Outwaiting a fish has never been a problem for me. Patience of this variety is not a superhero’s quality, but if it were, I’d be fighting crime rather than writing about fishing. So when I first stumbled upon Dr. Seuss’ book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! as a university student on a late-night outing to Chapters, I couldn’t understand why he portrayed “waiting for the fish to bite” with all the other negative aspects of waiting, like “waiting for a train to go / or a bus to come.”
Elk Hair Caddis:
Hatches through the summer (May to Sept). Imitates various types of caddis flies. Tied in size 10 to 14.
Hook: Hanak H130BL
Thread: Textreme 8/0
Body: Semperfli Dirty Bug Yarn in Litchen
Hackle: Whiting’s High and Dry Grizzly
Wing: Elk Hair and Swiss CDC
Egg Sack: Gulff UV Resin in Ambulance Chartreuse
Ours is considered a gentle sport for the most part, and that trait is part of its attraction. Recently, more people are finding solace and clarity—and much-needed gentleness—in the outdoors and the activities there, one of which is fly fishing.
And while it’s true that fishing, called the “contemplative man’s recreation” by Isaac Walton, can indeed be gentle and thought-provoking, sometimes our contemplation needs to be sharply focused.
An example is the recent controversy and struggle to prevent construction of a huge copper and gold mine in Alaska, called Pebble Mine. The effects of the mine on the environment and the Bristol Bay watershed would have been massive. For now the project has been canceled, thanks to participation in a long, arduous fight by a great number of people and groups who value the outdoors, including fly fishers.
A similar battle has been escalating in Alberta in recent months over the threat to the future health of land and water posed by proposed expansion of open-pit coal mining. The mountains and foothills are the headwaters and domain of Alberta’s best and best-known trout streams: The Oldman River, the Crowsnest River, the Livingstone River, the Highwood River, the Ram River, plus all their critical tributaries. These mountains and foothills are the Alberta wilderness.
If you haven’t already picked up a copy of the Summer issue, now is the time to do it! This “Fly Tying Triple-Header” covers off the Pro’s top recommendations for dries, terrestrials and nymphs to use this season. The five patterns below are Jake Vanderweyden’s (@theflyfiend) picks, complete with recipes for you tying pleasure!
No matter what kind of angler you are, at some point you’ve probably pondered buying a boat. It’s a rite of passage, really, to daydream about floating down a beautiful river with just you, the scenery, and all the fish downstream. One of the more frustrating things about purchasing a boat is that it’s not a cheap endeavor. Fiberglass drift boats can cost as much as a vehicle, and some of the smaller single-person inflatables just don’t provide enough storage or rowing power. Enter the Outcast OSG Clearwater.
The Clearwater, brand new for 2021, takes some of the design elements from Outcast’s multi-person inflatable rafts and transitions them to a sturdy, well-appointed, single-person frameless raft. For gear heads, the Clearwater features trampoline-style cargo spaces in the front and the rear, allowing you to pack up to 450-lbs. of gear (including yourself, of course.) The open oarlock system accommodates longer strokes, allowing you to really get after it in rough water, if need be, and the high back seat sits on top of an inflatable thwart, allowing for excellent visibility and rowing. The best part? The boat only weighs 35-lbs. and can easily fit in the back of a pickup truck. No trailers required.
$1,299 | outcastboats.com
Let’s be honest. Does anyone truly need a $300 camp chair? No. But, as always with Yeti, the Trailhead Camp Chair is another example of the company taking a simple product, over-engineering it to the max, and coming out with something that looks great, performs very well, and will stand the test of time. Falling squarely into the “just barely related enough to fly fishing accessories for us to include it on this list,” the Trailhead is the ultimate camp chair. After a long day of walking and wading, it’s good to know you’ll have a sturdy, comfortable chair waiting for you back by the campfire.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Trailhead is just how well-built it is. This thing is solid. Featuring a lightweight crossover frame that snaps into place with color-coded tensioners and the forgiving Flexgrid fabric, the Trailhead can support up to 500-lbs., yet remains comfortable while sitting for hours at a time. With an included cup holder, and extra-strong feet, there aren’t many things Yeti didn’t think of; speaking of which, the entire chair is UV-rated, meaning it won’t break down in the sun over time.
$299.99 | yeti.com
Lucas Utrera is a fly tyer born in Córdoba, Argentina, currently residing in Miami, USA. He started fly tying in 1996 at the early age of 12. He dabbled in commercial tying for some year, but later dedicated most of his time to tying special flies for collectors and participating in competitions. He is currently a member of the Ahrex, Gulff and Semperfli Pro Team.
Add these 6 patterns (with materials list) to your arsenal today!
The new SuperFlo series from Airflo features three different tapers designed for all your trout-fishing needs: the Tactical Taper, the Universal Taper, and the Power Taper. Each is meant to solve a different problem. The Tactical Taper, available in 2- through 6-weights, features a delicate front taper and an extended rear taper, perfect for placing tiny dries on a dime from any distance. The Universal Taper is designed as a more do-it-all line for anglers who may nymph, throw dries, and toss streamers from the same rod on the same day. It’s available in 3- through 9-weights, which should cover a variety of situations. At the other end of the spectrum is the Power Taper, an aggressively weighted line meant to throw far, turn over larger flies, and counteract today’s fast-action rods. It’s available in 3- through 9-weights. Each of the SuperFlo lines is 90-feet long and features welded loops on both ends. No matter where you find yourself in trout country, Airflo has built a SuperFlo line for you.
$100 | airflousa.com
Fluorocarbon is an interesting material. For starters, it’s nearly invisible under water, it has a higher abrasion-resistance than monofilament, and also sinks faster than mono. While that doesn’t make it ideal for dry-fly fishing, many anglers use it on small dry flies. That being said, fluorocarbon is an absolute must for nymphing or throwing streamers, and especially in salt water. In recent years, the fluorocarbon game has been somewhat stagnant, with no real notable advancements. This year, that’s changed.
The team over at SA has developed a breakthrough fluorocarbon material, improving the break strength over its previous material by up to 33%. The innovation here begins with the material: it features a unique dual-layer construction, with a softer outer layer to help knots grip into themselves and a harder core that provides much of the tensile strength. While each 30-meter spool comes in at a hefty $29.95, if SA’s strength claims are true, it will be worth every penny the next time your knots hold on the fish of a lifetime. Absolute Tippet Supreme is geared mainly to big-game and saltwater anglers, and is available in 8-lbs. Through 20-lbs., with SA’s patented cutter spool and easy ID tippet band.
$29.95 | scientificanglers.com
https://vimeo.com/401233840
We know that you’d rather be out fishing right now. So would we. While we may not be able to make that happen, hopefully this might help. The International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) and Fly Fusion Films have opened up our video vaults to provide you with some excellent fly-fishing films to help get you through these trying times.
Keep your eyes peeled every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for another film from the archive. Now for today’s featured film: “Gold Fever” by Burl Productions.
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Gold Fever is when you get the taste of gold and you will stop at nothing to get more. Jobs, relationships, obligations are disregarded. The only thing you can think about is another nugget. In this case those nuggets are huge wild brown trout from the heart of the Mother Lode in the Sierra Foothills of California.
