Anyone who knows me personally understands that I think the sun rises and sets in the fly fishing world where guides say it does.  I've always been a fan of guides; I guide myself; how could I not be a fan?

I know, I know... it's expensive to go on a guide trip.  But in my experience, if you find the right guide, the investment is ultimately as valuable in your long term fishing experience as almost anything you can buy, save the rod and reel itself.  Put it this way... if the investment is not extremely valuable in this way, well, you went fishing with the wrong guide.

I think that's especially true in fly fishing.  Too many "gurus" approach this sport as a platform to show all the stuff they know that we do not, and maybe make a buck or too in the process.  The guide's mission should be exactly the opposite... to break down the barriers, to share understanding, and to instill confidence that this crazy sport isn't rocket science after all.

The guide who does their job right sits in the catbird's seat, and has the power to influence whether or not that beginner client becomes a lifetime angler, or a once-and-done customer.  It can happen in the first 15 minutes on the water.

As such, I think the fly industry has to do a better job of taking care of guides.  Some companies get it.  Most don't.  I think we need to give guides more than cheap gear.  In return, I think we need to expect more from guides. 

I'm working on a project involving guides now, and I want to hear any recommendations some of you might have.  Do you know any aces?  Teachers? Story tellers?  What makes a guide great?

Also, I must report that the Fly Talk Smackdown Grudge Match on the Colorado River yesterday was...

A tie.

I think I had Romano on numbers (barely), and I had the best eat... a hopper take that seemed like it lasted 10 seconds.  But Tim beat me cold on the big fish of the day... a 21-inch brown that ate his streamer in heavy rapids.  He had more chases too, but as is usually the case in streamer fishing, you rarely pin them all on. 

Guess we'll need a rematch.

Deeter

Around this time of year, the fly fishing game takes on a little more "prospecting" flavor.  Of course, there are some big hatch events happening... PMDs in many western rivers... the Green Drake thing is either exploding or about to in other places... we're getting into callibaetis and tricos as well. 

But in many spots, the dog days of summer see daytime action slow down as fish get keyed on those specific hatches in the mornings and evenings, and act fussy with water temps rising.

In other words... it's the perfect situation for my favorite type of fly fishing, any time of the year.  This is, after all, when we separate the contenders from the pretenders, and find out who has game, and who doesn't.

So what's the trick for fishing the dog days?  I've tried many approaches, from tiny little flies, to dry-dropper, to dredging nymph flies through runs.  When all is said and done, I'd have to say the most rewarding approach is simple:  Make it a meal.

I'm talking about banging the banks and runs with streamers.  Or floating big, gaudy attractor dry flies, like Chernobyl ants and hopper patterns.  It's all about protein at this time of the year, and you simply want to make the trout an offer it can't refuse... the salmonid's equivalent of a fat, juicy T-bone steak floating through the water, right in their line of sight.  Something so munchable, Mr. Brown has no choice but to get his lazy act in gear.

You might not catch the numbers, but you stand a chance at catching something big.  (Mouse flies at night are another really good call for late July and August).

To that end, Mr. Romano and I will be enjoying a leisurely float/grudge match on the Colorado River tomorrow... him with his streamers, me with my hoppers.

Anyone placing odds?

Deeter

I have never considered myself a slave to fashion, least of all when it comes to footwear.  But I can tell you this.  I think Crocs--once the trendy phenomenon, now the embodiment of a sizzle and fizzle flameout product (and company)--are ugly shoes.  

In Newsweek last year, Steve Tuttle wrote an insightful plea for Americans to abandon these stupid "clown shoes."  He follows up in the current issue of Newsweek, noting that the company's stock now hovers around $3 after a peak of $75.21.  The CEO is toast.  The company is looking at going bust.

Why?  Because, thankfully, people have realized that the main benefits of Crocs are that they are cheap and have no laces.  Beyond that, they make your feet stink, and they make you look like Bozo on psychedelics, or someone who should probably be wearing a matching rubberized helmet.

But there is one other attribute of Crocs...

They just happen to be about the very best all-purpose boat/deck/fishing shoes on the planet. At least in my experience.  They don't slip.  They don't mark a boat deck.  They're (pretty) comfortable. No problem if they get wet.  And on a boat, when you wear all sorts of other things that buck the fashionista mindset, they aren't even that offensive.

I'll admit, I have Crocs.  White ones.  But I spilled deck stain on them, and didn't care, because now people ask me as if the red blotches are elk blood or something (as if I would butcher an elk in clown shoes... in the winter).

I don't think admitting that is the same as the guy who wears pink shirts to prove he has no problems coming to grips with his masculinity, even though factoring that into your wardrobe really shows otherwise.

So what's it going to be?  Crocs okay or not okay?

A relic, or will they once again be cool when they join the ranks of all the other stuff fishers wear that really isn't cool... but it is functional... so it gets a pass?

Deeter

Leave it to my buddy and Fly Talk regular Conway Bowman to spice things in the fishing world up with yet another feat from the ragged edge...

This time, Con Man (Mr. Mako Shark Fishing from a Kayak) skippered Jeff Patterson of Abel Reels to what must be the holy grail of "out there" angling accomplishments--hooking and landing a great white shark on a fly rod.

The action unfolded a few days ago.  Fishing 5 miles off San Diego, the duo chummed in a shark and cast a foot-long streamer fly at it... the shark ate it, and bolted away on a scorching 275-yard run.  The ensuing fight lasted 25 minutes.  Only when they got it near the boat did Bowman realize the shark wasn't one of his customary makos, but a juvenile great white, estimated at 6 feet long and 150 pounds.

It's believed to be the first and only fly-caught great white off the California coast. Bowman has been guiding these waters for over 15 years and has only seen a couple great whites.  He has never caught one.

Gear: Scott 15-weight rod; Abel Super 13 reel; Rio Leviathan 550 grain line.

So who's next?  Anyone gonna top that one?  If there's a more bad(apple) fly fishing challenge out there, I'd like to know about it...

Deeter