Monday, February 17, 2020

K.I.S.S.....


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…..