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 …
Category: Review
Reelly: Believe the Fly Fishing Unbelievable
“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 …
Cracked: Opening a Book Tearing Down Dams
Virtually anyone who looks at the big picture of our nation’s waterways will see that the infatuation with dams of all shapes and sizes was significantly inflated. Whether it be giant structures that cut salmon off from hundreds of miles of spawning habitat or a small concrete abutment that led to flooding, the overuse of …
Healing Waters: An Important Fly Fishing Book
While there are countless fly fishing books, only a handful are truly important. Some novels are important because they capture the whole of fly fishing so well, in turn captivating audiences generation after generation. Books that explore technique can be important if they perfectly articulate an aspect of angling or pioneer a new paradigm. Such …
Slap Happy: Lid Rig Mag Band
In fly fishing, flannel, fanny packs, and clunky footwear are all in. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that another early 90’s fad is perfectly suited to angling. Last year, Lid Rig came out with the Mag Band. Essentially, it is a silicone-coated slap bracelet with a magnetic surface. Yes: those slap bracelets. But this …
Top Fly Fishing Books for Kids
There are few gifts that you can give a child that can have as much of an impact as a book. Between the valuable skill of reading and the even more special benefit of reading together, a book does things that few toys or electronics can. A quick search online will yield plenty of titles …
Costa’s Sunglasses King
After quite a bit of build up, and a remarkable amount of hype at some industry events, Costa del Mar revealed their King Tide sunglasses earlier this year. These frames were touted to be the culmination of Costa’s 40 year history. The press releases, early look features, and social media posts from ICAST all seemed …
TroutRoutes: 5 Things I’ve Seen
I started using the TroutRoutes app and website in February. At that point in the winter, a lot of the use really was more exploratory. I liked what I saw and anticipated the potential benefits for the upcoming season. Six months in, and I wanted to share a few practical observations. Once more, TroutRoutes is …
Qualifly Reels: Big Game Impact
For just over 10 years, Qualifly Reels have been winning over fly fishers looking for exceptionally engineered and unique reels. Their fully machined reels are all feature rich and are backed by the customer service of the designer himself. New for 2023 is the Impact, a big game reel that comes in sizes 6/8, 9/10, …
The Angler’s Glossary
“Everything that can be said, can be said clearly.” This quip from philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein should be taken to heart by politicians, lawyers, and anglers. A great gulf exists between common linguistics and the semantics needed in the tackle aisle at the local sporting goods store. And not even Merriam-Webster can help a beginner fisherman …