S7, Ep 83: From Guiding to Marketing: Brendan Ruch on Fishing and Adulting

EPISODE SUMMARY

Guest: Brendan Ruch - Guide at Ruch Angling; Marketing Team at Megabass (Pennsylvania)

In this episode: Pennsylvania guide Brendan Ruch shares his transition to Corporate America while maintaining his guiding expertise, covering low water tactics and Ned rig fly fishing strategies for challenging fall conditions. Topics include corporate career balance, vertical jigging techniques with Boogeyman streamers and Bobbin the Hood event updates.

Key fishing techniques covered: • Ned rig fly fishing • Vertical jigging under complete slack • Boogeyman fly presentations • Changer Craw patterns • Green pumpkin color selection

Location focus: Pennsylvania waters, low and clear summer/fall conditions

Target species: Smallmouth bass, general bass species

Equipment discussed: Boogeyman flies (Montana Fly Company), Changer Craws (Chocklett Factory), 3D foam claws, jig shanks, Ned rig setups

Key questions answered: • When to switch from fly fishing to Ned rig techniques • How to fish vertically under complete slack • What colors work best in low, clear water conditions

Best for: Intermediate to advanced anglers interested in bass fly fishing, corporate career transitions and low water tactics

Marvin Cash00:00:03

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

Brendan Ruch00:00:11

Oh, hanging in there, Marvin. How are you doing?

Marvin Cash00:00:13

Just trying to stay out of trouble. You've been out of the water the last few days, which is kind of good because you joined corporate America. I was a little worried about you.

Brendan Ruch00:00:20

Yeah, you know, it's trying. Trying new things. It's. It's time to try. Try some new things that people will refer to as adulting, I think like.

Marvin Cash00:00:32

Insurance, 40 hour work weeks, things like that.

Brendan Ruch00:00:35

Yeah, yeah. I've heard that health insurance can be helpful at times.

Marvin Cash00:00:40

There you go. So now I think you're, you're not embargoed anymore. You want to let folks know kind of what your new day gig is.

Brendan Ruch00:00:48

Yeah. So I'm lucky enough to be on the marketing team with Megabass of America.Um, so super stoked to be working for a dude named Patterson that I met years ago and things finally came together and very happy about the opportunity. It's been great so far.

Marvin Cash00:01:07

Very, very cool. And I know you told me you've been out on the water the last few days. You know, what have you seen?

Brendan Ruch00:01:11

I've seen every rock because it hasn't rained in a month or two. But fishing was good. I mean, seeing fish around me rise as the anglers in my boat are fishing Ned rigs, which is, you know, what they plan to do.But yeah, I think had it been top water days, I think it would have been pretty good. But fish are certainly eating anything green pumpkin that is hitting a rock with a piece of lead.

Marvin Cash00:01:43

Oh, there you go. Well, you're kind of. You stole Alex thunder. He wanted me to ask you, you know, when do you switch from the fly to the Ned rig in the fall?

Brendan Ruch00:01:52

It's never really like out of necessity. It's more like what do the anglers in my boat want to do?But I mean, if you're, if you're going for numbers, if the fish aren't eating on top, fishing a fly that emulates an ED rig is going to get you a lot more bites than fishing a popper. But if, if I'm fishing personally, like, I'll do that program. But if fish are eating on top, then the spinning rod doesn't see the light of day.

Marvin Cash00:02:25

Yeah, it's interesting. I know down here in this part of the world, the bug fishing is getting extended because this week we're gonna like bump into the almost the 90s.And we're gonna maybe some rain at the end of the week, but it's kind of your typical low clear, you know, summer stuff. Even though today, I guess is the first day of fall.

Brendan Ruch00:02:39

Yeah. Yeah, we had a. A good burst of cold air in the beginning of the month, and it felt great. And yeah, it felt like July out there the last three days.So top water season continues.

Marvin Cash00:02:52

Yeah. And so if you're gonna fish a ned rig like fly, what's your setup?

Brendan Ruch00:02:59

I think I talked about it last month, but like, those boogeyman flies are great because they'll fall vertically under complete slack.

Marvin Cash00:03:07

And.

Brendan Ruch00:03:09

When they jig, they. Like when you jig them vertically, they have like kind of a. A nice upward sweep.And then we'll immediately kind of like turn back down because of those flanks. So it's a very erratic, almost like a stick bait, like TRD Zman. You know what. What I'm throwing on a Nedberg setup.But yeah, generally it's going to be the mini Boogeyman.

Marvin Cash00:03:33

Old Kelly Gallop Montana Fly Company.

Brendan Ruch00:03:37

Yes, sir. Yeah, I buy those. In my. In my days of tying, all the time I was fishing changer crawls, which are also great for that.And I. I believe they're available now through the Chocolate Factory. So I would add that into the mix Changer crawl and Mini boogeyman.

Marvin Cash00:03:53

Yeah.I would also say if you want to tie, you know, Blaine's got a bunch of great crayfish parts so that, like, you know, you know, let's just say Change your crawl 1.0. You're cutting strips of foam. And now they've got like, foam claws that are 3D printed that look awesome.

Brendan Ruch00:04:07

Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's right. They'll give you those nice points. And I believe there's a. A head that you can put over the short shank hook.

Marvin Cash00:04:15

Yep, yep. And I think there may even be. There may even be some new jig shanks to. To keep you from having to bend the hooks too.

Brendan Ruch00:04:22

Perfect. Yeah. So give some changer curls a. A try.

Marvin Cash00:04:26

Yeah. And so let's see. We've got. So you're famous, right? All your adoring fans are seeing you every Tuesday night at what, 8:35 ish on log jam. Right.

Brendan Ruch00:04:33

Most Tuesdays, 8:35 ish.

Marvin Cash00:04:36

And I understand that they're like you've got a whole pyrotechnic setup. Cause you're tying at bobbin again and you. That was part of your contract.

Brendan Ruch00:04:43

Yeah. This year I haven't brought it up to Mike yet, Marvin. But yeah, we're hoping to get, you know, some at least a, a smoke machine at the desk.

Marvin Cash00:04:54

Yeah, I mean, I guess what I heard from the guys is you were gonna get like a full blown kiss pyrotechnics thing going.

Brendan Ruch00:05:00

I think they're going to reserve that for the headliners, unfortunately. Maybe one day.

Marvin Cash00:05:04

But rumor has it you may be tying there on Sunday too, right?

Brendan Ruch00:05:08

Yeah, yeah, rumor has it. Currently, I don't know the schedule, but that is the, the plan.

Marvin Cash00:05:17

Yeah. And I do know, you know, as of a couple days ago, the golden tickets were already halfway sold out.So folks, if you are planning to, to go up there at the end of January, beginning of February for bobbin that weekend, you better get your golden tick. Be gone probably before Halloween, I would definitely imagine.

Brendan Ruch00:05:36

Yeah. And little Bob and plug here, like being a part of that event to me is crazy because I would be buying a ticket anyway.There's just so much knowledge packed in one room specifically, you know, around streamer fishing, but in other realms as well. Whether it's spay or, you know, you're dry fly fishing.But it's, it's a really good hang and there's just so many good people and I, I wish it was a 10 day event because you can't learn enough. There's just so many knowledgeable people there that started trends.

Marvin Cash00:06:10

Yeah, it's an amazing, I mean, I think it's probably, I mean, gosh, it's got to have the highest concentration of fishy people in event anywhere on the planet, right?

Brendan Ruch00:06:20

I would say so. At least for, for what I'm into.

Marvin Cash00:06:23

Yeah. I mean it's always interesting, right?You get to the end of Saturday and you're like, oh shit, I didn't get to talk to all the people I wanted to talk to. Right.

Brendan Ruch00:06:30

Yeah.

Marvin Cash00:06:31

So you're in, you're in the throes of corporate America. You know, you got insurance, which is cool. You know, vision dental. That's good. But it's kind of, kind of messed with your guiding schedule.What do you have available kind of in the near future? Folks want to try to get on the boat with you.

Brendan Ruch00:06:48

I would say based on my schedule coming up, probably no availability until the spring. Unless you wanted to get out for like two days for muskie.But yeah, so my spring is currently undetermined, but I'm going to be booking, you know, repeats first and then we'll have some availability open up.

Marvin Cash00:07:16

Well, there you go.And you know, as we talked before we started recording, we're going to draw from all the folks that submitted questions for this season of the Ruch Report. And why don't you let folks know what the lucky winner is going to win when we draw next time.

Brendan Ruch00:07:29

You're going to win a Ruch angling hoodie that hopefully. Hopefully I have your size. Please don't be a 3x and a Ruch angling hat. And I will get a. I'll buy a hat from Dave over at Log Jam as well.So two hats and a hoodie.

Marvin Cash00:07:46

Any Reese's cops?

Brendan Ruch00:07:48

No, man, they're mine.

Marvin Cash00:07:50

Fair enough. Well, listen, 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 Ruch00:07:58

Brendan, Take care. Marvin.