A lot of little things add up to big things in the fly fishing world. - Pat Dorsey
We drove along the Provo River looking for a good spot to stop and fish. From the passenger seat I caught glimpses of the water over the guard rail between the curves in the highway.
There is so much to learn and teach if we take the time. We show them seams where trout feed or carry them across swift currents. Flip rocks and match bugs from a fly box. Wet their hands before holding the trout you let them reel in. Laugh as they splash and swing the net, chasing a big brown darting on your line in the current.
Podcast
Podcast Ep. 101 – Streamer Tactics and Efficient Decision Making on the River with Domenick Swentosky
In this episode we Wadeoutthere with Domenick Swentosky from central Pennsylvania. Domenick is a fly fishing guide and the creator of Troutbitten.
Working with the wind is an attitude as much as a technique. For years, a windy day frustrated me, and that frustration carried over into the rest of my fishing and made for worse drifts, mends, and hook sets. In short, a windy day on the river tended to slowly burn my patience fuse and put me in a bad mood. Now I try to look at the wind for what it is – another problem to solve.
And I work with the wind to keep me tied to the river and my environment.
“What fly you tying on?” It is a question asked on every day of fishing with my brother. He asks me, or I ask him. Sometimes we ask because we expect one knows more. Sometimes because an unexpected fly piques curiosity. Sometimes I ask, so I know what fly to switch to after watching him fight a fish upstream and out of earshot. I wonder if he caught that on his…
The Yakima River Canyon was on fire. We had fished above with success, but the second day the wind left us drifting more than fishing. As the day went on the wind became stronger, the casts got worse, and the drifts without fishing grew longer. But I guess that is the way it goes with fly fishing trips. Mother nature, like trout, has a vote. And I was with my brother and father. That much was always good. And we caught some fish. That is the way it goes.
We had to pull the drift boat back upstream to reach the pull out. It was our first day on the Bighole River and fishing had been slow. I pushed and my brother pulled until we reached the concrete that jutted into the current and my brother handed the rope to my father and left to get his truck. It was not a far distance to move the drift boat, but combined with a slow day fishing, I stood waist deep in the cold water a bit deflated.