Fly Shop Found

This is the second installment of a two part post – check out last week’s Fly Shop Lost.

“Do you know what happened to the sporting goods store downtown on Main Street? It must have closed down about 15 years ago.”

She kept pouring my coffee, but the waitress gave me a look. It was an are you seriously asking me about a sporting goods store that closed down 15 years ago look. “Sorry honey,” she apologized insincerely. “I have no clue.”

“Do you have any idea of who might know anything about it?” I asked, trying to not sound crazy. “Like one of the other waitresses or one of the regulars.”

“I honestly have no clue. Why, do you know the people who owned it?” She seemed a little put off when I said I was from out of town and was just passing through. Maybe to escape the conversation, she said, “You could probably find business records at town hall.”

I wasn’t trying to figure out how much back taxes they owed or when they were incorporated. I just wanted to know why the fly shop closed down. The necessity wasn’t anything more than what I had made it. Nothing was riding on figuring out the fate of the business. All I was looking for was closure. But closure with a lower-case “c.” It wasn’t a big deal; it didn’t keep me up at night. I was just inquisitive because it was a loose end of a personal fly fishing strand.

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Podcast, Ep. 20: Listener & Reader Feedback, II

You speak, I listen. And then I speak about it.

In this episode, I respond to some feedback that I’ve received from Casting Across articles and podcasts. There is a comment on keeping spots secret, a question on how I prioritize fly fishing, and an angry mob. Well, kind of.

I enjoy sharing a little bit about fly fishing. Hearing what you think about what I’ve shared makes it even better.

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

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Seriously, Fly Fishing Socks

What if I told you that, for $34.95, you could have a top of the line  piece of fly fishing gear?

It isn’t a fly box. It isn’t a small tool. It certainly isn’t a rod or reel. It is something that is significantly less prestigious, but absolutely necessary. It is a good pair of good socks.

(And, to be clear, you don’t need to spend $34.95 on a pair to get socks that will literally change the way you fish. That was just the most expensive pair of wading socks I could find from major  retailers.)

Why should you care about socks? How can the punchline of gift giving be worth serious consideration? With all of the engineering that goes into fly rods and the sheer volume of entomological knowledge necessary to match the hatch, why should the lowly sock demand any of your busy brain’s energy?

Simple: comfort.

Comfort transcends “it feels good on my feet.” Comfort entails cushion over a long day on your feet, proper circulation, moisture management, and warmth. It doesn’t make much sense to spend hundreds of dollars on waders with ergonomic  booties and nearly as much money on wading boots if you’re wearing just any socks.

Moreover, comfort means you can spend longer periods of time on your feet on the water with greater focus. Good socks, or any other piece of gear, aren’t going to keep you fishing into your later years. The cumulative effect of lots of wise choices, however, can.

Here are four things to consider when it comes to socks for under your waders:

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Fly Shop Lost

Years ago, it went out of business. It was one of the first fly shops I stepped foot in. Like many other storefronts on an old main street, some combination of modern economic factors caused it to shutter its doors after decades of service to locals and out-of-towners. It had the reputation for catering to anyone and everyone. Politicians and mountain folk both stopped in before heading into the woods for trout.

Yet, it wasn’t a fly shop. Not in the traditional sense of the word.

One could buy fly fishing gear. But you could also get some graphite arrow shafts, live nightcrawlers, and camp chairs. The shelves had packs of snelled hooks, boxes of target loads, and cans of beef stew. Rods and reels, guns and bows seemed to be stocked with no rhyme or reason. Crusty skin mounts and faded polaroids covered the wood panel interior.

I wasn’t aware at the time but looking back it was probably a lot like most sporting goods stores just a few generations ago. There was a little bit of everything but not a lot of anything.

There were flies, though.

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Podcast Ep. 19: 5 Thoughts for Streamers on Small Streams

Larger fish will certainly eat dry flies and nymphs. But how do you go about catching the largest fish in any  river? Big, meaty, streamers.

There are differences between chucking articulated flies against the bank of a roaring tailwater and fishing a streamer in a small creek. There are also differences between dapping tiny attractor patterns and fishing a streamer in a small creek. The rod, flies, and approach have to all be significantly  altered from what you’re used to.

Here are five things you ought to consider if you want to get into the pool bosses of your local, small stream – including my favorite presentation.

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

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Foundations & Fly Fishing

Naturally, fly fishers focus on fish.

We learn to cast so we can catch trout. We hone our tying skills so we can catch musky. We learn to cast further so we can catch bonefish. We adorn our offices with pictures of fish, we look at photos of fish online, and we doodle fish in the margins of whatever paper is in front of us.

It only makes sense then that fly fishers want to protect fish.

We legislate catching and releasing them. We advocate keeping them wet. We volunteer our time, donate our money, and cast our vote to sustain fish. Each is reasonable. Each of these things has, in some measure, been effective in protecting or restoring the fragile fisheries we enjoy. Each requires dedication and passion.

It is all good. All of it is good and virtuous and worthwhile. But it all needs to be kept in perspective.

After all, they’re just fish.

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Packing for a New Fly Fishing Season

Last week I wrote an incredibly unhelpful (but pointedly accurate) post about preparing for another fly fishing season. For whatever reason, when I write something that isn’t advertised as humor but is certainly meant for such purposes I feel the smallest bit of guilt for any potential sense of disappointment that a reader might have. It is small, but it is there.

The following article offers some legitimate and helpful tips for preparing for the season. It originally appeared on the Vedavoo Workshop Journal last spring.  Check out the method I’ve been using to clean, organize, and get ready for a season on the water:

Spring is almost here! Technically, at least.

Whether you live somewhere still covered in snow or a place where you’ve been fishing solidly throughout the winter, “spring cleaning” is a concept that can and should apply to your gear. If you have been stuck indoors, you might want to just grab your sling or vest and hit the water as quickly as possible.

But it is helpful to take some deliberate time to clean up. Also, comprehensively organizing your fly fishing pack ahead of time will ensure that you are ready to fish. Once you hit the water, you’ll have everything that you use and not necessarily be carrying around those things that you’ve just accumulated.

Here is one efficient and effective method for making sure you have what you need, where you need it:

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Podcast Ep. 18: The 5 People You Meet in Fly Shops

You will find some real interesting characters in fly shops.

After nearly two decades of formal, empirical anthropological research, I’ve developed an efficient classification system and taxonomy for the types of individuals one encounters in fly shops. As a former fly shop employee, an occasional customer, and a curious observer of awkward situations, I believe that I am uniquely qualified for such a study.

I’d like to present my completely objective findings in the following podcast.

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

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Reckless Rodents & Rent Rods

Having your rod separate into two pieces is never a good way to catch a fish.

But that is precisely what happened. With a sudden sensation of weightlessness followed by an awkward plop, I realized that the top two sections of my rod were in the pond. Injury had been added to insult, as my companions had already been ribbing me about the particular rod I was using. We were fishing a mountain brook trout pond. Most of the trout were foot-long brookies. They were cruising the surface, sipping skittering summer caddis. My 6-weight rod and large arbor disc drag were, for all intents and purposes, overkill.

Whether it be my own defensiveness or the equipment itself, I wasn’t doing well. Sloppy casting. Missing hook sets. Tangles and knots. No fish were caught, and no fish were earned.

Being young and impetuous I decided to not fish smarter or harder. I decided to fish reckless. On went a deer hair mouse. If I wasn’t going to catch a little fish, I wasn’t optimistic I was going to catch a big fish either. Moving away from my friends, I began to splash and strip and splash and strip. The wide face pushed water and the little rubber tail made a wake. No fish were interested. At least I was entertained.

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12 Tips for Fly Fishing Organization

Winter provides fly fishers with plenty of opportunities. For some, it is one more season to chase anything that swims. For others, it is a brief and anxious respite.

Regardless of your intensity, winter is a great time to take stock of your gear and get it all ready to roll for the coming spring. You take care of your gear, and it will take care of you. Plus, who has ever heard a fly fisher say “no thanks, I don’t care to look at all my rods, reels, and fly boxes!”

No one. Those things are the things we do.

Below are twelve tips for organizing, cleaning, preparing, packing, and thinking about your gear:

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