Less than a decade after he accepted Robert E, Lee’s surrender at Appomatox, Ulysses S. Grant signed a law making Yellowstone the first national park in the United States. In the following decades, more landmarks and wild places were protected by the federal government. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Organic Service Act. …
If you’ve been fly fishing for any amount of time, I hope you’ve come to the realization that most outings aren’t going to look like the centerfold of Gray’s Sporting Journal. There’s a few reasons for this: the fish the river and you Let’s start with you. Never, ever do you fantasize about untangling the …
I don’t want to ever make an excuse for a seagull. However, the fly line was transparent. Casting 60 to 70 feet of line into the surf becomes a little monotonous. But it is monotonous in a good way. When you get into a rythm, the double hauling becomes effortless. The only interruptions are strikes …
Fooling fish gets a lot of press. In the grand scheme of angling, it is definitely the most complex variable in the entire system. Still, once you manage to trick a fish and fight it in you better know how to seal the deal. While many situations and species don’t call for the use of …
Try as you might, you’re not going to fly fish without running into people every now and again. We all like solitude. Getting out into the river often provides that. But if we all like solitude and we all like rivers… well, I think you see the conundrum that we’ve found ourselves wading in. Interactions …
For two weeks, the world comes together to witness the athletic prowess of the best among us. We watch gymnasts contort, fly, and balance with exquisite muscle control. Runners sprint at speeds that defy our expectations of human physiology. And then there are a bunch of random sports that don’t seem particularly athletic, but do …
Yeti knows exactly what they’re doing. Think about it: What other luxury item has developed a following among common folk wherein they religiously explain their possesion of said item with the refrain of “I know it is really expensive, but…” Say what you will but, they have great marketing. And their marketing team is kept …
For all their distractions and hindrances, smartphones can really improve your outdoor experience. Getting an email from work or a robo-call while on the water is certainly obnoxious. Still, locating a trail, identifying an insect, and photographing the beauty of nature are all great uses for the ubiquitous pocket technology. And everything we do, we …
I’m sure you’ve seen videos of giant New Zealand brown trout blowing up a dry fly. The only fish for a hundred yards is stalked, observed, and chased with tactical precision. When everything goes right, the water explodes with the most furious salmonid intensity, But again, I’m sure you’ve seen videos of this happening. You …
The trope is that all anglers lie about catching fish. That isn’t fair. Moreover, it isn’t even close to accurate. Anglers lie about not catching fish. We all know the real reason why you’re not catching fish: you couldn’t do it. They’re simple organisms that simply pursue basic biological impulses. How are you supposed to …
