You can’t catch fish unless your fly is in the water. Guides have told me this, and I have used this simple phrase plenty of times myself. And it is true. But why do we, as fly fishers, keep our flies in the boat or in our hands? What gives us pause? Is it always …
Road trip! Depending upon your particular experiences, that phrase might elicit great joy or terrible fear. But what if you have a fly rod in the car? Or, what if you’ve had a fly rod in the car while taking that same route in the past? Adding a little fishing to a longer drive can …
Full disclosure: Taking kids fly fishing is work. You’re not going to be fishing. You’re going to be untangling monofilament and dodging poppers. The time spent getting ready to go fishing is incredibly disproportional to the time spent actually fishing. And heaven help you if the fish aren’t biting. Taking kids fly fishing is an …
I had the morning to myself. While on a family trip in Northern Virginia, I could have easily found my way to some amazing fly fishing opportunities. Feisty mountain brook trout. River smallies on topwater flies. Thick spring creek browns. While there is no such thing as a done deal in fly fishing, each of …
There is one fish that I have been trying to catch for nearly 20 years. It isn’t a specific fish, per se, but any rainbow trout out of a particular stream. This week I caught that fish. It was a little fish. Really little. But that is okay. After numerous failed attempts (some of which …
This month on Trout & Feather, my post is called Fly Fishing Past. There are also some great tying tutorials to be found, including the “perfect” jig nymph. Where is the farthest point upstream you’ve fished on your favorite river? What do you think is a little past that? And, if you were being adventurous, …
Just over three years ago I visited a stream that I had fantasized about for decades. Decades. It isn’t on the other side of the world. It isn’t even across the country. In fact, I’ve crossed over it hundreds of times. The access just so happens to be a bit on the restrictive side. As …
If you can negotiate some time on the water, then you should absolutely sneak some fishing into your family trip. Want my advice? Don’t bring what you would normally bring on a fishing trip. Pack lighter. Be it out of necessity or simply to keep the peace, choose what you’re hauling along with coolers, strollers, …
I don’t like the sun. …let me qualify that statement: I am very thankful for the gravitational, thermodynamic, and myriad of other benefits that the sun provides to me and every other organism on this planet. However, I certainly don’t like sunburn and I’m not that fond of UV rays in general. Add to that …
I’ve got the cure for a difficult day. And I don’t think it’s a presumptuous statement to assume that a lot of us are having difficult days. It isn’t anything chemical, expensive, or difficult itself. But what it does promise is some peace, some quiet, and some fun. After work, after dinner, after the kids …
