Don’t get scammed.
I don’t sound like anyone (I think).
Combat fishing is a choice.
Those three short sentences sum up this edition of my regular “Fly Fishing Accusations” podcast. You ask questions, make comments, and level accusations about those things I’ve written and/or said. I respond. I think it is an awful lot of fun. You might, too. So give it a listen.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
In another one-minute book review, I give a synopsis of the benefits that come from reading 25 Best National Parks to Fly Fish by Wendy &Terry Gunn. Through tapping into regional experts, they have compiled a resource that is a must-read for any angler who enjoys the National Park system.
Like most guidebooks, 25 Best National Parks is a starting point. But like most good guidebooks it gives you plenty of resources so that you can pursue an exhaustive knowledge of what you need to know before tossing your rod and flies into the trunk of your car.
Bare minimum, this is a fun book to flip through as you daydream about a country filled with angling opportunities.
Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy below:
After meeting the good folks behind Dark Skies Fly Fishing back in the beginning of 2025, I’ve been able to contribute articles to this great new publication over the rest of the year. For a periodical focusing on the Mid-Atlantic, I’m very impressed at the wide range of topics and contributing authors issue after issue.
In the Winter 2025-26 edition my article is called The Letort Library. This small stream was the muse and setting for some truly prominent individuals and moments in the 20th century. I outline a dozen or so titles that are worth owning if you fish the region or are a student of fly fishing history.
Along with my article, there are pieces on the Great Smoky Mountains, improving your Euro nymphing, unique steelhead flies, and more. Click on the link below to start reading and to learn how you can access the whole issue.
We’re back into the Cast1 series of episodes. Each focuses on basic information pertaining to some aspect of fly fishing. But just because it is “basic” doesn’t mean the content is only for beginners.
A surprising number of anglers don’t venture out in the coldest months. On one hand it makes sense: it is cold. On the other hand, there are fish to be caught! Even seasoned fly fishers will admit they haven’t dabbled in casting when the air temp is lower than the water temp.
Today I quickly cover an overview of the why, how, where, and what of winter fly fishing. Plus, I give a half dozen resources for going deeper.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
Kids are going to read things that they find interesting. And if your child or grandchild enjoys the outdoors in general or fly fishing in particular, the two books I’m sharing today are surely going to go over well.
First, one of the most popular illustrated fly fishing books out there: Down by the River by Andrew Weiner, illustrated by April Chu. Since it came out in 2018 it has been consistently held up as one of the best fly fishing storybooks for children.
Second is The Orvis Kids’ Guide to Beginning Fly Fishing by Tyler Befus. Filled with all the essential information one need to get after fish with a fly rod, this book is written with accessible language that even older elementary-aged kids can quickly digest.
Both are worth having on your fly fishing or children’s bookshelf.
Watch what else I have to say about the books and find out where you can pick up your own copies below:
Something has been incredibly encouraging over the past few years. Brands within the fly fishing industry have gone out of their way to emphasize local fly shops. While there have always been “find a dealer” features webpage, direct to consumer sales are much more prominent on most company’s sites. However, recent marketing has sought to move people’s feet and wallets to brick and mortar fly shops.
Fly shops are an essential part of the culture of fly fishing. Much more has been written elsewhere about how such stores fill a significantly greater niche than “a place to buy some stuff.” Conservation initiatives, education, and fellowship all take place within the strip malls or old buildings in which shops are housed.
But these businesses aren’t easy or cheap to run. Fly fishing is a tiny slice of the big outdoor/recreational pie. Money moves in a lot more directions than new fly rods. And a few bags of dubbing each month from even the most loyal customers won’t keep the lights on. Add to that economic uncertainty and the ubiquity of e-commerce, and you can understand how the perfect storm for small businesses is always swirling overhead.
Yet the relationship between the brands and the shops has become stronger. Companies selling everything from fly rods to tying scissors have been sending customers to physical stores. Shops have hosted more events promoting their top labels. There is certainly a financial incentive for both to move and sell more. There is also an undeniable rising of the tide that also lifts individual anglers’ boats.
With that encouraging thought in mind, it is prudent to recommend you head to a fly shop this season. Whether it be for gifts or restocking your own core gear, local fly shops are not only worth seeking out: they’re important.
Here’s a list of over 400 fly shops in the USA, categorized by state:
A short blurb for a short episode:
As I have done for a few years, I’m taking time this Thanksgiving week to share some things for which I’m thankful. Since you’re listening to my podcast, there is a good chance that you’ll be able to relate in some way, shape, or form.
Hopefully, you are having/have had a great Thanksgiving. We have much to be grateful for, and ought to be in the business of expressing that gratitude regularly.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
Why purchase a big, heavy book of fly fishing pictures when social media is teeming with a seemingly infinite number or decent images? Trout by Brian Grossenbacher and Tom Rosenbauer is filled with good pictures – not decent ones. And I, for one, am happy to celebrate the exceptional.
Grossenbacher’s subject matter is fly fishing. That means the hundreds of pages contain photographs of trout, but also rivers, landscapes, equipment, and people. It is an exploration and celebration of all that goes into the pursuit that anglers the world over identify with and love.
Trout also features page-filling layouts and excellent essays by the venerable Rosenbauer. The book falls into the “gift” or “coffee table” categories, and it ought to sit close to the top of these piles for fly fishers.
Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy below:
The first group of anglers had camped out overnight. Their truck beds and backseats had been carefully prepared for such adventures. Pillows, sleeping bags, and power from sources other than car batteries were set up right alongside waders, jackets, and pre-rigged fly rods. It was less about comfort and more about sliding from a quasi-comfortable night’s sleep into the cold water of the river.
The salmon and lake-run brown trout of the Great Lakes tributaries are sought after quarry. Their seasonality, their size, and their relative scarcity flip a switch in outdoorsmen’s brains from late fall to ice-in. Fishing for them becomes a part of the weekly routine if you live nearby. Long drives for short days on the water are the burden of those who have caught the bug.
And, of course, there is the whole “combat fishing” aspect to the enterprise. When fishing public water, best case scenario involves standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Casts and drifts are synchronized to avoid tangles. Dozens of anglers effectively form an ineffective dragnet. Worst case scenario? Snaggers, fisticuffs, and a dangerous spike in the collective blood pressure. Thankfully, there is enough common grace for the former circumstance to be common enough.
Still, getting on the water first is the best way to enjoy the sportsmanship of one’s fellow man.
The second group of anglers’ headlights illuminate the groggy campers as they emerge, steaming from their makeshift lodging. There is a bit of resentment that goes both ways. Who deserves it more? The ones who slept in their cars all night or the ones who consciously left their comfortable beds at an unreasonable hour? Regardless, the commuters still have to don their waders and orient their gear. The campers claim the first spots and begin to swing flies first.
Notice that this is not the “2025 Official Fly Fishing List of Products.” Those are all fine and good. But I’m doing something just a little bit different this season.
Today I’m sharing five ways to think about gift giving (or gift requesting). These categories of gifts run the gamut from flies to personalized matted prints; destination excursions to angling-themed rocks glasses. With a little thought, there is genuinely something for everyone.
And after all, isn’t it the thought that counts?
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
