Seams of Time

There is a magical place in the stream, somewhere between what's moving and what's not, a seam, where time stands still and one's breath is held closely. Every fiber is focused on a simple concoction of thread and feathers carefully assembled to resemble a living thing in contact with the surface tension of the water. The potentiality of a take is real, timeless, and axiety ridden. When it comes, it is usually violent but sometimes it can be passive, almost imperceptible. And each time, it is the best.

Read more in Random Acts of Fishing....

Mending the Line

Many times while fishing in streams we encounter varying currents that can play havoc with the line. A good cross stream technique is essential to maintaining a good drag-free drift. The reach cast allows you to place your fly upstream across fast water to area of slower moving water. Sometimes, however, the lines gets caught in the faster water and drags the fly along in an unnatural drift. Mending the line will help to maintain a good drift. Use the rod tip to lift the line and toss it upstream of the fly. This will ensure that the drifting line in the faster water does not overtake the fly sitting in the slower water. Your fly will remain in the correct position and maintain proper drift.

Double Haul

I learned to double haul to get maximum distance when fishing in the surf but the technique works equally as well on mountain streams when you need that little something extra.

As the rod goes into the backcast, pull down with the line hand. This will accentuate the rod tip power. As you pause on the backcast, bring the line hand up. When starting the forward cast, pull down sharply on the line as the rod comes forward.

With a little practice, it gets to be a timing thing and you'll be surprised how far you can launch that line. As you can see by the photo, my friend Tim is an expert at getting a graceful loop.

My Place is High Among the Pines

Like Driftwood

I float across a great expanse

where I come to rest

I should be

Venture 7 Fly Reel

When I set out a few summers back to find the perfect fly reel for plying the salt at my local Southern California beaches, I never dreamed that I'd stumble upon this gem. Though not specifically designed for salt water use, the G. Loomis Venture 7 has what it takes to make short work of the feistiest of briny critters. Much has been said of bar stock aluminum fly reels and their relative strength without compromising weight, but the Venture 7 incorporates all of the craftsmanship, quality, and reliability in a light weight cast and machined aluminum construction. Without a doubt, this reel has features found only in the higher priced reels, such as a fully adjustable composite center line drag system that's as smooth as silk with a backbone necessary to put the brakes on long runs. The drag clicks through a multitude of settings incrementally. At first, I thought the nearly flush mounted drag knob would be difficult to adjust for a person with large hands but I quickly discovered that I could easily adjust the drag through a wide range of settings, even with wet hands. The spools are specifically designed to make changing a snap and they easily convert to a right or left hand retrieve. This reel is truly a thing of beauty with its unique champagne-colored finish. Many a fellow angler has stopped to comment on the appearance of my reel's rich anodized hue. This reliable and moderately priced high performance reel will surely put a smile on any angler's face, as it did mine!

Father's Day

This year, I had one of the best Father's Day that I have had in recent memory. I was able to go to visit my fishing buddy in Mammoth and spend the weekend with my two boys flyfishing. We finished in Mammoth Creek and hooked up with five or six nice browns during the morning. Later that afternoon, we finished at the upper Owens River past Benton Crossing Bridge but did not catch any fish. The wind began to pick up and it was getting late so we packed it in for another day. The following morning we returned to the Owens River only to find it blown out with wind but we still managed to catch two nice browns. Later , we finished Rock Creek and landed a lots of nice fish. in the afternoon , we hiked into the high country to some high mountain lakes and had a field day with Brook Trout. Caddis flies and bllue-winged olives were the hot ticket all day long. It was an awesome weekend with the boys and one that I'll never forget!

Go Terrestrial!

It's almost time to break out the big uglies! Take time now to get your fly box in order for late summer terrestrials. Be creative. Here's a gaudy looking morsel that I made last year using some foam from my kids' craft box and some rubber bands. It took seconds to tie and was irresistible to the big ones lurking along the banks. Remember to toss'em with a big plop, add a little motion, and hang on for dear life!