“Can we go fishing?” Sure. “Where are we going? “What are we going to catch? “Why do I need sunscreen? “Why do I need shoes? “Can we get donuts? “Did you remember my rod? “Can I use your rod? “Can we go to the bathroom? “Are we allowed to park here? “Are they fishing?
Author: Matthew
Make Plans to Show Up to The Show
I know what you’re thinking. “The weather is just getting nice again – I’m going to be able to fish so much this fall!” True. But if you live in most of the country, the harsh reality that winter weather is only a half dozen weeks away can’t be ignored. It’s okay. Don’t run from …
The Scourge of Subconscious Trout-Setting
I couldn’t help myself. It was a fish. It swam up from the clear depths to chase my fly. I saw the whole thing unfold before my eyes. I trout set the snot out of that striper. And, of course, that means that the striped bass pictured above is not the fish that I just …
3 Ways to Keep Your Fly Up
Want to know a good problem to have? Catching so many fish that you’re struggling to keep your fly afloat. While that might sound a little bit like humble bragging, it is something that happens to all anglers from time to time. The reality is that it can be problematic. If you’re catching a lot …
Rusty Flybox: Brookies
Brook Trout… And people think that the leaves are pretty in autumn! Maybe it is good that the fall colors of brookies are our little secret, otherwise every blue line and back trail would be littered with trout peepers. As it is, the deeper you get into the woods the more brilliant your surroundings and …
Run to the Fish
I like trail running. I like fly fishing. I have a limited amount of time to do anything like either of those things. Not all pursuits are flexible enough to combine, but trail running and fly fishing can be seamlessly combined in such a way that you’re not really compromising on either. Most recently I …
Laboring Today, Fly Fishing Yesterday
Good old Labor Day. A day off to celebrate other days off. I know that is a gross misrepresentation… kind of… For me, there will be work today. I’ll be laboriously reading, writing, and – completely unrelated – assembling IKEA furniture. Don’t worry, I took yesterday afternoon off (to fish). And I’m taking tomorrow morning …
Gone Fishing: Rockies
5,000 feet in an hour by car, two miles uphill by foot, and a canyon full of cutthroats all to myself:
Waiting Decades for a Trout
“I know protecting them is important,” I said, “but what is fishing for greenbacks like?” “They’re beautiful, special fish that live in amazing places,” he said, smiling. “They aren’t the only cutthroats that need to be protected, but their story is special.” I had a lot of questions for the late Dr. Robert Behnke in …
Mentally Moving on in Fly Fishing
You’d think that it would be easy to write about fly fishing in a new place, for a new fish, for the first time. There is a lot to say about the particularities of the species – how it looks, how it acts, how it is the same or different than other fish like it. …