"To a Gink’s-Mind ("A good fisherman's mind”) it breaks the rules of fair chase in Fly Fishing if certain precepts are violated. A Gink, is a “Good and Honorable Fly Fisherman. “A Gink” always applies Rules of Fair Chase while Fly Fishing :
Gink's Fly Fishing Rules of Fair Chase
A GINK’S RULES OF FAIR CHASE
Requires the singularly mind set of “The Single Action Fly Fishing System” which comprise the following:
- One Single Action Fly Fishing Reel of any brand or weight.
- One Fly Rod designed specifically to be used only as a fly rod at all times of any length or weight.
- One continuous, single piece of backing.
- One length of shooting line of choice may be attached to the backing on front of which is attached.
- One Fly Line or Shooting Head on front of which is attached.
- One Hand Tied Leader on front of which is attached.
- One Length of Tippet of proper length of users choice on front of which is attached for record fishing.
- One tippet of proper poundage, on front of which may be attached.
- One Shock Tippet if required on front of which is attached.
- One Fly made out of either fur and/or feather or other imitation materials for Fur or Feather to construct a fly.
- In which is used only one, single barbed hook.
- All of which is used by One Individual.
A fly fisherman may add or take away line and/or leader material from the Single Action Fly Fishing System but he may not add other items to it excepting line and fly dressings. No bobber type indicators allowed of any kind.
A Gink’s Rules of Fair Chase dictates that from time of hook up to end of battle, no other person may touch any part of said equipment. To do so disqualifies the Single Action System as a singular blessing uncontaminated by any other outside forces of expected and unexpected evils of contest.
A Gink’s Rules of Fair Chase determines that a fish in flight in large open waters can only be chased in the line or path of escape taken by the quarry. A Gink, does not cut across the bay, lake or ocean to take unfair advantage in fair chase.
A fish is considered caught at any time the angler can touch his fish with his free hand. Only then may others help land the fish.
No fish needs to be killed in order to set any world record if proper planning and weighting techniques are provided before hand along with proper measuring, photography and witnesses.
A fish is considered conquered if it is determined its life is in danger to continue battle any longer. It is conquered but not caught and is considered in Fair Chase, a fairly hooked and fairly released fish. Tarpon are often snapped off early for instance as to not kill them from heart attacks or from acidic acid exhaustion/poisoning. Certain species will fight to the death.
A Gink’s Rules of Fair Chase in salt water considers using rustable hooks other than stainless steel.
A Gink’s Rules of Fair Chase never uses chum, scents, or baits while fly fishing to lure fish to them. Fishing naturally occurring “nervous water” is allowed.
A Gink’s Rules of Fair Chase never fly casts from a moving or coasting boat. The water craft must be dead in the water and a complete part of the current. Natural currents may be used to present any fly with or into.
A Gink never quibbles or thinks about taking unfair advantage of these rules. A Gink never compromises the single action system of fair chase of which they are part of. Common sense based on traditions shall influence decision making of what is permitted in fair chase and what is not.
End: Rules of Fair Chase by George Gehrke
This is how I fly fish. It is nothing complicated but it is for me, uncompromising. Fair Chase in Fly Fishing are not far removed from President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt's rules of “Fair Chase”.
Roosevelt agrees one cannot use a water craft to chase the quarry and certainly never be allowed to short cut it off “at the pass.” Today, big boats are used to carry a fly fisherman along the backing to catch up to the quarry, which is bad enough. The ultimate fair battle would be to let the boat dead drift until the fish comes to hand. My rule allows a mild form of tracking just as a hunter would track a wounded Lion on land, or an Elk. The boat cannot ever be allowed to follow any track except the direction the line and backing is tracking through the water. In earlier days, no one ever imagined such big fish would be hunted with a little skinny stick called a fly rod. Fly rods are able to beat game fish better than with any other kind of rod, giving the angler a serious advantage and that is using a boat (on large fish) to gain line advantage, the boat itself cannot be used as a weapon to beat a game fish by taking shortcuts in order to help the angler.
You must not compromise for I have fought a 218 pound female Tarpon from a boat, which engine never was allowed to be started except to "follow the fly line in reverse" My fish was brought to hand using only a 12 pound test tippet behind a 80 # shock cord tippet using a Cockroach Streamer. If you were to follow the backing and line, it would continue up the stern and through the bow at all times. Burr Smidt used only reverse gear during the entire contest. It was the most difficult, harrowing fly fishing experience in my life. I will never do it again because this is a brutal affair and the fish nearly did me in from sheer exhaustion. You need a good, strong heart to fight a large Tarpon because this fish wants to do only two things. Escape and kill you if it can.
God and four good men helped me that day as witnesses, with advice, and when it came time to weigh her in our large cotton-cradle net and while measuring her. If logic prevails, not being allowed to move laterally or through any hypotenuse track and not allowing the boat to take unfair advantage, dictates that it should be nearly impossible to fight fish of such size without the leader breaking from the sheer length of backing let out. We used patience to aid me. This is a long story but there is something to be said about IGFA records and tippet strengths and how large fish are allowed to be entered as world records under the guises of “fly fishing”when their boats are allowed to coast while a captain allows an angler to troll on the first cast in order to get an unfair strike. But THAT, is another opinion and discussion for another day.
The Tarpon was released in Boca Grande Pass a few hundred yards to the north in shallower water.