Although I doubt that it will ruffle many feathers or result in any fanfare, I’m making a change to the format of Casting Across. For the first six months of this site, I’ve published basically original content every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I love to write, and the topics in and around fly fishing are …
I’m always fascinated by the dynamic of same/different on the stream. One example is how I can be on a mountain trout stream anywhere in Appalachia, and there is going to be some geological similarities. But if my eyes wander up the banks, the foliage will be completely different north and south. Another is a …
I never saw myself as the chain-yourself-to-a-bulldozer, repel-from-a-dam-to-paint-a-crack type. But I wasn’t totally disengaged from the environmental side of fly fishing. As a teenager I had been involved in some conservation. Stream clean ups, seminars, science fair projects – those sorts of things. So I was a little surprised at myself at what I did …
Casting Across has been up and running for six months. I’ve really enjoyed the ride thus far, and I’m very glad that friends and family finally convinced me to start putting my writing online. I’ve gotten back into the fly fishing community after a six-year hiatus of sorts, and it has been a great half …
I wonder if I’ll ever see this backing again. I might. The reel that it is going to be spooled onto is going to feature a six-weight line. There are plenty of circumstances where I could get into a very large trout, a steelhead, or carp that could run me out a hundred feet. But, …
The hashtag is a funny thing. I think that most of us resent the concept to a certain degree, but ultimately appreciate how the things can sum up a lot in a few letters. And it isn’t all #yolo anymore, as every corner of social media has their set of hashtags and language. Fly fishing …
The Galleria dell’Accademia. The Ponte Vecchio. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. For the past few days, I’d been standing in these places absorbing the immensity of their historical and cultural significance. Statues, paintings, and facades that I’d been seeing my whole life were now right in front of me. There were moments that …
As the springtime temperatures climb, anglers also begin to move up to the hollows and highlands in pursuit of mountain trout. Whether it be brook trout in the east or wild cutthroats in the west, the species that occupy high gradient small streams are a favorite quarry of fly fishers. The nature of mountain creek …
For the vast majority of anglers, fly fishing encompasses a lot more than actually fly fishing. Looking forward to a weekend away fishing, it isn’t abnormal to anticipate the late night talks around the fire or the trips to the same dive bar in town. One isn’t any less an angler if the promise of …
“Oh, yes. There are lots of fish in this river.” I was skeptical. “But are they wild fish?” “Oh, yes. They will fight real nice for you.” Wild might not have been translating the way I wanted it to. “Are these the kinds of fish that are from your country? Or have they been put …
