The fly is your messenger.

Ladies Day, Sandy River Spey Clave, photo courtesy of Rogue Angel Mia Sheppard.

Rogue Angel Whit provided us with these cliff notes from her presentation at Friday's Ladies Day:

"My buddy Dan McCrimmon has more han once said or has said- Why say diesel locomotive when you you can say choo-choo. So I have taken this to mean why make it complicated when you can keep it simple. What I want to talk to you about are the basics to fishing and how to keep it simple. I am going to do that through two favorite subjects....steelhead fishing and shopping for steelhead fishing.

To avoid any domestic financial issues I personally avoid talking about the later.... However, last week I was home helping my parents out and had plenty of free time to browse through some of the blog sites.... after doing so I came to the conclusion that men spend a lot of time talking online about what to buy. It goes like this, "Should I buy this rod or that rod? What line do you think I should put on it? I'm looking for a new pair of waders, which pair should I buy? or My wife has given me an ultimatum - must sell all excess gear or to the more extreme cases my wife has given me an ultimatum sell the excess spey gear or buy her a bigger house...

I started thinking, How is this different from buying a pair of new shoes when I have 10 pairs already in the closet? And I came to the conclusion, It doesn’t matter. You feel you need those pair of shoes to make an outfit complete the same as needing to buy a new rod to make a fishing experience more complete.

This in a round about way brings me to back to my point ..how can I keep it simple? What do I need to carry with me when I fish for summer steelhead and winter steelhead.

My dad has kept every fly he has bought or used and he carries all these flies with him continuously. he doesn't carry just one fly box but five or six fly boxes. Whether or not he is ever going to use them again really isn’t the issue. He feels he needs them. It is his fishing experience and he is defining it for himself.

Keeping it simple with your gear.....

I carry all of my essentials on me. Monofilament for leaders go in my front pocket along with my flies and hooks for winter fishing. Also for winter fishing I’ll carry my bigger flies and tube flies in my marsupial pouch of my waders.

Here is my favorite necklace, accessorized with clippers forceps and my attention getting whistle. Also, I make sure to always have sunglasses, sunscreen, rain coat, and in the winter extra layers and a hat, neck gator, and gloves. This varies from person to person. I have a friend who carries a gold tooth in his waders so when he catches the 20plus pound native buck, he can slip it in for the picture taking moment. Because he has never caught one of that size he continues to still carry his gold tooth. He's having fun and doesn’t expect to catch that 20 plus pounder every time, but keeps trying.
Disappointment is based on expectation. If you go out to have fun your going to have fun. Take the competition out of it. The worst thing to do when it comes to steelhead fishing is to compare yourself to someone else's achievements. Relish in their achievements, find it encouraging, and remember if that person can do it, you can too.

I find that I fish more effectively when I take out the equation of having to catch a fish. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t want to catch a fish, I wouldn’t be out there if I that wasn’t my goal. But there is a lot more to steelhead fishing. If you stop focusing on the end product you start to see what else is out there and enjoy what the river has to offer. And in knowing the river better you begin to read the river, and where you cast the fly begins to matter.
Steelhead fishing is a percentage game and the better you are at casting the better chance you have at catching one.
So how do I define a good fishing cast?
I define a good fishing cast as one in which line and leader turn over. and the fly lands where i want it. (I’m going to show you what I mean in a few minutes.) Casting effectively while fishing builds confidence, a necessary component to catching a fish. When you are confident and in that zone, everything else dissolves into the wood work, it's just you and the fish.

Keep it simple-Casting
I use one rod year round-with two different lines. In the winter I fish a line to throw sink tips and big flies and in the summer I fish a lighter line to throw polyleaders and light small, flies. The individual casts are going to be discussed in depth by other presenters. What I want to show you is what it takes to turn over the line and leader.
For a single spey one lifts the line ....here is a line that turns over and here is one that collapses. The more consistent you are with your fishing cast the more probable it is that you’ll catch a fish. If watching the fly from a distance, coming coming down, good, good good and then all of sudden its somewhere completely different or if it's being dragged out of a run or if it bounces into the area your fishing, makes a splash and then is immediately ripped out of the area you are fishing-you have probably sent that fish back to the ocean. Focus on fishing the fly rather than powering out long casts....
Power does not make a good cast- Technique makes a good cast.

The same thing goes for the line I choose for winter steelhead fishing. It's a short head with a sink tip and leader. Notice my cast is different. I don’t subscribe to one casting style. I choose a cast in accordance with the conditions dictated by the fishery and by the lines I have chosen to cast.
Do yourself a favor and learn the basics first. Before declaring yourself an underhand caster, a long line caster, or a short head caster. Think about all styles dictated by the fishing conditions- don’t limit yourself. That way you have a bigger tool chest to choose from rather than just what you're carrying with you when you go fishing.

Be prepared and organized.
Have a bag with all your essentials so you are ready to go and you're prepared for all the different situations you’ll encounter on the river.

Become self-sufficient.
Learn your flies. That doesn’t mean you have to tie them, especially when you have a partner who ties too many, just know them! When I’m pickling a fly I’ll look for silhouette and/or profile and size first, then color, flash, and lastly personal attachments. (Jessica Sall calls it the pretty fly syndrome: at a Stone Fly Maidens meeting she told us this really funny story as she was going over bug entomology- “ A women will walk into a fly shop and say wow what a cute or pretty fly. A guy will walk into a fly shop - pick up the same fly and say wow that fly looks really fishy man.”

You have a relationship with that fly. It's your messenger, the connection between you and catching the fish. You can catch a steelhead without a rod or a reel but you're gonna need a hook.

Carry your own stuff.
NO matter what your gender is - don’t expected to be waited on. One doesn’t want to be the center of attention the bad way the by being the needy rookie. But if someone offers to carry your backpack on a three mile hike in, I would think about taking them up on their offer. At the same time you have to understand if you are taking someone somewhere for the first time, that person is going to have questions, so be a good host-let them in on knowing before hand what to bring and what to expect.

Know yourself and your surroundings. That means, orientation, Know where you are, be prepared for change, have a plan for getting out, and a plan b.
I always carry food and water. When I am on my pontoon boat no matter how calm the water is I wear my life jacket.
Golden rule is fish with a buddy, but if you are fishing alone let people know were you are and if you change plans.
Know your limits and when you are by yourself don’t test those. Take wading for example. How do you know what you can handle if you have never experimented? Wait until someone is with you- Don't experiment by yourself.

There is a lot of stuff out there, so don't get too bogged down by the details. Remember to keep it simple with your gear, but always try to prepare for all conditions. Learn as much technique as you can in casting so you are well equipped, but keep it as simple as possible. Keep on learning so you can become self sufficient and comfortable with your surroundings. Although you want to keep it simple, you always want to err on the side of caution. And lastly, this is fun, so keep trying until you find what works for you. If you ever need help or have a question, don't ever hesitate to contact me. Good luck in this adventure."
-Rogue Angel Whitney Gould