Switching it up with Ben See
As we approach the spring steelhead run
in the Alley, it comes as no surprise that with each rain we receive,
the more fish that are coming into the stream system. While I would
normally be searching for chrome with the centerpin and spawn sacs, I
am happy to say I am keeping up with the switch rod and fly venture.
While I knew in the beginning that trying my hand at spey casting and
fly fishing would be a challenge, little did I know how much of a
challenge it really would be. I have to admit, I have snuck out the
pin and put the smack down just to get some of my mojo back. I am
sure I am not the first and certainly won't be the last person to
enter into the spey world and be completely confused on this
technique, gear, and method of targeting fish. But, as I have said
in the past I don't quit, I won't quit.
When swinging a streamer you get plenty
of time to observe your surroundings and also do plenty of thinking.
For me the next thing I think of with the pin is the next fish. The
next thing I think of with the switch rod has nothing really to do
with fish. While I am trying to figure out how a fish with a pea
sized brain can out think an angler and at the end of the day put
them in checkmate, I find myself daydreaming. This in itself is
probably one of my issues with the my spey success.
How is it that an angler that knows how
to read water, knows fish migration patterns, watches USGS flow
gauges like a hawk, can pickup a pin and smash fish daily, knows
basically every stocked stream in Steelhead Alley, can zig when he
needs to zig and zag when he needs to zag? But, pickup the switch
and meet the skunk more often then not? This got me thinking stream
side, and to my surprise I found myself off on a tangent again in my
own mind.
I am a perfect example of why telling
anglers where to fish has little to no advantage. If I have said it
once, I have said it a thousand times. Teach an angler how to use a
specific technique and they will figure out the where to fish.
Telling an angler where to fish when they don't have a good grasp on
the their chosen technique doesn't do anything good for the angler or
the angling community. As social media has become quite popular over
the past few years, these sort of tools are a blessing and a curse to
our fishing community. A blessing on one hand as to allow anglers to
meet those likeminded to learn from each other. A curse on the other
hand as it provides a stage for those ignorant of the true challenges
of our fishery. While they spew nonsense, only to be confronted by
those anglers who can be seen fishing in sub zero temps in the winter
and scorching days in the summer for species other than steelhead.
The ignorant then become defensive when those that actually know what
is going on with our fishery confront them. They should actually
speak less and listen more to the true challenges that are faced in
Steelhead Alley. Maybe then, which I doubt, but just maybe they
would realize they are contributing to the problem and not the
solution.
Team SAA will be back out there on the
streams this weekend looking to find the chrome. Hopefully water
temps will rise a bit more and that will trigger some good action in
the coming week.
Until Next Time...
Fish Hard...Fish Often...
