You might not fancy yourself a teacher. But if you’re going to be a “fly fishing guy” there is a good chance you’re going to need to pass along some essential knowledge to a friend, coworker, or brother-in-law. And casting is about as capital-E essential as there is in fly fishing. Today I walk you …
So you want to buy and fish with an old fly rod. Not a collector’s item or a rare antique: just a regular, old old fly rod. Great. I’m a fan. And this week, I’ve been writing and talking about that very thing. After putting together an article and video about fly fishing with old …
So you’re getting skunked. All that expensive gear, all that planning, and all that podcast information you consumed… and for what! You’re failing fly fishing. Not so fast. Sure, catching up on yardwork or taking a nap is all fine and good. But it isn’t over until it is over. Today I share three ways …
“I don’t fly fish to compete.” That may be. But tell me, if you will, aren’t you trying to outwit and then physically overtake the fish? Even though you may not be into tournament angling (and I am not), we all have goals and challenges that we impose upon ourselves when we fish. In today’s …
The first half of the show this week is a little different. I share some unfortunate news about the podcast on one of its major platforms. This does present an opportunity for me to explain why the podcast operates the way it does, and it serves as a good reminder for why certain content gets …
We all know these simple facts: Fish eat bugs. Most of the bugs fish eat are underwater bugs. Still, we struggle with getting imitations of said bugs in front of these fish. This is a recurring challenge when prospecting for trout and dialing in presenting the fly. Thankfully, we have equipment that can help us …
It is important to remember that when you start fly fishing, you don’t have to bury your spinning or baitcasting rod six feet under. While the rods are emblematic of relatively diverging angling cultures, they are simply tools. You can use both. But if you’ve been throwing lures for any length of time, there are …
I do talk about fly fishing gear a lot on Casting Across. But there is something that will trump equipment nine out of ten times: skill. Within reason, your proficiency with equipment will overcome not having that rod, fly, or gadget that is designed specifically for a particular task. This is a good thing. Because …
Let me start off by saying that fly fishing downstream is not my method of choice. It is harder. It is a lower probability approach. It is less than ideal. But sometimes it is necessary. Today I talk through three situations that might demand a downstream presentation. Even though all those caveats are probably still …
How small is too small? Well, there is certainly a line. But small almost always gets bigger. When scouting for trout, that last sentiment is helpful to remember. Just because a blue line on your map doesn’t immediately yield fish, it isn’t automatic that you should abandon all hope. You might just need to go …
