The Nature of Fly Fishing

It's less about how to cast further, or increasing the number of fish landed, and more about increasing the angler's knowledge of the species, the environment he inhabits, and what he likes to eat (real or inmitated). That's the goal of this site - EcoAngler.com.

Ecological?

By definition, ecological is the interactions and relationships between organisms and their environment. It comes from two Greek words: oikos meaning "the family household," and logy, meaning "study of." The science of ecology teaches the angler, it is impossible to separate the study of a species of fish such as trout from the study of their environment. Freshwater ecology is a broad and complex science, and the scope of this site only allows a brief overview of the critical elements - Fly patterns (a.k.a. aquatic insects), Habitat and Species.

A good ecologist can dovetail into dovetail until the whole thing stretches out of sight. We call it an ecosystem now; earlier Americans called it the Sacred Circle. Either way it can make your little head swim with a vision of a thing of great size and strength that still depends on the underpinning of its smallest members.
Sex, Death, and Fly-Fishing by John Gierach  

Fly Patterns

It starts with a trout's favorite class of food - aquatic insects. (Grasshoppers, ants, beetles, minnows and leeches are also on the menu here.) And in the case of the angler, the fly patterns which imitate these insects.

The goal of the EcoAngler is to recognize the insects that freshwater trout survive on, and to the extent possible the ecology of these tiny creatures.

Trout Habitat

Trout are coldwater fish and take up residence in streams, ponds, and lakes that have cold water year round and provide enough food and oxygen to survive. The initial focus of the EcoAngler is trout habitat in the Sierra Nevada and Northern California.

Each of the fisheries covered in habitat includes information critical to your angling success. This information includes:

Fly Patterns

To improve your chances of connecting with a resident trout - a suggested list of fly patterns is given for a particular habitat. Here's a sample set of nymphs recommended for the East Walker River.

Map of Area

The EcoAngler includes a detailed topo map of the stream or lake and surrounding area with each of the habitats listed.

To get you to these fly fishing destinations, driving directions from a major city are provided as well. (Look on the left side of the specific habitat page under "Directions.")

Flow Information

Easy access to real-time water flows and levels are available from each of the stream habitats profiled. The link entitled Flow Information - in the upper left corner of the page - takes you to the USGS extensive web-site for water data.

Fishing Regulations

With a majority of the habitat described on the EcoAngler lying within California's Wild and Heritage Trout program, please consult the Department of Fish and Game's Regulations for complete details before striking out on a trip. A reference link entitled Regulations is provided on every habitat page and any special considerations are generally called out on the page.

As anglers, it's up to each of us to protect and care for these unique fisheries.

Species of Trout

No species of fish has excited the freshwater angler through the years as the trout. California is home to two native trout species (rainbow and cutthroat) and numerous subspecies including Eagle Lake rainbow trout, Lahontan cutthroat and Kern River rainbow trout.

California Heritage Trout Challenge

Catch, photograph, and release six different forms of California native trout from their historic range and California Department of Fish and Game will send you a personalized certificate featuring the art of Joseph Tomelleri (similiar to this one). The EcoAngler describes a number of these native trout that qualify for the challenge including:

• Lahontan cutthroat  
• Paiute cutthroat  
• California golden trout  
• California rainbow trout  
• Eagle Lake rainbow trout  
• Goose Lake redband trout  
• McCloud River redband trout  
• Steelhead trout  
• Warner Lakes redband trout  

Book and Video Reviews

Get Bent: Fish Eye Video Issue 3

Get Bent offers plenty of rod bending material - translation: lots of big, juicy trout. The jazz track accompanying this section almost keeps pace with the video action on screen. This opening moves with rhythm and energy. A video mosaic of rivers I recognized like the East Fork of the Carson, the Truckee (appears to be footage from Fish Eye #2) with some of the usual faces which Mikey has fished with - including an eight year who takes a rainbow on a dry fly. It wraps up with another youngster Loren Elliott hooking and landing a 20 inch rainbow on the East Fork of the Carson.

Read the entire review of this video in the Fly Fishing Reviews section.

The Season of the Mayfly: Fish Eye Video Issue 2

The video magazine opens with a twisted tribute to the opening scene in the movie Jaws... instead of a young, female swimming substitue a mayfly. Watch the serenity of a mayfly floating carefree. Then witness the death from below reality when a trout goes on the feed.

Read the entire review of this video in the Fly Fishing Reviews section.

Caddisflies

As LaFontaine states midway through the book, "The study of caddisflies is the graduate school of an angler's education." His book clearly mirrors both the diversity and complexity of its subject matter - caddisflies. LaFontaine mastery of the bug and how to present it to trout in it's varying life stages is apparent. But the crowning achievement in these pages is the bridge LaFontaine builds between this insect's world and the mind of the angler. It's a bridge every angler must eventually cross in order to master the complex interaction between these bugs and feeding trout. I couldn't really come up with the number of days and the river miles you would need to wade in order to gain the knowledge Lafontaine distills onto paper... but a lifetime wouldn't be a stretch here (wearing out many pairs of wading boots along the way).

Read the entire review of this book in the Reviews section.

The Trout and the Fly

If you wish to get inside the small, primitive brain of a trout, then read The Trout and The Fly. Most theories passed around in angling circles for how these critters behave is commonly hearsay. The authors, Brian Clarke and John Goddard - both avid fly fishermen, reveal trained and measured observations. More than any sport, fishing lends itself to word-of-mouth and story telling. Clarke and Goddard take a more analytical tact - providing the angler fundamental knowledge of trout behavior.

Read the entire review of this book in the Reviews section.

The Angler's Bamboo

I received Angler's Bamboo as a gift from my cousin, Gib Cooper who along with his wife owns and operates Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery out of Gold Beach, Oregon. The book provides a concise history of how "tea stick bamboo" came to be revered by anglers around the world.

Read the entire review of this book in the Reviews section.

Many Rivers to Cross: Of Good Running Water, Native Trout, and the Remains of Wilderness

M. R. Montgomery goes fishing. Well, to be precise the author goes in search of rare, hard-to-find, native trout. The places and the numbers of native fish he finds are as telling as the sharp observations he gives the reader. I initially picked up the book on account of it's subject matter - fly fishing for native trout around the West. As I read the last couple of chapters I found myself less interested in the author's fishing activity and more drawn into his commentary and writing style.

Read the entire review of this book in the Reviews section.

Trout Eyes

The qualities of Bill Tapply's work which jump out are: (1) the craftsmanship of his writing - first class, and (2) the universal themes anglers have grown to know and love. Bill describes settings which transport our minds to the beloved dream-world of casting a dry fly to a large feeding brown trout. And he transports us from our real world of suburban spawl and traffic jams to our favorite escapes faster than 2 large aspirin.

Read the entire review of this book in the Reviews section.

Fly Fishing Articles

Southwest Fly Fishing

I wrote a feature story for the July/August 2007 issue of Southwest Fly Fishing. The article details a five day span spent angling for Kern River rainbow trout along the upper Kern River within the Golden Trout Wilderness.

Northwest Fly Fishing

Another, shorter article I wrote appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of Northwest Fly Fishing. It's a piece about one of my favorite still-water destinations in the entire Sierra Nevada - Heenan Lake.

I contributed a feature story for the January/February 2008 issue of Northwest Fly Fishing. The article covers the upper Merced River in Yosemite Valley flowing down through the Merced Canyon until it meets the South Fork of the Merced.