Apr 23 2008
The Ultimate Fishing Challenge
The season has begun, and certainly on a good note for many of the fishermen around the country. I spent opening day this year on the Natchaug River in northeastern Connecticut. Although I did not get the opportunity to do much fishing, I did have the pleasure of sharing the art of fly-fishing with a number of people who were interested in learning to cast.
Throughout the day, the fishing just seemed to keep getting better on the stream. Although it seemed as though there were more fishermen that there could possibly be fish for, everyone I met seemed to be doing very well, including many young children who were able to catch their first trout. One young , about 8 years old, caught her first trout at 6:01am, just moments after the season started. On her first cast of the season, a large 19.5 inch rainbow trout aggressively hit her lure. About six minutes later, with the help of her awestruck father, the trout was on shore.
The day was filled with stories of young fishermen catching large fish, making the day very enjoyable for all, leading me to discuss a topic that I think is very important. I have a challenge for all those fishermen out there who want to make a positive difference in their communities.
In all of our lives there are kids that are less fortunate than other. Children who have either have a physical or mental disability, who has had to undergo a divorce in their family, or who is just not in a very positive situation in life.
Many of these children are crying out for attention through the wrong means, or simply just need to be shown a little bit of care. I have found that in the past, simply finding a kid like that, maybe it is even a relative, or a neighbor, and taking them fishing for the day, can be very rewarding for you, and very helpful and caring for them, and can drastically change their life.
Think about it, if you are already are going out fishing, what more does it take to through an extra pole in the car and bring sunshine to a child’s life? So find someone, and take them fishing, make the small sacrifice to bring huge hope to their life.
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 [...]