My four boys love the outdoors. My four boys also love reading. Needless to say, there was a lot of interest when I opened up All Fish Are Awesome earlier this week. Noel Vick’s book follows the simple formula that makes children’s books readable and re-readable (and if your child chooses, the latter can be …
Nearly every fly tyer wants to get better. With focused repetition, patterns become more consistent and come together more quickly. It isn’t in the cards for everyone who sits behind a vise to produce professional-looking bugs. It isn’t necessary, either. Practice makes productive flies that fill boxes and catch fish. Along with guidance, know-how, and …
Nostalgia and aesthetics aren’t the only reason you should buy fly fishing gear. But those two aspects do count for something. And in the history-rich, artistically inclined world of fly fishing nostalgia and aesthetics are often embraced willingly. Bamboo rods and waxed cotton packs are still made and used because they work. They are examples …
Why? Why read, let alone purchase one more compilation of loosely collected fly fishing stories? Why not, if the stories are compelling? If they are well-written? If they resonate with you and with me even if our experiences and lives differ significantly? If the words elicit that special mix of escapism and entertainment? If the …
I have a soft spot for books filled with two- and three-page stories. Perhaps it is because I grew up reading outdoor magazines. It could be that I prefer to write in a short format. Or, it may very well be the case that I have succumbed to the short attention span beguiling so many …
Small stream anglers were some of the earliest western adopters of the equipment and techniques associated with tenkara. Collapsible rods and minimal gear fit right into the methods of those who like to move light and quick into remote places. Tenkara USA was on the cutting edge of introducing Japanese fly fishing to Americans. With …
Three stories are woven together in Cast, Catch, Release. Marina Gibson ties her personal life, her professional ambition, and the lifetime of the salmon into an approachable and enjoyable read. Fly fishers and non-anglers alike will be able to pick up and go through Cast, Catch, Release. Along with the biographical nature of the book, …
Since fly fishing occupies relatively scant acreage in the greater outdoor landscape, I’ve long practiced looking in other catalogues for gear that might help my time on the water. Hiking, hunting, and kayaking equipment works when fly fishing. Sometimes, the niche it was designed to fill is precisely what fly anglers need. So it should …
I don’t celebrate Earth Day. But I think about the environment quite a bit. And I do so from within a worldview that forces me to reckon with nature, my place in it, and the entire trajectory of the created order. If you have been around Casting Across for any length of time, you are …
“What is the most unbelievable thing that has happened on the river?” After guiding for decades, Ryan Johnston has probably heard that query more than a few times. The result is Reelly. In asking a question like that, some people are looking to be amazed. Some are probably looking for dirt. Johnston’s book is not …
