geartalk

Tom’s Leader

Tom Rosenbauer is probably the preeminent educator in the fly-fishing world today. During his more than forty-three years with the Orvis Company, Tom has written more books and articles than we can list; he now hosts a widely listened-to podcast, appears on television shows and all that. Many anglers like myself, who have been around the block a few times, are only half-joking when we credit Tom with teaching us to fish, at least in part. Tom also happens to be a good friend. I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with him in places like the wilds of Chile, in the Colorado high country, in Montana, on the tradition-laden rivers in the Catskills, the flats in the Bahamas and elsewhere.

Tom is the real McCoy, not an “all hat, no cattle” author. Quite the opposite–if anything, he understates his own prowess in his writing. I still learn from him, and not long ago we were kicking back in the Hill Country of Texas, where I asked him for a few tips I could unceremoniously adopt “as my own.”

This was the best one: Tom will borrow your fly rod. He’ll use someone else’s reel. He’ll even borrow boots and waders in a pinch. But there’s one thing of his own that Tom insists on using, every time, no exceptions…

His leader.

Now, you might think that $5-$10 of monofilament and/or fluorocarbon attached to hundreds of dollars (or more) of gear might be a little lower on his priority list. But Rosenbauer says it’s the number one thing he worries about–not only because that’s the “connection” to the fly and fish, but also because a properly built leader (he builds or at least modifies his own) will do more to help the cast and presentation than most anglers are willing to acknowledge.

His recipe is simple: He extends the butt section by a few feet, matching the thickness of the end of the leader, and he extends the tippet by a few feet. This naturally makes for a longer leader, but that extension of the butt end helps you point and lay it down. The extra tippet, with the more supple material, is meant to help prevent microdrag.

Whether you build your leader exactly as Tom does or not doesn’t matter. The lesson is that you should tinker with leaders and find something that works really well for you. Don’t just take them out of the package, tie them on and expect everything to be perfect. “Stock” leaders are no cure-all, and that comes from a guy who’s been working for a company that sells packaged leaders.

What the Bass Boys Taught Me

It’s funny how anglers like to embrace their own brand of fishing as high art and dismiss the others. Bass anglers may shun the fly rod as a buggy whip, while fly anglers may think of bass fishing as bubba fishing.

Both are wrong. Fishing is fishing.

Ultimately, what separates the contenders from the pretenders is the ability to read water, and that starts with understanding currents. Then know what the fish are eating, and how to present it to them.

It’s all essentially the same. The only difference is the stick used to make the cast, and that’s not worth making a big deal over.

Having written about and fished with a number of bass pros, I’m always amazed to find out how many of them have at one point or another fly fished. In fact, I pick up some of my best fly-fishing ideas when I’m bass fishing with these guys.

Gary Klein, who has qualified for the Bassmaster Classic 28 times and is still rolling, credits fly fishing in part with his understanding of currents, structure and how fish behave around them.

“Once you understand how moving water behaves, and creates currents, you learn where the fish concentrate in the water, and that’s the same whether you’re throwing crankbaits around a windblown point on a reservoir, or a dry fly in a river,” said Klein.

BONEDALE FISHING REPORT #8

THE PUMP BY JEFF BECK

I went fishing today with an old friend and laid-off rig hand, the infamous John Steele, who’s been forced into booking punk rockabilly bands in Spun Junction to support his fishing habit. We started at the Pink Bridge in Sutank, and the boys from the Roaring Fork Marina were testing out a new fleet of paddleboards. The surfing was stronger than the fishing on the middle Fork, due to the obscene number of Caddisflies. We did, however, spot several BIG BOWS on beds, and it seems we’ll have another successful spawn. Not spawning myself anymore, it was good to see the fish fighting the good fight. We headed up the Crystal, having caught a couple of nice native Cutts and a mixed bag of Browns. The Crystal dropped several feet last night, after a good freeze, and deposited a massive tree just above the Hatchery Bridge. Between the tree and a manky Beaver carcass, we caught several nice fish, then I sent my friends back down to the big ditch where, fortunately, the Mother’s Day hatch is no longer an issue. Maynard is still gainfully employed in BONEDALE, while I’m forced to hawk t-shirts and stickers out of the WORLD HEADQUARTERS. The dust layer forced some snow pack off early, but believe me, it ain’t over yet. Mother nature will deliver another epic runoff, which is good for all parties concerned. I’m headed west for the weekend to fish for river Cats, giant Carp and maybe Bass and Bluegill. The long suffering Mrs. Hause has a chore list, so it’s time to giddyup, or I’ll be forced into honest labor. I would, of course, rather be fishing. Tie up maaaassssive Stones and head west immediately. Also, send swag for the spiritual wars.

Live from the WORLD HEADQUARTERS

Kea C. Hause

‍

Pick a fly, any fly, it’ll probably work during the sweet spot after the Roaring Fork’s peak flow subsides and the big bugs come out. Photo: Copi Vojta

Is There Something in Utah’s Water?

In the latest and most extreme example of the long-standing animosity between states and the federal government over public land ownership, the state of Utah has filed a lawsuit against the federal government to gain control of vast swaths of the state’s public land.

This is largely about money and the smoldering embers of the Sagebrush Rebellion, with Utah politicians believing ​​their right to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grazing, logging and mining revenue supersedes the general public’s historical ownership status, set forth in the terms and conditions for statehood in 1894:

“Utah claims that 18.5 million acres of ‘unappropriated’ Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands must be turned over to the state because it has been deprived of the revenues BLM collects from grazing, logging and mining. History shows that as a condition of statehood, Utah agreed to not seek control of federal public lands. The Utah Enabling Act of 1894 established the terms and conditions for statehood and a constitution. The act was signed by President Cleveland on July 18, 1894.”

For the record, most hunters, anglers and the well-respected Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) vehemently oppose these largely self-motivated legal maneuvers. The land in question is public, by law, and should stay that way.

If concerned (you should be), reach out and make your voice heard: Patagonia highlights a roadmap for the sustainable conservation of all public lands with the co-management of Utah’s Bears Ears Monument.