S7, Ep 48: The Ruch Report: Fishing Tips and Tales from the Turnpike!

In this episode of the Ruch Report (S7E48), Brendan Ruch joins Marvin Cash to share timely summer fishing tips, discuss effective fly patterns for changing water conditions, and provide a cicada update for anglers. Learn about topwater fly choices, strategies for high water, and how to adapt as summer heats up. Recorded June 2025.

Marvin Cash00:00:04

Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly. We're back with another Roosh report with the man himself, Brendan Ruch. Brendan, how are you?

Brendan Ruch00:00:11

All good.We're on take two here, belly full of cookout, winding through the mountains of West Virginia, heading to North Carolina to pick up a little puppy dog with Leslie. So, yeah, doing. Doing well.

Marvin Cash00:00:26

Yeah, there you go. You know, I'm just shocked you don't have great Internet driving over the turnpike.

Brendan Ruch00:00:31

Yeah, it looks like I'm driving through Jurassic park right now down in West Virginia. So that's, it's a beautiful view, I would imagine. Not the best for cell reception.

Marvin Cash00:00:41

Yeah, so, you know, we were talking in take one before you broke up, that you're going to get rain kind of towards the end of this week and so you're kind of lucky that you're not at home. But why don't you let folks know what you were seeing kind of before you got out of town and what you expect when you get back after the rain.

Brendan Ruch00:00:59

So I was fishing some dropping water that was dropping into like a great kind of like off green clear color. I was a little surprised to see fish on beds so late. I'm not sure, I mean they're, you know, they spawn in waves, so just a late wave that I saw.But we were catching fish on mid river structure. You know you're going to be fishing ledges, the rare mid river log, but fishing the pretty standard stuff. The same thing as beginning of the season.Like if it's green water fishing either olive and black with copper flash or pink, yellow, orange, any combo of the three and then white with pearl fish that a little bit this season. But yeah. So we're still dealing with higher flows right now, like higher than average. And the bigger bodies of water are very, very full.And we're going to be getting more rain at the end of this week. So we're getting a rapid warm up, up to 90 degrees in a couple days here. Fish in my experience typically don't like that high of a attempt swing.So fishing might get a little harder.I would say low and slow, long pauses, downsize the fly, maybe even fish a little like lightly weighted crayfish fly or fish with circus peanut or not job like it's a crayfish with just really long pauses.

Marvin Cash00:02:32

Got it. And got a question for you from Alec. It's actually a two parter and he's kind of looking down the road into the summer.He wanted to know if you fish any different. Top Water bugs other than a bugle bug. And then you had to clue me in on the cool kid lingo. The second question is, are cicadas mid?

Brendan Ruch00:02:51

So yeah, I, I personally fish a lot of flies that are made of like cork bodied. So in the Chuck Craft vein, I bought a lot of flies from William Hresniak at Eastern Trophies over the years.And I have a friend named Jimmy G out of the Pittsburgh area and he ties some really good, really unique cork bodied stuff.And if I have someone that I know isn't going to be bouncing the bug off the gun all the boat, then a lot of times my clients get to fish them as well. But yeah, that's, you know, those bugs really aren't meant to chug or move any water. It's just going to be the splat.So you're picking it up, bopping it down a likely area and just kind of letting that thing ride. Maybe giving it a little lift of the rod tip just to create a little bit of a wake. Or you can kind of like twitch your rod tip to make it look.If you've ever seen a cicada on the water, you can kind of twitch your rod tip and get those like kind of waking movements. It's a little bit faster of a rhythm than your typical like, you know, old Mr. Wiggly kind of just like wiggle those legs.So yeah, I would say majority of my top arbor fishing is going to be Google bugs. Some variation of a Chuck Craft bug with a suede tail and then your phone body of Fat Albert. Mr. Wiggly Stuff.

Marvin Cash00:04:18

Yeah, we used to call the Fat Albert out of Montana the Hei Hei. Right, exactly. And what about part two of the question, are cicadas middle?

Brendan Ruch00:04:31

I think, I think Alec is kind of trying to antagonize me there, which I really just don't appreciate. You know, he really comes at me on these questions, but I don't think they're mid.It's just I was pretty underwhelmed from a smallmouth perspective and I'm, I'm not a carp aficionado at the moment.So 2021, I feel like to me that personally they were a bit middle, but the carp guys like had a field day with those cicadas and they're having a field day right now all across the mid Atlantic and you know, a little bit south of there. So to me personally, cicadas are mid, but I know that they present some great carp opportunities.

Marvin Cash00:05:14

Yeah, I know they've been tearing it up kind of down here. And I guess you're probably, I don't know, they're just starting to show up kind of in Central pa, right?

Brendan Ruch00:05:21

Yeah, I'm looking at that Cicada Safari app, and the numbers are rapidly increasing by the day. So they're. They're popping.

Marvin Cash00:05:28

Yeah. Well, there you go. Well, you know, folks, we love questions on the articulate fly.You can email me or DM me on social media, whatever's easiest for you. And if I use your question, I will send you some articulate fly swag, which, as I say, will probably include a butcher shop sticker or two.And before I let you go, Brendan, you keep. Every time I talk to you, you seem to be guiding deeper and deeper into the season.You want to let folks know kind of how to get in touch and what you've got available and all that kind of good stuff.

Brendan Ruch00:05:55

Yeah, I've got a handful of days in the second half of June available, maybe two days in July. And we can, we can talk about the rest of the year. Just reach out. We can fish some cork bugs, fish some. Some bait fish stuff closer to the fall.But yeah, I'm going to be working around the guiding schedule with the electrical job, so if you want to get out, we can get out and have a good time.

Marvin Cash00:06:20

Well, there you go. Well, folks, this time of year, as I always say, yo it yourself to get out there and catch a few tight lines, everybody. Tight lines, Brendan.

Brendan Ruch00:06:28

Take care, Marvin. Thanks for listening, guys.