Sometimes, I believe that blind fishing is a true blessing. I don’t know about you, but attempting to sight-fish for elusive trout can often leave me feeling a bit overwhelmed, even before I’ve made my first cast. It’s the fear of missing the opportunity, the thought that I have just one chance and it needs to be perfect.
Large fish don’t become giants by chance. They are cautious, seasoned, and easily spooked, often living in areas heavily fished by others. I’ve spent countless hours tracking down a massive brown trout, only to watch it dart away before I could even cast my fly. This happened on a memorable fly fishing trip to the Snowy Mountains, and I was left baffled, wondering how the fish could have sensed my presence. Could it detect vibrations, see my shadow, catch something in its peripheral vision? At one point, I even questioned if it could somehow sense my intentions.
And it’s not just the big ones; even the smaller fish can be equally skittish. So, I frequently pondered what adjustments I needed to make when targeting these educated, pressured fish.
It was questions like these that made me hesitate at times, which led me to seek guidance from one of the most analytical and knowledgeable anglers I know: Josh Nugent. You might be familiar with Josh in the fishing world, or perhaps you’ve taken our Trout 101 class. Josh and I both felt the need to create something more in-depth, something tailored for advanced anglers like myself, and probably like you. So, here we are.
I couldn’t decide on a favorite chapter to share, so I thought I’d start at the beginning and introduce Chapter One, where Josh delves into why only 10% of anglers manage to catch 90% of the fish.
I sincerely hope you find these tips as intriguing as I do! Enjoy your fishing adventures.
~April Vokey
If you’re interested in Josh’s Spooky Trout class, you can purchase it here.
In this class, Josh covers a wide range of topics including:
- Patient and Observant Observation
- Identifying the Habitats of Large Elusive Fish
- Approaching Fish with Care
- Choosing the Right Gear Setup
- Selecting the Perfect Fly
- Mastering Casting Techniques
- Effective Line Management
- Handling Refusals
- Understanding Loop Shape
- Battling with Large, Experienced Fish
- And much more!
