I wouldn’t say that I get too worked up about what people say in and around fly fishing. But the extreme ends of gear perspectives bug me. One says that the most expensive gear is the only way to go. The other says that whatever you can find is all that you need. As is …
I was past the point where I could hear cars or people. As a general rule, the pools and deep runs that are within a short walk from the parking lot get fished hard. The water looks great. It seems like it might be productive. Styrofoam worm cups and Bud Lite cans are often serve …
Years ago I spent a few weeks in Central America. One of the men I went with shared a simple, yet profound, statement: “Don’t complain about the obvious.” His example was the heat. If you’re hot, everyone is hot. What is the point of commenting on it ad nauseum? Well, maybe it isn’t hot where …
There is a good chance that you have some habits when it comes to approaching certain types of water. After a few decades of pursuing brookies, browns, and cutthroats in mountain streams I have developed a simple little scheme for identifying what they’re keying in on. Today I share the three dry flies I use …
Every once in a while I simply type “fly fishing” into the news section of search bar of my web browser to see what pops up. More often than not it is a local story about an event or an article from one of the larger angling sites. It is interesting to get less-customized results …
From day one, a goal of Casting Across has been to connect anglers with some of the best resources in fly fishing. And in my humble opinion there are few options out there that rival fly shops. Of course shops will sell you gear. But the best also provide real-time information and legitimate community. That …
Happy Independence Day from Casting Across! On today’s episode, I’m sharing a tangentially-related collection of topics. While I do discuss giving trout some space in the hottest weather, the bulk of the podcast is about the great situation we find ourself in the United States. Things aren’t perfect. They’re far from it. But that is …
Last year, fishing within Shenandoah National Park was verboten from the beginning of August through the beginning of November. Similar bans have been enacted over the past decades. While brook trout populations generally manage to endure hot, dry conditions, it is prudent for such a well-visited area to limit fishing. Because by limiting fishing, they’re …
You should buy any fly rod you want. Walk into a store and get something that catches your eye. Pick the one that fits your budget. Take home the latest and greatest that everyone is raving about online. There is nothing wrong with any of those approaches. But if you want to do a little …
Thousands of aquarium aficionados concerned about the stress levels of their tropical fish can’t be wrong. And from an anecdotal angling perspective, I agree with them. You can gain insight into what a fish is going to do by watching it’s body language. While it isn’t an empirical exercise, there are some tells in fish …
