sometimes luck sometimes not

I wanted to take my wife up to see the beauty of Aspen and get in a little fishing of course. When single I would go there for the sole purpose of targeting some of the largest and smartest fish in Colorado on the Frying Pan River. But this time it was more about touring around and seeing the sites. I was given a suggestion of a good brook trout stream flowing off Mount Sopris where I thought the action would be plentiful and the scenery nice.

There had been a lot of rain the week before and although the water of Avalanche creek was running clear it was fast and hard to wade. Nevertheless we were able to get into some of the usual suspects...

I was worried about my wife falling and the forest on the side of the stream was almost impassable with wild rose and deadfall. Banging through the brush I lost my tippet dispenser. Wading in the stream I slipped and cracked the wood on my reel seat. I wrapped my expensive furled leader around a logjam and broke it off. I was starting to get pissy in only the way a grown man could when he is alone with his wife. "I'm done." I proclaimed with a pout kicking the water, "I'm too unlucky today."

I told her she could fish for a while then we would have to make the hard trek back downstream. She took the rod from me and began flogging the water with the large stimulator I had put on the way to short leader....

"If you can hit that rock," I said only half paying attention, "there will be a decent fish in the current break behind." She made it on the third cast and a true monster of the stream came up to attack the fly. The next few seconds were tense with me yelling instructions and trying to land the fish. A beautiful cutt-bow hybrid on a size 12 stimulator.....

After we released the gorgeous fish we knew it was time to quit and headed back to the car. It was easier going than I thought with the high of the fish still with us. We stopped at a hot springs where the little stream meets the main river. Moving the river rock, so that the hot and cold mixed to a perfect temperature, I realized that even if we had caught no fish we were luckier than most just to be out in the mountains enjoying the day....

fishing ponds near Mount Fuji.

Mr. Bae, Prof. Huh, & Dr. Shin just returned from a trip to Japan where they were visiting Mr. Takahara at his summer cabin near mount Fuji. They had a chance to visit 3 local fishing ponds near there. Two of the ponds are public ponds (but with fees that run up to $100 per person!) and one of them is a private club where it’s invitation access only. Looks like a great time.

EFFK: Emergency Fly Fishing Kit

In case of an emergency urge/opportunity to fly fish (but don’t have your gear), keep one of these in your glove compartment or back pack (so you don't go out of your mind). I love buying novel stuff, and I just recently bought the penfishingrod fly combo ( http://penfishingrods.com/ ). The guides are a little bit tight for a fly line, but it works fine with a #2-#3 line and it casts pretty good for short/ medium distances. I had a chance to speak to the owner of penfishingrod, Mr. Anthony Di Pippo, and we spoke about refinements needs as fly set, the fish to be caught, and the other gear from his company I’ll try out (spin reel, longer rod). I like it as my novel back up rod, it will serve it’s need just perfectly. Stay tuned for pictures & video with penfishingrod.

* let me know if you think I missed a critical piece to the EFFK...I have: rod, reel, tippet, leader, forceps, clipper, lead, indicators, fly...

Chillin.

Chillin with the Mrs. Enjoyed the Midwest sun, caught a few fish, and strolled around in a small rental boat. She's not that into fishing (yet) but I'm not that into shopping (still). We learn, we grow, and we love & respect each other... what more can one ask for.

“Gyeonji” – Korea's traditional fishing

Gyeonji (견지낚시) is the traditional fishing method of Korea that has been around for at least several hundred years, with the first officially documented records being from 1764, and showing up earlier through painting in 1742. Considering that this style shows up in several paintings in different regions of Korea prior to the documented dates, the style is believed to date back at least couple of hundred years before the recorded date. Historians predict that Gyeonji is the style of fishing preferred by the working class farmers, as it requires one to be either submerged in the water or on a raft to fish effectively. Both of these would have been considered improper behavior for a nobleman back in those days.

I am certainly no expert on Gyeonji, but from those that I have spoken to & from what I have read, the fishing methods are classified into 3 different categories using the GyunJi rod. The 3 categories differ in the hook & line set up, and the lure/ bait that is used. The most conventional method is locating the fish holding line (from upstream), chumming downstream along the line with bait, then drifting the baited hook line with the same bait. The line is drifted freely downstream, then retrieved up stream, and fish can be caught either going downstream or up. The success in Gyeonji depends on how well you find the fish holding line, the ability to drift the bait at the right depth, and the control of your line in depth & direction. There are various weight, line & hook set ups that are used depending on the depth of the water and the species one is fishing for. The weighted rigs are similar to what we see in conventional bait fishing, most common with a stationary weight but also with moving weight (similar to a Carolina rig). The use of artificial flies are common in Gyeonji fishing, however everyone swears that bait is highly effective. In still water or deep lake fishing, chumming is used to attract the fish. One of the interesting fact I learned was that a key ingredient to chumming bait has historically used in Gyeonji fishing is ground up sesame leaves, but I’m not sure why. In all cases, the line is drifted or dropped, as there is no casting in Gyeonji fishing.

The Gyeonji fishing gear is one of the most efficient set up I have seen, that allows the angler to control the length of the line with an object that is both a rod & a reel (in one piece). The finer, high quality rods are created from bamboo and can set you back few thousand dollars, while there are cheap rods you can buy for about twenty bucks, which are made from graphite or metal. I won’t go into depth about what characters constitutes a good Gyeonji rod but from the experts I spoke with, the characteristics are similar to a fine bamboo fly rod (I’ll write more on this after I go out Gyeonji fishing with Enue soon). Another key gear is what they call “soo jang dae” which is both a wading staff & fish tackle holder (fish basket, bags, etc.) while standing in water. This staff allows the angler to have both hands free to reel in when a fish is caught.

Don’t be deceived by the short and somewhat flimsy looking Gyeonji rod, as the photos from different Gyeonji sites show off the big fish that’s been caught with this style of fishing. I am always fascinated with set ups that are light & efficient that has the ability to catch big fish. The gear that’s available for Gyeonji fishing has remained true to traditions, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find new generations working on evolving the gear & techniques used (perhaps us). There is a strong following of people who fish Gyeonji style in Korea, and some universities have set up classes & departments which focus on the history & technique of Gyeonji. I can’t wait to try this uniquely Korean fishing style soon. Stay tuned for photo updates with me holding trout on Gyeonji rod ;-)