I can clearly remember my first cast fly fishing out west. It came shortly after I pulled off the side of the road on Colorado’s route 34 along the Big Thompson River. Coming from the plains and foothills outside of Loveland, I also began my first ascent into the Rocky Mountains. Ever mile I drove, …
Most Fridays on Casting Across are devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week. Today, I’m sharing items from Brackish Flies, Forbes/Orvis, and South Texas Kayak. If you’d like to be featured in …
When was the last time that you got a little lost? Anything counts: hiking or driving, in the woods or in the city. GPS, and the ubiquity of that technology – particularly on smart phones, has made getting lost an infrequent occurrence in this day and age. Survival skills training for 95% of North America …
About 10 years ago, I went bowling. Standing at the counter, waiting for my freshly aerosoled shoes, I noticed a brightly colored trifold brochure. “Stretches for Bowling.” A professional bowler (I assume) was featured on the cover, doing his best to not exert himself too much by pulling his left arm across his chest. The …
Catching sunfish and fishing for sunfish are two entirely different things. Most anglers catch sunfish. Often the bycatch when fishing for larger species like bass, these round relatives of the more popular sportfish strike voraciously at flies that don’t even come close to fitting in their mouths. But perhaps in a similar manner that the …
“Things that go bump in the night” is hardly a frightening phrase in the context of fly fishing. The bump is precisely what you’re looking for. A fish eating your fly, responding out of the darkness, is the whole point. It isn’t as though fishing at night is the same as, say, ophiology at night. …
Three years ago I was at work, sitting at my desk, when I realized something was off. I had gone for a run that morning, but it wasn’t a route that was particularly long or rugged. Nevertheless, my ankles, knees, and hips felt like they’d been through a rough game of football. By no means …
I stood there, tenkara rod in hand, and stared at the grass carp. In all seriousness, it had to have been nearly four feet long. It’s back and tail were out of the water, and what was exposed of this creature was bigger than most trout I catch. I could see its mouth opening and …
This morning I had about two hours before an appointment. Since said appointment is a fly fishing appointment, it seemed fitting that I “pre game” with some time on the water. Driving from my home into the mountains, I passed dozens of great streams. I could have fished for early season bass. There were trout …
Earlier I wrote a post on fly fishing midges. I mentioned some preliminary matters, general fly selection, and some important distinctive techniques. Today, as a follow up, I’d like to provide some greater detail regarding the gear and accessories that can really be helpful on the water when you’re fishing the smallest of flies. Books …
