We were looking for a campsite alongside the tumbling mountain creek. It was a brook trout creek. However, rainbows had been stocked without any fish’s consent and now made up the bulk of the trout population in the valley. We, along with the native brookies, were higher up in the hollow. It had been a …
I like questions. When I get the same question a handful of times in quick succession, that topic gets shifted to the top of the subject matter pile. Recently, a number of fine fly fishing folk have asked me about what I consider to be the essential gear for minimalism or travel. In this episode …
Just because they’re “no see ‘ums” to you, it doesn’t mean the fish can’t see and eat ‘um. Midges are a staple of trout diets. Imitations of these tiny insects and their cohorts deserve a place in your fly box. And, assuming you have the eyesight or gadgets to tie them on without too much …
I’ll be the first one to celebrate how people are a major part of fly fishing. Almost as much as the distinctive nature of the fly cast, the culture and the community make this particular pursuit of fish special. That said, it isn’t always rosy. As you aggregate a large enough sample size of interactions …
Some hot weather and a spur of the moment decision turned into an excellent 24 hours of father-and-sons fly fishing time. In this episode, I talk about the great time that my boys and I had in Manchester, Vermont. The occasion was the American Museum of Fly Fishing’s Summer Festival. There were vendors, exhibits, and …
Something that contemporary fly fishing culture has latched onto is the wonderful distribution of anglers: very different people from very different backgrounds are in very different places fly fishing. This is true throughout this present space. This is also true throughout time. If you fly fish, you’re connected to people who did what you do …
I can live happily in two different fly fishing camps. On one hand, I see the value in having precisely picked and dialed in gear. At the same time, I appreciate adaptation and using what you have in creative ways. One takes more resources; the other takes more energy and effort. If you live or …
If there is one truism in fly fishing, it is this: Everyone can work on their casting accuracy and distance. In fact, the more I develop as a fly caster the more I see room for improvement in these areas. Today I share my thoughts on two ways to think about improving your fly casting. …
In one minute, I share why you should absolutely own Sheridan Anderson’s 1978 book, The Curtis Creek Manifesto. No other book shares all the necessary information about fly fishing in such an entertaining manner. Not only are the illustrations great fun, they are incredibly helpful. Additionally, the “necessary information” isn’t just what a fly rod …
The first time I came across the use of artificial intelligence in the fly fishing world, it benefitted me. At the very least, it had the potential to benefit me. A spike in website traffic to Casting Across was the result of a link to an article I had written. The link was on another …
