If your gonna chuck bait, chuck bait, but it ain't fly fishing no matter how you cut it. Saying you "had to put clients on fish", so "you had to go dirty" is a cop out I've heard a million times from craptains. I've had rough days with clients, and I took some skunks with clients. All part of it, made my stomach hurt to have not gotten them on something, but I know that I did my best and didn't let my values down by going dirty.Why not set the fly rod down step back take a deep breath, and grab a spinning rod instead. "Catching fish on spinning gear? Nicely done sir! Now whatdid you learn and how can you apply itto catch them on fly."Sure as a guide, you are expected to put folks on fish.Somedays, it's just not a flyfishing day.(I usually only guided fly anglers, unless a friend needed a favor)I always told my clients when I thought it was going to be a tough day on fly. I offered a back up plan of taking conventional gear along. Most of the time, fly anglers will pass on the conventional back up plan and stick to it on fly,THE REWARD IS MUCHGREATER. Isn't that what it's about? Isn't that why you fly fish? Knowing that something you tied, cast, and presented caught the fish; not some stink stank. To me it is. If I was ever on a boat, and a guide even suggested scenting flies, I would have a bad case of the poos and we would be pronto back to the dock. As I said before, I'm no stuck up, fly fishing purist, but I draw the line at scented flies.
Honestly, I've taken quite a few skunks lately. I know the fish are there,I've caughtthem on spinning gear. So I've been leaving the conventional tackle at home when I go out. It forces me to not have a bail out plan, to stick with the fly. I went from a 350 to a 750 grain sinking line to fish the deep holes in the pass for reds, changed my game plans fishing the beach front cuts, started plotting out places to run, finding the current, finding the current breaks, the structure, .......etc...etc....To me, that's what it's all about, getting it dialed in.
Oh..... and not to be boastin but truthin, I used to fish for world records every time out when I lived in VA. Look under striped bass 20lb tippet. A guyI knowjust beat it this year after I moved back home to FL. Yeh he spanked it byquite a few pounds :clap and big ups to him for doing it.:clap I know he put the time in, and it was a well deserved catch.
L8, Harry