Fishing Streamers Like a Pro

Some days it seems like you can do no wrong throwing streamers. You are seeing trout on almost every cast, hooking more fish than you can count, and landing almost more than you can remember.  You wonder why you ever bother fishing with nymphs or dry flies. On these days, you are a streamer shaman. But what might you do on those days when you feel more like a streamer charlatan? What follows is a combination of insights into trout behavior and suggestions regarding streamer techniques and equipment. Even though we will be talking about fishing streamers to trout in a moving body of water, much of our discussion applies to fishing for trout in still waters as well.

Why does a trout eat a streamer anyway? The answer to that question could be a thesis for a PHD-dissertation paper. That said, a trout generally eats a streamer because of either its prey drive or protective instinct. It either eats your streamer as food (e.g. leech, sculpin, trout fry) or as a way to protect against an intruder (e.g. a threat to a trout’s lie, an egg stealer, a food or spawning competitor). We can generalize that streamer fisherman are appealing more to a trout’s protective instincts during  spawning season and appealing more to a trout’s prey drive throughout the rest of the year. On days when the trout are extremely predatory or protective, you can have a magical streamer experience. On these days, almost any presentation of your streamer gets the job done. But on those less than stellar streamer days, presentation may be the key to triggering a trout’s prey/protective drive. A trout is used to a certain behaviors from baitfish: baitfish flee if approached, baitfish keep their distance from trout, and baitfish rarely approach trout from behind or swim directly towards a trout. So as streamer anglers, we want to mimic the behavior of the trout’s prey.

Most days you need to convince the trout that your streamer is food. Throw your streamer across, or slightly down and across, to the river’s flow. This will allow the streamer to be presented to the trout in a way that is “expected” by the trout. The streamer will neither sneak up on a fish from behind nor will your offering swim directly towards a bewildered trout. In addition, since trout are almost always faced into a river’s current, an across the current presentation helps insure that the trout will be looking at your streamer broadside. A broadside presentation is both very realistic in nature and the large profile provided by the broadside presentation gives the angler a greater chance that the streamer will be seen by a willing trout. We also want a fleeing presentation: a streamer tossed to the bank that lies motionless, even for a few seconds, doesn’t imitate fleeing prey. It doesn’t trigger a strike. So try to start your retrieve as soon as it hits the water. A cast that fully extends and doesn’t collapse is essential if you want to start moving that streamer as soon as it hits the water. Even if you want to let the streamer sink some, a bit of a twitch as it sinks may be enough to trigger a strike.

Streamer selection is very important. We all have our favorite streamer. It is hard to cut off your favorite streamer to try another one. Why not throw 2 steamers? Just tie about an 18” piece of heavy tippet (at least 10 pound but up to 20 pound) from the bend of your favorite streamer to the eye of the one you want to use in your experiment. Try varying your experimental choices by: length, overall shape or “bushiness,” and color. Many guides favor trailing a smaller streamer behind a larger one. Conversely, many guides want the smaller streamer in front of the bigger streamer so as to simulate a larger predator chasing its prey. Try using both the realistic looking streamers as well as the impressionistic ones. Trout are also notorious for striking short which results in poor hook-ups. Fly selection is important here as well. Try using an articulated streamer with two hooks. The second hook should be hidden in the “tail” area of the streamer for it to be effective. Or try adding a “stinger” hook to your single hook streamer. In addition, short strikes are sometimes not “short” at all but, rather, a product of lifting your rod on the hook-set. In this case, the short strike is actually a miss on the angler’s part. When fishing streamers for trout think saltwater technique; keep your rod low and set the strike with a strip-strike instead of lifting your rod. Another remedy for short strikes is to try leaving your streamer in place after a short strike. The trout will often treat your streamer as a stunned baitfish and come back seconds later to “finish the job.” Executing these two tips alone will greatly increase your hook-ups!

Are you fishing deep enough? Pros know that the depth of the fly in the water, and this is true with both nymphs and streamers, can make a huge difference in the level of success on any given fishing day. Many days, all that is needed to be a successful streamer fisherman is using a streamer that is “close enough” in size and color to trigger a strike. Some days the trout seem to be “looking up”; they seem to prefer a streamer that rides high in the water. But on those days when you aren’t having much luck “chucking and ducking” with your floating line, think about using something that will get your fly deeper. Often, throwing two weighted streamers will be enough to get your fly deeper. You can also add split shot. But both of these remedies can get tricky to cast. A better option is to use some variation of a sinking fly line. Rio’s “VersiLeader” converts a floating fly line into a relatively inexpensive sink tip line. The “VersiLeader” comes in 2 lengths and several different sink rates. It attaches via a loop to loop connection to the end of your floating fly line giving you a sink tip that can be easily removed for indicator or dry fly fishing. Of course, there are a host of streamer tip lines, sink tip lines, and full sink lines available to the streamer angler. Choosing the perfect sinking line for the conditions is a matter of experimentation. However, just getting your streamer deeper “somehow” is usually enough to improve your cast to strike ratio.

Are you a “one trick pony” when it comes to your streamer fishing? We are all creatures of habit; same flies, same river, same spots on the river, same time of day, same retrieve, same clothes, same beer, same cigar. You get the idea. Pros don’t always know what to do when the fishing slows down but they know that they better try something different if they want to catch fish. Sometimes that something different is simply switch tactics altogether. Maybe they try dragging nymphs under an indicator or throwing dries tight to the bank. But if you are committed to using streamers in spite of experiencing poor results try to think outside your box. Try changing up your game. Do you always fish streamers regardless of the light conditions that day? Many pros feel that fishing streamers is more productive in low light conditions. If you always fish streamers in high, direct sunlight perhaps it is your timing rather than your technique that is at fault. Try different retrieves:  Long pause, short pause, long strips, short strips, long and short strips linked together, let your streamer swing. If you are only fishing only the 15 feet nearest the bank try staying with your retrieve longer; perhaps even continue the retrieve until it is at your feet. Conversely, if you are retrieving to your feet, but getting the majority of your strikes near the bank, perhaps you should focus on just the “fishiest” water near the bank. If you are getting strikes but few hook-ups, try leaving your streamer in place like a stunned baitfish. Perhaps the trout will come back to “finish the job.” Try covering more water. Since you are having a tough streamer day already, you need to concede that, on this day, the trout’s prey/protect instincts are not in high gear. Therefore, you should cover more ground in order to show your offering to more fish. When the streamer fishing is slow, don’t spend more than 5 minutes in water that you have covered already. Also, try fishing water that hasn’t been very productive in the past. Most likely, the reason you have “never caught fish there” is that you have never really fished there; you gave up too easily in favor of your “go to spots.” This is one of the huge advantages a boat angler has over the wade angler. A boat angler can easily float miles of water and present a streamer to thousands of fish. A float angler will throw a streamer almost anywhere because float anglers will fish the water that is right in front of them without regard to whether they caught fish there in the past.  A boat angler can easily float miles of water in a day and present a streamer to thousands of fish. A wade angler would do well to cover a mile or two in the same time. A boat also enables an angler to consistently present their streamer in the desirable “across the current” manner. Try fishing streamers early or late in the day. We all know that the biggest brown trout are low light feeders. Get out there. Even if you don’t catch a monster trout you’ll experience little fishing pressure and probably better than average fishing success.

I want to leave you with the best piece of advice my father received during his fishing life. Once, while visiting a famous fishing lure company, he came face to face with the owner, and master fisherman, of the company. “Finally”, my father thought, “I am going to know what to do when the fishing gets tough.” My father didn’t beat around the bush. He blurted out, “Any of these lures you sell catch all kinds of fish when the fishing is good. What do you do when the fishing is slow?” The master didn’t miss a beat, “When the fishing is slow, I go home.” So go fishing. But don’t forget to bring some different beer and different cigars.

Thermometers: Not Just For Skipping School

Yeah, we all did it. Just put that old mercury next to a light bulb for a second or two and, yep, you were sick enough to watch TV all day and feed that fever (or is it starve a fever?) until you really were sick. But now we are older and more mature (well, some of us). We don’t need to play with thermometers anymore. Or do we?

This past summer, we recommended our customers carry thermometers to determine when a high water temperature was causing too much stress on a hooked/caught fish; that temperature is somewhere around 65 degrees and a water temperature above 68 degrees is definitely too high to successfully practice catch and release. But there are other reasons to pack a thermo. For example, a thermometer will help you determine when a specific insect hatch might occur. So here goes with a basic, and admittedly “local,” tutorial on the relationship between water temperature and insect hatches.

As a river warms from its winter lows in the mid-30’s to its summer highs in the upper 60’s there is a general, and consistent, sequence of hatches that occur in our rivers year after year. For simplicity, let’s consider the Central Rocky Mountain Rivers near and around our fly shop in Silverthorne, Colorado. So we are talking about such rivers as:  the Blue River, the Frying Pan River, the Colorado River, the South Platte, the Arkansas River and the Roaring Fork River. The annual January through December hatch sequence goes something like this: Midges, Blue Winged Olives (Baetis), Caddis, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, Pale Morning Duns, Tricos, and back to Blue Winged Olives and to Midges. The corresponding temperature sequence goes something like this:

Midges: almost any water temperature above 32 degrees.  But at around 42 degrees expect to see the first significant, consistent hatch of the year.  Midges hatch year round and are very often a trout’s primary food source.

Blue Winged Olives (Mayflies of the Genus Baetis): These babies like to hatch when the water temperatures are in the 46-54 degree range. You will see them in both spring and fall as the water warms from the winter’s frigid months and as the water temperatures come down from the summer’s heat. Overcast, drizzly conditions are also famous for triggering  significant BWO appearances.

Caddis: Caddis will hatch spring through fall. The magic water temperature to see the first significant emergence for the year is right around 56 degrees. Very often the strongest Caddis hatches occur on very sunny days.

Salmon Flies (Pteronarcys californica): Perhaps the most anticipated, yet most difficult to anticipate, hatch of the year. This giant insect likes a sustained water temperature in the middle 50’s. However, the time of year plays a significant role in the Salmon Fly emergence. In Colorado, the Salmon Fly usually hatches in late May to early June. Further, it does not live in all Colorado rivers. And if this isn’t already confusing enough, the Salmon Fly hatch generally needs to occur during run-off. So getting a water temperature of 57 degrees in April—it could happen, maybe---before run-off starts typically won’t trigger a Salmon Fly emergence. 
Golden Stone Flies (including Yellow Sallies):  The bigger Golden Stones usually follow shortly on the heels of the Salmon Fly. And the Yellow Sallies begin to be seen shortly after, or in conjunction with, the larger Golden Stones. The Sallies will hatch through much of the summer and long after the larger Golden Stones disappear.

Green Drakes: Green Drakes are also notoriously difficult to time. 58 degrees is about the temperature you should begin looking for them on the water. However, on some rivers, Green Drakes are infamous for only hatching at specific times of day. For example, on the Roaring Fork River, they favor the late evening into the darkness of night. On the Upper Arkansas, Green Drakes seem to like to hatch around 11 am.  While on the Blue River, a Green Drake hatch could occur at almost any time of day (or night) in late July into early September.

Pale Morning Duns (PMD’s): PMD’s usually like to see daily water temperatures peak out at near 60 degrees before gracing us with their presence. Though these bugs can hatch into the late summer, especially on tailwaters, PMD’s are usually thought of as the July bug. In July, it is not uncommon to see Yellow Sallies in the morning and PMD’s in the afternoon; or even both simultaneously!

Tricos: Another insect that, in Colorado at least, depends on time of year as well as water temperature to hatch. The Trico hatch is a late season affair on many of our rivers. I don’t have an exact temperature in mind but it seems that the overnight low water temperature needs to be about 55 degrees to trigger a Trico hatch (Tricos hatch in the early morning hours and the spinner fall generally occurs mid to late morning).

BWO’s:  Look for the water temperature to return to the mid-50’s as the water temps begin dropping with the shorter, cooler days of fall. BWO’s should continue to hatch until the daily high water temperatures fail to reach the mid-40’s.

Midges: So as it began, so shall it end. Midges will hatch year round but it is in the fall they again become very important to the fly fisherman. Midges will often hatch in good numbers along with the fall BWO’s. But eventually the water will cool down enough that the BWO hatch stops and they are longer a significant food source for the trout.  Midge patterns will be then be your go to flies.

We want to leave you with a few final thoughts. First, when talking about water temperatures in relation to a specific insect, We are referring to the river’s maximum water temperature for the day. Second, this is by no means a comprehensive list of insect hatches in Colorado. There are lots of hatches I didn’t cover. We are only trying to give you an outline of the important relationship between water temperature and insect hatches. Third, with the exception of Midges and BWO’s, once a river “runs through” a water temperature it also “runs through” the insects that hatch at that water temperature. For example, if a river’s maximum temperature goes from 62 degrees back into the middle 50’s, you wouldn’t expect a previous hatch to resume; you wouldn’t expect to see Green Drakes, Salmon Flies or large Golden Stones to hatch again. In most cases, once a hatch is over, it is over until next the year. The primary exceptions to this are the Midges and the BWO’s: As summer slides into fall and winter, the BWO’s will make a fall appearance as the water temperatures again fall into the low 50’s. Likewise, when the fall water temperatures fail to reach the high 40’s, thereby also failing to trigger a BWO hatch,  the Midge will once again become the dominant insect for your day of fishing. This will last until the water becomes too cold for even the mighty Midge to hatch with any consistency. This generally occurs when the river temperatures don’t rise above 38 degrees. Even so, they still gotta eat sometime……so get out there!

Mitch Melichar

“There’s no such thing as a defective hopper pattern for a dry-dropper set up. If it continues sink it means your nymph is being eaten."

Mitch Melichar

“They gotta eat sometime."

Chris Hall

“Fish won’t move anymore for your flies than the hole will move for your golf ball. Hit the spots!”

Equipment Maintenance: Saltwater Trips

Trout anglers are relatively spoiled when it comes to equipment maintenance. With minimal effort, freshwater fisherman can keep their gear performing at a high level. The same is not true for saltwater anglers. This extremely corrosive environment with quickly ruin even the priciest equipment.

Besides using basic freshwater maintenance steps, you need to thoroughly rinse all of your gear after each trip. An easy way to ensure that you remove all of the salt is to take your gear into the shower with you.

An outdoor wash station is another useful option for cleaning and rinsing gear. Now you can splash water everywhere and no one will care.

At the end of destination trip, you should take apart all of your gear and clean it a mild soap. Be sure to clean your sunglasses, pliers, boga grip, and flies. Air dry your gear before storing.

Equipment Maintenance: Waders

Overall, out-of-the-box quality for waders is at an all time high, but mistreated equipment will fail as quick as ever. Even with multiple layers and reinforced knees, all waders are susceptible to pinhole leaks and tears.

Avoid traversing barbed wire fences as much as possible. Also, take care when going over a downed log.

During hot summers, waders can turn quite odorous. Most wader brands can be machined washed with a mild detergent.

We suggest you let your waders air dry. You should also turn the waders inside out to completely dry the neoprene feet. Be sure to check with the manufacturer for specific cleaning methods.

Equipment Maintenance: Leaders & Tippets

Even though your leader and tippet material may be the least expensive gear in your arsenal, it may also be the most important. No other item has a greater impact on whether you land a fish than the line connecting you to the fish.

During a long day on the water, you should occasionally inspect your leader for nicks or wind knots. Any imperfections will weaken your line strength and may result in the loss of a trophy trout.

If you prefer to use traditional monofilament leaders and tippet, you need to replace your stock with new at the beginning of each season. Exposure to UV rays will weaken mono. Fluorocarbon can be used for consecutive seasons.

Equipment Maintenance: Fly Lines

With expert fly lines costing over $50 you should take extra care to make sure it lasts as long as possible.

A dirty fly line will sink like a stone and cast poorly. Use a mild soap and a damp towel to clean your fly line. Be sure to thoroughly rinse your fly line to remove the soap. Applying a line dressing will also help the performance of the line.

Even with the advanced coatings that increase casting distance and make the line float better, no line is indestructible. Take the extra time to carefully untangle your line from thistles or sticks. Even a small tear in the fly line may cause the line to sink.

Equipment Maintenance: Fly Reels

Many of today's reels feature sealed drag systems, precisely machined components, and anodized finishes. While these features will help your reel last longer, you still need to use a few simple steps to extend your reel's life.

Keep it Clean

Avoid placing your reel on sand or dirt. If small granules weasel their way into the reel housing, you should immediately open the reel and rinse with water to remove the particle. Many times, the smallest speck will create the most damage.

Storage

Finally, you should never store your reel for extended periods of time with the drag set on a tight setting. Tight drag settings can eventually cause your drag to warp. Before storing your reel for the winter, you should open the reel and clean with a gentle soap and soft brush. Follow your manufacturer’s suggestion if your reel requires occasional applications of oil or grease.

Equipment Maintenance: Fly Rods

With many people investing hundreds of dollars in a fly rod it is a shame to see rods mistreated. A few simple steps will keep your rod(s) like new. If you want to keep your rod strung and ready to fish between trips, you should store the rod vertically. In-car rod lofts are also a good choice for storage because they support the rod and minimize bowing. Rods are best stored broken down and in its case. Never store your rod when it is damp.

Check the Guides

Be sure to occasionally inspect each guide on the rod. Many high end rods feature guides with ceramic linings. These linings will wear after time, or they may fall out if mistreated. If the linings are damaged, your fly line will not shoot effectively and can become brittle.

Grip Maintenance

If the cork grip is weathered or dirty, you can clean the cork using a soft brush and a mild soap. Be sure to allow the grip to dry completely before storing. At the end of each season, you should clean the entire rod, focusing on the reel seat and eyes, to remove any dirty or mineral build up.

General Info: Carrying a Net

Nets are often the only way to land a fish, but they are next to useless if you do not have a good method of carrying it. When the time comes to use your net, you are typically preoccupied with trying to control the fish. The odds of losing the fish greatly increase if you have to struggle with handling your net.

Here are two tips that can make netting a fish less stressful.

• First, we wear a vest and suspend the net from the back D-ring. The key is to hang the net bow up and handle down. By doing this you can easily reach behind your back and grab your net by the handle and land the fish. Many people hang their nets with the handle up. This makes it very difficult to grab the correct end of the net in a hurry.
• Second, use a leash. When you are standing in moving water, and you set your net down to continue to fight a hot fish your net rarely stays where you left it. A bungee cord leash also holds your net when you hike through willows.

Handle with Care

Try to use your net a last resort. If you can, land the fish with your free hand (be sure your hand is wet!), or try to remove the hook with your Hemos without ever touching the fish. Trout have a protective slime coating covering their skins that defends them from disease. The more you handle a trout with your hand or net, the more of the protective coating you remove. Be nice to the trout and use a rubber net bag, and minimize the time you handle the trout before releasing her to fight another day.

A final pro tip – the biggest problem with hanging your net from the back of your vest is when you bend over it tends to swing around and conk you in the head. If you attach a bungee to the handle and the other end to the D-ring on the back of your vest, and run it inside your vest, it will keep the net from moving.

General Info: Stealth

Stealth is one of the things that separate the men from the boys in fly fishing. There are a few really basic rules to follow. Avoid wearing bright clothes. Do not walk up to the edge of the water and announce your presence. Do not wade into a river without fishing the shoreline first. Approach fish from behind. Wade slowly and quietly. Gently lift your line off the water. Blend in.

Merge with Your Surroundings

Similar to an army sniper, you want to merge with the natural surroundings as best as possible. If you have adequate fishing skills, the quickest way to increase your catch ratio is to be stealthier on the water. Take time to study the river before you barge knee deep into the river. Besides deciphering what insects are present, you should also develop a plan of action before heading into the river.

Stealth is paramount when stalking a saltwater flat. This can be an especially difficult task because salt rodders need to shuffle their feet to avoid being stung by a sting ray – just ask Mitch how that feels. You need to find a happy medium between shuffling and stealth. If you kick and splash your way towards a tailing bonefish, you will soon find yourself wading a vacant flat.

General Info: Insect Replant

Insect repellent should be a part of every angler's standard equipment. You need to be careful when applying repellents because many will eat fly lines and leaders. Some insect repellents will even ruin your watchband.

To avoid destroying your gear, apply insect repellent containing DEET using the back of your hands. Also remove your sunglasses and store them out of harms way (especially if they have plastic lenses).

The importance of insect repellent continues to rise as more and more insect-born diseases are discovered.

General Info: Tungsten vs Standard Beadhead Nymphs

If you read our fishing reports or search through your local shop's fly bins you will eventually find a recommendation to use tungsten bead heads instead of traditional bead headed nymphs. Standard beads are mostly made of steel or tin. Tungsten beads are substantially heavier. A pattern tied with a tungsten bead will sink much quicker and remain on the bottom better than standard beads.

Many of our guides use tungsten beaded nymphs as the trailing fly in a dry-dropper combo. Tungsten nymphs are also a good choice when you are fishing in small streams and want to avoid using unnecessary split shot.

General Info: Fluorocarbon

During the last decade, one of the hottest trends in the fly fishing industry is using fluorocarbon leaders and tippets to help catch more fish. These new tippets and leaders give the angler a great advantage over normal monofilament.

Fluorocarbon is nearly invisible underwater because it refracts light at a different angle than traditional mono. Fluoro is also more abrasive resistant, so you will keep fish hooked longer when they drag over rocks and snags. It's a great tool for hooking those educated pigs in clear tail waters. Fluorocarbon's advanced technology allows manufacturers to make the line much stronger with a small diameter than compared to mono.

There is a downside though, it is more expensive and it stays in the environment a lot longer. If you are using fluorocarbon (or anything else), don't leave it on the riverbank. Take it home and throw it away.

General Info: Polarized Sunglasses

Probably the most overlooked piece of equipment, polarized sunglasses protect your eyes and help eliminate glare. While they aren't magic, they can greatly improve your ability to see fish holding in rivers. The filter in the lens will also filter harmful light rays and ease eyestrain. Most importantly, sunglasses protect your eyes from errant hooks, so even during low light conditions you should wear glasses.

Glare is created everywhere. Not just on glass and water, but also on sand, pavement, and almost every other flat surface. Glare overloads your retinas with too much information, and eventually causes fatigue. Polarized lenses filter out the visual noise so that you can focus on the facts – or in our case, focus on the fish!

Lens Color

It's also important to understand that not all polarized glasses are the same. The color of the lens and the amount of light the lens allows in greatly impacts their effectiveness. For most rivers we recommend a tan, copper, or brownish lens. They show greater contrast and normally allow in more light than a gray lens. When you are in bright light with clear water (as in saltwater flats fishing) a gray lens may be a better alternative in order to prevent eyestrain.

Photo Chromatic Lenses

Many of the high-end glasses we sell at Cutthroat Anglers feature a photo chromatic lens. These lens change contrast automatically when the conditions change becoming darker in bright conditions and vice versa. This subtle change can create a major advantage when light conditions vary throughout a day on the water.

Other Tips

Other tips that will improve your fishing vision include wearing a hat with a brim that is a dark color underneath (to prevent reflection), and limiting the amount of light that enters around the sunglasses. Side shields or wrap around glasses can really help. Finally, purchase a cheap pair of eyeglass retainers as an insurance policy to help lessen your chance of losing your glasses when you lean over to land a fish.

General Info: Weather Patterns

While the weatherman may not always offer the most reliable forecast, anglers should always be prepared for the worst. As the locals say, "if you don't like the weather now… wait a few minutes." The weather can dramatically change in the mountains, so if you are far away from your vehicle you should be prepared with a rain jacket and plenty of water. High mountain peaks are notorious for hiding storms until they store enough energy to surpass the peaks and rapidly charge ahead.

Anglers should always leave the river and set down their rod when lightening is in the area. Your nine-foot graphite fly rod can quickly transform into a deadly lightening rod. No fish is worth risking your life, so head to low ground or leave the area altogether.

Many anglers follow weather patterns in an attempt to predict the quality of fishing. While science is yet to prove what exact factors produce a hatch, we can confidently say that dry fly fishing is usually most productive during overcast days. However, we have fished enough to know that you will never catch a fish sitting inside waiting for the perfect weather conditions.

General Info: River Etiquette

As more people join the sport of fly fishing, the rivers will continue to be more crowded each season. A little common courtesy will help everyone have a more enjoyable day on the river. Even with the crowds, there is plenty of productive water for everyone to fish.

Ask First

If another angler is fishing a run you should give him or her ample room to fish the entire run. In a case in which there are consecutive, productive runs you should ask an angler if they mind you fishing ahead of them.

This simple courtesy may seem elementary; however, when fish are feeding it is very easy for anglers to become over-excited, and as a result of their eagerness they forget that other anglers may be in the area.

Float Traffic

In the last decade, drift boat and raft traffic exponentially grew. The increase in traffic can create a dangerous environment on the river. White water rafts are running into fishing boats with an alarming frequency; and kayakers seem to think they own the river for “play boating.”
River law and etiquette says that the down river vessel has the right away (just like a car on the highway); in turn, it is the responsibility of up river boats to slow and/or maneuver accordingly to avoid the down stream vessel. The only exception to the rule is when kayakers are intentionally stalling in a rapid to play boat. In this circumstance, the kayakers are required to move out of the rapid to allow the up stream traffic to pass safely. Common sense!

Buyers Guide: Technical Clothing

Comfort is key! A day on the river is best spent in comfortable clothing. New materials and advanced coatings create clothing that will keep you on the water during any weather pattern. New material blends feature quick dry technology and sun protection. Some manufacturers even offer shirts treated to repel biting insects. Custom-tailored designs offer strategic ventilation and specialized tapers for added comfort during extreme conditions and extended periods of casting. While colors may be a fashionable trend, we suggest you choose neutral colors to help camouflage your approach when stalking weary fish.

Technical fishing pants feature dry fast materials to keep you comfortable even when you wade a little too deep. Some pants are designed with a swimsuit lining for anglers who prefer to wet wade. Other models feature zip off legs that convert the pants into shorts. While many of pants have numerous add-ons, many anglers prefer a minimalist approach because fly line always seems to snag on any loose clasps.

As simple as it may sound, be sure to equip yourself with a baseball hat or bucket hat. Besides added sun protection, a hat will protect you from errant casts and help you see fish better.

During the winter, proper layering is the key to staying warm. Appropriate layers will help whisk away moisture from your skin while also holding your body warmth in to keep you warm. WindStopper® polar fleece will not only keep you warm it will also stop the wind.

Buyers Guide: Wading Gear

The increased popularity of fly fishing has benefited the industry by placing an emphasis on both comfort and function. This new trend is most evident in the advancement in wader technology. Neoprene waders, commonly referred to as Rubber Pants, are old technology. Today, the fly fishing industry overwhelming prefers breathable, lightweight waders. Not only are these waders more comfortable, they are also more functional during various fishing conditions and locales.

Gore-Tex®

Top of the line lightweight waders feature Gore-Tex® linings for increased comfort and breathability. The Gore-Tex® lining helps wick away moisture to keep you cool during the summer and warm in the winter. Moderately priced lightweights use a waterproof coating to mimic a Gore-Tex® membrane.

For Winter Conditions

Many anglers believe neoprene waders will keep them warmer during winter fishing; however, using proper layering with lightweight waders will keep you warm and comfortable even in the coldest temperatures. Similar to modern ski wear technology, lightweight waders use your body heat to keep you warm.

Fitting

When fitting lightweight waders, you should have enough room to comfortably crouch to land a fish or be able to traverse a fence. Be sure to have enough room throughout the waders to add extra layers for more warmth.

Wading Boots

Once you choose a pair of waders, you need to select a quality pair of wading boots. Your boots should be comfortable enough to hike into a river and to wade extended hours. Besides comfort, your boots need to have ample room for wool socks and room to wiggle your toes to avoid numbing. Finally, the boots need to offer sufficient stability to secure your ankles over unstable terrain and slippery riverbeds.

The sole of a wading boot aids your ability to safely wade various riverbeds. Traditional felt soles are the industry standard and provide traction on all surfaces. AquaStealth® technology is the newest sole for wading boots. This traction technology collects less mud and snow and grips even the slipperiest rocks. Both types of soles can be fitted with metal spikes for even more traction to cut through slime covered rocks; however, metal spikes will ruin the inside of a drift boat, so you need to remove the spikes before a float trip.

Buyers Guide: Flies

The most intimidating part of fly fishing for many novice anglers is the seemingly countless fly patterns available. Cutthroat Anglers alone stocks over 2,500 individual patterns. While there is no "go to" fly for trout fishing, the easiest way to start filling your fly box is to purchase what you need for the day you plan to fish.

When to Buy

We suggest you wait to purchase your flies until you are at a local fly shop. Local shops will be able to provide you with updated fishing conditions to narrow your fly choice to a few specific patterns. If you purchase your flies in bulk before heading to the river chances are you will end up with a majority of fly patterns that will not maximize your hook up percentage.

Build Your Fly Boxes Gradually

Cutthroat Anglers hosts over one thousand days of guided fly fishing trips per year, and less than 1% of our clients arrive with the exact patterns necessary to match the specific hatch they will encounter during their respective day on the river. Until you stock hundreds of different fly patterns in your personal inventory, we recommend you purchase a few specialized patterns each time you fish a new river or an old favorite under new conditions.

The more you fish, the more flies you will compile until eventually you build a respectable collection. Our guides usually carry hundreds of different fly patterns in their vest when they hit the river, and still they will purchase a few local patterns when they travel to a new river.

Buyers Guide: Choosing the Right Fly Line

Trout fishing has two line categories - Double Taper (DT) and Weight Forward (WF). DT lines have identical tapers at each end. This means when one end wears out, you can flip it over and use the other end. WF lines have a long running line section that taper into a much thicker head area. These tapers cannot be flipped over.

Performance Advantages

Each line type has its own performance advantages. DT lines are good for roll casting, and delicate presentation in small line weights. WF lines are typically easier to cast and come in more variations for special purposes. WF variations include, wind-cutters, bass and pike tapers, triangle tapers, spring creek tapers and more. WF lines typically cast better both at short and long distances and present the fly more delicately.

Advanced Coatings and Specialized Tapers

Different lines have different price points. More expensive fly lines feature advanced coatings and specialized tapers. The specific materials and coatings used for a line greatly determine the performance of a fly line. Top quality fly lines will float higher and cast much easier than less expensive lines.

Our Recommendation

On average, we sell WF fly lines 9 to 1 over DT fly lines. Today’s fly lines utilize advanced coatings that result in your fly line lasting longer than lines produced a decade ago. Since WF lines are more versatile, we recommend anglers match the appropriate WF line to their respective rod. Any member of our staff will gladly recommend a line appropriate for your rod.

Buyers Guide: Choosing a Fly Real

Like most fly fishing equipment, you get what you pay for in a fly reel. But the question is how much do you need. Most trout fishermen rarely require a very high-tech reel. The majority of the time, we are using the reel for line storage. Anodized coatings, machined components, sealed bearings, and precision balanced reels are not necessary for the average trout angler. The most important thing is that the reel does not over-spin.

Spring & Pawl vs Disc Drag

There are basically two types of fly reels - spring and pawl and disc drag. Spring and pawl is an old technology and not nearly as adjustable as a disc drag. A disc drag can be finely tuned to specific settings to match different tippets.

The More You Pay…

The more you pay for the reel the more durable it will be. Not only are higher end reels more precisely machined, they are also built with superior materials. Expensive reels usually weigh less, which helps balance your rod and ease casting strain on your arm.

The Demands of Saltwater

Saltwater anglers require high-end reels to combat the corrosive environment and the speedster fish. The necessary, high-end features are evident in the price point between trout reels and saltwater reels. Trout reels range from under $100 to around $500 for the top of the line. On the other hand, saltwater reels start at over $200 and quickly breach $1000 in price.

Buyers Guide: Which Rod is Right for You?

Today's fly rod is a technological marvel. Years of research and development result in finely tuned casting tools. Rod prices start below $100 and can quickly rise to well above $1,000. Anglers are presented a mind-boggling array of choices when choosing a fly rod. What price range? Two-piece or multi-piece? What species are you going to target? What rod action best fits your casting stroke and angling needs?

A fly rod’s price is determined by many factors. High-end rods include superior components, unique tapers, advanced actions, and extensive research and development. Many entry-level rods benefit from the research used to create the high priced rods; however, the materials are standard quality compared to high-end rods.

Multi-Piece Rods

Before graphite, multi-piece rods were a necessary evil for those traveling or backpacking. The performance suffered significantly. The introduction of graphite and advanced production leveled the playing field. Multi-piece rods now perform as well as two-piece rods. Today, the primary differences are price and weight. Multi-piece rods cost more and weigh slightly more. So, before you purchase a rod, consider the fishing environment you will primarily fish. Will you travel with the rod? Backpack to a high mountain lake or secluded stream? If so, a four-piece rod may be the best option.

Match the Rod to the Environment and Species

Unfortunately, no one rod will cover every imaginable fishing environment. Specific species and sizes require unique rods. Consider playing 18 holes of golf with only one club. Your score would be less than desirable. Similar to golf, the more fisheries you choose to fish the more rods you will need in your arsenal. A 9-foot 5-weight or 6-weight rod is the traditional size fly rods used for targeting trout in Colorado.

Fly Rod Action

Any angler who performs sufficient research before buying a rod will certainly learn that different rods feature different actions. The action of the rod describes which section of the rod flexes and loads the rod. Again, consider a golf example. Professional golfers prefer stiff flex shafts in their clubs to maximize their equipment’s performance. High handicap golfers usually have lower swing speeds and need more forgiving equipment. The weekend golfer is usually outfitted with a softer flex club shaft. A similar example can be used for skiers. Hour glass tapers and softer flex skis are designed to increase the enjoyment level for novice skiers; while extreme skiers need stiffer skis to maximize turns and speed.

The same is true for fly rods. High-end rods feature fast actions with sensitive tips for maximum distance casts that are gentle enough to protect micro tippets. Fast action rods can power through the wind or subtly present a dry fly. These rods are the most versatile, but also carry the highest price tags. Slower action rods are more forgiving for anglers with weaker casting strokes. These rods require more time to properly load the rod and are recommended for novice anglers.

Try Before You Buy

Many fly shops offer rental equipment and demos to allow you to test drive new rods in real-world circumstances. At a minimum, you should cast a rod in an open field before purchasing. Keep in mind, even a high-end rod will not mask a weak casting stroke, so you should work on improving your mechanics before upgrading to a superior rod.

Tips For Beginners: Watch Your Fly

Another of the challenges for beginners is seeing their fly on the water surrounded by natural flies and/or reflections. To increase your selective vision be sure to watch your fly land.

To start, fish with hi-vis flies that have a brightly colored wing or post to aid in locating them. Once you see your fly do not take your eyes off of it. Another option is to fish two flies, a large visible fly with a smaller more imitative fly as a trailer.

Remember, in fly fishing you see the strike, you do not feel the strike. The exception would be when fishing streamers, but this is an advanced technique. Whether you are nymphing with an indicator or drifting dry flies, it is a necessity to see your flies for effective hook sets.

Tips for Beginners: Mending

Mending is the term used for line control once your fly is on the water. The purpose of this technique is to create a drag free drift – a natural imitation.

Similar to casting, mending is another skill that is best taught first hand. Every drift demands different mends, and mending is not limited to nymphing. The better you are at mending, the longer and more effective your drifts will be.

Tips for Beginners: Check Your Fly

When learning to fly fish, we all have a tendency to break our wrist on the backcast and/or have timing problems. These errors lead to whip cracking, rock smacking and weed snagging. All of these faults equate to losing flies and breaking hooks.

You can usually notice when you lose a fly because you will hear a whip crack or are unable to see the fly land on the water. The bigger problem is hook breakage. Many times, you can fish for an hour or so and wondered why you cannot set a hook. Usually you will find that the hook has broken off.

This tip might seem fairly elementary; however, it’s usually the simplest remedies that will result in more fish landed.

Tips for Beginners: Casting

The poetic motion of a fluid casting stroke is the first image most people equate to fly fishing. Hundreds of books and instructional videos are available. While we could have an entire website dedicated casting mechanics, we strongly believe the best way to an efficient, repeatable casting stroke is through personal instruction. Hire a guide or sign up for a casting clinic for hands on instruction.

Here are a few tips to keep you on the river…

• Use less power! Every novice angler applies too much power to the rod. Let the rod do the work for you.
• Limit your false casts. No one has ever caught a fish while their fly was in the air, so why do most anglers insist on false casting a dozen times between each drift? The more you wave around your fly rod, the better chance you have of catching a tree or tangling your flies.
• Personalize your casting stroke. Similar to a baseball stance, each angler will develop his or her own unique casting stroke. There are a few basic fundamentals that need to be incorporated in every cast, but you also need to tweak the mechanics to fit your body.
• Practice. Nobody expects to take up golf or skiing and be performing at an expert level from day one. The same holds true for fly fishing. You need to practice your cast between fishing adventures to hone your skills, and make you better prepared the next time you are surrounded by feeding fish.

Tips for Beginners: Knots

Knots are one of the most intimidating parts of fly fishing for beginners. Unfortunately, knots are probably the most important aspect of fishing. A weak connection between your line and fly will result in you losing fish no matter how strong your casting or fishing fighting skills.

Entire books are dedicated to knots; however, most people can get away with knowing only two: the clinchand either the surgeons or blood knot. The clinch is used for tying the fly to the tippet. The blood and surgeons knots are used for attaching tippet to leader. Because the surgeons knot and blood knot are interchangeable, we suggest you use the one that is easiest for you to tie. Typically the blood knot is better looking and symmetrical, and the surgeons is a little faster to tie.

We haven't mentioned a knot for attaching the leader or butt section to the fly line because many new systems include a loop-to-loop connection. Most manufactures sell leaders that have a loop already tied or you may ask your local fly shop employee to tie the loop for you (specify that you want a Perfection Loop). The system that most of us use is a butt section attached with a nail knot. You will want to learn the nail knot eventually but it is not necessary right away. Once again, if necessary, ask your local fly shop employee to tie the nail knot for you. To switch leaders when using a loop-to-loop connection you simply thread a new leader into the loop system – no need to tie any knots!

Before you cinch tight any knot, be sure to moisten the knot with you mouth. This applies a lubricant to the line that will limit the friction created when tightening the knot. Too much friction can weaken a knot’s strength. The most important thing for beginners is to learn the knots well. When there are fish rising all around you, it can be difficult to tie knots even when you are a pro.