Rusty Flybox: On the Periphery of Fishing

November 30, 2018

If I had to only write about fly fishing I’d lose my mind.

I love trout and fly rods and debating the merits of synthetics vs. naturals in fly tying as much as anyone. However, there is only so much cast and catch writing in me. Thankfully, fly fishing is interwoven into a veritable tapestry of experiences. Some of them run parallel with angling. Some are just on the periphery of fishing.

Like any good story, the setting and the circumstances simply frame the themes. The themes – overcoming struggles, finding love, understanding self – are universal. People who don’t get cast and catch can still get these deeper truths.

Sometimes I’m writing about those themes within the frame of fly fishing. Sometimes I’m just writing about hats and barbecue. That’s my prerogative, I suppose.

Here are three posts that run just around the edge of fly fishing:

Trout, Where They Shouldn’t Be

November 26, 2018

We rounded the corner at the exact same time. The dense streamside foliage kept the other person obscured until we were only about ten feet apart. Happening upon someone relatively unexpectedly, deep in the woods, wasn’t the startling facet of our interaction. That was this:

“So, have you caught anything?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, “a brown up top and three rainbows on streamers.”

“No,” he stated, matter-of-factly. “You didn’t catch any rainbows.”

His accusation took me aback. Not only did I indeed catch three rainbows, but they were fat, strong, and less than a quarter mile from where we stood. In a rare turn of events, I was speechless.

I think he realized that his gruff allegation was a bit off putting. “Well, I mean, I fish here every week and I haven’t caught a rainbow in this stretch of water. Maybe old what’s-his-face stocked some in the feeder creek that runs through his yard. Or, I mean, there is always the chance that the state dumped some in. But they haven’t done that in a while… I don’t know how you caught those.”

“Me either,” I offered. “But I guess I did.”

***

Fish pop up in unexpected places. With a handful of environmental thresholds as limiting factors, fish can live in and move throughout all manner of interconnected waterways. It isn’t uncommon to see a picture of a giant bass pulled out of a subdivision pond or a big tarpon caught from a canal. Fish are as resilient as they are opportunistic.

For some reason, we think that trout ought to be the exception to the rule. Rightly, we understand that trout have a relatively narrow window for survival. That doesn’t mean that salmonids are feeble and frail. They do some uncanny things and show up where they shouldn’t.

Rusty Flybox: Fly Fishing Gifts

November 23, 2018

‘Tis the season. The season for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. The season for shopping small, opting outside, and, of course, giving.

A quick jaunt around the internet will yield an unfathomable number of deals, incentives, and other fly fishing gift temptations. Since November/December is the off season and the holiday season, now is the time to buy.

Earlier this week I put together a fly rod gift guide. If that isn’t your speed, either because it is a high-risk or a high-cost purchase, I get it. So I have some alternatives.

Below are three different posts with about a half dozen options. Most of them are under $30. One might not cost you anything, but could be the best gift you give.

Click on the image or the title to check out each article: read more

Fly Fishing Gift Guide: 2018 All Fly Rod Edition

November 21, 2018

A rod is the iconic and quintessential piece of fly fishing gear.

It only stands to reason that a new fly rod under the tree is the ultimate gift for the angler.

Buying a fly rod is often a very personal experience. This makes buying one for someone a potentially daunting task. However, there are some rods that should be a hit regardless of who receives them. Also, isn’t unheard of that people might begin dropping helpful hints as the holidays approach.

I have compiled 8 fly rod recommendations that will fit every budget; from below $100 to $1,000. Here they are, starting with the least expensive:

Redington Butter Stick: A Real Review

November 19, 2018

Looking for the 2022 update of the Butter Stick? Here’s my experience with the new, yellow rod.

A month ago, I wrote that I wanted to buy the new Redington Butter Stick based solely upon the marketing.

Today, I’m writing that you should buy the new Redington Butter Stick based solely upon my experience fishing with the rod for a few weeks.

That might be enough for you. But I’ll elaborate.

The first thing that strikes me about the Butter Stick is how light it feels in hand. Scratch that. To be honest, the first thing that strikes me about the Butter Stick is the cosmetics. Which, again, I have written about already.

Anyway, the first thing that strikes me about holding the Butter Stick is how light it feels in hand. Fishing a number of modern fiberglass fly rods, I’ve gotten used to the general contrast they offer to their graphite counterparts. The best description might be tip-heavy, which is truly hyperbole for the quality glass rods being made today. Redington’s updated glass truly mitigates this stereotype.

Last Cast of the Week, 11/16/2018

November 16, 2018

Every now and then, Fridays on Casting Across are devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more are featured on The Last Cast of the Week.

Today, I’m sharing items from:

Vedavoo – Adding Weight (and Micro Swivels) for Better Fishing
Sage – Swing Season / The Ghost of Steelhead Future
Blog Fly Fish – Embrace Our Streams

If you’d like to be featured in the Last Cast of the Week, or have seen something that others might be interested in, use my contact form or shoot me an email (matthew[at]castingacross[dot]com). Also, be sure to subscribe to Casting Across to never miss a post.

Check out the links, along with my thoughts, below:

***

Rising Fear and Trout

November 14, 2018

The first half of this story can be read here on Casting Across.

Immediately, the ascent was treacherous. I plodded up the loose forest floor in my wading boots, every step strengthening my resolve to get to the top while simultaneously increasing the force with which I asked myself “why?”

Mind you, this was a time when most wading boots were little more than thick canvas socks with laces and felt soles. The combined effect of the terrain and my footwear put me in a position in which Sisyphus would have been at an advantage. It was precarious, to say the least. About two thirds of the way up, I grabbed on to a sapling for a brief reprieve. It was then I looked down.

They say to never look down. In this spot, here’s why: I saw how many trout were really in the pool.

There were more fish than I had thought there were. Lots more. Most were undetectable from where I had been casting. Many were facing in the opposite direction than I had assumed. Some were enormous. It was perplexing how fish could be so cool, calm, and collected after I had thrashed their pool for hours on end. It was equally disheartening and exciting.

Yet no fish was going to get me to retrace my steps and descend the cliff. I’ll do a lot to get into casting position, including being slightly reckless. But life and limb? (And the safety of my fly rod?) That is where I draw the line. And the situation I had scurried myself into passed that line. It was dumb. It was unnecessary. It was frightening.

Rising Trout and Fear

November 12, 2018

Thought number one: “Well, that’s where the trout were the whole time.”

Thought number two: “I’m pretty sure I’m going to fall to my death.”

Looking back, all these years later, the latter is clearer. In my mind’s eye, I can see the pool. I can see the fish. I can see where I was when I was fishing, where I had been casting, and where I should have been fishing and standing. At the time, I was just trying to not tumble down a boulder strewn cliff into the icy waters below.

Priorities, I suppose.

***

Growing up in and around fly fishing circles, certain locations take on a more than mythical status. For all anglers, there are rivers which hold a special allure. And then within these streams there are particular runs or pools that have built their own reputation. These spots are known because people could frequently be found there. Or, and better, a fish or many fish are always found there.

Add a teenager’s zeal to all the hype and spilled ink and you have what is tantamount to a holy fly fishing pilgrimage site.

Casting Across 3 Year Giveaway Winners

November 9, 2018

So who won the ten prize packages from the Casting Across 3 Year Giveaway?

It is true that giving is better than receiving. I get a lot of gear, which is nice. But being able to send off these ten packages in the mail was a lot of fun. Plus, I fish with all of the gear that I gave away, so I know that the winners are going to truly enjoy what they get. (I don’t fish with the exact gear I give away… you know what I mean,)

As I’ve written about ad nauseam, gear is inseparable from fly fishing. Sharing good gear is a cool way to share fly fishing with people I only know through comment sections and social media. In a way, mailing these leaders, fly boxes, stickers, etc. to ten spots around the country is a tangible manifestation of what happens when I hit publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Casting Across.

Anyway, all that probably isn’t why you’re here today.

Here are the 10 prizes I gave away, and who won: