In the fly fishing world, general knowledge implies enough gear and skill to be self-sufficient. Not an expert. Not in the 10% who catche 90% of the fish. But competent enough to have a good time.
I am familiar with methods to get my fly in front of fish with a 10-foot 10-inch switch rod, but I’m naive to meaningful specificity when it comes to fly fishing with two-handed rods. I buy the basic switch line and throw average casts for steelhead or salmon.
A friend invited me to his family’s place on the Kvichak River and offered the opportunity to level-up my two-handed skills. The Kvichak has the largest run of sockeye in the world which contributes to the size of resident rainbows. Food makes them huge and the clarity of water makes them bright as a chrome steelhead.
The river is much wider and swift than any river I have fished in Southeast and it’s impossible to cover all of the water, but to neglect or be unable to fish good water cheats the experience.
I tied on a Dolly Llama for our first morning—a fly notorious for difficult casting. I sensed a little indifference from my friend Dagen. The Dolly Llama is ubiquitous but not always a favorite.
The Llama (did you just read that like Bill Murray said it in Caddyshack?) caught me three fish in the first half hour, two close to 22-inches, then I lost the fly. I switched to an articulated leech with a green head that I had lukewarm feelings about. The hot start became a memory as the morning session ended and we returned to the lodge for lunch.
The leech came through after a meal and provided one of the best fishing days I have ever had, though the long day of forcing casts with the switch rod left me exhausted. I was catching fish, but it took a lot of effort.
Dagen encouraged me to try one of his two-handed setups. First a spey, then a switch.
“It might cost you.”
I’ve been enamored by gear before, but I’ve always believed it’s the angler more than the rod or line. Save the money and just get better.
I typically cast a version of the Snap T, a three-motion cast that’s simple and elegant when paired with an accomplished angler using a good rod and the right running line, shooting head, leader combination.
From my first cast with Dagen’s combo, line leaped far beyond the reach of my own set up. Same person. Same stroke. A much different result.
I looked like I knew what I was doing. I could fish twice as fast and deliver longer casts. The shooting head complimented the rod in a way that was almost startling. Who knew I had this in me?
It’s been written that the simple act of casting a fly rod makes fishing interesting even when the fish aren’t biting. That can sound revisionist. As though you’re attempting to cover deep disappointment with a noble sounding summary. But any sportsperson knows the enjoyment that comes from truly specialized, dialed-in equipment. All-around does the job. Specialization is about superiority with a category and every detail of that system was precise. I didn’t pick up my switch rod again for the rest of the trip.
When the wind died and trout started looking up, I switched to dry flies with a bamboo rod my step father built for me. Again, using dry flies with a fast action fly rod is fun, but presenting dries with a bamboo rod is satisfying in a way that can’t be replicated by an all-around rod with a do-it-all fly line.
I haven’t bought the outfit Dagen recommended, but I’m thinking about it.
Big hitter, the Llama. Long.