Theory - vs - Practice
By Neil M. Travis, Montana/Arizona
Old hands know that there is a vast difference between
theory and practice, but beginning anglers often have
difficulty separating the two concepts. In recent years
fly rod manufacturers have produced rods that are advertised
as being capable of making longer and longer casts. Articles
and books on fly casting have devoted barrels of ink to
techniques that will allow the caster to make longer and
longer casts. By reading many articles on fly casting it
would seem that if you can't effortlessly make 70 and 80
foot casts you can't call yourself a fly fisher.
Now in theory the farther you can cast the less likely
you will be to spook the fish, and in certain applications
that may be true. Double hauling your entire fly line may
have a place in a casting tournament or when fishing a big
steelhead river or on a bonefish flat, but for most anglers
an accurate 30 or 40 foot cast will put more fish in the net
at the end of the day.
Case in point is fishing for trout on one of my favorite
Montana high mountain lakes. One morning I was slowly poking
my way along the shoreline in my canoe looking for rising
or cruising trout in the shallow water near the shore. This
particular lake is filled with downed timber, and has
extensive beds of thick weeds, and by early summer the
water is clear as crystal. Since there are numerous fish
eating birds in the area the fish tend to be quite spooky
in the shallow clear water so a slow careful approach is
necessary to avoid spooking them. When a fish is spotted
the angler must lay down a gentle accurate cast. If the
fish takes the angler must immediately get the fish on
the reel, keep its head up and out of the downed timber
or thick weeds. This is best accomplished by keeping the
rod low to avoid any overhead motion, and keeping the cast
as short as possible. I had just landed a nice brown when
I looked up and saw a drift boat approaching the upper end
of the cove where I was fishing.
There were two men in the boat, one manning the oars and
the other was standing in the bow of the boat with his fly
rod at ready. The water in this area is quite shallow, and
large trout frequently cruise along the shoreline in plain
view. Now in theory a person standing up in the bow of a
drift boat can spot rising or cruising fish before they
get too close. It's true, but because of the laws of
refraction the higher above the surface of the water an
object is the better a fish can see it. An angler standing
up in the bow of a drift boat along a lake shore is waving
a red flag to every trout within casting distance and beyond.
The angler in the boat executed a very nice cast, pumping
the rod in graceful and powerful strokes with a nice tight
loop, and then shot a 70 or 80 foot cast toward the shoreline.
"Nice," I thought, as I watched the line straighten out and
softly drop on the surface of the water just a few feet off
shore. From my vantage point I could see the wakes generated
by the trout as they spooked and headed for deeper water.
Those trout were gone for the day. Seemingly oblivious to
the obvious the angler continued to cast to the same area
for several minutes before they moved on down the shore.
During the course of the morning I saw the same boat cruising
along the shore, and poking into several of the small coves
prospecting for trout, but I never saw the angler in the bow
ever connect with a single fish.
In theory a drift boat which allows the casting angler to
stand up in the front of the craft should be almost perfect
for all types of fly fishing, but they are not a general
purpose fishing platform. While they are a great boat for
fishing on moving water they are not well suited for angling
in still water. An angler in a float tube, pontoon boat,
or canoe has a much lower profile, and can get much closer
to his quarry. In lakes with heavy weed beds or other
underwater hazards an angler that makes a shorter cast
has a greater chance of landing the fish that he hooks.
There is one more advantage of getting close to your quarry.
Close observation of a cruising or feeding fish, whether it's
a trout or a carp, gives the angler much more specific
information on exactly what it is feeding on, how it is
taking its prey, and precisely where to cast to maximize
the chance of actually hooking the fish. It's easier to
select the correct fly when you can see what the fish is
eating rather than making an 'educated guess' from 70 or
80 feet away.
Perhaps the greatest benefit to getting closer before you
begin casting is the heightened sense of anticipation you
get when the fish that you are trying to catch is so close
that you can see the spots on its side. Years ago I fished
a large slough that held some very large trout early in the
season. By early summer thick weeds made fishing this piece
of water impossible, but during a brief period between the
end of winter and the beginning of summer the possibilities
were exciting. The technique was to sneak along the bank and
find a place to sit down. Once seated it was necessary to
spend a few minutes just watching. The water was crystal
clear, and large trout would cruise up and down the slough
as if they were on tracks. Sometimes they were feeding on
small midges on the surface, and other times they were eating
small aquatic insects along the bottom. After ascertaining
what the menu item was for the day I would tie on an
appropriate fly and wait until I saw a trout cruising in my
direction. By making a short sidearm cast I would drop the
fly where I thought the trout would intercept it. Since the
water was still fairly cool the trout were very slow and
deliberate in their feeding method. What made the entire
scenario more interesting is that most of the trout were
in the 20 plus class, and the flies that they normally
were eating at this time of year were the same size. I
think a 20 inch trout on a size 20 fly is good fishing
by most standards. What made it especially exciting was
the fact that the fish was so close that I could watch
the entire drama unfolding right before my eyes.
The slough is gone now; a victim of spring run-off from
a greater than average snow pack, but the memory of those
few precious times when I was eye ball to eye ball with
those large trout is something that is still fresh in my
mind. I have forgotten the circumstances surrounding many
of the large fish that I have caught, but I never forget
those times when I have gotten so close that I could watch
the action from start to finish.
In theory it might be the number of fish that we have
caught at the end of the day that dictates if we have
been successful or not, but in practice it's less about
the numbers and more about the memories we take away
from the experience. I hope you make some good memories
this coming season. ~ Neil M. Travis, Montana/Arizona
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