A Fine Art, Part 3
by Charlie Kroll
From Pools of Memory published by
Frank Amato Publications.
Variations of the art can be practiced in still water as well
as in rivers and often with the aid of props such as boats or
docks. One magnificent form may be termed the Overwater Splits.
This fall has one special advantage,in that it can be performed
long before the fishing starts. To accomplish it you should keep
one foot firmly on the dock and place the other on the edge of
the boat. With any luck the boat will shoot off irretrievably into
the lake. With a little skill you can supplement the ensuing crash
into the water by splitting the midseam of your waders enroute.
Another particularly spectacular variation is Off The Stern
Gambit. This induced fall has been elevated to professional status
by residents of Grayling, Michigan who regularly float the AuSable
River. The idea is to wait until your boat partner is standing in the
stern and facing away from you as he attempts to lay his fly up
under a sweeper. The anchor is quietly lowered into the water and
when the rope tightens in the current with a slight jolt, the standee
demonstrates a neat parabola off into the river, normally accompanied
by a large displacement of surface water. This gambit is particularly
noteworthy in April or early May before the river has achieved any
noticeable warming.
The Upwards-Down Fall, which is sometimes termed an
Escalating Down Fall, is notable in that it is a completely dry
fall. This occurs about midnight as you leave the waning rise to
a flight of Hexagenia limbata. Crouching to observe,
against the skyline, the tree marking the gate at the far end of
the meadow you get your bearings and stride boldly forward, only
to discover that the spine of a sleeping cow is knee-high to an angler.
As you somersault over her she gets to her feet with a lurch and in
so doing steps on your rod and / or anatomy. Game, set and
match to the heifer.
I by no means have space here to cover the multitude of
variations but these few examples just might help any aspiring angler
wishing to master this difficult but rewarding phase of the noble art
of fly fishing. Remember that, as with anything else, practice makes
perfect.
~ Charlie Kroll
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