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, …
Category: Review
No Water In with Whitewater’s Great Lakes Pro Jacket

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 …
Earth Day Books from My Other Library
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 …
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
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 …