When planning a long fishing trip, never say the species you are actually targeting, this seems to guarantee never catching that fish. That is why I fish only for Killer Whales now.
Here in Kentucky, my dad always used to say "If the cows are laying down, it's a bad day to fish." I'm 36 years old and still think about this when I see cows on the way to a fishing hole.
Whenever you say to yourself “I’m just gonna go around this bend to see how it looks then I’m done” the next bend looks amazing and you fish for an hour longer then repeat
We never take a virgin rod on a serious fishing trip. A new rod is taken straight from the shop and cast into a ditch, a catchment pond, etc. to purge that minty-stink.
Last Saturday night I hooked a 4lb Largemouth on my first cast. The bass wrapped up in the trolling motor. I managed to lip the bass with my right hand and pulled the motor up with my left, but I also managed to kneel on the foot control and spun about six feet of flyline into the prop. I wrecked my 8wt floating line, took 20 minutes to get the motor apart and back together. My first cast was also my last that night. Had to fish my 7wt this weekend. So yes I am convinced of the first cast curse.
For the concept of the "W"..."Wind out of the south bait falls in their mouth, wind out of the north dont go forth, wind out of the west fishing is best, wind out of the east fishing is least" thanks grandpa!
2 that I know are true. The first one is that it’s bad luck to do 6 wraps when tying a clinch knot or improved clinch knot. You can do 5 or 7 but knot 6. The second is that if you leave your trash behind at the river or don’t pick up trash you find you will get leaky waders.
I no longer book a guide in advance. If I want to fish one of the larger western rivers, I just walk into the fly shop the day before and see if they have anyone available. All of my biggest fish have bee caught with that guide- the low totem pole guide.
Great topic. A couple of my favorites are "if the cows are eating fishing will be good" and "wind from the east, fish bite the least." I haven't said wind out loud in ten years, it feels like bad luck typing the word.
My wife is a great fisherwoman & loves the dry fly. No fish rising anywhere for hours. I say, "No risers for hours, quit wasting your time." And ..... Boom! She gets a fish to rise. Never, ever fails. Damn she's good :)
On your drive to fishing, if the cows in pastures are up and eating, the fish will be eating, if the cows are all laying down the fishing will be slow.
"W" stands for two NO-NO words when doing any type of fishing: A) Weather & B) Work. We NEVER talk about either of these W words while fishing! Love Hugh Fly Fisherman! Keep up the good "W"
Great topic Ben! - years ago after back to back trips of hitting a bird or chipmunk with car followed by a rotten days fishing has me convinced the two go hand in hand, serious mojo killer for sure. So I work hard to thwart any suicidal attempts by roadside creatures when enroute to the water, but damn do they try to get ya, it's like they know!
I'm left first too, started with baseball cleats and continues to this day. Gloves, pants, street shoes... other things. I've heard left foot first on the boat first as well. Thanks Ben!!! Keepin it Huge in CA!
More of a skiing thing, but I do it fishing too; Never announce out loud "This is the last run" Because people usually get hurt on their declared last run of the day. So calling out the last hole or last cast is just asking for disaster. Thanks Ben Stay wet Keep em huge!
OMG! You are talking about my boyfriend! His name is even Kevin! We laugh and joke that he has a black aura because every time we try to go fishing or hunting it snows or rains! I have pictures of freak snowstorms trying to steelhead fish, where there were 50 mph winds and 4ft of snow in MAY!
Oh sweet! Im headed out tomorrow for the morning, and not only is the whole trip ruined, i now have new crap to worry about and $10 says I put my left boot on first... great video man!!
Never cast to a black cat while standing under a ladder and looking in a broken mirror! If you do, don’t forget to throw a handful of salt into your reel over your left shoulder. That’s huge!
Love it! Food for thought... the KOD guy (Kiss of Death). although a good person and great at many things.....whenever he goes on a trip with you it is super tough fishing. He usually gets skunked and talks about it constantly. (I call that "skunk breath" and yes it stinks)
I do miss uptown angler in New Orleans. I have that hat! You may have convinced me to make it my lucky hat! BTW some guides don’t like derivatives of bananas....banana bread, plantain chips....
My personal favorite: If you’re on the water, and you have caught a fish, and had a beer sometimes a shot of something a bit more potent is required to appease the fish gods and catch another fish! Also, this is more for ice fishing, but if it’s slow start cooking food and you can guarantee the flags start popping
The no bananas is always a rule in the boat. The superstition comes from capsized ships carrying bananas where the flotsam would contain bananas which then was a sign of bad luck.
The slow day, no fish, mind wandering, thinking about that movie last night with the scene where...and getting a hit...that you "farmed the hookset" (that is a new one for me.) Then trying to stand, move, look, think and recreate all the karmic/cosmic/kismet actions that led to that one hit that you had.
I found that a hearty meal of chicken tendies before going out helped me catch a bucket load of fish on the Colorado in Grand County this weekend. So it's chicken tendies for me before I go out from now on. Saw a load of your stickers on cars up there, Ben. You're huge on Grand Lake.
Fish love to bite any time you’re not prepared. Whether it’s having a snack, replying to a text, or having a smoke/ sip that bobber will almost always duck under.
Since I make my own rules, catching a fish on the first cast is a good luck charm to me. And calling your shot is always encouraged bc it looks really cool when it happens and it’s funny when it doesn’t 👍🏼
Kicking in old-school, Colorado-style - this one was gospel truth, I swear: until the development of digital cameras, if you spent more than one day fishing the Frying Pan and didn't have the Huevos Rancheros at the Two Rivers Cafe in Basalt at least once, every single one of your photos would turn out to be blurry once you got them developed.
I went back to my monster truck, Brawndo roots this year and started Striper fishing on a spinner rig. Got no fly fishing done at all, and I miss it. W didn't effect me this year though, so that was nice.
Spent a day without a bite on a drift with a buddy. At the end he whips out a banana he had stashed the whole time. Hasn’t been on my boat since, and I haven’t been skunked like that either.
Dude totally true....I launched a banana out of my boat from a dude's lunch.....we still don't speak . My ADD OCD USMC move is to dip my fly rod under the water before my first cast of day....idk...I cant stop. Now because of you I will be more aware of what wading boot goes on first!!! Dang it more to ponder
Wow, reading all these comments could make one extra superstitious, but if I had one to pick it would be the first cast fish! Had that happen to me too many times!
First Cast Fish..THIS ONE IS TRUE. even last week. First cast was a 16" sea run brook trout. A brute for 16", Thick and Deep. That was the last sniff of a fish for two hours.
On the lake i like to go fly fishing at, if it isn’t raining, you ain’t catching anything, but if it is raining, and i mean literal downpours, dry fly only, works every time
I will only listen to Johnny Cash in MT or its air space. ...Was actually on a flight from Detroit to Seattle and looked down and figured out that we were over Helena. Listened to Johnny for about 30 minutes then turned it off, worried plane might go down if I didnt...
My personal superstition is that I never fish hungry. The fish can sense your hunger and will vacate the area. Always have a snack before you hit the water.
Invited Kevin to fish the night bite friday and up early saturday for the grey light. He's busy. Looks like we'll have good weather. Down with cork sucking!
When driving to a spot, you HAVE to lift your feet off the floor of the vehicle when going over any cattle guards. Feet on the floor going over a cattle guard is basically telling yourself you wanna catch 0 fish that day
Always count to 7 when wrapping knots, doesn’t matter how many wraps there actually are as long as you count to 7
The good ole 6 or 7 or 8 wrap clinch knot!
Low key, 6 wrap improved clinch is my go to lol
What about palomar knots
I never heard of that one but damn it! Now I’m going to start!!!
@@giomartinez2454 7 wrap polomar knots the worlds new strongest knot
When planning a long fishing trip, never say the species you are actually targeting, this seems to guarantee never catching that fish. That is why I fish only for Killer Whales now.
Lmao
Don't bring sardines! You will catch no fish!
Here in Kentucky, my dad always used to say "If the cows are laying down, it's a bad day to fish." I'm 36 years old and still think about this when I see cows on the way to a fishing hole.
Ha! Had a similar saying growing up my my gramps “red sky at night fisher delight red sky in the morning fishers in mourning”
Whenever you say to yourself “I’m just gonna go around this bend to see how it looks then I’m done” the next bend looks amazing and you fish for an hour longer then repeat
agree
Picking up trash always improves my experience.
Exception to beer only after fish rule...morale beer, to set your mind right for the impending skunk
We never take a virgin rod on a serious fishing trip. A new rod is taken straight from the shop and cast into a ditch, a catchment pond, etc. to purge that minty-stink.
Seven turns on my knot. Not six, not five. Seven.
Last Saturday night I hooked a 4lb Largemouth on my first cast. The bass wrapped up in the trolling motor. I managed to lip the bass with my right hand and pulled the motor up with my left, but I also managed to kneel on the foot control and spun about six feet of flyline into the prop. I wrecked my 8wt floating line, took 20 minutes to get the motor apart and back together. My first cast was also my last that night. Had to fish my 7wt this weekend. So yes I am convinced of the first cast curse.
For the concept of the "W"..."Wind out of the south bait falls in their mouth, wind out of the north dont go forth, wind out of the west fishing is best, wind out of the east fishing is least" thanks grandpa!
My number 1 superstition, besides my lucky hat, is all knots have to have an even number of wraps. ALWAYS!
6.5 always. Half of 13
I do prime numbers. Fly tying too.
Ha! I'm a 3, 5, 7, kinda guy.
I’m always 6 +1 for good luck. And I always say it out loud
2 that I know are true.
The first one is that it’s bad luck to do 6 wraps when tying a clinch knot or improved clinch knot. You can do 5 or 7 but knot 6. The second is that if you leave your trash behind at the river or don’t pick up trash you find you will get leaky waders.
whoa, I always do 6 wraps. Personal choice I guess
Same! If I'm tying a streamer I go 5. Anything else I go 7. Never 6.
I no longer book a guide in advance. If I want to fish one of the larger western rivers, I just walk into the fly shop the day before and see if they have anyone available. All of my biggest fish have bee caught with that guide- the low totem pole guide.
Great topic. A couple of my favorites are "if the cows are eating fishing will be good" and "wind from the east, fish bite the least." I haven't said wind out loud in ten years, it feels like bad luck typing the word.
Out here in the PNW steelhead fishing; if you forget the landing net, you almost always get a fish.
My wife is a great fisherwoman & loves the dry fly. No fish rising anywhere for hours. I say, "No risers for hours, quit wasting your time." And ..... Boom! She gets a fish to rise. Never, ever fails. Damn she's good :)
On your drive to fishing, if the cows in pastures are up and eating, the fish will be eating, if the cows are all laying down the fishing will be slow.
black clouds and dirty hippies 🤣... need more content like this in today's world. Thanks Huge FF!
"W" stands for two NO-NO words when doing any type of fishing: A) Weather & B) Work. We NEVER talk about either of these W words while fishing! Love Hugh Fly Fisherman! Keep up the good "W"
I know it's a 50/50 choice, but I'm also 100% left foot first; ski boots too...
Great topic Ben! - years ago after back to back trips of hitting a bird or chipmunk with car followed by a rotten days fishing has me convinced the two go hand in hand, serious mojo killer for sure. So I work hard to thwart any suicidal attempts by roadside creatures when enroute to the water, but damn do they try to get ya, it's like they know!
Curse of catching a fish on the first cast is oh so true... just happened to me last week.
First sip of every beer always goes over the side of the boat/into the water as a sacrifice to the fishing gods. Works some of the time, all the time.
Tow I definitely agree.... catching fish on the first cast it’s the worst nightmare.... I have around 10 hats but only one is lucky... 🤫
If you bring an extra rod you won’t break it but when you forget an extra rod your chance to break the rod goes up
I'm left first too, started with baseball cleats and continues to this day. Gloves, pants, street shoes... other things. I've heard left foot first on the boat first as well. Thanks Ben!!! Keepin it Huge in CA!
Have to poop when fishing. You will be crampy and miserable but catch trophy fish.
More of a skiing thing, but I do it fishing too; Never announce out loud "This is the last run" Because people usually get hurt on their declared last run of the day. So calling out the last hole or last cast is just asking for disaster.
Thanks Ben
Stay wet
Keep em huge!
OMG! You are talking about my boyfriend! His name is even Kevin! We laugh and joke that he has a black aura because every time we try to go fishing or hunting it snows or rains! I have pictures of freak snowstorms trying to steelhead fish, where there were 50 mph winds and 4ft of snow in MAY!
Oh sweet! Im headed out tomorrow for the morning, and not only is the whole trip ruined, i now have new crap to worry about and $10 says I put my left boot on first... great video man!!
Never cast to a black cat while standing under a ladder and looking in a broken mirror! If you do, don’t forget to throw a handful of salt into your reel over your left shoulder. That’s huge!
I start my day with the last fly I used on the last day..(yesterday). At least 10 casts.
The fish hear everything, you have to stop your own heartbeat so you can catch one.
Love it! Food for thought... the KOD guy (Kiss of Death). although a good person and great at many things.....whenever he goes on a trip with you it is super tough fishing. He usually gets skunked and talks about it constantly. (I call that "skunk breath" and yes it stinks)
I have to listen to “I’m gonna miss her” by Brad Paisley right before I come up to where I’m going to park...not sure if I’m the only one 😂
I do miss uptown angler in New Orleans. I have that hat! You may have convinced me to make it my lucky hat! BTW some guides don’t like derivatives of bananas....banana bread, plantain chips....
My personal favorite:
If you’re on the water, and you have caught a fish, and had a beer sometimes a shot of something a bit more potent is required to appease the fish gods and catch another fish!
Also, this is more for ice fishing, but if it’s slow start cooking food and you can guarantee the flags start popping
The no bananas is always a rule in the boat. The superstition comes from capsized ships carrying bananas where the flotsam would contain bananas which then was a sign of bad luck.
The slow day, no fish, mind wandering, thinking about that movie last night with the scene where...and getting a hit...that you "farmed the hookset" (that is a new one for me.) Then trying to stand, move, look, think and recreate all the karmic/cosmic/kismet actions that led to that one hit that you had.
-I’m not sure if I should put Michael Scott of Stevie wonder in this video
Kevin -hold my beer
I found that a hearty meal of chicken tendies before going out helped me catch a bucket load of fish on the Colorado in Grand County this weekend. So it's chicken tendies for me before I go out from now on. Saw a load of your stickers on cars up there, Ben. You're huge on Grand Lake.
The first cast hook up curse is 100% real lol
Fish love to bite any time you’re not prepared. Whether it’s having a snack, replying to a text, or having a smoke/ sip that bobber will almost always duck under.
Since I make my own rules, catching a fish on the first cast is a good luck charm to me. And calling your shot is always encouraged bc it looks really cool when it happens and it’s funny when it doesn’t 👍🏼
Kicking in old-school, Colorado-style - this one was gospel truth, I swear: until the development of digital cameras, if you spent more than one day fishing the Frying Pan and didn't have the Huevos Rancheros at the Two Rivers Cafe in Basalt at least once, every single one of your photos would turn out to be blurry once you got them developed.
It's almost like God wants to joke with us when this stuff happens 🤣
Buddy and I have a “lucky” fly. We call it old faithful. It’s literally one fly. After we catch a fish we trade it back. Always catches a fish.
I went back to my monster truck, Brawndo roots this year and started Striper fishing on a spinner rig. Got no fly fishing done at all, and I miss it. W didn't effect me this year though, so that was nice.
Bad luck; saying, ' just 5 more casts and then we'll go. ' Might as well just go.
Disagree about your beer superstition. If I ain’t catching nothing, I crack a beer and luck changes for the better. Love your videos, thanks!
but then you already in the bad luck, then it's a luck changer 🤣
Spent a day without a bite on a drift with a buddy. At the end he whips out a banana he had stashed the whole time. Hasn’t been on my boat since, and I haven’t been skunked like that either.
Dude totally true....I launched a banana out of my boat from a dude's lunch.....we still don't speak . My ADD OCD USMC move is to dip my fly rod under the water before my first cast of day....idk...I cant stop. Now because of you I will be more aware of what wading boot goes on first!!! Dang it more to ponder
Wow, reading all these comments could make one extra superstitious, but if I had one to pick it would be the first cast fish! Had that happen to me too many times!
First Cast Fish..THIS ONE IS TRUE. even last week. First cast was a 16" sea run brook trout. A brute for 16", Thick and Deep. That was the last sniff of a fish for two hours.
Do you talk just as much on the boat? 😂love your videos 👍👆🏻keep it up
On the lake i like to go fly fishing at, if it isn’t raining, you ain’t catching anything, but if it is raining, and i mean literal downpours, dry fly only, works every time
Says wind: “It’s fine I’m not fishing”
Everyone fishing the river below: 😐😐
My wife must wear a particular perfume for our trout float trips. It works.
I will only listen to Johnny Cash in MT or its air space.
...Was actually on a flight from Detroit to Seattle and looked down and figured out that we were over Helena. Listened to Johnny for about 30 minutes then turned it off, worried plane might go down if I didnt...
I don’t even pack a dip until I’ve at least gotten a hit from a fish
My personal superstition is that I never fish hungry. The fish can sense your hunger and will vacate the area. Always have a snack before you hit the water.
I’m also superstitious about the number of wraps on my knots. 7.
Invited Kevin to fish the night bite friday and up early saturday for the grey light. He's busy. Looks like we'll have good weather. Down with cork sucking!
3 min and 10 seconds inn! Laughing my ass of! Great stuff!
Used to go fishing with a guy I knew from school, he fell in every time, maybe I was his black cloud?
I have the opposite superstition about beer. There have been trips we have not caught a fish until someone in the boat has one.
I’m from Nebraska. If you drive by a group of cows and they are all sitting down on the ground... might as well as go home
Wait for a fish to smack the juul for my fellow
new age fly guys
When I trim my beard, I always joke that it is time to lose some river wisdom
Lucky hat is a real thing. I switched hats a week ago, caught 0 fish and went home with 2 ticks on my junk.
Full moon, a rising river and I left my rain jacket at home. What could go wrong?
Every tackle box needs a red/white bobber. You might never use it, but ya gotta carry it.
Never, ever, ever, tie a knot with 6 wraps. 5 GOOD. 7 GOOD. 6 BAD!
Have you fished around Crested Butte and indulged at Slogar with their fried chicken. If not, you should
Oh good its 6 minutes, I'll need a fresh beer.
I uhhh i might be the black cloud, or maybe its the fact I only go in winter
Never shave before fishing, mainly to avoid exposure, but now I can’t stop....
i never belived the banana one till i read the info sheet for my boat trip
If I bring a scale. No chance of catching a fish worth weighing. Didn't bring one last night and caught my biggest wiper ever, 21 inches!
When driving to a spot, you HAVE to lift your feet off the floor of the vehicle when going over any cattle guards. Feet on the floor going over a cattle guard is basically telling yourself you wanna catch 0 fish that day
Good one. Love all your videos.
6 wraps on a knot...always 6 and my dad brought a banana on the boat once and we didn't catch anything until we finally threw it into the river...
Oh my gosh... I just realized that trimming my beard is why I was skunked on Sunday... Soab
Good luck: listen to Fishing Blues by Taj Mahal, one time, last song, right as you arrive - must be timed perfectly.
My dad always told me "you're holding your mouth wrong"!
Never get in a boat with a lab who's labeled "a good boat dog." It won't be
When I was a kid, my Grandad used to say "if the cows were laying down in the field, then the fish won't bite". More often than not, he was right.
I'm definitely going to start rubbing noses. Lol. Father of 2 boys 7 and 5
Dam it... I'm the black cloud.
Ive never caught a fish on a first cast in my life. I may just quit fishing of that happens...
Dipping the net, if done right, guarantees a fish
there's the don't take your missus fishing but i do as either way i'm eating fish
to us the superstitions are randomly true or we don't believe them, but the fishing gods are looking down like "why don't you believe our teachings".
Hey, hey! Johnny 1-fish (me too).
The Rain Gear... TOTALLY.
From experience if I see a fox on the way to my fishing spot it is gonna be a fantastic day!
DANG! I saw a fox last Friday morning on my way to the dock to fish with my nephew and had THE BEST bassiest day of my life!!! This one must be true!
The prison who catches the least amount a fish pays for beer the next trip.... and normally catch more fish than everyone else in the Next trip
.... i think i'm my own black cloud
Hahaha "Here hold my beer"
Always left foot first, socks, shoes, waders or even slippers.
Always start with 9' 3wt, progress from there.