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!