Where have you fished the most? Do you remember the first time you went? Was it a remarkable success or a tragic comedy of errors? Regardless, I’d wager that you can remember the first time you went fly fishing on your favorite river, stream, or lake. In this episode I recount my first trip to …
All of the children came rushing into the kitchen. They were abuzz about the the bug they had found. It was big. It looked like an alien. It was dead. Quickly my wife corrected them. It is just the husk. The cicada got rid of this, shook it’s new wings, and flew away. Now there …
A benefit of fishing a lot is the ability to be a little choosy. Instead of splashing at every chance at a big fish, it allows for a more measured approach. With a lot of fly fishing comes an increased sample size to consider. There are more experiences, more insights, and more observations. Most importantly, …
The Fuse – Jackson Browne: The Pretender, 1976 Singer-songwriters hit even better at 5 in the morning. Familiar lyrics accompany familiar highways. Alan and I were accustomed to the meandering route from Northern Virginia to South Central Pennsylvania. 7 to Leesburg, 15 north through Point of Rocks, past Big Hunting Creek in Thurmont, and then …
It was absolutely a leading question, because I wanted one. He had made dozens over the years. I had plenty of chances to buy them in the past. I had never pulled the trigger, but now I was ready. So I asked if he had any of the little fiberglass rods available. “Oh no,” he …
A remarkable and diverse trout fishery is within a half day’s drive of most of the US population. And, you can thank these rivers for those famous bagels and pizzas in New York City. The Upper Delaware River system consists of multiple waterways featuring a diverse group of fishing opportunities. The trout that inhabit the …
Most nights I’d time leaving home so I could gear up right as the frogs began to sing in earnest. That wasn’t the event I was targeting, but the amphibian chorus corresponded with the evening hatch. Trout could be taken all evening long. But the action intensified once the sulphurs started hitting the water. Seeing …
I remember kneeling in the snow. I can recall the exact spot. It was right at the apex of a gentle bend. There was a log jutting into the water that covered the entire stream’s width but for a few feet. I held the trout firmly. I did so because I didn’t want it to …
There are no brown trout here. Fish aren’t going to rise unless bugs are hatching. Nothing in this pond is over a few pounds. You can’t use flies – they’ll only take bait. Oh yeah? For an unpredictable pursuit like fly fishing, those statements sound awfully concrete. Add in a little bit of competitiveness and …
It probably isn’t normal for a teenage fly fisher to consider streams two hours away as his home waters. Yet living in Northern Virginia, I grew up fishing and dreaming of fishing on the cold, trout-filled waters of South Central Pennsylvania. The Yellow Breeches, Big Spring, and The Letort were where I fished. There were …
