From Dry or Die to Nymphing, Tactics for the Catskills with Chris Gallagher (Ep. 231)

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Chris Gallagher from upstate New York.  Chris started fly fishing during high school in Virginia, but it was after he joined the army and was stationed in upstate New York’s Fort Drum, that Chris found a connection that would carry him through his military career and beyond. 

His love for fishing the Adirondacks and Catskills helped him decide to make New York his home after twenty years of service, during which he was a hard core dry or die fly fisherman. Eventually, Chris came around to nymph fishing to help get more out of his time on the water, and even earned a spot on the USA Fly Fishing competition team. 

We discuss how to find and adjust to different sections of the river, casting and hooksets while euro nymphing, and the famous Catskills fishery.  Chris also shares some stories about catching fish while deployed overseas in Iraq.

3 Quotes

“Get rid of all that little micro drag.  Generally if its the same shape and size, that fish is gonna eat.”

“Don’t give it some mysterious status because it’s a trout.”

“Change your rig and change your fly to the water type… don’t be lazy.”

Chris Gallagher

2 Flies

Pheasant tail. Keep it slender. Keep it simple.

Griffiths Gnat.

1 Question

Why don’t I take a fly rod more places?

It feels inconvenient sometimes to take my rod on the road, but maybe that’s because I expect too much. Maybe we all build up a “fly fishing trip” into more than it has to be. A rod and reel, a box of flies, and a lanyard with bare bones equipment really doesn’t take up too much room. And an hour or two on the water is the same time commitment as a Netflix movie.

Do I do this as much as I could, nor as much as my soul would appreciate? Nope. I’m guilty as charged.

But, if Chris Gallagher can take his fly rod with him into Iraq and Egypt in the middle of the Global War on Terror (GWOT), then maybe (just maybe) taking my fly rod on a few business trips around the United States doesn’t seem quite as inconvenient.

You can listen to the show on the podcast player below or anywhere that you enjoy podcasts. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I enjoyed talking with Chris.

Thanks for being here. Leave a comment below.

VR,
Jason

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