Memorial Day represents something real, somber, and important. Consequently, it is much more than an unofficial start of summer.
At the same time, there is something to be said for the fact that summers as we know them are intrinsically linked to the freedoms we enjoy. Public lands, economic enterprise, and even the flexibility of recreational choices are not universal. So with that authentic appreciation in mind, I want to share three things I’m thinking about heading into this season.
All you need to fish is one rod, one reel, one line, and one fly… but it is better to have a few dozen… boxes of them.
That said, it isn’t the worst thing in the world to have some other gear that can serve a similar purpose. Along with performing in a slightly different manner, this gear can also be a solid backup for if/when something goes wrong on the water.
Today I’m sharing my approach to this whole matter. It isn’t the most important thing in the world, but taking a minute to make some good decisions will save you some time any money.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
Even though they are ubiquitous in fly fishing catalogs and on gadget racks in fly shops, it is a good assumption that not everyone knows what they’re for. That said, so much has been made of the conscientious step of being mindful of water temps in the summer when fishing for trout. More and more anglers are aware that a small tool can do a lot more than barbless hooks to cut down on seasonal fish mortality.
All that said, there is more that you can do with a thermometer. In fact, it can help you find and catch fish. How is that?
Today I’m sharing three ways that a thermometer on the stream can help you figure out if a spot where you should fish or not? read more
Fly rods garner a lot of attention because of their function and price. Fly selection is the focal point of so much stream-side attention. But without good line and the right leader, nothing is going to catch any fish. Your cast and your presentation depends on fly line, leader, and tippet as much as rod or fly.
You probably have a backup rod and a whole box of flies with you. What about line and leader?
With lessons learned from years of experience vacillating between overpacking and being found underprepared, I feel like I’ve found a relatively safe framework for having what I need. More importantly, I have what I need when I need it. It isn’t some revolutionary system. It probably won’t save you hundreds. It definitely won’t lead to a significant uptick in trout. But it might make things a little bit easier.
Here’s the four things I keep in reserve so I’m ready to keep my lines and leaders ready to go:
There is only so much fly fishing practice you can get on your front lawn. And while the surface tension of your pool might help with improving your cast, your children won’t take kindly to being asked to pretend to be fish.
Thankfully there are rivers filled with fish. And some of these fish are much more likely to play ball than trout are.
I would go out of my way to catch panfish. But they can also be used to hone your skills. Today I’m sharing 3 ways I use bluegill, fallfish, and even bass to improve my trout fishing.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
There are more storied pools, riffles, and confluences in New York’s Catskills region than many states can boast in total. Theodore Gordon, Joan Wulff, and the Dettes are just a few of the prominent names that are associated with the tight concentration of valleys. But countless other men and women have chased trout, tied flies, and contributed to the American fly fishing scene in a remarkable way.
The Catskill style of dry fly, while only one facet of angling to proceed from the region, epitomizes the aesthetic and productive priorities of anglers who devote themselves to this eastern trout oasis.
The latest film from Frequent Flyers explores these anglers and the area they love. In Honing the Craft, these filmmakers once again capture an authentic snapshot of culture and community. Frankly, the experience and eloquence of these fly tyers supersedes the vast majority of anything you’ll see on fly fishing social media.
Do yourself a favor and carve out 20 minutes to watch Honing the Craft. You can do so right here:
Remember Woodie Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land?” Well you better lace up your cancelin’ shoes, because the title alone is caps lock OFFENSIVE. Why; you might reasonably and rationally ask? Isn’t that the most fork-mashed and digestible of all milquetoast protest songs? Wrong, you fascist. Obviously [sic] no one can own land. This is 2024. Land, water, and anything else is alive and has inalienable rights, remember?
Rapidly blinking virtue signals like this are the results of the “rights of nature” movement. At a cursory perusal of the documents produced by this campaign, anyone with a meager level of environmental stewardship might nod with approval. Anglers, biologists, and any considerate individual can easily get behind anything that might assure that those in power “maintain flow sufficient in quantity to maintain ecosystem health” and avoid “unreasonable pollution.” (Why they left an allowance for reasonable pollution did cross my mind.) These and a half dozen other give-a-hoot statements in Nederland, Colorado’s Resolution 2021-11(A) seem like common sense.
Then you read this watershed (pun intended) chestnut:
The Creek and its encompassing Watershed, and the living and other things existing naturally therein, exist and function as an integrated and interdependent system of natural communities and are therefore understood, respected, and recognized in this Resolution as a living entity, possessing fundamental and inalienable rights.
Italics mine. Unless fonts possess fundamental and inalienable rights now, too.
I’m not talking about how you can throw buzz baits and frogs with your 5-weight. But I’m also drawing a distinction between dry flies and another way to chase trout. Think about fishing with mouse patterns, and you’ll understand where I’m going.
While I do discuss mice, I cover three other active ways to fish for trout on top of the water. When the hatch isn’t on, or the fish don’t want your dead-drifted imitation, there are some fun ways to drum up strikes. And when they come, they’re usually quite exciting.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
If it’s out there, there is a good chance that you can find it online. Google it has become synonymous with figure it out. With a few taps on your screen, you can get anything you want (and a lot you don’t).
But there are still some things that can’t be found on the internet. Or, at a minimum, they can’t be found easily. Believe it or not there are some people making it in this world without social media. There are businesses getting by without search engine optimization strategies. Information exists that has yet to be turned into 1s and 0s.
Since fly fishing occupies relatively scant acreage in the greater outdoor landscape, I’ve long practiced looking in other catalogues for gear that might help my time on the water. Hiking, hunting, and kayaking equipment works when fly fishing. Sometimes, the niche it was designed to fill is precisely what fly anglers need. So it should come at no surprise that conventional fishing gear is worth the fly fisher’s consideration.
One category that makes a lot of sense to consider is rain gear. While fly fishers obviously focus on the right waders, with rain jackets as an important back up item for bad weather, the guys who head miles out into open water absolutely need equipment to keep them dry. A serviceable rain jacket isn’t an option; it is a necessity.
Designed to be utilized by professional conventional anglers, the Great Lakes Pro Jacket by Whitewater is the perfect example. I don’t want to invest in a rain jacket that will keep me mostly dry. I want the kind of jacket that people trust when motoring across a lake in a driving rain. I want gear that does what it is supposed to do and lets me do what I want it to do. On top of that, I want comfort and a few legitimately beneficial features.
These are the four criteria I judge any outdoor gear on when I take it into the field. How did the Whitewater Great Lakes Pro Jacket hold up?
