Last Cast of the Week, 11/3/2017

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  Trout & Feather,  Windknots & Tangled Lines,  and Small Stream Reflections

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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Brook Trout: The Real Substance of Appalachia

There is an intimacy in the Appalachian Mountains. While few segments of the topography are severe like much of the Rockies out west are,  there is a tangible closeness in the hollows and valleys of the eastern mountain range. Perhaps it can be attributed to the contrast that Appalachia provides. With only a short drive from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington,  and Atlanta, it is hard to believe that the quiet forests are in the same states. Even the sounds of the names are simpler, calmer, and less hurried: Cumberland, Smoky, Shenandoah.

Part of the intimacy of Appalachia has to do with the fact that civilization has long been here. Native Americans first, then European settlers. The game, timber, and forage all made the relatively accessible mountains a haven of sorts. The evidence of their presence, and the presence of their descendants/our ancestors is over every ridge and behind every old oak. Clearings, charcoal pits, stone fences, rusted stills, and chimneys pepper the landscape.

Once you get beyond the human element, and the fact that the mountain range itself runs unbroken from Alabama to Maine, the specifics of the setting change as you traverse the Appalachians. Plants differ wildly from north to south. Birds, insects, and some mammals only exist on one side of the Mason-Dixon Line or the other. If you take the time to notice, the soil smells different.

But one natural component of the Appalachian Mountains that is consistent up and down the entire range is the brook trout.

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2 Years of Fly Fishing People, Places, & Things

Casting Across is two years old. For two years, there have been three posts a week covering all manner of fly fishing topics. Some technique, a few humorous anecdotes, and a handful of takes on the people, places, and things that make fly fishing culture what it is.

In reality, it is those people, places, and things that make “going fly fishing” a culture and not just a hobby. That is why I’ve been writing on Casting Across for two years. The conversations on the phone and on the water enrich the angling such that is a holistic and well-rounded part of life.

For a while I’ve been toying with the idea of getting rid of the advertisements on Casting Across. Then, a friend and industry member suggested the same. He thought I’d get more out of the streamlined look and that it would also reflect the unbiased opinions in the writing.  I agree. It took a few months to make it happen, but as the website hits it’s second anniversary, I’ve got something that exceeds the benefits of the old ads.

A new page is debuting on the site, and I’m calling it People, Places, & Things. This page   is a list of just that: the people, places, and things in fly fishing that I have come to truly enjoy. Furthermore, they all have supported Casting Across in one way or another. I highly recommend each, and encourage you to follow the links to find out more. The section headings take you to the corresponding website, and the bullet  point links refer you to past Casting Across posts featuring each company.

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Last Cast of the Week, 10/27/2017

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 the International Fly Tying Symposium, Tightline Productions, & Hatch.

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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In Defense of Tenkara


For most anglers, fly fishing is an activity reserved for the margins of life. It is fit it in when it can be: between work, family obligations, school, and all the other obligations that rightly get top billing. Fly fishing might get penciled in for a day or weekend now and again, but mostly it’s relegated to the margins.

Taking advantage of those short-but-precious hours or minutes is key. Fifteen minutes at a pond between meetings, a quick cast into a creek while waiting to pick up the kids, or a little time allotted to fishing on a family hike can do wonders. It might satisfy a longing. Or, it can at least scratch an insufferable itch.

Gear and all the necessary/optional accouterments are a fun and entrenched part of fly fishing culture. However, these margin outings don’t lend themselves to having a full angling arsenal on hand and at the ready. You might stumble into an opportunity. You might only have as much time to fish as it usually takes you to put on your waders and rig your rod.

These moments, among a number of other scenarios, are where tenkara excels.

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Gone Fishing: Late


This is about as late in the day as I’ve ever posted on the site. But it’s happening because the family and I have been in the woods of New Hampshire since this morning.

It’s a remarkably mild fall, and we were able to enjoy a beautiful White Mountain autumn without jackets or mittens.

Similarly, the trout were willing to play along. I only fished for about an hour, and many feisty brookies came to hand. Each of the boys got into fish – including the middle guy’s first trout.

A late post for a late fall day. Enjoy: I did.


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Rusty Flybox: Fall

New England has been experiencing a spectacular fall. Mornings are in the 40’s and the days are getting up to the high 60’s. The air is crisp, the leaves are bright, and the conditions could not be better for chasing fish all over the region.

Whether you are in New England, the Midatlantic, the Midwest, the Rockies, or the Pacific Northwest, you’re experiencing some of the best weather, fishing, and overall times of the year. If you’re in the South… well, you’re having to break out the sweatshirts you’ll wear until March. Enjoy, and rub it in.

Today I’m sharing three posts from the back catalog of Casting Across. Each one has to do with fall. Also, they represent the scope of the writing here on the site. There is some technique, some humor, and some whimsical pontificating. I’ll let you figure out which is which.

Read the posts below by clicking on the titles or pictures, and have a great fall weekend!

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Manchester, VT: A Premier Fly Fishing Destination?

Manchester, Vermont isn’t a premier fly fishing destination. That isn’t to say that is a bad place to go if you want to catch trout. In fact, it is home to a solid, historic brown trout fishery in the Battenkill. The smaller streams in the mountains teem with native brookies, and bass or musky can be found in other local water bodies. It just isn’t what it used to be, and furthermore it isn’t made of the same stuff as nearby options like the North Maine Woods or the Upper Delaware River system.

For me, though, it is just fine. The historic piece is a large part of it. Like many young fly fishers, I was exposed to a little fly rod company called Orvis when I started in the sport. I grew infatuated, eventually incessantly talking to a store manager until I was able to land a job with Orvis in college. With a flagship store and rod factory in Manchester, the Orvis fan in me can’t help but get excited to fish in southwestern Vermont.

Additionally, I am enamored with the history of the sport in our country. Manchester is also home to the American Museum of Fly Fishing. This quintessentially New England building is bursting at the seams with rods, flies, and photographs of presidents and industry pioneers. Some of them fished the very waters that flow near the museum; albeit in a time where the angling was more productive.

Apart from those two fly fishing monoliths, Manchester is just a great place to be. Nestled in the mountains, it isn’t that far from New York or Boston. There is an absolute wealth of non-angling options for time off the water or for any traveling companions that would rather enjoy shopping than wetting a line. Food, hiking, and, in the fall, leaves, are all part of the charm of this corner of Vermont. And all of these activities happen to occur near, and even on the banks of, the waters around Manchester.

And the Battenkill is the centerpiece of all of these waters.

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Three Months Out: Plan On The Fly Fishing Show

What do you have planned for three months from now? I can assure you that you have a lot planned for the time between today and three months from now. The last major fall fishing trips, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and everything that goes along with the holiday season is coming up in the next 90 days. After that, the winter doldrums really kick in for most of the country. So what should you do?

As a fly fisher, there is an easy answer: fly to the Bahamas for some bonefish.

There is also another less expensive and less time consuming option: go to The Fly Fishing Show.

With dates in venues across the country, The Fly Fishing Show is an annual tradition that gets penned into the calendars of anglers young and old. It isn’t a fishing trip, but it is the kind of mid-winter day or weekend that feeds into and fuels fishing trips to come. Checking out new gear, buying “last year’s” models at closeout prices, and talking to reps gets you thinking about what you need to be prepared for the spring. Listening to seminars, watching professional fly tyers, and getting casting tips will help you use what you bought to be prepared for the spring. And the numerous lodges and guides with date planners open will gladly take your reservation so you have something in the spring to prepare for.

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Flies – Just a Click Away

It was over eighteen months ago that I wrote about the concept of monthly fly subscriptions. I took a look at the flies, the packaging, the cost, and the presentation of a handful of the companies that were offering a “flies by mail” subscription. By and large, every offering was relatively close to one another in what they were selling anglers.

What I found that set some apart from others was the little things: a newsletter, a sticker, some information on the flies. These little touches not only made them unique, but they appealed to the interests of potential customers.

One company that hadn’t even launched yet was The Fly Crate. Since then, The Fly Crate has opened for business and begun to carve out a niche for itself in the angling marketplace.

Before I mention anything else, I want to make the most important thing clear:  the flies are good. I have fished a number of trout patterns and bass poppers from The Fly Crate, and they look and hold up very well. In fact, I know the source of the flies and was impressed to see where they were coming from.

But there is more:

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