Apr 04 2008
Fly Day- Friday: The Montana
Although the Montanan, due to its name, may seem like the All-American nymph, it is actually quite the diplomatic fly, spreading its influence into northern countries such as New Zealand.
The streamer, theoretically, was used primarily in the Montana state, and other western countries, until it was discovered, and brought eastward to be fished along the New England area. While the Montana was quickly making its way to the front of fishermen’s boxes here in the US, it was rapidly making its debut into Canada and New Zealand, becoming a personal favorite for northern trout fishing.
Although extremely effective, the Montana is a very simplistic nymph, as far as fishing it is concerned. This fly is a very popular fly year around, and should be fished deep along the riverbed. It is extraordinarily productive if fished in stony areas of streams, on the upstream face of rapid or turbulent water. When fishing the Montana, like most other nymphs, there are two key methods, the ‘dead drift’ method, and the ‘tight line’ method.
Because of the construction of the nymph being almost entirely of chenille, the Montana, if dry cast, will float. To counter this, the fisherman can be proactive, and weight the nymph with lead wire, or he can simply resort to simply role casting the nymph keeping it from drying too quickly.
This past week I spent time scouting out, and fishing, a local pond here in northeastern Connecticut. It was my first time fishing this specific body of water, so I met up with the owner of the property to discuss the ins and outs of fishing there. After a few minutes of conversation, he began [...]
Although I enjoy the reliability and strength of my modern graphite, Pfueger rod, there tends to be a great joy in casting my grandfather’s handcrafted split bamboo rod. The rod is a ten and a half foot bamboo rod that he acquired long before I was born. My grandfather passed away before I was old [...]
As we are approaching fishing season, there are certain etiquettes that should be discussed.
One of the most important rules of fly fishing is that a fisherman should never, under any circumstances, ‘cull.’
Culling is the very inconsiderate practice of keeping a trout in a creel, and then, after catching larger trout, returns the spent trout to [...]
Spot fishing is a good technique when you find yourself in a situation where there are a number of visible fish rising. The basic idea is to always be ready for a repositioning of the fly to the place of the most current activity, whether that is along the shore, or toward the mid current [...]
The Usual is a very simple fly to tie, and can easily be accomplished by anyone who is starting to tie flies, due to the fact that it is very forgiving. When I tie the Usual, I prefer to use a #10 Mustad hook. I have found this size to be most efficient when fishing [...]