Friday, November 5, 2010

Top Ten Go To Nymphs

When I first began trout fishing I did not like to fish with nymph's because I was always losing flies and getting hung up and seemed to be tying on more nymphs than fishing. But I went to a seminar that was taught by  the well known famous nymph fisher Joe Humphries and saw how productive it was for him. I changed my attitude and learned to become a better nymph fisher. While I can't say these should be etched in stone as the top ten, they are very close between most obsessive trout fishers as myself. You may see these tied with a little color variation from fly shop to fly shop but here they are:
1. Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear
2. Gray Nymph
3. Zug Bug
4. Black Midge Pupa
6. Kaufmann's Stone
7. Scud
8. Beaver
9. American March Brown
10. Prince Nymph
And one for good measure Copper John
 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Common Fly Casting Mistakes

I was invited down to Virginia Beach last week to help the avid salt anglers  of the Virginia Beach Saltwater  Fly Angers on their casting. It was much fun and also very good to get out again on a cool crisp night for some casting on a lighted football field. Two common occurrences with a lot of good casters which this club has plenty were the overpowering of the rod and keeping the rod tip on a straight line path. Two important casting components when casting in salt water situations that can cost you much distance and accuracy. The anglers picked up my observations quickly and much improvement was had by all and they were delighted and very complementary. I wanted all of them to know how humbling of an experience it was for me to be doing what I love, in teaching and being with a great bunch of folks. I look  forward in getting down for a meeting to watch some of the finest fly tiers on the east coast and see with my own eyes the flytying ninja in action. Tight Loops! Andrew