Tips, Part 1

Back a few weeks ago when I set off on this adventure in blogging, I promised in my introductory post that from time to time, I would post some common-sense tips guaranteed to help you catch more fish.

Let it never be said that I do not keep my promises..

So, without further ado, here is today’s tip:

To increase your hooking percentage, use an anesthetic on your nose - It has been thoroughly documented that the primary reason most fly anglers only hook about 40% of the fish who take their offering has nothing to do with slow reflexes, an inability to detect the strike or even fussy fish who strike tentatively. The primary reason we miss fish is itchy noses. That’s right, the same involuntary phenomenon that makes your nose immediately begin itching when you are helpless in the dentist’s chair and you’ve been commanded to hold still is also the reason we miss that instant in time when the fish strikes and we must set the hook. Think about it and you’ll see it is true.

So, to increase your hooking percentage, you must deaden your nose so that when the fish strikes, you’re ready and not caught scratching. Try applying a thin film of any sensation-deadening ointment or salve to your nose before you make the first cast of the day. You’ll see a marked improvement in your hooking percentage almost immediately.

Among the best nose-deadeners on the market are the toothache gels. They have a high benzocaine content and their consistency is sufficiently thick that a single application will often last several hours. You’re also ready if you develop a toothache miles from the car, and will avoid being driven from the water just as the fish become active.

A caution about alternate means of achieving this deadening effect. A friend who dislikes all salves and ointments tried to substitute the oral administration of several shots of high-proof bourbon before he began fishing. His nose became sufficiently deadened to increase his hooking percentage, but he became unable to tie the laces on his wading shoes and ended up going to sleep under a tree next to his car. While he slept, on the river not 100 feet away, great trout rose to the flies of others with properly deadened noses. He missed it all. Don’t let this happen to you.

A secondary caution. On sunny days or in stream situations where there is a good chance for an encounter with stinging insects such as yellow jackets and the like, be sure to check your deadened nose from time to time to ensure it has not been severely sunburned or become swollen to several times its normal size as the result of a bee sting you never felt.

Watch for our next posted tip when we will examine the advantages of carrying a potted shrub with you on the water to help shield your approach to wary trout in low stream flow situations….