Sometimes confidence can come from a few less flies lost in the brush or a little less time spent tying on flies. And yes, maybe a few more trout in the net as well.
It’s hell getting old.
My sons will tell you I’ve said it since they were kids, but this is different.
In this episode we Wadeoutthere with Simon Gawesworth, from Washington state. Simon grew up teaching fly fishing at an early age at his father’s fly fishing school in England. He has spent his life traveling the world, learning, and teaching fly fishing in the form of classes, books, shows, events, schools, and articles, and most recently as an instructor for Far Bank.
It felt good to be fishing and catching fish.
In this episode we Wadeoutthere with Marcos Mazzola from South Florida. Marcos began his fly fishing journey wading and fishing from a skiff in the saltwater flats with his close friend from school who also became his fly fishing mentor. As he progressed as a fly fisher, his photography passion began to become more and more intertwined with his love of the outdoors.
Tactics and Techniques
Targeting the Middle of the Water Column and Alternatives to the Hopper Dropper
When I first started fishing to the middle of the water column, it was typically to trout eating just below the surface. The hopper dropper (or dry dropper) was my primary tactic. But the more I fished, the more I saw opportunities to fish the middle of the water column that were not best suited for the dry dropper technique.
“Wanna catch a fish pop?”
He always asks the same way. I always smile.
Yes. Let’s go. I do want to catch a fish. Even though I know it is not the fish we are after.
I know the adventure of the river motivates him more that the act of fly fishing. I know it is the excitement of the car drive and the sounds of Cory Morrow and Waylon Jennings as he softly sings along. I know it is the journey into a part of his father’s world that convinces him he is tasting something special. Like staying up past bedtime on the Fourth of July. I know all of that. Or maybe none of it. Maybe he is teaching me as much about fly fishing as I have to give. Or at least giving me the chance to see who he is against the pure backdrop of a cold trout stream cut through ancient mountains.