Podcasts Sports Wilderness The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast The Power of Observation in Fly Fishing, with Guide Cliff Weisse

The Power of Observation in Fly Fishing, with Guide Cliff Weisse

Published: Dec. 4, 2023, 5:01 a.m.

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Careful observation, active instead of passive, is the hallmark of a good fly fisher.\\xa0 They pick up patterns by observing exactly where in the river a fish came from , or how it behaved when feeding, or what weather patterns preceded a particularly successful day.\\xa0 Head guide Cliff Weisse [46:15] of Three Rivers Ranch in Warm River, Idaho tells us some things many fly fishers don\'t pay enough attention to, and thus lose the ability to improve their skills.
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In the Fly Box this week, we have some great questions and tips, including:
  • How many flies and leaders will I need for a single day of guided fishing in the Bahamas?\\xa0 And what gear will I need that I would normally not take for a day of trout fishing?
  • If I catch a trout from a small pool, should I assume the rest of the fish in that pool are spooked?
  • When should I strip a fish in, and when should I get the line on the reel?
  • My buddy and I lost 100% of the trout we hooked one day.\\xa0 WE normally land most of them.\\xa0 What did we do wrong?
  • What flies will imitate shad, small rainbows, sculpins, and small brown trout?
  • I fish a piece of water with lots of swirling eddies and have trouble with a normal hard strike indicator.\\xa0 What should I use instead?
  • How can I manage using multiple fly lines without buying a new reel or spool for each one?
  • Is it OK for a guide to give me an unsolicited lecture on etiquette even though I never crowd anyone?
  • If I only make casts at a maximum of 15 feet in a small stream, is there a special fly line I should be using?
  • I read somewhere that the author uses "gel flotant on all my flies".\\xa0 Am I missing something?
  • How do you determine the shuck color on a Sparkle Dun?
  • A great tip from a listener about using a "backing barrel" on a sighter leader when you have trouble seeing it.
  • How can I avoid spooking smallmouth bass on a small, clear stream?
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