Our last evening at the Kingfisher Lodge was interesting. The Chef prepared an amazing New Zealand salmon entree for us. It was the first time I had New Zealand salmon, and it was fantastic. In my opinion, it was at least as good as Copper River salmon or better. I can’t give enough accolades to the Kingfisher Lodge Chef. Every meal he prepared was excellent. Kudos to you, Jason, and your sous Chef.
After dinner, we started philosophizing about everything fly fishing. Stories about massive trout taking the line to the backing were plentiful. A discussion broke out on the best reel to land the most trout. I listened with great interest because not once during the entire trip did I put a trout on the reel, and never did any take me to the backing. I asked my colleagues if they always put their fish on the reel, and the unanimous answer was yes. This led me to believe I must be doing something wrong despite landing trout in the 18 - 24-inch range. Since I was the outlier, perhaps there was a learning I should take to heart.
Day #4 on the Big Horn River started just like the first three. Temps were in the high 50’s, and the afternoon was supposed to heat up into the 90’s. We got up, had a quick breakfast, and met our guide. It reminded me of the idiom - Lather, Rinse, and.”
The difference on this day was that I was to fish with our youngest angler, Ben. This was Ben’s first fly fishing trip, and I am certain he felt thrown into the deep end. On the first night, a group of us took Ben out to teach him how to cast. He received a lot of great (although often conflicting) advice from Club members. It was easy to see he was quickly getting overwhelmed. When there was a break in the tutelage, I took him aside and explained the basic method that Joe Mahler teaches. While Joe might describe it more eloquently, I describe it as Lift, Pluck, Wait, and then push forward. Sorry for the oversimplification, Joe.
As an aside, Joe is a world-class casting instructor and, I like to think, a personal friend. I have taken a few lessons from Joe in the past, and he has greatly improved my cast. He has a wonderful video on YouTube that I would encourage you to check out for some casting tips. I think you will find it worth your time.
Ben took to the lesson I offered that day like a duck to water. Now he had three days of on-water getting real-world experience, and I was eager to see what he had learned. I should also mention Ben, and I share a special bond as we are both Eagle Scouts, albeit I earned the rank many more years than I care to mention ahead of Ben. Regardless, he is a great young man, and I wanted this trip to be as memorable as possible.
Our Guide was Matt. I had fished with Matt earlier and knew him to be a great teacher. I had high expectations that the day would be great for both of us.
We started the day wet wading. Matt took us to a spot where we could get out of the driftboat and walk into the water to cast. We fished the seams in fast water for big trout. Ben and I were throwing a balloon indicator and a couple of nymph droppers. We would cast upstream of the section of the run we were fishing and then let the rig swing through.
It didn’t take long before I hooked up with a “hog” of a rainbow. The fish hit the nymph hard, and my set was solid. I was super excited because this would be the first fish of the day, and I knew it was a good-sized one.
While fighting the fish, I recalled the conversation from the night before about putting fish on the reel. Assuming I had done it all wrong, I slowly let the line slip through my index finger while keeping constant pressure on the trout. This allowed me to get the fish to the reel without leaving too much line. I used the reel to bring the trout in as soon as I got it there. Immediately the trout exploded out of the water, it violently twisted its head and proceeded to dislodge my barbless midge. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the first fish of the day was a memory.
Matt saw the fight start and saw me lose the fish. He came over to offer both condolences and advice. First, he asked what went wrong since I had never lost a hook-up with him on the previous days he guided me. I told him about my conversation with other Club members about putting trout on the reel. I told him that despite my previous success stripping the trout, I was sure I had done it wrong.
He asked me why I normally strip trout in by hand. And I told him it allows me to better ”feel and anticipate” the fish. Matt’s advice was to do what I felt most comfortable with and ignore what other anglers do.
People who know me well know I am a perfectionist. The discussion and Matt’s advice got me wondering if there was a right or wrong way to fight a trout. I appreciate the proof is in the proverbial pudding, but what is the consensus of the experts? That started me researching the question online.
Here are two perspectives from among hundreds I found.
Troutbitten.com is one of my favorite sources for insights. They claim, “With extra fly line slopping around, too many unexpected things can happen. A dreaded loop finds its way around the rod butt, so you become distracted while trying to untangle it. The trout surges and breaks the tippet. The excess line can tangle at your feet or around the gear hanging from your fishing pack. And with slack between rod and reel, there’s no drag system in play. Bottom line: If you want to land a trout, put it on the reel.”
Bish & Fish offered another perspective: “You should try to maintain a constant bend in the rod by gripping the line to apply tension or allowing the line to slip through your line-hand fingers and rod-hand forefinger. If the rod tip ducks down, let the line slip.
You should, in general, try to keep the rod at about the 45-degree angle, but if the fish takes off, lower the rod tip. The tip section is there to absorb the trout lunges and maintain constant pressure. Your immediate job is to get the fish tight to the rod tip. When you get an opportunity to retrieve some line, using your line hand, pull the line in through your rod-hand forefinger - called 'stripping' the line. As you reach the end of a strip, grip the line with your rod-hand forefinger, and slide your line hand up to grip the line again.”
I won’t bore you by sharing everything I read, but the bottom line seems to be what Matt advised - Do what you are comfortable with. If you hook up with a big fish, the fight will naturally take out your loose line, so it automatically gets on the reel. Otherwise, don’t worry about the right or wrong way as long as you land more trout than you lose.
I decided to continue strip retrieval whenever possible. I can better anticipate the fish’s moves by feeling the line tension with my finger. If the fish happens to take up all my loose line and put itself on the reel, so be it. Then, I will fight it on the reel. But I have only had that happen with saltwater fish so far.
Kudos to Matt for his sound advice. On that day, I listened and didn’t miss landing a single trout I hooked up with after that first debacle. For the record, I landed a couple of 20+ inch Rainbows without ever taking them to the reel, and none of them took my line to the backing.
I have to say I love a sport where there is no real right or wrong way of doing things. I think it creates a unique level of intimacy because you get to find your way of succeeding. For me, it causes a mindset shift from becoming the technical best to having a fun experience. It was a shift I could never accomplish in golf. I gave up golf because I was never happy with my swing or score. I found golf frustrating for that reason. But with fly fishing, I concentrate more on enjoying the experience than the mechanics. That is not to suggest I don’t practice casting or try to learn new things. It means my current skill level doesn’t get in my way of enjoying being outdoors with friends (or alone) slapping the water. I understand ugly casts can catch fish. I am living proof that is true.
If you ever see me on the water smiling after throwing the worst cast you have ever witnessed, it isn’t that I am ignorant of my shortcomings, the smile is because I am having fun. If you see my rod bend and me starting to strip in the fish, just know I am doing it my way and the odds are better than good I will successfully bring that fish to hand.
Tight lines to the anglers who find their unique path to success by learning from experts but not being slavishly bound by their guidance. Thank you, Matt, for a lesson I will never forget. And thank you, Ben, for a wonderful day on the water.