There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question “what line weight should I use for trout?” The same holds true for smallmouth, pike, striper, panfish… you name it. Every species, and any circumstance you might find yourself in while fishing for that species, can be pursued with a range or rod and line weights. While …
Category: General
Rusty Flybox: Alone
Fishing is good alone. Fishing is good together. Why? Because fishing is good. Today I’m sharing three articles from the Casting Across archives, spanning nearly the entire 8 year history of the site. Each has to do with going fly fishing and the alone/together tension that exists every time you get in the water. Interestingly, …
Blue Ribbon Fish Art
I’m blessed with four amazing boys. Each is gifted in his own way. Each loves the outdoors; including the water and everything in it that crawls or swims. This past month my three oldest submitted artwork to a local fair. Before running off to funnel cake and ferris wheels, the boys sprinted into the exhibit …
4 Ways to Know You Shouldn’t Fish in Fall
To fish or not to fish? That is a good question, come fall. Why? Some of our most beloved quarry have been making fish babies for millennia in the autumn. Proper stewardship necessitates we wade lightly and cast conscientiously during their more amorous intervals. So when do you lay off? Ask four different anglers and …
4 Fall Fly Fishing Gear Essentials
Fall fishing usually means changing your approach to pursuing fish. Hitting different spots and using different flies are usually required. Switching up your gear is almost as necessary. Personally, I carry more in the fall. Generally speaking, this comes down to the fact that I employ (and switch up) more layered clothing. My terminal gear …
No Fishing, for Trout’s Sake
Luray, Virginia: Effective immediately, Shenandoah National Park’s streams and rivers are closed to fishing due to low stream flows and high water temperatures. This closure is being implemented to ensure the long term health of the fish populations in the park. Dry conditions have led to extremely low stream flows throughout the Park, including some …
Wading in the Valley of the Shadow
How can you retreat without running away? As a pastor, this is a question that I regularly think about; for those who come to me for counsel and for myself. What do I mean, and how does fly fishing fit in? First, it is important to define retreat. There are times when it is very important …
He Needs to Know
“He needs to know what kind of fishing it is going to be.” My wife was all for the 11 year old joining me on a trip to a tiny, tight, brook trout creek. Being a mom, she also had the intuition to identify some vital qualifiers of which he needed to be apprised. Casting …
Happy Inevitable Transitions
Close up camp. Back to school. Don’t wear white. Labor Day does not sound like a whole lot of fun. But summer is only a short nine months away. And fall is pretty spectacular. Plus there is the fact that you can’t alter the rotation of the earth and the resultant seasons so there is …
The Best Fly Fishing Headlamp
A headlamp lives in most of my fly fishing packs. When I’m out for a long time or I’m far from the car, it goes in for emergencies. If I’ll be fishing into the evening, it goes in for safety and out of necessity. I usually have one in the back of the car all …