Oh, really?

Will Rogers, the sage of Oklahoma, once said, “It ain’t what people don’t know, the problem is what people do know that just ain’t so.” For years I have been looked down upon by other fly fishers because I persist in reeling with my right hand when playing a fish. Some years ago, some genius wrote an article stating that the proper way to play a fish was to reel using the left hand. This obviates the need for a right-handed caster to switch hands after hooking a fish.

Big deal. That switch is done in the blink of an eye. The lemmings of fly fishing, believing the “expert,” at once began to change their reels to left hand wind. I have always felt this advice was inconsequential. Those anglers who feel they are right and I am wrong should read “Presenting the Fly,” by Lefty Kreh. In discussing fly reels Lefty writes, “To be ready to hook and fight a fish when you present a fly, use a reel that you wind with your dominant hand.” Therefore, I should and do reel with my right hand. Since Mr. Kreh’s reputation is somewhat larger than mine, I rest my case.

I have been tying my flies on Mustad hooks for 60 years. There are hooks being marketed to tiers that are far more expensive than the Mustads. These hooks are supposed to have some sort of intangible superiority to Mustads. I have never had a Mustad hook fail me. Unless Mustad does not produce a particular shape hook that I need, I see no reason to use a more expensive hook. Some seem to believe that paying more guarantees receiving a superior product. Oh, really?

This is an inconvenient time for those who worship at the altar of global warming. Have they been outdoors lately? Here is some more bad news. This winter, the polar ice cap has expanded more rapidly than forecast. I imagine that is why the term global warming has been changed to climate change. Now whether the earth becomes warmer or colder it’s the fault of those nasty SUVs. Oh, really?

It seems some anglers cannot deem a day’s fishing to be successful unless they hook 20 or more large fish. I would suggest that if sheer numbers or size are their criterion for success, they might be happier digging for Quahogs on some Atlantic beach. It is true that when I sally forth, I hope to catch a fish or two. I also anticipate immersing myself in the unspeakable beauty and mysteries of God’s creation. Especially, I seek those areas where he has “scrubbed stones with water and produced trout.” Those who fish for mere numbers are surely to be pitied.

Some fly fishers never take the time to experiment or challenge conventional thinking. Ever since I started tying my own leaders, I have used the time-honored formula of a heavy butt section tapering gradually to a fine tippet section. This past year I tied leaders that A. J. McClane refers to as “compound leaders.” These slightly resemble a double-tapered fly line, being thin at the butt, swelling toward the middle and then tapering toward the tippet section. This style of leader has tightened my fly line loops and delivers a dry fly as lightly as a thistle. Some might believe such a leader will not cast properly. Oh, really?

Oh yeah, that Latin quote above translates as, “a voice crying in the wilderness.”