One Strong Dry Fly Suggestion…
You gotta cast at the trout. You gotta.
Well, only if you wanna catch ’em.
#1 reason more folks don’t catch dry fly fish on the Missouri River? The angler is afraid to cast at the trout. Not just afraid, unwilling. Generally will not even try it once. One time. You gotta cast at them. Towards them. Like you wanna catch them.
The analogy that everybody should get is as follows. Picture yourself playing basketball. You and I both know the goal of basketball is to shoot, toss, somehow get the ball into the basket, the net, the hoop. To execute this most efficiently is to aim at the basket, the net, the hoop. Right? We can all say that we understand this very simple concept. You gotta shoot at the basket, the net, the hoop.
A sure way to not catch Missouri River dry fly fish is to disregard the simple fact that you gotta cast at them. You must throw the ball at the net. I know you are thinking to yourself that you, Squeeky, has lost his mind. Of course I know that I gotta cast at the trout. Well, do you really know?
A sure way to catch more dry fly trout fishing the Mighty Mo? Cast at the fish. Towards them. Not anywhere but at them. Towards them. Cast at the trout.
Almost all dry fly anglers cast at some imaginary spot above the trout, approximately 10′-15′, and occasionally 5′, and then try to drift it into them. Magically achieving the nearly impossible 12′ Missouri River drift. Rarely do I see that accomplished.
You gotta practice in the lawn more often to conjure up magic like that, man.
Throw strikes. Throw the dart at the bullseye. Shoot the ball at the hoop. Cast the fly at the trout. At them. Towards the rising fish. Try to throw the fly at the trout. Just try it once man. Just one time. You may like the results.
Scumliner’s take on casting at rising trout…
Either catch them or put them down.
Not casting at them will achieve neither…
You gotta cast at the trout. At them. Towards them.
That means you gotta face them. Face them with your shoulders, head, hips. Focus your attention towards the trout. At the target. Shoot for the target.
When you took your strange nephew to the State Fair and you played the carnival game where upon you toss darts at balloons pegged to the wall did you A) Aim at the balloon? Or B) Toss it toward the Carny’s glass eye hoping it would ricochet into the yellow balloon consequently winning that jumbo sized pink elephant. Try stuffing that into the back of your 2 door Chevy Vega Coupe.
Try it today on the Missouri River. The casting at them gig. Epic number of rising trout. Very few anglers to enjoy it. We certainly are out there fishing on our days off. I’ve seen more day off fishing guides fishing this July/August than I ever have. Ever. They do understand that this is something special. And it really is.
Cast at the trout. Directly at them. Drift it 3 feet. A foot and half above, a foot and a half below. Repeat.
There ends my One Strong Dry Fly Suggestion Squeaky’s Rant for this Friday. Enjoy the weekend. And this Vega Ad.
5 Comments.
Such a beautiful fish…Damn I wish I was still out there with you guys… Tight lines, dan
I learned how to drive in a Vega. I remember those black vinyl seats that would cook in the sun.
Let’s give a little respect for the Vega and some of disrespect for the Pinto.
Name choice was a classic marketing fail; in the Spanish-speaking world, Vega means “no go” so sold very poorly in those markets.
Oh that is awesome!!! Thanks Jerry!
“Toss it toward the Carny’s glass eye hoping it would ricochet into the yellow balloon consequently winning that jumbo sized pink elephant.” Hahahahaha…dude, dat is funny!!!