Cracking The Code In Fly Fishing

You may check my initial front page here.

Paul (in his front page) wrote:
"You will never completely learn any aspect of flyfishing - even if you live forever."

James (in his front page) wrote:
"The list of ‘pieces’ (or variables) that describe a day’s fishing, a specific venue or a species is almost limitless."

Paul also wrote:
"For me fly fishing is like a huge complex jigsaw puzzle." 

In that I agree. Though even a jigsaw puzzle can be solved!

For me cracking the code means to have found the pieces of a puzzle I have defined myself. Back to fly fishing for asp this means:

1. What do asp eat?
2. When do they eat?
3. How do they hunt and eat?
4. Where do they hunt (water depth and the spot in general)?
5. Are they catchable when not hunting for food? (If so, how?)
6. How does their food behave when the asp gets in their view?
7. All that seen for different kind of weather conditions.
7. All that seen throughout a whole year (temperature changes).
8. All that seen for a) the different sizes of asp and b) the different stages of a life cycle of asp (before, after and none spawning fish).
9. How do I imitate their food (fly design + retrieving methods)?
10. What leaders (leader shy?) and lines do I need?
11. All the above for many different asp holding fishing waters.

For me I have cracked the code when I have all answers/details to all these key points.

I then can catch asp on purpose and in serious numbers (+ sizes) - both being far off what I would call to just be lucky.

No doubt that there will always be someone out who may have improved a little more!

By the way the same belongs to James who lost his interest in the Rubik's cube after having cracked his code on it. He could put it back into position in less than 30 minutes. Now there are people who didn't loose their interest and learnt to puzzle the Rubik's cube back into position within seconds. And then there are people who can even do it with their feet. Cracking the code can (of course) only refer to solving a puzzle that YOU (and you only) have defined the parameters for.

As it seems to me Paul, James and I agree that loosing the edge on fly fishing for a certain species of fish wouldn't be anything proper to be desired. Luckily though I can always add more parameters or switch to another species of fish.

In fly fishing for asp I truly have improved (got close to the 80+cm twice last week) and haven't been out without catching at least one good one for a while now. Just 3 years ago that was impossible for me based on missing a lot of details on asp and asp food behaviour.
I think it will take me another 200 to 300 fishing days on fly fishing for asp to find all answers mentioned in my parameters above. Can't wait to go this way! :)

Great fly fishing week to all of you!

All my best
Bernd

P.s.: Today my friend Hansi and I just cancelled our plans to fish the North East Channel for asp based on following the satellite pictures for the weather. We will have much better conditions on the river Elbe (upstream from Hamburg). I blieve that even a Bonefish-spooking cloud can be adopted to manage the details of cracking the code on fly fishing for whatever spezies of fish, James. ;)

Some pictures from last week teaching fly casting and fly fishing for asp...