta style 258 Salt water: Stay down! 259 Fish On! (Now What Do I Do?!) 259 The Fight 260 Your rod is your best weapon 260 Help from the reel 260 The line helps too 260 The reel thing 261 Heads up! 261 Use the current 261 Running for cover 262 “What a jump! Hey! What happened?” 262 Rod up, reel down (pumping a fish) 262 Playing the fish 263 Light tackle takes longer 264 Landing or Boating the Fish 264 Should I use a net? 264 To kill or not to kill 266 Before you catch and release 267 Treating a fish properly 267 Revive and release 267 Catch, quickly shoot a photo, and release 268 Chapter 15: The Fly Fishing Wardrobe 271 Take It Off! 271 The Well-Dressed Fly Rodder 272 Dress like Robin Hood (green tights optional) 273 Keep the lid on 273 Don’t forget your face 273 Waders: A Necessity 274 Gloves: The Hot and Cold of It 275 Vest or Pack? 276 Packs that pack the right stuff 277 Another option: Lanyard 279 Sunglasses: Function, Not Fashion 281 Chapter 16: Knots: A Few Will Do 283 A Brief Vocabulary of Knots 284 The Fisherman’s Knot 284 The Surgeon’s Knot 286 The Perfection Loop 288 More Good-to-Know Knots 290 The Orvis Knot 290 Lefty’s Loop 290 Line to reel 291 Joining fat line to skinny line or wire 292 Chapter 17: Cooking Your Catch 297 Perfect Poaching, I Promise 298 Poached Fish 299 Pan Roasting for Crisp Skin 300 Crispy Skin Fillet 301 Frying Fish to Crunchy Perfection 303 Battered Fish 304 Baking Fish in a Salt Crust for Great Presentation 305 Salt-Baked Big Fish and Vegetables with Fresh Salsa 306 Tossing Whole Fish on the Grill 308 Grilled Whole Fish 309 Part 4: The Part of Tens 311 Chapter 18: Great Trout Streams 313 The Upper Delaware: New York and Pennsylvania 314 Henry’s Fork: Idaho 316 The Missouri: Montana 317 The Yellowstone: Wyoming and Montana 318 The South Platte River: Colorado 320 The Deschutes: Oregon 321 Fall River: California 321 The Au Sable: Michigan 322 The White River: Arkansas 323 The South Holston: Tennessee 324 Chapter 19: Ten Trout and Salmon Bucket-List Destinations 325 Argentina 326 Chile 326 New Zealand 327 Iceland 327 Alaska 327 The Kola Peninsula 327 British Columbia 328 The Pyrenees, Spain 328 England: Fly Fishing’s Home Court 328 Slovenia and Balkans 328 Chapter 20: Ten Saltwater Bucket-List Destinations 329 The Florida Keys: More Than Margaritaville 330 Lands of the Maya: The Yucatan and Belize 331 The Bahamas 331 Cuba, Sí 331 Kiritimati: That’s Christmas Island to You 332 The Seychelles: Far Away, and That’s Good 332 Montauk: A Frenzy of Fish (and Fishermen) 332 The Outer Bank 332 New Orleans: Reds in Bluesville 333 Cabo San Lucas: Bigger Game 333 Chapter 21: Eleven Good Reads 335 He Wrote He Fished It Was Good 335 The Modern Master 336 In the Beginning 336 Time and Place 336 Fly Fishing’s Ground Zero 337 Trout Are the Best Reason for Many Things 337 Guide Wars 337 A Latitude Attitude 338 The Way It Was 338 Madness? I Don’t Think So 338 An Eleventh Book, If That’s Okay with You 339 Chapter 22: Ten Great Online Resources 341 Catch Magazine 342 Flylords 342 Troutbitten 342 Southern Culture on the Fly 343 Midcurrent 343 Capt Jack Productions 343 Trout Unlimited 343 Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing 344 The Slide Inn 344 Rio Products on YouTube 344 Index 345