If Alternate Reality Vince Lombardi was a fly fishing coach, he would be known for having said: “The Presentation isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” He would have been right. Very often anglers will talk about the “presentation” of a bait, lure or fly, and, as is often the case when angler’s talk, this is vague at best. So first let’s define our terms. “The Presentation” means nothing more than how a fly is made known to a fish. This definition is both far too simple and far too complex.

It encompasses everything: where the fly is cast, how it is retrieved, what it is made of, and how well the fly can be seen by the fish. Every factor you can think of (and many more that we likely never do) is part of this term. Some days it will seem that only a few variables matter. Other days it will seem like they all do. I think it is helpful to consider these elements in three ways: Similar to that Serenity Prayer/Poem thing….

“God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.”

Reinhold Niebuhr

 

I wonder if Reinhold wrote that because he had trouble accepting that his name was “Reinhold.”

Ok so the things you can not change, easy. Weather, wind, light levels, current, the general “mood” of the fish, clarity of the water, presence of bait, color of the bottom (what do you mean you never considered that,) presence of birds….You get the idea.

I personally prefer to lump these factors together and call it “The Situation”

No not this guy…seriously all that time on the Jersey Shore and didn’t see a single fishing rod in the house…not even a surf caster. Too bad they didn’t have me as a house-mate. Scene: Grinding on some trampy ho at the club, then looks at his watch:

“Sorry Babe the tide is turning and I don’t mean the eight pounds of pasta I had for lunch…”

“Don’t you want to smoosh me?”

“Yes and No…Part of me wants to do you, but none of me wishes to have done you…”

“Huh???”

“Exactly.” Our hero runs off to the sea, fly rod in hand…

The key is to recognize that just because you can’t change certain things, doesn’t mean they can’t change your success.

The second class is naturally the things we can change. Where we cast, the retrieve, length of leader, the fly, how deep we are fishing…The list goes on.

I think it is useful to think of these aspects as the “presentation.” It is not as complete a definition, but one that is small enough to be useful.

If you think about the Presentation in terms of the Situation, you may not always be right, but you will always be mentally on task, and thus able to learn, adapt, and find what works.

“But Mr. Flyosopher…you said there were three elements and that’s only two…did you make a mistake?”

Nameless Feeb

Of course not…the 3rd element is the fly itself.

Every fly acts differently in the water, both when it is directly manipulated by the angler and when it is left at rest. For example, a clouser acts differently in the water than a deceiver, a fly with an abundance of flash looks different compared to one with no flash, a sparse fly and a heavily dressed one again are different. Soft natural materials act differently compared to stiffer synthetic nylon materials. You get the idea.

These are technically things you can change, just not always easily or quickly. Traits are built in to the fly and can be important on their own or in conjunction with another quality. For instance, if a situation calls for you to present a fly with a dead drift – a fly tied with marabou may work where a synthetic fly may not. If a deeper drift is required the opposite may prove true, or could call for a weighted fly tied with marabou.

Like I said far too simple and far too complex…

The key thing to take away is this. The fly you use, and what you do with it will affect your success in any given situation. This is true for flats fishing, sight fishing, and all fishing – there are probably other aspects of life that this principle comes into play, but honestly I have no real experience with trying to advance a career, relationship or agenda.

Now there is a reason I brought all this up during the Flats Fishing series. Fishing the flats is – in my not-completely-arrogant opinion – one of the simplest situations a fly fisherman particularly a saltwater one is ever likely to encounter. I mean let’s be honest, on a nice sunny day, you can see virtually every detail, including the fish and their behaviors. This level of information is rare at best.

Or as the most thought-provoking man his history once said:

“What it is, is what it is!”

Randy “The Macho Man” Savage

But simple doesn’t always mean easy…

So say you cast your fly to a cruising fish and it spooks. You cast too close. Lay out a cast and the fish changes direction without noticing the fly, you cast too far. Annoying to read? I can see where you would think that, but honestly if someone were to write with the premise – This is exactly what you need to do to catch fish on the flats under any circumstances – would you believe that? If so do you own a shake weight?

I can tell you that:

A rising tide is generally better

A fly that ticks up sand is generally better

A fly that is stripped AWAY from the fish generally works better

The fish tend to move with the current but feed against it

Sinking line or Intermediate line whichever you choose don’t cast it over the fish

Fish bite more when it is foggy than sunny

If two currents meet, put a fly there.

All that is true, most of the time, but without knowing the area you fish, your abilities, or the details of the day – I think you are much better off with this gem of advice.

Think.

A twenty pound Bobcat could kick your ass – yet humans are masters of the planet because we can think. Resist the urge to do what you have read, what worked last year, what is the accepted method. Just pay attention…when the fish refuses the fly, do something different. Have the courage to change what you can, do so actively and you will come to wisdom.