I had three offers to go fishing today. That’s right, I live a pretty privileged life.
Offer #1: float a large, super productive trout river.
Offer #2: chase the swelling population of stripers off the beach.
Offer #3: spinning rods, bluegill, and not a whole lot of fishing myself.
Can you guess which one I chose?
Do you fly fish?
If you answered “no,” then the next question is “why not?”
If you answered “yes,” then there are about 100 questions to follow.
The reason being the remarkable amount of diversity within fly fishing. One angler might primarily pursue trout on spring creeks while another’s quarry is whatever happens to be running up the coast. In certain parts of the country, both of those people may very well live in the same town. Their target species, gear, and potentially even disposition may be radically different – but they’re both fly fishers.
The same sort of world within a world situation is present in barbecue.
To catch a fish, all you need is a cane pole, some line, a hook, and a worm.
To cook meat, all you need is a pan and some heat.
Those approaches will get the respective jobs done. Fishing or cooking like that could be considered doing things the easy way. Straightforward methods work, but there isn’t the precision and care that takes things to the next level. It is pragmatic, it isn’t a craft.
Barbecue and fly fishing are crafts.
Personally, both barbecue and fly fishing trigger the same parts of my brain. The culture and the skill involved in each cause similar synapses to fire, resulting in euphoria… and a little bit of compulsive behavior. Basically, this is why I believe that fly fishing and barbecue are perfectly complementary.
Think about it this way:
In the summer of 2015, I decided that I wanted to write something for public consumption. Two topics immediately came to the forefront of my mind. What was actually the second, fly fishing, won out. Casting Across was launched in the fall.
The first topic was barbecue.
Why write about food? More to the point, why write about just one food?
In the fall of 2001 I flipped through the Columbia, South Carolina phonebook looking for an all-you-can-eat dinner option for myself and some college friends. Farm Boy’s Barbeque in Chapin advertised such a menu. We drove, we ate, and my life changed that night.
What I saw was a craft surrounded by a culture. It wasn’t just amazing pulled pork. Not unlike fly fishing, there is an entire barbecue world that spins a smoky circle much wider than a pile of tender, delectable meat. In fact, I’d argue that barbecue and fly fishing have a lot in common. More in common, perhaps, than any other food.
You know something that everyone who fly fishes is able to do? Smile.
Sure, in fly fishing some people like to be super serious. Go to a fly fishing show or Trout Unlimited meeting and you’ll inevitably see a guy who looks like he’s just broken the tip of his favorite rod. There are always going to be gloomy people out there.
But even the grumpiest, most sour-puss fly fisherman can smile at some of the funnier aspects of what we do as we pursue fish.
Right?
Well, below are three of my attempts at making you smile while thinking about fly fishing. One has to do with an angling exercise routine, another focuses on how we get our hopes up on the water, and the last… well, let’s just say it could be a little controversial.
Read any of them by clicking on the title or the picture:
Have you ever taken the time to look through some of the more thorough resources on leaders? Some anglers have spent a lot of time intricately thinking through the dynamics of material diameter and length. You can really fall down the rabbit hole. There are individual formulas for every weight of fly, depth of water, and speed of current.
But just like anything else in fly fishing, you don’t need to get that involved to be successful.
Last week I shared six simple concepts that I find helpful when thinking about leaders. For someone who is just getting started, or for someone who has decided to go one step further than just using knotless, tapered leaders, these are quick techniques that I’ve integrated into a lot of my fly fishing.
Again, these are not intense and over-engineered formulas. If you want to jump into that game immediately, go for it. There are all sorts of great resources out there. These are just meant to basic leaders that will help you understand the relationships of taper, length, and diameter to casting and presentation.
Here are three ideas for leaders:
Imagine watching a movie dozens of times but never seeing the beginning. Assuming the story isn’t too complicated, you’ll probably get the gist of things. And if it’s a good flick you’ll enjoy the experience regardless.
Up until this past week, that was kind of my experience with Shenandoah National Park.
Since the earliest days of my fly fishing, I’ve been exploring the rivers on both slopes of the park. The Rapidan, Rose, Devil’s Ditch, Thornton, and Piney were creeks that I frequented over the decades. I’d drive from Northern Virginia to spend the day hiking upstream and chasing wild fish.
The scenery was spectacular. The wildlife was abundant. The little rural villages became familiar. With few exceptions the brook trout were cooperative.
But I’d never seen the beginning of the movie.
Most 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 will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week.
Today, I’m sharing items from Risen Fly Fishing, Angling Trade / IFTD, & Boston Globe / Bradford Camps.
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:
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Have you ever taken the time to look through some of the more thorough resources on leaders? Some anglers have spent a lot of time intricately thinking through the dynamics of material diameter and length. You can really fall down the rabbit hole. There are individual formulas for every weight of fly, depth of water, and speed of current.
But just like anything else in fly fishing, you don’t need to get that involved to be successful.
For years, I simply used knotless tapered leaders. I’d add tippet as necessary. Holding up the terminal end of my leader, I’d match it to the diameter of the equivalent tippet. I’d eyeball what I thought I’d need to return my 9’ 6X leader to its original makeup.
I casted just fine, and I caught fish. Still, there were limitations that I could feel. While the majority of flies turned over and presented just fine, I would struggle with tiny dries or heavier streamers. As that went on, I decided to put more energy into figuring out leaders.
Here are a few tips for getting started:
5 trout.
10 trout.
20 trout.
40ish trout?
It was one of the best days of fishing that I’ve ever had.
As is the case with most fly fishing, it wasn’t just about numbers. There was a whole lot more going on that contributed to the overall experience.
The weather was perfect – high 70’s, light cloud cover, and a slight breeze.
The scenery was fantastic – mountains, waterfalls, and summer foliage in full bloom.
The hike in, about three miles, was pleasant. It was my second time on a trail that day, and this trip was less rocky and slower-paced.
Even my shore lunch, enjoyed on a large rock in the middle of the river, hit the spot.
But oh, the fish.
