Michael Gracie

I whipped this rod around for ten hours straight, just like I said I would. I’m anxious to describe how I feel about its performance, but I think a little primer is due first…

Roughly ten years ago, one of my fanatical fly fishing friends booked a trip to the Bahamas and stuck me with half the bill - so I went, if only to make sure he didn’t bullshit about all the bonefish he caught. We were out on the skiff day one, and he won the flip for first on deck. A few cruisers were spotted, but my buddy couldn’t reach them. Then I stepped up to the plate, and my bat was a rod (sorry - different brand) I had picked up in Miami just a month before during a secret Biscayne Bay practice session. It was a rocket launcher - nearly impossible to load without half the spool in flight, but when she did the bend right it was sayonara Crazy Charlie. Anyway, my buddy sits next to the guide watching, in awe that quickly turned to disgust - finally he gives, and we spent the rest of the day using one rod. When we returned to the dock, I picked up the gear and he sprinted back to the hotel - when I arrived he was on the phone with outfitters on the mainland, looking for that stick. He finally found one, in California, and had the shop do a FedEx Priority (yes, to the Bahamas).

The Orvis Zero G 906-4 Tip-Flex 10.5 may well find itself in a similar predicament. All I have to do is wind up on someone else’s big trout trip - I’ll demand we fish streamers, and then I’ll pull this puppy out. We’ll make sure there’s a company FedEx account handy.
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There are several people in the world who were tired of my incessant research on a new streamer rod. I’d been searching for months, read reviews until my eyes were sore, and cast at least a half-dozen different models. Sure, I already had a decent rod for streamers (the Sage 690-3 SP), and my short casting stroke and obsessive use of sinking lines and 6-inch pieces of dumbell-ed rabbit strip was pushing it - nonetheless I was pretty satisfied with its performance. I’d been lucky too - no multi-ounce flies had yet knocked a tip off - but I was in need of a backup quarterback just in case. Instead I wound up with what may be a starter - the Orvis Zero G 906-4 Tip-Flex 10.5.

Like my last ostentatious and frivolous purchase rod review I’ll being doing this one in two parts: paint and trim, and track acceleration (reels do the braking). I purchased this beauty from (where else?) Orvis - specifically from the Cherry Creek location. I’d hinted to the folks there that I was in want of a rocket launcher, and a few days ago Kerry Caragher said I had to cast this one. Fast forward to this afternoon - I was back in the shop, BYORL (bring your own reel and line) and out on the grass for a test drive. I’ll have more to report in regards to performance later, but I can say I was false casting 30+ feet of 5 inch/second sinker with barely a twitch of my elbow and some short tugs on the line - you guessed it…I was sold.

Following is the first half of the review, and some pics, of the latest addition to the quiver…
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If you’re a party goer, you have to hate getting up at 4am so you can drive to the club in hope of getting a seat at the open bar before the other guests arrive. You shouldn’t care if a rave is deemed better than work - you wind up exhausted by 2pm and you’ll inevitably sleep way too late the next day, so make sure you do this on Saturdays. At the party the drink of choice is 158 parts of vodka clear (we don’t drink gin around here and we don’t drink much vodka either, but the phrase “gin clear” is quite tired). It’s mixed at a temperature around 40 degrees (F), while the air temp swirls at much the same.

By the time your feet are wet you realize everyone else wants to party too (i.e. the dance floor is shoulder to shoulder at 6:30am). Everyone is dressed for success but you’re on the wagon - you’ve sworn off subtle charm in favor of cockiness. You “peacock” your way around the venue, showing the audience every color imaginable. But the DJ never turns up. By the time you succumb to peer pressure, the guests have all left but the punch is all gone too.

You inevitably wind up mingling in the corner with with outcasts - seven lonelies, all seven inches or shorter. Your wing-man notes that you shouldn’t feel bad - everyone else went home alone. It’s little consolation - you’ve been talking smack half the summer because you’ve been “picking up” week after week.

It’s now mid-morning Sunday. You are sitting in your bathrobe in front of the computer, wondering whether your “rap” will ever return.

Fly fishing translation follows…

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…where the buffalo roam…

…and fat trout eat black sculpins for play.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and skies are free of tornados all day.

It’s an oldie by ‘books in the internet age’ standards, but it’s still a goodie. Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout was written by Bob Linsenmann and Kelly Galloup with one goal in mind - figuring out and communicating what makes big trout tick so you can catch more of them.

The Meat

The main premise of ‘Trophy Trout’ is that the angling prizes are anything but friendly. In fact, based on the extensive biological and habitat research the authors (who just happen to expert fly fishers) performed, once trout get into the 20+ inch range they turn into angry, carnivorous predators that seek out steak dinners at night - and sometimes travel miles to do so. During the day, they stake out territory to rest in - territory they guard with ferocity.

Big trout don’t pay much attention to insects, Linsenman and Galloup say; it’s just not efficient to do so. The energy they might expend rising to a bug generally exceeds the amount of calories they would otherwise intake. Instead, they eat other fish, along with crawfish and other underwater invertabrates (and as some may remember, small mammals and baby birds if the opportunity presents itself). They need large amounts of protein to support their mass, and these big meals are what it takes.

So how do these discoveries affect the fly fisherman, particular if one is generally fishing by day? Well you aren’t targeting hungry fish per se - instead, what you are trying to do is literally piss them off! You are attempting to invoke the ‘fight response’ in a fish that is trying to rest before the dinner bell, and is hell bent on protecting it’s territory in the meantime. You toss a monster fly on the trophy’s head, and strip to emulate the flight response of a fish (or other creature) that just realized it’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. The monster gives chase, and you know what happens next.

The details on trout behavior really hit home, especially when you start thinking about how many small and medium size fish you always seem to catch on dries and nymphs (and in the usually spots). I’d love to give you a blow-by-blow on the techniques they describe, but you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway - you just have to read them for yourself. But what I will clue you in on is this…some of their methodologies will seem entirely unorthodox to the post-novice angler. The reason: big trout are often NOT where you’ve been taught to expect them to be during the day; the descriptions of how to target them reflect that. Another hint…big trout aren’t afraid of very much - by the time they reach ‘trophy’ size they are the veritable kings (and queens) of their castles - the authors’ attempts to taunt them during the many hours of diving research they did actually produced some aggressive responses…at the authors…from the trout!

Next Edition, Please

The book was published in 1999, and while I found it extraordinarily informative I do believe it’s ready for an update. First off, equipment has come a long way, meaning the rod action definitions may no longer apply. For example, medium action rods (which the authors suggested were suitable for streamer fishing) are now more apt to be designed for delicate dry fly action. I’m of the opinion that the medium-fast to fast action rods of today are the necessary item. My streamer rod is a Sage 690-3 SP, which was originally pushed as a medium-fast action with a tip suitable for intricate mending - it does a pretty good job picking up sinking lines (as long as they are small diameter) but I probably wouldn’t venture to cast streamers all day with anything less.

The authors’ definition of “trophy fish” (in the 20” range) is a little out-of-date as well. During my time out in the Western U.S. I’ve caught plenty of twenty-inch fish (even on the smallest nymphs), and I am certain I am not alone. Twenty-five plus is the new millennium trophy - the true pig everyone who reads this book should be shooting for. And I’ll add that is one more reason to be armed with a rod with the backbone to handle such beasts.

Conclusions

What Linsenman and Galloup are preaching is certainly worth practicing, and I believe that’s exactly what it takes to successfully employ their methodologies, practice. I consider myself a fairly strong caster, even in wind, and grew up stripping big flies - yet after three full day outings in some of Colorado’s prime ‘Gold Medal’ waters I still don’t have a beast to show for it using their techniques. That’s not to say I haven’t picked up a few fish with big streamers since, it’s just that most were taken towards dark. In other words, I’ve yet to invoke the territorial fight response in an angry brown during daylight hours. Nonetheless, everything the authors say makes practical sense, which means I’m nowhere close to giving up trying.

I am giving Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout 4.5 stars, with the caveat that it would surely get a perfect 5 in an up-to-date next edition.

You can pick it up here: Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout: New Techniques, Tactics, and Patterns

Happy hunting, trophy chasers!

Filled up the truck and drove to South Park. Stripped streamers all morning while everyone else nymphed. And everyone got into fish but me, unless you consider a sucker on a brown woolie bugger a fish (which I don’t).

We had a fine picnic lunch and then headed back out. Nary an hour had passed when the skies grew dark - then I saw lightning and called everyone back to the vehicle for a little sit and wait. I was minutes from taking a snooze when I looked in the side mirror and saw a funnel cloud forming behind us. Needless to say we immediately hauled butt out of there.

After putting a extra mile or so between us and the storm, I beckoned for the camera from my vest, and caught these:

We went up to the mercantile store in Hartsel and chatted with the nice lady at the counter. She was working the radio when we heard the call for emergency assistance. At least a dozen sets of flashing lights roared down SR 24 over the next fifteen minutes. We waited a bit to see if there was any need for volunteer assistance (which didn’t happen), and then we high-tailed it home through some more nasty weather.

Now safe and sound, and I’ve since heard on the news that there were a few tumbled vehicles around Eleven Mile Reservoir but (very thankfully) no serious injuries. And that news was the best part of the day.

SIDE NOTE: Ok, so I got outfished and we had plenty of laughs about it too. And, tornado or no tornado, the worst day on the river is still better than the best day sipping lattes in some cafe in the city. Nonetheless, hearing that nobody was badly hurt was welcome relief.

We had a lot of rain in Colorado over the last few days, and with that rain came some cooler weather. Autumn’s closing in, meaning there will soon be big brown trout lurking around for some action (and I don’t mean fly action).

BREAK

Before I lay into a trout discussion, there is something I just have to get off my chest - it’s regarding a fly fishing blogosphere (yes, there is one of those) related incident…

Last week The Trout Underground tacitly (and slyly and covertly) proclaimed nymphing the “Official Fly Fishing Technique of the Devil”. As one who considers nymphing more the “Official Fly Fishing Technique of My Pocketbook Snagged On A Rock In The Technical Section Over Yonder That I Just Pulled This Twenty-Three Inch Rainbow Out Of”, I took great offense - I then proceeded to mock Editor-In-Chief Chandler’s streamer selection with choice references to Boy George. Mr. Chandler in turn responded, however with ordinate class - he noted simply that the streamer worked, and then (probably suspecting I had a penchant for dredging) moved to suggest some midge patterns I might find effective.

Ok, so I was trying to pick a little fight. And I got bloodied by substance and style. My official statement herewith…”Please accept my humblest apologies”. My unofficial statement is had that streamer been dressed more like an encyclopedia salesman than a stage dancer in a Christina Aguilera show, there might not have been so much “swearing off big fish”. Since the quotable response differs from the now-blacklined, I’m going to pay some penance as well.

I take the midge recommendation to heart, and will pick up a few for the winter months. Meanwhile, I’m going to fish streamers exclusively … until my arm wears out from throwing eight-inch pieces of rabbit with Type VI lines … at least until everyone at my parties catches exceed mine by a factor of 1.0000000000001 (at which time I’ll started dropping lime green and orange fuzzy eggs like they).

If I happen to catch numerous angry (and benevolent forces willing, oversized) brown trout, that will be my cross to bear. And to keep things forthright, I am going to bare my soul too. Since the early days, I’ve been a braggart about minimalism, carrying just a single fly box for a day’s pursuits. A few years in Colorado changed all that - I was soon carrying two boxes, and had another in the glove compartment. Fast forward a few seasons…I now have more boxes than I’m willing to transport across town, two of which are for streamers alone. And I vow to lug these cradles of deceit wherever I go:

Effectively organized too - they are named “Piglets” and “Pigs” respectively - I don’t think I need to explain why.

I will post a report in the square after each and every outing. If the townfolk find reason to cast me out, so be it (and I’ll take my tar and feathering like a man, so long as those feathers are Grade 3).

I consider this matter ‘pending outcome’, late-October time frame. Now…back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Noting if you drive 65 mph the whole way, you save a lot of gas

I spent Sunday night out. Green Mountain Reservoir was the spot, and casting double streamers into the Corey’s Slough (named after the joker who discovered it) runout was the game plan. Arrived, set up the tent, and then took the dog for a walk-n-fish. Caught 30+ 20+ little guys before realizing I didn’t forget my camera (it was tucked away in the vest - very unlike me to be prepared).

Finally caught some decent pics as the sun went down (and before the pup and I struggled back down to the fishing hole in the dark to knock off a few more rainbows).

House for a night - a green tent deserves Green Mountain Dam

Losing light - but we’ll fish some more anyway

Dog sees squirrel - dog frozen in his tracks, as he knows he is outmatched

Better than the city, and used less than half a tank to get there and back. But, it was windy as hell all night, and raining when I woke up. Combine that with a tired shoulder from double-hauling tandem streamers for four hours, on a six-weight, and it’s definitely going to be an afternoon nap day.

UPDATE: Heh…camping gear on sale! I don’t need any more gear in that department, and I’m not buying into the survivalist bit either. Nevertheless, I have been reading the SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea to brush up on the multi-night skills, and there’s certainly a lot of fun information within.