When I was asked if I would be willing to contribute to a Mid-Atlantic based fly fishing magazine it was a quick yes. Growing up fishing Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, I ravenously consumed every page of region-specific periodicals. These free magazines were an essential part of any stop at the fly shop. It was encouraging …
This episode drifted. And while I’d like to say that is a clever fly fishing pun, it wouldn’t be super appropriate because this week we’re talking about retrieving flies. The original outline was about all kinds of retrieves, but as I talked about what was most effective I kept returning to one simple truth: slower …
His first groggy words of the morning expressed his desire to fish the Letort. He knew what he was getting into. An avid reader, he had been picking random volumes out of my fly fishing library for years. He had seen the pictures of the weeds and read the dour words of those recalling the …
Of all the angling destinations out there, why drive all the way from New Hampshire to south central Pennsylvania? Maine’s wild and expansive opportunities for fish are closer. So too are those of the Catskills, which had to be crossed to get down into the Mid-Atlantic. And even our home state has ample water of …
Mike couldn’t help but eavesdrop. The two guys that sat next to him at the bar weren’t quiet. But they were also talking fly fishing. Judging by their attire, they did more than just talk about fly fishing. He had just come off the river himself, and was celebrating a decent day with a burger …
Some of the flashiest fly fishing gear is undoubtedly very, very nice. But it isn’t necessary. If you’re just starting out or you’re operating with a limited budget, there are some pieces of equipment that will vie for your attention. While each person has different parameters and priorities I think that some purchases are better …
Some of the most popular articles over the nearly ten years of Casting Across have very little to do with fly fishing. Fly fishing is the setting, the segue, or the thespian’s mask. It is there, but it is not the main story. Just as men often need to stare into a campfire to have …
The first time I stuck my arm under a submerged boulder was a maneuver of fiscal efficiency. You see, as a teenager every fly mattered. Two dollars here and there added up quickly on a budget of what was essentially zero. Hooking a fly in a tree meant climbing up the trunk and leaning out …
Everyone was always talking about how the pressures of the week would be pulled away by the river’s currents. But that morning, it just felt like the water was one more thing pressing against him. He hadn’t been fly fishing for long. In the past half dozen months he had accumulated all the essential gear. …
Whether you are a dogmatic Opening Day devotee or simply someone who appreciates the subtle changes in the weather, the shift from March to April is significant for trout anglers. I’m a nostalgic aficionado of certain fly fishing rituals. Like cheap bamboo rods, there is no practical reason to pick up what many anglers did …
