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Pike: Taking It to the Bank
By Marshall Cutchin on June 20, 2008 6:34 AM Permalink Comments (0)
"The swirl in the chop said northern pike. When the fish gulped the guy's bunny streamer, it showed nothing of itself. But you could see the boil, and it was profound. So was the bend in his fly rod. The beast sulked, as if it were thinking things over. Then it poured on the coal and pulled free." Ed Dentry describes what happens in Colorado's reservoirs when the early summer sun finally warms the flats and pike laze in water only inches deep. In the Rocky Mountain News.

Montana Guide Dies in Bitterroot Rafting Accident
By Marshall Cutchin on June 18, 2008 7:59 AM Permalink Comments (0)
David Dedmon, owner of Montana Flywater Company in Hamilton, Montana, died Sunday after the raft he and his wife were using flipped over in the Bitterroot River. They were scouting the river to be sure it was safe for clients. "'He wasn't a rookie," [Ravalli County Sheriff Chris] Hoffman said. 'He'd spent a lot of time on the river. This accident was simply a very painful reminder of how dangerous this river can be. Every year, we beg and plead with people to be patient and wait until the river comes down.'" The Bitterroot River is considered by many to be one of the most perilous in the state, primarily because of the number of log jams and sweepers on the river." Anthony Quirini on Missoulian.com.
If you must float a river that has dangerous sweepers and debris in it, wear a personal flotation device at all times, and learn the defensive swim position: on your back, with feet facing downstream, and toes up so that your feet do not get trapped in debris.

Tippet Trickery: "Those Last Two Feet"
By Marshall Cutchin on June 18, 2008 7:51 AM Permalink Comments (0)
V. Paul Reynolds nails it with his discussion of the importance of tippets in fly presentation. In the process he's quite eloquent on new-versus-old, pricey-versus-cheap, and Lefty worship. "I have begun to look beyond fly angling orthodoxy, which teaches that matching the hatch (the right fly) and proper presentation (smooth, ethereal delivery of the fly upon the water) is the thing. If you have matched the hatch, and made a good cast, and still the trout ignores your offerings, is there something else? Oh yes. Try tippet trickery." (Thanks to reader Howard Fenderson for this link.)

Bonefish Report: Grand Bahama Island
By Marshall Cutchin on June 17, 2008 6:38 AM Permalink Comments (2)
Last week I fished with the folks from H2O Bonefishing, who operate out of Pelican Bay Hotel in Lucaya, Grand Bahama. I was there on the invitation of Orvis, who wanted to gather "pros" and amateur anglers together to assist in the tagging and fin-clipping of bonefish for Tarpon & Bonefish Unlimited. BTU, if you didn't know, has made great strides in the past ten years in determining the spawning habits, range and species differentiation among bonefish (not to mention gathering extensive data on tarpon as well). This was Orvis's first foray into saltwater research, and during the week dozens of fish were tagged or fin-clipped so that BTU could add the fish of that area to their ever-expanding database.
I fished only two days -- just enough to stretch the line on some very nice fish and remind myself that not all bonefish want a fly stripped cautiously. In fact the fish on the northern flats of Grand Bahama chased the flies we were throwing -- mostly weighted size-4 "McKnife" patterns with toad-like yarn bodies, red eyes, orange crystal hair tails and chartreuse thread -- like barracudas.
Comments (1)
Maybe there is hope after all. And maybe we should lobby for John McCain to also be sure a fly fisher -- even a token one -- gets the nod for a top campaign role. Good fly fishers cover the water.

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