Understanding line weight.

lineweight

This short but very clear video explains why it’s ok to up-line or down-line your rod depending on the distance you’re fishing. Use the rating on the rod as a guideline and find the line that suits YOU.

I was especially surprised by how little weight difference there is between fly-lines – how about the weight of a business card for one line type/weight.

Posted by Tony Bishop in Fishing Videos, fly fishing, fly fishing gear, fly fishing how-to

Five New Fishing Quotes & Sayings: 20/12/2013

Five more musings on the mysteries, magic and meditations on fishing and things fishy.

“You see? I know where every single book used to be in the library." She pointed to the shelf opposite. "Over there was Catch-22, which was a hugely popular fishing book and one of a series, I believe.”

– Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey (#1176)

I hate the outdoors. To me the outdoors is where the car is.”

Will Durst (#1177)

“Fishing is a disease. It’s not usually fatal and there’s no known cure for it, but the therapy is wonderful”

– Peter Carty New Zealand Masters on Fly Fishing (Using Your Experience And Intensity) (#1178)

“I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it’s the one thing I can think of that probably doesn’t.”

NA (#1179)

“I don’t believe it is wise to underrate the reasoning powers of a fish, or that matter any wild creature…”

– Frank Sawyer (#1180)

Find all 1180 fishing quotes and sayings here.

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes

The correct way to remove a fishing hook from a human, painlessly and safely.

There seems to be a rash of videos about removing hooks from people, all feature the ‘line-loop’ method. Some even show some brave souls sticking hooks in themselves to demonstrate the method.

Unfortunately all these videos make a mistake that almost certainly means the hook extraction will be painful to a lesser or greater level.

All the videos make a point of placing the loop at the middle of the bend and then pulling straight back in-line with the hook shaft. This is wrong, if pain is to be avoided.

The loop should be in the upper half of the bend, and the pull should be up and away, at about 30 degrees to the shaft.

hookout

Because the hook will roll out the same way as it went in, the barb will not catch, and a barb catching is what causes pain.

To see the whole story see this (link corrected), and see:

  • a method that uses forceps to achieve pain-free hook removal
  • a method for removing a hook in yourself, even if you cannot see it.

Posted by Tony Bishop in Fishing Safety, fly fishing how-to, Fresh water how-to, salt water how-to and tips

Five New Fishing Quotes and Sayings: Nov 22 2013

Trolled up from the depths of fishing literature, five more pieces of fishing wisdom. Numbers 1171 – 1175

“Of all the things I have to accept in life, I pray silently that God will never let me know the last time I fish.”

– NA

“The things fishermen know about trout aren’t facts but articles of faith.”

John Gierach

“I’ll be really glad when I’ve had enough of this! ”

– Fred J Taylor (on cold weather fishing)

“Fishing adds years to your life, and life to your years.”

Homer Circle

“It is impossible to grow weary of a sport that is never the same on any two days of the year”

– NA  (Maybe never the same on any two days in a lifetime? – Bish)

 

See all 1175 quotes

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes

Overhyping the Fear Factor Doesn’t Help Fishing

Kirk Deeter, of Field &Stream, wonders whether the fishers of tomorrow are getting the right message.  

“I gave another elementary school talk the other day, and was once again blown away by the enthusiasm 10-year-olds have for fishing. They asked many great questions, but there was a pattern that left me feeling concerned. funnyshark

"Have you ever been attacked by a shark?" (Nope… but I’ve watched them jump and thrash when I’ve fought them on a fly rod, and I’ve had them brush against me when I’m scuba diving.)

Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? (No… but I am afraid of them, so I try really hard not to step on them.)

What fish scares you the most? (The trout that’s rising, and I cannot figure out how to catch it… I think I’m losing my mind.)

Have you ever seen a big fish kill anyone? (No, not any people. I’ve seen big fish eat little fish, and birds, and that sort of stuff.)

Have you ever been attacked by a "river monster?" (Not yet.)

Look, I get what the show "River Monsters" is all about…”

Read the whole story.

Posted by Tony Bishop

New Fishing Quotes and Sayings 16 Oct 2013: Now 1170

Pithy pronouncements pouring from pens of perceptive piscators:
See all quotes here

“You cannot lose what you never had.”

– Isaac Walton – The Compleat Angler  Quote Num 1166
(Bit of an observation not just about fishing, but including life, the Universe and the whole damn thing.)

“Sight casting requires you to witness your failures, an indignity spared those fishing blind. Perhaps that’s one reason why casting to the current is more relaxing than casting to a fish.”

-  E. Donnal Thomas Jr  – Dream Fish And Road Trips Quote num 1167

“It is axiomatic in fly-fishing that the hottest pattern is always the one you don’t have.”

– Ted Leeson – Inventing Montana Quote num 1168

“A professional fishing guide is defined, in strict terms, as the guy who has successfully convinced his wife he is actually making a living and supporting the family in this pursuit. An excellent guide is one who can come home at night, moan about how hard he worked that day, and talk his wife into giving him a foot rub.”

– Rich Tosches  -  Zipping My Fly Quote Num 1169

“The take to a deep-sunk fly just as it begins to swing across current, followed by the line shearing through water and, often, a trout taking to air a remarkable distance from where the line disappears, is heady stuff indeed.”

– Scott Sadil  Quote Num 1170

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes

New Fishing Quotes and Sayings 17 Sep 2013

Five new quotes and sayings trawled up from the sea of words enveloping our sport.

“If it appears I’m ignoring you it is most likely I’m – busy fishing – thinking about fishing – talking about fishing – reading about  fishing – or I’m just plain not interested in what you are talking about!”
– some brave but not forthcoming soul (1161)

“When it comes to this fishing there is no black and white. It is all gray. The only absolutes have to do with rigging, before you ever get out there.”
– Stu Apte  (1162)

“Somehow you’ve got to get that fly to drift without a tug from your leader. One heartbeat longer is often enough. There’s a fish watching, waiting. Most of them will say yes if you don’t do something that tells them no.”
– Scott Sadil (1163)

“Of all nature’s animated kingdoms, fish are the most unchristian, inhospitable, heartless, and cold-blooded of creatures.”
– Herman Melville (1164)

“Water is the driving force of all nature”.
– Leonardo da Vinci (1165)

To view all 1165  quotes go here.

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes

Five More Fishing Quotes and Sayings: August 28 2013

Just added five more fishing quotes and sayings, bringing the total on the  Quotations page to 1160.

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything” Albert Einstein (1156)

“Don’t confuse your own incompetence with a fish’s intelligence” Jay Zimmerman (1157)

“At times, it can be like standing under a cold shower ripping up £50 notes. But when you get that bite, it’s just explosive – everyone on the boat is screaming and shouting, the fish is jumping, it’s mayhem. It’s fantastic. You can’t explain it until you’ve done it.” Kevin Gardner talking about big game fishing. (1158)

“Time on a river allows you a different perspective. It is stepping out of everyday life. From there we can see things differently. I’ve been to rivers to celebrate and I’ve been to them in times of need. It is an endless journey, really.” Derek Grzelewski ‘Trout Bohemian’ (1159)

“If you keep at it long enough, one day you may witness some greater disturbance, some rushing breach of the water’s surface so startling and violent and exhilarating that you too will suddenly, and always thereafter, believe in monsters.”
Paul Schullery (1160)

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing quotes

Pretend for Real: Small Fish as Big Fish

“The skills for catching big fish [are] different and certainly more refined than the skills for catching small fish. Big fish require a more stealthy approach, fewer casts, better positioning and equipment to prevent drag, superior fish fighting skills, and really better "everything" in the presentation than do small fish. In short, they require the very best predatory skills from the angler. So the question becomes: How does one learn big fish skills when at least 95 percent of the fish are small ones? …”

An excerpt, from Gary Borger’s latest book "The Angler as Predator". Read the whole chapter on Hatch magazine site. It is well worth it!

Posted by Tony Bishop in fly fishing how-to