Sunday, April 29, 2012

A Good Day and Comments On The "One-Fly"

First brookie of the day
Today was a good day.  It began with a quick trip to White's Pool on the Nissequogue River to do a little bit of  fishing before breakfast. The trip was worth it as I picked up a pair of brook trout to get off to a good start.  However, as the morning progressed, I hooked a few other "surprises."  Using a #14 Killer Bug (the same used to catch the brookies) I caught a handful of shad (alewife).

Largest shad (alewife) of the morning
Shad (alewife) are a nice change of pace from some of the other fish I usually catch.  The best part is they are great fighters.  The one pictured above put on a nice aerial display.  It was a good start to the day.  At this point, I want to make a comment about the "one-fly" approach used by many tenkara anglers.  For those readers who are not familiar with traditional tenkara, the one-fly approach is a method of fishing in which the angler uses only one type of fly for all of their fishing.  The type of water fished or the hatch that may be coming off are not important.  The philosophy being that the anglers skills and presentation are perfected to a point where fly choice becomes irrelevant.  I love the concept and have been trying to work my ways towards it by reducing the choices available (I'm an average angler for the most part).  However, I think if you are going to carry one fly box with one type of fly, why not carry just a few extra of some other type just in case?  I have fished White's Pool a number of times this year and have found the "one-fly" approach to work like a charm.  However, each time I have fished the "one-fly" has been a different fly!  I have used the same three flies in each trip...a #12 bead-head Royal Sakasa Kebari, a #14 Killer Bug, and a #10 olive woolly bugger. Each time only one particular fly catches all my fish for the day and only one.  Today it was the Killer Bug that did the trick.  The last trip was the woolly bugger.


I may be working towards a "one-fly" approach but I'm glad I haven't gotten there yet.  Having a little selection has proved to be the difference between a number of successful trips and one out of three trips being successful.  It's just my opinion but I think many anglers could benefit from a reduced selection in the old fly box.  Less time tying and choosing flies means more time with a hook in the water.

Stream side flower
Pool just up ahead
But I digress.....I was saying it was a good day. After fishing what more could a dad ask for but to spend a beautiful day outside with his family.  The kids and I started a little garden project today.
After visiting a local nursery we brought home a variety of seeds and seedlings to start our garden.  It was a little chaotic but in the end the plants were planted and watered.  We even had time to mark one of my favorite phenological events of the season...the first Baltimore Oriole.  Their appearance, like a clock tells me it's the last week of April every year.  I think it's important to do such things with kids to get them outside and give them a better appreciation of Nature and the work that goes into getting food onto the table and marking the changes of the seasons.  Hopefully, it will lay a foundation for some valuable lessons or at least bring back fond memories when they reach adulthood.  Like I said....It was a good day.

My garden buddies



3 comments:

  1. Sounds like a wonderful day all around !

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  2. It's wonderful that your creation is bringing success. And the more you use the more confidence you'll have in it and that will make it a better fly.
    Tell your garden buddies thanks, good job.

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  3. Mark...I wish they could all be like that!

    Brk Trt...Thanks I'll pass your message along. You should tr a Killer Bug on some of your streams, I'm sure it will work.

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