A park like Shenandoah has everything going for it. …everything that could lull you into a state of lackadaisical passivity. Countless amenities with ample signage, easy highway access, and throngs of tourists make a popular east coast park seem overwhelmingly safe. Shenandoah National Park is a place where your grandparents picnic. It is a place …
Yes: Christmas was yesterday. But I don’t publish on Sundays. And Friday was a podcast day, so that wasn’t an appropriate day for greetings either. So here you have it. One day late: Merry Christmas from Casting Across. I do hope that your holiday was filled with all of the things that you desired and …
There have been countless ecological missteps taken by those attempting to protect fish because of errors in identification. Some were understandable, given the technology at the time. Others, including those of the last few generations, really stem from relying on hasty or superficial investigation. Anglers, who are not only the beneficiaries of conservation efforts but …
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 …
