Dan Fallon Fly Fishing Article Column 2 2015
Fly Etiquette
As California once known as land of endless milk and honey struggles to fathom the impact and future of a state quickly running out of water!
Sportsmen of all stripes, boaters, campers, even bird watchers are afraid the good old Aqua wealthy days are in the rearview mirror. While surveying possible fly waters still accessible I recently visited many of my favorite old haunts.
Beginning way up north near the border near Mt. Shasta and winding down toward lake Tahoe, Yosemite and then east to Feather River. I could not help but notice a sad sidebar to this insidious 4 year drought... A lack of general old school fly fisher consideration and respect.
Fly Etiquette as I like to refer to it is simply giving the other guy or gal as much room as possible especially if that person is on the water you like first? In my fly life an unspoken code among seasoned bug throwers is understood and never wavers. I will attempt to site several common mistakes.
In almost every fly trip you take either here in water starved California or wading lovely Vermont chalk streams. Fellow fly fishers will certainly appear or may be there first! If you come upon a nice pool being worked. Quietly back away and find another area. If that means walking from easy access road side or hiking another mile either way give the first fly fisher respect and leave him to his morning period. Don’t ask him how its going? What patterns he uses, simply leave him or her alone and walk away.
Why this hands off leave them be philosophy you may enquire? This complicated noble old sport is simply not for everyone in my mind. One has to have many tools to expect any success. First in your tool kit has to be respect and putting the other fellow first. This is not a sport for those who must behave in a selfish me first manner. My life Long fly friends world wide are highly educated in the school of human dignity and behaving like gentlemen and ladies at all cost when in the field.
Your behavior is being watched and emulated by our young fly fishers who deserve a high standard to follow for the sake of the sport and your own peace of mind. Many times showing a new fly fisher how to gain twenty feet casting or tying a sound knot or understanding currents. I feel more satisfied regardless of number of fish caught and released at days end having been an Embassador, it is a wonderful feeling.
Perhaps on the golf links or table tennis Chicanery rules? Not on fly streams... In fact on many occasions I have given my hot pool to a younger eager fly fisher and helped he or she hook up and release making another life long Pal. I always carry many examples of patterns I know land fish and hand them to new members of the “Brotherhood Of The Long Rod“. My Grandfather who lived to 105 third generation San Franciscan always insisted, "Wolf costs nothing to be a gentlemen."
Wolf Royal Variant
Hook: Dry Fly 8 – 22
Thread: Black Thread body thin wrapped to accommodate just enough Hackle.
Tail: Red hackle fibers.
Body: 50/50 mix Black hackle and peacock Herl.
Hackle: Black primary not tied full as this fly effective lightly hackled with a few Peacock Herls wound in.
Head: Black thread.
Written by Dan Fallon © 2015
