It’s the 5th of July. I’m here to declare another kind of independence. You, my fly fishing friend, are invited to secede right along with me. Maybe you don’t feel like you’re living under an unbearable burden. Perhaps there are no angling shackles upon your casting arm. But if there is even the slightest chance …
Whether it be due to location or preference, some anglers routinely pursue species like bass. Additionally, the waters they frequent aren’t the typical wide smallmouth rivers or vast largemouth lakes. Our nation is covered with small steams that contain robust populations of bass and other warm water fish. If your local creek is where you’re …
Fly fishers appreciate the little things that makes their time on the water easier. This means things that aren’t over-engineered, over-complicated, and over-priced. The magnetic fly patches from Magnet-ique easily meet this little and simple criteria. Since 2019, a pair of British fly fishers have been making these little and simple tools in the UK. …
Which bank do you fish on? It isn’t a trick question or some sort of sneaky form of angling psychoanalysis. In my experience, asking this question reveals one of three common answers: I have to fish this bank, because the other side is inaccessible. I have to fish this bank, because all of the likely …
Part of this year’s Father’s Day gift was “a day to go fishing.” (Note: this is a great gift to give someone.) Now, I get to fish a lot. But this gifted day was special because it was to be used while we were on vacation in Virginia. Picking a spot to fish wasn’t easy, …
“Do you guys smell the plants?” “You mean the flowers?” “No, the plants. Can you notice that they smell differently than the plants back home?” To be fair, I don’t think I was paying too much attention to the olfactory stimulation elicited by Virginia flora when I was a young teenager. My kids didn’t pick …
Just because you love fly fishing doesn’t mean it always comes easily. Various and sundry circumstances can lead the angler to a period where there is less productivity on the water. That is normal, primarily because the fish aren’t obligated to play along. Weather, seasonality, and the aforementioned finnicky fish will keep hands clean and …
Although it is certainly not the most wild place in the west, Rocky Mountain National Park provides plenty of fantastic fly fishing opportunities. Rocky Mountain is one of the most visited national parks in the country on an annual basis. It boasts numerous visitor centers, hundreds of miles of trails, and most of the iconic …
Like a lot of you, I have quite a few fly rods. There is certainly wisdom in having the right tool for the job. Different weights and lengths allow you to accomplish different tasks. For each of us, there is a point where we decide to add another arrow to the quiver. Admittedly, sometimes that …
Why is Altoona, Pennsylvania the only place in the world where you’ll be able to watch nine grown men, dressed up as brook trout, running around a field? On the weekend of June 25-27, the Altoona Curve (AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) will be taking the diamond as the state fish of Pennsylvania. For …
