Dry Fly Adventure

Had the pleasure of a dry fly adventure float with Capt. Jon Ray over the weekend. I've done a little dry fly fishing, but only once before out of a boat. I know enough to understand how technical this style of fishing can be. Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right cast and presentation can mean the difference between a successful outing and a skunking.

Found a dumb one (the fish)!

Fortunately, Saturday was a successful outing. We were floating a section of the Manistee river known for its big fish - but not for quantity. Jon knows I'm always up for a research project, so this stretch was chosen to give him some more knowledge on it. Plus, it's linking up some sections I've floated before. A definite dry fly adventure.

One big challenge for this adventure - angler skills. My dry fly casting skills are among my weaknesses. Blame chasing smallmouth bass and steelhead. Throwing a sink-tip, spey rod, or popper on a heavy line has a tendency to make you lazy. Plus, I haven't put in the casting practice I need this season.

A few lessons learned:

1. Slow down. Slow down your cast. Slow down your hookset. Slow down and watch the water ahead for rises. Just slow the eff down overall.  
2. There are no second chances. Trout are smart. prick 'em and miss a hookset and they vanish like a ghost.
3. Sometimes, there are second chances. But they're few and far between. I got lucky and missed a fish on a jet set. This was a dumb one, as she started rising a few moments later. On the second try, I got her!
4. This is a lifelong skill. We fished with one of Jon's long-time frequent clients. This guy had a story of a lost fish around every bend. He's done this a LOT. He had skills I didn't even know I lacked. 
5. Missed fish will haunt you. I missed what looked like a nice fish on a too-fast hookset. This one wasn't dumb enough to come back. Was it my mythical two-footer? Maybe, but we'll never know.
6. Rowing for dry fly anglers is harder than it looks. To give Jon a break, and because I'm always happy for some constructive criticism, I took the sticks for a while. In the two years I've owned my boat, I've gotten fairly competent with the basics of maneuvering the boat, river position, etc. But in dry fly adventures, I learn that now you have to watch the front fly and try to match boat speed to presentation.
7. I need to do this more. A lot more. It's fun and relaxing. But it's also demanding and you need the skills to keep up. The more I do this, the better angler I'll become.
8. I love my Abel clicker reels. My AC2 was ideal for my 6 weight Scott A4, and my Classic is perfect beneath the G2. There's nothing quite like the purr of those clickers.

An excellent day/evening on a beautiful river. And, as a bonus, I learned something. If you're looking to up your dry fly game, I highly recommend Jon, or any of the guys at Hawkins Outfitters.

-Sean-