I usually make a habit of walking the banks of rivers, even when they’re closed for the season. There is a lot you can glean from water when you’re not fishing. There is a lot you can learn when you can’t be fishing. While a fall-spawning fish might not be in that same location come …
This is not a joke. To be fair: I have contemplated creating a satirical article advocating casting across the ice into a small, drilled hole. This is not that article. This is an article that legitimately discusses fly fishing when there is ice present. It is brief, but it is an overview of what you …
High water looks intimidating. But especially in the fall it should be reason for optimism. Of course, high and off-color water has it’s drawbacks. Wading and access is more difficult. There is literally more water to fish. Regular holes and targets may be impossible to reach. Every one of those concerns is valid. In fact, …
What harm is a little rain? For some reason, the myth exists that fishing isn’t any good in the rain. Maybe we should keep that fallacy going, because getting out on the river in the rain is a great way to get to spots and fish that would otherwise be hard to approach. Whether it …
A bluebird morning quickly turned dark and ominous. Not coincidentally, a fish-less morning quickly turned interesting. It seemed like perfect conditions: a warm, still, spring morning. There were bugs in the air. No one else was in the parking lot, and there weren’t any fresh boot tracks on any of the trails. The only thing …
You don’t have to fly fish in December, January, and February. If you choose not to get out, you don’t loose your angler credentials. There might even be some benefits in taking a few months’ sabbatical. And let’s face it – it is cold and the fish aren’t terribly cooperative. But if you want to …
One of Autumn’s more endearing qualities is the shifting temperature. Crisp, cool mornings transition to warm, sunny afternoons. T-shirts and flip flops are still in the rotation, but sweatshirts and wool caps also reappear. However, if you’re on the water all day you don’t exactly have the luxury of an entire wardrobe at your disposal. …
Recently I fished a new river. It was a wide waterway with miles set apart for catch and release. I knew that it was filled with trout, and that it had been fishing well the week prior to my trip. So even though finding a spot and locating fish was a little daunting, I had …
It is getting cold out. Although the calendars say “fall,” the thermometers say “winter.” More importantly, the frost on the windows and the chill that finds its way through jackets are saying “winter.” So, are you going to go fly fishing? Excuses and reasons alike have the tendency interfere with even the most ardent angler’s …
Driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania, well under the speed limit with windshield wipers frantically smearing wet snow, the two steelhead I landed didn’t seem worth it. It was the dark and snowy homestretch of a fly fishing trip that took an immediate and unexpected turn. Jeff and I were both on edge. He was …
