Fly Fishing in One Shot: Pre-Assembled Outfits

October 8, 2018

There are a lot of stigmas attached to fly fishing gear. People have opinions about rods, the name printed on rods, and even the name printed on hats. For better or worse, these stereotypes demonstrate how anglers generally feel about products and brands. Overpriced. Unnecessary. Cheap. Showy.

For people who don’t know what they’re doing.

This last cliche is thrown around a lot – and often needlessly. If something is simple, inexpensive, or even the least expensive option in a manufacturer’s lineup, it is for newbies. In one sense that is correct. Why would someone who has never cast a rod, let alone caught a fish with a fly, sink $500 into a fly rod? But it is more nuanced than that.

An experienced trout angler may have never stepped into the salt. They know the value of a good rod and are aware of the need for a solid reel, but aren’t yet sure if they are going to like stripers enough to warrant another premium outfit. They are also aware they if they do end up expanding their fishing focus and buying nicer saltwater gear, their initial purchase will serve as a functional backup.

Last Cast of the Week, 10/5/2018

October 5, 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:

Risen Fly – YouTube Contests
Cheeky – 10 Year Retrospective
CBS News / Soul River – The Healing Power of Fly Fishing

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: read more

Just Catch the Fish

October 3, 2018

You know how fly fishing is all about using a fake bug to trick an animal that looks at real bugs all day every day?

Why not up the difficulty and use a dry fly? I mean, trout primarily eat things that literally drift right into their mouths. There are times when they exert extra effort to look up, swim up, and eat a dry fly. But they come few and far between, relatively speaking.

It is pretty romantic, so let’s go for it.

Yeah… big, bushy dry flies are nice. Smaller increases the degree of difficulty. Eighteens are good, but twenties are better. They give you less margin for error on the drift. A fluffy dry can drag for a moment, and the surface tension allows a lifelike twitch. Little ones need a lot more attention. Otherwise the fish will know something is up.

A smaller fly means a smaller hook. A smaller hook means a smaller hook eye. A smaller hook eye means smaller tippet. Smaller tippet means a delicate leader-to-tippet knot, a carefully tied and tightened leader-to-fly knot, and a light touch while fishing. Well first, you have to thread it through the eye of the hook.

Now just put it in front of the fish.

Not Pruning Neoprene

October 1, 2018

In anticipation of welcoming another baby into the family I was up in the attic. I rummaged through boxes and tubs, looking for stuff that I know I’ve packed, think I’ve seen, but am completely unaware of where any of it might be.

Everyone knows that the quickest way between two points looks good on paper. It is rarely the path that is chosen. Attics and garages are great distraction factories. Sent into one of these places to accomplish task A, I will inevitably get jobs X, Y, and Z done quickly. A, on the other hand, will require a few trips to Home Depot and I’ll probably wrap it up next month.

The vast majority of my fishing gear is accessible and very well organized. The aforementioned baby stuff might be temporarily misplaced, but I know where my back up nippers and extra set of wading sandals are at all times. Tax information from this past year is spread out over four or five locations, I think. But if you need to borrow my third six-weight, I can tell you precisely where it sits – including which rods are on either side of it.

Rusty Flybox: Learn Something

September 28, 2018

The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
-Proverbs 4:7

Are there things to learn in life that are worth more than fly fishing? Of course. But there are things in life that you can learn through fly fishing that brush up against those vital truths.

One such thing is being cognizant of our need to learn, our need to become wiser. There is always a little more to know, and there is always a lot more we can do to make the most of what we’ve learned. If fly fishing is a conduit for making that happen, great.

Here are three posts from the Casting Across archives that highlight how sometimes we should know more than we do know… even when we feel like we know enough. Click on the title or the picture to read the full article:

Fall Function for Fly Fishing

September 24, 2018

One of Autumn’s more endearing qualities is the shifting temperature. Crisp, cool mornings transition to warm, sunny afternoons. T-shirts and flip flops are still in the rotation, but sweatshirts and wool caps also reappear. However, if you’re on the water all day you don’t exactly have the luxury of an entire wardrobe at your disposal. You have to carry an obscene amount of clothing, stay close to your car, or – the most reasonable option – pick and choose.

It isn’t about obsessing, being fussy, or demanding the best/newest/priciest gear. It is about comfort while fly fishing in the fall. You don’t even need to only shop in the fly fishing or outdoor departments. Some of the best cold weather fishing clothing is simply well made cold-weather clothing.

Here are four quick reminders… or maybe new insights on what to wear and carry as you head out for fall fly fishing.

Last Cast of the Week, 9/21/2018

September 21, 2018

Today, I’m sharing items from:

Orvis – Photo Essay: The Brown Trout of the Spanish Pyrenees
Trident Fly Fishing – Lamson Center Axis Fly Rod Review
Hatch Magazine – The original endangered species—where are they now?

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

Pictures Aren’t Worth 1,000 Words

September 19, 2018

Have you ever tried to take a picture of the night sky? A sunrise, with beams streaking through the trees? The moon reflecting on the ocean? Unless you use a high-end camera and posses a level of mastery, the results usually come out lacking. Blurry, dark, completely obscured.

Far from capturing the moment, you’ve saved a digitally underwhelming facsimile. You can’t share it with anyone. It doesn’t really help you remember what you experienced. In a day and age when we keep millions of images, you might even delete it.

Fly fishers take pictures of rivers. We take pictures of pools, rushing water, bends, small falls, and contrasts on the streamside. We need a few of these pictures in case we catch a fish in that particular river. We need a few of these pictures in case we don’t catch any fish. Always, we take these pictures because we want to apprehend the moment for posterity.

Why? Because we feel like we have to.

100 Fishing Questions

September 17, 2018

“Can we go fishing?”

Sure.

“Where are we going?

“What are we going to catch?

“Why do I need sunscreen?

“Why do I need shoes?

“Can we get donuts?

“Did you remember my rod?

“Can I use your rod?

“Can we go to the bathroom?

“Are we allowed to park here?

“Are they fishing?