Work has a bad reputation. This is perhaps best illustrated in the modern concept of the weekend. Many see the time from Friday evening until Monday’s alarm as sacred. The rest of the week is there to be endured. Labor is pitted against rest. But this isn’t true. And fly fishers should understand this very …
We were looking for a campsite alongside the tumbling mountain creek. It was a brook trout creek. However, rainbows had been stocked without any fish’s consent and now made up the bulk of the trout population in the valley. We, along with the native brookies, were higher up in the hollow. It had been a …
I’ll be the first one to celebrate how people are a major part of fly fishing. Almost as much as the distinctive nature of the fly cast, the culture and the community make this particular pursuit of fish special. That said, it isn’t always rosy. As you aggregate a large enough sample size of interactions …
I can live happily in two different fly fishing camps. On one hand, I see the value in having precisely picked and dialed in gear. At the same time, I appreciate adaptation and using what you have in creative ways. One takes more resources; the other takes more energy and effort. If you live or …
The first time I came across the use of artificial intelligence in the fly fishing world, it benefitted me. At the very least, it had the potential to benefit me. A spike in website traffic to Casting Across was the result of a link to an article I had written. The link was on another …
You should support fly shops. But if for one reason or another you can’t, you should support a shop that is not a fly shop. Again, support fly shops. They have all the gear that you’ll need. Rods, reels, line, and flies. They’ll have breathable waders and a handful of vest options. You’ll undoubtedly have …
Something that I love about fly rod conversations is how they vacillate between empirical and metaphysical. You can go from talking ounces and recovery speed to how it makes you feel in a matter of seconds. It is just a fly rod. But if you fish, you know what I mean. Not only is a …
Today I want to discuss one of the most important pieces of gear out there in fly fishing today. In my humble opinion, it hasn’t received appropriate treatment; certainly not the fanfare it deserves. That said, I want to sing its praises in a way that makes you take notice. It is a fly rod. …
There is something wonderful about the naive expectations children possess about fishing. They assume that if they cast their bobber, hook, and worm into a body of water that they will catch a fish. It makes sense. This is what fishing is, after all. Fish eat worms. Fish live in water. It really isn’t that …
I’m on my way down to the Mid Atlantic. Trout are in the plans, but the real target that I have is smallmouth bass. These fish are so incredibly fun on the fly rod. They take dries, nymphs, and streamers. And you may have heard that they’re willing to chase a popper, too. There are …
