Sep 25 2008
The Good ‘ol Days
I recently received a comment about my last blog, asking if such a simplistic means of fishing is possible in the US. In response, yes, it is most definitely possible, and would be just as affective regardless of the location, however, there is a mindset amongst fishermen in the United States that such a style of fishing is somehow a lesser method than traditional casting, or fly fly fishing.
Although the simplistic method of “cast and wait,” is less advanced than others, it is typically reserved for young children who are perfectly content fishing with a stick and shoelace, which begs this question to be asked, “who enjoys fishing more?”
I have had the opportunity to go fishing with a number of great fishermen around the world, and have taken countless adults fishing, and have seen a number of different attitudes arise while fishing with them. I have worked with men that have had a great attitude, and who i have thoroughly enjoyed spending time fishing with. However, I have also been fishing with men who have had bad attitude and seem to have a gift of finding things to complain about.
Regardless of the above, I have also had the opportunity to take a number of children fishing, and have humbled myself to fish with them using a piece of thread attached to a stick, and, although we may not catch a thing those days, I have never gone fishing with a kid who has not completely enjoyed themselves. In this, these kids have taught me a lot about fishing, that it is not about how many fish you catch, or how large those fish are, fishing is all about enjoying yourself, and due to that, I encourage all of you fishermen out there, if you can find a child, two stick, thread, and some worms, you will find happiness.
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 [...]