"Proof is in the Pumping"

Why leave the river feeling stumped when you could have pumped??

Using a stomach pump is a very controversial subject among fly fisherman/women. Walking up to the register of a fly shop with a stomach pump in hand will likely land you more dirty looks than a whore in church. They are usually located near the spin fishing gear section, aka the"red-light district". Guides often joke about having pumps in stock at the shop for profiling purposes only. But the best guides I know all carry stomach pumps, and for good reason.

We have all had those hair-puller days when for example; you catch a couple fish on your attractor nymph (san juan, egg, pat's, ect.), but you know if you could have matched what they were dialed in on you would have crushed them. Or there may be a blanket caddis hatch but the fish are gorging on BWO emergers below the surface instead. The stomach pump is one of my most important and valued tools for such situations. When used properly, a stomach pump will give you the advantage of knowing what you should be tying on instead of the old "guess, check, and repeat" technique. The less you have to change flies, the more time you spend fishing, further increasing your odds.  In some ideal cases the stomach contents will show exactly which bug trout are keyed in on. Even if the stomach contents contain a variety of bug species, the bugs will most often be of the same size or color. Most important is the knowledge gained over time by finding patterns of relationships between stomach contents and the fishing conditions, i.e. (season, water/air temperature, barometric pressure, moon phase, ect.).

Where I Stand on the Pumping Controversy 

Is pumping ethical?

- No, it is not "ethical". But by definition any sport fishing practicing catch and release is not ethical. I say get over the ethics stigma. We are not ethical by nature, we test our drugs on animals, eat genetically modified meat raised under terrible conditions, and we even expose the Planet we live on to deadly pollution for christ sake! Pumping a trout's belly is not an ethical issue for me.

Can Pumping harm trout?

- Absolutely. You should know how to use the pump before trying on a live fish. Never pump a fish under 10 inches or over 18 inches. Never try to pump a trout more than once and never pump an exhausted or injured fish. With that said, pumping causes far less harm to a trout than most other human  interactions such as big barbed hooks, improper handling, or swallowed lines/hooks.

How To Properly Pump a Trout

1.) Lubricate the outside of the tube with water. Turn trout to it's side or upside down if possible. With the tube empty of water, squeeze the bulb half way shut, then insert the tube into the gullet. Release the bulb to form a vacuum seal. Make sure not to push the tube into the back of the stomach.

2.) After forming the vacuum seal, steadily remove the tube from the gullet. When the tube exits the gullet the bulb will expand and suck some stomach contents up into the bulb.

3.) Slightly depress the bulb and suck up some water into the bulb. Squeeze contents into a container or your hand. Make sure to let the fish fully revive before release. Thats all there is to it!

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Sample from Yampa River, CO Rainbow showing a high quantity of newborn scuds.

Sample from a Davidson River, NC Rainbow showing a wide variety of bugs.

Getting your "Foot in the Door" and Flies in the water!

After recently commenting about knocking on doors as a great way to gain access to private, posted, or remote stretches of river I have received a lot of questions. Here is what I have learned.

#1: Knocking on doors is absolutely a game of numbers and rejection. Get used to doors slammed in your face but don't get discouraged. Just like Baseball, a .300 batting average will land you in the hall of fame, and fatten your wallet as a guide!

#2: Consider the time and day of the week you choose to approach a new homeowner. Try to approach your "target" on the weekend or sometime when he/she is otherwise unoccupied. Nobody wants to come home from a long days work to find a begging angler on their doorstep.

#3: All humans are creatures of habit. With this in mind, give the homeowner some kind of incentive to let you fish. Offer to do some yard work once or twice a month, or to wash their car before you fish. Always have something to offer, otherwise the homeowner will feel as if they are on the wrong end of the deal.

#4: Lastly, make sure to establish good consistent relationships with the homeowners who do allow you to fish. Remember, they are doing you the favor not the other way around. If you blow one relationship, there is a good chance that the homeowner will tell his/her neighbors (also river dwellers) about the bad experience, creating a potential domino effect. 

Tight Lines!

Tips for Tying: The "Stoned Baetis"

Longer days and increasing water temperatures have gotten the bugs up and moving on the Eagle River. The fish are hungry and eating like crazy! But with so many different bugs moving around getting ready to hatch you may find yourself staring at your fly box wondering which fly will match the hatch. With so many different bugs on the trout's menu right now, what we see in the air may not be what the trout are eating. So, instead of trying to match a specific hatch or imitate a specific nymph (which can be very challenging/frustrating) try using a pattern that has characteristics of various bugs in the water. This will allow you to use one fly that is close enough to imitate what the fish are eating during different parts of the day/hatch cycle. Below are the steps to tying one of my favorite "attractor" nymph patterns.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Tie in your thread and wrap it down about 2/3 of the way down the shank.

2.) Pluck about 8 fibers from a Turkey or Pheasant feather for your tail material. Use a pinch wrap to tie in the tail fibers and wrap down to the gap of the hook, then wrap back up to where you tied in and cut the tag end. the tail should be about the length of the hook shank.

3.) Tie in a piece of yellow Turkey or Goose Biot at the 2/3 point with the pointy side toward the eye of the hook. 

4.) While holding the biot against the side of the hook shank, wrap your thread back over the biot until it meets the tail. Wrap your thread back up the hook leaving space behind the eye of the hook.

5.) Wrap the biot up the hook shank all the way to your thread and use a pinch wrap to secure the biot. Once secure, cut the tag end of the biot.

6.) Tie in a strip of "golden stone" colored Thin Skin on the top of the shank and pointing toward the gap of the hook.

7.) Make a dubbing noodle (cream or light yellow) and wrap toward the eye of the hook, making sure to leave a little room.

8.) Fold the Thin Skin back forward over the dubbing towards the eye and secure it with a couple of tight pinch wraps.

9.) Make sure the wing case is nice and straight, and not crowding the eye. Trim the tag end and throw in a couple of whip finishes or half hitches. The fly is complete!