TroutRoutes is unequivocally the best digital app for fly fishers. And no: it is nothing like social media. No one knows where you’re fishing, what you’re catching, or what you’re doing. Given the majority of the angling apps out there, that needs to be said. It could be argued that alone makes it worth having …
The large trout was gently finning, staying relatively still in the gin clear water. Every once in a while he would slide to the right or the left. Given that the spring creek was absolutely thick with cress bugs, it was a safe assumption that the brown was sold out to feeding on these little …
The history of introducing fish into American waterways is a story of interesting stories. Setting aside the ecological concerns of nonnative species for a moment, the paths taken by the ancestors of today’s trout and bass are remarkable. There are plenty of fantastical accounts of warming barrels of fry and derailed trail cars filled with …
As far as I can recall, I’ve only really pressed my luck once when it has come to fly fishing in blizzards. To be fair, I was fishing the Lake Erie tributaries. Not only are the lake effect weather patterns erratic, but combat fishing for steelhead* puts you in an unstable state of mind. After …
For most fly fishers, their reel isn’t what they think about with great detail until something goes horribly wrong. It locks up. It starts making a weird sound. The screw holding the handle falls into the river, with the handle soon following suit. Modern fly reels are incredibly resilient. But an ounce of prevention between …
I only lived in Pennsylvania for seven years. But the quantity and quality of the angling I squeezed in during grad school and my first career was remarkable. Primarily focusing on spring creeks, with the overwhelming majority of the time on three in particular, I can’t fathom how many days of my life were spent …
You’re never going to look back, excited about the mornings you slept in. It will never be the half-way, B- for effort fishing that you’ll remember. It will always be the mornings when the coffee couldn’t come soon enough. The times when you had to wait and watch the minutes tick by before you could …
I love fly fishing. I also love books. I don’t have to work very hard to convince myself, or anyone else for that matter, that these two things go together quite well. There are many new and good books out there. Hopefully they are available at your local fly shop; they are definitively within reach …
The resounding success of the recent Casting Across Fly Fishing Podcast episodes entitled Cast1 has reminded me how important it is to communicate and consume the most essential aspects of fly fishing. This initial 9-part series was curated for those interested in fly fishing and those who may have recently started. But early on, it …
For most fly anglers, the most exciting piece of gear to shop for and purchase is the rod. Any conscientious buyer will understandably go through a relatively rigorous process of determining what to trust with his money and his prospective fish. In my years writing Casting Across, teaching casting, guiding, and selling rods, questions about …
