" Fishing with a fly seems to have gone in the opposite direction: It has become a needlessly complex and expensive pastime where anglers choose from hundreds of fly lines, high-tech rods, and trout reels with drags that can stop a truck. We all know that palming the rim of a reel with a simple click drag can stop any trout or salmon, but the industry has become dependent on building insecurity in the minds of their customers — if we aren’t outfitted with the latest gear and au courant signature fly, can we really be enjoying ourselves?"-Yvon Chouinard
I guess Yvon is trying to tell us that we have too much STUFF and he is right. In my early fly fishing years (50 years ago) bamboo still ruled the roost with many of the "good" fly fishers and these guys would fish these same bamboo rods year after year and would not think of tossing one and getting a new one. It may be the relationship one can develop with a natural substance as opposed to something plastic. Now, does that say that you can't appreciate graphite? No it doesn't if the amount of "classic" graphite that I've seen on the rivers is any indication. It seems like every month I see someone with an Orvis Trident, a model that's decades old but a model that Orvis hit a home run with. It's a great rod and I can see why someone would never give it up.
So just remember, this years new model may not make you a better fly fisher. Only you can do that.
Still Fishing?
You better be!! You still have about 240 hours to squeeze out of that 2020 license so get at it. Much of the snow that buried the Swift Valley will melt this week BUT then freeze up to create slippery goings at the access points. A wading staff and studs will fix that. Scuds have been the fly of choice on the Swift. It's the same thing every winter. BTW, I'm still guiding right through the winter!!
Have a Merry Christmas
Remember, it's not what you get but what you give that counts. May you and those close to you have a merry and safe Christmas!
Ken
12 comments:
"So just remember, this years new model may not make you a better fly fisher. Only you can do that." SHHHH! That's how I score great rods/reels traded in for cheap! A great rod or reel is still great!
I want to be first to wish you and your family readers and all that support this blog the best holiday season one can do during these tough times, for those who have lost love ones i know as mine the friendship an good times will last forever. Sadly this is the first time in 50 years i did not make it to swift or the moosehead area. But i was still able to harvest a huge 8 point buck with a bow, somewhat difficult but its like fishing with bamboo vs spinning rod with worms. As long as it enjoyable please DO IT AND do it as many times as u might able to do. Ken this sight is a blessing expecting during these times. All the tips flys will be used during the first season of fly tying which starts in January stay safe my friend and continue the great work.. We might not post a bunch but you have a ton of followers which look for comments from you and friends.
Tincup Bob Merry Christmas Happy New Year
Anonymous,
Ok, I won't tell anybody!
Tincup (Bob),
It's good to hear from you. I passed on a week at Newburyport because of covid and I'll probably do the same with Florida in March. Best to be safe. I hope you and yours have a great holiday season and I'd like to run into you on the river this year.
Merry Christmas
Ken
Happy Holidays to you and family Ken. TinCup said it well, echoed here. This site is a daily read for me, kind of a year long XMas present - much appreciated. The info, tips, reports and perspectives are all great.
While we all have our own opinions about a lot of things, the core values we all share about fly fishing and the outdoors are remarkable. This is a strong community here, and hope this continues for a long, long time. COVID challenged us this year, but it will never beat us. No way.
To all on the site, happy holidays and in 2021 may you have drag free drifts, flies that are catnip to trout, invisible tippet, and days on the fast water that are your own vision of heaven.
Jim M.
Hi Ken, with respect to chasing the latest and greatest rods- I have years of great memories associated with the rods I use and I've been around long enough to know that the written claims of rod performance often fall short with use in the real world. I'll dance with the same girl that brought me last year thanks, I know her well.
Today is my last day of work until the new year which means unless things go horribly wrong I won't have to turn on this damn computer for a while - Amen. Thank you for bringing our local waters to me when I can't get to them. Sadly for a lot of us too many hours are spent on the responsibility's of life. Your blog is a sanity break for me at work and I really look forward to it. Have a Merry Christmas sir, I look forward to seeing you on the river in 2021!
Dean
May you enjoy your final 240 hours of the 2020 season. I hope some of them find you chasing trout.
Echoing many others with heartfelt appreciation for your enduring blog. Love the (often Gierach) openers, the flies, the techniques, and your encouragement to get out and explore new runs and riffles.
Have a Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year.
See you on the water in 2021.
Blessings,
Bob O
Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year to you, Ken. I have not weighed in much lately being I have little to contribute, but I continue to read all your posts and appreciate the knowledge you impart here.
Action has been slow for me the times I have been out this fall. Hard to figure, but I was getting more action before DFW put the last batch of rainbows in. I did catch a pretty nice rainbow a couple of weeks ago on a bead head hare's hear nymph when the drift stalled out and settled in a quiet pocket. I lifted up and sure enough the rainbow was on. Some luck involved, but I was glad to connect.
Be well,
Sam
Sam, Bob O, Dean F, Jim M,
Thank you for being readers and contributing to this blog.
Ken
I want to echo Dean F’s comment that this blog has indeed been an oasis of sanity amidst a challenging year! Thank you Ken and all of your contributors! Also, want to give a shout out to my fishing buddy Jeff J. Goes without saying that a bad day on the river is better than a good day at work. However, to further add... we all love the solitude of this sport, but there’s nothing like having a buddy nearby (but adequately socially distanced!) to compare notes, offer guidance and share the overall experience with. On behalf of a grateful (prospective) fly fisherman, thank you Jeff J and other experienced fly-fishermen (and ladies) for sharing your insight, your friendship, and your mentorship. Happy Holidays!
Tim C.
Dear Ken,
I still regularly fish my Orvis 'Far and Fine' (ca. 1982) and my Orvis 'Western Freestone' (ca. 1988) - wonderful, near-bulletproof 5-weight rods which I shall never retire, and with which I have caught thousands of trout. When paired with my CFO III these rods cast with effortless precision. The 'Far and Fine' is particularly well-suited to fishing the Swift.
Merry Christmas to you and your readership, and many thanks for the continued excellence of this forum.
-Mike
Thank you Tim C.
Ken
Mike,
Merry Christmas to you and I also have a WESTERN FREESTONE that's an 8wt that I use for stripers on occasion.
Ken
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