Rusty Flybox: Good & Bad Fly Shops

I’m going to keep a good thing going!

Last week was all about fly shops on Casting Across. It started with two companion pieces, each listing 25 of the top rated fly shop in each state. That was followed with a podcast episode where I asked, and answered, what makes the good fly shops good?

I’ll share links to all three of those articles below. But today I want to relay two experiences. Each happened at a fly shop. Both shops have a great gear selection, a solid social media presence, and, certainly not least of all, enough success to be in business in a difficult market.

Read about these contrasting fly shop visits here:

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Podcast Ep. 38: What Makes the Good Fly Shops Good?

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 in common. And, in my opinion, the most important facets aren’t fishing gear.

What do you like in a fly shop?

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

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The Top Rated Fly Shop in All 50 States, Part II

What is the  best fly shop  in your state?

This is a very subjective question. But in a day and age when online reviews actually have an impact on the success or failure of a business, we have something close to objective data to work with. I’ve looked at a few review aggregations, and compiled a list of  the top rated fly shop in all 50 states.

This doesn’t mean that the shops listed are, in fact, the best. More importantly, it isn’t a slight at other excellent fly shops that aren’t listed. Of course, there are some factors that propel the ratings of certain shops over others: being in a metropolitan area, offering guide services, and even catering to a demographic that is more willing to leave an online review. Still, these online reviews are a legitimate 21st century indicator of a place – and people – that anglers appreciate.

In  part II, I list the second 25 states: Montana – Wyoming. Is your favorite fly shop on the list?

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The Top Rated Fly Shop in All 50 States, Part I

What is the best fly shop in your state?

This is a very subjective question. But in a day and age when online reviews actually have an impact on the success or failure of a business, we have something close to objective data to work with. I’ve looked at a few review aggregations, and compiled a list of the top rated fly shop in all 50 states.

This doesn’t mean that the shops listed are, in fact, the best. More importantly, it isn’t a slight at other excellent fly shops that aren’t listed. Of course, there are some factors that propel the ratings of certain shops over others: being in a metropolitan area, offering guide services, and even catering to a demographic that is more willing to leave an online review. Still, these online reviews are a legitimate 21st century indicator of a place – and people – that anglers appreciate.

In part I, I list the first 25 states: Alabama – Missouri. Is your favorite fly shop on the list?

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Podcast Ep. 37: Here’s a New Spot for You to Fish

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 the holding water that usually  has a trout or two.

There are plenty of fish that aren’t where you usually look. You just need to realize they are there.

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

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Throwback Gear Review: Orvis T3

Fly fishing gear is a big part of Casting Across. I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetics, the marketing, and, most importantly, the function of fly fishing gear. Consequently, I’ll review new products on the site from time to time. But appreciating fly fishing gear shouldn’t only be about  the latest model or newest technology. The things that you’ve fished with for years – for decades ought to be celebrated as well.

It is in that spirit that I put together this gear review. Although some products are old or even out of production, their value compounds with use, experience, and familiarity. We should enjoy what we use when we fly fish, especially if we’ve enjoyed it for a long time.

The trout were rising in front of me and as far as I could see upstream. I was on a low stone wall overlooking a deep, slow moving pool. Just downstream was an old low head dam. Any cast of distance that wasn’t plumb line straight would quickly drag because of the accelerating currents above the fall. The most consistent riser was about fifty feet out. And there were trees behind me.

Peeling off the right length of line and letting it fall through the guides, I slowly brought the rod tip behind me. In a quick motion I flicked the rod forward and sent the line shooting straight ahead. It was smooth, effortless, and a nearly perfect roll cast. That fish didn’t take, but others would on that afternoon.

I also knew I was going to buy my very own Orvis T3.

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Gumption & Moxie & Fat Trout

He said he owned a stream. A stream with big trout in it. His plan was to charge a daily rod fee for the opportunity to fish in his stream with big trout in it. That was why he was in the fly shop. To see if we would advertise his stream and the trout. And the associated fee, of course.

I wasn’t authorized to make decisions on which other business ventures we endorsed in the shop. I was a college kid. I folded shirts, spooled up reels, and took people out to the parking lot to ooh and aah at their hero casts. What did and didn’t get pinned up on the bulletin board was above my pay grade.

What I could do, I told him, was show them to my manager when he was in. I’m sure that he had heard this before and saw it for the diversionary tactic that it was. So as I went into no-commitment mode he shifted into hard-sell mode. He asked me to come and check it out. I could fish any day I wanted to, and it would be on him. Then, he said, I could tell everyone about the big trout. Presumably, how the big trout would be worth the daily rod fee.

Promoting his business really wasn’t my decision. I wasn’t taking advantage of him. We were in an urban environment, so a half-hour drive for private fishing piqued my interest. Plus, my time wasn’t particularly valuable. And I wasn’t about turning down big trout. He didn’t seem too murdery, so I said yes.

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Podcast Ep. 36: How to Know if You Know How to Fly 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 medium-action fly rod over a fast one… or vice-versa?

You don’t need to be an expert to know how to fish or, more importantly, enjoy how to fish. But learning how to communicate fly fishing might be one of the best ways to learn how to fly fish better.

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

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Furled Leaders for Still Water Trout: 4 Reasons

Fly fishing for trout in still water – lakes and ponds – is a different game than pursuing fish in moving water. Most of us have caught trout from a pond by just casting to rising fish or stripping a woolly bugger. That works. But there is much more to this type of fly fishing.

Aficionados of this style of angling have a whole set of tactics particular to lakes, a knowledge base that covers these ecosystems, and even a slightly different cache of gear. Going down that rabbit hole is something I’ve only dabbled in. For me, and many fly fishers, chasing trout in still water is about making slight modifications to what we already do in order to get into fish.

Acknowledging that, there are some minor gear tweaks that can help your lake and pond trout fishing. Longer rods help, as does tying/buying streamers with weight on the shank (as opposed to just a bead/cone behind the eye). Another small change that I have found helps my still water fishing is incorporating furled leaders.

Here are four reasons why:

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I Bet You’re Good at Fly Fishing

What are you good at in fly fishing?

Any sampling of fly fishing media will inevitably yield a majority of articles, videos, and posts telling you “how to.” (Casting Across is certainly not above that, to be fair.) And it makes sense. We all want to get better. We want to cast better. We want to know how to pick the right fly. We want to go to the right spot. We want to catch more fish. There’s nothing wrong with that, so such media scratches a particular, valuable itch.

But when was the last time you focused on an area in which you are already good?

I suppose that there aren’t a lot of fly fishing articles praising your technique because that would be awfully hard to pull off. I can’t tell you how good you are at casting. I can’t tell you that you’re patient. I can’t write 500+ words about the way you tie that special little nymph rig that you use to catch all those trout.

But I bet there is something you’re good at doing in fly fishing.

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