I remember kneeling in the snow. I can recall the exact spot. It was right at the apex of a gentle bend. There was a log jutting into the water that covered the entire stream’s width but for a few feet. I held the trout firmly. I did so because I didn’t want it to …
The day after Christmas, the Orlando Sentinel published an opinion piece by Elizabeth Drayer. She is a lawyer and, as her byline states, a longtime environmental advocate. I haven’t read another word that Ms. Drayer has written outside of this article. To be clear: I appreciate her passion for protecting our natural resources. I believe …
Bears can’t open car doors. Even if a bear could get into the car, a black bear couldn’t do it so fast that we couldn’t start the engine and escape. And a black bear wouldn’t hang on to the roof like James Bond as we swerved down the mountain. I could close my eyes and …
If you Google “muskrat,” you immediately learn a very interesting tidbit. Did you know that Ondatra zibethicus is the only species in genus Ondatra? The only one! Who would have thunk? Once your mind has adjusted to this startling revelation, scroll down a bit more. That’s where the world’s leading search engine gets real. The …
Social media has its fair share of justified criticisms. Instagram, in particular, is often rightfully called out for channeling vanity and facilitating the worst coming out in people. In fly fishing, that has unfortunately lead to unsavory angling practices that endanger fish and stir up strife within the community. But it doesn’t have to be …
Christmas is not my favorite holiday. It’s like the best part of all the other fun holidays, but with a whole lot of other stuff crammed into it. It’s busy. It’s expensive. It’s almost always cold. Consequently, I’ve been known to be a little Grinchy in the Yuletide lead-up. But then Christmas Eve hits. All …
I’m not going to brag and say that I’m some kind of fallfish catching phenom. I’ll simply let the evidence speak for itself. At a purely quantitative level, I’m super good at catching fallfish. Want proof? I hauled in some real fine specimens the last time I went out. Which, it just so happened, was …
Cold cut through every exposed inch of skin like a knife. Wool and fleece and neoprene worked in unison but were unable to achieve success. Numbed fingers struggled with the most basic knots; hope was used as much as monofilament. The stream was the only moving thing in the stark winter landscape. Patches of snow …
There is plenty of cynicism in the world. I’d say that a disproportionate amount of it rests among certain segments of the fly fishing community. Perhaps it is the outlet for all the frustration that comes from being outsmarted by fish. It is very irrational to be irritated by a trout. It’s only slightly less …
Even if I hadn’t been out in a week, the first cast felt like it was simply the next cast in a succession of fly fishing moments. It was like picking up where I had left off. Like I had never left. Never stopped fishing. It is a great feeling. I’ve had two such seasons …
