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Author: Matthew

No Fly Left Behind

The first time I stuck my arm under a submerged boulder was a maneuver of fiscal efficiency. You see, as a teenager every fly mattered. Two dollars here and there added up quickly on a budget of what was essentially zero. Hooking a fly in a tree meant climbing up the trunk and leaning out …

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Podcast Ep. 335: Fly Fishing Gear Awards

Who doesn’t like getting a trophy? While “best in show” awards draw the ire of people who like to complain (Complainers? In fly fishing?!? Egad…), these lists are great for everyday anglers to see what is new and notable in angling gear. Today I walk through a half dozen Consumer Choice Awards recipients from The …

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VIDEO: Limestone Legends

Admittedly, this is one of my favorite fly fishing books of all time. The reason  for this distinction is also why it is a title that I think anyone can (and should) add to his or her library. Limestone Legends is a collection of papers presented at The Fly Fishers’ Club of Harrisburg. This angling …

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Skunk Salvation

Everyone was always talking about how the pressures of the week would be pulled away by the river’s currents. But that morning, it just felt like the water was one more thing pressing against him. He hadn’t been fly fishing for long. In the past half dozen months he had accumulated all the essential gear. …

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Podcast Ep. 334: The Fishing Car

You may be the kind of angler who can pony up $70,000 for a tricked out fly fishing rig. Or you might be a Toyota Camry kind of guy. Both work. But today I’m talking more to the sedan and station wagon crowd. Even if you don’t have the kind of vehicle that they feature …

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Rusty Flybox: Opening Day

Whether you are a dogmatic Opening Day devotee or simply someone who appreciates the subtle changes in the weather, the shift from March to April is significant for trout anglers. I’m a nostalgic aficionado of certain fly fishing rituals. Like cheap bamboo rods, there is no practical reason to pick up what many anglers did …

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Podcast Ep. 333: 5 Ways to Fish in a Busy Life

We’re all busy. Some are busier than others, but everyone has their own busy. And one consistent thing is that any kind of busy usually interferes with fly fishing. Once people find out about my kind of busy (having 5 kids, serving as a pastor,  etc.), I get asked “how do you go fly fishing?” …

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VIDEO: Ranking the Fly Fishing Works of James Prosek

Twenty years ago, it was virtually impossible to come across a fly fishing book section and not see a few titles from James Prosek. Quality writing and exceptional painting led his work to be instantly embraced by the angling community. And while he has over a dozen publications, there are a half dozen that are …

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Fly Rod FAQs for the Backcountry

With small stream fly fishing getting a lot of attention on Casting Across, it makes complete sense that I get a lot of questions about  the kinds of rods used in these applications. Below are five questions that are pertinent to small streams and the rods commonly used to fish them. It is not an …

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