We could all use a little fun and community these days. While most fly fishers are fortunately still able to spend time on the river or behind their vise, the Coronavirus pandemic has led to a lot of uncertainty and isolation. And although everyone is absolutely concerned about those who are battling the virus, the …
The first year I lived by the lake I decided I’d go fishing on opening day. I knew it would be crowded, but I thought it would be fun. On my morning jogs that spring I had witnessed the number of trout cruising in the shallows. On warmer days I could see dimples on the …
Good writing doesn’t start with a list of caveats. But I’m more concerned with clarity than quality, so: I think that the Coronavirus pandemic is terrible. I appreciate that the pandemic has elicited a great diversity of experiences, reactions, and perspectives. With those disclaimers out of the way, I’ll get right to the point. COVID-19 …
I’m writing this article the weekend after the president declared a national emergency. COVID-19, or the Novel Coronavirus, has taken the United States to a very strange place. In the past century, the only comparisons might be the responses to world wars and terrorist attacks. A lot could be said about the virus, the government’s …
This was my first fly box. Things were pretty simple then. I don’t remember how I came across the “Plano Micro Magnum.” There is a good chance that I bought it at The Sports Authority. I can say with great certainty that it was inexpensive, that I didn’t deliberate over the choice, and that I …
How often do you have more than fifteen feet of fly line out of the end of your rod? For most trout anglers, and virtually all saltwater fly fishers, the answer is always. You’re never that close to fish. Casts have to be 30 or 50 or 70 feet… if you’re lucky. After all, fly …
Most nights I’d time leaving home so I could gear up right as the frogs began to sing in earnest. That wasn’t the event I was targeting, but the amphibian chorus corresponded with the evening hatch. Trout could be taken all evening long. But the action intensified once the sulphurs started hitting the water. Seeing …
Minor league baseball is all about fun. Sure, the players are doing everything they can to succeed at the lower levels of professional baseball with the hopes of getting to the majors. But while they’re giving it their all on the field, there is a whole lot more going on around them. T-shirt cannons, “bring …
I really like hunting. I enjoy the hunt itself, including the animals I do or don’t pursue. A hunt might have equal parts camaraderie and solitude, which I appreciate in equal measure. And then there’s being outside. It’s hard to have a bad day when I’m in the woods. Hunting the right way, you get …
Scientifically speaking, the eye can’t see cold. Ice and snow and the moisture in breath that turns into condensation can be seen. But what is being seen isn’t cold. Yet the eye can see when it is cold out. Aesthetics accomplish what science cannot. Everything looks more still. The entire world looks as if a …
