The Power of Observation in Fly Fishing, with Guide Cliff Weisse

Careful observation, active instead of passive, is the hallmark of a good fly fisher. They pick up patterns by observing exactly where in the river a fish came from , or how it behaved when feeding, or what weather patterns preceded a particularly successful day. Head guide Cliff Weisse [46:15] of Three Rivers Ranch in Warm River, Idaho tells us some things many fly fishers don't pay enough attention to, and thus lose the ability to improve their skills. In the Fly Box this week, we have some great questions and tips, including:

• How many flies and leaders will I need for a single day of guided fishing in the Bahamas? And what gear will I need that I would normally not take for a day of trout fishing?
• If I catch a trout from a small pool, should I assume the rest of the fish in that pool are spooked?
• When should I strip a fish in, and when should I get the line on the reel?
• My buddy and I lost 100% of the trout we hooked one day. WE normally land most of them. What did we do wrong?
• What flies will imitate shad, small rainbows, sculpins, and small brown trout?
• I fish a piece of water with lots of swirling eddies and have trouble with a normal hard strike indicator. What should I use instead?
• How can I manage using multiple fly lines without buying a new reel or spool for each one?
• Is it OK for a guide to give me an unsolicited lecture on etiquette even though I never crowd anyone?
• If I only make casts at a maximum of 15 feet in a small stream, is there a special fly line I should be using?
• I read somewhere that the author uses "gel flotant on all my flies". Am I missing something?
• How do you determine the shuck color on a Sparkle Dun?
• A great tip from a listener about using a "backing barrel" on a sighter leader when you have trouble seeing it.
• How can I avoid spooking smallmouth bass on a small, clear stream?