The Morning Hatch - The Misunderstood Jack, 5 Tips for Smallmouth, Veterans Healling With Fly Fishing

"The Morning Hatch" is a daily dose of anything fly fishing, human interest, and sometimes from left field. It will be short, informative, and hopefully entertaining. Enjoy it as a morning starter with your cup of Joe.

Releasing a smallmouth bass from the Lower Niagara river. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

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In this edition of The Morning Hatch:

• The Jack Crevalle should get more love from fly anglers; it is an amazing fish that will ferociously hit a fly and put up a fight equal to any gamefish out there. The more fly anglers learn about Jacks and their willingness to jump on a fly, the more Jacks will get the recognition they deserve. - How Scientists Are Angling to Learn More About Jack Crevalle

• During the long, hot days of summer, you may have to remind yourself that fish still have to eat and will take a fly. With the water low, clear, and everything seemingly moving in slow motion, it is possible to catch smallmouth bass if you make some adjustments to your game. Here are five smart tips on fishing for smallmouth bass during the dog days of summer. - 5 tips for stealthier topwater presentations

• It's no secret amongst fly anglers, it's more to us than a hobby; it's medicine, therapy, a drug, a life. - Veterans find recovery in fly fishing

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How Scientists Are Angling to Learn More About Jack Crevalle

By T. Edward Nickens - GARDEN&GUN

"Jack crevalle travel in large schools along the Gulf and southeastern Atlantic coasts. Aggressive feeders, they hit lures and flies with explosive fervor. But they’re also fairly easy to catch on conventional tackle, and not a great item on the dinner table. Many anglers have therefore historically held jacks in low esteem; others consider them 'trip savers': When fishing for species such as tarpon or permit is poor, a couple of hard-pulling jack crevalle can prevent a bust." Cont.

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5 tips for stealthier topwater presentations

By Matthew Reilly - HATCH Magazine

"The challenge then becomes presenting a fly in a way that triggers a large, wary smallmouth that’s been living on eggshells for weeks to eat. Therein lies the fun. Personally, as an angler, 'challenging' and 'fun' are almost synonyms, and I’ve made technical topwater sight fishing to big fish the mainstay of my summers in the southeast." Cont.

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Veterans find recovery in fly fishing

By Kari Williams - MILITARY families Magazine

“ ‘People don’t realize that you can fly fish in every state,’ said Cushman, who served as an infantryman from 2010 to 2016. ‘There is not a single state — there’s not a place on earth — that you can’t fly fish. You can fly fish for sharks, you can fly fish for bass, you can fly fish for trout, right? And trout are the pinnacle of what everyone thinks about fly fishing. But, you know, while fly fishing is like what I like to call the sexy factor, the cool factor that brings people in, that healing power that is outdoors is really truly in the outdoors.' " Cont.

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Now, have a good day. KB

“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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