Blog

A friend wrote to me recently that he is trying "micro" leaders for nymphing with a 4x (0.16mm) sighter section. For most of my fishing however a 4X sighter is more of a "macro" leader these days. The size of trout I normally chase allow me to go lower and benefit from the many good sides of this approach. I do fish 4x and higher when I get the chance to target bigger fish. Given the numbers of anglers practicing nymphing techniques around the globe I can imagine that the worlds "micro" and "macro" can mean very different things for different people in different conditions. My choice is to avoid them altogether when speaking about leaders. After all we already have several systems (inches, millimeters and fly fishing's very own X system) to define exactly what the diameter of a leader is. A "micro", "macro" or just nymphing leader is built following the same principles, anyway. 

In my 20 or so years of studying and practicing nymphing techniques I had the fortune to fish with and learn from some of the world's top rods from Spain, France and Czechia. One key thing I learned is that regardless of the variations of technique, when fishing on a tight line they all use essentially the same leader formula. The diameter varies depending on the conditions but the rest stays the same. The lowest one can handle is usually the best: how low would depend on the fish and their strength, on the specific water fished (the chance of breakages because of snags, for example), on the quality and capacity of the equipment used and the skill level of the angler. Not all nymphing rods get properly loaded with lower diameter leaders and light nymphs, and not all anglers can cast those without the right instruction and some practice. Reaching my Spanish friends' skill level in working tiny, light nymphs at a distance is something I keep working hard on. Progress is not exactly fast but the patience and effort are worth it and the results quite rewarding.

Here is a link to a video where Ciprian and I share what we learned from our European friends about nymphing leaders and how we adapt and use this in our own fishing. I promise, we don't use the words "micro" and "macro". Frankly, we don't quite like the term "Euro" either - after all in Europe it is just nymphing - but we can't be perfect after all ;)

Tight lines!

Ivo

The Arcay Otter 11ft, 2/3 wt

A review by Mike Learmonth, competitive angler, member of Fly Fishing Team Canada 2023.

As a professional in the Wealth Management industry for close to 30 years, I have watched firsthand how competition drives innovation and awakens new opportunities for industry participants. Old technology, while remaining quite serviceable, may no longer remain optimal. For example; I’d much rather own an iPhone today than my old Blackberry although both phones worked to call home when I stayed late on the river.

It’s for this reason – a desire to continue to optimize my equipment and improve my skillset - that I remain open to considering new things. I acknowledge and agree that a skilled angler with average equipment is likely to outperform an average angler with optimized equipment. But hey, why not strive to be a skilled angler using optimized equipment?

In the fall of 2022, I made the decision to take an ARCAY Otter 11ft 2/3 Nymphing Rod for a test drive. My decision was based on two considerations. First, the rod was designed by multiple World Champions who eat their own cooking which I respect. Secondly, I received nothing but favourable commentary from all competitors whom I polled that were using the rod.  

Out of the box, the rod is aesthetically pleasing featuring a graphite blank with a matte finish and subtle blue accents.  The down locking reel seat helps to place the reel further away from the grip offering excellent balance to offset the longer rod length. The cork grip, is both comfortable and functional as it naturally guides my hand to the correct fulcrum point. Above the cork is a small hook keeper that with ensure your cork maintains its integrity long term.

The stripping guide is a Fuji K-Series single foot guide. It’s located about 22cm above the cork and helps to control line sag during drifts. It is angled up slightly which reduces friction and tangling when shooting line. Single foot guides are used right up the blank to the rod tip. Other brands that I’ve investigated will place a few snake guides closer to the rod tip claiming it helps to control leader wrapping problems. I’m not so sure to be honest. I think leader wrapping is more correlated to tip recovery than choice of guides. Which brings me to the rods action and overall performance on the river- perhaps the most exciting part for me!

In my world, a good Nymphing rod ticks the following boxes;

Recovery

Rod tip recovery for me is key and I’ve found this to be a place where the Arcay 11f 2/3 rod excels.

I want a tip that quickly dampens its vibrations and comes back to a complete equilibrium after casting.  A rod tip that recovers quickly offers me significantly more casting accuracy. And, accurate casts allow me to effectively and efficiently cover the water.

It’s this aspect of the Otter 11ft 2/3 that I appreciate the most.

The recovery on this rod is superb!

Flex

The Arcay Otter 11ft 2/3 has been designed to throw light and medium weight flies. I reside in British Columbia, Canada where we’re commonly restricted to fishing only one fly. Fishing a light, single fly rig with a thin leader can be a real challenge but I’ve found the Arcay 11ft 2/3 loads well in these circumstances and yet it doesn’t come at the cost of good recovery.

Power

The Arcay 11ft 2/3 has a very smooth transition of power from rod tip to the cork handle. I feel very confident the rod design will protect thin tippet and still provide a good hookset thereby improving landing ratios. With that said, this rod excels when used true to its design. Large fish can definitely bulldog this rod. However, this brings me to my final point!

Consistency

Fly rods are like golf clubs. You don’t tee off on a par 5 with sand wedge and you don’t putt with a driver if you’re trying to optimize your score! By choosing the right club for the situation – you’ll greatly improve your chances for success.

I view fly rods in the same way.

With that in mind, it makes sense to look for a company that offers the angler consistency in both quality and feel across all of their product lines. For me, this has been the case with Arcay from day one. So much so, that I’ve since acquired two more rods in my Arcay collection with which I’m exceptionally happy.

Smart Angling (Ivo): Tell us a bit about yourself first. When and how did you start fly fishing?

Keefer: I am a late 30’s father of two boys who loves spending time outdoors with a deep seeded passion for fishing and hunting that started early in my life. Both my grandfather and father were passionate fly fishermen. I was first exposed as a 7 or 8-year-old on the Credit River in Ontario, targeting brown and brook trout with my father. Turns out and to everyone’s surprise, I did not have a lot of patience for learning the sport, and that was quickly shut down. I spent the next 10+ years fishing with spinning tackle and would take up any opportunity possible to get out on the water. The last summer before heading off to University was spent in the Muskoka region of Ontario chasing warm water species at a friend's cottage where I was consistently losing expensive hard plastic lures. Frustration with the mounting costs and lack of available replacement gear on short notice was mounting. It was then that I sheepishly asked my Dad to have another go at teaching me how to fly fishing, thinking I would learn to tie flies. For whatever reason, I thought I would be saving money by making my own lures (oops….). This all came at a very busy time professionally for dad and I was off to university anyway and would be away much of the remaining season. At that point, he found Ian Colin James in London, where I was going to school, and booked me my first lesson. That first lesson is where it really all began. Ian taught me the basics in a park on grass and we quickly moved to a surprisingly productive section of the Thames river near the school. I was hooked. Deep! From that point on, for whatever reason, Ian and I fished together regularly while I attended school. Ian was a phenomenal first mentor, and I was very fortunate to have found him. It was Ian that would eventually push me and a number of my teammates over the years into competitive fly fishing (more on that later)...

Smart Angling: Who is the person that has inspired and motivated you the most in fly fishing?

Keefer: It’s a hard question to answer quickly. Obviously given what I said above, Ian Colin James was a massive influence and inspiration. He kept things simple and uncomplicated, which in this sport is a bit rare. But it worked. Ian caught fish. His clients caught fish. He was my first major inspiration. He also introduced me to Ian Troup who would become one of my best friends and teammates over the next 13+ years.

Other major influences were anglers like Jiri Klima and Karel Krivanec in the Czech Republic. Back in 2009, I went to attend one of their masterclasses and it really opened my eyes a lot. Again, similarly to Ian, tactics, flies and techniques were kept simple. They worked. Well.

The final chapters of inspiration in the yet-to-be-finished story of my journey along this path is with some of the top anglers in Spain. David Arcay, through work with Smart Angling, has done a lot for Canadian competitive fly fishermen, and I am no exception. What David and the top anglers in Spain accomplish with a fly is truly incredible. The pace of progression and development our core team has gone through with David’s guidance has been unbelievable.

Finally, my teammates (from the team that represented Canada at the 2016 and 2018 Commonwealths, the 2022 Worlds and a few National Championships) inspire me regularly. We have a great and solid core of guys that consistently push each other to get better and stronger every year. They are also my strongest motivation to continue to develop, refine and improve my skill set. We are all like-minded and hungry to continue to learn. I couldn’t imagine a better group of guys to have gone down this path with over the years.

Smart Angling: What is your favourite type of water? Your favourite technique?

Keefer: Another tough question. I am so very fond of all water types and the challenges they present. I would say that this answer has consistently changed over the years. 

Lately, it has been technical rivers. Challenging and changing flow in tight conditions on clear water. Refining my dry fly and nymph skills in such water has been a fun challenge. 

Honourable mention goes to new lakes and figuring them out. New lakes can be like putting together a 3D puzzle. It takes time. Smaller portions of the overall picture show themselves first and eventually lead to breakthroughs that help you really figure out the whole picture. That said, there is also this feeling of wonder, at least in my case, as to whether there is another more productive area you might be missing – particularly on bigger bodies of water.

Smart Angling: How did you get involved in competitive fly fishing? What do you like about it and what not?

Keefer: As mentioned earlier, it was Ian Colin James that pushed me and a few guys into competitive fishing. The first comp we competed in was back in 2008 or 2009 in Mont Tremblant. We were all new to it and despite doing a horrible job from a result standpoint, I enjoyed every minute of it. Thinking back to the early years, what stood out, was how quickly you learn and adapt in competitive circumstances versus recreationally fishing. And interestingly, this has not changed after nearly 15 years. 

There is very little I don’t like about competitive fly fishing. Perhaps it’s the cost of travelling to far-off places to compete. It would be great if we could somehow find more support for our national teams that head to far-flung corners of the world. It's been a challenge for all teams at one point or another.

Smart Angling: What do you think is the biggest myth about competitive fly fishing?

Keefer: I’m not sure. I know there has been lots of noise and people who frown on competitive fishing for whatever reason. None of it has ever made much sense to me and I have done my best to ignore it.

Smart Angling: What is the biggest challenge facing competitive fishing in Canada? What is the biggest success?

Keefer: Canada is a big country. It is hard to organize events that give anglers consistent exposure to both river and lake venues that mimic circumstances often found in international settings. Despite the size of Canada, it is a small group nationally. We are growing and doing everything we can, but there remains lots of room there.

Interestingly, the challenges we have faced could also be viewed as our biggest success. Despite these challenges, over the years we have grown significantly as a group in Canada. Our success internationally has been consistently improved. I think another big success is the help the average recreational angler gets through the development of new techniques that almost always come through competitive fishing. Whether that been modern nymphing or Spanish/European dry fly techniques, the recreational anglers of the world have better access to more specialized equipment and technical teachings through accessing those who compete at a high level.

Smart Angling: You were part of a Canadian team that delivered last year in Spain Canada’s best finish at a World Championship. What does it take to do well at that level? What is your best memory of the experience?

Keefer: It is a constant evolution and refinement of our skill sets. More arrows in our quiver and making each arrow sharper and stronger. That said, perhaps the single most important aspect of our group is cultural fit. We all get along well. We are friends and fish together regularly outside of competitive fishing and have been for quite some time. We push each other to grow and refine our abilities. All that leads to consistency. We build the best possible plan through practice and stick to it. It develops over the course of a comp and we make adjustments but we do so as a single unit and by consensus.

Smart Angling: What is Smart Angling for you?

Keefer: For me, Smart Angling is a strong and supportive source of high quality, very specialized but very accessible technical equipment of all kinds for serious fly fishermen. Now just that’s my perspective from a competitive angler. You do offer a wide range of products within any given category that makes it very accessible to every angler type, but for me, it is being able to access cutting-edge products that help me become more effective on the water in a competitive setting.

About Keefer

Keefer is a fly fishing guide in Southwestern Ontario. Specializing in guiding on both, the Grand and Credit Rivers for intermediate and advanced anglers with a focus on dry fly and nymph fishing.

Keefer has been a competitive angler & guide since 2008. A founding member of Team Dredgehogs and Team Manager, Keefer has competed at many regional, national and international events. He has spent countless hours with some of the top anglers in the world refining his skills. Keefer has been mentored by the late Ian Colin James, starting in 2004, followed by top Czech competitive anglers and most importantly and most recently by five-time world champion David Arcay of Spain - without a doubt, one of the globe's top anglers. He has been selected five times to represent Canada at major international competitions:
2014, 2016 (Gold medal team), 2018 & 2020 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships in England, Canada, Northern Ireland & New Zealand respectively. 2022 World Fly Fishing Championships in Asturias, Spain.
 
Recent Achievements:

8th place team: 2022 WFFC, Spain
1st pl team & 4th pl individual - 2019 CNFFC
1st pl team & 1st pl individual - 2019 Ontario Fly Fishing Championships
1st pl team & 4th pl Individual - 2018 CNFFC
1st pl Team & 4th pl Individual - 2016 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships

 Ciprian found this fly to work for wild trout and grayling between 10 am and 6 pm on various trout streams in several European countries. So we called it the Daytime Emerger. It is very likely that it works in the evenings, too :) Easy to tie and versatile! Vary the hook size and the color of the body to cover a variety of mayfly emergers and midges.

Finally, the fly fishing competition season kicked off after more than two years of pause, and I was very excited and hungry for it. A week before my first competition in 2022, which was a lake bank two sessions, my friend Adrian Vlasiu called me and proposed to join him in a competition on Dedinky lake in Slovakia.

At the beginning, I was hesitating, but then I remembered the payback I had to this lake from the 2017 World Fly Fishing Championship where I lost too many fish, and I ended up with only four after a three-hour session. But I try to learn from my mistakes otherwise, why are we doing competitions if not to learn. Now I had a chance to prove  myself that I'm a better angler.

After two weeks of preparation, tying flies, and thinking about strategies, I finally arrived at the hotel on the 5th of May, which happened to be my birthday. It was time to celebrate but Adrian and I were to tired, so we just discussed the schedule and got to bed.

The schedule was quite simple: Friday was the training day, Saturday was the competition, and Sunday morning was the return home. So we set up the alarm clock for the following day around 7h30 am. Next day weere supposed to meet with our competition host Peter Bienek to get fishing licenses and a boat for our training day.

After a good sleep, I could feel the excitement of going fishing on Friday morning. Around 9h30 am we get to the lake where we meet with Peter, we get all the preparation done: boat, rods, motor, fishing licenses, and I was finally ready to make my first cast on Dedinky lake in 2022. After a short discussion with Peter about the lake, I realized it's not going to be easy. The lake had mostly wild fish or holdovers from previous stocking. For this event they stocked only 450 fish: a low number for the size of the water. My courage came back when I saw lots of rises in the middle of the lake, giving me hope that will catch a few fish. We had a flat calm, no wind at all: that's pretty bad because it's impossible to cover it by doing natural drifts. We had to use the electric motor and constantly move to cover new water and find the fish. After we watched a few locals we understood that everybody is chasing the rises, a tactic that provides us at the end of the day with 8-9 fish for each of us: a good results for the fishing conditions. I got all my fish using a slow intermediate, and a floating line, a long leader with three flies, some leach patterns and chironomids. I tried faster-sinking lines like di3 and di5 and also dries but with no success.  The fish were on the surface feeding on buzzers.

Saturday, the competition was to start around 7h30 am. We arrived at the competition site and I was pleased to see so many competitors getting ready to fish and organizers working out last minute details. The atmosphere was amicable, peaceful, and people were very welcoming.

The competition format was quite different from what I already experienced, but I liked it. We were three people in a boat, two competitors and one controller fishing for 2h30 then one of the competitors and the controller switched roles. We were three groups of 18 anglers which made a total of fifty four. The lake was divided into sectors A and B, so each competitor fished 2 sessions and controlled one.

After the draw, I was lucky enough to get in the boat with Peter Bienek and Zdenek Marek, starting the first session in sector A with Peter as a boat partner and Zdenek as a controller. In the second session Peter controlled me and Zdenek fishing in sector B.

Finally we heard the gunshot, and the first session started. We decided to fish around the bank: apparently the fresh stoked fish liked to stay 5-6 meters from the shore and what we did in practice was good but not for getting good numbers of fish. The only problem with fishing close to the bank is that the lake has a good population of chub. I set up my 7wt rod with a fast intermediate line, a long leader, 3 flies with 3 feet apart. The top dropper was a pink salmon leach, middle dropper was a Tristan leach and the point a simple black leach with orange bead. Peter used a slow intermediate line with 3 leach patterns but with a bit less distance between them.

In about 10 minutes Peter landed a wild brown trout and two minutes after I landed a wild brook trout.  In another 45 minutes close to the bank Peter got another brown and I had a few inquiries. Then we decided to move towards the middle of the lake where Peter got a wild rainbow.

With only 30 minutes left to the session, at that point we decided to try one more time near the bank, but closer to the docks. On my first cast I landed my second fish: a rainbow. And in the last 5 minutes of the session I landed my third: a nice 38 cm rainbow. My first two fish took the flies on the hang and the last one came on figure-eight retrieve.

Our three fish each would got us good placing points. Only eight anglers got fish, and the other ten blanked. Peter placed second with 101cm and I placed 3rd with 95cm.

After 30 minutes break, the gunshot announced the start of the second session. I fished sector B with Zdenek Marek as a boat partner and Peter Bienek as a controller. After a short discussion with Zdenek we decided to start once again closer to the bank targeting the freshly stocked fish.

First cast: Zdenek landed a rainbow. The wind picked up then and we actually had drifts towards the shore, which gave us the possibility to cover more water. As soon as we reached our targeted zone about to five meters from the shore, Zdenek landed another fish and I got my first of the second session. That gave me a huge relief for saving the blank.

Another drift and Zdenek landed his third fish and I got broken off. On the the next cast I landed my second fish, then we moved towards the middle of the lake. Right at the start of our drift, while retrieving I got a hard hit, we saw a big splash and my point fly was missing…another fish broke me off… I have to mention that during the first session, some monster 50+ cm wild brown got caught. Slowly we drifted close to shore and Zdenek landed his 4th fish. With only 20 m left, we decided to try a short drift towards the bank wich gave me my 3rd fish and Zdenek landed his 5th.

I ended up with 3 fish and 4 placing. Zdenek got 2 placing points with 5 fish.

I used slow intermediate line with 12 foot long leader and 3 flies. Once again the salmon leach gave me two fish and one fish came on a small wet fly. A retrieve with long strips and stops worked well, the fish took on the pause.

At the end, I placed 6th with 7 placing points from a total of 54 competitors: a very satisfying result for me. But more satisfying was that I made a lot of new friends and I had the opportunity to fish with very good anglers.

Thank you to the organizers and all the competitors for this great event. I am very grateful for the positive experience I had on Dedinky lake.

Ciprian Rafan

May 2022