S7, Ep 44: The Wacky Weather Report: Fishing Tales and Tackle Tips with Brendan Ruch
In this episode of The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash is back with Brendan Ruch for another exciting Ruch Report. Brendan shares his latest fishing adventures, recounting a rollercoaster day on the water filled with unpredictable weather and some impressive catches. The duo dives into the intricacies of fishing under changing conditions, discussing the various techniques and strategies that proved successful during Brendan's outing.
As they prepare for an upcoming weather front, Brendan provides insights into how the shifting temperatures and water levels will impact fishing. He also addresses a listener's question about preferred knots for terminal tackle setups, explaining his choices for smallmouth fishing and the reasoning behind them. From perfection loops to blood knots, Brendan shares his expertise to help listeners refine their fishing techniques.
Listeners will also learn about Brendan's go-to leader formulas for topwater and streamer fishing, along with tips for adapting to different fishing scenarios. As summer approaches, Brendan discusses his availability for guided trips and the excitement of cicada fishing, inviting anglers to reach out for a chance to fish with him.
This episode is packed with valuable information and practical advice, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their smallmouth game this season.
To learn more about Brendan, check out our interview .
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Marvin Cash
Hey, folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the articulate Fly. And we're back with another Ruch report with the man himself, Brendan Ruch.Brendan, how are you?
Brendan Ruch
What up, dude? I'm doing well. Standing on a boat ramp right now. Had kind of a wacky weather day. It's windy. It was not windy. It was cloudy. It was sunny.But we got some nice fish, and I think all in all, it was worth the 12 hours.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, you. You sound hopped up. It sounds like a mixture of Zyn and honey bun.
Brendan Ruch
Something like that.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. You got any, like, Reese's medallions thrown in there?
Brendan Ruch
Fast break today.
Marvin Cash
There you go. So. So how are you getting them today?
Brendan Ruch
We went through probably 12 different variations of nut jobs like weight, color, size, flash, no flash. We fished top water for a little while to no avail and got a couple fish on.I got Justin perbanic, like, circus peanut, suede tail, crayfish kind of thing.
Marvin Cash
Got it. And we were talking before we started recording, and, you know, we're getting ready to kind of get a front come through the eastern United States.And it looks like you're, you know, you've already got a fair amount of water. You were telling me kind of the. The bigger stuff's kind of blown out, but you're going to get more rain and the temperatures are going to be funky.What do you expect to see on the water?
Brendan Ruch
Um, to be honest, I'm expecting to see, like, good postpone conditions. I'm glad it's not warming up too quickly. We've had some really good high water maze in the past. It's been like, probably four years, but, yeah, I'm.I'm looking forward to it.I'm not scared of a little cold weather, but it would be nice to kind of spread out the rain a little bit, if you know what anybody, you know, that can help with that.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, there you go. Well, you know, it's kind of comical you're talking about it being cool.I mean, it's going to cool off here in Charlotte, but we were almost 90 degrees today.
Brendan Ruch
Yeah. Yeah. It's been a wacky, wacky spring.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. So I got a question for you from Andrew, and he wants to get your thoughts on your preferred knots in your terminal tackle setup. And I guess we'll.Since it's smallmouth season, we'll just tackle smallmouth.
Brendan Ruch
So I'm doing, you know, perfection loop to the loop knot or the. To the loop on the leader, and then I'm doing blood knots from 30 pound to 25 to 20 to 16.I'll go down to 12 and 10 in the summertime and then non slip mono loop to the fly. I guess with poppers, I'll do like a clinch knot to the fly, but most, most of the time it's the loop.
Marvin Cash
Yeah, got it. Any, any barrel swivels or anything like that?
Brendan Ruch
No, man, I know how to tie knots. Come on.
Marvin Cash
Fair enough. And do you just kind of curious because I'm a, I'm a double uni knot man. Any reason why you prefer the blood knot over the double uni knot?
Brendan Ruch
Not really.I just, I was doing double uni with conventional tackle a little bit growing up and for some reason I just started doing a blood knot with the fly stuff and stuck to it.
Marvin Cash
You just have to be strange that way, right?
Brendan Ruch
Yeah, yeah.
Marvin Cash
And so in terms of, just to help people out kind of on your formula, what's your kind of, you know, I guess we'll say, you know, why don't you give us your kind of ratios on your typical top water smallmouth leader and your streamer leader.
Brendan Ruch
So I'm basically running Schultz leader formulas. I've got a lot of faith in that man.So there are videos on his YouTube, but it's um, I believe his frog leader that I'm using is like 40 pound hard mono. I typically use fluoro cause that's just what I have. So I'll use 40 pound, 30 pound to 20.Obviously if we're fishing poppers and like clear water, then I'm gonna go down to like 12. And then the streamer leader side of things, I'm gonna be doing a stiff 30 like hatch fluoro leader material to 25, a short section of 20.And then I've been using this Sunline FC leader material in 16 pound and 12 pound. And I think that's a, a good way to get a bunch of material that's high quality without spending the money on the hatch stuff.
Marvin Cash
Got it. And you know folks, we love questions on the articulate fly. You can email me or DM me on social media, whatever is easiest for you.And if we use your question, I will send you some articulate fly swag. As I've started saying recently, that will probably include a butcher sh sticker or two.And we're drawing for some cool stuff from Brendan at the end of the season.And Brendan, before I let you go, I know you've got a bunch of stuff you got to kind of juggle around in your calendar from rained out days, but you know, what is your availability kind of sliding into the front end of summer, I would say if.
Brendan Ruch
Someone wants to go out, do some popper fishing, maybe even some cicada fishing, they can shoot me an email@rougeanglingmail.com or give me a call. 215-837-6533. And yeah, I, I should be able to fit you in.I got some sporadic days in July and a good amount of availability in August if you want to do some.
Marvin Cash
Terrestrial fishing when the. When it's not humid at all. Right.
Brendan Ruch
Yeah. Yeah.
Marvin Cash
Well, you know, for folks that kind of want to follow your adventures. Are you still doing Log Jam this summer?
Brendan Ruch
Yeah. Every Tuesday night, 8:35ish, we'll be tying flies and saying things we probably shouldn't say in public.
Marvin Cash
There you go. Any other places your adoring fans can find you if they can't fish with you or hang out with you on Log Jam?
Brendan Ruch
Brendan Ruch on Instagram. Facebook is going to be Brendan Ruch and Ruchangling. But, yeah, Instagram is definitely the most active.
Marvin Cash
Yeah. Well, there you go, folks. As I always say, this time of year, you owe it to yourself to get out there and catch a few. Tight lines, everybody.Tight lines, Brendan.
Brendan Ruch
Take care, guys. Thanks for listening.
