The very first strike indicator I bought and used was a Palsa pinch-on float. The guy behind the counter at the fly shop said they were the best, and I took his advise seriously. For what was probably a decade, anytime a fly presentation required an indicator I squeezed on a Palsa. While they may …
After writing about my top 3 panfish flies earlier in the week (there is a link below), I got thinking about how I often fish them when I’m chasing the largest specimens in my local waters. As much as I like loud, fast, and active presentations, I have to say that subtle is usually the …
There is something special about warm evenings on the local pond. Even the most aggressive saltwater anglers and devoted trout tacticians appreciate the experience of walking the bank with a pocket of bugs, picking off hungry panfish. But which bugs? Admittedly, my warmwater boxes are stuffed to the point of testing their magnetic closures. But …
I have my grandfather’s fly rods. He wasn’t a fly fisherman by any stretch of the imagination. As far as he could recall, he used them a handful of times in Illinois and Wisconsin for bluegill, little pike, and the random brook trout. There are four of them: a beat up dime store bamboo, a …
It is a lot of fun to pull up to the river, hop out of your car, and just get to fishing. On the other hand, if you can do that in a particular spot it means that countless others can do the same as well. A little initiative and, if you’re able, a little …
You need water to go fly fishing. Obvious, right? While this is appropriate for fish to habituate to your particular river, pond, or coast, it also has a very real application for you. Sling packs have bottle holsters and drift boats have footprints for coolers because anglers need to stay hydrated. For every hundred articles …
This past weekend, thermometers around me hit 90 degrees. It was a one-day aberration from an otherwise mild New England Spring. But for that one day it was hot. The weather, always a topic of conversation, was on the forefront of everyone’s mind. “It’s only May!” “Got your air conditioner on yet?” “Time to get …
Minnows rarely make the news. Yet a quick search for “Virginia fallfish” turns up what seems to be a relentless pursuit among anglers of the commonwealth to find bigger and bigger examples of Semotilus corporalis. Josh Dolin is the latest fisherman to get his name attached to this underrepresented species. Yes. Fallfish are underrepresented. They …
A few articles in Casting Across history have drawn ire from the fly fishing internet. There was the series of posts that calculated the “best rated” fly shop in each state. There have been reviews of products from companies that people don’t like. There are opinions, recommendations, and personal convictions that readers don’t agree with. …
I wasn’t looking to read a book. My goal was to use books to gather information. But despite my best efforts I was turning page after page, laughing, and getting a lot more than fishing tips. All thanks to John Gierach. As a child I was a vociferous reader. Books assigned in school were merely …
