The most common complaint I get from people starting out fly fishing is the expense of getting all the gear they need to get started.  This often deters people from ever starting the sport, which is really unfortunate. Good fly-fishing gear often costs an arm and a leg, that is, if you are not a guide or an industry pro.

Katherine Grand is on the water whenever she can be. Photo by Eric Grand

If you buy cheap equipment, it often wears out quickly or there is no warranty if you break your rod. Even if you don’t break a cheap rod, you may outgrow it as your skills increase and end up spending more money in the long run.

The company that I have been the most impressed with thus far which addressed these issues is Redington. They make great-quality, affordable fly-fishing gear that you won’t outgrow. Best of all, Redington offers everything you need to get started, including waders, rods, reels, clothing and LOTS of awesome items made specifically for women!    Furthermore, all their rods and reels have a lifetime warranty! Redington really filled a niche of technical, durable fly-fishing  gear that’s affordable for all levels of fly fishers.

What? She went duck hunting in her fly-fishing waders? Now, that's a testament to Redington's toughness! photo by Eric Grand

No wonder she's smiling! A great 'bow and super waders that keep her dry and move with her. Photo by Eric Grand

I have owned two pairs of Redington’s women’s waders and boots, and every year they just seem to get better and more durable. Both pairs last just as long as my much more expensive waders and I have yet to put a hole in the pair I got last year, even though I have used them duck hunting (which is extremely hard on waders). The fit on their women’s waders is fantastic and I haven’t found better waders in that price point on the market yet. They have developed a super technical woman’s wader this year called the Women’s Sonic-Pro Wader that I am excited to try out … if I ever wear out my current pair.

As for apparel, Redington makes some great women’s apparel that performs wonderfully in the outdoors – no matter what you are up to. It is also attractive and fits great! I personally own three shirts and a great cap, and I am looking forward to purchasing some new items this year. I especially love their Fish and Fly Cap.

She loves the cap. Photo by Eric Grand

They have new items every year, and many items that aren’t just classic fly-fishing styles. They also have great men’s apparel too and lots of fun accessories. Regardless of your budget, you can get set up head-to-toe with great gear from Redington.

http://www.redington.com/ 

Recently I went fishing at one of my favorite winter fly-fishing spots, a great public tailwater fishery on the Taylor River called the Catch-and-Release Area right below the Taylor Dam. It is a great place to catch large trout year round because it never freezes. I wrote an article last year about my talent for falling while fishing, but only while other people are there to witness my feats of incredible clumsiness. Yesterday I was true to form and had my most impressive winter fall.

I had hooked and lost two upper 20-inch trout that day and was determined to land the third nice trout I had hooked. I scrambled to catch up as the fish rushed downstream. As I have mentioned in my Big Trout Tips in the past it is very important to stay parallel to a large trout when attempting to land it on light tippet and small flies. I had this trout hooked on a size 20 fly and 5X tippet. As I scrambled to rush downstream to land the trout, I slipped on a shifty mossy rock and went down in epic form. I belly flopped in the river and indescribably cold water drenched my whole upper body. It was a warm day for midwinter at the Catch-and-Release Area, but warm for there was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. I kept my rod up, floundered to right myself as quickly as possible and managed to land the trout, a nice 22-inch brown.

Though he was smaller than I had originally hoped, and smaller than the other large trout I had hooked that day, the story alone was worth a picture.  I turned away from Eric – who was holding the trout in the net underwater – to take off my gloves and grab my camera, which is most appropriately waterproof.

I turned around to an empty net. My husband had released the fish, thinking my turning away was a sign that I didn’t want a picture. Oh well. The image is indelibly burned in the minds of my husband and the only two other guys who were fishing there that day and happened to be only about 30 yards away as I swan dove into the river. We ran into them as I headed to the truck to change out of my soaking wet jacket and shirt and they asked if I was all right. I joked that I was fine, I was used to falling while fishing – though I generally avoided belly flopping in the river in the middle of winter. I could tell they were highly amused and very pleased that they were able to witness my spectacular display once they found out I wasn’t hurt. I have come to the conclusion that I am willing to risk body and limb in the name of landing a nice trout. They were also impressed that I was willing to keep fishing for the remainder of the day and that I landed the fish.

Luckily, I always pack extra layers for winter fishing.  My Prois gear is great, but unfortunately it is not made for diving. Perhaps I should invest in a dry suit for winter fishing. Fortunately, Eric had a big bag of giveaway clothing – that had not yet been donated – for me to use in his truck. Eric also had an extra pair of gloves after I had soaked through my second pair of the day.

Unfortunately, the author has no photos of herself after the flop. She does, though, offer this one of another successful catch! Photo by Eric Grand

My other great winter fishing talent is dropping gloves in the river.  Eric and I had both dropped my gloves in the river that day. I think I am going to outfit my favorite winter fishing and hunting jackets with mitten string – like little children have. I never did land my monster trout that day, but I am headed back out this weekend.  I did manage to land and get a picture of a cuttbow that I landed directly before my aerial display. I find that it is important to be able to find the humor in our embarrassing situations, and I have had lots of practice at laughing at myself. Tight lines and thanks for reading!

I always revel in ways to combine doing multiple things I enjoy doing at the same time like:

• eating ice cream while reading my favorite book
• going shed hunting while grouse hunting
• fly fishing and photography

But I think the ultimate of these great combinations is Cast and Blast, which is waterfowl hunting and fishing (in my case, fly fishing) at the same time. Unfortunately, hunting with my goshawk, Hades, is not especially compatible with fly fishing because he won’t sit where I place him like a rod or a shotgun will. My new love of shotguns, however, is perfectly compatible with fly fishing. I am relatively new to gun hunting and very new to hunting ducks with shotguns, but I am quickly becoming hopelessly addicted to this exciting and dynamic sport.

Site of the Cast and Blast: Tomichi Creek. Photo by Katherine Grand.

Last month I had the pleasure of heading out with good friends, Josh and Robby, to fly fish for spawning brown trout and jump shoot ducks on Tomichi Creek. As we were walking from the parking lot we saw three friends coming from Tomichi Creek, each with a Canada goose. Geese are rarely taken on the Tomichi and I got pretty excited seeing them. Just in case we saw some, I switched to goose shot in my shotgun so I could knock one down.

The Tomichi is a small creek so we hopscotched our way upstream, hucking streamers in all the fishy spots we could find, and continuing up the creek. Unfortunately my friend Josh’s boxer Bishop likes to tag along with anyone who is moving and busted a couple of ducks way too far out for me to shoot. Also, we arrived after our friends had worked that whole stretch for birds.

Katherine's "Blast" trophy. Photo by Robby Cribbs.

I was beginning to regret lugging a big Benelli 12-gauge, a full pack and the only landing net I could find in time, our huge Brodin boat net. I felt weighed down and was becoming less and less optimistic about getting a shot at some ducks. The browns, however, were aggressively chasing streamers and I was regularly catching fish. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the scenery was gorgeous, and the fish were biting. On our way back to the truck after an excellent day of fishing we bumped a hen mallard, but again too far out. Josh, who hadn’t brought his gun, told us she was circling back over us. Robby shot and missed. I shot once…twice…then hit her on the third shot when she was around 120 yards away. I loved seeing the stunned looks on Robby’s and Josh’s faces. They had never seen someone take that far a shot on a bird and hit it, not even my husband (who is an excellent duck hunter). I am glad I had some goose shot loaded because I don’t think I would have gotten her otherwise. Although I was the least experienced waterfowl hunter among our group, I was able to shoot a duck. I also caught several fish that day. I stopped regretting taking the Benelli after shooting that hen.

Katherine's "Cast" trophy. Photo by Katherine Grand

I am hopelessly enamored with the fast-paced and exciting world of waterfowl hunting. I love the many opportunities you get to shoot ducks during a good day of hunting and I love the fact that ducks also enjoy many of my favorite fly-fishing streams. Cast and Blast is where it’s at!

Tight lines and thanks for reading!

Katherine Browne and Eric Grand -- grouse hunt in Colorado, Sept. 2010. Photo by Jason Baird.

In the hunting world, camouflage weddings are very popular. Even though I work at Próis Hunting Apparel and wear camo almost daily, I decided to go with a white wedding dress instead of a camo one. I wear camo so much during the year that I wanted to dress the part for our wedding day. Eric and I wanted our wedding to be unique, memorable, reflect who we are, and most of all, be fun. Luckily our parents were extremely helpful and let us do what we wanted for our day. The wedding day was incredible and made all the planning and stress inherent with planning a typical or atypical wedding worthwhile. I am proud to say that I avoided becoming a bridezilla, and hopefully Eric would agree with me. My only regret is that the day went by too fast.

My two greatest passions are fly fishing and falconry, and I wanted both to be a part of our wedding. Including my hawk, Hades, in the ceremony was important to me and I worked with him regularly for three weeks before the ceremony so he wouldn’t be too stressed out being handled after not being handled most of the molt. He behaved wonderfully – other than pooping on one of the large bouquets, which was better than him pooping on myself or my maid of honor, Mary Curb, who I passed him off to when Eric and I exchanged rings.

Our two dogs also attended and Lucky looked adorable in his bowtie and Sadie was so cute with a flower pinned in her hair. We were also able to reflect our love of hunting and shed hunting with the amazing mule deer and elk antler archway we constructed for the ceremony. It was composed of local elk and mule deer sheds that belonged to us and two of our friends. We got the idea and the majority of the sheds from our good friends Jason and Sherry Booth, who constructed a similar archway for their wedding. Thanks to our friends and family who didn’t give up when our first attempt came down like the jaws of a giant prehistoric shark, the archway turned out beautifully and really added to the ceremony.

The bride arrives with Hades in hand. Photo by Carlie Kenton.

The ceremony was incredible. Our very good friend John (Vito) – head of rafting at Three Rivers Resort – rowed me down to the lawn we were getting married on with my goshawk Hades on my fist. Very few people know about this entrance. Eric and I exchanged our own vows, and our good friends Mary Curb (my Maid of honor) and Robby Cribbs did wonderful readings. Our friends and family offered their support in our marriage and Eric and I tried very hard not to cry as we looked into each others’ eyes and joined together as husband and wife. It was a gorgeous morning with a blue sky and we shared a spectacular kiss as our good friend Deb Tucker pronounced us man and wife. The ceremony was beautiful and went off without a hitch, thanks to all the help from our friends and family.

Beautiful archway. Photo by Carlie Kenton.

We wanted to be able to fish and float down the river on our wedding day. We decided to have our reception at Garlic Mike’s in Gunnison, Colo., because it is right on the Gunnison River and we were able to float down from where we got married to the restaurant. It also has some of the best food in town and certainly the best atmosphere.

Katherine Browne Grand removed the bottom half of her beautiful dress so that she could wade and fish after her wedding! Photo by Carlie Kenton.

We also had a reception float for everyone, after we left with our wedding party to float. This gave everyone some free time after the ceremony to explore the area and relax after the ceremony. Eric and I have both guided rafting and guide fly fishing at Three River Resort in Almont, and thanks to our friends volunteering their time, agreeing to guide boats, and the help, support, and rafts lent by Three Rivers Resort, we were able to take our friends and family down the river.  (The people at Three Rivers are like family to us and we couldn’t have done it without them.)

Because we left before everyone – to float with our bridesmaids and groomsmen – we were able to take our time and fish and relax. Our photographer floated with us so we could be captured fishing in our wedding attire . . . as we rowed each other down the river. The float was incredible and we caught a ton of fish. I was happy to be landing a fish when the first of the reception boats showed up containing my mother, my Aunt Carol, Aunt Susan, and my Uncle Allan. I don’t get to see my family that often now that I live in Colorado, so other than my mom I don’t think they knew what our lifestyle is like up here. It also doesn’t hurt to impress your family every now and then.

The reception at Garlic Mike’s was excellent. The food was great, the toasts our friends and family gave were wonderful, and we all danced like fools. After the nerves of the ceremony, Eric and I relaxed and enjoyed our day to the fullest. I will remember our wedding day for the rest of our lives and thanks to Carlie Kenton, our photographer, we have tons of amazing photographs.

Skill combined with luck made for a wonderful afternoon on the river for this newly married couple, the Grands. Photo by Carlie Kenton.

For people who are planning weddings . . . remember to have fun, and make the day what you want it to be and not what you think everyone else would want. In the two weeks before the wedding, I understood why people elope – with all the stress that goes along with planning a wedding. However, during and after the day, I knew it was worth it.

Mr. and Mrs. Grand ... with their favorite fly rods. Photo by Carlie Kenton.

It also helps to have amazing friends and family to help out. I never realized how many people really cared about us before our wedding day. We wanted a wedding that was truly unique and special, and I know we accomplished that goal. We also honeymooned afterwards on the Green River’s A and B section and it was incredible. Eric and I are so lucky to have found each other and to enjoy doing the same things together. I truly believe that couples that play together stay together.

Tight lines and thanks for reading!

The Kiss. Photo by Carlie Kenton.

I find this especially important for fly rods, which are bound to break at one point or another if you fish with any regularity. When speaking with clients, I always recommend purchasing a rod with a lifetime warranty that will repair or replace your rod with no questions asked, as long as you have the butt section and serial number still intact.

Katherine Browne. Photo by Eric Grand -- the fly rod dragger.

How we break ‘em

My fiancé, Eric, and I have always found new and creative ways to break rods and we almost always have a least one rod out for repair during peak season. Eric has run over a rod with a vehicle; I have slammed them in car and screen doors; we have stepped on them; clients break them regularly in a variety of ways; and every once in a while we have broken them fishing or landing fish.

Good companies that back their fly rods

The following companies have excellent warranty and repair policies and we have dealt with them directly, but most high-end rod companies offer these services. Just make sure to do your research before spending your hard-earned money. Eric and I are both Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing guides and own several Orvis rods, the Helios being my personal favorite. Orvis will repair any rod for a small fee, no questions asked. The turnover time is good, especially during the winter, but during the summer months it may take a while to get your rod back while they are flooded with repairs. This is the case with most companies. Sage, Winston, Ross and Redington also stand by their rods 100 percent and I own and have had to have rods repaired with all these companies and highly recommend them. Another of my favorite rod companies that I recommend frequently is TFO (Temple Fork Outfitters). They make excellent rods at very reasonable prices that perform as well or better than many much more expensive rods. They make great inexpensive rods that you won’t outgrow as your skill level increases and they also offer a lifetime warranty. Most companies, including TFO, just charge a small repair fee in the neighborhood of $20-$30 to cover shipping, etc.

How about custom rods?

Beware of custom-built rods that use rod blanks from one of the major companies. There are some amazing custom-built rods out there that declare they stand behind their rods 100 percent, but you may only be able to get it repaired during the lifetime of the rod builder. So, if the rod builder is pushing 90 and doesn’t have an heir to the business, you may want to take this into consideration. If you send the rod back to the company that manufactured the blank, you will only get the blank back and you or the rod builder will have to re-wrap it and add all the hardware. There are many rod-building kits available, but you will not be getting a rod back that you can fish immediately.

Katherine practices catch-and-release fishing. Photo by Eric Grand.

What if … the unthinkable happens …

Furthermore, no company that I know of will replace a rod if it is lost or stolen – so, hold onto your rod like it was your child. If you fall in the river, hold onto that rod like a soldier would hold onto his gun. Don’t place your rod on top of your vehicle for any reason; just put it straight in your vehicle. I know of many people who have driven off with a rod resting on or on top of their vehicle and though you can get it repaired afterwards, you may never see it again. Eric dragged a rod behind his vehicle for miles once, sent it back and got a brand new rod … but that was very lucky. I have yet to lose a rod (knock on wood) and I will be heartbroken when and if it happens. Last, but not least, if you send in a rod for repair that has been discontinued, you may get a comparable model back – but not your old rod. If you are particularly attached to your old rod and it is no longer being manufactured, just be extra careful with it because you might get something different back. This happened to us with our old Winston Ibis rod when we sent it back for repair. We got back the Winston Ascent which is also a great rod but we both liked the Ibis a little better.

Tight lines and … thanks for reading!

Katherine Browne and a quick photo of a beautiful 'bow. Photo by Eric Grand.

I live in my own little fashion vortex.  I have no idea what’s going on in the fashion word and tend to dress mostly in camo, outdoor apparel, and often shove my hair under a baseball cap to help cut down on glare and see fish while out on the water.  My main concerns are comfort in the elements and practicality.  The things I do wear that are frivolous, I pick based on what I like, not what everyone else is doing.  I already own a pair of hackle earrings and I thought my hair feather would simply speak of my love of fly fishing to those who could recognize the material.  However, after getting my feather I began to see them everywhere and felt as though I fell victim to a fashion fad and was in no way expressing my individuality.  This was my first disappointment with my feather.

The next disappointment and the most heartbreaking was hearing about the devastating shortage in fly tying materials that this trend was creating.  I learned lot about the fly tying feathers and the special roosters they come from in the process of investigating this shortage.  Apparently the feathers that have become so popular for fashion come from specially roosters that are selectively bred to produce long slender tail feathers.  These feathers are required to tie the majority of traditional dry fly patterns and tons of popular nymph and streamer patterns as well.  These roosters take full year to raise before slaughter – unlike meat birds which can be slaughtered at six weeks old. And, they are rare.  Only a few dozen breeders of these birds exist in American, most of which are small operations.

DamselFly’s Promise of Penance

I promise to make up for my transgressions to my fly-fishing brothers and sisters by tying flies with my feather.  I am also considering clipping feathers from women’s hair as I thank them for their donations to the cause and mailing them to fly shops and manufactures in dire straits.  The good news is fashion trends tend to be short lived and this, too, shall pass.  Fly tying material that was gathering dust in shops is flying off the shelves and creating some good business for fly shops.  In no time things will be back to the status quo and something else will be in demand.  You can bet I will be doing my research in the future to ensure no fly fishers or trout will be harmed by my fashion choices.  Tight lines and thanks for reading!

Katherine Browne works as Pro-Staff and Dealer Relations Coordinator for Prois Hunting and Field Apparel in Gunnison, Colo.  She also works part-time as a fly-fishing guide for Willowfly Anglers at Three Rivers Resort . And, if that is not enough, this active outdoorswoman is an avid photographer, falconer, huntress and freelance outdoor writer.

It was the second day of our hunt and we had some down time midday before we headed back to the stands so I asked the guides if I could go fishing.  I was taken to a beautiful creek right by the first stand I had hunted.  I was glad I had not been aware of the close proximity of this fishing hole to my stand because I would have happily gone fishing after my first hour of not spotting any pigs.  Tracey, from Outdoor Connection, and her twin sister, Stacey, as well as one of the guides tagged along to watch me fish.  None of them had watched anyone fly fish before and wanted to observe.  Tracey was responsible for putting together this excellent ladies’ hog hunt.  You can find Outdoor Connection online and they can assist you in booking your next hunting or fishing adventure.

The view from my stand. Photo by Katherine Browne.

I was a bit nervous about having an audience because I had never fly fished for bass and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.  I rigged up with a black and chartreuse clouser minnow and began casting around the features in the large slow moving pool the guide had directed me to.  Clouser minnows are a very versatile fly and can be effective catching many species of fish both in freshwater and saltwater.  A clouser minnow is a type of streamer.  Streamers are flies that represent minnows, leeches, frogs, etc.  They are the fly equivalent of a lure.  I love fishing streamers because it is so fun to see fish chase and grab streamers.  Their presentation is more complex than just reeling them in and it took me a while to become proficient at fishing streamers.  I generally don’t attempt fishing streamers with my clients that are just learning to fly fish because casting and presentation takes some coordination and practice.

It was a clear sunny day and the water was gin clear which makes fishing streamer more challenging.  I have had the most success with streamers on overcast, windy, rainy days or days when the water clarity is poor.  I fished the clouser minnow, just like I would any streamer while fishing for trout.  I like to vary the speed at which I strip the streamer in and the length of the pause between strips when fishing for trout.

Click to see a video of my first small mouth on a fly rod

Some days, fish prefer a quick presentation and other days they prefer a slower presentation.  The clouser is a heavy fly, so I couldn’t strip too slowly or I would have gotten hung up on the bottom of the creek.   I had two bass turn-chase the minnow before everything came together and I hooked my first smallmouth.  I love how aggressively smallmouth strike and how hard they fight.  I was grateful to catch a fish within my first five minutes of fishing for a new species, especially since I had an audience.  I caught two more fish and moved a handful more in the half hour or so I was fishing.  I also fished a bass colored clouser and caught one fish on that fly.  I am reluctant to give much advice on fishing for smallmouth bass on a fly rod since this was my first experience but here is the link to a great article on catching smallmouth using clouser minnows by Carl Haensel.  Catching my first small mouth bass (and my second and third) was a great experience and I was happy to have some success as a sportswoman on this trip as I was the only lady to not see any hogs.  However, the company was fantastic, the scenery was gorgeous, the guides were great, and the fishing was wonderful!

Tight lines and thanks for reading!

Katherine Browne with her fly rod in Oklahoma! Photo by Katie Shackelford.

• 

  Katherine Browne and a quick photo of a beautiful 'bow. Photo by Eric Grand.

• Land your trout as quickly as possible. The longer you fight a fish, the more lactic acid builds up in their muscles and high levels of lactic acid will kill trout. Exhaustion is one of the biggest killers of trout.  Even if your fish swims away does not mean it will survive. Using the appropriate tippet size will greatly aid in efficiently landing a fish. You are not going to be able to land a 24-plus-inch trout on 8x in a reasonable amount of time. Also, see Tip #1 for more tips on steering and landing trout quickly.
• All fish deserve humane treatment. Trout that I am not taking a photo of I usually don’t even remove from the water. I always have a pair of hemostats on me to remove hooks and I release trout as quickly as possible. There are many tools available on the market for quickly and safely removing hooks.  If you do handle a fish, wet your hands thoroughly before touching the fish.  This helps protect their slime coat, which is their protection from disease and injury.  Handle fish with you bare hands whenever possible or use gloves designed for handling fish that will not remove their slime coat.
• Invest in a good rubber net. Cheap nylon nets are terrible on fish and strip off their slime coat.  There are many inexpensive rubber nets available on the market so there is no excuse for using a nylon or cloth net. Rubber nets also don’t snag hooks as easily and are generally nicer for landing fish.
• Revive the fish before releasing it. In moving water, point the fish’s nose upstream to allow the water to move through its gills. Don’t place it in muddy water that had been stirred up by your boots. Many people cradle the fish in their hands while it revives, but I often keep them in my net underwater until they are ready to go. Make sure the fish is upright while reviving it.  In still water you can move the fish gently forward and back to help move water through it’s gills.  When it is ready to go, it will usually take off like a shot.

And yet another catch ... Katherine Browne, DamselFly Fisher! Photo by Eric Grand.

• Fish with flies! Fly fishing is much safer on fish for many reasons. Fish don’t swallow flies like bait.  As soon as a fish feels an artificial fly on its palate, it spits it out. That why you have to be so quick with your hook set while fly fishing. I always find it funny when clients tell me they had a nibble. There are no nibbles in fly fishing – only grabs and spits. Fish barbless hooks or crimped barbs whenever possible; it’s easier to lose fish this way but it’s less likely fish will be injured.  NEVER fish treble hooks for catch and release. I HATE treble hooks; they are terrible on fish and a good angler should be able to catch a fish with one hook. When I have had spinner trips in the past I clipped off two of the hooks and crimped the barb on the last.
• Take photos as quickly as possible. I am guilty of loving to take a photo of a good trout, but it drives me crazy when I see people keeping a fish out of water for a long time to take photos. The longer you keep a fish out of the water, the lower its chances are of surviving. My fiancé, Eric, and I have perfected the quick trout photo. NEVER pick up trout by the jaw or gill plate. Trout live their lives horizontally in suspension and picking them up by the jaw can tear their organs and dislocate their spine and jaw, especially in large trout. I put my camera on rapid-fire mode so I can get several pictures in seconds. I crouch and hold the fish directly over the water so if I lose control of the fish for some reason it will land in the water and not on land where it will injure itself. Also, the fish is within inches of the water so it doesn’t have a long way to fall. If I am alone, I take a photo of the fish in my rubber net in shallow water before releasing it. I like to hold the fish out away from my body with one hand cupping the base of the tail and one hand below its head, holding it horizontally. Do not squeeze the fish hard while holding it. If you are worried about losing the fish, you can cradle it over your net in the water. This makes for a great quick photo, and then get that fish back in the water!

Tight lines and thanks for reading!

Guess who? With another fish, of course. Photo by Eric Grand.

First of all …

A good pair of polarized glasses is paramount to seeing fish.  Polarized glasses perform best when worn with a cap or brimmed hat which really helps cut down on glare.  Polarized glasses also really help you see underwater topography and obstacles.  You will lose far fewer flies while nymphing if you can read what’s underwater.  This is also important when landing big trout (see Tip #1).   It takes a while to become proficient at seeing fish in moving water but you will be well rewarded for your practice.

Katherine Browne shows off her successful tactic of spotting and stalking. Photo by Eric Grand.

How to spot …

To practice spotting fish, pick a high vantage point on a clear sunny day. The higher you are above the water, the easier it is to see fish.  Focus one spot at a time and watch it carefully for at least a minute.  Focusing on one spot at a time really helped me when I was having trouble seeing fish.  The faster and deeper the hole, the harder it will be to see fish – so start practicing in shallower, slower moving water.  Often when I see big trout, I just see a hint of movement, a shadow, a pink side (rainbows), or a bronze flash (brown trout and cutthroats) as a fish moves and feeds.  Even if you don’t get a clear view of the fish, knowing there is a big fish moving and feeding in that area is a great place to start.  Fish that aren’t moving back and forth feeding in their “feeding lane” may be much harder to catch because they are not actively eating.

When you have located a large trout remember where you saw him.  Big trout are territorial and will often stay in the same area for days and sometimes weeks at a time.  Part of being a good fishing guide is remembering where big fish are in the river for clients.

Cupping your hands on either side of your face and your cap to cut out any glare also helps to spot fish.  Windy and overcast days make it harder to spot trout but not impossible.  Cold winter mornings – when steam is rising off the water – can also be very challenging and spotting fish can be next to impossible if water clarity is poor.  When I first started fly fishing, it was so frustrating to go out with my more experienced friends and have them point out fish after fish that I wasn’t able to see.  The more time you spend watching the water, the better you’ll get.  I have sat for hours just watching fish without even fishing and this is a great way to spot fish and learn about fish behavior.

Katherine Browne. Photo by Eric Grand.

Keep practicing …

Keep honing your skills because there is nothing more satisfying than catching a fish that you are targeting – whether it is by floating your dry flies to a rising fish or drifting your nymph right into the mouth of a big trout.

My first tip involves what to do once you have hooked the trout of your dreams.  These tips were gained through experience and through losing a great many big trout.  It took me over a year of fly fishing to land my first really sizable trout.  I still lose some of the monsters I hook, most of which are hooked on small flies and light tippet, but my success rate has increased exponentially with experience.  My tips will mainly apply to fishing rivers and streams which is where I do the majority of my fly fishing.

Katherine Browne doesn't need to travel from her home rivers in the Gunnison, Colo., area to land hogs like this one.

Once you hook that big trout, especially using small flies and light tippet, you better be ready to MOVE.  The quickest way to lose a big trout is to stand in one place, hold your fly line tight and let him break you off.  Move your feet and stay parallel to the fish as much as possible.  Letting him get too far up or downstream of you will often result in losing your fish.  Keep you rod tip up and let your rod absorb some of the weight and pressure of the fish. Set the drag on your reel according to the tippet size you are using so the trout can take line without breaking you off.  In other words if you have 4lb tippet running to your fly, set the drag on your reel so the trout can pull line out after the pressure it’s exerting exceeds 4lbs.  This takes some practice, so experiment and get to know your equipment.

If you have excess line out and do not have the trout on you reel, you can feed line out to the fish when it is swimming away from you and pulling hard.  I often land big trout without ever getting them on my reel but this also takes practice.  NEVER give the fish so much line that there is slack in your line and keep your rod tip up.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  When your trout turns and runs back toward you, strip line in quickly by holding your line against the rod with you index finger and pull line in quickly behind your index finger with your free hand.  Reeling line in is much slower than stripping, and keeping pressure on a big trout is paramount to landing it.

Watch for underwater obstacles; big trout are wily and will use rocks and debris to break you off.  Having a buddy standing above you and spotting helps, but there is no replacement for really getting to know the underwater topography of the area you are fishing.

This brings me to my next point, steering your fish.  This also takes some practice and can sometimes result in popping your fly off your fish, but it is often necessary.  To steer a large trout that is fair hooked (hooked in the mouth), give your rod tip a quick back and forth motion.  This will usually turn his head and get him moving in the direction you want him to go.  Don’t use this move more than once or twice, because you can wiggle your fly out this way.  If you have fouled the fish (hooked him anywhere but in the face), unhook him or break him off (if you are using a small fly) as quickly as possible and avoid taking him out of the water, even for a photo.  Hooking a fish fair should be your goal and it also makes fish easier to land.  I usually aim to land a trout within two minutes – so fight your fish long enough to get him to you and land him but not so long to exhaust him.  The biggest killer of large trout is exhaustion.

I have seen people fighting trout for upwards of 10 minutes and that is way too long.  It also gives the trout a lot more opportunity to get away.  Have faith in your equipment and let your rod absorb the weight and energy of the fish you are fighting.  I show clients that are hesitant to keep their rod tip up how their rods can bend fully over and the rod tip can touch the handle without breaking.

Finally, once you land you big trout take a quick photo then RELEASE IT.  Don’t think I am giving you these tips to land, kill and eat that big trout.  Release him for the health of the fishery and so you can catch that trout another day.  It is amazing to catch the same fish again sometimes years apart and see its growth and development.  If you must keep a fish, keep on in the 12 to 18 inch range, as they are tastier anyway.  Tight lines and stay tuned for more BIG Trout Tips!

Katherine Browne resides in Gunnison, Colo., where she is the Dealer Relations and Pro-staff Coordinator for Prois Hunting Apparel.    She is also fly fishing guide for Willowfly Anglers in Almont Colorado, an outdoor writer, and photographer.  She is an avid falconer, hunter, fly fisher, and enjoys almost all outdoor activities.

One of the most disappointing things as a guide is to have a fantastic trip with clients and either get a very small tip or no tip at all. Sometimes the reverse happens and you get an amazing tip when you thought you had an awful trip.

This happened to me the one and only time I flipped a raft on a commercial trip. In my defense, my crew was pretty drunk, which was impressive since it was a 9 a.m. trip. Being “stiffed” happens more often with rafting than fly fishing, especially during camp trips, but in my opinion this should not happen on a guided hunting or fishing trip unless you are dissatisfied with your experience.

My fiancé is the top guide at Willowfly Anglers and is definitely in high demand during the busy season. He has started to keep track of which of his clients are good tippers and which are poor tippers and has started turning away clients who are historically bad tippers when other trips are available. He has one group that comes every year and tips him $25 a day for a two-person, all-day fly fishing float, and they are VERY high-maintenance clients and lose a lot of flies. He will no longer fish with them when other clients are in town. Tips are a large portion of any guide’s pay – just like it is for a waiter or waitress.

Katherine Browne loves to fish and loves fish ... but she loves her sweetie, Eric, more (the guy holding the fish!).

Many guides would not be able to afford to do what they love without the tips they receive. A general rule of thumb is to tip your guide about the same percentage as wait staff, based on your satisfaction. If you had a good trip, tip 20 percent of your trip cost or more. If you had a bad trip, tipping less may send the message . . . but make sure to say something if you feel comfortable. A poor tip is often just a result of ignorance on the part of the client, so telling your guide may help him improve for future clients.

If you can afford a guided trip, you should be able to afford a reasonable tip. Factor in the tip as though it were part of the total cost of the trip when coming up with a budget; this is only fair to your guide.

The river levels in our neck of the woods have long since dropped below floatable levels and it has been cold and snowy, so it was a treat to be in warmer weather and to float again.  The Pleasure Park is located just outside of Crawford, Colo.  Our take-out was an experimental one that was a beast to drag Jason’s boat out – even with four people.  The float started out fishing fantastic and I caught five fish right away on streamers and nymphs.  My two best streamers that day were an olive muddy buddy and a size 12 coachman.  My best nymphs that day were a San Juan worm (the water was a bit off color) and a size 20 zebra midge.  I tried fishing eggs for a while because the browns are spawning, but didn’t move anything.

Gunnison River. Photo by Katherine Browne.

Two miles into the float, I lost a fin and was on the verge of tears because I though I would have to give up fishing in my Kodiak for the day.  In our other kick boat, losing a fin ended my fishing for the day and I was convinced this would be the case.  Someone needs to invent a floating fin because I hate that every time a fin slips off I have all of half a second to retrieve it before the river gobbles it up.  I figured I might as well try fishing with one fin and I was amazed that I was able to.  The Water Master was so maneuverable and easy to slow down and the river was low and slow enough that was able to pull it off.  With any other kick boat I don’t think this would have worked though I can’t say my legs weren’t sore the next day.  I switched the fin from my right to left leg half way through, let my fiancé Eric take the kick boat while I rowed and fished from Jason’s boat, and had a fantastic day even with one fin.  I caught more fish from my Kodiak than I did in the big boat and so did Eric.  It is such a sneaky little vessel and I could stand up and walk wade in areas where fish were podded up.

DamselFly Fisher's fiance, Eric, had luck on the river ... or no, that's skill! He's one of the top fly-fishing guides in the area. Photo by Katherine Browne.

Unlike other kick boats, the Water Masters actually helps you walk-wade by providing added stability and safety when you stand up rather than pushing you or trying to peel off without you like many conventional kick boats.   I was able to stand up and walk wade in areas that I could never get to or wade in safely without the assistance of my Kodiak and fish pods of fish for longer than Jason’s boat was able to without anchoring.

I am really excited about fishing and floating the Gorge with this boat next year.  The Gorge is just upriver of the Pleasure Park and has some amazing fishing as well as some big white water.  The Water Master Kodiak is rated for Class 4 white water and should be the perfect craft for a multi-day adventure in the Gunnison Gorge.  It is light, frameless, has lots of room for storage and, the whole boat and all its accessories pack into a backpack that doubles as a dry bag.  I bought the expedition package and the heavy duty oars so my boat could handle white water and multi-day adventures.  It weighs a bit more but it’s still highly packable.

DamselFly Fisher caught this lovely brown from her Kodiak.

We moved and hooked some monsters, but we weren’t able to land any of them this time.  The fish tended to be congregated in certain areas and when we were on them we were really on them.  Brown trout were especially aggressive because they are spawning and many of the fish we caught had marks on their bellies from digging their spawning beds.  Most of the fish that we caught on streamers were on the banks and sitting in still or very slow moving water.  I was surprised at how many fish we were catching in very shallow water as well.  Overall, it was an excellent trip and it was very nice to go somewhere different and float again.  I miss floating more than anything during the winter months and it was great to get my new Kodiak kick boat out on more time this year.  Tight lines and thanks for reading!

Scenes like this one are often the reward for a day on the river. Photo by Katherine Browne.

On the art of  falling …

I’ve heard it said about skiing that if you’re not falling, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. In my experience the same has been true about fly fishing. I’ve participated in and witnessed some monumental falls this last year. What brought about the idea for this blog were the two consecutive falls attempting to land big trout at the catch-and-release (C&R) area on the Taylor River the last two weeks.

While fishing there, I hooked up with a big rainbow and started fighting it. The fish shook the hook within the first 10 seconds of the fight. I flung my line back in the water in frustration after the fly popped and I uttered some choice words.

I glanced back down at my indicator and saw it plunge under water.  I set the hook and line started screaming out of my reel as he plunged downstream with my flies. Not knowing how large this fish was, I ran downstream across the large uneven boulders that compose the Taylor River – trying to catch up and stay parallel with the fish.

Suddenly I tripped and instantly knew I was going down. Like a soldier crossing a river with his gun, I instinctively held my rod up in the air and sacrificed my body to the rocks below in the best interests of my fish and my rod. I tumbled down, nailing my shin and knee on a rock and drenching half my shirt in the river. Thankfully, the fish was still there and I scrambled to my feet and landed it. Though it wasn’t as big as the first fish I hooked, it was still nice 18-inch rainbow. I also landed a beautiful 24-inch rainbow that day, so fall or no fall … it was a fantastic day. As always with my falls, I had an audience. My fiancée was there with a front row seat along with about four or five other fishermen.

My most recent fall occurred this past Saturday. I went out on my own and was tearing it up. I caught about five fish in the fist half hour I was there and it looked like it was fishing a bit slow for everyone else. I was feeling pretty proud of myself when I hooked a BIG rainbow that started flying downstream as soon as I hooked him.  Big fish at the C&R are experts at breaking you off on rocks, out running you, diving in to fast current, and any other tactic that results in escape. When I hooked this rainbow, I leapt off the tall rock I was fishing from.

High points are a great vantage point for spot-and-stalk fishing, but can be problematic if you land a sizable fish. I nailed the landing and sprinted down the bank after the rainbow. met the son of our good friend, Dennis, and he offered to help me land the fish.  Landing big trout can often be a team affair at the C&R. No sooner had he pulled the big Brodin Excalibur landing net out of my vest, then I lost my balance and took a nose dive into the rocks.  This time I wasn’t so fortunate and my big ’bow was gone.  Several fisherman and my netting buddy were gathered around asking me if I was all right.  Once again, I had an audience.  I responded that I was fine and that it wasn’t the first bruise I’d earned at the C&R. I hooked and lost a couple other nice trout that day and finally landed a nice 23-inch brown that I had been fishing for a good hour and landed solo after an awesome two-minute fight. Fish epically lost can be just as satisfying as fish epically landed and often make better stories.

Katherine, aka Damselfly Fisher, and her nice brown that she caught that day.

It may not be surprising for one’s lack of balance to be witnessed at the C&R, but even when I think I’m totally on my own, someone always appears with perfect timing to see me take a swim.

This past summer I was walk-wading Neversink on the Gunnison. I saw one other person all day and not a single boat. My flies got hung up on a stick that wouldn’t pull loose in an area that didn’t look too deep to retrieve them. I started wading out and the hole was deeper and swifter than it appeared. The current caught me as I mis-stepped and I did my best chicken flap trying to recover and failed. I landed in the water and wildly flailed, trying to recover my footing as water spilled over into my waders. As I righted myself, I noticed my friend and fellow guide Jason Booth not far upstream of me in his raft floating down with clients. It was at this point I realized they had probably seen my whole display of grace and balance on the river.

All my hopes that they hadn’t seen me swim were cast away when I saw the monster-sized grins on their faces. Jason asked me if I had a nice swim and I told them I had got over-heated and needed to cool off.  You would think that embarrassment would be the end of it but Booth’s client found me on Facebook and wrote me a message about my fall. I love social networking. At least I wasn’t captured on film and tagged.

Katherine Browne graduated cum laude from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in biology  and has worked as a wildlife and fisheries biologist, fly-fishing guide and white water rafting guide.  She resides in Gunnison, Colo., where she is the Pro-staff Coordinator for Prois Hunting Apparel, where she provides apparel to the most talented and well-known women in the hunting industry as well as showcasing the talents and activities of its pro-staff.