There is something good about having one, do-it-all tool. There is something good about having exactly what you need for each and every situation you may find yourself in. You can go off the rails to either side, however. On one hand, you can limit yourself. On the other, conspicuous consumption fills up your closet …
Author: Matthew
Pride in Cheap Fly Fishing Gear
I can’t recall for certain how many pairs of $5.99 sunglasses I owned in the first years of my fishing life. But I am confident that it was far, far less than would total the price of the fancy pairs I wear these days. And, I think it bears mentioning, these cheap sunglasses were name …
Podcast Ep. 404: When You Don’t Have The “Right” Gear
I do talk about fly fishing gear a lot on Casting Across. But there is something that will trump equipment nine out of ten times: skill. Within reason, your proficiency with equipment will overcome not having that rod, fly, or gadget that is designed specifically for a particular task. This is a good thing. Because …
VIDEO: The Definitive Word on a Premier River
On one hand, a fly fishing guidebook is a tool. The author gives you what you need to catch fish in a particular location. But a good guidebook is much more. The writer shares his passion for a place he truly enjoys and in which he is personally invested. That excitement comes through in a …
Fly Fishing Books, XIV
For over a year and a half, I’ve been putting reviews of fly fishing books on YouTube. It has been a lot of fun to talk about new titles and share some of my favorite books from the history of angling. This has been a great way to augment the dozens of articles posted about …
Podcast Ep. 403: Why Fish Downstream?
Let me start off by saying that fly fishing downstream is not my method of choice. It is harder. It is a lower probability approach. It is less than ideal. But sometimes it is necessary. Today I talk through three situations that might demand a downstream presentation. Even though all those caveats are probably still …
VIDEO: The Longest Fly Fishing Book
Coming in at over 1,700 pages, Ernest Schwiebert’s Trout is a massive marvel of angling literature. But don’t let the page count make you nervous… there are a few pictures here and there. Genuinely, Trout is a very readable work. Taking it all in cover-to-cover might be a bit much, but the six “books” within …
Propellers & Light Angling Heresy
At first blush, it is a bit sacrilegious. Nestled in between spoons and spinners in a brightly colored blister pack, it can’t be a fly. And it has propellers for goodness’ sake. Propellers! Rubber legs we can deal with. Gummy-bodied saltwater patterns produce fish. Mop flies have grown on us. But propellers? Are we not …
Podcast Ep. 402: The Tiniest Blue Lines
How small is too small? Well, there is certainly a line. But small almost always gets bigger. When scouting for trout, that last sentiment is helpful to remember. Just because a blue line on your map doesn’t immediately yield fish, it isn’t automatic that you should abandon all hope. You might just need to go …
VIDEO: Fly Fishing Book Q&A
I like your questions so much, I decided to share them again. This time, I’m addressing what you’ve asked as it pertains to fly fishing books. And it is, like most of my fly fishing book content these days, on YouTube. After 70+ fly fishing book review videos, I’ve collected quite a few questions from …