An Unforseen Hiatus
Alright team, thought we’d put up a little blog about the next few months at Fishercat.
Unfortunately, after filling up my calendar for the season my Achilles tendon decided it had other plans and made the executive decision to rupture last week. My Achilles did not consult with me ahead of time so I find myself in a soft cast, feet in the air, pretending fly tying makes me happy for the rest of the season. Long story short, i’m on the road to recovery but I most likely won’t be guiding anymore this year.
To all my clients with booked trips, you’ll be hearing from me shortly. Everyone will be given three options to choose from:
You can get a full refund on your trip. I’m not going to keep your deposit because I went and got myself injured. If you need a refund I’ll happily give you one.
If you really want to learn about fly fishing this season or take a guided trip before the year is out, I do have some other guides I can recommend for you. I’ll reach out and present that option to you and hopefully be able to get your date filled by another guide. Likewise, if you were hoping to book a trip but waited for my Achilles to rupture to do so I’m still happy to recommend some of my other good guide friends in the area.
My personal favorite….hold on to your reservation and reschedule with me next season. Everyone who had a booked trip this season will have first dibs on next season’s dates. I know it’s a bummer to wait that long….but i’m a REALLY fun time on the river and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Also, i’ll probably throw in an added bonus for your understanding :).
Long story short, i’m happy to honor whatever works best for my clients. If you’re ok with holding off until next season I look forward to meeting you and telling you a whole new batch of corny fish jokes I came up with while I was recovering. If that doesn’t work for you though, no problem, we can still get you on the water with someone great.
Thanks for your help and patience in the coming months. If my instagram content gets super weird, I apologize…I’ve never been away from trout fishing for this long so who knows what could happen.
Reach out with any questions: Info@fishercat.co
Much Love,
Nick
Been a Minute…AND GIFT CARDS!
The last few days in Maryland have been a pleasant reminder that spring is indeed on its way and our fishing opportunities are about to pick up. No matter how much anyone says they just LOVE fishing in the winter, I tend not to completely believe them. If you give me the chance to fish for 8 hours on a winter day or 4 on the perfect spring afternoon, we’ll i’m picking Spring and heading home early. Call me crazy, it won’t hurt my feelings.
This blog is here solely to remind people that Gift Cards don’t equal an actual trip. We were thrilled with how many gift cards we sold this year but want to make sure that everyone remembers to actually redeem those for a day on the water. While we’re still sort of in our winter funk, warm days are ahead and we don’t want to run out of available spots like we did last year! Good problem to have, but you know…it’s best if we actually get to spend time together on the river. If you still want to buy a gift card you can get one here.
Lastly, this little note is just a way of saying “HEY! This blog is indeed active and hopefully full of great fishing advice over the next several months. We take Winter off in just about every capacity, but we’re really excited for our upcoming season and to take some awesome people to some really cool places.
Happy Wednesday Everyone! Geek our new logo we’re just so pumped about!
Offseason: The Tying Bench
I love fishing during the winter. I love being alone on a stretch of stream, battling the elements, chipping ice out of the eyes of my rod. Despite all that I simply don’t fish as hard during the winter as I do during the rest of the year. Call me lazy or particularly susceptible to the seasonal malaise that comes with short days but I gradually spend fewer days on the water the shorter the days get.
Which means more time tying flies and restocking all the patterns I lost in trees and logs this year. This offseason I’m going to spend some more time putting some of my knowledge of fly fishing ( some of it might be knowledge, a lot of it might just be preference) into writing so other people can have it. No promises on what that content might look like but I figured I might start by answering one of the most common questions I get, starting with: What are your favorite flies?
This is a loaded question but one i’m always happy to ramble on about. The possible responses are vast. Are we talking about trout flies? Bass? Fallfish? Striper? Ornamental patterns I stick in my hat so It looks like I know what i’m doing?
Tonight I thought I would start small and just give you fine folks my top 5 flies for Trout fishing in the Mid-Atlantic. Understand that these are my favorite flies and patterns I find to be very effective, not necessarily the flies that will catch you the most fish. Here they are in reverse order:
5. Chubby Chernobyl: It’s big, it’s beautiful and it’s pretty much unsinkable. I’m not sure at what point I started hauling this fly around but I love using it because frankly it’s just kind of hassle free. I fish it in a number of sizes and have caught a number of species on it. The thing I like best though is that I can use it as my top fly on a dry dropper rig ( when you suspend a nymph below a dry fly) and it won’t sink. Sure it’s not the stealthiest dry fly out there but in terms of durability and productivity it’s hard to beat, especially during the summer months when trout might be keying on terrestrials.
4. Adams Parachute: Another great dry fly that I like to fish almost all year. It doesn’t imitate anything specifically but i’ve found that it matches a number of hatches and works equally well when there isn’t a hatch and you’re trying to get a trout to rise. I find the parachute Adams to be more effective than the regular Adams fly but that might just be preference. I have found that the superfine dubbing used to make the body can take on some water and cause the fly to sink a bit. However, while that may be annoying to you the trout don’t seem to mind it riding a little low in the water. It may also be my favorite fly to use for Brook Trout on small mountain streams.
3. A Cone Head Wooly Bugger: One of the simplest flies to tie, the Wooly Bugger just works. It works for, bass, trout, panfish, fallfish, carp… you name it you can probably catch it on a Wooly Bugger. For folks new to the sport being able to manage the swing and retrieve of a Wooly Bugger sets you up for success in many types of fishing. I used to mostly only use streamers when the water was on the high side, but I use small Wooly Buggers in pocket water all the time now. You can fish them like a nymph and then retrieve them like you would any streamer. It’s a great fly to get started with so make sure you always have a few in your box (because you will lose them on an underwater log). I specify a cone head because I like the way they sink and retrieve but that’s entirely up to you. Olive and Black are my colors, although I’ve been known to dabble in a brown wooly bugger on occasion.
2. A Prince Nymph: I am sort of open about the fact that I don’t love nymph fishing. Not for any sort of snobby fly fishing reasoning, it’s just not my favorite thing to do while standing in a river. However, the prince nymph is the first nymph I go to if I have to nymph fish and it almost always works. I really enjoy tying them and they just always seem to save the day after 4 hours without fish. I’ll do a whole other blog on my approach to nymph fishing, but for the moment just know that usually the Prince Nymph is the first thing i’m tying on.
A Royal Stimulator: As of the last year or two the Royal Stimulator has become my favorite dry fly overall. It can be a little bulky for some of your spookier streams where trout are extra wary, but in general the Royal Stimulator is just a fun fly to fish with. It works to imitate terrestrials really well and is durable enough to use in a dry dropper rig. My #1 dry fly used to be an Elk Hair Caddis but I have found that a royal stimulator in a variety of sizes can easily do the job of a caddis fly (someone is going to fight me over that statement and I don’t care). Yeah, it’s great, it works, it’s a pain to tie ( so find a local fly tier to make you a few) and looks great stuck in the ceiling of your car so EEEEVERYONE can know you’re a fly angler.
As always, feel free to reach out with questions at Info@fishercat.co!
The Offseason
It’s a good feeling to hit the off-button here in Baltimore for a bit. In years past we have arbitrarily used Thanksgiving as a cutoff and we stuck to that this year (and hopefully will in future years) despite warm temperatures. It’s time to just fish for fun for a bit. For those newer to the sport, the fishing doesn’t randomly shut off after Thanksgiving, but with dipping temperatures and a busy past few months it’s just good to take a break. It allows us to get back to some of the things we haven’t been able to do so well. Writing blogs for example…
We have a long list of things we hoped we would get to do more of this year, but between 2020 being the way it is and just generally being busy with clients, we cut ourselves some slack. Our social media slowed down, we rarely wrote blogs, we didn’t really pursue partnerships and we didn’t think as critically about how to grow the business in a just and equitable way as we should have. That last point is something we are taking seriously in the offseason, particularly as it pertains to gatekeeping and welcoming a diverse audience to our sport. We’ve taken some steps to address this over the winter and look forward to collaborating with other likeminded businesses . We’ll be addressing that whole process in a future blog.
We did have some big wins this year. We had a great shoutout in Baltimore Magazine and an unexpected spot in The Baltimore Business Journal. Thanks to Lydia and Carley for those profiles, they were a big help!
Our new fish dog, Beni “Beef” was added to the roster. He’s not so good at the stealth part yet but we’re working on it.
We’ve had awesome client feedback all year (you can review us on google now) and are looking to simplify some things in the offseason. With so many new people coming to us for instruction we want to streamline the process of getting you setup. That means more clarity around trip selection, a curriculum for learning some of the basics and an easy way for you to get the gear you need. We’re not sure what that looks like exactly yet but we’ll be updating you as we go. Basically, we want you to be able to fish on your own as quickly as possible, so we’re evaluating the best way to get you there. (Review this blog we wrote if you’re looking for first steps).
Another thing we’ll be working on in the coming months is figuring out a better way to offer group outings. We’ve had a ton of interest in corporate events and staff outings, and while we have the inventory to support it we don’t necessarily have the experienced staff to swing it. That’s something we’re looking to change so that we can continue to expand the diversity of trips we offer.
Overall our winter break is going to be about improving our processes, elevating our customer experience and setting a vision for creating meaningful, lasting change in our sport and culture. We had an incredible time this year with the best clients we could ask for so we’re looking forward to March when we can get back on the water with you. In the meantime we’re going to keep getting better and striving to make Fishercat even more fun and efficient so that you can love rivers as much as we do.
****For clients booking spring trips and inquiring about the best dates….if a date is on our site it’s because we trust the fishing. However, keep in mind what months you enjoy being outdoors. If you hate cold, dreary weather then maybe booking a date in May versus a day in March is the move for you (do it while dates are available). We don’t offer crappy fly fishing experiences, but the weather is the weather so book accordingly!********
We’ll be updating this space more often in the coming weeks, but as always feel free to reach out to Info@fishercat.co with any burning questions!
Nick
Environment Full Circle: Coal stockpile on the North Branch of the Potomac.
Not to pile it on against coal, but I presented for Maryland Trout Unlimited last night and briefly mentioned a pending lawsuit again D&L coal company. The intent to sue was filed in July by Potomac River Keeper, Environmental Integrity Project and Appalachian Mountain Advocates so I thought I would just drop some pictures and links into the blog so that people can see what’s going on. I’ve also been talking about it a bit on our Instagram page for anyone that prefers having me talk at you.
D&L was providing coal to the Luke Paper Mill but, despite the papermill shutting down in 2019, there is still a 2.5 acre coal depot located just upstream of the shuttered mill. I got to take a look at the coal pile earlier this year with Brent Walls, the Upper Potomac River Keeper, who was instrumental in filing the lawsuit. The coal sits right on the bank of the Potomac where, during rain events, runoff can flow unimpeded into the main river. At this point the only formal motion was the intent to sue filed by those three environmental groups, but it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on. As you can see in the picture below, the coal sits right off a railway line but there is little in terms of protection to keep runoff from flowing into the river.
Not much else to report here at the moment but you can read about it in more depth here or read the press release I have included below.
-Nick
Clean Water Advocates Take Legal Action Against Coal Pollution in Potomac River
Coal Loading Operation Serving Former Luke Paper Mill Subject of Notice of Intent to Sue for Releasing Contaminated Stormwater
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 16, 2020
Media contacts:
Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper (240) 366-8202 or brent@potomacriverkeeper.org
Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, (443) 510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org
Michael Becher, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, (304) 382-4798 or mbecher@appalmad.org
Washington, D.C. – Three environmental groups took legal action today against the operator of a West Virginia coal storage and loading facility for allowing stormwater contaminated with coal waste to pour into the North Branch of the Potomac River.
The Potomac Riverkeeper Network, Environmental Integrity Project, and Appalachian Mountain Advocates sent a notice of intent to sue to the D. & L. Coal Company of Keyser, W.V. for violations of the Clean Water Act at the coal loading operation in Mineral County, W.V.
“Contaminated stormwater from this coal site has been polluting the Potomac River for too long, threatening the ecology of the nation’s river and the health of the many people who love to fish and paddle in the river,” said Brent Walls, the Upper Potomac Riverkeeper. “This pollution needs to stop and the company needs to clean up this site.”
The 2.5-acre coal loading operation beside a railroad line near the bank of the North Branch of the Potomac River, including a stockpile with heaps of coal up to 20 feet high, supplied coal to the Luke Paper Mill in Luke, Maryland, about a half-mile downriver. The paper mill closed in June 2019 and is the subject of a federal lawsuit, initiated by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and the Environmental Integrity Project, for leaking a toxic black waste liquid called “black liquor” into the river. The state has also launched legal actions against the mill.
When it rains, coal residue from the D. & L. Coal stockpile flows into ditches and then discharges into the North Branch Potomac River, according to the notice. Under federal law, plaintiffs are required to provide notice 60 days in advance of filing a complaint against polluters under the citizen suit provision of the Clean Water Act.
The D & L Coal company has long claimed, in its reports to West Virginia regulators, that its coal loading operation did not allow any stormwater pollution into the river.
The Upper Potomac Riverkeeper, however, collected photographic evidence to the contrary. On February 6, 2020, while gathering information and data related to his lawsuit against the nearby Luke Paper Mill over its water pollution, the Upper Potomac Riverkeeper noticed coal residue along a channel, formed by coal-laden stormwater, leading from the D & L site into the river.
He returned after rains on March 25, June 17, and June 18, 2020, and took photos of an outlet discharging polluted water from the coal site into the waterway.
According to the notice, D. & L. Coal essentially has been operating outside the entire protective scheme of its Clean Water Act permit. This is in part because D&L Coal does not sample during rain events and available state inspection reports do not indicate inspections occurred during rain events.
“Reporting violations like these are important because without accurate information from companies, state agencies are blind to pollution in our waterways and can’t do their jobs,” said Natalia Cabrera, attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project.
The facility’s permit requires the operator to submit sampling analyses to the state the first time the site discharges, so that the state can determine whether more protective water quality limits should be established. The permit also requires the operator to submit rain gauge data on its discharge monitoring reports, which D&L Coal has never done. Last, the permit requires the facility to conduct sampling during representative times of discharge, in this case, when it rains. None of this has occurred.
On March 24, 2020, The Potomac Riverkeeper Network, represented by the Environmental Integrity Project, filed a federal lawsuit against the owners of the Luke paper mill, Verso Corporation, for discharges into the river of a toxic black waste liquid called “black liquor,” pursuant to federal law that regulates solid and hazardous waste.
The pollution seeping from the paper mill was documented by the Upper Potomac Riverkeeper and brought to the attention of state regulators. On May 28, 2020, the State of Maryland also filed similar claims against Verso Corporation and joined the citizens’ lawsuit. The environmental groups and the State of Maryland are working as co-plaintiffs to resolve the violations at that site.
The Environmental Integrity Project is an 18-year-old nonprofit organization, based in Washington D.C., dedicated to enforcing environmental laws and strengthening public policy to protect public health and the environment.
Potomac Riverkeeper Network is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization with three regional Waterkeeper branches: Potomac Riverkeeper, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper, and Shenandoah Riverkeeper. Our mission is to protect the public's right to clean water in our rivers and streams. We stop pollution to promote safe drinking water, protect healthy habitats, and enhance public use and enjoyment.
Appalachian Mountain Advocates is a non-profit public interest law and policy organization dedicated to fighting for clean water and a clean energy future.
Environment Full Circle: Wastewater Regulations for Coal Fired Power plants
I spend a lot of time wading through the never ending flow of environmental news, both during my day job and as an angler and a guide. Personally, I think it’s the responsibility of anglers, hunters, climbers, trail runners, bikers, hikers, etc(outdoors people in general) to be up to speed on what is happening on the environmental front. Decisions about the environment are made from the federal level all the way down to your neighborhood association and almost all of them matter. Is it the sexiest news? Usually not, but it almost always has human health impacts, not to mention how it might impact your fishing game. Remember, environmentalism presents itself in many different ways, it’s an inter-sectional issue.
So, on that note, we’re starting a new series called “Environment Full Circle.” These will be in the form of short blogs, videos or maybe even just a post on FB or Instagram. The idea is to keep the wide spectrum of environmental issues top of mind for anglers. We’ll do our best to address why this might be good to know for the angling community. We’re not going to go into a ton of depth, we’re hoping you’ll go and do your own research, but we’ll do our best to paint a clear picture.
In this week’s Environment Full Circle we’re talking about regulatory rollbacks on coal fired power plants. This issue is kind of a no-brainer for the fishing community. It’s certainly worth getting riled up about if you’re a fan of clean, cold fisheries. This isn’t a brand new issue by any stretch, but man has it been bugging me.
The rollback was finalized at the end of August and means that coal fired power plants no longer have to invest in the types of wastewater treatment technology that had been mandated under the Obama administration. Those previous mandates meant that coal power plants would have to show that they were using the most up to date wastewater filtration technology available by the year 2018. Seems like a good thing right…you don’t use a remote from 1976 on your brand new 2020 flat screen.
Of course, that 2018 deadline came and went after Scott Pruitt (former head of the EPA) had a whole bunch of energy executives over for brunch and decided the regulations were too stringent for the energy sector to handle (true, except the brunch part).
The new rule gives coal plants until the year 2025 to comply and exempts any plants that are slated to be closed by 2028. In short, this buys the coal sector another 5 to 8 years of polluting. It’s just another thinly veiled attempt to prop up an industry that really doesn’t make sense anymore. Really…coal is on the way out. Maryland is slated to close two more coal plants next year and plants are closing across the country. Coal doesn’t make financial sense, yet, this administration keeps figuring out ways to throw them a bone. It’s really not a political argument (or even an environmental one), coal just costs too much compared to the other technologies we have available.
Once coal is burned the ash is often mixed with water and stored in giant ponds (If you want to dive down a fun rabbit hole, check out Potomac River Keeper’s work on coal ash from Dominion Energy) which can leak or overflow into groundwater or nearby waterways. The rollbacks give coal power plants more time to let their coal ash sit in storage ponds where toxins like arsenic, chromium and lead can leach into the water. Of course, that’s terrible for the fish but it’s worse for anyone trying to drink or recreate on those waters. Despite links to cancer, kidney and liver damage and cardiac arrhythmia we still treat coal ash as solid waste (like garbage or sewage) and not a hazardous waste. Read the previous link to learn a little more.
This is all to say, you should care about coal plants. Find out where they are. Find out what they’re doing. Find out what waterways may be potentially impacted. Do neighboring communities rely on groundwater to supply their homes and families? Regardless of how you feel about this administration, recognize that buying coal plants more time is not in the public’s best interest, let alone the environment. What’s bad for the environment is bad for people and definitely bad for fish.
That’s all for this week’s Environment Full Circle. Told you we would keep these short. Click on some links and keep learning.
A rod costs what now?!
Ahoy!
A few days ago my buddy John reached out with some questions about what to buy if you’re getting into fly fishing. There are a zillion of these blogs floating around the internet but since I told John I would write him an e-mail (and that e-mail ended up being kind of long) I thought I would just turn it into a blog. We’ve had a bunch of new clients lately who have been asking the same question so I thought it would be good to just put it in writing. John…here is that e-mail I promised you and never sent, typos and all.
I’m eventually going to break this blog into a three part series (we’ll start with #1 today):
Things you definitely need to own if you want to hook a fish fly style.
Things you don’t need right off the bat but can make your day a little more comfortable and stress free.
Stuff Youtube will make you think you need but you definitely don’t need. Not trying to call these guys out but….what?
A picture of Nick with a fly rod. Why? Because we didn’t feel like taking pictures of our actual rods and this one was already downloaded. You’re welcome.
Stuff you will definitely need:
A fly rod of some kind: This is the most common question I get ( as does every fly shop and outfitter in the world) and it’s a good one. If I only have a couple hundred bucks where should I start? The answer to this is both simple and too complicated. The correct answer is…well that depends on what kind of fishing you want to do. The reality, however, is that if you’re just getting into the sport you may not know whether you want to fish for trout, or bass, or blue gill or coy out of your neighbors decorative pond. You learn what kind of fish you want to pursue by fishing…and you need a rod to do that.
90% of the time what you want to start is a 9ft 5weight. That’s the industry’s answer and it’s my answer too, so i don’t want to hear it from any of your critics out there!
For anyone who is unfamiliar with lengths and rod weights, it’s fairly simple. The smaller the rod, the lighter the weight. A 2 weight is going to be great for small stream brook trout fishing. A 10 weight might be for pursuing big tarpon down in Florida. A 5wt is that sweet-spot right in the middle that allows you to fish for a broad range of species. So for any of our clients who have been asking or for my bud John…get yourself a 9ft 5wt.
Aside from that, I can’t tell you what rod specifically to buy. I’ve had good luck having beginners use the Orvis Clearwater series of products, although there is nothing wrong with the Encounter 5wt if that’s more in your price range. Fishercat owns a couple of those and they’re great for newbies and kids alike although make sure you check the warranty. There may be a difference between a Clearwater warranty and an Encounter warranty, which may make the extra $ worth it. We mostly use Orvis products but there are a number of great companies like Sage, Winston, Loomis and we’ve heard decent things about Wade Rods.
Ultimately, the best thing to do is support local and see if you can get these products through a local fly or tackle shop. If you’re in Baltimore, check out Tochterman’s and make sure they show you the full fly selection upstairs.
*There is always the chance that the fishing you do simply won’t be the right fit for a 5wt fly rod. Maybe you live on a small mountain stream (lucky) and will mostly fish that or you live near the ocean (also lucky) and will mostly fish there, in which case you’ll want a different first rod. Most of the time a 5wt is a great place to start, but sometimes it isn’t so ask the most knowledgeable person at your fly shop. Buy whatever will allow you to fish the most often, on the most convenient water*
A Reel: This is pretty simple. I don’t have a lot of recommendations for reels other than to make sure it matches your rod in terms of size. Reel seats are generally universal so you don’t necessarily have to match brands but just test it out and make sure it feels balanced in your hand. Reels generally come in ranges ( say 1-3 weight, 3-5 weight, etc) and could work on a couple of different rods. Just make sure that whatever reel you get is slated for the corresponding size of rod you’re buying.
My only recommendation on this is try to buy a metal reel. It doesn’t have to be super expensive but I have found that, for example, the Encounter reel (which is a composite material) just doesn’t perform as well as say the Clearwater or The Battenkill. Those are all affordable reels, but I wouldn’t purchase the encounter again, even for the kid’s classes I lead. The main reason is that i’m not opposed to using a 5 weight reel on multiple rods and rod weights, so you’ll get a little more life out of it. I think it’s worth a little more money (somewhere around $100-$150 bucks).
Spending just a little more on a reel will save you a lot of frustration down the line and I think it’s worth a small bit more. So before you buy a fly fishing package (rod, reel, line) check all of the separate pieces and see what the cost difference would be to upgrade your reel just a little. Again, ask
Fly Line: Also pretty simple. If you’re buying a 5 weight rod buy a 5 weight, floating line. People will try to tell you about overlining rods based on the rod’s action…yada, yada, yada…i’m bored just thinking about it. If you’re just starting, get yourself a mid to cheap floating fly line and match it to your rod and reel combo. The fly shop should have a good rec for this but make sure they spool your line for your. Don’t try to mount your own reel with backing and fly line, you’ll end up hating this sport forever. Make sure they do it or you at the store or if you’re ordering online see my following note:
When you order a reel online, say from Orvis, they will ask you what side you want it mounted on. Basically, they’re asking you what hand do you want to use to reel in your line. There is some controversy on this in the fly world but my suggestion is to get that thing mounted on your weak hand. Your dominant hand will be on the rod and your off hand handles the line, so if you’re a righty get your reel mounted so it reels in with your left hand. Again, if you’re confused, consult your fly shop or shoot us an e-mail at Info@fishercat.co. Just make sure if you’re ordering online that you’re requesting they put the line on your reel for you.
Leaders, Tippet and Flies and random accessories: Hoooo buddy, this e-mail is really dragging John, i’m sorry! Last section, we’re almost there. We’ll do it bullet form because I can see your eyes glazing over!
Leaders: This ends up being a matter of preference and species you’re chasing, but this is a good starting place. It really depends on the type of water you’re fishing and species, but that’s a whole book I have been meaning to write. Just make sure your leader has a loop (which almost all of them do) so that you can easily attach it to your fly line.
Tippet: You’re going to have to learn a knot, i’m sorry! Learn how to tie a surgeon’s knot so you can attach more tippet to the end of your leader. Get yourself spools in 1x-5x….that should cover most of your basic needs. Remember not to tie tippet sections to each other that are drastically different in size. Don’t tie 1x (which is very thick) to 5x (which is a lot thinner), instead try to only jump one size if possible, 3x-5x…. you’ll figure it out, I promise.
Flies: This is almost completely species specific but this is a good list from Tom Rosenbauer that might get you started for trout. Again, if you have specific questions shoot us an e-mail or ask your local fly shop. Buying flies from a local store is an unwritten rule as far as i’m concerned, at least until you learn to tie ( or become a guide and manage to lose ten flies in a tree in a single day) so find a fly shop and go there!
Random Accessories: Get yourself a net. Landing fish is a lot easier in a net and if you’re new to it you may not know that bass and bluegills have spikes that kinda hurt (well, now you know). Using a landing net puts a lot less stress on fish and allows you to release them easier. Also get a pair of small pliers or forceps for getting a hook out of a fish’s mouth when your fingers won’t do it. You may also want something to carry your gear around in and a fly box for your flies, but these are things that may fall into the next blog. You can easily improvise with a small box and that backpack you got free from a conference you didn’t want to go to.
I’m sure I missed something but my hand is starting to cramp and there is no way John will read all of this! We’ll get another edition of this blog out with some more clarifying pieces soon and tips on other products, like sling packs, waders, wading boots and what the hell a strike indicator is. Reach out to us via e-mail or DM us on instagram.
From Wild Places,
Nick
Fishing with low expectations
This weekend was certainly deserving of a blog post. We’ve been a little out of the writing game; the fish have been biting, the weather has been wonky but surprisingly helpful and our friends and clients have been anxious to get on the water, both around Baltimore and in Western MD. In short, things have been kind of busy and that’s great but it means that we haven’t had a chance to write it all down. Not to mention the host of more important things happening in the world.
However, when you get a few joyful days with friends it’s important to stop and reflect on the fact that we’re lucky enough to still have those moments. We won’t recount everything from this weekend quite yet, but I will tell you about Friday.
On Friday evening my buddy Adam and I headed up to the Gunpowder after some rain just to get out of the house. We’d both had kind of long work weeks and, coupled with baseline COVID stress, we were both anxious to get on the water a bit. We had low expectations but fishing with high expectations is mostly always a mistake. After waiting out a passing rain storm with a beer we hiked down to the water to see if we couldn’t put some space between us and the world for a couple hours.
We didn’t fish for a couple of hours. We fished for all of 90 minutes.
By the end of those 90 minutes we had both landed our personal best brown trout from the Gunpowder…twice. We each caught two big browns on little streamers, each bigger than the last. After the final one with about two hours of light left we called it a day. It was one of those fishing anomalies where everything works out a little too perfectly and you’re left standing, looking at each other trying to decide how to best hang on to the moment. We decided the best thing to do was walk back to the car, recounting the experience the whole way. I could spend far too long telling you about the fine details of the type of fly, the size tippet, the weight of rods and the “technique,” but frankly that would be a bit boring wouldn’t it. It’s also most certainly not the point of this post. It’s also why you should hire a guide :).
There is a moment in fishing (and in many hobbies, especially during these unusual times) where you realize that the goal has been accomplished for that day. I don’t mean the goal of catching two 18 inch brown trout , which is a fine goal to have, but the goal of simply “feeling better.” Sometimes it takes an 8 hour float trip to achieve it and sometimes it just takes 90 minutes, or maybe even just 5 casts.
I said earlier that fishing with high expectations is a dangerous business. I should clarify. If the expectations for the day are contingent on catching fish then you’re destined to eventually be disappointed. But if your expectations for the day are grounded in enjoying a beautiful evening, hanging out with a good friend, sharing some laughs at a time in the world when it’s hard to do that, then i’m fairly certain your expectations can be regularly met. Four beautiful trout just helps push you over the edge.
Friday evening is the reason I wanted to start guiding in the first place. It wasn’t about catching big trout and it certainly wasn’t about money…it was about guiding people to moments of joy. Moments that override a stressful week and become THE thing you remember. Flip Pallot says something similar about “guiding people to the happiest moments of their year.” That feels important, especially now.
This weekend reminded me that the expectations need to always be grounded in the journey and not the end product. Guiding walks a fine line where often times people expect the fish to make the whole experience worthwhile. I encourage you to meet me halfway on this. The memory of those four trout specifically are quickly fading (that’s why we take pictures I suppose). But the memory of eating fried chicken on a car bumper, of drinking a beer or laughing about your work week, I would argue that those are the things that truly make it all worthwhile. The feeling of the collective joy in those small moments adds up. The fish only serve to punctuate those events, they’re not the actual writing.
This has all been said a million different ways. I’m certainly not saying anything new, but it’s good to occasionally remind ourselves. At the end all we truly own are our memories and if our fishing memories are solely about fish then we’re missing out on so much. So, when you do catch that personal best brown trout or land your first steelhead on the fly, take a breath and lookup. You won’t remember the fish’s spots and your memory will quickly obscure its actual size but you will remember all the things that brought you to that moment. Those are the things worth preserving. When it comes to those things our expectations should always be high.
-Nick
Baltimore Fly Fishing
We’re getting some questions about this so here it goes….
How can you be a Baltimore based fly fishing guide service?
Yeah, Baltimore isn’t known for being a fly fishing destination, but we love living here so, here we are and here are my thoughts on why.
A little paddle at home
The idea is fairly simple. For most of eternity fly fishing guide services have focused on a particular river system and generally been based on that river. Fly shops are often ( with the notable exception of our local fly shop, Tochterman’s) based around rivers/ river systems and their guides specialize in a couple of waterways. People have to travel to those rivers to seek out the resource and the guide’s knowledge. A lot of guides move around seasonally chasing different species, but in general if you want to learn from a guide you have to go to them.
To be clear, there is zero issue with that. Guides we look up to and have learned from work it that way and we think they’re the best. Some other guides, Alvin Dedeaux and his wife Lenée Dedeaux and their company All Water Guides take a slightly different approach and have guides in different areas of Texas you can go learn from. Go check them out. This is all to say, there is no wrong way to be a guide.
Just like any other guide I have rivers I spend all of my time on. If my mentors have taught me anything it’s that time on the water is the most important thing and I spend more time on the Gunpowder, Youghiogheny and North Branch of the Potomac than can be good for a man. As we slowly and deliberately add some additional guides (who frankly have experience over me) they’ll have their rivers as well. (We’ll also be adding some private waters in the fall and spring which we’re excited about, but more on that later. Also more discussions on what “private” water means).
OK but Nick…BUT NONE OF THOSE RIVERS ARE IN BALTIMORE?!
Yes, I’m aware. I drive 3 hours almost every weekend. Some of them are definitely far from the city. Finding even more local waters we’re comfortable bringing friends and clients to is a big goal in the coming years.
The reason I’ve decided to base Fishercat in Baltimore (aside from living here) is because there is more to be learned from a guide than can be gleaned from just your 4 or 6 hours on the water. I’ve been fly fishing since I was about ten and have been lucky to have the opportunity to fish many places and put in countless hours getting to a point I would dare call myself a “guide.” But by having all of the fly fishing knowledge concentrated on rivers often far away from urban centers (and yes, there are notable exceptions. Check out Tyler Vanosdell at Mission Bay Fly Fishing in San Diego) we create an access issue.
We’ve been noting how fly fishing is too white and too male for decades now and I see this consolidation of fly angling knowledge as a huge part of the issue. If you want to learn to fly fish you have to go out to where the guides are and too often that’s on a river that might be out of reach for many people. There are a number of reasons that someone may not feel comfortable traveling out into the woods to learn our sport, not to mention the cost hurdles. Fly fishing has all of these beautiful components; fly casting, fly tying, stream dynamics, insect life, fish behavior and much of that knowledge can be passed on to people right here at home.
Before anyone reading this starts listing 100 fly guides and shops nestled in the heart of a city, yes they certainly exist. Lost Coast Outfitters is a good example located in the heart of San Francisco. They exist but for the most part they are few and far between and may not really focus on education. If we wonder why the sport looks the way it does, well let’s think about where we’re doing the educating.
I love living in Baltimore and wouldn’t want this business based anywhere else. In terms of trout fishing, yes I can’t just walk out my front door onto the river, but there are a million river systems nearby we’re getting comfortable with.
On top of that, there are people here in Baltimore eager to learn to fly fish. Being in the city allows me to partner with businesses and organizations with similar missions. Being in the city forces me to think outside of the box on programming and how fly fishing can be used as a conservation (and conversational) tool. It also allows me to use some of my own resources and privileges to help with this gatekeeping issue BrownFolksFishing so eloquently posted about ( follow them). Basically, if you live in Baltimore and want to learn to fly fish, we’re here as a resource.
We’ll still be guiding in Western Maryland but those trips are difficult for many people, especially now with COVID, so we want to make sure people can access fly fishing as much as possible. We have a bunch of classes and lessons that you can do right in Baltimore or within 30 minutes. We’ll also be working hard this summer to design exciting local trips around the region. Our goal is to keep conversations about conservation and fly fishing tightly linked so that the next generation of anglers knows what it means to protect a waterway. Maybe if we’re intentionally disruptive about where the knowledge is based we can draw more people into the sport and subsequently to conservation.
Ultimately Baltimore is home. While we were surprised to see several people reach out asking us how we can be fly fishing in Baltimore we’re pumped to be here offering guided services within reach and passing on whatever fly fishing knowledge we’ve got. Some people feel like fewer anglers means more water for them. We feel the opposite way…more people in the sport means more community and more advocacy for places we love, and that’s exactly what we need.
-Nick
Conservation at home:
How we decide which waterways are worth protecting?
The other night I was watching a video featuring Alvin Dedeaux, an Austin, TX based fly guide who i’ve enjoyed following ever since he was featured in a Yeti video three years ago. Alvin made a powerful video on racism just a couple of weeks ago that everyone should watch…the guy is a fly fishing hero of mine.
However, this particular video I’m talking about was from the Das Boat series from “Meateater” and featured well known Austin chef Jesse Griffiths. Dedeaux took an old beat up boat down his home waters of the Colorado River (the one in Austin…not that other one) and I was struck by how much of the water they were floating reminded me of waters near Baltimore.
The waters around the city of Baltimore have been historically polluted and continue to remain contaminated to such a degree that swimming is effectively forbidden and eating fish from the harbor generally inadvisable. The harbor is an amazing natural resource that, despite the conservation efforts of groups like Blue Water Baltimore , The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The National Aquarium and many others, has been crippled by sewage overflows, industrial pollutants, trash flows and general neglect. From my experience in Baltimore it’s not that people don’t want the water to be clean, it’s that the problem seems insurmountable.
Baltimore Harbor in 1976 (Borrowed from Baltimore Sun Files)
When it comes to urban waterways, however, it seems that angling advocates don’t always show up. Conservation in the angling community usually has to do with saving pristine waterways that currently hold target species. Initiatives like saving Bristol Bay are incredibly important when it comes to saving threatened species, in that case salmon, and have gained national attention. To be clear, those initiatives are important and we should continue fighting for clean, cold rivers across this country when regulations or industry threaten them.
Likewise, there is plenty of concern for the Chesapeake Bay at large. Once the pollution from the city dissipates and water quality improves, there are scores of efforts to conserve and protect. Species throughout the entire bay are threatened and deserve protection. All of that work serves to benefit the harbor as well.
But where is the sense of potential for places like Baltimore’s Harbor? Where are the fly fishermen when it comes to advocating for what was once the one of the most diverse, prosperous fisheries on the east coast? Anglers generally go where they are pointed and organizations like Trout Unlimited do a great job of giving anglers an outlet for whatever conservation commitment they have. But for anyone who lives around Baltimore and loves to fish, how is it we’re not discussing the potential of our waters at home?
Baltimore Fly Fishing
We’re curious about conservation efforts in other cities around urban waterways. If you have experience or know about efforts to restore historically polluted rivers, bays and streams, give us a shout. As far as Baltimore goes though, we should be thinking big pictures. We should be advocating for the water in our backyard…it may not be a fly fishing destination yet, but that doesn’t mean our advocacy couldn’t change that.
We’ll finish with this thought. Let’s think critically about how we discuss and frame conservation. We seem to talk about passing on the sport to the next generation but we don’t always fight for waterways in places where kids can access them. Race and socio-economics play a significant role in which resources we choose to conserve and Baltimore’s harbor is a prime example of that. If we want to pass on a mindset of conservation and intersectional-environmentalism, we need to fight for water is places youth can access it. Just because we paved over it doesn’t mean the natural world isn’t still right outside or doorstep.
All resources deserve protecting. Those rivers and streams that flow through remote mountains and valleys need protection and anglers are the perfect people to protect them. However, we should also think about taking an active stand for waterways that are not yet amazing fisheries, but could be. It’s no coincidence that polluted waterways flow through black and brown communities across this country and it’s even less of a surprise that fly anglers aren’t advocating for those waterways. If we want to make our sport more welcoming, inclusive and diverse we have to show up for everyone and everything…not just distant west coast salmon.
-Nick
(We’re looking to have a conversation around the subjects. Reach out to info@fishercat.co to get involved.)