At MSFF's October 1 general meeting, MSFF member Dayton Keller presented his online training program "TROUT CATCHING SMARTS" in two sessions.
TROUT CATCHING SMARTS is the simplified learning process that helps trout fishers KNOW What to Do and HOW to Do it to Catch More Trout.
In Session 1, he presented 3 secret essential LAWS that make catching trout simple.
Law # 1: A trout must SEE your fly, then TAKE it. Trout spend their day watching for food. The number one cause of not catching trout is that the trout seldom see your fly. You need to know how to get a trout to SEE your fly.
Law # 2: You must CONTROL your fly-fishing system to be able to REACT to a TAKE. Many times, a trout takes your fly, and you do not react. To hook a trout, you need to know how to recognize and react when a trout takes your fly.
Law # 3: Fish where many trout ARE. You must be close to a trout to catch it. Your odds of catching go up in short stretches of water that hold many trout. You need to know how to find the best spots in a river to catch trout.
If you obey these laws, you will catch more trout; when you disobey an essential law, you are punished by catching fewer trout.
In Session 2, he presented 4 TOOLS to keep in your TOOLBOX to make catching trout simple.
A trout catching TOOL has two parts:
1. Mental : Instructions, stored in your mind, so you Know what to do + How to do it + Where & When to use it.
2. Physical : Fly + Rig + Technique to fish
He encouraged each audience member to add the following 4 Tools to his or her TOOLBOX:
Tool # 1: John’s L near the bottom in shallow water Tool # 2: Bottom Bumping near the bottom in deeper water
Tool # 3: Drift, Swing, Hang just under the surface
Tool # 4: Natural Drift on the surface
Trout catching is SIMPLE when you only need to Know How to:
1. Recognize a set of conditions based on the depth, current, and trout activity;
2. Choose a TOOL designed to catch trout in this situation;
3. Adjust your TOOL if you are not catching fish.