VIDEO: Fly Fishing in the Dark

Assuming you’re abiding by state and local guidelines, you really should give fly fishing at night a shot. On one hand, it is as easy as doing what you do during the daytime… only now, after the sun has set. But like in any other ecosystem, streams change in relation to the solar and lunar motions. And some very interesting things happen when you’re angling by moonlight.

L. James Bashline’s 1973 book Night Fishing for Trout is an excellent volume on this topic. Reading it not only informs you on night fishing, it entertains you and encourages you to get out there. Certainly new fads have come in the 50 years since publication, but the core tenets remain  the same.

Whether you grab this groovy first edition or the expanded reprint, Night Fishing for Trout is worth reading.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy  below:

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The Pen & The Rod

With Casting Across hitting the ten year milestone, I’ve reflected on some of the highs and lows that accompanied a decade of creativity. It has been good to think about what has worked and what hasn’t worked. (And, sometimes, what hasn’t worked at first but then – through happenstance or tweaking – has worked really well!)

Concurrently, I’ve had a few conversations about this very subject. A few other writers in the fly fishing space have reached out recently. I’m also collaborating with some people on another project – one in which a lot of the experience from Casting Across will be quite helpful.

Where I think all of this benefits you is the intersection of writing and fly fishing. With ten years under my belt I’ve come to really see some points of continuity. There are some areas of overlap that are profound. As angling is quite adaptive, I think this would be true in a lot of hobbies, vocations, or perspectives.  Today I’m sharing four ways that lessons I’ve learned from churning out three posts a week apply to fly fishing. And whether you’re picking up a pen or a fly rod, I think you’ll agree they’re pertinent.

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Podcast Ep. 366: The Humble Net

It is just a net. Yes. But it is more than just a net when you need to land that big fish.

Today I walk through a few net basics: shapes, sizes, materials. I also discuss a few techniques, best practices, and ways to carry your net.

This is one of those topics that is really basic. But for someone who has only ever done one thing, or for the new angler, this information can truly be helpful as you head out to the water… or put together a wish list. Don’t sleep on a nice custom net for a luxury gift for the angler who has everything!

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

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VIDEO: Unique Voices in Fly Fishing – 1 Minute Review

I read Downstream a few years after it came out. First, I was impressed by the book. Second, I was surprised that it hadn’t make a bigger splash than it did in fly fishing circles. You may be asking why? to both of those statements. Conveniently, the answers are the same.

David O’hara and Matthew Dickerson are great writers. They don’t deviate too much from the typical angling reflection and memoir mold that many anglers utilize, but they do it very well. Their writing is approachable from both content and presentation perspectives. New anglers will glean a lot from Downstream, and those who have read dozens of books on the subject will enjoy it just as much.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy  below:

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The Fly Fisher’s Net Worth

You can learn a lot about a fly fisher as he’s walking away from you. It has very little to do with his destination or his gait. More than a name or number on a sports jersey, the angler carries an identifying mark between his shoulders.

What might be construed as a simple tool that assists in landing fish actually speaks volumes about the hand that wields it. Fly rods have a pragmatic elegance. Hats say something about aesthetics and comfort. A fly box will unveil the internal predisposition to order or chaos. But the net is an effective inventory for the personality of the person to which it is attached.

Six different kinds of nets are listed below. Ironically, the very thing intended to capture fish does a remarkable job capturing us.

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Podcast Ep. 365: Don’t Blame the Wind

Heat, cold, and high water make fly fishing tricky. Wind makes fly fishing downright difficult. The physics of a fly cast and windy conditions are at odds with one another,  impacting our particular kind of angling in a very specific manner.

Without denying the challenge of fishing in the wind, I want to share three simple steps to mitigate the effects of blustery air on your fly line. There is nothing new or novel here. However, there is the encouragement that a sustained breeze doesn’t mean you have to head home (or bust out the spoons and jigs).

Oh, and stop blaming the wind for the knots that your tailing loops cause.

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

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VIDEO: Consistently Fishable Spring Creeks

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But come on… a glassy spring creek flowing through a picturesque meadow? You can’t say that isn’t a stunning sight. Especially if you are a fly fisher who likes challenging trout and year-round opportunities to catch them.

Mike Lawson’s Spring Creeks came out in 2003. There were fly fishing books on spring creeks that came out before it, and there have been titles on the same subject matter that have been released in the past 20 years. However, Spring Creeks might be the most comprehensive volume on the topic; certainly of those with a focus towards western rivers.

Whether you fish out west or on the east coast – or even if you only fish spring creeks occasionally, this book is worth picking up for some excellent explanations of how to target some uniquely tricky trout.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy  below:

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My 3 Biggest Catches

This article is the 1,571st post on Casting Across. I’m not sure how high that stack of 1s and 0s is, but I know that if you make the font big enough it would reach to the moon and back.

I’m not going to give a big, fancy introduction to this particular post. Below you’ll find the three biggest trophies of online content I’ve landed? released? stocked? in the 10 years of Casting Across. One nearly broke the website from the traffic it generated. The other two are apparently search engine darlings that funnel people to my writing consistently, year after year.

More than all that quantitative  whatnot, these three articles represent a great cross-section of Casting Across content. Get a glimpse of each, along with a touch of commentary, below. Then click on the image to read the whole piece.

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Podcast Ep. 364: Ten Years

Well, I’m still here.

Ten years after putting a little orange and grey website about fly fishing together I continue to do my darndest with three posts a week on the people, places, and things that go into the pursuit of fish. On this week’s “very special episode” I share some reflections on what this decade has meant. There has been some work, some fishing, and a lot of great memories made.

Hopefully, it will encourage you: encourage you with fly fishing, with this crazy niche culture we have, and with any ambitions for creativity you might be considering.

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

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VIDEO: Streams of Legacy

Just over ten years ago I was asked to contribute to a project that sought to raise funds for the purchase of a plot of land in south central Pennsylvania. Michael Klimkos was putting together a book for the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. The group was looking to capitalize on the history of the land, specifically the stream that ran through it.

Just under ten years after Casting Across launched, The Letort: A Limestone Legacy was published. The land was eventually acquired. And now one of the branches of the Letort’s headwaters are protected  for the first time in over a century.

This book is more than fundraising, though. It is a quick and comprehensive history of a little spring creek that contributed a lot to American angling.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can start a search for your own copy  below:

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