Tag: drift boat

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S4:E9 Drift Boat Fly Fishing

A River Runs Through It

Drift boat fly fishing is often the first experience that someone has with fly fishing. The experience can ignite a passion for the sport. In this episode, we recall our first drift boat experiences as well as debacles. It’s definitely a unique challenge to cast and mend while moving at the speed of the river.

Listen now to Drift Boat Fly Fishing

Great Stuff from Our Listeners. At the end of each episode, we often include a feature called “Great Stuff from Our Listeners.” It’s the last segment of each episode, where Steve reads one of the comments from our listeners or readers. We enjoy hearing from you, and appreciate your advice, wisdom, and fly fishing experiences.

How often do you fish in a drift boat? What is your best day on the water in a drift boat? What advice do you have for fly fishers who’ve never fished out of a drift boat?

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The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists – A “Cliffsnotes for Fly Fishers”

We’ve published a book for regular-Joe-and-Jane fly fishers called The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists: Life is short. Catch more fish.

To switch metaphors, perhaps it’s more like a handful of potato chips. It’s an entire book of lists. The goal is to help you find practical help quickly and in an easily digestible format!

Buy it today on Amazon for only $13.99!

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S2:E16 Reasons You Are Not Catching Fish

fly fishing guides

Catching fish is not merely about pure skill. Many fishers buy their fly fishing experiences with guides and outfitters. With the latest fly fishing gear, access to a drift boat, and a great guide, any person can catch trout. But for the rank-and-file fly fisher, the one who can’t always buy a fly fishing experience and wants to grow in the art and skill of the sport, there are some problem-solving skills to acquire when not catching fish. In this episode, we discuss seven reasons you’re not catching fish – and what to do differently.

Listen to our episode “Reasons You Are Not Catching Fish”

At the end of each episode, we often include a feature called “Great Stuff from Our Listeners.” We read a few of the comments from this blog or from our Facebook page. We enjoying hearing from our readers and listeners, and appreciate your advice, wisdom, and fly fishing experience.

What have we missed? And where do you disagree with us? We’d love your comments to this episode!

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Subscribe to 2 Guys and A River2 Guys and A River

View some of our most recent podcast episodes on iTunes or on Stitcher, if you have an Android.

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Why I Fly Fish

Why I fly fish – it’s pretty simple to explain. I often get asked, “Why do you fly fish? What do you like about it?” This question typically comes from folks who are dabbling in it or thinking about trying the sport. If that is your question, let me try to answer it.

Several years ago, I tried to improve my golf game so that I could spend more time with a friend. I soon realized that I didn’t love golf. In fact, I found it frustrating. I remember golfing on the Cottonwood Hills Public Golf Course just west of Bozeman, Montana, and looking down the hill at the Gallatin River. I longed to be fly fishing. My friend didn’t fly fish. So I found other ways to connect with him. We both loved to play softball. But I decided that day I was done trying to do things I didn’t enjoy.

But exactly why do I love fly fishing for trout (and salmon at times)?

Engaged with the Outdoors

Fly fishing allows me to experience the great outdoors in an interactive kind of way. I love mountains and the clear rivers or streams that flow through or below them.

Obviously, there are other ways to experience my favorite parts of nature. I’ve done outdoor photography, backpacking, hiking, and a bit of non-technical mountain climbing. I even reached the summit of Long’s Peak in Colorado (14,259 feet) twice. All these were great experiences. But unless I’m photographing my fishing trip or heading to a high mountain lake or stream, neither photography or backpacking does it for me. There’s something about standing in thigh-deep water as the snow softly falls or sneaking up on rising fish that allows me to interact with nature in a way that other pursuits do not.

This is not a knock on outdoor photography or hiking or anything else. It’s just a reflection of how I’m wired. Pursue whatever lets you engage with nature most fully and brings joy.

Addicted to the Riser

I’m also addicted to seeing a trout rise to take a dry fly and to the fight that follows. What else can I say? Fly fishing gives me an adrenaline rush and a sense of satisfaction that most other outdoor sports do not.

One exception is calling in bull elk during the rut in archery season. But nothing else quite compares with fly fishing.

Connected to the Art and Skill

Years ago, I fished with a spinning rod and a box full of Mepps spinners.

That brought me a lot of joy at the time. But I love the aesthetic side of fly fishing. There is a grace to casting (when done well). There are also endless ways of improving my craft – reading waters, identifying insect hatches, tying flies, maneuvering a drift boat, and casting.

Fly fishing gives me the chance to be part of something that I can never fully master. It offers a lifetime of learning. Even the literature of fly fishing is rich and often reflective.

I should add that fly fishing is more doable at this point in my life than other outdoor sports that bring me joy.

As I mentioned, I also love bow-hunting for elk. The crisp September mornings, the bright yellow aspen leaves, and the echo of an elk bugle across a canyon make me happy. But this is where reality kicks in. I no longer live ten minutes from good elk hunting.

A decade ago, I moved to the Chicago area.

The time and cost of hunting elk in Montana as a non-resident are simply prohibitive. It’s the cost, mostly. So out of my two outdoor passions, I’m grateful I can still pursue one of them. Fly fishing for trout is generally less expensive. I can afford to go to Montana at least once or twice a year to fly fish. Besides, I can find great fly fishing three seasons of the year (spring, summer, and fall) as opposed to a three weeks of the year (for bow-hunting elk). I’m hoping to bow-hunt for elk again one of these days with my brother in Colorado. But until then, I’m content to fly fish.

If fly fishing appeals to you, give it a try. The sheer thrill of landing a trout on a fly rod might turn out to be something that brings you as much joy as it brings to me.

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6 Ways to Spoil Your Guided Fly Fishing Trip

A guided fly fishing trip – you’ve been waiting for some time to make it happen. In the past month, you’ve sorted through your gear and thumbed through back issues of Fly Fisherman and Trout magazines. You even spent a few hours on You Tube watching fly casting videos by Lefty Kreh and Joan Wulff. But today you will embark on a guided trip. You are taking a guided trip on the Bighorn or the Au Sable or the Metolius River. You’re looking forward to a stellar day. What could go wrong?

Well, a lot. Here are six ways to spoil your guided fly fishing trip if you are so inclined:

1. Do not communicate your limitations or expectations.

After all, your goal is to impress your guide. You don’t want to embarrass yourself by admitting that you can’t cast your fly much farther than the end of your rod or that you don’t know the difference between a mayfly and a caddis.

It’s not worth learning more about the craft of fly fishing if you have to admit that your skill level is at a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Just keep your mouth shut and pretend you know more than you really do.

2. Ignore your guide’s advice.

Never mind that you paid big bucks to spend this day with a guide. You know better than he or she does, right? Forget that your guide has fished this river dozens (or hundreds) of times. You are the real expert. Even if you’re not, why humble yourself to admit it?

Better to act like you’re right than to admit that your guide might know more than you do.

3. Expect the perfect day.

You are paying to catch a fish of a lifetime. Or at least you’re paying to catch 50% more fish than you usually do. Also, you have a right to expect that the weather conditions and water conditions will be perfect. That’s all part of the package, right? If these expectations are not met, you should ask your guide for your money back, because you deserve a perfect day for the money you’re paying.

4. Forget about your surroundings since you are on a mission to catch fish!

Do not take time to look at the snow-capped Beartooth-Absaroka mountains as you float the Yellowstone River through Paradise Valley south of Livingston, Montana. You can see those grand peaks from the highway later. Right now, you’re on a mission to catch fish. Don’t worry if you miss the five-point buck in the brush near the bank, or the bald eagles perched on the high branches of a Cottonwood tree.

You can look at pictures of these creatures later in a wildlife calendar or on the internet.

5. Assume your guide will have all the clothing you need.

The weather app on your cell phone predicts a 50-degree, sunny day. So there’s no need to take rain gear or an extra jacket. The weather never changes, and weather forecasts are always spot-on. Besides, the guide probably has extra rain gear and shirts and coats in your size. He or she probably has a nice cache of sunglasses, too.

6. Never ask a question of your guide.

Since you are the only bright one in the drift boat, there’s no need to be curious. No need to ask the next question. You’d hate to be perceived as someone who needs to grow in your knowledge or skills.

Okay, you get the point, right? To get the most out of your trip …

    Do take advantage of your guide’s expertise. You’re paying for it.

    Ask, ask, ask, and you will receive some great insights.

    Be realistic, too. Your guide doesn’t have a deal with the trout. Some days just don’t fish as well. You could have Bob Jacklin and Joan Wulff and Bud Lilly and April Vokey and Joe Brooks in your drift boat (alright, that would be a bit much) and you still couldn’t catch fish if the conditions are not right.

    Enjoy the day for what it is. That means taking in the scenery and whatever wildlife you encounter. Stop fishing every now and then just to take in the experience.

    Take along extra clothing.

    Consult with your guide ahead of time to set the right expectations.

    And take plenty of pictures. Put your smartphone on airplane mode if you are tempted to fret over a work email just as you enter a great run.

You’ve paid good money for this guided trip. Let’s make it a great experience.

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Episode 20: Interview with a Fly Fishing Sage

A River Runs Through It

Back in the day, Bob Granger was the fly fishing guide to the stars. He has owned a fly shop, tied a zillion flies, and guided celebrities, politicians, and America’s business leaders. In this interview, Bob regales us with his stories from the river and gives advice to aspiring fly fishers. Listen to the podcast here.

Be sure to download a podcast app for your smartphone and subscribe to our feed. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Stitcher for Android.

Listen to our episode “Interview with a Fly Fishing Sage” now

At the end of each episode, we have a feature called “Great Stuff from Our Listeners.” We read a few of the comments from this blog or from our Facebook page. We enjoying hearing from our readers and listeners, and appreciate your advice, wisdom, and fly fishing experience.

Who was your mentor in learning how to fly fishing? What makes a good mentor? Are you becoming a fly fishing sage?

Download a Podcast App on Your Smartphone

Be sure to subscribe to our podcast feed. You can do that on your smartphone or tablet by downloading a podcast app. The most common app used by 2 Guys feed subscribers is “Podcasts.”

Or you can simply subscribe to the RSS feed here:

Subscribe to 2 Guys and A River2 Guys and A River

View some of our most recent podcast episodes on iTunes or on Stitcher, if you have an Android.

Rate the 2 Guys Podcast

We’d love for you to rate our podcast on iTunes.

That helps fellow fly fishers decide whether the podcast is a good fit for them.