President's Message - January 2010: Something Old...Something New
by Rob Burlingame, AFF President
I sit writing this article in the waning minutes of this year and this decade, wondering where the last ten years had gone since we all sat around hoping our computers wouldn’t vaporize when “Y2K” hit. I ponder how much the world has changed in the last ten years. Between the pops and flashes of fireworks, I think we all take in a few scattered reflections on the past and wonders about the future. Or maybe it’s just me and the celebratory red wine I consumed. Either way, when it’s all over, we are each faced with a new year, new challenges and a world full of hopeful resolutions.
With all of this going through my head, I cannot forget those who make our club what it is today and allow us to undertake the conservation efforts, support great organizations, provide education and quality speakers…everything we do. Our club is blessed to have a fantastic group of friends and sponsors who support us regularly and always go above and beyond to make our annual fundraiser a success. My hats off to each and every one of them! Make sure that you thank them for their support next time you see them and please, support those who support our club!
As I begin my second year as president of the club, I have decided to continue a trend I started last year. Each month, I will devote my article to a challenge for each of you. I promise it won’t be a strenuous challenge, but more of an attempt to change your perspective a little to keep that giddy fisherman alive and well. This month, my challenge is to simply try something new…or something old that you haven’t done in a long time.
Like most of us, when I gear up for a fishing trip, I pack the same gear for the same usual places. But why? Personally, I think it has more to do with our comfort zone than anything else. We want to use the same methods and the same flies in the same spots where we have been successful for so many trips before. It’s what we know, what we like and what we believe in. It could be flies or rods or techniques or locations. Whatever the norm is, changing it up a bit can be a pleasant surprise.
As Todd has mentioned in previous articles, our club has a program in place with ready and willing mentors that can make it even easier to try new things. Whether you are brand new to the sport or have fly fished for fifty years, I bet there is something you haven’t done or would like to improve on. If you don’t know who to reach out to for specific expertise, ask one of the officers and we can point you in the right direction. Even if it’s just one more skill you learn or tweak, it can mean a vast difference in a day of fishing. I want to share a story with you from the morning of New Year’s Eve to help illustrate my point.
Before making a trek to the coast, I spent the morning with Steve Flanagan on the Guadalupe chasing rainbow trout. My usual method of fishing the river for the past several years has been to throw various streamer patters through swift pools and fishy areas, varying the action until I found a retrieve that was productive. For several years in a row, this had been productive, so there was no reason to change. However, I confirmed the reports of streamer success (or lack thereof), after nearly four hours and a couple of river miles. This year had only produced one bump on a previous trip and this morning was no different…one hook up and one lost fish.
Luckily, I had a desire over the Christmas break to tie up some small nymph patterns with the intention of learning how to fish them properly this winter. I had even stayed up the night before tying one last “special” fly that had surprisingly similar color patters to a great streamer. I had easily fought off the urge to learn to nymph for many years, citing it as a monotonous method of catching smaller fish. Besides, who wants to see an indicator twitch when you can feel the solid thump of a streamer hit that nearly jerks the rod out of your hand?!? But what do you do when there is no thump on your rod? Truth is, I had tried “self-taught” nymphing methods before on numerous occasions with no success. I never had the patience to give it a fair shot either, since I was not fishing it properly and would quickly change back to streamers. But this year was different. Maybe curiosity, maybe desperation, or maybe Steve pulling fish out of holes I just sent my streamer through! So, on the last day of this year, I decided to dedicate the last half hour of fishing to the lonely nymphs in my fly box and to adding another arrow in my fishing quiver.
I talked with Steve a while about proper set up and proper techniques and then watched him fish a few areas to get a sense of what I was in for. Within a few minutes, I was nymphing. Easy enough, I thought, patiently watching my indicator for the subtlest movement from a trout sip. After a few attempts and a few holes, I tweaked a few things, mended a little better, so on and so forth. It seemed I was doing things right, but nothing happened. I was just about ready to throw in the towel and try another day.
But then it happened…it all came together and BAM! FISH ON! It was no trout sip or subtle take. I had momentary glimpses of childhood perch jerking, watching a bobber get yanked underwater with great force! The indicator screamed under the surface, I set the hook and a nice trout was heading as far away from me as fast as he could. But then the line went slack and the fish was gone. I thought that may have been my only shot of the day to actually catch a fish on a nymph. But now I was starting to get the bug…these things really do work! No wonder you see them in every fly selection. From that point on, the half hour I dedicated turned into an hour and a half. I never moved more than ten feet from where I hooked the first fish and managed to hook seven more, landing six. The best part was, my theory was busted that I would catch only small fish. The smallest I caught was about 15 inches and we landed three over eighteen inches, including my new Guadalupe best of 23 inches! Long story short, I can’t wait to get back out there again and leave my streamer box at home.
Long story short, had I not been willing to try something new that day, I would have walked out of the river without catching a fish. Thanks to Steve and his expert instruction, it was a day to remember for a long time and has sparked a new interest for me to perfect my nymphing techniques. That is what trying new things will get you!
So, the next time you are packing for a day on the water or a weekend trip, think about the new things you may want to try. Tie up a few of the next greatest secret fly or dust off your old fiberglass or bamboo rod and give them a shot again. Take a wrong turn on purpose and discover a new flat at the coast or a new river crossing you had not tried before. Challenge yourself to try something new and you might just ignite a new spark, just like the one that got you excited about fishing the first time. See you all on the water.