Bret Bishop Article in Fly Fishermen Mag

[Mike Norton]

Just recieved the last edition of Fly Fishermen and there  is a very nice article by Bret on the euro nymphing and coiled leaders..
Thanks for the great article Bret.

Mike

[Dejon Hamann]

Can't find it on my local shelves yet.  Mark said it was a nice article and good description of the sighter he uses.

[Mark Hanes]

Dejon,

Since it is related I used single color pink sighter you gave me to use and I must say it really worked well in low light conditions.  Now if only i was not fihsing 35 degree water i might have been able to get the fish to cooperate.  It is a great article for the basics on French nymphing.  Well written and easy to understand. 

[Dejon Hamann]

Toothpick or Pen sized?

[Mark Hanes]

Pen sized short curl with the pink mono.  I am going to make up some ideas I have tonight.

[Bret Bishop]

Thanks Mike and Mark for your kind words.

[Mark Hanes]

I picked some of the Berkley Solar line.  The Green color really is bright on the spool I hope it shows up well on the stream.

[Todd Oishi]

Bret, it is always pleases me whenever I hear about a highly-skilled competitive fly fisher, such as yourself, openly sharing the effective techniques and tactics that they have gleaned and perfected along their journey to becoming a more proficient angler and competitor!

By sharing this information, many competitors wrongfully fear that they will be losing their "edge" over their fellow competitors. But it is through the sharing of information that we elevate “the playing field” for everyone concerned (including ourselves).

It is a wise and unselfish competitor that understands that competitive fly fishing is truly a Team Sport - first and foremost - and those that treat it as an individual sport generally tend to struggle...

Once again, I applaud your openness and willingness to help bring us ALL to a much higher level of understanding and angling.

Cheers,
Todd

P.S. I'll definitely keep my eyes on the magazine racks for that issue!

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

Well over lunch I went and picked up a copy, thanks Bret!!

[Mike Norton]

Well said Todd... Well said

[Rich Strolis]

Bret,
good piece, especially coming from a guy who is still in the beginning phases of learning the ins and outs of the technique you shared.  Very nice

[Bret Bishop]

Rich--

Thanks, the learning never stops. That is the main reason I love competitive angling. To put it in perspective, I wrote that article about two years ago (after the New Zealand Worlds) and there are certainly things that I have tweaked/learned since then. Beware of experts... especially if you claim to be one. Still, I believe the core of the article represents well what we call French Nymphing. 

Remember, all this nomenclature that is fast becoming dogma (Polish, Spanish, French and Euro Nymping) comes from a bunch of competitive anglers over the last decade trying to make sense of what we were seeing our European brethren doing.  You ask a French guy (who is not part of the competitive circuit) about French nymping and you will illicit a blank stare.

It will be interesting to see how this technique is accepted and integrated by the general, noncompetitive fishing public. Will it be like Czech (Polish) nymphing? We, the small population that frequent this and other on-line forums, have been tinkering with this technique for a while now, but we live in a bubble. Fly Fisherman has a big audience.

Which brings me to Todd's comments--

You nailed it! The future of Team USA and Team Canada depends on old dog's like you and me sharing what we have learned. Somewhere out there is the future world team champions!

[Rich Strolis]

Bret,
very well said.  I totally agree with what you say.  I am always learning, and like I tell some of the beginners that I guide from time to time, listen to everyone, be a sponge and take what you like from everything you learn or try.  Adjust accordingly.   I am not of the competitive mindset with fly fishing, but I can assure you the techniques that have come as a result of competitive fly fishing do intrigue me.   Like anything, sometimes depending on the situation and the water type one method or another can prevail or vice versa depending on the day.  You never know it all, and the more methods you can effectively employ, the better off you will be down the road. 

I have nothing against any of you guys on here who competitively fish, I think it's great if that 's your bag, but I it's nothing that I have the burning desire to do.  Good luck with everything, and keep us all posted on your efforts.  And once again, great read Bret

[Torrey Collins]

Bret-
You did a nice job distilling the info down to a very understandable article.  It is much harder to write briefly & concisely about a technique than it is to write a longer article that might well overwhelm and confuse the average angler.