Choosing The Proper Fly Fishing Leader and Tippet Selecting the correct tapered leader and tippet for the type of fishing you are about to do is crucial. Nothing can spook fish quicker than an oversized tippet for the particular situation. On the other hand, and undersized tippet can result in the fly fisher losing their trophy before they even get a photo opportunity. We will start at the very basic of leader and tippet selection and then get more specific, and hopefully conclude with enough information so we'll always have the proper leader and tippet for all upcoming fishing scenarios.

Selecting Flies for Pacific Steelhead I keep several fly boxes stocked just for steelhead, I always think I'll leave a few home, before I head out, but rarely do. How many flies you decide to carry is up to you, but there a few things to consider when selecting an assortment of flies. The most popular colors for Steelhead flies are as follows: black, orange, purple, red, and chartreuse. The key is to have a variety of colors in the fly box before heading out. Although the old adage “bright days, bright flies, dark days, dark flies,” is a decent starting place. One also remember the time of day one will be fishing. Summer steelheading is done mostly in the darker hours, and therefore dark flies are popular like the aforementioned Green Butt Skunk, and its variations. As fall begins and water becomes murky and bright marabou patterns are often the ticket. And in the winter I use lots of egg-sucking leeches, bunny leeches, and bright egg patterns like the Sucker Spawn. As water becomes more murky, the brighter the pattern one can get away with.

Confidence in Fly Fishing For those of you who, like me, have memories of fishing that pre-date memories of school, think back to as many fishing partners and trips as you can. Even those people you only went fishing with once. Then try to recall times where the success or failure of a fly fisherman seemed to lie strictly on the fly fisherman's confidence. If you think about it in these terms, I bet you can remember numerous times, when an angler's, confidence or lack thereof, either doomed them or buoyed then until they started catching fish. At times the success of a confident fly fishing angler can be attributed to persistence. An angler, confident in their abilities is just going to fish longer when things don't start hopping right away. But other days when all things are equal, the fisherman with the most confidence often catches the most fish.

Alexander Carlton with His 25 Inch Albino Catfish
Alexander Carlton entered a fishing derby and won it with most fish and biggest fish, too. This 25 inch albino catfish won it for him. Alexander Carlton with His....

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies Filming Scuba Diving Vacation on Great Barrier Reef
Steve Irwin, better know as the Crocodile Hunter on the Discovery Channel, has died while filming a Great Barrier Reef Scuba Diving Vacation. Steve Irwin died at approximately 11 a.m. on Monday 4th September 2006 after his chest was punctured through his scuba diving equipment by the barb of a StingRay. .