Hello friends and thanks for checking in at the O’Grady Fly
Fishing Adventures. I was thinking about something an old friend said to me many
years ago. This gentleman was normally a very jolly, happy go lucky guy that
always had a smile on his face, no matter what was going on around him. One day
we were standing talking when a group of geese flew overhead and his face got
very serious and he said you see those geese. I said yep, and he said, have you
ever noticed that when they fly in the wedge, one side is always longer than
the other? I said I guess, he asked, you know why? Like I said, not sure I had
ever seen a serious look on this mans face before, so I thought about it for a
second. Could it be possibly that whether they are flying North or South that
it had something to do with where the sun is coming from? Could it be the wind
direction and maybe that is how they are most aerodynamic? Could it possibly even
be some type of inherited trait as to where each goose lines up or possibly even
some type of pecking order and I looked at him and said, I have no idea. Old
Leonard giggled and said it is because there are more geese on one side than
the other. Yep, an old bird from Kansas got me and sometimes the best answer is
the simplest.
The last three or four weeks in the shop have really got me
thinking about the simplicity of fly fishing. I can’t tell you how many
different experiences I have heard about: best day ever, fishing sucks, only
eating size 26, only eating size 12 euro style nymphs, etc etc. Last week the
TU fishing tourney was going on and when they were announcing the winners and
asked what was working, they all named different flies. And to jump on board,
Cat and I have had the same type of experiences, some great, some good and some
quite frustrating but what I have tried my hardest to do is keep it simple.
So, what do I mean by keeping it simple? The current Euro
craze has taught me something really important, the “drift” is by far the most
important concept in fly fishing. A perfect drift with the wrong flies will be
far more productive than a crappy drift with the right flies. The river is in
full “winter mode” right now so on most days, the pickins is kind of slim for
the fish and a perfect natural drift can initiate a response. When I was
younger, I was part of an organization that had a bumper sticker that said
KISS, keep it simple stupid and so if you get to the river in the next few
weeks and are struggling, remember KISS. Get that perfect drift and if they don’t
eat, move to the next run and repeat.
Now onto the river, the other day I started noticing Spawning
redds showing up. Yep, it’s the time of the year again when the fish make the
future of our river better and we, as stewards of the river can help. Please
understand that these are not bass, if you see fish on redds they are either preparing
or actively spawning and need to be left alone. Also, please be quick and extra
careful with quick pics right now, the future depends on you. If you don’t know
what a red is or looks like, please stop by the Drift or any flyshop and we
will be more than helpful. I will finish the blog with this, if you see me and
ask for fishing advice and I tell you to kiss off, its actually a good thing(hehe).
As always, Connell, Cat, Winston, Leonard Calkins and the Drift Fly Shop want
to thank you for reading…..
