40 episodes in, and I have a lot of questions, comments, and other feedback to interact with. This podcast I answer a question about fishing while backpacking, sing the praises of old fly rods, and address “Japanese shower climbing.” Briefly, but I address it. It is a lot of fun to hear what readers/listeners are …
If you’re not fishing a dry/dropper, you’re missing out on an excellent way to maximize your fish-catching potential. But there are other “dropper” rigs that work really well in a variety of scenarios in which a dry fly trailed by a nymph just wouldn’t make sense. In this episode I talk about four ways you …
Even today, brick and mortar fly shops are an integral part of fly fishing culture. Beyond supplying rods, reels, flies, and tying materials, they offer angling insight and legitimate community. Although there are many factors that lead to fly shops succeeding or failing, there are certain things that most of the truly good shops have …
When it comes to reading water, the fly fisher who is observant of details will be rewarded. This way of angling doesn’t mean casting your fly to every square inch of the creek. It entails reading the water at a level that goes beyond riffle, run, pool. Slow down. Think and assess. Don’t just fish …
If you can’t explain it, you don’t really get it. What does this have to do with fly fishing? Think of it this way: Can you explain the basic mechanics of a cast? Could you give a quick overview of why the feeding behavior of fish changes with the weather? Why should I buy a …
I’ll go on record as saying that I think “Pro Deals” and “Pro Staff” are totally fine. But just like anything else in fly fishing (or in the rest of the world), abuse can ruin a good thing. Kirk Deeter’s recent Angling Trade piece articulated some of the real problems that exist with this system. …
In this 4th of July(ish) episode I get political. And in the vein of most politicians, I don’t say a whole lot. What I do, however, is hopefully get you thinking about a few topics that impact fly fishers and US citizens alike. Public lands and social media censorship have direct implications for those who …
Waders and wading boots are often afterthoughts in fly fishing gear discussions. But if you fish a lot, would you rather have a great fly rod and mediocre boots or a mediocre fly rod and great boots? I don’t think I’m overstating things when I say that another few feet of “castability” isn’t going to …
You’ve probably been there before. Lying in bed, the night before a fly fishing excursion. You have thoughts. Questions, actually. You might attempt the counting sheep equivalent of visualizing heavy trout coming to the net. But, for analytical minds like many fly anglers possess, that practice gets one thinking about hypotheticals and other situational what-ifs. …
I’m willing to wager that the bulk of my audience/readership fishes primarily or exclusively in freshwater. That makes sense, because I fish primarily in freshwater. But saltwater fly fishing is spectacular. While there are plenty of common elements between the trout stream and the surf, the differences stand out. And they can potentially be daunting …
