Sink vs. Swim

Two handed rod for steelhead (click image for detail)

Whelp……………….Here it is. September is gone. The month that’s so darn good it needs to be six months long. Bird hunts, bow hunts, lonely big swirling back eddies crowded with sipping trout, and the arrival of STEELHEAD!! I love to trout fish, but there’s a reason the back eddies are now crowded with fish and not fishermen…………..STEELHEAD. Along with the fall season of big grabs, big fish and big stories is the big debate. Sink vs. Swim.

Hmmmmmm. Do I sink the fly or swim the fly. After the invent of yarn above a tasty nymph, the evolution of debate over the two techniques has become more polished than the techniques themselves. Sound criticisms against indicator fishing, and traditional methods circulate through fly fishing circles like liberals and conservatives repeating the words of their favorite AM Radio host. I hear many great reasons to fish either way, here are a few…

Traditional Methods, top three selling points

1. “I love the grab! The jolting freight train take of a steelhead turning on the fly!!”

2. “I hate casting all that heavy crap.”

3. “I don’t care about the numbers of fish I catch, one or two is fine” ( these are the guys I prefer to fish with, it gives me a chance to catch one or two.)

Nymph Fishing, top three selling points

1. “I just want to hook fish.”

2. “Deep running flies are more effective than swinging flies.”

3. “I just want to hook fish.”

Well, what ever………..I split my time fishing both methods, and yes I do find the nymphing to be more productive. Not true on all great steelhead waters. But how about the resentment? I get beat up verbally sometimes for admitting to being an indicator fisherman. I prefer to swing a fly, but come on. In 40 something degree water, on a boulder studded run, during a 15 degree morning, with fast currents??? Swing away pal. I’ll be right behind you with my dog Max. And a piece of yarn. And I’ve got to know one thing. When I get called a “cheater” for pulling one out, where is the consistency? I find casting a virtually weightless wet fly and waiting to get my arms ripped off far less skillful than casting heavily weighted flies threatening to pierce my skull. Detecting the subtle change of speed in the yarn, or tip of my fly line, is far less noticeable than the tight line grab. And the true acid test of consistency for me is the lack traditionalism in other activities. How can someone look down their nose at an indicator fisherman for making it “to easy” to catch fish , and then use oversized golf clubs to lower their handicap? Put a scope on their rifle instead of open sights. Use shaped skis to be a better skier . Got a remote control for your plasma Television mister traditionalist?? I think that makes changing channels to easy.

Unless you’re traveling to the river on a horse, equipped with a cane rod, silk line, and gut leader, there is not much wiggle room for condescending traditionalist remarks. And for every indicator fisherman that has put their feet in concrete and camped on a holding lie for hours, this article is not for you.

 But seriously, fly fishermen should all be in the same corner, not the same penalty box.   The future of getting along on our progressively more crowded waters is to use tradition as a rudder, not as an anchor.

I look forward to sharing a piece of water with you sometime………………..

Todd Ostenson

 Trophy Waters Flyfishing Shop