Fly Fishing Lessons: The Top 5 Things I Learned Fishing With Conventional Tackle Guys

Recently, I spent a week fly fishing the Niagara River with a group of twenty other anglers spread out in ten boats. I was the only fly angler.

Fly Fishing the Lower Niagara River

The Niagara River is a great fishery full of smallmouth bass, Great Lakes steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout. We were mostly targeting the smallmouth bass.

This wasn't a contest, though it can feel like a competition whenever you get in a boat with another angler. Then add a fly rod to the mix, and you really get measured. I learned a saying when I was playing sports that I try to live by - "I never lose, I either win or I learn." I believe this and try to look at the world that way.

A Niagara River Smallmouth Bass about to be released back into the water. — A Niagara River Smallmouth Bass caught on a four-inch streamer. | photo by Ken Baldwin

A Student of the Game

I learned a lot while fishing with these guys. The Niagara fishery was new to me, so I approached it as I did when I was a student—I cheated off the guy next to me.

The Top 5 Things I Learned From Those Conventional Guys

1. If they are having success with a lure or type of retrieve, it is ok to match their hatch.

An angler with a baitcaster, and I bounced a Clouser on the bottom. After his fourth fish to my one, I switched up, put on a 4" streamer, and fished it on a sinking line. I stripped it back, giving it the action of a jerkbait, erratic movement with pauses in between, and I started catching fish right away.

2. Fish attractor scent is worth trying.

I can hear the fly purists grinding their teeth now. Sorry, not sorry. As a kid, I learned to fly fish on small ponds, chasing largemouth bass. I was lucky even to find an old fiberglass fly rod in our garage amongst all the bass gear. I respect the bass guys and their knowledge, and they know that when nothing is working, scent might help the cause.

I wouldn't put scent on a dry fly, but if I'm fishing Clousers or big ugly streamers for bass, why not? I'd use it for carp, too.

3. If I don't know what color to choose, choose chartreuse.

The jerk bait bite was on for the color chartreuse. Silver, gold, yellow, orange, and green, not so much. I did well with a brown and silver streamer until I lost it on some rocks. After that, I couldn't buy a bite until I tied on a chartreuse streamer.

A Drunk and Disorderly streamer and two Clouser minnows. | photo by Ken Baldwin

4. Sharpen your hooks regularly.

By regularly, I mean on the boat after you've connected to a few rocks. Most of the conventional guys had hook sharpeners in their tackle boxes. They would check their hooks and give them a quick touch-up if they needed it. This could mean the difference between a caught fish and one that throws the hook because it didn't penetrate enough.

5. Power Pole makes trolling motors, and they are amazingly quiet.

I plan to get a flats boat this year to chase Redfish in Charleston, SC, and I'm paying close attention to accessories that will boost its performance. On this trip, I learned that Power Pole manufactures trolling motors. This is news to me. I've always associated Power Pole with hydraulic anchors and nothing else. Not only do they make trolling motors, they make motors that are amazingly silent during operation.

It's like the first time you hear, or don't hear, an electric car when it's running. It takes a little getting used to. The Power Pole trolling motor runs near-silent, even at full tilt. Plus, its battery charge lasted a full day running against the river's current. It was impressive.

A Good Week of Learning, Catching Fish, and Trolling Motors

I love catching fish and learning something new while doing it. It increases my chances of catching more fish in the future. After a week with the conventional tackle guys, I walked away with more knowledge and a love for the lower Niagara fishery, and now I know what trolling motor I want for my boat. KB

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