Successful Situations
Two traits that make fishing some dry fly fishing guides popular with guests is the ability to put the angler consistently into successful situations.
Just like good sports coaches, strong educators, great fishing guides…they all have the ability to facilitate successful situations.
I’m certainly not speaking about finding the easiest targets either. Those ‘ducks’ many leave behind for the rest of the gang.
Who I am speaking to is the dry fly anglers in the audience. Finding successful situations satisfies all parties. The guide, the angler. I like to find rising fish that are actually just out of the anglers reach, or skill set. Yet, achievable.
Those are the best lessons. That is how we learn quickly. Fishing in successful situations.
News Alert: Just because a fish is rising, does not mean you should stop and fish to it. Nope, that is not always smart. And yet, many, most, anglers do just that. Try to catch every rising trout in the river. A couple things wrong with this theory. #1. Not enough time man. #2. But if that is your game, have at ‘er man.
News Alert #2: I call those fish that are rising, and cannot be caught because of the lane they are in, the location, or fish that get cast at by every dry fly angler: Uncatchable. An example of that is those fish that do not go down, but never ever look at your fly. Suckerfish. They do not fall into the any sort of successful situation I am speaking about.
She’s not that into you man.
I got lost there for a moment. A successful situation is this “Those fish that can be caught, that are not easy, that require the angler to use his or her brain, that enhance the anglers skill set, that are unique, that are fun.
Great coaches direct the learning of the athlete. Great fishing guides do the same thing. Allow the angler to improve. Guided Discovery. Building blocks. Putting the individual into angling equations that they can solve.
Not making it too easy. Not making it impossible. Introducing the angler into successful situations.
And that is what separates the great dry fly fishing guides, from the rest.
Anchoring up on a rising trout that nobody can catch, is not good guiding.
6 Comments.
Keep talking . . . I’m getting more & more interested, oh, hello again, it’s JustMe! Timely post, as just yesterday I was browsing my bookmarked fly fishing library, this time – http://www.jazzandflyfishing.com – vimeo vids. 1>3 titled “Sunsets & Cocktails”! Stunning & Cunning is He . . . and of course the Big Browns are too! Highly Recommended, by me of course . . . let us know what you think and of course feel free to post them HERE (if that’s legal?). Continued Happy Hunting to the “head-hunters”.
I have fond memories in that side channel!
I got schooled at Dry Fly School…got a few as well.
Enjoyed every minute of it.
Cheers to all of you at HH central.
Greg J. Calgary
Thanks Greg! Hope you are staying warm up there!
Successful situations
This is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever read regarding dryfly fishing, particularly on the Missouri!! My group has fished the Missouri since 1990 and the dryfly fishing has changed tremendously since then. It was typical to have more easily catchable fish back then. If there was a hatch or multiple hatches, you could catch 15 to 20 trout on dry flies In a day using the correct pattern of flies.
Regarding anchoring up on rising trout I believe there are more non catchable fish today. It sure is fun to stop and try to catch those fish but it makes them even tougher to catch with every boat trying to do that. I guess these could be called the “sucker fish” then. It is up to your guide and you to make a decision on these “suckerfish”. Having a guide that can judge your fishing skills or primarily your casting skills really makes a difference in those situations.
Just my opinions and thoughts.
Appreciate it Paul. Thanks for the comment!