Times change, and with them so do trends, attitudes, and even cultural stereotypes.

But the principles of fishing are as solid as the rock of Gibraltar.  Steady like magnetic north.  Sure, we find new tricks and techniques, and we use new materials.  But, by and large, what was good advice in Field & Stream 50 or more years ago is still good advice.

Which cannot be said for all magazine advice.  To wit, I bring you these excerpts sent to us from the Fly Talk Cutlural Institute in Grawn, Michigan, from Housekeeping Monthly from May 13, 1955.  The story is called "The Good Wife's Guide," and I swear I am not making this stuff up (I'm not that brave)...

On preparing to meet the man of the house after work."Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him." (Sounds reasonable to me... but read on.)

"Let him talk first--remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours." (Yeah, right...)

"Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you." (Mere suggestion of this type in my house would significantly raise the odds of my waking up under a pile of graphite fishing rod fragments...)

"Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or intergrity.  Remember, he is the master of the house..." (At this point, I'm laughing too hard to think of anything witty to say.)

By contrast, consider the advice of Raymond Camp from his book All Seasons Afield with Rod & Gun, written in 1939: 

"A properly tapered leader is just as essential to good casting and successful fishing as the rod, reel, line and the angler..."  (Interestingly, he notes that good silkworm-gut leaders are hard to get because of the Spanish Civil War).

"The novice should avoid extremes in his first rod, both in the matter of action and price." (He notes that for a beginner, a $12-$15 rod is good enough).

"Water often wears a hollow in the lee of a large rock or boulder, and such a hollow often contains a nice fish."  (True indeed.)

So there you have it.  From the Ray Camp, good advice then; good advice now.

From the housekeeping magazine, perhaps good advice then; advice that if even remotely similar words came from my mouth in my wife's presence now, would produce a reaction only slightly better than self-immolation.

The moral of the story: Read more outdoor books and magazines, because fishing, and writing about fishing, are, when all is said and done, America's most reliable cultural compass.

Deeter

I have a guide buddy (who will remain anonymous) who once summed up the fishing and trespassing debate this way:

"Only the outlaws catch the big fish."

Which in some states like Colorado is probably true.  I know the biggest fish there live in waters behind fences.  (Call it high fence fishing if you want).  I know I've had a lot of fun fishing behind some of those fences.  And I know that I have felt the sudden urge to jump some of those fences now and again.  Whether I did or not...

Well, you'll have to make your own educated guess.

How do you net out on the private water issue?

I ran into a guy on the river the other day.  He was trespassing on private property (I was not).  I didn't know whether I should say something or not. 

He said, "Oh don't worry I'm just catching and releasing."  Does that make it less of an offense?  I mean, let's be honest, the real reason people hang signs is because they get all worked up that someone might jump in their river and catch "their fish"... or even kill one.  Is catching and releasing somehow less of a violation?  Probably not.

Then again, I'd consider a few small fish poached on private water a lesser violation than one big trophy brown (beyond eating size) taken from public water like, say, the Big Hole, because it's somebody's right to do so.  Bull corn.

I will also say this.  "Keep out" signs do a pretty good job of keeping people out of the woods, and off the rivers.  Especially young ones.  As a writer who depends on people who like the outdoors... enough that they might actually want to read stories about it, I've always had a hard time making the emotional jump over the no trespassing issue.  I think we need fewer signs, not more.

For the record, I wished Mr. Catch-and-Release good luck, and fished on, feeling like I hadn't been stepped on in the least.

Deeter

From the "Even a Blind Hog Finds an Acorn Once in a While" Files:

I had a successful afternoon on the river yesterday, and it only happened after I found the right fly pattern.  Honestly, I went from zero to hero in about 20 minutes after making a bug switch.  And it wasn't really my first choice... I saw the fly on my hat brim... was too lazy to dig around the box... figured what the heck... and it worked.

I'll set up the situation, and you see if you can figure out what fly pattern it was that turned out to be the haymaker...

I'm in Michigan.  Fishing a smaller river.  Stumpy.  Some gravel.  Lots of vegetation at the edges.  It's a sunny day.  We had rain last night, but the water is still clear.  Very clear. 

It's that time of year when you get those classic mayfly hatches, like big swarms of gray drakes... but to be honest, the last few nights have been pretty dead.  Few bugs, fewer fish.

I pick a fly, and tie it to 5X tippet.  It's 2-o'clock in the afternoon.  I have no expectations whatsovever... but then it starts going off on that fly.

What fly is it?

Deeter

We often review "stuff" like rods, reels, and lines... but rarely do we think about something good to carry your "stuff" around in.  Here's a great product from fishpond--the Dakota Carry On rod case.  It holds a few rods (out of their tubes) easily, and also has compartments for holding things like lines, reels, fly boxes, and so forth.

I've taken it on a few flights lately, and it checks right through as a carry-on, no troubles.  I've also driven with it on this latest trip; it's a good all-purpose organizer. 

So if you're scratching your head about a Father's Day gift idea (or your own wish list), this is a good one (retail is $159).  In fact, you can always count on fishpond for a variety of neat, functional accessories that please the serious angler.

Anything else on your wish list this year?

Deeter