HOAGY B. CARMICHAEL

Okay, here goes. I am happy to be a part of your endeavor, as I, too, have enjoyed fishing for trout for over fifty years.

1. Choice of equipment Rods, reels, fly lines, fly floatants, clothes, glasses and other useful items.

I fish trout with bamboo rods only. I have three of my own make, an 8'0", a 7'6" 5 weight rod, and a 6'9" rod that I use on smaller streams. I also have a three-piece 7'6" E.F. Payne rod that I use for my four weight rod. It is a beauty. I like Scientific Angler WF lines, and carry most of my flies and gadgets in an old L.L. Bean fishing vest that has stood the test of time.

2. Leader material, build up, length and knots.

I make my own trout leaders out of Maxima nylon leader material. I always fish dry flies with a leader that is at least 10'0", and when water conditions demand it I move out to 12'0" - 15'0" leaders. The barrel knot, if tied correctly, never lets me down.

3. Approach and stealth.

Vince Marinaro taught me to stay "low and slow." Many of our rivers are clear by the middle of May, so I always approach the fish from the side and cast across and down. I don't want the fish to see the leader, and from this position I can move the fly just enough to imitate the natural as it is trying to lift off the water.

4. Reading the water.

Reading the water is essential. I always sit on the bank and watch the rise forms and the position of the various fish relative to what I consider to be the biggest of them in the pool. Are they taking emergers, or adults that are soon to move off the water? I often spend as much time observing as I do casting.

5. Casting ability which casts are essential.

Again, while I do use the upstream cast when I have to, I prefer to put the fly first over a trout and thus toss the dry fly across and down to a rising fish.

6. Entomology, what should we know.

I am not sure how to answer that question. In order for a person to catch trout, one has to know something about the entomology of the river he or she is fishing. I have read my share of books on the subject, and am aware that one can never solve the mystery of how best to catch a rising trout without knowing what flies may come to the surface. It is the essential ingredient.

7. Rise forms Can they tell us something?

Rise forms are the trout's calling card. They let us know how they are feeding and where. Often trout will rise in a timed sequence, as if they are digesting their prey and then ready for the next morsel.

8. Fly selection, Size, shape, materials, which flies are essential.

I try to fish the fly that I feel is a suitable match with what I see on the water. Brown trout are selective, and often quite fikkle, so reading the water first and having a good dig through the fly box is essential. Rivers seem to demand certain patterns that work better than others. Size is, in my opinion, the most important first step in fly selection. Color and the shape of the wings are next in my book. My favorite fly is the Caddis pattern in sizes 12 - 16. If they are moved ever so slightly when six inches from a feeding trout, it is exciting to see a fish lung for the fake and take it down.

9.- 10. I think I have answered those.

11. Fighting fish.

An old friend wrote: "Let me find a good fish, and if I do I will get a thousand dreams out of him. And, if I catch him, I will let him go." For me it is all about hooking a smart trout. If I do get the fish to make a mistake and take the fly it is over for me. I try to get it in as soon as possible without harming the fish. If the fly works its way out of his mouth all the better. I take very little joy in putting the fish in a net or having my picture taken with a fish in hand. It is the act of outsmarting a creature who knows more about what it is doing than I ever will.

I sincerely hope this is of some help to you.

My best,

Hoagy