When I attended college in South Carolina, I was perplexed that locals broke out their winter coats when the weather hit the mid-60’s. Growing up in the Midwest, the only change that the mid-60’s brought about was the addition of long sleeves. Clothing, comfort, and climate in general are all relative. You only have to …
I parked my car at the familiar gravel pull off. Without waders or fly rod, I walked up the road to a low bridge that crossed the stream. I had plans to write a number of articles featuring the spring creeks I fished so often when I lived in Pennsylvania. Standing on top of the …
I shot my first duck just over a year ago. I can still remember the anticipation, the excitement, and the moment. The freshness of that memory made watching him shoot his first duck all the more special. He’s 10. All my boys caught their first fish as toddlers. All my boys caught their first fish …
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 …
