The history of introducing fish into American waterways is a story of interesting stories. Setting aside the ecological concerns of nonnative species for a moment, the paths taken by the ancestors of today’s trout and bass are remarkable. There are plenty of fantastical accounts of warming barrels of fry and derailed trail cars filled with …
“What is the most unbelievable thing that has happened on the river?” After guiding for decades, Ryan Johnston has probably heard that query more than a few times. The result is Reelly. In asking a question like that, some people are looking to be amazed. Some are probably looking for dirt. Johnston’s book is not …
…and a few of them are pretty inexpensive, too. For one reason or another, you might find yourself fly fishing in the kind of weather that isn’t found on catalog covers. But there is also a very good chance that such outings yield experiences that you won’t forget. By and large, the gear that you …
As far as I can recall, I’ve only really pressed my luck once when it has come to fly fishing in blizzards. To be fair, I was fishing the Lake Erie tributaries. Not only are the lake effect weather patterns erratic, but combat fishing for steelhead* puts you in an unstable state of mind. After …
For most fly fishers, their reel isn’t what they think about with great detail until something goes horribly wrong. It locks up. It starts making a weird sound. The screw holding the handle falls into the river, with the handle soon following suit. Modern fly reels are incredibly resilient. But an ounce of prevention between …
I was blessed to get a week and a half of vacation in one of my favorite places in this world: Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Along with general rest and a lot of family time, I was able to get out and do a little bit of fishing. In this week’s episode I talk through why …
I only lived in Pennsylvania for seven years. But the quantity and quality of the angling I squeezed in during grad school and my first career was remarkable. Primarily focusing on spring creeks, with the overwhelming majority of the time on three in particular, I can’t fathom how many days of my life were spent …
You’re never going to look back, excited about the mornings you slept in. It will never be the half-way, B- for effort fishing that you’ll remember. It will always be the mornings when the coffee couldn’t come soon enough. The times when you had to wait and watch the minutes tick by before you could …
This installation of “fly fishing accusations” is all about dogmatic opinions. Included are convictions regarding: wading boot soles angling literature the exclusivity claims of Christianity Does that last one sound like it might not fit in with the others? Well, if the feedback I received from a recent article is any indication: it certainly does. …
I love fly fishing. I also love books. I don’t have to work very hard to convince myself, or anyone else for that matter, that these two things go together quite well. There are many new and good books out there. Hopefully they are available at your local fly shop; they are definitively within reach …
