Fly Fishers: Watch Bill Dance (Seriously)

When was the last time you learned something from watching a fly fishing film? I’m not talking about what you gleaned from sweeping shots of dramatic scenery or triumphant hugs after trophy catches. I mean tips n’ tricks: do this to catch that. Fly fishing films are often entertaining, notoriously artsy, but lacking in their ability to convey practical know-know. That is all well and good, because they’re not necessarily meant to teach. They’re meant for a good time (and a little bit of product placement). That just means you’ve got to look elsewhere for a little bit of learning.

My suggestion? Forget the fly fishing genre all together and watch some bass fishin’. (Not fishing – fishin’.) And if you’re going to go that route, go big. Go to the top. Go watch you some Bill Dance. Bill Dance has been fishing on television since 1968. Along with the likes of Roland Martin, Jimmy Houston, and Hank Parker, he has been educating and entertaining millions of anglers for over half a century.

He drives a big, glittery bass boat. He casts treble-hooked crankbaits on heavy line with high-tech baitcasting reels. He fishes in jeans. He catches fish after fish after fish. And there are a lot of things that fly fishers can learn from him and his peers.

Here are four reasons why you,  the fly fisher, should watch bass fishing shows:

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You Care More than Conservation

Good writing doesn’t start with a list of caveats. But I’m more concerned with clarity than quality, so:

  • I think that the Coronavirus pandemic is terrible.
  • I appreciate that the pandemic has elicited a great diversity of experiences, reactions, and perspectives.

With those disclaimers out  of the way, I’ll get right to the point. COVID-19 has revealed something about people in general, fly fishers in specific. People know that humans matter more.

What do I mean by that?

To be blunt, no one is celebrating the pandemic. Obviously, you say. Hold on – I’ve seen plenty of chatter here, there, and everywhere that would leave me to believe that humanity is the bad guy in the movie. Well, if someone seriously thinks that humanity is does more harm than good, and that natural selection is a truism, then COVID-19 is simply a balancing force. It is nature righting the wrongs of mankind by thinning the herd. If  humanity is purely a different organism in kind, but not in value, then the Coronavirus is doing the environment a favor and we should rejoice in it.

The world has skidded to a halt. There have been less emissions, fewer opportunities for pollution, and a lighter overall impact on the various ecosystems people rub up against. The effect is good. So what about the cause? In stark, pragmatic terms –  red in tooth and claw, etc. – the cause must be good as well. Right?

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Podcast Ep. 71: CoronaCast, Week 1

Captain’s Log… COVID-19 Pandemic… Quarantine… Week 1

There has been so much said about what we can’t do, but there is truly so much that we still can do. For fly fishers, and anyone who enjoys the outdoors, the world is still pretty much wide open.

This week on the podcast I talk about three things I’ve thought about and done during this weird turn of events: what to do before you go fishing, how to go fishing, and maybe even what you can think about while you’re fishing. As always, my hope is that you take what you hear and do something with it.

Stay safe out there. -Matthew

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Rusty Flybox: Essential Fly Shops

In a time when “non-essential” businesses have to close, fly shops certainly make the cut. And while fly shops aren’t essential for our daily lives, we are absolutely essential for the lives of those who own or work in fly shops.

A good fly shop will sell you a rod, some tying thread, or a handful of patterns that match whatever is hatching. A great fly shop is the hub of the local angling community. If you have ever experienced that dynamic, you know how special and enriching it can be. The gear is good; the people are great.

In difficult economic periods, niche businesses are usually hit the hardest. While the restrictions stemming from COVID-19 might prohibit you from physically walking into a store these days, most shops will offer online ordering. As of today, the vast majority of the world is  still open to fly fishing. If you can still afford hooks, leaders, or a new pair of wading boots you should consider buying from your shop today. Every little bit will help.

Here are three posts that talk about fly shops. Two give some insight into the culture behind the racks of rods and the bins of flies. The third is a podcast episode discussing what makes good fly shops good. Check out the links below:

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Fly Fishers, Pandemics, & the Woods

I’m writing this article the weekend after the president declared a national emergency. COVID-19, or the Novel Coronavirus, has taken the United States to a very strange place. In the past century, the only comparisons might be the responses to world wars and terrorist attacks. A lot could be said about the virus, the government’s response, the media’s role, and dozens of other variables that won’t be truly understood for months – if not years.

Many fly fishers are just choosing to head outside. Quarantining in nature. Social distancing on the water.

I did that very thing. My family and I spent an afternoon playing outdoors. The big boys plinked targets with their pellet rifles and climbed trees. The little ones ran around and picnicked. The weather was beautiful and there was nothing  felt either constricting or contagious.

Then I picked the first tick off my hand.

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Podcast Ep. 70: Fly Fishing Accusations, VII

What do fly rod material debates, bad tying equipment, and a little county in Pennsylvania have in common?

These are the topics i discuss in this episode. And I’m discussing these topics because you have emailed, commented, and chirped on social media about these things. I get a good amount of feedback, and I enjoy being able to answer questions and comment.

Also, I talk  for a bit about fly fishing podcasts. There are some truly great ones out there. That being said, I have a request that I make at the end of the episode.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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The First Fly Box

This was my first fly box. Things were pretty simple then. I don’t remember how I came across the “Plano Micro Magnum.” There is a good chance that I bought it at The Sports Authority. I can say with great certainty that it was inexpensive, that I didn’t deliberate over the choice, and that I was just looking for something to hold the dozen or so flies I owned. The Plano did that just fine.

Dry flies went in some compartments; nymphs went into others. On the reverse side I kept some big streamers. This arrangement still afforded me enough space to drop in a few split shot and strike indicators.

All my flies, and some tackle, all in one place.

In hindsight, that wasn’t so bad. When you only have so much you can only use so much. Furthermore, you only have so much to carry. It made sense to me. And believe it or not, I still managed to catch fish.

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Fly Fishing Podcasts Worth Listening To, part XII

Scroll down if you just want the good stuff; the links with the great podcast content from some of the best in the business. …but I did want to say something about why I’ve chosen the five podcasts that I’ve listed below.

I’ve found myself reading less and less contemporary fly fishing writing. Part of that has to do with my limited time. Casting Across isn’t my full-time gig. If it comes to reading or writing, I’m writing. If I read, it is the classics. The other part of it has to do with a sensitivity to maintaining my own voice. I don’t want to emulate someone who is doing what I am doing when I am doing it.

Enter podcasts. Perhaps hearing someone’s inflection and personality makes the whole experience very different than reading an article or essay. While I’m reading mostly classic fly fishing literature, I feel like I’m still hearing contemporary voices through the actual voices of anglers. I think I’ve honed in on these podcasts because they have different experiences, different perspectives, and different voices than me. I don’t think I sound like any of them in my writing or in my podcast.

And these are five of the voices that I think you’ll enjoy listening to; including one specific episode of each:

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Podcast Ep. 69: 5-Star Fly Fishing (…or not)

How would you rate your favorite fly rod? 5 stars? 2 thumbs up? Are you not into rating things?

Regardless, people rate, review, and chime in on rods, reels, nippers, marabou feathers, fly shops, guides, and even moderately interesting websites and podcasts.

This all begs the question: What do you do with this information?

In this episode of the podcast I talk all about ratings and reviews. I also explain why I don’t give out one particular piece of information when I talk about gear on Casting Across.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Small Stream Fly Line: More Than Flicks & Flips

How often do you have more than fifteen feet of fly line out of the end of your rod?

For most trout anglers, and virtually all saltwater fly fishers, the answer is always. You’re never that close to fish. Casts have to be 30 or 50 or 70 feet… if you’re lucky. After all, fly fishing is about fly casting. Right?

If you fish small streams, the answer to that  “fifteen foot question” might be hardly ever. In high-gradient water, the distance between you and the fish is measured in vertical feet – you’re casting from the pool below. In small, densely vegetated waters it might be impossible to make a traditional back cast. Textbook technique gets thrown out the window. All that matters is getting the fly to where the fish are.

But how?

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