How to Fish

A buddy of mine went fishing with an angler of local repute. Having not fished the particular stream before, he was looking for guidance. His companion pointed to the rocks and runs where fish he virtually knew by name were lurking. They caught fish in the right places. They caught fish on the right flies.

The observation my buddy later made was that this guy wasn't so much a fine angler as an he was an expert on this particular fishery. He presumed that if this expert was taken to a new place he might not possess the skills to quickly identify the holding water and fly selection that would make for such a successful day. And while it seemed to me a bit of a leap to assume the expert would struggle elsewhere, it got me thinking.

...You can read the rest of this article over on Hatch Magazine.

That's a fish catching cap! (Photo: Hatch Magazine)

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I'm doing some writing over on Hatch Magazine each week (or so). Stop over there to read my complete articles and more from other great writers.

Downstream

This...

Is coming here...

Which means I'll be going someplace like this...

Predator becomes prey

You know times are tough when a dragonfly preys on a dragonfly instead of those fluttering mayflies. Listen carefully and you can hear the sweet sound of a dragonfly carapace being cracked.

Swinging Twofer

I don't usually swing wet flies but I was doing some nymphing last night while waiting for the hatch and I was getting strikes on the swing. So, knowing that the trout wanted moving flies, I tied on a pair of soft hackles and worked the run. The flies got multiple strikes and I managed a few smallies and trout to hand. While bringing in one trout a six-inch smallie decided not to waste the dropper and did me the good service of hopping on. That made for an interesting fight.

Addiction

What happens when a fly rod maker starts noodling around a travel coffee mug design? One word: Cork.

Check out this Kickstarter campaign for the Cortica mug. The perfect companion to the Jetboil french press.

A busy spring season

It's been a transitional time here at Sipping Emergers. As you've noticed my posts are fewer lately owing mostly to a very busy personal and professional life. The little writing I have been doing has appeared over on Hatch Magazine or been submitted to The Drake or The Flyfish Journal for printing on dead trees. Getting a check for writing is satisfying in many ways not the least of which is the bump in the bank account that partially offsets all those angling purchases one is inclined to make from time to time. I still write here when time permits and I'll certainly point you to articles that are published elsewhere on the intertubes.

While I've been busy with other things others, besides you, have been judging my writing. Earlier this month, the Outdoor Writers Association announced the winners of its 2014 Excellence in Craft Awards. I won four awards; one for an article on stoneflies in The Drake and three for pieces that appeared on this blog.

The Award Winners

• The second to last summer
• Steelhead Camp
• The fishing was hell

Additionally, the piece titled The second to last summer won a President's Choice Award as one of the six best for the year. As my buddy Jonny says, I'm now an award winning writer of some acclaim which I suppose means my fifteen minutes of fame are up.

Back to our regular programming

In case you missed it two weeks ago, I wrote a bit about a milestone in my fishing career. A picture tells a thousand words, but you can also find 600 additional words about the event over on Hatch Magazine.

Action Needed Today!

From our friends at Trout Unlimited:

"Emergency action needed today! Call the Senate Appropriations Committee and tell them to leave the Clean Water Act alone!"

Go to their WOTUS Emergency Page and give a Senator a call.

Muddy Waters

The sound of rain on the roof is a sweet sound that I desperately miss during the time of year when all that can be expected from the sky is something frozen. That said, there's a time and place for everything and Wednesday is never a good day for rain. Neither is Thursday or Friday for that matter. All rain should fall on Sunday or Monday. Tuesday at the absolute latest. In that way all that water can run downhill by Saturday morning and the weekend, the blessed weekend, will find the streams well behaved and the trout in their usual spots.

Read the rest of the story over at Hatch Magazine.

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I'm doing some writing over on Hatch Magazine each week. Stop over there to read my complete articles and more from other great writers.