In fly fishing, and in our culture in general, tipping is expected for many direct services. On top of payment, gratuity is part of the transaction. It is a way to thank the professional. It is a way to compliment quality service. And it is a way to round out that person’s compensation. However, a …
On the heels of a long weekend of spending, Giving Tuesday has become a charitable foil to the post-Thanksgiving commercialism. Nonprofits of all stripes capitalize on the awareness that comes along with what has become an internet phenomenon. Initiatives backed with promotions, matching donations, and particular goals seek to bolster funding. Nonprofit organizations within the …
I am thankful for fly fishing. This means I am thankful to people; not just thankful with some nebulous sentiment. That isn’t true thankfulness. True thankfulness has a person as the object. True thankfulness can be given and received. I am thankful to Alan, who introduced me to the sport. As a teenager, he needed …
On a warm, overcast fall morning the fish were jumping all across the pond. With every stroke of the paddle, there was a flash under water or ripples on the surface. Baitfish skittered. Lazy insects disappeared in loud slurps. Fish shot out of the water, presumably for the joy only comprehendible to the simple mind …
The calendar says that winter doesn’t arrive until late December. The frost on my windshield and the ice on the edges of the streambank say otherwise. Cold weather means flies can be tied and deer can be hunted. But it also means that there are aspects to fly fishing that open up to us. Taking …
Bass are unaware of Daylight Savings Time. They don’t have an emotional response to the first frost or “sweater weather.” They certainly aren’t swayed by the pumpkin spice-ification of the world. This does not mean that bass, like any other fish out there, are not impacted by the temperature shifts that accompany the change of …
Whether you are putting your fly rod away for the winter or you finally realize that your cork handle is what has been stinking up your truck’s cab, you should definitely take the time to clean your gear. Just like anything else, fly rods need maintenance. While they are not technical or complex by any …
For a split second, my brain doesn’t comprehend the implications of the sensation. Where there was once tension – a pulsing fish pulling against the line and the current – is now simply slack. It takes a moment to wrap my head around the fact that the fish is gone. Next comes frustration. It might …
The neighbor to one side of you still hasn’t removed all of the fake spiderwebs from her bushes, and the neighbor on the other side is staking illuminated reindeer down in his front yard. Thanksgiving (the superior holiday, mind you) is a turkey and pie speedbump that simply launches our culture headlong over Black Friday …
Earlier this week I posted an article about fishing in National Forests. A good number of people found it interesting enough to read, and I hope that it was also a useful reminder that there are millions of acres of public land that are accessible. Last year, I put together a similar article regarding National …
