Landing Big Fish on a Fly Rod! America’s Cup
I had an interesting day over the weekend. I went fishing with some new friends Todd and Jared, in fact Todd will be one of my teammates for my upcoming tournament, The America Cup. My new friends were very good fisherman! They knew what they were doing, how to do it and where to fish.
We were fishing the Blue River and having some success, the weather was perfect, clouds, sun, rain, clouds and rain again, typical day in the mountains. I started to notice these guys were losing fish. They would hook up, play the fish for a minute then lose them. These guys were too good to be losing fish and in a tournament like the upcoming America Cup every fish counts. What I saw were 2 guys holding their rod tips very high in the air; this is what all fly fishermen are taught from the beginning.
About 15 years ago I was fishing with Tim Heng and Rick Messmer on the Eagle River. Tim is a legend; you may know his flies, Heng’s BLM and the Autumn Splendor. He gave me one of the best tips ever. During that trip I lost a couple of really big fish. I wasn’t sure why, so Tim walked over and told me something amazing. The next fish I caught went straight down stream, Tim had me put my rod tip in the water and start stripping up river, what happened next…that fish swam right up to my feet and I was able to net him.
Why?
When you hook a trout or any fish the hook make the fish uncomfortable they don’t like the pressure, if you hold the rod tip high they just want to fight and jump to get rid of it. When you lower the rod tip in the water, the angle and pressure on the hook changes, it feels better to the fish and then they just follow the line.
Do you ever watch Bass Masters? All the bass guys dip their rod in the water for 2 reasons, first, they don’t want the fish to jump (more chance to lose the fish) second, and the bass goes with the line because it’s more comfortable.
Do you want to learn more tips like these? One of the best ways to learn is to be surrounded by the best fisherman possible and to watch them. The America Cup is an international fly fishing tournament coming up Sept. 20-23, 2012. They are looking for volunteers to help! If you have the time and want to learn more click here
LINK. The America Cup has become a partner with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and all net profit from the event will go to
PHWFF.
Once I told Todd and Jared about this tip, they didn’t lose another fish and were amazed at how well it worked!
September 20-23, 2012 I will be competing along with 60 other amazing fisherman. I can’t wait to learn more from them. Come find me and I will be happy to give you most of my secrets.
Thanks,
Tim
Please follow me and like me on Twitter and Facebook
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Just a follow up on Carp Slam! I got a 28.25 inch Carp. The only one our team got. It was low water and tough fishing! That fish was good enough for 6th place. At lease I got one!
Tim now lives in Denver after ten years of being a fly fishing guide and shop manager in Vail. Tim has become an urban fisherman focusing on fishing within an hour of Denver. He uses his fly rod to fish for anything he has time for and he fishes often. You can follow him on Twitter @TimFishmanEmery or like him on Facebook.
Tim's day job is a Real Estate agent and property manager in the Denver area. Rumor has it, he will buy you a fly rod if you buy or sell a house with him!