Podcast Ep. 12: Why You Should Fish the Shenandoah

Within a few hours’ drive of the urban sprawl that surrounds Washington, DC, you can get into some amazing brook trout fishing. Or, you can get into some spectacular smallmouth bass fishing. Or, you can do both.

The Shenandoah is a remarkable, beautiful, and historic region of the Mid-Atlantic. For fly fishers, it offers great fishing for two of the east coast’s most sought after species.

In this episode, I introduce the region and the fisheries. I offer a little bit of advice on how you can approach both options, and an  idea on how you can combine the two.

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

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Fly Casting Practice: Literally Pick up a Book

It’s January. When was the last time you cast a fly rod?

Many, many fly fishers get out and get after fish in the coldest months and the nastiest conditions. I’d wager that the majority, however, stay inside and simply dream of spring hatches. Both are okay. Both are legitimate forms of angling expression. The former involves layers and technical fishing skills. The later usually entails fly tying and catalog perusing.

If you either don’t fish in the winter or don’t fish often, there is no reason why you can’t add casting to your routine of gear cleaning and YouTube daydreaming. Do you have a yard? If your yard is frozen, do you have access to a large room? A warehouse at work, your gym’s racquetball court, or your church’s sanctuary (not during service, of course) could all accommodate some practice time.

Even fifteen minutes can be helpful. Fifteen minutes of casting off the water is sometimes more beneficial than hours of casting on the water. Reason being, you’re thinking about casting – not fishing. And you can think about specific facets of your cast. Your grip, your wrist, the application of power on the forward motion, the application of power on the backwards motion, your stance, your waist, your elbow, your shoulder… the list goes on and on.

Being off the water and just casting allows you to isolate elements of your cast that might need some fine tuning. The position and movement of the elbow and shoulder is one area of focus that can pay off dividends if there are fundamental flaws.

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Fly Fishing Travel in 6 Steps

Casting Across isn’t a travel agency. That works out pretty well for you, because that means my expertise in the realm of fly fishing getaways is available at no cost whatsoever.

No thanks are necessary. Your angling enjoyment is all the gratitude I need.

Below is my six-step process for planning and executing a fly fishing vacation. I guarantee that it will work for all budgets. Furthermore, I guarantee your complete satisfaction.

Step 1: Dream Big

Mongolia. Iceland. New Zealand. These are the places featured in fly fishing films and magazine cover stories. The fish are big. The scenery is breathtaking. The cultures are fascinating.

It isn’t just fly fishing: it is adventure.

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Podcast Ep. 11: A Fly Fisher’s First Trip Out West

Growing up fly fishing the east, the trout and waters of the west always felt mythical.

In this episode I talk about my first trip to Colorado, which is probably not unlike a lot of people’s first trip out west. There is so much that is different. At the same time, most of the important stuff is the same. The trout are trout and the flies are flies.

We might go fish the same place over and over again, but that first time is always new and amazing.

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

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Spring Creek Techniques: 3 Things to do Before You Cast

Spring creeks are amazing, beautiful things. Not only do they often offer some of the best ecosystems for trout around, they offer some of the best trout fishing year round. Nutrient rich water fosters a healthy, diverse biomass. Consistent water temperatures are warmer in the winter and cool in the summer. Fish thrive in spring creeks. Anglers have the opportunity to thrive.

However, what creates great fish can make for tricky fishing. There is so much food that the trout can be picky. The reputation of spring creeks can add pressure. But before either of those issues can cause headaches for the fly fisher, he or she must cast a fly that drifts before a fish and drifts well. In a spring creek, that isn’t as easy as it might sound.

While there are a number of factors that impact the dynamics of spring creek flows, one of the major ones is aquatic vegetation. Thick and ubiquitous, the various species of underwater plants create spectacular habitat for macroinvertibrates, forage fish, and trout. They also create undulating masses that break currents. Water speeds up and slows down. Flies stand still, quickly rise to the surface, or get kicked into another current entirely.

Now multiply those variables three or fourfold across  a twenty-foot wide river. That is what one must contend with when pursuing spring creek quarry.

There are some techniques that certainly help. Three are outlined below. They can be used independently, based upon preference for style of fishing. Or, they can be used in tandem.

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Kids at a Fly Fishing Show, in their Words

Every winter I head to a few outdoor and fly fishing expos. There are things I want to do for Casting Across, friends in the fly fishing industry I help out, and, ultimately, simply my personal enjoyment.

Consequently I end up talking about fly fishing shows a lot. My wife accompanied me once, years ago. She appreciates the scene, but with four kids, and two under age three, she has a good reason to sit them out. However my two older boys, who are six and four, try to go where I go and do what I do.

We live close to the Marlborough, Massachusetts stop for The Fly Fishing Show. I spent a whole day at the Show on my own. Then, I returned the next day with my two boys. We had a great time. It would be easy for me to talk about how much I enjoyed seeing the things that got them excited, how warm and friendly the vendors and attendees were to them, and just how much fun we had together.

Instead, I’ll let them tell you about their experience:

Can you describe The Fly Fishing Show for someone who has never been?

  • 6: “Well, there is a lot of fly fishing they fit into it. It is so big. There are lots of booths with really cool pictures behind them. People were nice and gave me flies, and  told me about how to catch a lot of fish with them.”
  • 4: “It is a good place to go to see what fishing is about. There are lots of guys trying to hit rubber ducks and circle things… hula hoops with their flies.”

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Podcast Ep. 10: Listener & Reader Feedback, I

I truly appreciate every thoughtful comment I receive on Casting Across. Moreover, I feel that if you took the effort to continue the conversation that I started then I should respond.

In this episode, I interact with three comments that I received. They are from an article on the website, a social media post, and a previous podcast episode. Readers and listeners bring something new to the table, and often bring new fly fishing thoughts to mind.

Please feel free to leave a comment on anything you read or hear below, or one of my social media sites!

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

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One Steelhead, Right in the Middle

I don’t scare easily. But it was remote and dark. Really dark. Now, if I focused I could hear the highway. That brought a little bit of solace. Then I thought about it. Being in close proximity to cars whizzing by at 80 miles per hour doesn’t add any security. They were whizzing by at 80 miles per hour and it was really dark. I was off the highway and in the woods.

So I drove to a shopping center and slept in the well-lit parking lot. That was how my steelhead trip began.

Actually, it began nearly a year prior when my grandfather passed away. Among many things, he was a firearms collector and dealer. He would drive all over the Midwest to gun shows. Buying, selling; taking guns out, bringing new ones home to Illinois. In his latter years, he transitioned from big pickup trucks with caps on their beds to minivans.  They were easier to load and easier to get into.

After he died in January, his minivan sat for months.  My wife and I had two small cars, and we were expecting our second child. I got the van that following fall. Since we lived in New Hampshire, this required a flight to Illinois and a little bit of a drive. It didn’t take a lot for me to determine that Erie, Pennsylvania was the halfway point. It was right in the middle of the van and home.

It just so happened to be right in the middle of the fall steelhead season.

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7 Ways to Have a Bad Day at a Fly Fishing Show

Virtually everyone has a good time at fly fishing and outdoor shows. What isn’t to love about an exposition hall filled to the rafters with the people, places, and things that make fly fishing what it is?

However, some people like to take the difficult path. You might have a natural proclivity for pessimism. You could desire to purposefully sully your experience. To be fair, maintaining the image of “crotchety” or “stuck up” has it’s place within the fly fishing culture. With that in mind, I’ve compiled seven surefire ways to limit your enjoyment of a fly fishing show.

I do want to issue a disclaimer: These aren’t foolproof. The positive energy of sheer angling osmosis might overpower your best grumpy efforts. Yet sticking to any or all of these guidelines will inevitably lead to the negativity, internet complaining, and general sourness  many seem to strive for.

Check out my list. Then, think about how one of more of these seven ways to have a bad day at a fly fishing show appeals to you:

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Podcast Ep. 9: Gear for Small Stream Trout – How & What

You can catch fish with virtually any and all gear.

That being said, there are certain kinds of gear that are especially suited for specific scenarios. Small stream trout fishing is no exception. Beyond what kind of gear you bring, how you carry it is particularly important.

In this episode I discuss some of the packing/carrying techniques that I have adopted that make my time fly fishing small streams more efficient and effective.

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