Fly Fishing Journals ? Keep Track of Your Trips
Fly Fishing Journals ? Keep Track of Your Trips
Fly fishing is addictive. Once you start, you'll never stop. Whether you are going to the local water hole or to Alaska, you should use a fly fishing journal to keep track of your sessions.Fly Fishing JournalsFly fishing is more than just fishing, it's a peaceful, surreal activity. For many, there is almost a meditative quality to casting. For avid fly fisherman, fly fishing trips to locations such as the Battenkill River in Vermont, Green River in Utah and Letort in Pennsylvania are a must. Of course, the possibility of trips to Argentina, Alaska and other exotic locations can make ones eyes glassy. For many, however, past fly fishing experiences fade from the memory with time. If you had keep a fly fishing journal, this doesn't have to be the case.There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout time. Of course, Anne Frank's Diary is the best example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your fly fishing sessions will hopefully be more lighthearted, keeping a journal will let you remember them as the years pass.A good fly fishing journal combines a number of characteristics. First, it should be compact. Second, it should have a water-resistant pages and a case to protect it from the elements. Third, the journal should contain blank areas to write your notes. Fourth, the journal should contain cue spaces to remind you to keep notes on specific things. Cues should include:1. Who you went fishing with,2. The weather conditions,3. The fishing conditions,4. The flies you used, what worked and what didn't,5. What you caught, and6. Lodging and places to eat,As time passes, your fly fishing journal can be used as:1. A guide for you or friends that return the same location,2. Information on gear and flies to take,3. Memories to reflect upon years later, and4. Something to pass on to your children and grandchildren.Keeping a fly fishing journal only requires a few minutes of writing. You can fill it out on the ride home or during a break. As time passes, your journal will become a collection of incredibly valuable fly fishing information. Imagine the look on a friend's face after they mention going on a trip and you whip out your journal for the spot!Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - Makers of fly fishing journals. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to read fly fishing journals and articles.
Fly Fishing the Tide Rips for Coho Salmon off the Northwest Tip of Washington State
Fly Fishing the Tide Rips for Coho Salmon off the Northwest Tip of Washington State
Tide rips are one of the most common areas to fly fish for salmon at Neah Bay. I'm addicted to fly fishing tide rips for coho salmon in the saltwater. The stronger the current and the rougher the water, the more I love it.Tide rips are a general term used by many people but not always meaning the same thing. Many people define tide rips as where two opposing currents meet. Others define rips as any ripple caused by current on a glassy sea. Both are correct, but I think of tide rips as where huge amounts of water are moving causing the ocean to resemble a river. This can be caused by current crossing a shallow bar or reef (the northern tip of Waadah Island is an example of this) or where a large volume of water is constricted and/or crosses a shallow (or not so shallow) reef. A prime example of the latter is where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean north of Cape Flattery. The water in these areas can go from glass calm to rough in a very short time.The rough water is where I spend most of my time fly fishing the rips. The movement of water is also moving large amounts of feed (mostly baitfish like herring and anchovies) into the tide rips. The fast, turbulent water disorients the bait, making them easy prey for aggressively feeding coho salmon. The salmon use the current as a massive marine conveyer belt that brings them an easy supply of food. The chop on the water also seems to make the salmon less spooky and they will hold in the upper part of the water column, which puts them well within the fly fisherman's reach. All of these factors combined make fly fishing tide rips one of the best experiences in northwest saltwater fly fishing.We've found the conditions that concentrate salmon within reach of our flies. Now we have to enter the prime water. This is where things become interesting. I mentioned the rough water previously, and I must add even more caution to those attempting this type of fishing for the first or even the one hundredth time. Many times, the top end of the tide rip will contain breaking waves, much like rapids in a river. In the beginning start fishing rips that are not as strong. Look for days with less tidal movement to get used to the way your boat drifts and how to cast flies while being tossed around before casting flies in stronger tide rips. A sound boat is necessary. You need a boat that's a minimum of 18' long to deal with the strongest rips. Make sure you have all the safety equipment required and more. Life jackets, VHF radio, and a GPS are absolutely required. Make sure your engine is tuned up and operating properly. This is no place to have a breakdown.Okay, you are now in the rip holding the cork of a fly rod with a baitfish fly pattern in your other hand. What now? It depends a bit on how your boat drifts through the current. My boat drifts straight with the current, but others drift sideways. For me, I cast straight across to up-current a bit. Usually the boat is drifting slower than the current underneath, so casting a fly up current will give the fly more time to sink and still allow you to strip the fly back to the boat across the current. I usually strip the fly back at varying speeds. Often, I'll start the retrieve very fast and then slow it down as the fly gets closer to the boat. I think the initial fast burst gets the coho salmon's attention and the slower strips with pauses is what triggers the coho salmon to strike the fly.The tide rips can also be a great place to try casting poppers for saltwater salmon. Bringing salmon to the surface is a thrill.Of course, an article can only get you so far. Time on the water is the key to being confident fly fishing the saltwater for salmon in Washington State. I hope you will give the Olympic Peninsula a shot for your saltwater fly fishing adventures.Chris Bellows, owner of Topwater Charters, Inc, which runs fly fishing charters off the Washington Coast. His websites offer more information about Saltwater Fly Fishing and Neah Bay Halibut
Fly Fishing Small Streams
Fly Fishing Small Streams
Picture this; you've spent some time hiking into a small stream in
the back country. It's early morning, mist is rising and the midges
that have been swarming around you are breakfast for the small browns
you have come to catch. You quietly walk up to the stream, watching
the swirls of rising fish. You tie a nymph onto your leader and step
into the water.A trout skids away from under your feet, its flight sending out
warning signals as bright as any neon light. The feeding fish flee in
response and you are left with a section of river devoid of all but the
midges. Welcome to fly fishing the small stream.Stop and look before fly fishing the small streamBefore you get into the water stop and look at what is in front of you.
This is especially true when approaching the small stream. Trout are well
camouflaged, especially when you are looking down into the water.
(A good pair of Polaroid glasses helps here.)I like to make my first cast well back from the waters edge. If there
is little cover then I tend to use a long leader and lay the line on the
riverbank, allowing only the leader to enter the water, as close to
the near bank as possible. That way, if there are any fish lying close
under the bank, I will have given them first look at my fly.Reading the water of the small streamThe waters of the small stream are like those of any river, just
on a smaller scale. The fish will be in the same types of water that
they would be in if you were fishing any trout stream. When you are
fly fishing the small stream, look for those areas that provide the
fish with their need for protection from predators, relief from fast
flowing currents, and access to food.Fishing the pocket waterI like to use dry flies when fly fishing pocket water in a small
stream. The fish will usually be holding out of the main current but
close enough to grab any food that comes floating by, and a drifting
fly is often too tempting to resist.Often it is not necessary to match the fly closely to whatever is
hatching. Instead I like to fish a fly that is visible enough for me
to see in fast moving water. Something like a light elk hair caddis
works well. When the strike comes I can see it and I catch more fish
this way than missing the strike by using a less visible, hatch matching
fly.Fly fishing the small stream usually requires a more sensitive
approach and a finesse that is not necessary in larger rivers.
Experience and practice are the great tellers here. Ability to read
the water is more critical as the fish are often more easily spooked
than their big water cousins. But when you make your way home at the
end of a successful fishing day in the back country you know that
the time spent learning to fly fish the small stream has been worthwhile.About the Author
Dale East is a long time outdoorsman and fly fisher and publisher of Fly Fishing Wyoming