Over this past weekend I was eating some delicious Monchong... What's Monchong you ask? Well, it's a fish, of course (this ain't no land-animal blog...). A deepwater Hawaiian fish, to be exact. I'd had it a few times in Kauai when my beloved Opakapaka is out of season and recently I've found it at the 'Bowl, my favorite local grocery store, flown in fresh.
It was so fantastic that I decided to wikipedia it. Well, Monchong doesn't appear to be too popular (or maybe there aren't too many Wikipeople in Hawaii) - wikipedia came up blank. Google didn't do much better, but I did find some fish charts from some Hawaiian site. Geez - I hope I'm not letting the cat out of the bag here about this great fish. I guess it's good that I don't have zillions of readers. (yet)
Turns out "deepwater" means DEEPwater. (True, for a dry fly fisherman anything deeper than about 3 feet is of little interest.) Monchong are routinely caught at depths over 250 fathoms. [...back to google... 'fathom'... Ahh... so much for that Berkeley education...] Over 1500 feet deep! Crazy. Something about a fairly small fish - up to 2 feet - being down so deep really struck me. Imagine a poor trout swimming around lost down there, in what must be almost complete darkness. Poor little guy.
Anyway - sorry, this post wasn't really about dry fly fishing. Hey, it's January, and my mountain streams are covered in ice. I guess I've got Hawaii on the mind...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Fish Schedules
Conventional wisdom says that the first and last hours of daylight are the best time for fishing. Bugs are most abundant during those times. The sun is gone or at a very low angle, covering most of the water in shadow (fish don’t like being exposed in direct sunlight). In other words, dawn and dusk are ideal for fishing.
Unfortunately dawn and dusk are not ideal for me. I never could quite get motivated to rouse myself before dawn to get out on the river in the early morning cold. And in the later evening hours I’m probably a) hungry and b) having a difficult time seeing my fly on the ever-darker water. The best time for me to fish is in the mid-afternoon.
Perhaps it is just convenient for my laziness, but I think the idea that “early bird gets the fish” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Am I really that lazy? Am I a black sheep in a world of fly fishing purists for whom sleep and hunger mean nothing? Might I just as well have a lawn chair, a six-pack, and a tub of ‘crawlers?
I don’t think so. Sure there are more bugs at dawn and dusk, but I don’t think that fish are only feeding when there are tons of bugs on the water. Fish might be looking up at the surface more during a hatch, but that also means that there are lots of bugs for the fish to choose from, with my fly getting lost in the crowd. I like attractor patterns anyway, and I like to think that even in the midst of their afternoon siesta most fish still have one eye out for something attractive.
I also think that the idea of direct sunlight on the water isn’t a big deal, especially for mountain rivers and streams. First, mountains and trees block a lot of the light. Second, I rarely fish in flat, slow water, so I rely on riffles and swirls and the like to provide the cover that fish require.
Am I just rationalizing here? I’ve been fishing for a lot of years and I’ve caught a lot of fish in the mid-afternoon. So, go ahead and call me a lightweight or a fair-weather fly fisherman. But next time your alarm clock rings at 5:30 and you groggily slip on your wading boots, think of me. I’m still getting my beauty sleep.
Unfortunately dawn and dusk are not ideal for me. I never could quite get motivated to rouse myself before dawn to get out on the river in the early morning cold. And in the later evening hours I’m probably a) hungry and b) having a difficult time seeing my fly on the ever-darker water. The best time for me to fish is in the mid-afternoon.
Perhaps it is just convenient for my laziness, but I think the idea that “early bird gets the fish” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Am I really that lazy? Am I a black sheep in a world of fly fishing purists for whom sleep and hunger mean nothing? Might I just as well have a lawn chair, a six-pack, and a tub of ‘crawlers?
I don’t think so. Sure there are more bugs at dawn and dusk, but I don’t think that fish are only feeding when there are tons of bugs on the water. Fish might be looking up at the surface more during a hatch, but that also means that there are lots of bugs for the fish to choose from, with my fly getting lost in the crowd. I like attractor patterns anyway, and I like to think that even in the midst of their afternoon siesta most fish still have one eye out for something attractive.
I also think that the idea of direct sunlight on the water isn’t a big deal, especially for mountain rivers and streams. First, mountains and trees block a lot of the light. Second, I rarely fish in flat, slow water, so I rely on riffles and swirls and the like to provide the cover that fish require.
Am I just rationalizing here? I’ve been fishing for a lot of years and I’ve caught a lot of fish in the mid-afternoon. So, go ahead and call me a lightweight or a fair-weather fly fisherman. But next time your alarm clock rings at 5:30 and you groggily slip on your wading boots, think of me. I’m still getting my beauty sleep.
Friday, January 9, 2009
So, Why Just Dry Flies?
Most places I travel I hear the same thing. "Well you could try dry flies, but you probably won't get much..." or "We had a guy come through here last week asking about dry flies..." It turns out a lot of people just don't know much about flyfishing with dry flies. Most people grow up fishing with bait and then switch to using lures. Wet flies are an easy transition. While more serious flyfishermen would scoff at using a "lure", they are happy to use a weighted, shiny wet fly that travels underwater and attracts fish.
Dry flies are more fun to fish with because you can see the action as it's happening. You can see exactly where your fly is on the water. You can often see the fish come up and take a look at your fly. And you can definitely see the fish break the surface of the water trying to swallow your fly, sometimes even completely leaving the water. On occasion a fish will even take your fly out of the air, before it ever hits the water. With wet flies, you're left watching an indicator or waiting to feel a tug.
Thus, "Dry Fly Stories" the blog. This blog will be a home for original writings, tips, reviews, photos, videos, and discussion of fly fishing with dry flies (in all of its glory). More to come!
Dry flies are more fun to fish with because you can see the action as it's happening. You can see exactly where your fly is on the water. You can often see the fish come up and take a look at your fly. And you can definitely see the fish break the surface of the water trying to swallow your fly, sometimes even completely leaving the water. On occasion a fish will even take your fly out of the air, before it ever hits the water. With wet flies, you're left watching an indicator or waiting to feel a tug.
Thus, "Dry Fly Stories" the blog. This blog will be a home for original writings, tips, reviews, photos, videos, and discussion of fly fishing with dry flies (in all of its glory). More to come!
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