Don’t worry though – I’m not too self-conscious about it.
My Nose is Bigger Than Your Nose
Archives for January 2012
Deneki Outdoors on Facebook
Today we’ve just got a little reminder that we’re really active on Facebook, and we’d love for you to swing by our Facebook page and give us a Like (if you like it, of course).
We post pretty much daily on Facebook, and we have some pretty great conversations with our friends there as well. Highlights include pictures and reports from our lodges, top posts from our blog, and other stuff related to fly fishing on the internet that we think you’d like.
We really appreciate you reading our stuff here, and we’d love to have you on Facebook too!
Some Examples of Our Facebook Posts
Backing for Bonefish
A recent conversation with a fellow ‘angling professional’ brought to light the fact that there are lots of different opinions out there when it comes to backing and flats fishing.
Some overriding backing philosophies that come to mind are
- Use whatever you can fit more of on the reel
- Use whatever is simplest
- Use whatever is strongest
- Use a combination of materials, for various and sundry reasons.
What Kind of Backing Do You Use for Bonefish? Why?
We’re curious as to how you rig your bonefishing reels with backing, and we want you to leave us a comment and let the world know.
We’ll start. Your humble editor prefers plain old boring 30# dacron backing, preferably in a hi-vis color like yellow. It’s plenty strong, and its simplicity gives some peace of mind. It’s nice to be able to see the backing easily if the light is funky.
OK, now it’s your turn. Leave us a comment and let us know what kind (or kinds) of backing you use when you’re bonefishing and why! NOTE: If you’ve viewing this in a newsletter or a reader, click here to leave a comment on our web site.
More Reader Input
Have Another Look at Angler’s Tonic
Speaking of old…way back in 2009 we told you about Angler’s Tonic, the web site and blog by our friend Greg Thomas.
Just last week Greg pulled the trigger on a major red0 of the site, and we think you should swing by and check it out. It’s much easier to navigate, it’s loaded with original content, and the new format is allowing him to post daily.
Greg is a legitimately great writer (as well as being the editor of Fly Rod and Reel). Your time on Angler’s Tonic will be well spent.
More Sites You Should Check Out
Our Best Old Posts
Wow, the number of folks reading our blog has grown a ton recently! We think that’s awesome – thanks so much for reading our stuff.
That also means, though, that some of our newcomers might not have seen our ‘oldies but goodies’. We’ve been at this daily blogging thing for over 3 years now (which is hard to believe), so we thought we’d share with you some of our most popular older posts. Every one of these puppies got written more than 2 years ago!
Our Best Old Posts
- Bead Fishing for Rainbow Trout. Rigging, which beads by species, ethics and more – all the nitty gritty!
- Switch Rods – Why You Should Try One. Our take on why these puppies are taking off.
- Making T-14 Tips. Spey craft school 101.
- Bonefishing Tips. Our massive and constantly updated bonefishing link page.
- Polyleaders – What They Are and Why We Like Them. Charles St. Pierre lays it out for us.
- Sage 7136-4 Z-Axis – The Perfect Summer Steelhead Rod. This is a really popular review!
- Swinging Flies for Kings – 10 Tips. The basics on one of our specialties.
- How to Pack for Your Day of Bonefishing. What goes in the boat, in your pack and in your pocket.
- Rio Skagit Flight Review. Our take on one of the modern Skagit heads.
- 7 Reasons This Fly Works on South Andros Island. Some characteristics that seem to make our bonefish eat.
More Roundups
Kevin Price’s Trout Rig
And once again you get to learn about how the experts rig themselves to fish for trout in Alaska!
Today’s rig is a little different from your more common “target and land giant rainbows in big water” setup, and it comes courtesy of Kevin Price. Kevin is one of the finer guides in Northern California, and he’s on the Scott, Idylwilde and Scientific Anglers pro staffs. Oh yeah – he’s also put in some time at a lodge up North called Alaska West.
Kevin likes fishing really small water for trout in Alaska, and it shows in his rig. Have a look for a different take on Alaskan trout fishing!
The Summary
- Scott S4 804/4 – an 8 foot 4 weight [A 4 weight for Alaska? Yep, read on.]
- Ross Evolution LT #2
- Scientific Anglers Sharkskin Ultimate Trout Double Taper #4 [A double taper for Alaska? Yep, read on.]
The Detail
- 30 pound Dacron backing attached to the spool with an arbor knot. “I use 30 just so I’m not worried if I happen to switch this reel over to a heavier rig.”
- Albright knot from the backing to the back of the fly line.
- Scientific Anglers 7.5′ 2x Trout leader attached to the front of the fly line with the factory loops and a loop to loop connection.
- Tippet of Scientific Anglers Fluorocarbon II 1x attached to the leader with a blood knot.
- Idylwilde Garrett’s Belly Dancer Bullhead #10 in Olive, tied on with a non-slip mono loop. “I like it because it’s got a good amount of weight, but because it rides hook up it doesn’t snag up much.”
The Commentary
“I tend to fish more of the braids on the Kanektok and the Arolik, and more of the smaller water, so I use a little smaller rods and smaller reels. The small water is a little more intimate. 95% of it is sight fishing – you’re seeing the specific fish that you want to catch, and I really like that.”
“I like the double taper line because it roll casts easier, and it presents the fly a lot softer than a weight forward line.”
“Shorter rods are easier in those little channels with lots of brush and cover. A rod that’s a foot smaller and a little softer helps a lot with roll casting. That rod plus the double taper also makes it easier to load the rod at short distance.”
“A rod like that S4 4 weight will turn over a fairly decent sized fly. I’ve seen some pretty good sized fish landed on these types of rods even though they’re smaller than typical for Western Alaska. The water is I like to fish is totally gin clear and really shallow – so the lighter line matters.”
More Trout Rigs
Weekly Fly Fishing Newsletter
To Our Current Weekly Newsletter Subscribers
Special apology to the 4,215 anglers who, at last count, are already reading this blog post via our weekly newsletter. Thanks for reading our stuff every week.
To Everybody Else
Hey, did you know that you can get everything we write on our blog about fly fishing, automagically, every Thursday morning in your inbox?
That’s right – all our blog posts get sent out once a week to the folks on our weekly newsletter list. You can get all of our fly fishing tips, gear reviews, guest posts, cool pictures and more, via email once a week. Yeah, we throw in some stuff that’s blatantly promotional, but we run fly fishing lodges after all, and we try to keep the hard sell to a minimum.
How You Can Sign Up
You can sign up by clicking right here and typing in your email address. Then click the confirmation link in your email inbox (we don’t want to spam anybody) and you’re in!
More About Us
Plano Boxes
There are some really cool purpose-built fly boxes out there. Threader boxes, streamer boxes, tube fly boxes, slit foam, solid foam, no foam…you name it, there’s a fly box for it. We totally get specialization – just ask your editor’s wife about the ‘selection’ of fly rods in the basement.
That being said, we spend time on the water with a lot of folks who fish an awful lot, and the ‘fly’ boxes that we see in use the most are made by Plano.
Plano 3600
The model 3600 that you see in the picture above is a particularly popular choice. It’s big but not huge and is customize-able with its movable dividers. A couple of them fit great in a medium or large boat bag. They’re durable and light and you can see through them so you know what’s inside.
Picking one up on Amazon will set you back $4.97
Fly Mothership
You’re not going to put these babies in your pocket or in a hip pack. They’re typically used as a ‘mothership’ – the home base for a wide selection of flies. When you’re starting your day fishing, you can grab a handful of flies and stick them in a smaller box (or a ziplock). After your fishing day or maybe your fishing trip, the remaining flies get put back in the big box. Over time this keeps things much more organized than in your typical “5 or 10 medium sized boxes all crammed with flies that may or may not be a good combination” scenario.
If you’re still trying to come up with a New Year’s Resolution, how about “I’ll keep my flies much more organized this year?” For once we’re recommending the least expensive option – why not pick up a couple
Here’s our Product Review Policy and FTC Disclosure.
More Good Gear
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