On its face, fly fishing elitism is silly. It is okay to prefer the fly rod. And it has it advantages. But there is no reason to look down upon conventional tackle. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why a spinning rod should be part of your overall angling arsenal. In this episode, I …
If anything about fly fishing gets you down – and I mean really gets you down – maybe it isn’t for you. Maybe you should try wing shooting or surfing or sneaker collecting or curling. But I am virtually certain that the same kind of things that can get you flustered in fly fishing are …
Generally on Casting Across, I write what I want to write about. But I still look to see what takes; what catches people’s eyes. In the last year I’ve noticed that one subject has received a lot of attention. Last April I wrote a post on the perfect small stream fly rod. In December, I …
If you have been stuck indoors, you might want to just grab your sling or vest and hit the water as quickly as possible. But it is helpful to take some deliberate time to clean up. Also, comprehensively organizing your fly fishing pack ahead of time will ensure that you are ready to fish. Once …
I’m sure there are plenty of summer camps that feature a sunrise wake-up call. But I can’t imagine many of them are attended joyfully by teenagers. Instead of grueling runs or study sessions in the a.m., students at the Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation & Fly Fishing Youth Camp are up, dressed, and waist-deep in the water. …
Like many fly fishers, I started chasing trout with a 5-weight. This versatile size worked well enough for most circumstances. As I fished more, and found myself spending a lot of my time on smaller streams, I learned how shorter and lighter rods could be more efficient and effective. And, most importantly, more fun. Back …
In my experience, some fly fishers either care way too much about leaders. Most don’t care enough. Fussing over the exact number of centimeters of 4X you need for a certain taper might be overkill. But simply looping on a knotless, tapered leader and using it until it won’t fit through your fly’s eye isn’t …
Two years ago I wrote a two part series on how you can help your kids get into fly fishing. Although I don’t have a degree in early childhood education and am not a perfect parent, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the ideas I presented back then work. How do …
This is the second installment of a two part post – check out last week’s Fly Shop Lost. “Do you know what happened to the sporting goods store downtown on Main Street? It must have closed down about 15 years ago.” She kept pouring my coffee, but the waitress gave me a look. It was …
You speak, I listen. And then I speak about it. In this episode, I respond to some feedback that I’ve received from Casting Across articles and podcasts. There is a comment on keeping spots secret, a question on how I prioritize fly fishing, and an angry mob. Well, kind of. I enjoy sharing a little …
