“I just go out there… by myself?” “Yup. You’ve got your flashlight?” “Yeah…” “You can do it, bud. I’ll be right here.” It was just a quick trip to go to the bathroom. But it was in the woods. And it was dark. And it was the first time he had done anything like that …
Most fly tying revolves around a few basic techniques. And these techniques are essentially all about you revolving materials around a hook. Figure that out, work on the nuance, and you’ll soon be tying and fishing good flies. So where do you go from good? Experience comes from trial and error. Feathers that look good …
All of the children came rushing into the kitchen. They were abuzz about the the bug they had found. It was big. It looked like an alien. It was dead. Quickly my wife corrected them. It is just the husk. The cicada got rid of this, shook it’s new wings, and flew away. Now there …
My first key chain came from Cabela’s. It was a Royal Wulff dry fly encased in an oval of resin. It accompanied the two or three keys I needed at the end of high school and beginning of college. It met its untimely demise when I threw my keys out of frustration after blowing out …
1. Fly fishing for panfish is fun. 2. Fly fishing for panfish is a great way to prepare for fly fishing for trout. These statements are both true, and they are not mutually exclusive. You can fish for bluegill simply for the joy that accompanies fishing for bluegill. And there’s no question about it: it’s …
You can’t catch fish unless your fly is in the water. Guides have told me this, and I have used this simple phrase plenty of times myself. And it is true. But why do we, as fly fishers, keep our flies in the boat or in our hands? What gives us pause? Is it always …
Full disclosure: Taking kids fly fishing is work. You’re not going to be fishing. You’re going to be untangling monofilament and dodging poppers. The time spent getting ready to go fishing is incredibly disproportional to the time spent actually fishing. And heaven help you if the fish aren’t biting. Taking kids fly fishing is an …
I had the morning to myself. While on a family trip in Northern Virginia, I could have easily found my way to some amazing fly fishing opportunities. Feisty mountain brook trout. River smallies on topwater flies. Thick spring creek browns. While there is no such thing as a done deal in fly fishing, each of …
This month on Trout & Feather, my post is called Fly Fishing Past. There are also some great tying tutorials to be found, including the “perfect” jig nymph. Where is the farthest point upstream you’ve fished on your favorite river? What do you think is a little past that? And, if you were being adventurous, …
Just over three years ago I visited a stream that I had fantasized about for decades. Decades. It isn’t on the other side of the world. It isn’t even across the country. In fact, I’ve crossed over it hundreds of times. The access just so happens to be a bit on the restrictive side. As …
